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Fast and Safe on-line Booking: just enter your arrival and departure dates to obtain availability and prices in real time.
Every Truly Venice home is unique: it is selected with great care and only if it meets the standard of the most sophisticated guests.
Our team of local representatives offers a warm and informative welcome. They are at your disposal throughout the duration of your stay. Our staff speaks fluently English, German and Italian. Please feel free to call us!
We offer additional luxury services so you may personalize your stay for a more exclusive experience. Consider booking water taxis, private tours, restaurants and more.
Book now your Truly Venice apartment and save money on bookings made up to one month in advance of your arrival date!
Venice attracts people from all over the world whose cultural habits and tastes differ substantially. Our apartments have therefore been organized into categories to enable you to find the apartment that best suits you needs.
Enjoy the tranquillity and privacy of an apartment with a private garden or a uniquely Venetian altana (roof-top terrace) with incomparable panoramic views
Gardens & Terraces
Inspiring designer furnishings and truly glamorous fittings, you will find them all in our chic apartments featuring contemporary architecture
Contemporary Chic
Experience living on the spectacular Grand Canal or on a picturesque Rio the most authentic perspective, from an apartment with a canal view
Canal Views
Elegantly furnished and classical in style, these apartments are furnished with hand-crafted antique pieces and fine paintings and are Truly Venetian in feel
Classic Elegance
Family friendly, great value apartments that are practical and comfortable for kids as well as for adults
Appealing Comfort
Whisk your loved one away on a romantic break, forget about the world you are leaving behind and enjoy relaxation and romance with someone special
Romantic Getaways
The enchanting historical centre of Venice is made up of 118 islands, separated by over 150 canals and held together by around 400 bridges. Suffice it to say that trying to memorise the names of hundreds of islands would be a daunting task for even a born and bred Venetian, so thankfully the city is traditionally broken up into a rather more manageable six districts. These neighbourhoods are known as the sestieri (singular sestiere), a Venetian word that derives from the number six, and each of them has its own distinct character and hidden treasures to discover
Truly Venice specializes in offering holiday homes and apartments in Venice Italy, by days, weeks or months. All our Venice apartments are selected with great care to make your stay as relaxing and comfortable as it can be while offering you the chance to experience the truly Venetian way of living.
Ours is a network made up of over 100 of the most charming private properties in Venice.
Make the most of your unique, Venetian home by joining our distinguished portfolio.
We provide the Owners with three different consulting solutions corresponding to the level of financial commitment required to list their property on the Truly Venice website. Learn more about your options:
From the Owner's viewpoint, investing in a holiday rental property should be seen as a small entrepreneurial activity, with a start-up period, break-even point, and finally profits.
We mastered this topic many times over, let us walk you through it.
If you already own a property, but it needs updating our Architects and Interior Designers can assist you in planning and budgeting the restyling project. Let us take care of this time-consuming activity and guide you to the most cost effective and lasting solutions for renovation.
If your property is newly restored and fully furnished, we will simply take care of home staging and photo shooting. Listing will take only few days and it's free of charge…
What our guests say about us.
Truly Venice was awesome to work with. We were a family of 10 ages 4 to 74. We rented the Tosca Premium which was two apartments in an awesome location near the Varparetto (water taxis) and in a quiet little square. I can't say enough good things about the apartment. The size was perfect, the air conditioners worked great. The apartment was beautiful with views out to the canals. All the kids, parents and grandparents had a blast and it was due to such a great apartment and the help of Truly Venice staff. Thank you all for a great vacation.
What a great apartment to share with friends. It's location is close to everything without being busy nor noisy. It's very well appointed and the lounge if perfect for relaxing. We used the terrace with its superb rooftop views for breakfast and evening drinks. There's a vaporetto stop not far from the door which takes you anywhere you want to go. I also have to say that Claudia and her team couldn't have been more helpful. They arranged all transportation for us and answered any queries very quickly before and during our trip. Would definitely recommend and use again.
Very happy to have found Truly Venice! We started looking for an apartment in Venice really last minute and we very soon realized that finding something available for 2 weeks with dogs at high season was nearly impossible. Truly Venice team was reactive and gave us a few different options to chose from. Not mentioning that when we decided to stay longer they found us another apartment. Also they did help to book taxi upon the arrival... which was very helpful! Really great experience and very pro team and service.
Without any hesitation I would stay here again. It was a quiet oasis right in the perfect location within Venice. We simply walked outside our door and began our adventure everyday. The luxury rental apartment is large and very well equipped. It even had a Nespresso maker!! The two story layout was wonderful and we keep on finding unique nooks and hidden gems throughout our stay. The views from the two terraces were spectacular. We literally couldn't wait to get up in the morning and sit outside. There is great air conditioning for all the rooms, private entrance, and an elevator. The beds were very comfortable as well. Extremely great value for the price.
The Leonina and Leonessa apartments are in Dorsoduro near to the Accademia bridge and about 15 minutes walk to Piazzale Roma. Ideal location. Our group rented them for the second time in February 2014 and were just as delighted as the first time stayed there in 2012. The apartments are cleverly decorated and are painted white which makes them very bright and inviting. The bathrooms whilst small, work well. The rooms are all of a good size with well equipped modern kitchens.
We stayed at Grassi for a week in September this year (2013) and it was even better and more beautiful than we expected. One of our group of 5 (my husband) had broken his foot only 2 weeks prior to our vacation, but the convenience of an elevator and the nearby vaporetto stop (San Samuele) made it easy for him to get around. Everything was perfect and Daniela was extremely helpful. Her Truly Venice website made choosing an apartment easy, and the inclusion of floor plans is brilliant. Having a water taxi reservation in advance made everything easier and when we left, the taxi was at our vaporetto stop at exactly the time Daniela had arranged. All in all, great service, great location and great apartment made for lots of fun. We will definitely recommend Truly Venice to anyone and everyone!
The apartment we rented through Truly Venice for our recent stay in Venice was perfect in every way. The apartment is accurately described on the website, well-priced, spotless and very well appointed with thoughtful touches for the traveler. The apartment was also well-located. Daniela, one of the proprietors of the company was extremely well-organized; on our arrival by train, she welcomed us at the vaporetto Stop with information and the keys, and also gave us valuable information on her favorite restaurants, where to get the 'best' gelato in Venice, and where to purchase an inexpensive cell phone. All of this proved infallibly accurate and added to our enjoyment. As a mature couple (both college professors), we would rent another apartment from Daniela and her company in the future. We recommend them most highly.
"The most perfect vacation apartment" We stayed in this fantastic apartment for one week in October. It is simply the best apartment we have rented in Europe. The location is very central, not right in the middle of the noise and traffic but very close to the best sights and some of the best food in Venice. The photos and description don't do it justice (and they make it look wonderful). The kitchen was fantastic, laundry facilities were great, bathrooms were perfect and the terrace. The apartment is stocked with everything one needs to live and cook there. Not like some apartments that only have the bare essentials. Less than a block from the market, ATM, gelato, and more. We spent every morning on the terrace watching the canal traffic. I would return to Venice and this apartment in a minute. We booked a private water taxi so getting to the apartment from the airport was a snap.


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City Book – GB Road, Inside Delhi's Red Light District
Interview on Nobody Can Love You More.
[The above photo is by Helena Kaartinen]
Joanna Sugden at The Wall Street Journal's website talked to The Delhi Walla about his book Nobody Can Love You More: Life in Delhi's Red Light District. Click here to read it on the newspaper's website, or see below.
Mayank Austen Soofi spent three years documenting the lives of people living and working in Delhi's red light district. His book "Nobody Can Love You More," which has just been published by Penguin India, is a glimpse inside the world of the women, men and children who live in the brothels or kothas on Garstin Bastion Road in Old Delhi.
The author tells The Wall Street Journal's India Real Time how he ended up writing about this area and how the experience changed him. Edited excerpts:
The Wall Street Journal: Your first encounter with the people who live and work in the brothel of number 300 GB Road was as an English teacher for their children. What drew you to teach there?
Mayank Austen Soofi: I wanted to gain an entry into the homes of women who worked in the red light area. So I happily accepted an offer to teach English to children at the brothel in kotha No. 300. There was nothing strategic about it except an eagerness to see that marginalized world from inside. I had no plans to write a book. Being a blogger who writes about Delhi and its people, I merely wanted to make sense of GB Road which, to be sure, was not just another neighborhood in the city. Soon I started visiting No. 300 every evening. After a few more months, I stopped being a tutor and become a part of the kotha's extended family.
WSJ: How did your initial estimation of the lives of those living in the red light district change as you got to know them?
Mr. Soofi: Having grown up with middle-class sensibilities, I was fascinated by the women, principally because they had sex with strange men for money. I had encountered such people only in movies and books and imagined them as women who put on too much make-up and who too easily hurled swear words at each other. Either they must be cruel, I imagined, or battered. As I became friends with the kotha's women, built strong bonds with some of them, I became a little less of a fool. I started seeing the richness of the women's lives, which are as complicated as those who are not prostitutes and who don't live in red lights. In other words, the women became ordinary. Of course, in a place like GB Road, it is impossible to forget that most people do not come here out of choice. At best, they have been shepherded by circumstances into living this life. At worst… well, we all know the horror stories.
WSJ: In the book you are very honest about your own struggles, frustrations and anxieties documenting the world of the kothas. What would you say was the biggest challenge?
Mr. Soofi: I fear I will sound shallow. But it was the khana (food). I thought I was just not made for food that was either too spicy or too oily. And the people in kotha No. 300 loved both. But I knew it was important to eat meals with them. The women had become my friends. They had accepted me in their home. They loved me, cared for me. I had also become fond of them. While waiting for customers, they would spend time gossiping with me. We would talk of films and songs and discuss the romantic lives of Bollywood actresses. There was no way I could have excused myself or pretended not to be hungry when it was time for lunch or dinner. Sometimes a woman would cook food for me that she remembered being made by her mother when she was a little girl in her village. There was so much love in those meals. I had to have their khana. Today, I can't survive without oil and spices in my curries. I have been spoiled.
WSJ: Your book has a documentary feel about it. But at one point a shopkeeper underneath the kothas tells you that it 'will never be an accurate portrait of your subjects.' To what extent do you think he was correct and to what extent does it matter anyway?
Mr. Soofi: I have to be honest. My book can never be an accurate portrait about this red light district and its people. The reasons are simple: I do not belong to this place; I have not grown up here; my mother does not entertain new men every night; I have lived a sheltered life compared to the people here. I will be insincere to my reader if I pretend to feel the exact nuances of this life and claim to convey its truth in my writing. This is not an insider's account. What I see and write is being filtered through a mind that has its own prejudices and (mis)conceptions. I made myself a character in this book so that the reader can get an idea of the author's sensibilities and adjust his own impressions accordingly. But is a book less complete if it is not completely accurate? Who can accurately depict a world? A book written by a GB Road inhabitant, too, cannot be totally accurate. We all are captives of our sensibilities. We only see what we want to see, most of the time. Isn't that the case?
WSJ: Throughout the book you are looking for the women's real stories which prove elusive. At one point you ask, 'What will they get from my book? Nothing.' Can you expand on the dilemma you faced as an author and as their friend?
Mr. Soofi: Earlier, just when I decided to write this book and shared my intention with the women in 300 (after all, I would be writing about them), I had this guilty feeling that perhaps I was exploiting them. I struggled with that emotion. A writer friend told me that each time we decide to write about anybody – it could be my mother or the prime minister – we have already begun the process of exploitation. 'But can you do it with decency?' she asked. I then knew that I could do this book only if I make a sketch of my friends with respect and affection.
As for my doubts concerning the veracity of the stories I was told, I was not doing an expose on politicians here. My attempt was to make enquiries of this world through gentle persuasions. I wanted to record what my friends in the brothel wanted to believe in concerning their past and present, and which they did not mind sharing with the world.
WSJ: There is one particular episode which you deliberately and unabashedly avoid writing about for fear of compromising one of the women's reputations. Do you think you lost your objectivity or where should reader curiosity give way to respect for the subject? Why did you decide to tell the reader you were leaving it out rather than leaving it out altogether?
Mr. Soofi: I was very certain about one thing while writing this book: the respect for my subject would be a bigger priority than the curiosity of my reader. Having said that, just before we went to the press, I decided to remove the reference you mention altogether from the book. But R. Sivapriya, my editor at Penguin, objected. I'm quoting her: 'The reader enters into a compact with the author for full revelation. Of course, that never happens. But we readers choose to believe that it does, in every book. And we know it actually doesn't, in every book. When you say what you say, the reader receives a jolt—an insight that all stories are constructed; that you choose to tell the story in a certain manner just as women in the book do. For me, it is revelations like these that bring an unusual and moving narrative truth, sophistication even, to 'Nobody Can Love You More'.'
WSJ: Some of the most tender moments in the book are when the women of the kotha ask you about your life and encourage you to eat more and marry. How much did you let them into your world?
Mr. Soofi: As much as I entered theirs. It was a two-way process. I asked them the stories of their lives. They asked mine. Theirs are a part of my book. Mine are a part of their books.
WSJ: Toward the start of the book you talk a bit about the clash between your life in Hauz Khas village and the world of GB Road. This seems to bother you less as the book goes on – is that the case and if so why?
Mr. Soofi: You are right. As time passed, I bothered less and less about the cafés and galleries of Hauz Khas village. This is not to say that people there are less kind or more superficial or some such thing. It's just that I got pulled into the world of GB Road. I found it more unusual, so more fascinating.
WSJ: Do you still visit the kothas and number 300?
Mr. Soofi: When I feel low, or just want to be myself, I go to 300 and sit with the women. We don't necessarily talk. They wait for their customers, I read my book-of-the-day (currently, it is Marcel Proust's 'In Search of Lost Time'.) When I feel sleepy, I shut myself in one of the rooms and take a nap. Sometimes, I watch TV with the children, or we play with their goats and rabbits. Sometimes, I do pushups with the boys. I'm also friends with some regular customers. This is a world in which I now feel at home.
Joanna Sugden is freelance journalist living in Delhi. Before coming to India in 2011 she spent four-and-a-half years as a reporter at The Times of London, covering religion and education. You can follow her on Twitter @jhsugden.
Available in book stores and shopping websites across India

subset: commoncrawl


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Your Mind Is in Your Hands
Each new day presents challenges that, if not met and overcome, may leave you less fit mentally to control your
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I like the Blast because I think it gives me just what I need. I work 8 hours a day, sometimes more, with kids at school, and I just have to have the Blast in the morning. I don't get as tired during the day when I drink it – it just works for me. I think I'm getting everything from it!
By BSD Mill Valley, CA. on 9/2/2011
Blast helps me in the morning. I used to drink energy drinks, but this is healthier and does the same job.
*FDA Disclaimer: These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.


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In this tutorial I'll show you how to create a CSS gradient background.
Advertisement Sliding Billboard
Discover the power of interactive presentations – the Sliding Billboard ! Organize your work greatly in a virtual book, which auto scrolls and enables your users to slide from page to page or chapter to chapter naturally. You can present any type of work this way: your portfolio, photo albums, products index, web shop, ads and much more. Choose from the 13 cool CSS designs included, so your billboard always looks great and suites your site perfectly.


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The US FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is the most sweeping reform of US food safety laws in over 70 years. It applies to facilities that manufacture, process, pack or hold food for humans or animal food. Produce farms, US importers, shippers, receivers, loaders and carriers who transport food in the United States are also subject to FSMA. If your operation falls within one of these categories, then you may be required to comply with the US food safety regulations under FSMA.
Looking for something specific?
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We can help you ensure compliance across your food facilities and supply chain with a range of FSMA certification, audit, testing, supplier verification, training and technical services.
We are accredited to certify foreign food suppliers under the FDA's Accredited Third-Party Certification Program (FSMA TPP). The program is a prerequisite for the Voluntary Qualified Importer Program (VQIP) Certification, which allows expedited entry of food to the US. Upon successful completion of the audit we issue an FSMA certificate that is accredited to the ANSI National Accreditation Board (ANAB) and recognized by the FDA. FSMA TPP audits can be performed as stand-alone audits, or in combination with other GFSI schemes.
We also provide FSMA Foreign Supplier Verification Program (FSVP) certification, which is an SGS certification scheme accredited to the ANAB. Under the FSMA FSVP scheme, we audit foreign suppliers to assess their compliance with the applicable US food safety regulations. At the end of the audit, we issue an accredited FSMA FSVP certificate that foreign suppliers and their US clients can use as evidence of FSMA compliance.
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We offer gap assessments for FSMA preventive controls rules, importer compliance with the FSVP rule, intentional adulteration (food defense), and other FDA regulations. Our gap assessments can be used as stand-alone pre-assessments or as addendum audits with other food safety schemes. They have proven to be very valuable for companies preparing for full compliance with the US food regulations.
Through our global network of food labs, we can help you comply with the environmental monitoring, water testing, supply chain and allergen management requirements of FSMA. With a variety of FSMA testing protocols and expertise, we provide a one-stop-shop for all your food and animal feed testing needs.
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If you own or operate a US facility, or are an importer covered by FSMA rules, there are auditing, risk assessment, testing, labeling, supply chain management, training and other requirements that apply to you. Our wide range of FSMA technical support services makes your journey toward compliance easier.
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"VERUM" Business Center, 050040,


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Declaring that "you are a modern day Paul Revere; summoning the American people to confront the growing danger of tyranny and one-branch government," the father of "NSA leaker" Edward Snowden on Tuesday released an open letter to his son.
Written with Washington, D.C., lawyer Bruce Fein, Lon Snowden's message to his son also compares Edward Snowden to "Thomas Paine, the voice of the American Revolution, [who] trumpeted that a patriot saves his country from his government."
Those opinions contrast sharply with those of U.S. intelligence officials, who say the secrets about National Security Agency surveillance programs that Snowden has spilled to several news outlets have harmed national security.
Snowden is into his ninth day in the transit zone of Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport. His U.S. passport has been revoked and he's seeking asylum in another country. As we reported earlier, he's asked more than 20 countries for asylum. But so far, none has said yes — and a growing list has said no.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text: 30 Incredible and Beautiful Sand Sculptures for your inspiration One of the trickiest forms of art is the sand sculpture. Sand sculpture can be done with almost all kinds of sand, but if it's bad sand, then you are heading for a trouble spot. High quality sand always makes your sand sculpture very beautiful and unique. Rule of thumb for sand is, finest sands and angular grained sands are best for creating sand sculpture. Here is a quick tip to know if the sand is good for your sand sculpture. Take a small ping pong ball size sand and make sure it's wet, roll the sand into a smal... Read Full Post > |


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1sttheworld Clothing - American Samoa Tattoo Loose V-neck Short Sleeve T-shirt A31
1sttheworld Clothing - American Samoa Tattoo Loose V-neck Short Sleeve T-shirt A31
The V neck and short sleeves keep the classic tee look on this olive green top, Simple,chic and delightful top for summer. Suitable for matching pants, leggings, skirts, shorts, jeans, and so on.
- Fabric: Jersey(95% polyester and 5% spandex)
- Regular fit
- Deep v-neck, short sleeve
- Fabric weight:120g/m²
- Stitch Color: black or white, automatically matched based on patterns.
- Average Lead Time: 2-4 business days(The first month delivery of new products is about 7 business days)
- Care Instruction: machine wash cold with similar colors, do not bleach, tumble dry low, do not iron, do not dry clean.
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- Multiple shipping methods available, and fees vary depending on the location and the shipping method selected.
- For custom areas, please refer to the Yoycol mockup generator for details.
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- Orders ship within 5 to 10 business days.
- Tip: Buying 2 products or more at the same time will save you quite a lot on shipping fees.


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Avocado shake with orange coco bits
Sometimes, I overlook that human connection is essential to feeling alive. By reaching out to those who differ from us, we can experience the sweetness and crunchiness of life in a lighthearted way.
Despite our differences, we complement each other in unique ways.
Consider this series a gentle reminder that our dissimilarities are fundamental to our growth and connection. This series's vibrant colors and amiable shapes convey a language that evokes coherence, excitement, and positivity.
30" x 24" Mixed media on Canvas.This product is only available upon request. Contact us for more information


text: Videos Study Tools Details Recommended Between Heaven & the Real World WEEK 1 Share this Sermon Share Share this Sermon Copy Link Study Guide Use your Bible and the weekly study sheets to engage in spiritual practices that help us hear from God. There are currently no study guides available. Sermon Notes Use the weekly sermon notes to follow along with each week's message. There are currently no sermon notes available. Text Touch Points Receive a once a week text message on your mobile device to encourage and inspire you throughout the week. Contact Me Small Groups Life was not meant to be lived alone! Check out our Groups page for more info! Join A Group Sermon Podcast You can watch or listen to our sermons on your mobile device via our podcasts! How cool?! Rightnow Media For more resources for you or your family, we have access to Rightnow Media's online library! It's completely FREE! Visit Rightnow Media About the Series - Between Heaven & the Real World


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NEW YORK – BlackBerry Ltd is buying a privately held German firm that specializes in voice and data encryption, it said on Tuesday, in a bid to burnish its credentials with highly security-conscious clients like government agencies.
The Waterloo, Ontario-based smartphone maker did not disclose the terms of its deal to acquire Secusmart GmbH, which specializes in encryption and anti-eavesdropping services for governments, companies and telecommunications service providers.
The acquisition is the latest by the smartphone pioneer to build on niche areas in an attempt to reinvent itself under new Chief Executive John Chen and recover ground ceded to Apple Inc's iPhone and Samsung Electronics Co's (005930.KS) Galaxy devices.
"It is a really reassuring sign that BlackBerry is now less focused on firefighting and more focused on identifying and building for the long-term into enterprise services," said CCS Insight analyst Geoff Blaber.
Still, BlackBerry shares fell 4 percent to $9.54 on Nasdaq and C$10.45 on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
Chen wants to remain a competitor in the smartphone segment, but is focused on building on BlackBerry's strong mobile device management abilities by beefing up its security and corporate app offerings.
Secusmart's technology is being used to protect the devices of government officials in both Canada and Germany, including the BlackBerry device used by German Chancellor Angela Merkel in the wake of the U.S. spying scandal last year.
"Everybody wants to talk about eavesdropping, but it really isn't just that. Both governments and enterprises are now more and more focused on security in the mobile world," Chen said in an interview, adding that the Secusmart deal gives BlackBerry yet another leg up on the competition in relation to device security.
Besides the new line of BlackBerry 10 devices, Secusmart's technology is also used to secure the landline phones of corporations and government agencies.
"This is going to be where monetization is really going to lie for BlackBerry in the future and they have to start building value," CCS's Blaber said. "That first and foremost is the most reassuring sign from this acquisition."[eap_ad_2]
Chen said the company, which has gone through a rough and extended restructuring process over the last two years, will be soon getting back on a growth footing with the last of its lay-offs likely to be completed by the end of July.
"We are already starting to turn on our machine to now hire people," said Chen, adding that any headcount growth is likely to be moderate for now.
"I want to make sure that we don't get carried away and get ourselves into trouble again financially, but then again, we do need to invest in certain areas, if we want to compete in the future," said Chen, a well regarded turnaround expert in the technology industry, who took the reins at BlackBerry some nine months ago.
The firm has also been expanding its enterprise sales team.
Chen said he expects the company's revenue to grow midway through the next calendar year after the firm rolls out its Passport and BlackBerry Classic devices, and an updated version of its mobile device management software.
"Knock on wood. I feel pretty good about where we are in terms of the turnaround," said Chen. "We still have work to do, so I wouldn't say we've completed the turnaround, but the tough decisions and the tough thinking have already been taken or are done." (Reuters)[eap_ad_3]


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And I have to share this wonderful breadboard that arrived in the mail this week. Being sick and delirious ;) I'd forgotten that I'd ordered it, and when my husband brought the monster box to me I was clueless. (That happens to me every once in awhile and it has nothing to do with a fever)
Hope you're having a wonderful weekend. I've been working on more Springification around here. The sunporch was Saturday's project...I'm just getting started. And please don't remind me that another snowstorm is scheduled for Tuesday!


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Francois Hoang made the announcement for his much-anticipated second installment of Montreal Meets. Last year I was lucky enough to fly up and speak at the even with my pal Fabio Sasso, but this year's line-up has absolutely blown me away. I'll be making the trip once again to debut my new Signalnoise talk for 2012, along with some of my favorite artists and designers in the industry today. Stellar line-up.
Speaking at the event will be my friends Fabio Sasso, Shelby White, Radim Malinic and Scott Hansen. We will even get a live set from Scott's musical act, Tycho. Shaking with excitement over here. I've been in touch with these guys for quite some time, and have had the chance to hang out with most of them in person before (other than you Shelby, you elusive punk). All talent, all awesome, all taller than you might think.
The event is April 7 – 8 and is not to be missed. Get those tickets now, gang.


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The Firenze is crafted from a Black Matte never-creasing and easy scruff cleaning upper material. It is a four eyelet lace up tuxedo shoe that was designed by Vangelo with ultimate comfort and style in mind. The fashionbicycle squared toe and odor free stitched sole with stapled heel makes the Firenze the perfect selection for all of your business or special event needs.
- Color: Black
- Material: Matte PVC
- Style: Lace Up
- Eyelets: 4
- Fit & Sizes: 6.5 to 20 (Regular Width [D] or Wide Width [EE])
- Condition: Brand new with original tags & packaging
STYLING TIP: Small details should never be overlooked when wearing a suit or tux. Don't forget to order a new pair (or two) of quality dress socks. Perfect for your upcoming event, but you can also wear them afterwards either at work or a night out on the town!


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Conference Tourney Primers: Big West
Posted by Tommy Lemoine on March 12th, 2015We're in the midst of Championship Fortnight, so let's gear up for the continuing action by breaking down each of the Other 26's conference tournaments as they get under way.
Big West Tournament
Dates: March 12-14
Site: Honda Center (Anaheim, CA)
What to expect: UC Davis, picked seventh in the preseason, put together its best campaign in program history and won the conference championship with ease. The Aggies are the best three-point shooting team in America and nearly impossible to stop when guard Corey Hawkins and his pinpoint accurate teammates catch fire. Still, UC Santa Barbara and UC Irvine – beset by injuries for much of the year – are finally healthy and playing their best basketball of the season, while inconsistent-but-talented Long Beach State remains a threat. The Big West has good star players – Hawkins, USCB's Alan Williams and LBSU's Mike Caffey among them – along with an element of unpredictability that should make for a fun few days in Anaheim. In 2014, #7 seed Cal Poly beat #5 seed Cal State Northridge for the tournament crown, so anything is possible.
Favorite: UC Davis. The Aggies won their first-ever Big West title by three full games after going just 4-12 in conference play last season. How did that happen? For one thing, they got healthy – forwards Josh Ritchart (11.9 PPG) and J.T. Adenrele (6.3 RPG) returned after missing most of 2013-14 – but also because they simply shot the lights out. Both Hawkins and coach's son Tyler Les shoot around 49 percent from behind the arc, and as a team they drill 45 percent of their attempts – easily the best mark in college hoops. With the conference's most lethal offensive attack, UC Davis is the team to beat.


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12 Best Skin Brightening Products for Your Most Even Complexion YetSee which skin lightening product will give you radiant skin |
Whether you need to lighten freckles, hyper-pigmentation or age spots, find out which of the best skin lightening creams our readers can't live without.
Image via Imaxtree
SEE NEXT PAGE: Best Skin Brightening Product No. 12: Kiehl's Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution, $54
Older comments
I agree and disagree with some of the products. I would love to try Avon's Anew; Avon rarely lets me down.
by GigiSD Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 10:06PM Report as inappropriate
Never tried but the good reviews for avon surprised me. Will keep in mind as i may need in the future
by Dee Thursday, May 9, 2013 at 05:02PM Report as inappropriate
Skin care is so personal, but sometimes it's nice to cut to the chase and not waste time on fringe products
by kimberly_chandler_7366 Thursday, March 28, 2013 at 10:17PM Report as inappropriate
what about specific beauty "skin brightening serum" ? I like that product
by socialated Sunday, March 3, 2013 at 10:38PM Report as inappropriate
a lot of these are really expensive!
by Chris213 Saturday, March 2, 2013 at 06:33AM Report as inappropriate
I agree with the "good" and "bad" products. One little-known wonder is Pond's "Clarant" moisturizer. It uses Niacinamide--completely healthy for skin--to clear away brown spots. The fragrance is fresh and most pleasant, and the texture is beautifully lightweight. I used it inconsistently under makeup for two weeks (for shame, I know). My brown spots disappeared. Clinique and other products had irritated my skin, but my complexion glows with Ponds.
by GigiSD Wednesday, February 27, 2013 at 12:59AM Report as inappropriate
So thankful for this article...just wish half of them were in my budget range! I am going cray cray trying to find the right skin care for my skin.
by farrah11 Tuesday, January 29, 2013 at 09:57AM Report as inappropriate
Try Mela D pigment control from La Rochay....within two weeks you'll see a major difference.
by Alexx997 Saturday, January 19, 2013 at 06:18AM Report as inappropriate
i would love to try these
by LittleBunny Sunday, January 13, 2013 at 05:52PM Report as inappropriate


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Many of you have discovered my essay, "The Journey," which I wrote in 1998 after the sudden loss of two beloved pets. Since then, "The Journey" has taken on a life of its own, appearing on countless websites around the world, and reprinted in hundreds of humane society newsletters, books, and more. Because of its popularity, I decided to create a website devoted to "The Journey," and to offer, after many requests, the essay as a keepsake, available in poster form. Read on to learn more about "the journey of 'The Journey'" and how you can order a keepsake.
1998 was a tough year for our family's animals. Katie, my beloved companion in play and woodland walks, was a smart, joyful, gentle dog who loved tennis balls, squeaky toys, and romping through mud and water. A mix of Labrador Retriever, Springer Spaniel and terrier, she was a compact black and white dog, given a slightly comical look by her scruffy terrier beard. A lively dog at 10, she suddenly began to go into a decline, though the veterinarian initially could find no cause. By late summer, she was finally diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor. But by that time, she had been robbed of much of her vitality, her sight, her love of treats, and even some of her memory. Her last day, she slowly visited all the places she loved--her "grandpa" at his greenhouse, which was right next door, the field where she raced after so many Frisbees, and the blueberry bushes where she loved to lie. She then returned home, where Oliver, her dear cat friend, came and lapped her face. It was good-bye, and they knew it as well as we did.
Katie's death left a huge hole in my heart, both because of her passing from my life and because I was tormented by her suffering. But I soon had to face another blow when my dear cat, Pippin, died only one month later. Pippin was a slender, long-haired calico who came to me when my sister died suddenly of meningitis. She was a feisty kitty, mischievous and playful, and initially gave my other cats fits. As the years passed, the older cats died, and only Pippin remained, active even at 14. She loved bouncy balls, toy mice, and crinkly bags, and was quite a hunter despite living inside. She had caught praying mantis, mice, frogs, and snakes without ever leaving the house--somehow finding these creatures in the attic or basement! Time had mellowed her into more of a cuddler and less of an imp, and she loved to stroke you with her long slender paws.
We fully expected her to have many more years with us. Her last night with me, she was up to her old tricks, knocking over waste baskets, and rustling papers on my desk so I couldn't sleep. I scolded her, and she quickly hopped up on the bed, talking all the while. She curled up to cuddle, plainly asking me not to be cross. I think now that she was telling me she was ill, and maybe even saying good-bye, but I'll never know. The next day, she stayed under the end table all day long, facing East, and seeming almost in a trance. She would not respond to food, or petting, or our urges to come out. The vet diagnosed kidney disease but thought she would respond well to treatment. She stayed for an initial round, but that night died of a blood clot, a not unheard of complication due to the thyroid medication she was on.
I couldn't believe that within 30 days both of my beloved animals were gone. For the first time in my life, there were no animals in the house. The sight of an old tennis ball and half-chewed Frisbee in the yard broke my heart. In the house, I'd see bits of Pippin's long white fur on the carpet, or step on a toy mouse while vacuuming, and be reduced to tears. My heart was broken and I wished nothing more than to follow them both on whatever journey they had taken.
And then, one golden October day, warm as summer, some words came to mind. I sat on my front steps with a legal pad, and the words just flowed. Like a gift -- from God, from Katie, from Pippin. Thus, "The Journey" was written.
On a whim, I shared it with the NHSPCA's newsletter, and from there, it took on a life of its own. The local paper picked it up, and unbeknownst to me, people then began downloading it from the paper's website. They e-mailed it to family and friends all over the country and all over the world. About three years after it's initial writing, a friend called and said, "You've got to go to Google and see this." When I typed in my name, there was "The Journey" on 35,000 websites worldwide. It had been picked up -- with credit given to me -- by thousands of animal welfare websites all over the United States, Canada, England, Germany, Australia, and more. Today, a pet loss group (Petloss.com) holds a candlelit vigil every Sunday and Monday night for bereaved pet owners worldwide. As they light a candle, they scroll down through "The Journey." A monk in Pennsylvania used excerpts from "The Journey" in one of his sermons, and contacted me for permission to use segments in his book of essays. "The Journey" has been read on "The Today" show, and featured on their website, thanks to the interest of Dr. Warren Eckstein, contributing Pet Editor on the show. Renowned animal communicator, Carol Gurney, author of The Language of Animals: 7 Steps to Communicating with Animals, has included it in her training and lecture materials.
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This design is of fierce Barbarian kitty! His Great Axe is thirsty for the blood of evildoers!
- 1.6 inches tall
- Hard enamel
- Two posts/clutches
- Gold-colored plating
This design is part of a larger collection of pins based on classic tabletop RPG archetypes and classes. Check out the rest of the collection!
These pins are available in two quality grades: Firsts and Seconds. Please see the Policy page for more information on quality grades.
Each pin we sell helps us fund new original pin designs. Thank you so much for your time!


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India's Military Modernization
Plans and Strategic Underpinnings
As India is emerging a important strategic partner for the U.S. in the Asia-Pacific, Gurmeet Kanwal assesses the progress of India's military modernization and argues that in order to achieve interoperability with U.S. and other friendly armed forces, the Indian military needs to create force structures capable of undertaking network-centric warfare on land, at sea, and in the air.
As a key player in Asia and a large democracy with which the United States shares common interests, India is emerging as an important U.S. strategic partner. There is a broad national consensus in India on the contours of this emerging relationship with Washington, particularly with respect to enhanced defense and civil nuclear energy cooperation. During his visit to New Delhi in June 2012, U.S. defense secretary Leon Panetta identified India as a "linchpin" in Washington's emerging "rebalancing" strategy in the Asia-Pacific region. While there was no reaction from the Indian government, it is clear that these two large democracies need to work together militarily in order to maintain freedom of the seas in the Indian Ocean region and to ensure peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific more generally. Should China experience political instability or behave irresponsibly in asserting its territorial rights—as it has shown a tendency to do in the South China Sea—both India and the United States will need strong strategic partners to face worst-case scenarios effectively.
In order to meet future threats and challenges and achieve interoperability with U.S. and other friendly armed forces for joint operations in India's area of strategic interest, the Indian military needs to modernize and create force structures that are capable of undertaking network-centric warfare on land, at sea, and in the air. Gradually, but perceptibly, the Indian armed forces are upgrading their capabilities, enhancing their kinetic effectiveness and command and control, and improving interoperability. This brief analyzes the threats and challenges that India must address, the measures being adopted to modernize the country's armed forces, and the strategic underpinnings behind this slow but steady modernization effort.
Preparing for a Two-Front War
South Asia is among the world's most unstable regions due to the ongoing war against al Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. In addition, growing fundamentalist terrorism; creeping "Talibanization" in Pakistan; political instability in Bangladesh, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka; unrest in Tibet and Xinjiang; narcotics trafficking; and the proliferation of small arms and light weapons are also destabilizing factors. Unresolved territorial and boundary disputes with China and Pakistan, over which India has fought four wars; internal security challenges in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) and the northeastern states; and the rising tide of the Maoist insurgency in the heartland further vitiate India's strategic environment. Further, many Indian security analysts worry that China is engaged in the strategic encirclement of India through its nuclear and missile nexus with Pakistan; the sale of military hardware to Bangladesh, Nepal, Myanmar, and Sri Lanka; and a "string of pearls" strategy to surround India with naval bases in the northern Indian Ocean region.
India-China relations are stable at the strategic level. Resolution of the territorial dispute is being discussed by India's national security adviser and China's vice foreign minister, military confidence-building measures are holding up, bilateral trade has increased to $60 billion, and both countries are cooperating in international forums like the World Trade Organization and the UN Climate Change Conference. However, the relationship is more contentious at the tactical level. For example, China refuses to issue proper visas to Indian citizens of Arunachal Pradesh, Beijing denied the commander-in-chief of India's Northern Command a visa for an official visit because it believes that J&K is a disputed territory, and the People's Liberation Army (PLA) has been making frequent forays across the Line of Actual Control into Indian territory simply to push Chinese territorial claims. China has also rapidly developed military infrastructure in Tibet to allow for quicker induction of troops and their sustenance over a longer period of time. Another destabilizing factor is the large Chinese presence in the Gilgit-Baltistan area of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. These developments do not augur well for long-term peace and stability.
The prevailing strategic environment has forced India's armed forces to prepare for the possibility of a "two front" war, while the army and other security forces are engaged in fighting an ongoing "half front" internal security war. Even though the probability of conventional conflict remains low due to steadily improving relations and military confidence-building measures with China and Pakistan, this possibility cannot be completely ruled out. Nuclear deterrence also plays a positive role in conflict avoidance, but the prevailing wisdom in India is that there is space for conventional conflict below the nuclear threshold. There is now increasing realization that unless India takes immediate measures to accelerate the pace of its military modernization, the gap with China, which is only a quantitative gap at present, will soon become a qualitative gap, given the rapid rate of PLA modernization. Likewise, the slender edge that the Indian armed forces now enjoy over the Pakistani armed forces in conventional conflict is being eroded as Pakistan is spending considerable sums of money on its military modernization under the garb of fighting radical extremism. [1]
Although the Indian armed forces have drawn up elaborate plans for modernizing and qualitatively upgrading their capabilities for future combat, including the ability to secure the sea lanes of communication and project power in India's area of strategic interest, the pace of modernization has been slow due to the lack of adequate funding, delayed decision-making, and a low-tech defense industrial base. India's defense budget is pegged at less than 2% of its GDP at present, and the bulk of the expenditure is on the revenue account—that is, pay and allowances, rations, fuel, oil and lubricants, ammunition, and vehicles. [2] Very little remains in the capital account to be spent on modernization. In the case of the army, spending on modernization is as little as 20% to 25% of total capital expenditure in 2012–13. [3] According to Indian defense minister A.K. Antony, "New procurements have commenced…but we are still lagging by 15 years." [4] Nonetheless, an inadequate defense industrial base—imports constitute 70% of defense acquisitions—and bureaucratic inefficiency, rather than lack of funds, are the main causes of the slow pace of modernization. India is expected to procure defense equipment worth $100 billion, most of it imported, over the next two five-year plans. Simultaneously, however, efforts are being stepped up to enhance indigenous capabilities and thereby reduce India's dependence on imports by an order of magnitude. The following three sections will survey India's modernization of its army, navy, and air force.
Army Modernization: Enhancing Capabilities without Reducing Manpower
With personnel strength of 1.1 million soldiers (6 regional commands, a training command, 13 corps, and 38 divisions), the Indian Army has kept the nation together through various crises, including four wars since independence, Pakistan's "proxy war" in J&K since 1989–90, and insurgencies in many of the northeastern states. [5] Given its large-scale operational commitments on border management and counterinsurgency, the army cannot afford to reduce its manpower numbers until these challenges are overcome. Many of its weapons and equipment are bordering on obsolescence and need to be replaced. The next step would be to move gradually toward acquiring network-centric capabilities for effects-based operations so as to optimize the army's full combat potential for defensive and offensive operations. The army is also preparing to join the navy and the air force in launching intervention operations in India's area of strategic interest when called on to do so in the future.
Lieutenant General J.P. Singh (retired), former deputy chief of the army staff (planning and systems), stated in an interview with the CLAWS Journal that "the critical capabilities that are being enhanced to meet challenges across the spectrum include battlefield transparency, battlefield management systems, night-fighting capability, enhanced firepower, including terminally guided munitions, integrated maneuver capability to include self-propelled artillery, quick reaction surface-to-air missiles, the latest assault engineer equipment, tactical control systems, integral combat aviation support and network centricity." [6] The army's mechanized forces are still mostly "night blind." Its artillery lacks towed and self-propelled 155-mm howitzers for the plains and the mountains and has little capability by way of multi-barrel rocket launchers and surface-to-surface missiles. Infantry battalions urgently need to acquire modern weapons and equipment for counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations to increase operational effectiveness and lower casualties.
Main battle tanks (MBT) and infantry combat vehicles (ICV) are the driving forces of India's conventional deterrence in the plains. This fleet is being modernized gradually by inducting two regiments of the indigenously developed Arjun MBT and importing 310 T-90S MBTs from Russia. A contract has also been signed for 347 additional T-90S tanks to be assembled in India. The BMP-1 and BMP-2 Russian ICVs, which have long been the mainstay of the mechanized infantry battalions, need to be replaced as well. The new ICVs must be capable of performing internal security duties and counterinsurgency operations in addition to their primary role in conventional conflicts.
Artillery modernization plans include the acquisition of towed, wheeled, and self-propelled 155-mm guns and howitzers for the plains and the mountains through import as well as indigenous development. The Corps of Army Air Defence is also faced with problems of obsolescence. The vintage L-70 40-mm air defense (AD) gun system, the four-barreled ZSU-23-4 Schilka (SP) AD gun system, the SAM-6 (Kvadrat), and the SAM-8 OSA-AK, among others, need to be replaced by more responsive modern AD systems that are capable of defeating current and future threats.
The modernization of India's infantry battalions is moving forward but at a similarly slow pace. This initiative is aimed at enhancing the battalions' capability for surveillance and target acquisition at night and boosting their firepower for precise retaliation against infiltrating columns and terrorists hiding in built-up areas. These plans include the acquisition of shoulder-fired missiles, hand-held battlefield surveillance radars, and hand-held thermal imaging devices for observation at night. A system called F-INSAS (future infantry soldier as a system) is also under development. One infantry division has been designated as a rapid reaction force for employment on land or in intervention operations and will have one amphibious brigade and two air assault brigades.
Similarly, the Indian Army proposes to substantially enhance the operational capabilities of army aviation, engineers, signal communications, reconnaissance, surveillance, and target acquisition branches in order to improve the army's overall combat potential by an order of magnitude. Modern strategic and tactical level command and control systems need to be acquired on priority for better synergies during conventional and sub-conventional conflict. Plans for the acquisition of a mobile corps-to-battalion tactical communications system and a battalion-level battlefield management system likewise need to be hastened. Despite being the largest user of space, the army does not yet have a dedicated military satellite for its space surveillance needs. Cyberwarfare capabilities are also at a nascent stage. The emphasis thus far has been on developing protective capabilities to safeguard Indian networks and C4I2SR (command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, information, surveillance, and reconnaissance) from cyberattack. Offensive capabilities have yet to be adequately developed. All these capabilities will make it easier for the army to undertake joint operations with multinational forces when the need arises and the government approves such a policy option.
Naval Modernization: Major Fleet Expansion
The Indian Navy's ambitious Maritime Capabilities Perspective Plan seeks to dominate the Indian Ocean region by acquiring blue water operational capability while effectively countering current and emerging threats closer to the coastline. There is a perceptible shift in emphasis from an increase in the number of platforms to the enhancement of capabilities. According to a report tabled in the Indian Parliament in the last week of April 2012 by the Standing Committee on Defence, the navy's modernization plan seeks to achieve the following objectives:
- Augment airborne maritime surveillance, strike, anti-submarine warfare [ASW] and air defence capability through induction of shore-based aircraft, integral helos, carrier based aircraft, space based [assets] and UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicles], along with suitable weapons and sensors.
- Develop ASW capability through induction of suitable platforms, weapons and sensors.
- Build adequate stand off capability for sea lift and expeditionary operations to achieve desired power projection force levels, influence events ashore and undertake military operations other than war.
- Induct assets and develop suitable infrastructure to augment forces available for low intensity maritime operations (LIMO), protection of off-shore assets and [for] coastal security.
- Induct force multipliers like satellite based global communications, reconnaissance and network enabled platforms to achieve battle-space dominance capability and perform network centric operations.
- Induct state-of-the-art equipment and specialized platforms for special forces to enhance niche capabilities to conduct maritime intervention operations and other envisaged roles.
- Develop support infrastructure in island territories to support the planned force levels as well as support infrastructure for ships/submarines/aircrafts at ports and airbases. [7]
According to Admiral Arun Prakash (retired), former chief of naval staff, India's naval modernization plans are designed to meet the following aims:[8]
- Acquiring a capability for maritime domain awareness in the area of responsibility, including space-based surveillance, maritime reconnaissance, airborne early warning and control (AEW&C), and UAVs
- Developing the capability for expeditionary and joint warfare, supported by special operations
- Acquiring reach and sustainability through long endurance, tankers, turnaround facilities in friendly foreign ports, and longer intervals between maintenance cycles
- Acquiring modern capabilities in fields of tactical aviation, ASW, anti-air/anti-missile, land-attack, mine countermeasures, and electronic warfare
- Networking ships, submarines, and airborne platforms via satellite
- Committing to self-reliance and indigenization, with the objective of harnessing national strengths in shipbuilding, engineering, electronics, and IT
The Indian Navy has two operational fleets—the Eastern Naval Command and Western Naval Command—and has proposed to center both fleets around an aircraft carrier. Eventually the navy plans to graduate to three carrier battle groups. The INS Chakra, a nuclear-powered submarine leased from Russia, will join the fleet later in 2012, while the INS Arihant, the first of three to four indigenously designed and developed nuclear-armed submarines, is expected to become fully operational by late 2014. India has also begun to induct Russian Nerpa-class submarines, which will give the navy a much needed fillip to the submarine fleet and considerably enhance sea-denial capabilities. Three stealth frigates have only recently been added to the fleet.
The Indian Navy's modernization plans, though much delayed, have thus finally begun to pick up steam. Pointing out the navy's role as a key facilitator in promoting peace and stability in the Indian Ocean region, Defence Minister Antony observed while commissioning a stealth frigate in July 2012 that the present operating environment of the Indian Navy "dictates that we balance our resources with a strategy that is responsive across the full range of blue and brown water operations….The maintenance of a strong and credible navy and strengthening cooperation and friendship with other countries to promote regional and global stability is the need of the hour." [9]
The navy plans to expand to a fleet of 150 ships in the next ten to fifteen years, with 50 warships now under construction and 100 new vessels in the acquisition pipeline. The navy is also engaged in setting up operational turnaround bases, forward-operating bases, and naval air enclaves with a view to enhancing India's surveillance efforts in the Indian Ocean region. Plans for accretions to the naval aviation fleet are likewise progressing smoothly: Boeing 737 P-8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft have begun to be inducted, and 5 additional Kamov Ka-31 AEW helicopters will be added to the existing fleet of 11 helicopters. Further, the navy's amphibious landing capability has been enhanced considerably by the acquisition of the INS Jalashwa (ex–USS Trenton) and other landing ships, and additional capabilities for amphibious warfare are being rapidly developed. As a result of these efforts, the Indian Navy is on the cusp of acquiring the capabilities necessary to join key strategic partners such as the U.S. Navy in safeguarding the sea lanes of communication in the northern Indian Ocean and ensuring unfettered freedom of the seas for trade and commerce.
Air Force Modernization: Air Dominance and Force Projection
Until recently, India's traditional strategic sphere lay between the Gulf of Aden and the Strait of Malacca; but with India's global footprint expanding, the Indian Air Force should be ready to serve wherever the country's future strategic interests lie. The air force is gearing up to provide the strategic outreach that India needs as a growing regional power and to project power where necessary in order to defend vital national interests. According to Kapil Kak, a retired air vice marshal and senior defense analyst, although there is a gap between vision and capability with regard to shaping India's strategic neighborhood, forward movement is now visible. In his view, the modernization plans of the air force are aimed at achieving the following objectives: [10]
- Air dominance and control of the air
- Deterrence, by both denial and punishment
- Long-range offensive reach—penetration, precision, persistence, and parallelity—in simultaneous operations at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels
- Strategic air-lift capability for power projection through both hard and soft power, such as humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations and diaspora evacuation
- Build-up of capability for coercion
- Acquisition of force enablers and multipliers and related combat-support systems, including networking for tri-service command and control
- Capability of conducting cyberspace and information operations
- Indigenization of future capabilities for design and development
From a sanctioned strength of 39 squadrons, the Indian Air Force is down to 34 squadrons at present, due to decades of neglect, but hopes to enhance its strength to 42 squadrons by 2022. Yet plans to acquire 126 multi-mission, medium-range combat aircraft—in order to maintain an edge over the regional air forces—are stuck in the procurement quagmire. Tejas, the indigenously designed light combat aircraft, which is expected to replace the obsolescent Mig-21, is still a few years away from becoming fully operational. India is also developing a fifth-generation fighter jointly with Russia and aims to fly it in 2015. New fighter bombers include a fleet of 272 Sukhoi-30 MKIs, half of which have already been built. AEW aircraft are being acquired from Israel as well as being developed indigenously. India has also acquired 6 C-130J Super Hercules aircraft for its special forces and will likely order 6 more from the United States. C-17 Globemaster heavy-lift aircraft are also likely to be acquired shortly, which will take India's defense cooperation with the United States to a new level. Although a contract has been signed with a Swiss firm for 75 Pilatus PC-7 basic trainer aircraft, India's fleet of jet trainers continues to be deficient. In the rotary-wing category, the indigenously manufactured Dhruv utility helicopter has entered service. The air force is also in the process of acquiring medium-lift transport helicopters and attack helicopters.
In keeping with developments in the region, India's strategic forces are also modernizing at a steady pace. The Agni-I and Agni-II missiles are now fully operational. Immediate requirements include the Agni-V intermediate-range ballistic missile, which has a 5,000-km range, and nuclear-powered submarines with suitable ballistic missiles to provide genuine second-strike capability. As noted above, the INS Arihant, India's first indigenously built nuclear submarine, will likely become fully operational by late 2014. While India's emphasis is on mobile missile launchers, a small number of hardened silos are also being constructed. The armed forces do not currently have a truly integrated tri-service C4I2SR system suitable for network-centric warfare, which would allow them to optimize their individual capabilities; however, plans have been made to develop such a system in the next five to ten years. In fact, all new weapons and equipment acquisitions are now being planned on a tri-service basis to ensure interoperability.
India's Quest for Strategic Outreach
Given its growing power and responsibilities, India has been steadily enhancing its expeditionary and military intervention capabilities, which have been amply demonstrated in recent times. During the 1991 Gulf War, India airlifted 150,000 civilian workers, who had been forced to leave Iraq, from the airfield at Amman, Jordan, over a period of 30 days. This was the largest airlift since the Berlin airlift at the end of World War II. During the 2004 tsunami, the Indian armed forces were at the forefront of rescue and relief operations. Over 70 Indian Navy ships transported rescue teams and relief material to disaster zones in less than 72 hours, even though the country's eastern seaboard had itself suffered considerable casualties and damage. Likewise, Indian Navy ships on a goodwill visit to European countries during the Lebanon war in 2006 lifted and brought back 5,000 Indian civilian refugees.
From the ongoing modernization plans described above, it is evident that India is preparing to join the world's major powers in terms of the ability to undertake out-of-area contingency operations. Further, the acquisition of SU-30 MKI long-range fighter bombers with air-to-air refueling capability, C-130J Hercules transport aircraft, and airborne-warning-and-control-system and maritime-surveillance capabilities over the next five to ten years will give India considerable strategic outreach. New Delhi has consistently favored military interventions only under a UN umbrella. Though that position is unlikely to change in the near term, India is likely to join future coalitions of the willing even without UN approval when vital national interests are threatened and need to be defended. Shiv Shankar Menon, India's national security adviser, stated in a speech in August 2011: "As a nation state India has consistently shown tactical caution and strategic initiative, sometimes simultaneously. But equally, initiative and risk-taking must be strategic, not tactical, if we are to avoid the fate of becoming a rentier state." [11] He went on to mention that India was cooperating extensively with other militaries to fight piracy off the Horn of Africa. Such cooperation will increase in the future as India adds to its intervention capabilities.
Given that India faces complex strategic scenarios and is located in an increasingly unstable neighborhood, it is in New Delhi's interest to encourage a cooperative model of regional security and work with all friendly countries toward that end. At the same time, New Delhi finds it pragmatic to hedge just in case worst-case scenarios—such as the collapse of China or China's use of military force for territorial gains—begin to unfold and threaten India's economic development or territorial integrity. The increasing emphasis on maritime cooperation, particularly with the United States, is part of India's continuing efforts to fulfill growing obligations and responsibilities as a regional power. New Delhi is now working to cooperate with all the major Asian powers in order to maintain peace and stability in the Indian Ocean and the Asia-Pacific more generally, though without aligning militarily with any one power. Toward this end, the armed forces are working together to achieve joint warfare capabilities for intervention operations in India's area of strategic interest. In sum, a rising India will soon become a net contributor to security in the Indian Ocean region, together with strategic partners such as the United States.
Nonetheless, India's modernization plans are moving ahead at a very slow pace. Policy paralysis in New Delhi due to the vagaries of coalition politics in a parliamentary democracy, along with the reduction in the defense budget as a share of India's GDP due to sluggish growth in the economy, has further exacerbated the difficulties in increasing the pace of modernization. However, the process is certainly underway, and there is hope that it will receive bipartisan support across the political spectrum because of the realization that no alternative exists for addressing emerging threats and challenges but for India to quickly modernize its armed forces.
India's military modernization, however slow it might be, will lead to a qualitative increase in defense cooperation with the United States and other strategic partners by enhancing the capabilities of the Indian armed forces for joint coalition operations, if they are in India's national interest. Overall, India will gradually acquire the capability to act as a net provider of security in South Asia and the Indian Ocean region. This positive development will allow strategic partners like the United States to reduce their military commitments to the region to a limited extent. Hence, India's modernization efforts will enhance and further cement U.S.-India relations.
[1] The India-Pakistan combat ratio is assessed by this author as 1.2 to 1.0 in India's favor.
[2] Laxman K. Behera, "India's Defence Budget 2012–13," Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA), IDSA Comment, March 20, 2012, http://www.idsa.in/idsacomments/IndiasDefenceBudget2012-13_LaxmanBehera_200312.
[4] Gurmeet Kanwal, "Indian Army's Modernisation," India Strategic, January 2012.
[5] This section draws from the author's analysis in "Indian Army Modernisation Needs a Major Push," India Strategic, February 2010, http://www.indiastrategic.in/topstories482.htm.
[6] "Modernisation Thrusts of Indian Army: Interview with Deputy Chief of Army Staff," CLAWS Journal (Winter 2010): 1, http://www.claws.in/CJ-winter-2010.pdf.
[7] Standing Committee on Defence, Indian Ministry of Defence, "Demands for Grants (2012-2013)," April 30, 2012, 70-71, http://220.127.116.11/lsscommittee/Defence/FINAL%20DFG%20%20REPORT%20-2012-13.pdf.
[8] Author's email interview with Admiral Arun Prakash (retired), July 27, 2012.
[9] Vinay Kumar, "Credible Navy Need of the Hour: Antony," Hindu, July 21, 2012.
[10] Author's email interview with Kapil Kak, July 27, 2012.
[11] Shiv Shankar Menon, "India and the Global Scene" (16th Prem Bhatia Memorial Lecture, New Delhi, August 11, 2011), http://www.maritimeindia.org/article/india-and-global-scene.
Gurmeet Kanwal is a Delhi-based defense analyst and former Director of the Centre for Land Warfare Studies.


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'Evening types' more likely to smoke: study
Night owls may be more likely than early birds to smoke, and less likely to kick the habit over time, a new study suggests.
Researchers found that among more than 23,000 twin pairs followed for up to 30 years, those who described themselves as "evening types" - usually alert at night and bleary-eyed in the morning - were more likely to be current smokers and less likely to quit over time compared with morning people.
In line with that lower quit rate, night owls who smoked were also more likely to fit the diagnostic criteria for nicotine dependence than their early-bird counterparts.
The findings, reported in the journal Addiction, do not necessarily mean that there is something about being a night person that raises smoking risk.
One possibility is that nicotine, which is a stimulant, tends to keep smokers up at night, according to lead researcher Dr. Ulla Broms of the University of Helsinki in Finland.
However, she told Reuters Health in an email, "We primarily believe that it is more likely that evening persons are more prone to initiate smoking and have greater difficulty quitting smoking."
Whether that is in fact the case, and the underlying reasons for it, are not yet known, Broms said.
One potential explanation, she noted, is that evening types are more likely to stay out late at bars and restaurants, where smoking is common (or was during the study period). Such surroundings can reinforce current smoking and thwart quit efforts.
In addition, Broms and her colleagues write in their report, evening types could be more prone to addiction and pleasure-seeking behavior than morning people. Aspects of the brain's dopamine and opioid systems, which are involved in reward-seeking and addiction, might be related to both a person's tendency to be a night owl and to smoke.
The findings are based on data from a long-running study of Finnish twins born before 1958. In 1975, 1981 and 1990, participants were asked about their current smoking habits; during the 1981 survey, they were also asked about their tendency to be evening or morning types.
Overall, 30 percent said they were "clearly" morning types - being "morning bright and evening sleepy." Ten percent said they were clearly evening types ("morning sleepy and evening bright").
The rest of study participants said they were to "some extent" either a morning or evening person.
Broms' team found that evening types had the highest rates of smoking at all three surveys. In the 1975 survey, 43 percent were current smokers, versus 27 percent of morning types. In 1991, those figures were 35 percent and 21 percent, respectively.
Smoking rates among "somewhat" morning types were slightly higher than those of full-fledged morning types, but lower than those of "somewhat" evening types.
When the researchers accounted for several other factors - including age, self-reported drinking habits and participants' scores on a measure of depression symptoms - evening types showed a three-fold greater chance of being a current smoker at any point compared with morning types.
In addition, among participants who were smokers in 1981, evening types were 27 percent less likely than morning types to have quit by 1990.
Night owls also showed higher rates of nicotine dependence, as measured by a standard questionnaire given to a sub-group of heavy smokers between 2001 and 2005: 73 percent of current evening-type smokers were nicotine-dependent, versus 48 percent of morning-type smokers.
One of the limitations of the study is that people's tendency to be evening or morning types was measured only once. Broms said that future studies should look at whether changes in those patterns over time are related to smoking habits and quit rates.
If the tendency toward night owlish-ness does in fact have some effect on quitting, there could be practical implications, according to Broms. Evening types who are aiming to stop smoking could try changing their sleep-wake habits to see if that aids their quit attempt.
SOURCE: Addiction, online September 30, 2010.
By Amy Norton


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Viper Colours Cashmere Pink Billiard/Pool Cue Stick 19 Ounce
Product Description
Enhance your game and enjoy bold style with the unique Colours Billiard Cue Sticks from Viper. Each shaft is fashioned from maple hardwood, to withstand years of use. Each Colours billiard cue stands out from the rest, showing off its sharp a vibrant color. These cue sticks feature all the performance-enhancing qualities you've come to expect from exceptional cues. The shaft and butt combine with lightweight stainless steel joints to give great feedback on every shot. A Le Pro leather tip ensures a solid grip on the ball, reducing miscues, a Pro Taper gives an even and comfortable feel across your stroke, and finished off with a comfortable Irish linen wrap.
Product Details:
- Constructed from maple wood, for tenacious durability.
- Features a pro taper for a steady feel across your stroke.
- Le Pro leather tip helps to reduce miscues and grip the ball more consistently.
- Adjustable weight system allows you to customize your cue for your best feel.
- Vivid colours and named watermark lend a unique and vibrant style to your cue.
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12 CFR § 239.26 - Shareholders.
(a) Shareholder meetings. An annual meeting of the shareholders of the subsidiary holding company for the election of directors and for the transaction of any other business of the subsidiary holding company shall be held annually within 150 days after the end of the subsidiary holding company's fiscal year. Unless otherwise provided in the subsidiary holding company's charter, special meetings of the shareholders may be called by the board of directors or on the request of the holders of 10 percent or more of the shares entitled to vote at the meeting, or by such other persons as may be specified in the bylaws of the subsidiary holding company. All annual and special meetings of shareholders shall be held at such place as the board of directors may determine in the state in which the subsidiary savings association has its principal place of business, or at any other convenient place the board of directors may designate.
(b) Notice of shareholder meetings. Written notice stating the place, day, and hour of the meeting and the purpose or purposes for which the meeting is called shall be delivered not fewer than 20 nor more than 50 days before the date of the meeting, either personally or by mail, by or at the direction of the chairman of the board, the president, the secretary, or the directors, or other natural persons calling the meeting, to each shareholder of record entitled to vote at such meeting. If mailed, such notice shall be deemed to be delivered when deposited in the mail, addressed to the shareholder at the address appearing on the stock transfer books or records of the subsidiary holding company as of the record date prescribed in paragraph (c) of this section, with postage thereon prepaid. When any shareholders' meeting, either annual or special, is adjourned for 30 days or more, notice of the adjourned meeting shall be given as in the case of an original meeting. Notwithstanding anything in this section, however, a subsidiary holding company that is wholly owned shall not be subject to the shareholder notice requirement.
(c) Fixing of record date. For the purpose of determining shareholders entitled to notice of or to vote at any meeting of shareholders or any adjournment thereof, or shareholders entitled to receive payment of any dividend, or in order to make a determination of shareholders for any other proper purpose, the board of directors shall fix in advance a date as the record date for any such determination of shareholders. Such date in any case shall be not more than 60 days and, in case of a meeting of shareholders, not less than 10 days prior to the date on which the particular action, requiring such determination of shareholders, is to be taken. When a determination of shareholders entitled to vote at any meeting of shareholders has been made as provided in this section, such determination shall apply to any adjournment thereof.
(d) Voting lists.
(1) At least 20 days before each meeting of the shareholders, the officer or agent having charge of the stock transfer books for the shares of the subsidiary holding company shall make a complete list of the stockholders of record entitled to vote at such meeting, or any adjournments thereof, arranged in alphabetical order, with the address and the number of shares held by each. This list of shareholders shall be kept on file at the home office of the subsidiary holding company and shall be subject to inspection by any shareholder of record or the stockholder's agent during the entire time of the meeting. The original stock transfer book shall constitute prima facie evidence of the stockholders entitled to examine such list or transfer books or to vote at any meeting of stockholders. Notwithstanding anything in this section, however, a subsidiary holding company that is wholly owned shall not be subject to the voting list requirements.
(2) In lieu of making the shareholders list available for inspection by any shareholders as provided in paragraph (d)(1) of this section, the board of directors may perform such acts as required by paragraphs (a) and (b) of Rule 14a-7 of the General Rules and Regulations under the Securities and Exchange Act of 1934 (17 CFR 240.14a-7) as may be duly requested in writing, with respect to any matter which may be properly considered at a meeting of shareholders, by any shareholder who is entitled to vote on such matter and who shall defray the reasonable expenses to be incurred by the subsidiary holding company in performance of the act or acts required.
(e) Shareholder quorum. A majority of the outstanding shares of the subsidiary holding company entitled to vote, represented in person or by proxy, shall constitute a quorum at a meeting of shareholders. The shareholders present at a duly organized meeting may continue to transact business until adjournment, notwithstanding the withdrawal of enough shareholders to leave less than a quorum. If a quorum is present, the affirmative vote of the majority of the shares represented at the meeting and entitled to vote on the subject matter shall be the act of the stockholders, unless the vote of a greater number of stockholders voting together or voting by classes is required by law or the charter. Directors, however, are elected by a plurality of the votes cast at an election of directors.
(f) Shareholder voting— (1) Proxies. Unless otherwise provided in the subsidiary holding company's charter, at all meetings of shareholders, a shareholder may vote in person or by proxy executed in writing by the shareholder or by a duly authorized attorney in fact. Proxies may be given telephonically or electronically as long as the holder uses a procedure for verifying the identity of the shareholder. A proxy may designate as holder a corporation, partnership or company, or other person. Proxies solicited on behalf of the management shall be voted as directed by the shareholder or, in the absence of such direction, as determined by a majority of the board of directors. No proxy shall be valid more than eleven months from the date of its execution except for a proxy coupled with an interest.
(2) Shares controlled by subsidiary holding company. Neither treasury shares of its own stock held by the subsidiary holding company nor shares held by another corporation, if a majority of the shares entitled to vote for the election of directors of such other corporation are held by the subsidiary holding company, shall be voted at any meeting or counted in determining the total number of outstanding shares at any given time for purposes of any meeting.
(g) Nominations and new business submitted by shareholders. Nominations for directors and new business submitted by shareholders shall be voted upon at the annual meeting if such nominations or new business are submitted in writing and delivered to the secretary of the subsidiary holding company at least five days prior to the date of the annual meeting. Ballots bearing the names of all the natural persons nominated shall be provided for use at the annual meeting.
(h) Informal action by stockholders. If the bylaws of the subsidiary holding company so provide, any action required to be taken at a meeting of the stockholders, or any other action that may be taken at a meeting of the stockholders, may be taken without a meeting if consent in writing has been given by all the stockholders entitled to vote with respect to the subject matter.


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Alma Redemptoris Mater (O Loving Mother of our Redeemer)
This is one of four Marian antiphons, with following versicles and prayers, traditionally said or sung after night prayer, immediately before going to sleep. It is said from the beginning of Advent (from night before the fourth Sunday before Christmas) through February 1.
O Loving Mother of our Redeemer
O loving Mother of our Redeemer, gate of heaven, star of the sea,
Hasten to aid thy fallen people who strive to rise once more.
Thou who brought forth thy holy Creator, all creation wond'ring,
Yet remainest ever Virgin, taking from Gabriel's lips
that joyful "Hail!": be merciful to us sinners.
Up through the day before Christmas Eve:
V. The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
R. And she conceived by the Holy Spirit.
Let us pray. Pour forth, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the incarnation of Christ, Thy Son, was made known by the message of an angel, may by His passion and cross be brought to the glory of His resurrection, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.
From Christmas Eve on:
V. Thou gavest birth without loss of thy virginity:
R. Intercede for us, O holy Mother of God.
Let us pray. O God, Who by the fruitful virginity of blessed Mary hast offered unto the human race the rewards of eternal salvation, grant, we beseech thee, that we may know the effects of her intercession, through whom we have deserved to receive the author of life, our Lord Jesus Christ, Thy Son. Amen.
Alma Redemptoris Mater
Alma Redemptoris Mater, quae pervia caeli
Porta manes, et stella maris, sucurre cadenti,
Surgere qui curat populo: tu quae genuisti,
Natura mirante, tuum sanctum Genitorem,
Virgo prius ac posterius, Gabrielis ab ore
Sumens illud Ave, peccatorum miserere.
Usque ad diem 23 decembris:
V. Angelus Domini nuntiavit Mariae.
R. Et concepit de Spiritu Sancto.
Oremus. Gratiam tuam, quaesumus, Domine, mentibus nostris infunde; ut, qui, angelo nuntiante, Christi Filii tui incarnationem cognovimus, per passionem ejus et crucem, ad resurrectionis gloriam perducamur. Per eumdem Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.
A die 24 decembris:
V. Post partum, Virgo, inviolata permansisti.
R. Dei Genitrix, intercede pro nobis.
Let us pray. Deus, qui salutis aeternae, beatae Mariae virginitate fecudna, humano generi praemia praestitisti: tribue, quaesumus, ut ipsam pro nobis intercedere sentiamus, per quam meruimus auctorem vitae suscipere, Dominum nostrum Iesum Christum, Filium tuum. Amen.
Electronic text copyright (c) 1996 EWTN. All rights reserved.


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For years, PTSD — or post-traumatic stress disorder — has been an issue for military members returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.
But humans aren't the only ones with problems. Military dogs returning from war zones are also showing signs of PTSD. And there's evidence that these canines need some extra tender loving care after their tours of duty.
Every morning, veterinarian technicians check playful and intelligent Belgian Malinois pups at the Holland Military Working Dog Hospital at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland. Many of these dogs will become four-legged warriors — looking for roadside bombs or helping to fight the Taliban.
"Ultimately, we want these dogs to become military working dogs and go down range and save lives," says Tech. Sgt. Joe Null.
Null's job is to socialize the dogs before they become canine soldiers. They're pampered and spend months playing, getting housebroken and becoming accustomed to working with people.
Bernie Green, supervisor for the Department of Defense Military Working Dog Breeding Program, says, "It's people's way of giving back by adopting one of these dogs and fostering it for that period of time."
The most energetic and playful dogs will be trained for combat. Once on the job, the stress and rigors of war may take their toll on the dogs like they do on humans. Sometimes the animals show signs that they're suffering from nervous exhaustion; others appear distressed or confused and forget routine commands.
Doctors began wondering: Could it be that canines experience PTSD like people?
According to Walter Burghardt, chief of behavioral medicine and military working dog studies at Holland, there's something parallel in dogs.
"It's not as if we're trying to call canine PTSD the same as human PTSD, although a number of the signs, the things that we see in the behaviors, are very similar," Burghardt says.
That's why human psychiatrists, statisticians and veterinary behaviorists gathered at the San Antonio base to discuss how war-zone dogs could be affected. Burghardt says there was a case here, a case there. Then they looked more deeply into the issue.
"We started amassing more and more anecdotal cases and saying, 'Gee, this looks like it's something for real, looks like it's something that's consistently happening, at a fairly low level, but it's something that's happening,' " Burghardt says.
So far, half of the dogs identified with PTSD have been able to return to service. Others are retired and adopted out, or re-assigned. The researcher says treatment includes medicine or conditioning to untrain a PTSD behavior.
One problem is that dogs' health and deployment histories aren't tracked like their human counterparts. And Burghardt wants to change that.
"I think that's going to be a real benefit, both on the medical side for the dogs but also on the behavior side, for problem behaviors as well as for problems with performance," he says.
About 50 military working dogs have returned from combat with symptoms of PTSD, and Burghardt says the number is growing. That could be because more veterinarians now know about it. Still others aren't convinced that canine PTSD is real.
"You don't have to believe in this. You don't have to believe in bullets for them to kill you. And you kind of present it in that fashion," Burghardt says.
But he says the effects of PTSD in dogs — and also in people — could last long after the last U.S. troops leave Afghanistan.
Copyright 2020 Texas Public Radio. To see more, visit Texas Public Radio.


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What the hell are your employees doing?
For most jobs these days, the physical appearance of productivity is indistinguishable from sloth--both consist of staring at a screen while typing. Add in overseas and remote workers, those that managers can't see in person, and it's understandable if business owners tend to worry about their employees' industriousness, or lack thereof.
The line at the top of this post is taken from the homepage of DeskTime, a time tracking company that dispenses with the self-improvement ethos of rival services and gets down to the gritty business of employee accountability. Overseers and floor managers don't make sense in the information age, so digital supervisors are taking their place. In some ways, it's a wonder it's taken so long.
DeskTime lurks in the background of a computer once installed, recording time spent on applications and websites. Users can designate which apps count as productive (like Excel or coding software), which are unproductive (like Facebook or solitaire) and which are neutral. The service then tracks activity and presents the data in charts and analytics like those shown below.
The basic software powering DeskTime was used to keep track of employees for years by the Draugiem Group, a sort of Latvian Betaworks known for its popular social network in the country. "We realized that if we were having this problem, then other businesses were having this problem," says Julija Gifford, DeskTime's CEO. The company, which operates under the Draugiem Group, launched in 2011. It has since acquired 12,000 users in 90 countries, mostly in outsourcing hotbeds like Eastern Europe, South America and Asia. Plans start at $9 per user and get cheaper as companies add more employees to the service. The eight-person outfit is based out of Santa Monica, Calif.
Given the rising demand for such services and the relatively straightforward technology involved, DeskTime has competitors. Toggl an Estonian rival, claims to have 350,000 users. RescueTime, a Seattle-based company, provides nearly the same functionality as DeskTime while marketing itself as a personal productivity tool rather than an employee tracking service.
The effect of such tools depends largely on the culture of the company using them. Gifford says that she's denied clients who have asked to record keystrokes and take random screenshots of computers. These companies are probably awful to begin with and even more insufferable now that they can monitor their employees' time so closely. "For us, it's never been a spying tool," Giffords contends says. "It's just a tool to reference the extreme cases, something to turn to when there's a problem."