text:
Voters in Myanmar will cast their ballots Sunday in the country's second general election since the military ceded absolute power in 2011.
While the result appears predictable — analysts believe Aung San Suu Kyi's National League for Democracy will win again — the elections could further exacerbate the country's ethnic tensions due to the disenfranchisement of many minorities. The military establishment continues to wield significant political power. And COVID-19 may dampen voter turnout.
"It's almost a foregone conclusion that the NLD will get back in for a variety of reasons, most of which is Aung San Suu Kyi's undiminished domestic popularity," says David Mathieson, an independent analyst based in Yangon, Myanmar's commercial hub and capital.
Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace laureate and former political prisoner who spent nearly two decades in jail or under house arrest by the military, remains a beloved figure.
"There is almost an inherently magical connection between her and many voters," says Phil Robertson, the deputy Asia director for Human Rights Watch. "People can't even imagine not voting for her."
But her party's margin of victory may not be as large it was as five years ago — in part because there are few signs of tangible progress in improving people's livelihoods in one of Asia's poorest countries or in ending armed conflict with ethnic minority groups.
"Aung San Suu Kyi and the NLD were elected in a landslide in 2015, including with ethnic votes, because it was expected that they would represent everybody," says Robertson. "Increasingly, what we're seeing is she is primarily interested just in the ethnic Burmans who comprise 65% of the voters."
It's a majority voting bloc in a country of some 53 million, one for whom the ideas of ethnicity and race are especially important in terms of who belongs and who doesn't.
It helps explain the overwhelming public acceptance — and even approval — of the Myanmar military's brutal crackdown on the Muslim minority Rohingya in Rakhine state in 2017. More than 750,000 Rohingya fled to safety in neighboring Bangladesh, alleging they and their families had been subjected to rape, murder and torture. A 2018 United Nations Human Rights Council fact-finding mission reported that 10,000 deaths would be a "conservative estimate."
Myanmar was accused of genocide at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Late last year, Suu Kyi personally led the country's defense team.
"She stood up for nation, race and religion — not the army, but for race and religion, at The Hague," says Mary Callahan, a Yangon-based analyst and associate professor of international studies at the University of Washington.
Suu Kyi's decision to go to The Hague proved wildly popular among Myanmar's Buddhist Burman majority. Analysts say it helped bolster her standing ahead of this year's election.
And despite the world's condemnation of Myanmar for its treatment of the Rohingya, the government remains defiant. It is not allowing the vast majority of Rohingya — those who fled and those who remain — to vote in the election.
"They weren't allowed to vote in the last election in 2015, either," says Yangon-based analyst Richard Horsey, the author of a recent International Crisis Group report on the upcoming election. "Before that, they have voted in every post-independence election since the 1940s. So that group has been disenfranchised. And that's part of the systematic denial of citizenship."
Last month, Myanmar's election commission also announced it would cancel voting in several conflict areas, disenfranchising more than 1.5 million voters, most of them from ethnic minorities in Kachin, Karen, Mon, Rakhine, Shan and Chin states, says Robertson.
The military is "prosecuting a war against certain ethnic groups and insurgencies and they are trying to pressure them," says Robertson. "And one of the ways they're going to do it is also by denying elections in some of those areas."
The army continues to loom large in Myanmar politics.
"When the military decided unilaterally to step back from full power, it drafted a constitution which sets aside 25% of the seats in parliament, plus control of the three security ministries, for itself," says Horsey. "So this constitution and these elections will be for hybrid governments. The military will still have significant political power."
There are also worries about what might happen if ethnic parties have a poor showing in the vote, says Callahan. While some may continue to participate in the political process, she says, others may "give up on it all and just decide armed resistance is the only answer, especially for young people who will wonder why they've been bothering with a system that really doesn't serve them at all."
In addition, the election comes at a time when the COVID-19 pandemic hit Myanmar late but hard, starting in September. With nearly 57,000 confirmed cases and 1,330 deaths, Myanmar is now the worst-affected country in mainland Southeast Asia. The virus has strained the country's rudimentary health care system and forced widespread lockdowns, including in Yangon.
While some opposition parties suggested the election could be delayed until the COVID-19 situation improved, Suu Kyi's government has pressed ahead and says it has taken precautions to try to ensure voters' safety — by providing personal protection equipment to voters, polling staff and volunteers, and more voting stations to try to reduce overcrowding. But analysts believe some people may stay at home simply out of fear.
Despite the challenges, they say it's important that elections are happening — and for the second time.
"The fact that Myanmar shifted from decades of military dictatorship to an electoral system of deciding government is fantastic," says Horsey. "And it's something we would have had difficulty to imagine even 10 years ago."
But it's an election, he warns, that could easily exacerbate existing tensions between the Burman Buddhist majority and ethnic minorities and do little to address economic inequality in one of Southeast Asia's poorest nations.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.


text:
16 January 2013
Sales of luxury homes spiked in the final months of 2012 as high-end homeowners rushed to take advantage of lower tax rates before January 1.
Many sellers wanted to cash in on their homes before a widely expected capital gains hike — to 20% from 15% — that was part of the fiscal cliff budget deal. High-income earners (singles with income of $200,000 or more and couples making more than $250,000) also wanted to close sales ahead of a 3.8% Medicare surtax on investment income that was already slated to go into effect this year as part of the Affordable Care Act.
All told, a high-earner would pay $88,000 less in taxes if they made a $1 million profit on their home in 2012 rather than in 2013.
That considerable tax savings motivated many wealthy homeowners to move fast. According to the National Association of Realtors (NAR), sales of homes valued at $1 million or more spiked 51% in November compared with a year earlier.
In Manhattan, one of the most expensive markets in the nation, the number of sales of home valued at more than $10 million jumped 44% year-over-year during the last three months of 2012, according to broker Brown Harris Stevens.
"Ever since last summer when people realized that the fiscal cliff was approaching, there was an incentive to get deals done," said Meredyth Smith, an agent for Sotheby's International Real Estate.
Related: Fiscal cliff deal raises taxes on 77% of Americans
Several of her clients hurried to close by the end of December. When one prospective buyer couldn't move that quickly, the seller called off the deal entirely, she said. He may reprice it entirely before putting it back on the market this year, she said.
Some sellers lowered prices for buyers who promised to close before January 1. John Parsegian, an agent with Halstead Property, helped broker a $14 million condo sale in midtown Manhattan that closed in late December. The seller had structured the deal so that the home would cost $175,000 less if it finalized before January. He also threw in some furniture.
Other sellers prevailed on co-op boards to speed up their approval processes, according to Sotheby's CEO, Philip White. Managing agents representing co-ops and condos, had trouble handling all of the paperwork for all the sellers who were anxious to close.
For the first time in 26 years, Jonathan Miller, president of New York appraisal firm Miller Samuel, had to turn away business. "I call it 'bedlam in appraiserville,'" he said. "It was clearly skewed toward high-end properties."
Related: Family tax breaks protected
Looking ahead, all those rushed deals could mean a slight slump in high-end sales early in 2013, said White. Not only will buyers be in shorter supply but the inventory of luxury homes has dropped precipitously.
But White thinks the drop-off will be short-lived. Historically low interest rates should continue making the long-term cost of buying these homes attractive to buyers. In addition, foreign buyers continue to invest in U.S. properties and many domestic buyers are starting to come off the sidelines now that home prices are starting to recover.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This is a flexible plugin for all users to show the products in table with search,ordering.It has also on click pop up details.Using shortcode [woo_qotv_code category="pen,bag"] user can show it on the post or pages.From plugin settings user can choose header color,cell color,all font size,cart color and cart icon color.
ეკრანული სურათები
This section describes how to install the plugin and get it working.
- Upload the plugin files to the
directory, or install the plugin through the WordPress plugins screen directly. - Activate the plugin through the 'Plugins' screen in WordPress
- Use the Shortcode [woo_qotv_code] for show products on page or post.
- Only In Stock Products will show on the List
- Where can I find Shortcode for it?
Use [woo_qotv_code category="bag,pen"] where bag and pen is category name.You can use single and multiple both category.
- What is new on 2.1 version?
In the latest Version 2.1 you will get ordering,show numbers of products,pagination,settings from admin section where u can choose all color, font sizes and button color also.
- You have any PRO version?
Yes.We have a pro version where you can see muti product add to cart,filtering,ordering,admin section.
- Where i will get PRO version?
For get PRO version you have to contact firstname.lastname@example.com or go to http://amp-templates.com.
- Where is the settings option for the plugin?
You can see it under settings menu.Under settings it is called Quick Order table View Settings.
- Can i put shortcode on page or posts?
Yes you can.But you need to make sure your post/page editor support shortcode.
- Can i change image size on pop up?
Yes you can if you know basic php and css.We will add all of these featues in new versions.
- Out Of Stock Products Will Show on the table?
No.Only Products which are on stock will show here on table.
- Where is the demo ?
see here for demo http://amp-templates.com/quick-order-demo
მონაწილეები & დეველოპერები
"Plugin Name:Woo Quick Order Table View" ღია პროგრამული უზრუნველყოფაა. შემდეგმა ადამიანებმა წვილი შეიტანეს მის განვითარებაში.
მონაწილეებიგადათარგმნეთ Plugin Name:Woo Quick Order Table View თქვენს ენაზე.
დაინტერესებული ხართ დეველოპმენტით?
დაათვალიერეთ კოდი, შეამოწმეთ SVN რეპო, ან გამოიწერეთ შექმნის ჟურნალი : RSS.
1.1 – 07/09/16
- Added shortcode for show product in table view.
- Added pop up for show products title,image,price and sku.
1.2 – 21/09/16
- Out of stock Products are removed from list
2 – 26/10/16
- table view of the products.people can choose there category.they can select multiple category or single category using short code.
- People can choose how many products they want to show per page.I mean pagination system.
- If product is variable there have options to select the variable attributes for them.
- People can add any number of products directly on add to cart button from it.
- If people click on the featured image it opens a pop up and show title,image,category,short description,price,sku.
- On table it shows Featured Image,Title,Quantity button and add to cart button.
- User can choose there table colors also they can choose there table top row color with short code.
- People can choose order like asc or desc.
2.1 – 11/21/17
- Order Syatem,Order By Product Name,Price
- Ajax add to cart
- Checkout Button after add cart
- Select number of Products they want to show from dropdown
- Auto pagination
- Ajax products search
- Admin settings for choose header color,cell color,font size of header and cells,add to cart background and icon color.
- Easy responsive for mobile
- Pro version has a lots more features like multi product add to cart,multiple filtering
2.2 – 27/02/18
- If image is missing shows demo image
- Pro version is live now with translation and other great features
- Work with woocommerce lastest version


text:
July 2024 M T W T F S S « Jan 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 -
DARPA awards Phase 2 SBIR contract for HEV motorcycle prototype
January 20, 2015 By Neville -
Report: Hyundai to cut price of FCV in Korea to compete with Toyota
January 20, 2015 By Neville -
Nissan LEAF is best-selling EV in Europe for fourth year in a row
January 20, 2015 By Neville -
Ford of Europe designer Stefan Lamm joins VW's Seat brand
January 20, 2015 By Sean -
Ford's German production to raise as demand rebounds
January 20, 2015 By Sean
Toyota Camry is Korea's "Car of the Year"
For more than two decades, Hyundai Motor Co. could count on the sun rising each morning and for South Koreans to buy South Korean vehicles. Then Toyota Motor Corp.'s Camry became the country's "Car of the Year."
Sure, it's the same staid sedan that won consumers' hearts around the globe as more than 14 million units rolled off Toyota production lines since 1982. But given Korea's fraught relationship with its one-time and sometimes brutal occupier, it was a surprise the country's auto journalists awarded the title to any Japanese car.
Shifting attitudes to foreign goods in South Korea, free- trade pacts and a stronger currency have driven the share of imports to a record in Asia's fourth-biggest car market. For Toyota, annual shipments on a par with those it makes to Hawaii are no big deal; for Hyundai and its Kia Motors Corp. affiliate, they represent a breach of their biggest profit center, just as global sales are eroded by the won's gains.
"Before, Korean people chose what they wore, what they used, what cars they drove based on whether they were made by Koreans," said Takeshi Miyao, an industry analyst at researcher Carnorama Japan in Tokyo. "If you look at the streets of Seoul now, younger people are buying imported brands, and choosing based on whether they're good quality."
Take Kim Sung Eun. "I didn't even consider Hyundais when looking for a new car this winter," said the 27-year-old online marketer based in Seoul. "I don't think my car has anything to do with patriotism. It's just a personal choice."
In Kim's case, that's between Toyota's Prius and the Camry, which this month beat out 44 other cars, including models from previous winners Hyundai and Kia, to become the first foreign vehicle to win the Korea Automobile Journalist Association's award.
Such inroads by foreign companies would have been almost unthinkable as recently as a decade ago, when Korean carmakers controlled more than 99 percent of the domestic market.
Protected by tariffs as part of military strongman General Park Chung Hee's plans to modernize his agrarian country, Hyundai began mass producing its Pony sedan in 1975 and now churns out more than 4 million cars a year, with 2012 revenue of 84.5 trillion won ($78 billion).
Park's backing of the diversified industrial groups known as chaebol, combined with his nationalist ideology, fostered development of electronics-to-shipping giant Samsung Group and Hyundai Group as well as a domestic market hostile to foreign companies.
After South Korea was forced to accept a humiliating $60 billion bailout from lenders including the International Monetary Fund in 1998 during the Asian financial crisis, newspaper columns sang the virtues of only buying and using domestic products: clothes made by Korean brands over Nike Inc., Korean movies instead of Hollywood blockbusters and Hyundai rather than imports.
That's begun to change. Within a year of its introduction in 2009, Apple Inc.'s iPhone captured a quarter of Korean smartphone sales. Imported beer consumption grew at twice the pace of the overall market between 2007 and 2011, according to data from the Korea Alcohol & Liquor Industry Association and the Korea Wines & Spirits Importers Association.
Over the past decade, car imports have inched forward too, reaching 10 percent for the first time last year as domestic manufacturers' sales dropped 2.9 percent, Korea Automobile Importers & Distributors Association data show.
Luxury Demand
Korean sales of Toyotas — including the high-end Lexus models — gained 73 percent last year to 15,771 vehicles, making it the fourth-biggest foreign brand in the country, with 1.2 percent of the market, the import data show. BMW AG was first, with 28,152 units.
"Korea is where Hyundai and Kia sell most of their top-end models, and these offer higher margins," said Lee Hyung Sil, an analyst at Shinyoung Securities Co.
Both Seoul-based companies reported quarterly profit declines last month and expressed concern about worsening exchange rates that make imports cheaper while reducing the value of cars they export. The won gained 4.8 percent against the dollar over the past six months; the yen dropped 15 percent.
With the currencies expected to continue their divergent paths, investors have punished the Korean companies' stock: Kia slid 29 percent over the six months, Hyundai 10 percent, the two worst performers on a 28-member Bloomberg gauge of global carmakers. Toyota surged 49 percent.
A 2011 free trade agreement with the European Union has cut import duties to 3.2 percent from 8 percent. A similar pact with the U.S. took effect last year, making foreign cars cheaper for South Korean motorists and also helping Japanese producers to ship vehicles from their North American plants.
Hyundai garnered more than 60 percent of its operating profit last year from Korean revenue that made up 45 percent of the total, data compiled by Bloomberg show. The U.S. accounted for only 22 percent of profit, though 30 percent of sales.
To win back Korean customers, Hyundai cut the price of mid- size sedans as by as much as 1 million won, or about 3.5 percent of the sticker price for its top-end Sonata hybrid. Kia, in which Hyundai holds a 34 percent stake, cut the price of its flagship K9 luxury sedan.
"We are improving the design and quality of our products," Hyundai said in an e-mailed response to queries.
Revamped Models
The revamped Tucson sport utility vehicle and Elantra small sedan now include more expensive options such as bigger wheels, upgraded music systems and more luxurious seats.
Toyota, meantime, will introduce the RAV4 sport utility vehicle and U.S.-made Avalon sedan to South Korea this year while its Lexus luxury unit will bring in the IS model from Japan.
Honda Motor Co., Japan's third-biggest carmaker, introduced five new models between November and January, including the Accord sedan, its best-selling car in the U.S.
For Hyundai, the success of foreign producers in South Korea hurts the automaker as Japanese carmakers win back a share in export markets they lost in the wake of the 2011 earthquake and tsunami in Japan and flooding in Thailand that disrupted output.
Toyota's U.S. market share grew to 14.4 percent, according to researcher Autodata Corp. Hyundai's fell 0.2 of a percentage point to 4.9 percent, the company said. Toyota, the world's biggest carmaker, sold 9.75 million units globally last year, up from 7.95 million in 2011.
"As Honda and Toyota came back stronger than anticipated after the tsunami, Hyundai lost some of the market share they gained," said Jesse Toprak, a senior analyst at TrueCar.com in Santa Monica, California.
South Korea is Hyundai's third-biggest market, behind China and the U.S., as well as its main production base. The company says it made 43 percent of its vehicles at home last year.
Domestic sales of the three Hyundai luxury models plunged 20 percent in 2012. Toyota's Lexus sales jumped 21 percent, to 4,976 cars. Total Japanese car exports to Korea rose 26 percent to 23,924 units in the same period.
While lingering resentment over Japan's invasion and occupation continues to cloud political relations between the two nations — most recently marked by territorial disputes — it seems consumers have moved on.
"South Koreans aren't as sensitive as they were in the past about Japanese products," said Park Jung Hyun, a senior researcher at LG Economic Research Institute in Seoul. "Consumers want products made in developed countries, which they trust will only offer quality products. Japan and Germany fit into that trustworthy category."


text:
We can travel worldwide to film you and tell your story
The world is a small place and we love new adventures. As every wedding is an adventure, we can be there for you, to film your celebration and later boil the footage down into a unique movie. We create handcrafted wedding films, captivating the beautiful moments, people, speeches, locations and love as it happens. With every wedding, there is also a story that is to be told and we will make sure to capture it in the best possible way. With us, don't expect a cinema film crew, we'll be there with you as your friends, only packing the essential equipment we need, so we won't get in the way of your wedding but rather enjoy it fully with you.
A blend of cinematic documentary and artistic storytelling
We film, edit and craft together a beautiful organic wedding films, a motion piece that tells the spontaneous story of your day, coupled by stunning shots, great music and speeches that will be there years to come, not just for you, but also your children and your grandchildren, so you can show them how your day happened. Among our collections you will find our up to 5 minute Preview movie or longer, documentary edits like Highlight or Feature Movie, which are between 10 to 25 minutes long. We have our very own format for wedding films, staying away from trends and we create what we believe is a timeless video of your wedding day and you.
Have a question? Like our videography?


text:
Women's Heirloom Gardening Vest
Item 14752
Item 14752
Women's Heirloom Gardening Vest
More Than a Vest, a Virtuoso! Heirloom Gardening Vest
Tired of bulky, pouchy pockets in all the wrong places? We got input from gardeners, DIYers, travelers and other people who need a truly useful vest. The end result? Our innovative Heirloom Gardening™ Vest. Light yet durable 4.8-oz. DuluthFlex® ripstop fabric packs serious flexibility as it sheds stains like ground-in grass. Plus, there's loads of smart pockets – ten to be exact – so you can stash your phone, measuring tape and clippers and still have room for more. Dirt in your pockets? No problem. Spillway spots in the front lower pockets allow sand and grime to fall out easily. And for cooling, we hid mesh underneath the back panel to keep air flowing without snagging every time you brush up against prickly characters like rosebushes or a rogue nail.
- 4.8-oz. DuluthFlex® ripstop fabric is super-stretchy and strong
- Dirt brushes right off- keep it in the garden!
- 10 pockets, including dual entry front pockets and interior zip pockets
- Elastic strap above left pocket secures a trowel or pair of gloves
- Spillway spots in the pockets allow sand and dirt to escape
- UPF 50 sun protection
- Sun collar protects your neck from harmful rays
- Princess seams for a beautiful, not boxy, fit
- 96% ripstop nylon/4% spandex
- Machine wash
- Imported


text:
We cannot find the page you're searching for. The page you have requested may have been removed, is temporarily unavailable or is part of a secured content area.
Please try re-entering the URL or using the links to the right to navigate to your information.
If you are attempting to log into a secured content area, try re-entering your username and password. If you're still having trouble, please contact your 3M Customer Service Representative.


text:
1 Thick oxide coating on material normally associated with hot working. 2 Deposit formed from solution directly in place upon a confining surface.
Selective Perforation
Hole or slot pattern over a specific portion of a workpiece, normally used for ventilation purposes.
Self Extracting Archive File
A library file that can automatically create a group of CAD files without requiring the operator to have any special knowledge, or use special software.
Self Fixturing
Part designed to be self-locating into proper position to another part with the use of built-in locators.
Self Locking Fastener
Fastener which is machined with interference threads or which has a nylon insert or other locking mechanism to securely hold mating fasteners in high torque or vibration applications.


text:
Pineapple Express
Ride high on the Pineapple Express, the outrageously hysterical blockbuster from Judd Apatow, the director and screenwriter of Knocked Up. A lazy stoner (Seth Rogen) is the sole witness to a murder by an evil drug lord (Gary Cole) and a corrupt cop (Rosie Perez). Marked for death, he runs for his life, dragging his dazed dealer (James Franco) and his supplier (Danny McBride) with him on a hilarious pot-fueled adventure. Directed by David Gordon Green. Screenplay by Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg.
Seth Rogen, James Franco, Gary Cole
David Gordon Green


text:
Trump Organization CFO surrenders ahead of expected charges
NEW YORK - Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg surrendered to authorities early Thursday ahead of expected charges against him and former President Donald Trump's company, according to multiple news outlets.
Weisselberg was seen walking into the courthouse in lower Manhattan around 6:20 a.m. with his lawyer.
New York prosecutors are expected to announce the first criminal indictment Thursday in a two-year investigation into Trump's business practices, accusing his namesake company and Weisselberg of tax crimes related to fringe benefits for employees.
Get breaking news alerts in the free FOX5NY News app!
The charges against the Trump Organization and its chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, remained sealed Wednesday night but were to be unveiled ahead of an afternoon arraignment at a state court in Manhattan, according to two people familiar with the matter.
The people were not authorized to speak about an ongoing investigation and did so on condition of anonymity.
There was no indication Trump himself would be charged at this stage of the investigation, jointly pursued by Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. and New York Attorney General Letitia James, both Democrats.
Trump did not respond to reporters' shouted questions about the New York case as he visited Texas on Wednesday, but earlier in the week, the Republican had blasted the New York prosecutors as "rude, nasty, and totally biased" and said his company's actions were "standard practice throughout the U.S. business community, and in no way a crime."
The planned charges were said to be linked to benefits the company gave to top executives, like the use of apartments, cars and school tuition, the people familiar with the matter told the AP.
Messages seeking comment were left with a spokesperson and lawyers for the Trump Organization. Weisselberg's lawyer, Mary Mulligan, declined to comment. The Manhattan district attorney's office declined to comment.
Vance, who leaves office at the end of the year, has been conducting a wide-ranging investigation into a variety of matters involving Trump and the Trump Organization.
Sign up for FOX 5 email newsletters
His office has looked into hush-money payments paid to women on Trump's behalf and truthfulness in the company's property valuations and tax assessments, among other matters.
Vance fought a long battle to get Trump's tax records and has been subpoenaing documents and interviewing company executives and other Trump insiders.
James assigned two lawyers from her office to work with Vance's team after her office found evidence of possible criminal wrongdoing while conducting a separate civil investigation of Trump.
Weisselberg, 73, had come under scrutiny, in part, because of questions about his son's use of a Trump apartment at little or no cost.
Barry Weisselberg, who managed a Trump-operated ice rink in Central Park, testified in a 2018 divorce deposition that Trump Parc East apartment was a "corporate apartment, so we didn't have rent."
Barry's ex-wife, Jen Weisselberg, has been cooperating with both inquiries and given investigators reams of tax records and other documents.
The case against Allen Weisselberg — a loyal lieutenant to Trump and his real estate-developer father, Fred — could give prosecutors the means to pressure the executive into cooperating and telling them what he knows about Trump's business dealings.
The Trump Organization is the business entity through which the former president manages his many entrepreneurial affairs, including his investments in office towers, hotels and golf courses, his many marketing deals and his television pursuits. Trump sons, Donald Jr. and Eric, have been in charge of the company's day-to-day operations since he became president.
Although Trump isn't expected to be charged Thursday, allegations against the company bearing his name raise questions about his knowledge of — or involvement in — business that practices prosecutors suspect were illegal.
James Repetti, a tax lawyer and professor at Boston College Law School, said a company like the Trump Organization would generally have a responsibility to withhold taxes not just on salary, but other forms of compensation — like the use of an apartment or automobile.
Such perks wouldn't be considered taxable income if they were required as a condition of employment, Repetti said, such as providing an apartment for the convenience of an employee who is required to be at the office or worksite at odd or frequent hours, or allowing the use of a car for business purposes.
Another prominent New York City real estate figure, the late Leona Helmsley, was convicted of tax fraud in a federal case that arose from her company paying to remodel her home without her reporting that as income.
The Trump Organization case involves possible violations of New York state tax laws.
"The IRS routinely looks for abuse of fringe benefits when auditing closely held businesses," Repetti said. "The temptation for the business is that it claims a tax deduction for the expense, while the recipient does not report it in income."


text:
December 17th, 2010 → 12:03 pm @ Seth Mnookin
One of the unexpected bonuses of writing The Panic Virus was working with Kevin Hartnett, an incredibly talented writer who helped me with just about every facet of my book. For a couple of years now, Kevin has been working with the online books/arts/culture/etc magazine The Millions; this year, he asked me to contribute one of the site's "Year in Reading" features.
My piece ran today — it's a (very) brief essay about my love for Richard Stark's Parker novels and Rex Stout's Nero Wolfe books*. (For a wonderful introduction to Stark, check out The Bad Plus pianist Ethan Iverson's obit/essay on Donald Westlake. Stark was one of Westlake's many pseudonyms.) There are lots of other great "Year in Reading" essays as well, ranging from Joanna Smith Rakoff to the booming-voiced Richard Nash to The Hours author Michael Cunningham to Allegra Goodman, whose remarkable book Intuition was another one of my favorite reads of '10.
* The Boston Globe's brilliant Hiawatha Bray pointed out that I'd initially given Wolfe authorship over his creator. (Thanks, Hiawatha.) That also gets to several things I should have noted earlier: My policy will be to always indicate where I have made corrections to initial posts; if I'm lucky — and this indicates that I will be — I'll have readers that are many times smarter than I am; I'll depend on said readers to let me know when I've screwed up; and the comments policy is still a work in progress. Right now, I need to approve all comments. My intention is not to limit debate or discussion, but to keep things civil…and to limit spam pitches for bodily enhancements and illegal pharmaceuticals. I'll write more about this as it evolves.
Post Categories: Donald Westlake & Kevin Hartnett & Nero Wolfe & Richard Stark & The Millions


text:
Rocket Dog Chow Chow Margate Floral Casual Shoe
Blend into the wildflowers in Chow Chow - our trainers with delicate floral details. With their pink, yellow and red flowers, these happy-go-lucky kicks will bring Rocket Dog vibes to off-duty days with pals.
- Floral print Canvas cotton.
- Plush foam comfort insole.
- Vulcanized rubber sidewall with toe cap.
Delivery & Returns
Delivery We will arrange for the products to be delivered to the address for delivery indicated in your order by Royal Mail, or courier for larger orders.
Unless there are exceptional circumstances we despatch within one working day of receipt of payment to help ensure you receive your products on or before the delivery date given in our order confirmation. If no date is set you should receive the order within 21 days outside of the UK, or within 3-5 working days within the UK. We have next working day delivery service available for orders placed before 2pm.
We only deliver products within Europe. Postage Rates United Kingdom
Choose options


text:
I don't know if you've ever bought lemonade from kids who set up shop in front of their house and sell their product at a ridiculously high markup that's usually only seen at Asian-owned convenience stores and shady used car dealerships. If you have, I guarantee it didn't taste like the Glaceau VitaminWater Zero Squeezed.
The wannabe lemonade stand moguls I've bought from make their lemonade either too sour or too sweet or, on occasion, use their short fingers to stir. Now I wouldn't call myself a lemonade making expert, but I've wasted hours of my life that I'll never get back playing Lemonade Tycoon so I know six lemons, three cups of sugar and four ice cubes make a good lemonade on a hot day, and if the weather isn't so warm, I reduce the number of ice cubes to two or three.
Of course, I should have low expectations of lemonade made by children who don't grasp the concept of ratios. However, I would buy lemonade from children who were selling bottles of VitaminWater Zero Squeezed, even if it's just "lemonade flavored."
Unlike children's lemonade stand lemonade, which is always sweetened with pure sugar, the innocence of children and whatever germs are on their hands when they stir it with their fingers, the VitaminWater Zero Squeezed is sweetened with rebiana (stevia extract), crystalline fructose and erythritol.
This trifecta of sweeteners give it just the right amount of sweetness, but keeps the amount of sugar per serving under a gram. It's also slightly sour, but not even close to making your lips pucker. And, of course, there's the obligatory wateriness EVERY VitaminWater flavor has. Overall, it's a refreshing beverage that you'll enjoy if you like slightly watery lemonade-flavored products or if you're looking to try every single damn VitaminWater flavor in existence.
The VitaminWater Zero Squeezed also provides 100% vitamin C, B vitamins and electrolytes. These are much better than the bonuses I've gotten from children's lemonade stand lemonade, which has been an occasional lemon seed and diarrhea.
Like all VitaminWater products sweetened with rebiana (VitaminWater Zero & VitaminWater 10), the flavor of VitaminWater Zero Squeezed isn't as palatable if consumed warm. But it's still better than the lemon- or sugar-flavored swill that most entrepreneurial eight-year-olds concoct.
(Nutrition Facts – 8 ounces – 0 calories, 0 grams of fat, 0 milligrams of sodium, 4 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of sugar, 0 grams of protein, 10% vitamin A, 4% calcium, 40% vitamin B3, 40% vitamin B12, 4% magnesium, 100% vitamin C, 10% vitamin E, 40% vitamin B6, 40% vitamin B5 and 10% zinc.)
Read other Glaceau VitaminWater Zero Squeezed reviews:
I Ate A Pie
Item: Glaceau VitaminWater Zero Squeezed
Price: $1.79
Size: 20 ounces
Purchased at: 7-Eleven (Chicago)
Rating: 7 out of 10
Pros: Refreshing. Right amount of sweetness. Not pucker sour. Much better tasting than the swill produced by entrepreneurial eight-year-olds. Zero calories. It's got electrolytes. It's got B vitamins. It's got vitamin C. Being a virtual millionaire playing Lemonade Tycoon.
Cons: It's just lemonade-flavored, not actual lemonade. Doesn't taste as good if consumed warm. Markups at Asian-owned convenience stores and shady used car dealerships. Using fingers to stir lemonade. Wasting hours of my life playing Lemonade Tycoon.


text:
Claiming Gift Aid as a charity or CASC
You can claim back 25p every time an individual donates £1 to your charity or community amateur sports club (CASC). This is called Gift Aid.
You must be recognised as a charity or CASC for tax purposes.
There are rules on which donations you can claim Gift Aid on.
You can claim Gift Aid online - you should get your payment within 5 weeks.
What the donor needs to do
The donor must:
- have paid at least as much in Income Tax or Capital Gains Tax in that tax year as you want to claim in Gift Aid
- make a Gift Aid declaration that gives you permission to claim it
If the donor has not made a declaration you may still be able to claim on cash donations of £30 or less, for example from a collection.


text:
Amazon Posts The Deal Of The Century: Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 & 10vi Earphones – $99, Down From $399 – Amazing Value, Perfect For Mobile Phones
Posted by Artem Russakovskii on December 4th, 2009 in Awesomeness, Technology
Updated: July 30th, 2021
Today Amazon posted a Goldbox superdeal on the stunning Ultimate Ears TripleFi 10 And TripleFi 10vi earphones. The price drop is absolutely mind blowing – they now cost $99 instead of $400.
I've been watching these earphones for 3 years and I've never seen them drop to even $250. Even Black Friday couldn't even dream of a deal like this. After seeing today's deal, I'm upgrading from SuperFi 5 to TripleFi 10vi.
So why am I so excited?
- these earphones are some of the best you can buy, even at full price. I've owned their "younger brother" Ultimate Ears SuperFi 5 for the last 3 years (see my review of those) and I still can't stop
Read the rest of this article »


text:
Binary wheels for PyPy
this is a short blog post, just to announce the existence of this Github repository, which contains binary PyPy wheels for some selected packages. The availability of binary wheels means that you can install the packages much more quickly, without having to wait for compilation.
- numpy
- scipy
- pandas
- psutil
- netifaces
For now, we provide only wheels built on Ubuntu, compiled for PyPy 5.8.
In particular, it is worth noting that they are not manylinux1 wheels, which means they could not work on other Linux distributions. For more information, see the explanation in the README of the above repo.
Moreover, the existence of the wheels does not guarantee that they work correctly 100% of the time. they still depend on cpyext, our C-API emulation layer, which is still work-in-progress, although it has become better and better during the last months. Again, the wheels are there only to save compilation time.
To install a package from the wheel repository, you can invoke pip like this:
$ pip install --extra-index https://antocuni.github.io/pypy-wheels/ubuntu numpy
Happy installing!


text:
The "reparent" command:
Usage: fossil reparent [OPTIONS] CHECK-IN PARENT ...
Create a "parent" tag that causes CHECK-IN to be interpreted as a child of PARENT. If multiple PARENTs are listed, then the first is the primary parent and others are merge ancestors.
This is an experts-only command. It is used to patch up a repository that has been damaged by a shun or that has been pieced together from two or more separate repositories. You should never need to reparent during normal operations.
Reparenting is accomplished by adding a parent tag. So to undo the reparenting operation, simply delete the tag.
- --test
- Make database entries but do not add the tag artifact. So the reparent operation will be undone by the next "fossil rebuild" command.
- -n|--dry-run
- Print the tag that would have been created but do not actually change the database in any way.
- --date-override DATETIME
- Set the change time on the control artifact
- --user-override USER
- Set the user name on the control artifact


text:
Useful Information and Resources for Bloggers and Blog Owners
Flashlog is a unique personal page theme, it has a vivid and impressive design, outstanding Flash animation and effects. The design of this theme is going to make your blog stand out. It also features astonishing functionality of additional custom modules, the administration of the theme control panel, and also a fully adjustable sidebar and the footer with the help of widgets. You also get a Flash animated header and menus, you can choose between displaying pages or categories in the menu, you can select between showing full posts or excerpts, as well as 7 custom NattyWP widgets and 2 delicious color scheme. The theme is also ready for localization using gettext functionality (.po files), there are additional page templates for Archives, Sitemap and Fullwidth, it comes with SEO Optimised Layout with custom SEO settings, so you can optimize each post. There is an Automatic Image Resizer, which is used to dynamically create the thumbnails for the blog posts, you can add video to your post from more than twenty video services such as Youtube, Vimeo, etc.
– For more information about the Flashlog Premium WordPress Theme
Copyright ©2024 - Sponsor My Blog - Useful Information and Resources for Bloggers and Blog Owners


text:
BALTIMORE (AP) — Baltimore police officers routinely discriminate against blacks, repeatedly use excessive force and are not adequately held accountable for misconduct, according to a harshly critical Justice Department report being presented Wednesday.
The report, the culmination of a yearlong investigation into one of the country's largest police forces, also found that officers make large numbers of stops — mostly in poor, black neighborhoods — with dubious justification and unlawfully arrest citizens for speech deemed disrespectful. Physical force is used unnecessarily, including against the mentally disabled, and black pedestrians and drivers are disproportionately searched during stops, the report says.
The Justice Department released a copy of the report in advance of its public announcement at an event Wednesday morning in Baltimore.
The report represents a damning indictment of how the city's police officers carry out the most fundamental of policing practices, including traffic stops and searches and responding to First Amendment expression. Beyond that, though, it could serve as a blueprint for sweeping changes: The Justice Department is seeking a court-enforceable consent decree to force the police agency to commit to improving its procedures in order to avoid a lawsuit.
The Justice Department in recent years has undertaken similar wide-reaching investigations into the police in Chicago, Cleveland, Albuquerque and Ferguson, Missouri, among other cities.
The federal investigation was launched after the April 2015 death of Freddie Gray, a 25-year-old black man whose neck was broken while he was handcuffed and shackled but left unrestrained in the back of a police van. The death set off protests and the worst riots in decades.
The report went far beyond the circumstances of Gray's death to examine a slew of potentially unconstitutional practices, including excessive force and discriminatory traffic stops, within the department.
Federal investigators spent more than a year interviewing Baltimore residents, police officers, prosecutors, public defenders and elected officials, as well as riding along with officers on duty and reviewing documents and complaints.
Among the findings: Black residents account for roughly 84 percent of stops, though they represent just 63 percent of the city's population. Likewise, African-Americans make up 95 percent of the 410 people stopped at least 10 times by officers from 2010 to 2015.
During the same time period, officers stopped 34 black residents 20 times, and seven African-Americans 30 times or more, while the report says that no individuals of any other race were stopped more than 12 times.
One man who spoke to investigators said he was stopped 30 times in less than four years. At least 15 of those stops, he said, were to check for outstanding warrants. None of the stops resulted in charges.
In addition to pat-downs, Baltimore officers perform unconstitutional public strip searches, including searches of people who aren't under arrest.
The report also says officers routinely use unreasonable and excessive force, including against juveniles and citizens who aren't dangerous or posing an immediate threat. Twenty percent of force incidents reviewed by investigators involved someone who was not being arrested for a crime or who suffered from a mental health disability. Force is often used as a retaliatory tactic in instances where officers "did not like what those individuals said."
"BPD teaches officers to use aggressive tactics," the report reads. "BPD's trainings fuel an 'us vs. them' mentality we saw some officers display toward community members, alienating the civilians they are meant to serve."
The report partially blames the department's unconstitutional practices on a "zero tolerance" policy dating back to the early 2000s, during which residents were arrested en masse for minor misdemeanor charges such as loitering.
Although the department has publicly denounced these practices after a 2010 settlement with the NAACP, which sued the department over the policing strategy, "the legacy of the zero tolerance era continues to influence officer activity and contribute to constitutional violations," the report said.
Officers also routinely stop and question individuals without cause or a legitimate suspicion that they're involved in criminal activity, the report says: No charges were filed in 26 of every 27 pedestrian stops. The directives often come from supervisors. In one instance, a supervisor told a subordinate officer to "make something up" after the officer protested an order to stop and question a group of young black men for no reason.
Unconstitutional frisks are also rampant, the report says. In one incident in 2010, a man fled from an officer patrolling a "high-crime area." The officer proceeded to fire his stun gun at the running man's back, striking him several times. When the officer was able to detain the man, he frisked him but found no weapon. The officer's report "provides no reason to believe the man was armed."
State's Attorney Marilyn Mosby, the city's top prosecutor, said she expected the report to "confirm what many in our city already know or have experienced firsthand."
"While the vast majority of Baltimore City Police officers are good officers, we also know that there are bad officers and that the department has routinely failed to oversee, train, or hold bad actors accountable," she said in a statement.
She said she was confident that the federal probe would "lead to even more reforms which is an important step in ensuring best practices for a fully functioning police-prosecutor relationship."
Six officers, three white and three black, were charged in the death of Gray. Three were acquitted, another officer's trial ended in a mistrial and the charges against the others were dropped.


text:
Related Expertise: Retail Industry, Data and Analytics, Digital, Technology, and Data
By Nick Goad, Jeff Robinson, and Santiago Aviles
When a grocery chain expands its international-foods section or a pet supplies store moves dog treats closer to the front door, it's not by chance. Retailers are taking advantage of assets that their e-commerce competitors lack—physical space and the organization of products within that space—to enhance customers' shopping experience and boost sales. And increasingly, they are using big data to do it.
At a time when customers can find almost anything they want online, brick-and-mortar stores must make it easier for shoppers to find the right products in the right place at the right time. Deeper, more powerful data analytics can help improve store design, floor plans, merchandise mix, and other elements of localization.
Retailers aren't strangers to data. Stores have long relied on information from point of sale and other systems to optimize how products are merchandised, priced, and promoted. (See "Making Big Data Work: Retailing," BCG article, June 2014.) While some existing retail systems can produce massive amounts of information, retailers lack the analytics necessary to adequately interpret it. Other stores have limited their use of big data to one-off projects, making it difficult to fold results into ongoing strategies.
To succeed, retailers must apply data analysis to more aspects of localization. They must use it more consistently and apply more sophisticated algorithms. Those algorithms should connect floor space, assortment, and product placement with loyalty, web browsing, and store heat map data. Whether retailers develop big data tools internally or buy off-the-shelf services, they must set up repeatable processes that can be managed effectively.
The results of these efforts could reshape every shelf and endcap—every inch of floor space—to attain maximum value. In our client work, we have seen wide-scale, data-based localization improve performance for a variety of retailers:
Adopting a big data mindset for localization can be challenging. Therefore, a shift to data-based localization is best accomplished as part of a broader change strategy. Such a program should be managed by a cross-functional team of personnel from merchandising, planning, marketing, pricing, and store operations. Retailers should use localization analytics in agile-based sprint tests and other short-term projects before rolling out company-wide programs.
For data-based localization to work, it must include everything a store sells—not just a retailer's most visible products. A comprehensive strategy takes into account layout, how shelves are configured and stocked, seasonal items, and new brands or SKUs, among other elements. (See Exhibit 1.)
Here are the major elements of localization and the data analytics that retailers can use to improve them.
Floor Space. Retailers must decide how much room to dedicate to certain products or product categories, with an eye toward maximizing sales and yielding the highest possible margin per square foot. Typically floor space planning is based on historical sales data and sales forecasts. To optimize it further, retailers should evaluate marginal space economics, determining the difference in profit that one product category generates per square foot in a particular space compared with what another product category would generate in the same space. For example, a grocery chain determining how much space to dedicate to chicken must consider how adding space would affect sales and margins compared with adding more space for pork, lamb, or fish.
When allocating floor space, retailers can use big data to evaluate transaction-level details and reveal hidden associations that can be capitalized on to boost sales. These details and associations include attachment sales, or additional products shoppers buy in the same category as their intended purchase, and future purchases that may come with a purchase in that category. Another hidden association that big data can reveal is allocated distribution costs, which aren't visible until costs are allocated to the item at the store level.
To find the best allocation of floor space to maximize margins, retailers will need to use analytics to adjust sales data to account for differences in individual stores' merchandise mix as well as for out-of-stock and seasonal items.
Assortment. The products a store stocks, along with the brands, styles, and varieties of each that appear on its shelves, make up its assortment, or merchandise mix. Retailers strive to create a merchandise mix with the maximum achievable long-term margins for each store they operate.
To optimize assortment, retailers can group locations that sell similar items into clusters using sales data aggregated by attributes such as brand, size, or flavor. Such clusters make it easier to recognize patterns across similar stores, leading to more accurate predictions of future sales at individual stores.
In addition, retailers can use customer transaction data to measure incrementality, or how much an item in the assortment increases sales and margins compared with a similar item. To again take chicken as an example, customer purchase data may show how offering packages of cut-up chicken contributes to overall chicken sales, and how dropping or offering more of such packages affects sales of other chicken products.
Adjacencies. Retailers typically make inventory and stocking decisions based on common data points such as enterprise-wide sales over time, individual store sales, cost of goods sold, and stocking costs. Analytics can help uncover less common data that can be just as valuable. One often underconsidered data point is the effect on sales of the relative distance between two items in a store, or what's known as adjacency. Adjacencies data can be used to compare sales and cross-sales of product categories located next to one another, across from one another, or in the same aisle. Retailers can then boost sales and margins by shelving, say, two sets of goods with positive adjacencies next to one another, increasing sales of both.
Optimizing adjacencies across an entire store is complex. Retailers can start to mine adjacencies by using store-level data to find which item placements worked best in the past. That can help determine, for example, whether frozen pizza sells better when placed next to ice cream or to frozen vegetables, or if shelving hairspray next to hair brushes leads to more sales than displaying it with other hair care products. Studying data on adjacencies can also help retailers decide which item categories to allot to prime locations such as the front of the store and the drive aisle.
Additional Elements. Big data can help optimize other elements of localization, including store design, price, and promotion. Retailers can use quantitative customer experience segmentation to improve the way a retail space looks and feels by analyzing customer surveys to determine how different types of customers like to shop. Other data that can be used to improve store design includes loyalty behavioral evaluation, or what an existing customer does when a favorite item is out of stock; and prototype ROI evaluation, the impact of adding various in-store elements to an overall design.
To optimize prices, retailers can evaluate data that shows what local shoppers are willing to pay. For example, they can study the prices that local competitors charge for certain products, particularly known-value items, such as milk and bread, and use the information to set their own prices. Retailers also can evaluate data that reveals which types of local promotions worked best in the past to plan future promotions.
Applying big data to elements of localization can lead to multiple changes. For example, if marginal space productivity analysis showed a lunchtime pickup in foot traffic, a grocery store could expand its prepared-food and deli sections. (See Exhibit 2.) It could double-face items such as a popular size of frozen potatoes after analyzing sales uplift at other locations that added an extra facing of similar items. It could also expand its international-foods section to reflect local demand based on the popularity of existing assortment relative to other stores and customer demographics.
Despite the potential for benefits from a big data makeover, in our client work, we've found that many retailers don't consistently collect the data needed to improve localization. At others, existing merchandising, pricing, or sales management systems aren't capable of performing the sophisticated analysis required to uncover the information. To take full advantage of a big data-based localization strategy, retailers may need to adopt new systems that can be tailored to their specific requirements and circumstances. This may require working with an outside party that can help create a customized service. Whatever big data tools for product localization they choose must be relatively simple to integrate with existing systems.
Even so, incorporating big data into localization can be challenging. It takes more than using existing technology in new ways or integrating new analytics. First, it requires an organization-wide commitment to flexibility and openness to new approaches. Cross-functional teams of merchandising, planning, and pricing personnel together must work faster and more dynamically without adding complexity to the process. Organizations that aren't already following these new, agile ways of working will need to consider how to train teams throughout the journey. (See "Taking Agile Way Beyond Software," BCG article, July 2017.)
In our experience working with retail clients, organizations are most successful using big data to improve localization when they follow a few other guiding principles.
Do analytical sprints. Borrow from agile principles, including the use of minimum viable product tools, and adopt a rapid test-and-learn mentality. Pick a single use case for an analytics-based sprint project and evaluate how it works. Move to the next sprint following the same approach.
Incorporate analytics-based localization into the workflow. Teams must base merchandising decisions on data year-round, not just during annual top-to-bottom category resets. This gives category managers the added responsibility of ensuring that localization recommendation tools don't make work more difficult for their teams.
Be consistent. While different arms of a retailer's merchandising organization may use different data analytics tools or analyze different data to change different localization elements, the outcomes of their efforts should be integrated in a way that presents shoppers with a cohesive in-store experience, regardless of what they're buying.
Combine multiple big data sets, including online sales. Analytics allow retailers to study multiple sets of data from multiple sources, giving them insights they couldn't gain from a single data set. Large data sets may include website traffic and search terms, actions customers take when items are out of stock online, and frequency and contents of abandoned virtual shopping carts. Retailers can also use analytics to study data from physical-store sales, including information on returns, length of checkout lines, stockouts, and variations in assortment and sales by store or region.
Companies should also track online shopping activity to identify products popular with shoppers in a certain region, then stock more of those products in physical locations in that area.
Garbage in, garbage out still applies. Data-based decisions aren't worth anything if the information used to make them isn't correct. Before getting started, retailers may need to spend time looking for and fixing one-off problems. Even the cleanest data can't provide perfect foresight, so big data must be used in conjunction with contingency plans for dealing with novel or unexpected situations.
Understand the tradeoffs between value and complexity. Analytics can deliver sophisticated solutions to complicated localization configurations, but often a simpler solution will be preferable to one that is too complex for personnel to easily implement. For example, localizing at the store level may provide more value but be harder to execute, whereas localizing a cluster of stores allows retailers to strike a reasonable balance and improve adherence in the field, which will increase realized value.
Spending is up in the US as median household incomes rise, but brick-and-mortar retailers continue to file for bankruptcy at a record pace, undone by changing times and the rise of Amazon and other technology-savvy e-commerce rivals. In a competitive environment that's squeezing retailers' margins, they in turn need to squeeze as much as possible out of every square inch of physical space. One way to do that is using big data to gain a deeper understanding of customer preferences and shopping habits, information that will help optimize floor space, product mix, and other elements of localization. But adopting improved analytics and the technology to run it is only half the battle. For stores that aren't accustomed to basing decisions on data, the change can involve a significant culture shift. For retailers to succeed, personnel from various product-related departments will have to work together more closely and at a sprint pace. That's a winning combination that will help keep customers coming back for more.
Boston Consulting Group partners with leaders in business and society to tackle their most important challenges and capture their greatest opportunities. BCG was the pioneer in business strategy when it was founded in 1963. Today, we work closely with clients to embrace a transformational approach aimed at benefiting all stakeholders—empowering organizations to grow, build sustainable competitive advantage, and drive positive societal impact.
Our diverse, global teams bring deep industry and functional expertise and a range of perspectives that question the status quo and spark change. BCG delivers solutions through leading-edge management consulting, technology and design, and corporate and digital ventures. We work in a uniquely collaborative model across the firm and throughout all levels of the client organization, fueled by the goal of helping our clients thrive and enabling them to make the world a better place.
© Boston Consulting Group 2024. All rights reserved.
For information or permission to reprint, please contact BCG at email@example.com. To find the latest BCG content and register to receive e-alerts on this topic or others, please visit bcg.com. Follow Boston Consulting Group on Facebook and X (formerly Twitter).


text:
Road cycling tour: Oetz - Kühtai - Sattele Loop
Ötztal Verified partner Explorers Choice
KühtaiPhoto: Dominic Kuen, Ötztal
Author's recommendation
What's more, a short detour to Finstertal water reservoir is an absolute must before you reach the highest point of the tour. Some 370 altitude meters await you on a 3.5 kilometer long stretch.
Track types
Rest stops
Kühtaier DorfstadlSafety information
National road traffic regulations apply. Generally valid and common rules of conduct.Please note that there is an increased risk of accidents and injuries in road cycling sports. Despite accurate tour planning, there is always a basic risk. Appropriate tour preparation including endurance sports, suitable training programs and further education as well as personal circumspection considerably reduce accidents and risks.
Tips and suggestions
More details about biking & cycling in Ötztal: https://www.oetztal.com/bikenStart
Turn-by-turn directions
The long and steep road, partly leading through a gallery, takes you towards Kühtai. In the steepest section, you have to overcome a gradient of up to 18 percent. Rhythmic and steady pedaling is absolutely required here on your climb through beautiful high Alpine landscapes. Passing the Längental water reservoir and Dortmunder Hütte, you finally reach the highest point of the tour (2020 m) at the edge of Kühtai. Known as a fairly quiet village in summer, Kühtai offers some places to stop for refreshments before you race down the same route towards Ochsengarten and the valley floor. If you make a right turn, you follow the short ascent (2.9 km and 150 altitude meters) to Haiminger Sattele (1690 m). Here you can also turn-off towards Gasthof Marlstein in the hamlet of the same name, a perfect rest stop place. On the downhill section to Haiming towards Inntal valley you should not underestimate the sometimes steep straights and hairpin bends. Once at the valley bottom, you turn left (westwards) and shortly after Ötztal-Bahnhof you leave the B171 federal road to the left and follow the B186 into the awe-inspiring Ötztal valley. On the wide, heavily travelled Ötztal Federal Road the route climbs slightly up to the starting point in Oetz.
Public transport
Enjoy a both comfortable and relaxing train ride to the train station in Ötztal Bahnhof. You get off the train in ÖTZTAL Bahnhof where you change to a public bus or local taxi. The current bus schedule can be found at: http://fahrplan.vvt.atDirections
Oetz is located in the western part of Austria in the state TYROL, in a southern side valley of the Inn valley - the ÖTZTAL. For your arrival by car, you can plan the best route from your home town with the route planner online at https://www.google.at/mapsParking
The following parking facilities are available in Oetz / Piburg:- Parking Acherkogelbahn - free for guests of the gondola lift, camping prohibited
- Parking lot Raftingeinsteinstelle (at the end of Oetz on the right side) - free, but limited parking (alternatively Acherkogelbahn 150 m), camping prohibited
- Oetz parking area (subject to a charge)
- Parking at night during several days' tours: Central parking place Oetz, The ticket is available at the information office Oetz.
- Parking Piburg at the Hotel Seerose, subject to charges.
The personal cycling equipment must be safe, ready for use and correspond to the respective technical standard. Additionally, road cyclists are strongly recommended to find out more about the planned tours in specialist literature or on site. Complete road cycling equipment is recommended even for very experienced cyclists!Special tip: Bicycle lighting is advisable for the partially sparsely illuminated tunnels.
- Content
- Show images Hide images
- 1 Waypoints
- 1 Waypoints


text:
There is always a point in the winter when I can't eat one more apple. When I go to the market I longingly look at those petrified mangoes dreaming of their sexy flavor. Just for once, I tell them, could you please have some flavor?I hopefully examine those half-white strawberries. No hope. I don't even look at the plastic plums. It's February for heaven's sake. Plums will be in season in September here. Where are you coming from little Frankesteins? I really cannot bring myself to do it. Buy the out of season monsters. No, I don't.
The Mind is strong however, but the Body is weak. The Body screams: PEACH! CHERRY! LOQUAT! FIGS!
So I go to the fridges, I get myself a bag of frozen berries, they are good for you, aren't they, with all the antioxidants. I go home and I make myself some custard, it's even wheat-free, dessert can hardly get any healthier. I make it in the microwave in two minutes. Then I can have sommer, just for dessert.
For the custard:
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tabsp corn starch
- 1 tabsp sugar
- 250 ml (1 cup) milk
- zest of 1/2 organic un-waxed orange or 1 tabsp orange marmalade
Using a tall glass container heat the milk and the orange zest until hot to the touch, about 2 min. Alternatively blend the orange marmalade in a few tablespoon of milk until smooth, add the rest of the milk and then heat it up.
Using electric whisks, in a different tall container, whisk egg yolk, sugar and starch until smooth. Remove the orange zest from the milk. While whisking the yolk, add the hot milk, first one tablespoon at the time until smooth and then all the rest. Transfer the mixture into the microwave and heat for one minute. Quickly stir, then microwave for one more minute or until the mixture is almost at boiling point. Whisk again. At this point the custard should be thick and smooth. Set aside to cool and refrigerate if using later in the day.
For the flambe berries:
- 2 cups whole frozen red berries.
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons orange liqueur or limoncello
- 1 teaspoon butter
- juice of half a lemon or orange
You need a heavy bottomed non-reactive pan which you need to make very hot before adding anything to it. Stainless steel or copper is good.
As soon as the pan is very warm add the butter. When it starts sizzling, add berries, lemon juice and sugar. The frozen berries will defrost instantly without loosing their shape. You want to glaze them with sugar, you don't want to make jam! Add liqueur from a small glass. The mixture will flambé. If it doesn't, your pan was not hot enough, but it's not a problem. Just reduce the liqueur until syrupy, one more minute. Turn off the heat as soon as the flames subside and serve on the cold custard.
Serves 2-3


text:
York County Community College is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education (formerly the Commission on Institutions of Higher Education of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, Inc.).
Accreditation of an institution of higher education by the Commission indicates that it meets or exceeds criteria for the assessment of institutional quality periodically applied though a peer review process. An accredited college or university is one which has available the necessary resources to achieve its stated purposes through appropriate educational programs, is substantially doing so, and gives reasonable evidence that it will continue to do so in the foreseeable future. Institutional integrity is also addressed through accreditation.
Accreditation by the Commission is not partial but applies to the institution as a whole. As such, it is not a guarantee of every course or program offered, or the competence of individual graduates. Rather, it provides reasonable assurance about the quality of opportunities available to students who attend the institution.
Inquiries regarding the accreditation status by the Commission should be directed to the administrative staff of the institution. Individuals may also contact:
New England Commission of Higher Education
3 Burlington Woods Drive, Suite 100,
Burlington, MA 01803-4514
(781) 425 7785
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Website: www.neche.org
2017–2019 Reaccreditation Process


text:
Data, data everywhere. The cloud is making it easier to store and access your company's data from anywhere, but that doesn't mean you can just rest easy. You still need a disaster recovery plan for your business's most important files and documents. It's not something you want to put off until it's too late! In this post we'll look at how you can ensure that your data is safe from disasters by protecting it on all fronts—and what you should do if one strikes anyway:
Your data is vulnerable.
Your data is vulnerable to theft, loss, and corruption. It's also vulnerable to natural disasters like floods and fires; human error (like accidentally deleting an important file); and cyber attacks that can compromise your company's security systems.
In order to protect your business against these threats, you'll need a disaster-proof data protection strategy–one that keeps all of your sensitive information safe even if something goes wrong with the physical location where it's stored.
Don't forget physical security.
Physical security is also important. It includes things like firewalls, antivirus software and other security measures that help protect your data from disaster.
Physical security tends to be overlooked because it's not as exciting as cloud storage or virtualization technology; but if you want your business to keep functioning after an emergency strikes–whether that's a natural disaster or some other catastrophe–then physical protection should be at the top of your list.
Plan for disaster recovery.
You may have a backup of your data, but if you don't have a backup of that backup, you're no better off than before. Your business needs to plan for disaster recovery. It's not enough just to back up your files; they need to be stored in multiple locations and encrypted as well. You should also make sure that regular backups are being made so that if one fails or gets corrupted by an unexpected event (like an earthquake), you can easily restore from another copy without losing too much time or money.
Finally, keep those backups safe! The best place for them is probably somewhere else entirely–not just another building on site but somewhere far away from both physical damage and natural disasters like floods or fires (or even something more mundane like theft). This way if anything happens at all during this period where nobody is accessing anything anyway because they're too busy dealing with the aftermath of whatever just happened (and let's face it: Something WILL happen!), then there won't be any loss at all because everything was already safely stored away elsewhere beforehand
There are lots of things you can do to protect your data from disaster, but don't forget about physical security.
While you're thinking about how to protect your data from disaster, don't forget about physical security.
Physical security is important and often overlooked. It can be more expensive than digital security, more difficult to manage and sometimes even more difficult for employees at businesses with multiple locations or branches. But if a disaster strikes and there's no way for anyone in the company–not just IT staff–to access their files because of lack of power or connectivity due to natural disasters like hurricanes or tornadoes, then all those efforts spent on digital protection will have been wasted.
All in all, it's important to remember that disaster recovery is a process and not an event. It's something you should be thinking about, planning for, and implementing on a regular basis–not just when something goes wrong.


text:
Friday Sermon (15-11-2013) - Successful Far East Tour and Blessings of God
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih delivered today's sermon from Baitul Futuh, London. He said as everyone knows he had been on a tour of Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and Japan for the past several weeks. And as it is his custom to mention the shower of Divine blessings experienced during his tours upon return, today Huzoor briefly spoke about on the subject.
It is impossible to calculate Divine grace or to know its highpoint. When we consider that we are about to touch the height of Divine grace, God immediately removes our misunderstanding. What we had thought to be the height of Divine grace was only the beginning and thus God takes us onwards. This is so in particular when at every step Divine promises made to the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) which were foretold by the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) give yet another glad-tiding.
Let alone mentioning the height of Divine grace, Hazrat Khalifatul Masih did not know which grace to start from! He presented a summary of God's grace and blessings experienced during the recent tour. Some detail of this trip prepared in a report form by Vakeelul Tabsheer has been published in Al Fazl and some may have read it. However, it is impossible to illustrate certain things. The facial expressions of our guests from outside when they give their views/impressions of the Jama'at cannot be precisely conveyed in words by Hazrat Khalifatul Masih or any report. Perhaps it can be viewed to some extent on MTA, perhaps some of it has already been shown. The Press Desk made good arrangement of providing news of the main events of the tour for the English-speaking members of the Jama'at. Indeed, each day gives us a new awareness of Divine grace and corroborates the truthfulness of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace).
The first stop of the tour was Singapore. In addition to the Singapore Jama'at members, office-holder men and women from the Jama'ats of Indonesia and Malaysia also came to the airport to greet Huzoor. Theirs was an amazing emotional welcome which has perhaps been gauged from some highlights shown on MTA. The Singapore tour lasted ten days where Huzoor met Ahmadis from Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei, Philippines, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, Papua New Guinea and Myanmar. About two and a half thousand Ahmadis had come from Indonesia. Most of these Ahmadis were not well-off, but were full of loyalty. Some had borrowed to make the trip while others had sold property. Their only concern was to seek prayers for their faith. Among them were people who are homeless for the past year because they are driven out of their homes and are living in temporary shelters, yet they have not abandoned their faith. In fact their faith is further strengthened. Apart from Jama'at engagements of meetings, classes and mulaqats, a reception was held here for outside guests. Non-Ahmadi guests from Indonesia also attended this reception, among them were university professors, scholars, politicians and journalists. Two journalists interviewed Huzoor in which introduction of the Jama'at was presented and matters relating to the situation with the Jama'at there were discussed. 48 guests including academics, former member of parliament and eight members of a Muslim religious organisation came. After listening to Huzoor's address a professor asked Huzoor to visit Indonesia and give a lecture at his university. Huzoor told him that it would be very well if he could arrange it, but perhaps he did not realise how much commotion would be raised at this prospect.
One Singaporean guest who had served for 29 years in the diplomatic service, as an MP and a minister of the state and was one of the founders of Singapore said that when he was a diplomat in Egypt in 1960s conditions were good there but now there is no peace in the Middle East and a wrong impression of Islam is being given. However, he said he was pleased that the head of the Ahmadiyya Jama'at was giving the world the true and peaceful message of Islam and he commended it. Although this guest is now retired he still commands great respect. Another guest who is a member of the Mosque Council Muslima in Indonesia and is affiliated with the State Islamia University in Jakarta said after Huzoor's address that the Jama'at should take the arts and sciences of the developed world to the underdeveloped wo rld and thus spearhead in addressing global disunity and poverty. Hazrat Khalifatul explained that his address was on the subject of the current economic state of the world and Islam's perspective on the matter. The guest said that today no one has the administrative system and the leadership that Jama'at Ahmadiyya has and it presented the true model of Islam. A member of a youth movement said that the message given by Huzoor should reach all Indonesian people so that they may understand the Islamic teaching of peace and harmony. A professor said that it was his wish that those who are opposed to Jama'at Ahmadiyya meet with Hazrat Khalifatul Masih and listen to him so that their hearts may open. An Indonesian journalist who is doing a PhD. in Jama'at Ahmadiyya said that he was deeply moved by Huzoor's discourse on the economic order based on humanity, justice and peace. An Englishman who has lived in Singapore for 27 years and has accepted Islam said that his employers tried to stop him from attending this event and even threatened to dismiss him from employment, yet he came. He said that although he was a Muslim but had heard the true teaching of Islam for the first time. He expressed his desire to visit the UK and said he will seek further information about Jama'at Ahmadiyya and would like to join the Jama'at. A university professor from the Philippines expressed his thanks for being invited to the event. He told Huzoor that in his estimation only Ahmadis can gather humanity and the way to gather humanity was indeed expressed by Huzoor. A former secretary of education from the Philippines who is a Muslim said that he testified in favour of the Jama'at that it would triumph. He said just as Muslims in the time of the Holy Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be on him) were persecuted; now Ahmadis are being persecuted. And just as [early] Islam triumphed, Ahmadis will also triumph and when this will come to pass, he added he will be part of it. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said many among these people accepted Ahmadiyyat in their hearts but feared certain organisations.
Next was the tour of Australia. Here, after a brief stay at Sydney Huzoor went to Melbourne which is at a distance of about 800/900 miles. A reception was held in Melbourne in which 220 people from all walks of life came including members of parliament, high-ranking military personnel including a major general representing the chief of army staff, officers of the federal police, local councillors and academics. Following Huzoor's keynote address at the reception an MP said that the message of the address transcended religion, it was a message of humanity which we all have to adopt. She acknowledged Huzoor's mention of the qualities of peace, justice, fairness and service of mankind and said that she knew Ahmadi ladies are not only taking this message forward but are also putting it in practice. She also remarked positively about Ahmadi children. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said such is the world-view of Ahmadis. Each woman and child should enhance this impression. People are ready to listen to us. A member of the Church of Jesus Christ said that each Australian could understand the clarity with which the head of the Ahmadiyya Jama'at had given discourse on peace and it would be excellent if everyone took the message with them. One guest said that he and his wife were looking for the truth for eighteen years and what they heard on the day was nothing but the truth. He said this message should be adorned in hearts. A journalist of the official TV channel ABS said it was a very considered, balanced and fair address based on facts. Another guest said she felt proud to attend such a wonderful event and was very impressed by what was said about establishing peace in the world. She said she very much loved these values and wished that people of her country adhered to these valu es more strongly and she wanted Huzoor to take this message to people because it was very much needed. The lady guest made these remarks with tear-filled eyes. A councillor said that it was evident from Huzoor's address that he preached what his religion was about. He said in the two hundred year old history of Australia it was very pleasant to listen to a religious leader giving such a beautiful message. It was like a breath of fresh air in Australia. He said it would be great if Jama'at Ahmadiyya raised its profile and took this message further afield. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said now it was the task of the Australian Jama'at to move onwards and upwards. A Pakistan Muslim guest said that the he had not seen the dignity at any other event with which the programme was conduct. A guest hailing from Kuwait said that he was very impressed with the analysis of the Arab Spring by Huzoor and it was based on truth. He felt it was a fearless discourse and he did no t realise how complete the analysis of the Arab Spring would be. The councillor general of Somalia was present and he said he listened to every single word spoken by Huzoor most attentively and was moved by it. Many people attended this event and everyone gave their impressions but here just a few are mentioned. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said later on he also met with the guests and felt that they did not just meet with customary politeness but were quite sincere. It looked that they were influenced by what they had heard and in addition to giving their views about the event they also expressed their feelings to Huzoor when they met him.
An Ahmadiyya Centre has been acquired in Melbourne which was not mentioned in any sermon. The centre is on a seven and a half acre site and came with the building. The building comprises a hall which has a capacity for 3000 worshippers and by coincidence it is almost Qibla-facing. There is also a mission house, a guest house, two residential units, a library, reading room, kitchen, store and a smaller hall. The centre has three parking areas with a capacity for more than 200 cars. Application to acquire the centre was submitted in 2007 but faced a lot of opposition by the locals who did not want it to be changed into a place of worship of Muslims. However, in 2009 the city council unanimously decided to give the centre to the Jama'at. Previously the site was a park and it is now registered as a community cent re and mission house. Opinion of most local people about the centre has completely transformed. The centre was purchased for 800,000 Australian dollars and a further 1.3 million was spent on renovations etc. By performing our traditional Waqar e Aml a saving of about 500,000 dollars was made. The current market value of the centre is at least 5 million Australian dollars.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih returned to Sydney where Khilafat Jubilee Hall was inaugurated. The Hall has a capacity for 1400 worshippers. It has two storied offices, meeting room and a large kitchen. A member of parliament, Concetta Fierravanti-Wells came to the inauguration in representation of the prime minister. Other guests included federal parliamentarians, other MPs, the leader of the opposition, police officers and councillors. Huzoor's discourse here was on the teaching of Islam, the Jama'at and the role of Khilafat in the Jama'at. With the grace of God it was very well received. A guest who is a police superintendent said that he was very impressed by the admission of the head of the Jama'at Ahmadiyya that the actions of extremists have brought Islam in disrepute. He said he felt the re sponse given by Huzoor to this criticism via his message of peace was splendid. Another guest Indira Devi said that she garnered some very fine information from Huzoor's address and would like a booklet on Islam to be better informed about it. She said she is prejudiced about Islam but generally speaking was honoured at being invited. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said the Jama'at should now keep in touch with her and provide her the reading material she requires. There were many other positive feedbacks of the guests.
Next was a trip to Brisbane where the mosque Baitul Muqeet was inaugurated which everyone saw in the Friday sermon. A reception was also held here which was attended by people from all walks of life including MPs, police officers, doctors, academics, teachers, engineers, people from the church, priests and neighbours. One neighbour who is Jewish was extremely opposed to us but seeing the stance of the Jama'at, with the grace of God he has changed his outlook. Another neighbour, Mr Graham was also opposed to the Jama'at. When his misconceptions were removed he became a friend and now speaks up for the Jama'at. The deputy mayor said at the reception that Jama'at Ahmadiyya excelled at serving humanity and was most helpful during the floods in Queensland. It is generally said about immigrants th at they do not integrate very well but this cannot be said about Jama'at Ahmadiyya. A police commissioner commended Jama'at work and said that the Jama'at was always very co-operative. He said the Jama'at demonstrated high moral courage. A guest who is an MP later told Hazrat Khalifatul Masih that police commissioners have a very high status there and they do not usually attend events and he was amazed to see the commissioner attend Jama'at event. An MP said that he became quite emotional during Huzoor's address. It was made straight from the heart. He said he observed the faces of the non-Muslim guests during the address and saw them to be receiving it very warmly. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih had a Tabligh conversation with another MP during which he told him what the Qur'an states in relation to science and what the Bible states and the MP acknowledged that the teaching of the Qur'an was higher than that of the Bible. Another gue st, a doctor said that he was very nervous about coming to the reception and was not sure how he will be received. However, he said Mirza Masroor Ahmad allayed all his nerves.
After Australia Hazrat Khalifatul Masih visited New Zealand and inaugurated their first ever mosque. Prior to this the Maori tribe gave a reception in Huzoor's honour of the stature that is given to heads of state where Lawa e Ahmadiyyat was also raised. Usually the King does not attend these events but he was present this time. Following their traditional rituals Huzoor held talks with him and presented him with Maori translation of the Holy Qur'an. Later, the King came to the inauguration of the mosque. It was not the Queen's plan to come to the inauguration, but she changed her mind and came.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said that the Maori translation of the Holy Qur'an was done by Shakeel Ahmad Muneer Sahib. He initially translated 15 parts which were published and later completed the translation. He is not a linguist, in fact he is professor of physics but he embarked on this project at the advice of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih IV (may Allah have mercy on him) and learned the language and then started the translation. He is 81 years old. It took him twenty five years to learn the language and finish the translation. He says it took him quite some time to understand the use of plural in Maori and felt that his age was a great impediment in this regard. He worked tirelessly, faced difficulties but carried on. Given his age, it is a great achievement. May God reward him!
Local newspapers covered the Maori translation of the Qur'an and commended it. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih was asked why the Jama'at translated the Qur'an in Maori given that Maori population was not that large. Huzoor responded by saying that it is our task to translate it in every language and take its message to every nation. With the grace of God a Maori person took Bai'at and a couple more are ready for Bai'at. Huzoor said that following the translation, Maori people will come in the fold of the Jama'at.
Next was the reception for the new mosque Baitul Muqeet which was attended by the King and the Queen and many distinguished guests. The total number of guests was 107. Giving his impressions an Anglican priest guest said that all religions should walk together. He said he agreed with what the head of the Jama'at Ahmadiyya said about Islam being discredited by the press. He said each time an act of terrorism takes place the media show images of either a mosque or Muslims observing Salat from which people understand that Islam is connected to extremism. The media covered the Maori event as well as the inauguration of the mosque very well. Another function in New Zealand was in the capital city 800 miles from Auckland. It was organised by MP Kanwal Jeet Singh in the prestigious Grand Hall of the parliament build ing. It was attended by Israeli, Iranian and British diplomats. Huzoor's discourse there was based on peace and was very well received. Checkpoint is a noteworthy programme of a non-commercial radio station of New Zealand which gave news with reference to our Jama'at during prime time.
The next country on the tour was Japan. A reception was held in Nagoya, which was attended by 117 guests including leader of the Communist party, congressmen, the mayor, members of the provisional parliament, representatives of Shintoism and Buddhism, academics, lawyers etc. Leader of the Communist Party who is also a member of city parliament and also in-charge of camp for the displaced travelled 1000 kilometres to attend the reception. He said that the services given by Jama'at Ahmadiyya following the earthquake and tsunami in 2011 were unforgettable for them. He said he had come to the reception to show his gratitude and also to personally see the Jama'at and meet its head and tell him that his Jama'at and followers practice what he teaches them and serve humanity by acting on his advice. He sa id after listening to Huzoor's address he is convinced that the secret of world peace is in the teaching of the head of Jama'at Ahmadiyya. Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said that when the true teaching of Islam is explained all decent people accept that peace is associated with Islam. May God make it so that the extremists and the leaders who repy on their power and do wrong also understand this! A famous lawyer guest at the reception expressed sentiments of love and gratitude from the depth of his heart. He said Chaudhary Zafrulla Khan Sahib addressed a conference held in San Francisco in 1951 in which he said that Japan should be dealt with fairly. He had said that Japan was a significant nation because in the future it was going to play an important role in the world. The lawyer said that in appreciation of those remarks they had good ties with Jama'at Ahmadiyya.
Unfortunately today Chaudhary Zafrullah Sahib's personality is not valued in his own country where he was once the foreign minister. Now his name as the foreign minister has been removed from history text books and children are being taught incorrect history.
The Japanese lawyer guest continued to say that the services of Jama'at Ahmadiyya in wake of the earthquake and tsunami were unforgettable. He said he had seen a beautiful face of Islam on the day. If the world can gather on one hand it is Jama'at Ahmadiyya which has one leader.
Hazrat Khalifatul Masih said all details of the tour cannot be given here. They will be published for English-speaking people as well as in Al Fazl.
Next Hazrat Khalifatul Masih gave some information about the media coverage of his tour. Representatives of Indonesian publication Tempo, interviewed Huzoor. 100,000 copies of this magazine are published each week. In addition two newspapers from Western Java with large circulation also published the interview. In Australia the electronic and print media covered Huzoor's tour. The national TV channel ABC as well as ABC radio interviewed Huzoor as well relayed news of his tour which was listened all over the country. In fact the radio channel is also heard in the pacific islands and has 1.5 to 2 million listeners. ABC News is listened in 46 countries so has an audience in excess of 10 million. They interviewed Huzoor and later informed him that they had very good feedback which amazed them. They said they woul d be happy to interview Huzoor for longer duration on his next trip. Newsline is a prestigious programme of ABC TV and Huzoor's interview was broadcast in this programme. The interviewer is a famous journalist who interviews visiting heads of states and prime ministers and is listened to very seriously. Huzoor's interview was viewed by 10 to 15 million people. In New Zealand the King's reception was covered by TV1. It has 600,000 viewers. The inauguration ceremony of the mosque was also broadcast. The news of the inauguration was also published in newspapers including Sunday Star which has a readership of 500,000 and Manukau Courier which has 194,000 readership. Online Media is the most popular website of the country which has 450,000 hits. It gave the news of the inauguration of the mosque. In Japanese print media a Christian newspaper with a readership of more than 20 million printed Huzoor's photograph and gave the news of his tour saying leader of Islamic sect Ahmadiyya was visiting from London. It also gave the news of our first mosque and said that the leader of Jama'at Ahmadiyya has said that regardless of religion and nationality, everyone was welcome to the mosque.
In summary, the various interviews given to journalists covered teachings of Islam, the advent of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace), the concept of war in Islam, Tabligh activities of Jama'at Ahmadiyya, agitation in Muslim countries and its solution, how can real peace be established in the world, status of Hazrat Isa (on whom be peace) and the relationship between the Jama'at and Khilafat. In short vast areas were covered and the viewpoint of the Jama'at was put across. If all the viewers, listeners and readers of all the publications, TV and radio were to be combined, the message reached 35 million people. God is facilitating the introduction of the beautiful teaching of Islam in every region of the world and people are finding out about the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace). This is acc ording to the pronouncement made by the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) that this age is the age of the accomplishment of publication based on guidance. The media coverage is a practical testimony by God because it was not possible for us to arrange such extensive coverage in the four countries. In fact, the message and introduction of Jama'at reached 46 countries, in which Pakistan is included. For those who have sense, just this is sufficient proof of the truthfulness of the Promised Messiah (on whom be peace).
The Promised Messiah (on whom be peace) said 'Now, in obedience to the direction: 'And as for the bounty of your Lord do relate it to others.'(93:12) I do not see any harm in declaring that the Merciful God has, through His grace and bounty, bestowed all these characteristics on me in abundance. He has not sent me empty-handed, nor has He appointed me without any accompanying signs. He has bestowed all these signs upon me which are being manifested and will continue to be manifested. God Almighty will go on manifesting these signs until the truth is cle arly established.' (1zala-e-Auham, Ruhani Khaza'in, vol. 3 - Essence of Islam, vol. 4, p. 58)
May God enable us to understand our responsibility and fulfil it!
Next Hazrat Khalifatul Masih announced that would lead three funerals in absentia after Friday Prayers. These were funeral Prayers of Shaheed Bashir Ahmad Kiyani Sahib who was martyred in Karachi on 1 November, Mian Abdul Sami Umer Sahib, grandson of Hazrat Khalifatul Masih I (may Allah be pleased with him) who passed away at the age of 69 due to heart problems and 17 year old dear Muzzamil Ilyas Sahib who was student of Jamia Pakistan. He passed away suddenly on 9 September. May God elevate the stations of the deceased and grant steadfastness to the bereaved.
- - by
- in news, friday-sermon


text:
Homogeneous Permutations
There are just five Fraïssé classes of permutations (apart from the trivial class of permutations of a singleton set); these are the identity permutations, reversing permutations, composites (in either order) of these two classes, and all permutations. The paper also discusses infinite generalisations of permutations, and the connection with Fraïssé's theory of countable homogeneous structures, and states a few open problems. Links with enumeration results, and the analogous result for circular permutations, are also described.