text:
Please click Display Images or Download Pictures to properly view this newswire
Monday, January 13, 2014
Follow the news on Facebook, Twitter and view archive here
Jump to: Overseas Market - Local Market – Economy – Politics – Business – Ulaanbaatar – Diplomacy - Social, Environmental and Other
Headlines in Italic are ones modified by Cover Mongolia from original
Mongolia sees Oyu Tolgoi deal this month
January 12 (MINING.com) Wrangling over a $6 billion-plus underground expansion of Oyu Tolgoi, Rio Tinto's (LON:RIO) massive copper-gold mine in Mongolia, could be resolved by the end of the month.
UBPost News reports Erdenes Oyu Tolgoi director Da.Ganbold, representing the Mongolian government's 34% stake in the project told local news media "only a few critical issues remain," including water usage which is close to being settled, royalties, details the phase 2 pre-feasibility study and what Mongolia alleges is overspending by Rio to the tune of $2 billion.
Talks between the Anglo-Australian giant and the Mongolian government on the expansion and reworking the initial 2009 deal which first unleashed the Mongolian investment boom, have dragged on for the better part of a year. Both sides provided fresh faces for the Oyu Tolgoi board in September to break the impasse.
Rio unit Turquoise Hill (NYSE:TRQ), operator of the $6.6 billion open pit, announced in December it received extended commitments from 15 commercial banks for the underground expansion where some 80% of the value of Oyu Tolgoi lies. Rio now has until the end of March to make a deal.
Vancouver-based Turquoise Hill recently also closed a $2.4 billion rights offering to repay a $600 million bridge loan and a $1.8 billion interim funding facility for Oyo Tolgoi.
Mongolia introduced new foreign investment laws in November last year to counteract a near 50% slump in foreign direct investment in the country.
A positive outcome on Oyu Tolgoi, where some 2,000 workers have been let go due to the delays, would do much to restore the confidence of investors, many of whom have burned fingers in the country before.
Oyu Tolgoi is set to produce 150,000 to 175,000 tonnes of copper in concentrates and 700,000 to 750,000 ounces of gold in concentrates in 2014.
But after phase 2 the mine in the southern Gobi desert close to the Chinese border could produce more than 1.2 billion pounds of copper worth $4 billion at today's prices, 650,000 ounces of gold ($800 million) and 3 million ounces of silver ($55 million) each year.
Oyu Tolgoi will account for 30% of the economy of the nation of just over 3 million people.
Turquoise Hill – then called Ivanhoe Mines – was founded by mining financier Robert Friedland after making the Oyu Tolgoi discovery in 2001.
According to a new study Friedland, who lost control of the miner to Rio in 2012 and still owns 8-9% of the company, last year lost his billionaire status thanks in part to a 60% slump in Turquoise Hill shares last year.
BDSec Daily Market Update: Top 20 -2.07%, Turnover ₮18.9 Million
January 10 (BDSec) Stocks ended the week in red. The benchmark index declined 2.07% over the week to finish at 15,918.80 points. Baganuur (BAN), the largest thermal coal producer of the country, dropped 5.92% to finish at MNT 4,516. Makh Impex (MMX) which lost -11.32% yesterday, bounced back 14.68% to close at MNT 2,649. Gutal (GTL), a real estate company, advanced 13.80% to MNT 11,380. Turnover for Friday was MNT 18.9 million.
Top Movers
Trading Value Leaders
Close (MNT)
Value (MNT)
Baganuur (BAN)
State Department Store
Top Gainers
Close (MNT)
% Change
Makh Impex (MMX)
Gutal (GTL)
Guril Tejeel Bulgan (GTJ)
Top Losers
Close (MNT)
% Change
Baganuur (BAN)
Genco Tour Bureau (JTB)
January 13 (BDSec) HBOil JSC (MSE: HBO; Bloomberg Code: HBO MO; "HBOil"), is pleased to announce that its Board of Directors has unanimously voted to issue HBOil common shares, in consideration for the short term Convertible Loan Agreement (CLA), which was used to acquire 100% of Ninox Hydrocarbons (L) Berhad (now known as "HBOil [L] Berhad"), a private Malaysian company which holds 20% of the share capital of KOEC International, Inc. ("KOECII"). The remaining 80% of the share capital of KOECII, is held by HBOil's Joint Venture partner Korea Oil Exploration Corporation ("KOEC"), which is the national oil company of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ("DPRK" or "North Korea").
HBOil also has the pleasure of announcing that it has acquired roughly 12% of the capital of Ninox Energy Limited, a Singaporean entity that owns through Korex Ltd.; 100% of the Production Sharing Contract ("PSC"), which covers the offshore territory of DPRK in the East Sea. This acquisition by HBOil, via the redemption of its convertible notes in Ninox Energy Limited, now provides HBOil and its shareholders with an approximate 12% indirect interest in the potential hydrocarbons resources in the East Sea of DPRK; effectively, concluding HBOil's previously announced option to acquire up-to 51% of Ninox Energy's interest in the East Sea PSC.
About HBOil JSC
HBOil JSC was established on December 13th, 2000 and became a public company after its listing at MSE in 2007. In 2013, HBOil acquired 100% of Ninox Hydrocarbons, a private Malaysian company which held 20% of the share capital of KOEC International, Inc. ("KOECII"). The remaining 80% of the share capital of KOECII, is held by the Joint Venture partner of NHLB; Korea Oil Exploration Corporation ("KOEC"), which is the national oil company of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea ("DPRK" or "North Korea"). In addition to its legacy oil recycling operations, the vast majority of HBOil's assets are now leveraged to the ownership and development of DPRK's onshore, offshore, midstream, and downstream petroleum industry assets. For all intents and purposes, HBOil is the first and only public equity, offering investors significant exposure to the DPRK's petroleum industry.
Mongolian Stock Exchange Opens To Institutions, ETFs And Mutual Funds
By Jon Springer
January 12 (Forbes) Mongolia is a country with natural resource wealth that holds sizable per capita GDP possibilities for a national population of roughly 3 million people. Since the discovery of the world class Oyu Tolgoi copper-gold mine in 2001, Mongolia has had a back and forth struggle between populist national interests and welcoming laissez-faire policies dating back to the passage of a 68% windfall profit tax passed in 2005 and its annulment in 2009. The back and forth continues this year with moves forward towards truly opening up the Mongolian Stock Exchange (MSE) to foreign ETFs, mutual funds and institutions for the first time.
Saruul Ganbaatar, outgoing Deputy CEO of the MSE after three years on the job, was interviewed on Skype to provide a sense for where the legal changes are taking Mongolia and why investors should believe there is no going backward after the government of Mongolia's recent legal changes.
Jon Springer: You went on road shows around the world promoting MSE recently. What was your message at the road shows?
Saruul Ganbaatar: Our key message entailed that Mongolia is going in the right direction. Mongolia abolished some of the controversial laws such as the Strategic Entities Foreign Investment Law (SEFIL) and the old Foreign Investment Law. The parliament replaced them with one law that governs the investment environment in Mongolia, the new Investment Law. At the same time, this past year we put through a new rendition of the Securities Market Law and a new Investment Fund Law.
These are some of the sizable developments towards attracting capital to Mongolia. The Investment Law took effect on November 1, 2013. The Securities Market Law and Investment Fund Law took effect on January 1, 2014. So, we met with institutional investors from Hong Kong to New York to let investors recognize that Mongolia is open for business and that the country is looking to continually build a sustainable environment for investments. The new investment law has laid out some specific tax incentives and non-tax incentives for investments. There is also a specific clause in the law that outlines protective measures of the investors' interests in Mongolia. The new securities law also brings in more transparency for Mongolian companies and their reporting requirements.
For the exchange, we will have a new clearing, settlement and custody environment. For 22 years since the formation of MSE, the market was prefunded. With the new law, we are moving to the T+3 standard, which is adopted around the globe and is a crucial arrangement that will allow sophisticated institutional investors and mutual funds from overseas to begin investing in Mongolian listed companies.
JS: Foreigners could invest on the MSE before. Do these laws fundamentally change the market in any way?
SG: In most countries, it's a common practice that, whenever institutional investment funds channel funds into the countries' securities markets, they hold both securities and monetary assets in sophisticated A-rated custodian banks. The adoption of a newly amended law introduces a much-needed legal framework for the creation and operation of local and sub-custodian banks. We now have the necessary clauses in the Securities Market Law, and necessary regulations, which have been drafted over the last 4 ½ months, to go ahead with custodian relationships that create the necessary infrastructure to attract institutional money to Mongolia.
We are also bringing in the legal concepts of nominee and beneficial ownership that haven't existed here before, which sets out the groundwork for funds and most global custodian banks to start forming partnerships in the Mongolian marketplace. The Investment Fund Law was also drafted in-line with the Securities Exchange Act and the Investment Company Act in the United States. It puts in place strict standards and regulations for managing public funds and provides a description of the range of securities investments that mutual funds, ETFs, closed-end funds and private investment vehicles are allowed to invest in.
JS: Did the Financial Regulatory Commission (FRC) change laws this year as well?
SG: The FRC together with the MSE has redrafted 22 regulations in line with the new Securities Market Law. An interesting thing to note is that the new listing rules of MSE and the FRC will require that financial statements be filed in both English and Mongolian, which will help provide investor confidence.
JS: Do the new regulations make dual-listings on the MSE and international stock exchanges possible?
SG: Yes, we are bringing new tradable securities to our markets that are common elsewhere: options, futures, depository receipts (DRs) and warrants. The introduction of DRs is an interesting new addition. It will provide local issuers with opportunities to float on foreign exchanges and execute those transactions in either shares or depositary receipts. DRs appear to be attractive addition for local Mongolian companies listed in overseas markets, for the newly amended regulations will open up opportunities of having straight access to our domestic pool of investors.
JS: The Foreign Investment Law of 2012 (known as SEFIL) was a rushed law in the run-up to 2012′s summer elections. How is this law different?
SG: The Investment Law is making bold steps to attract capital to Mongolia. This law makes no distinction between foreign investors and domestic investors. The old SEFIL had some limitations for foreigners with regard to investing in mining, finance, banking and telecommunications sectors. The only restrictions remaining now are in connection to state-owned entities
JS: SEFIL's passage happened as a populist reaction against a Chinese company taking over a sizable coal mine in Mongolia. What ensures foreign investors against another political issue changing the law?
SG: To provide a further level of comfort, the law stipulates that the government provides a Stabilization Certificate to the investor and stabilizes the terms of investments anywhere from 5 to 20 years. The rates of corporate income tax, VAT, royalty and custom taxes will be fixed during the duration of the stabilization term. The length of the stabilization period will be linked to the amount of the investment by the investor. This arrangement would allow investors to make sizable investments into the country with a long-term view. The Stability Certificate will be issued by the Ministry of Economic Development. For any investments exceeding 500 billion MNT (roughly 300 million USD), the government of Mongolia will sign an additional Direct Investment Agreement further guaranteeing all the incentives described in the law.
The law stipulates that it will require two thirds of parliament to amend or abolish it, which makes me believe that this law will be in place for quite some time.
JS: When I visited the MSE in September 2011, trading was done on the floor with slips of paper. Is that still the process?
SG: Technologically, we have integrated Millennium IT which is used by 30 different financial organizations across the world including London Stock Exchange Group, London Metals Exchange and Johannesburg Stock Exchange. It is a highly sophisticated trading and post-trading technology that has the capacity to handle high trading volumes and a variety of securities classes. Starting in April 2013, half the brokerage firms trading on the MSE began trading from their offices remotely. Most of the industry is moving towards Internet trading, and we are moving in that direction as well.
We have also started cooperating with FTSE to design indices. Separately, we have been placed on FTSE frontier market watch list. If we are added to FTSE frontier market index FTSE frontier market index we will be tracked by some of the largest institutions investing in frontier markets, which, in our view, will provide additional liquidity to our markets.
JS: In the past some companies only floated 3% of their companies on the stock exchange. What is the free float that companies will be required to list going forward?
SG: The new listing rules of the MSE and the FRC will require companies to float at least 25% of their outstanding shares. This should increase turnover, tradability and liquidity of the market.
JS: Several name brand international banks have shown interest in partnering with local Mongolian banks to be the first to make available global custodian accounts in Mongolia. Is there a first mover established yet?
SG: We are still in a process in which the international banks are in the midst of performing due diligence, researching local markets and selecting local partner banks. From my understanding, some conversations have taken place and some memorandums of understanding have already been signed. It's a process in which the global custodians together with the local banks have to negotiate the terms of a long-term partnership. Finalization of the terms will lead to much expanded cooperation, starting with capacity building in Mongolia, selection and integration of the systems, relevant tests, passing and qualifying under new regulations, linking with SWIFT post-trading, building settlement infrastructures at the banks levels, et cetera, all of which usually requires a significant amount of time invested. We believe that sometime in the second half of this year the first global custodian banks will start operating in partnership with local banks.
JS: The MSE Top 20 Index was up 137% in 2010. Do you have any safeguards in place to keep the market from overheating if the new custodial arrangements create a bull run in a market that currently has a market cap of about $1 billion?
SG: Yes, we have in place automatic risk mitigation systems, such as static and dynamic circuit breakers and price bands. Static circuit breakers limit the movement of stocks from the prior day; whereas dynamic circuit breakers limit the movement of stocks from the prior trade. We also have trading bands that limit the stock movements of companies to 15% up or down per day.
JS: With custodian relationships perhaps not available until the second half of this year, when do you expect to see the new investing laws make an impact on the market?
SG: The main objective of the Investment Law is to convey the key message to investors that Mongolia is open to investors. The passage of the new laws have been received positively by the investor community, which was evident in improved volumes on MSE and a significant rise in MSE Top 20 Index. This shows how the MSE is a reflection of the opinions of investors regarding their investments in Mongolia.
JS: For both the CEO of the Mongolia Stock Exchange and yourself, it is your last day on January 15 after three years on the job. What do you look forward to for the exchange and yourself next?
SG: It's been an amazing journey of taking over the modernization of Mongolian capital markets, enhancing the post-trading settlement environment and infrastructures in line with global standards and laying out the foundation by taking an active part in the introduction of new legal frameworks. Moving forward, the time has come to pass the torch along to the incoming management and for me to make the transition to the next stage of challenging undertakings to further promote the growth and development of Mongolia.
BoM MNT Rates: January 10 Close
January MNT Chart:
Total outstanding 1-week bills fall 22.5% to ₮985.8 billion
BoM issues 1-week bills
January 10 (Bank of Mongolia) BoM issues 1 week bills worth MNT 334 billion at a weighted interest rate of 10.5 percent per annum /For previous auctions click here/
Labor Ministry Sets 50 Thousand Job Creation Target for 2014
Ulaanbaatar, January 10 /MONTSAME/ The Ministry has put forward a goal to create 50 thousand new jobs in 2014, said the Labor Minister Ya.Sanjmyatav.
The above statement came about amid the Labor Minister's meeting with province governors on Thursday.
The Ministry wants to keep its success of providing 52 thousand with work places in 2013. Under the "Employed and Profited Mongolian" program by the Government for Reforms, the Ministry aims to generate 150 thousand jobs in three-year period.
In order to create workplaces, the government is adhering to three principles aimed to develop employment skills and qualities, to train professionals, and to extend labor employment service availability.
Meeting with the governors of 221 aimags, the Minister said the Government programs for 2014 include project of temporary workplace provision for 10 thousand students, and a special job project for people above 40. The Government is also planning to set up an import substitution plant in every province.
Noting an importance of localities in implementing these goals, Mr Sanjmyatav briefed on roles and functions of the province governors in this regard.
Ninja Economy
By Jargalsaikhan Dambadarjaa
January 12 (UB Post) Ch.Ulaan, the Minister of Finance, gave an overview of the 2013 public budget and economic performance last week. Mongolia's GDP last year reached 17 trillion MNT, which is 12 percent higher than the year before. Minister Ulaan also reported that the budget expenditure equaled 35 percent of GDP while the budget deficit was kept below two percent of GDP.
The 2013 total budget revenue was 5.9 trillion MNT, of which one third was collected through taxes and 27 percent from customs tax. In other words, 60 percent of the total revenue was made up by taxpayers. Also, approximately 70,000 economic entities paid 1.8 trillion MNT in taxes, half of which was paid by only ten companies. These ten companies were led by Erdenet (362 billion MNT) followed by APU (154 billion MNT), Oyu Tolgoi (87 billion MNT), MAK (83 billion MNT), Tavan Tolgoi (57 billion MNT), Energy Resources (54 billion MNT), Mongolian Tobacco (45 billion MNT), Erdenes Tavan Tolgoi (40 billion MNT), Boroo Gold (36 billion MNT), and Mobicom (34 billion MNT). As credit should be given to these companies for making such contributions to the economy, something peculiar can be observed if you zoom into how the tax revenues were made up.
We attribute the name "ninja" miners (derived from the animated series "The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles") to persons whose main occupation is to dig in the ground while drinking alcohol, smoking, and talking on the phone while not actually turning a profit. Given that our economy is dependent on how much land we dig in and how much alcohol and tobacco people use, we should call it a "ninja economy" as well, especially when almost 10 percent of the total workforce have become ninja miners. It is the bitter truth of today.
A specialist from an international project on micro-mining says that the only job ninja miners can do is digging holes. They treat nature with such cruelty that they do not even bother filling the holes back up. Our economy is dependent on how much coal we dig up and sell to China by sending trucks full of coal to the southern border. In 2013, Mongolia exported eight tons of gold, 18 million tons of coal, 645 thousand tons of copper concentrate, and 6.7 million tons of iron ore. However, except for iron ore, we did not manage to export as much mineral resources as initially planned.
The most influential people in ninja villages are the "bosses" who buy gold from ninja miners with their readily available cash, sitting in their dark window-tinted jeeps. Those bosses have a secret network for collecting and trading gold. Mongolia is a country that loses most of the gold mined through illegal trafficking across the border. There are around 200 bosses who become elected officials, representing political parties and acquiring ruling power in turn. Having obtained authority, they make changes to mining laws in a manner that is only favorable for them, and reallocate their wealth. Their true intention is not rehabilitation or developing other economic sectors – they are only interested in more digging.
These bosses in Mongolia have spent many years doing nothing but making false promises to carry out economic diversification and attaching fancy names to each passing year. For ten years, 80 percent of our export revenue has depended on digging up the ground. It is said that the construction industry has been the industry that experienced the most growth last year, expanding to 2.5 times its size and producing great profits. But has any construction company paid significant taxes? Homes are being built only for the rich, while not a single apartment has been erected for those with low income. What do we make of that? Is our construction industry still walking hand in hand with the land mafia?
Mongolian citizens are looking at an entire generation pass them by, while the bosses within the government are getting richer and the ordinary ninjas can barely afford their daily needs. Income inequality is expanding as our society is losing its grip on justice. Furthermore, political propaganda is growing more complex, saying, "Smog in Ulaanbaatar has now improved its quality with a whiter color," after conspiring to steal hundreds of billions of tugrugs from public money devoted to fighting pollution. Due to air pollution, children here are suffering from lung illnesses, people are more prone to cancer, and hundreds of lives are being taken every year.
Ninja miners were written about in Mongolian Economy Magazine. The story said that psychologically depressed, unable to catch up with development and with deteriorating health, ninja miners only survive to see what the next day brings. They leave their homes in the fall and return in spring while some of them never get to see their home again.
Ninjas live for today, thus, they do not create any kind of accumulation. Likewise, our bosses in the government have only one desire – to acquire huge loans as fast as possible. They consider that the responsibility of repaying the debt belongs to the next government. Today no one, including any of those bosses, can tell you who is creating an accumulation to repay 500 million USD in 2017 and one billion USD in 2022 for the Chinggis Bond. Regardless of its intended use, they are issuing another government bond called "Samurai" and obtained 300 million USD this week.
Those bosses do not have any long-term policies. Therefore, our education and health sector have fully turned into a disaster as the results of the policies in these two sectors are only seen after a longer period of time. Despite this, there are currently 37,000 officially unemployed people. We have 18,000 expatriates working here, and one third of the unemployed have degrees in higher education.
The structure of our social insurance system and organization of labor in health organizations and state hospitals became obsolete many years ago. Patients here spend many days visiting several hospitals and getting in queues in order to be examined. However, it is extremely hard to find a doctor who can produce an accurate diagnosis. Having been misdiagnosed and receiving incorrect treatment, poorer patients are only left with a choice to die, while richer patients travel to other countries. Hospitals in Hohhot, Beijing, Bangkok and Singapore are full of Mongolians who are spending hundreds of millions of dollars abroad.
Mongolia imports most of its common commodities. Even though we have 45 million livestock, 70 percent of our milk is supplied from abroad. We lack certain skills, yet we pushed the foreign investors who have those skills out of the country. It benefits no one but the bosses.
First and foremost, let us stop acting stupid, like ostriches who think others cannot see them when they put their heads in the sand. It is time for us to assess the situation realistically, stop avoiding problems and start acting on solutions. Let us treat any matter with the eyes of an individual rather than the eyes of a politician, and think of the lives of our future generations instead of just election terms.
Let us have a closer look at the work we do daily and the issues we disagree on. Then, for the purpose of comparison, we should see how fast other countries are developing. Let us use the capital produced from mineral extraction to gain economic competitiveness. As life has already shown us, it cannot be achieved through providing soft loans. Let us implement the experiences of Chilean funds, where specific products and services are developed with enormous focus in order to make them internationally competitive before selling their shares to public (more details can be found on the following link: http://jargaldefacto.com/sanhattan/). In order to gain competitiveness, the interest rates of bank loans must be reduced. The inflation rate cannot be a one-digit number when the policy rate is a two-digit number.
Less government involvement in the economy results in more efficiency. In every industry where government has taken part, free competition disappears while corruption takes over. It can be seen from the latest court cases that are attracting a lot of attention. Our fate depends on whether or not Mongolia's public governance can improve fast enough, and whether the citizens will be empowered to oversee the activities of politicians who do nothing but give false promises. If we can take these steps rapidly, Mongolia can change its ninja economy.
Translated by B.AMAR
PM Introduces 'Let's Construct and Create in Mongolia' Plan
January 12 (UB Post) On January 9, the Prime Minister of Mongolia, N.Altankhuyag, introduced plans and projects for 2014 for construction, support for industrialization, improving household income by increasing employment opportunities, and combating corruption and bribery.
The year 2013 was a year that challenged Mongolians, the Mongolian state and government. The global economy suffered, the economic growth of China slowed, and investments oriented towards developing countries were drawn back. It was the year when direct foreign investment in Mongolia decreased.
The Prime Minister has stated that recovery can be created with the support, initiation and participation of citizens, listing the following projects:
The Chinggis Bond was raised and construction projects were successfully launched. A price stabilization program was conducted in collaboration with Mongolbank, and N.Altankhuyag pointed out that the low interest mortgage loan project was successfully implemented. Around 17 thousand citizens have been covered by the eight percent housing loan so far.
A total of 51 thousand new businesses were created in 2013. Some 20 thousand citizens bought new apartments and houses, the construction sector doubled in growth, economic growth reached 12 percent, livestock counts reached 45 million, the centers of four provinces were connected to Ulaanbaatar with paved roads, and 1,800 kilometers of roads were newly constructed.
Although economic growth has been strong, Mongolia imports 88 percent of its total consumer goods and produces only 12 percent domestically. Despite producing 45 million heads of livestock, the nation buys 74 percent of foreign dairy products, 41 percent of flour-based products, and 62 percent of its textiles and clothing from overseas. The Prime Minister believes that the time has come, and demand has been created, to create and produce domestically. In order to reach the government's goals, exports need to be increased by one trillion in 2014 and support for manufacturing should replace support for imports. N.Altankhuyag has declared that the year 2014 will carry the motto "Let's Create and Construct in Mongolia".
The government is planning to launch an apartment housing project for 1,000 households in every province, building up paved roads from Dornod, Sukhbaatar, Omnogovi, Hovsgol, Gobi-Altai, Zavkhan to Ulaanbaatar, and building medical diagnostic centers in 12 provinces with funding totaling 150 trillion MNT. N.Altankhuyag introduced these objectives at a meeting with the province governors of all 21 provinces.
Mongolia to Launch 1,000 Apartment Project in Each Province
Ulaanbaatar, January 10 /MONTSAME/ The Government is planning to commence apartment project for 1,000 households in every province, announced the PM N.Altankhuyag on Thursday.
At the meeting with the province governors of all 21 provinces, the Premier Altankhuyag introduced the Government projects that will run in all provinces this year, for example, on building up paved roads from Dornod, Sukhbaatar, Omnogovi, Hovsgol, Gobi-Altai, Zavkhan to Ulaanbaatar, on erecting 1,000 apartments in every province and medical diagnosis center in 12 provinces, under its funding totaling 150 trillion.
Mongolia Might Have to Import 100 Thousand Tons of Wheat to Meet Reserve Requirements
Ulaanbaatar, January 10 /MONTSAME/ A parliamentary session on Friday discussed a draft law on customs duty exemption.
The draft foresees a tax clearing for imported wheat of 100 thousand tons for building up a government wheat reserves. it also includes VAT exemption for wheat importers until June 1. However, the Government will not finance the imports, as national flour producers are expected to import the wheat from neighboring countries.
In 2013, Mongolia harvested 369 thousand tons of wheat, 248 thousand of that is presumed to be passable to produce flour, resulting 100 thousand tons more to be imported. Apart from this, the food demand has increased significantly as the population has seen a rapid grow in recent years, said G.Bayarsaikhan, a chairman of the parliamentary Standing committee on nature, environment and agriculture.
Start Something Big! Worldwide Interview Series. Interview #1: MONGOLIA (Gerel Orgil)
BY: GWEN ELLIOT, January 12, 2014
Today I'm thrilled to share with you an inspiring interview with Gerel Orgil, a passionate entrepreneur who's a leader in entrepreneurship in Mongolia.
As the founder of East Maven, a PR company she started two years ago (while working at the local Bloomberg television station in Mongolia, where she was the senior producer) she decided to take the leap and follow her dream.
Check out her work at @EastMavenPR or Facebook and you'll have an ambitious friend in Mongolia if you choose to visit
I hope this series shows you how it's possible to connect with amazing people all over the world, and we're all in this game of life together… so let's collaborate and help each other out!
p.s. and you can follow Gerel, @gerel on Twitter!
500 Buildings Seen Demolished in Ulaanbaatar Replanning Bill
Ulaanbaatar, January 10 /MONTSAME/ Parliament on Thursday decided to discuss a city re-planning and city construction laws in further sessions.
The Construction and Urban Development Minister Ts.Bayarsaikhan introduced to the MPs a draft law on the city re-planning, which foresees demolition of buildings inadequate to meet service requirements, and apartment build-up in ger (national dwelling) districts.
In order to launch apartment construction in the ger districts, the draft requires approval by three fourth of the residents and establishment of trilateral pact between the building company, citizen and capital city administration, ahead of the construction project.
In developing of this law, the Ministry officials have studied similar laws of other countries such as Russia, Japan, South Korea and Germany.
A study shows that there are some 500 buildings in the capital city that need to be demolished in near time, while 170 buildings in provinces dissatisfy service requirements.
Temporary License Plate Restrictions in Ulaanbaatar on Two Weekends Prior to Tsagaan Sar
January 10 /infomongolia.com/ The Capital City Administration held its first regular Board meeting of the year on Thursday, January 09, where the main issue resolved was restricting the vehicles in Ulaanbaatar depending on their plate numbers endings due to approaching the National Holiday Tsagaan Sar Festival.
Accordingly, all vehicles those plate numbers ending with ODD number will not participate on the road on Saturday, January 18 and Sunday, January 26, and plate numbers ending with EVEN number will not be participating on Sunday, January 19 and Saturday, January 25, 2014.
This regulation is effective from 10:00 am to 08:00 pm for above two weekends and officials pledged to put into service additional express buses to main trade centers such as Narantuul and take necessary measures to decrease traffic jam not only in the city road, but also in Ger areas.
Moreover, the vehicle restriction regulation for weekdays remains effective, except for Monday, February 03, 2014 as the third day of Tsagaan Sar public holiday.
Mongolia celebrates the 2014 Tsagaan Sar between January 31 and February 02 as an official public holiday, on the first three days of the first spring month by a lunar calendar, following the latest regulation ratified by the Parliament in November 2013.
Mongolia Making Efforts to Join APEC, ASEAN, and Advance Ulaanbaatar Talks on Northeast Asian Security
Ulaanbaatar, January 10 /MONTSAME/ Newly elected head of the parliamentary Standing committee on security and foreign policy Ts.Oyunbaatar Friday visited the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to meet with its authorities.
The Foreign Minister L.Bold introduced to the Standing committee goals the Ministry reflected in the 2012-2016 action programme of the government. He noted that last year, Mongolia's foreign relations sector was fruitful in raising and propagandizing the country's reputation, strengthening its position in the region, developing relations and cooperation with countries, protecting interests of Mongolians abroad, running legal reforms, and in improving the diplomatic services and activities.
Mongolia is doing efforts to join the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the ASEAN Talks and to make efficient the Ulaanbaatar Talks, initiated by the Mongolian President, in order to fortify its position in Asia-Pacific and in sub-region of Northeast Asia, and to join the regional integration, he went on.
He also said that it is vital to establish the Diplomatic Academy at the Foreign Ministry with aims to strengthen skills of human resources and to educate skilled diplomats in a systematic way. He emphasized an importance of the cabinet's goals to protect legal interests of Mongolian citizens abroad, to make the consular service efficient and adequate, and to ease the inter-citizen traveling terms.
In response, Mr Oyunbaatar highly spoke the works done by the Ministry and said his Standing committee will collaborate with the Ministry.
Mines Action Canada Urges Mongolia to Ban Landmines
The Ottawa/Mine Ban Treaty is now 16 years old. It is here to stay and has proven to be a very effective life-saving treaty. The widespread stigma and international norm against any use of landmines is not going away. Nothing is being achieved by waiting. It is time for Mongolia to join the treaty now. The road to Maputo leads to a world without landmines, in years not decades, and we want to see you on it.
Most recent statement on the treaty:
In 2011, Mongolia informed States Parties that it continues to pursue a step-by-step policy towards accession due to a number of security and economic concerns.
Current situation in country
From the Landmine Monitor 2013
Mine Contamination in km²: Not affected by landmines.
Number of Survivors: No mine-affected victims recorded.
UNGA resolution 2013: Most recently voted in favour of UNGA pro-ban Resolution in 2013, and has voted in favour of every annual pro-ban UNGA Assembly resolution since 1998, except in its absence in 2005.
Article 7 reports: Mongolia submitted a voluntary Mine Ban Treaty Article 7 report in 2007.
Attendance Record at Meeting of States Parties:
Most recently attended as an observer in the Eleventh Meeting of States Parties in 2011; has regularly participated in Mine Ban Treaty meetings since 2002.
Mongolia has a small stockpile of antipersonnel mines from the Soviet Era, scheduled to be destroyed gradually, and only uses inert mines for training purposes.
Call to Action:
Mines Action Canada calls on Mongolia to
· participate in the Maputo Conference
· accede to the Mine Ban Treaty.
· actualize its stated intentions of developing the inter-agency coordination policy that will facilitate speedier action on treaty obligations.
Contact information:
Social, Environmental and Other
The coach who's hoping to transform Mongolian football
January 12 (BBC World Service) If you want career in football, Mongolia is perhaps not the obvious place to go - but that's exactly where British coach Paul Watson is setting up a new team entirely from scratch. He is already finding fresh talent and hopes to inspire the country's next generation of players.
In July, Paul Watson got an email from a stranger in the Mongolian capital, Ulan Bator - Enkhjin Batsumber wanted to know if he was interested in helping him start a new football team, Bayangol FC.
The job offer didn't come as a total shock - in the past Watson had coached the world's lowest ranked national team on the Micronesian island of Pohnpei and had written a book about the experience.
He felt the new Mongolian Premier League "was making a massive effort to bring the game into a more modern and more Western model, and I could see there was a lot of passion", he says.
Although watching football is very popular in Mongolia - many fans support the top European clubs - people feel it's a "foreign phenomenon", says Watson.
"They can't really play, and [they feel] that playing doesn't lead to anything... I like to take on challenges where you can actually make a bit of a difference."
New approach
In Mongolia, Watson found professional players tended to be in their late 20s and early 30s - and he wanted to give younger people a chance to play professionally much earlier in their lives.
"I really want to bring a belief to the kids here that if they try hard enough, and they work hard enough, they can make it at a good level," he says.
"I know it's silly to set goals that are too high but I honestly believe there's a potential for Mongolia to be at least 100 places up in the rankings from where they are at the moment." Right now, Fifa ranks Mongolia 180 out of 209 countries.
Watson is holding public try-outs across the country - a novel approach in Mongolia, where players don't always have the right contacts to get into the game professionally.
He has held two sessions in Ulan Bator - 60 people came to the first one. He plans to hold more trials in the city of Darkhan 225km (140 miles) to the north, and in Sainshand 450km (280 miles) away in the south.
One of his new protegees is 16-year-old Ochiroo Batbold who gets up at 05:30 every morning and makes his way to the school gym where he trains, usually alone, for two hours before class. "My dream is to become a professional football player and play at Old Trafford," he says.
Batbold had never had any coaching or formal training but his passion and determination have clearly impressed Watson, who wants him in his squad.
"I have never had this opportunity before, I have never played in a team before, so this is quite a different experience," says Batbold.
Another player to make it through the first round of the selection process is 23-year-old estate agent Davaadorj Sukhbaatar.
He started kicking a ball around in primary school and as a child would play whatever the weather - even in the snow.
He studied in the US for four years before he returned to Mongolia where he joined another team, but he wasn't impressed with the way it was run.
"Once our team was winning a game 3-0 and the coach suddenly said he wanted to play - he wanted to change his clothes and play. He even had his own jersey."
Sukhbaatar felt there was no transparency in the way players were selected and how they were treated, so he left the team and never planned to return to football until he heard about Bayangol.
"This is what I have been waiting for," he says, "this is what we need in Mongolia."
After the first round of try-outs the candidates will be whittled down further to a final squad of around 30 players.
The whole process is being filmed for a reality TV show which will be broadcast from Monday 13 January, and a local company that makes Frutta, a soft drink, has signed up as a sponsor.
The players will be paid - although the exact amount hasn't been finalised yet. With training just three times a week, youngsters who are still at school will be encouraged to stay in education and people in work won't be asked to give up their jobs.
"We have big aspirations and we are hoping this could become a full-time career for all of these guys, but it would be really foolish to let people build their lives in that way just in case that isn't the case," says Watson.
Paul Watson spoke to World Update on the BBC World Service.
Two Mongolian skiers to compete at Sochi Olympics
Ulaanbaatar, January 10 /MONTSAME/ Mongolian skiers Ch.Otgontsetseg and B.Boldbaatar will take part in skiing events of Sochi 2014 Winter Olympics.
Our skiers (both 23-year old) will take part in alpine skiing event on February 9-19.
The 2014 Winter Olympics are scheduled to take place from 6 to 23 February 2014, in Sochi, Russia, with some events held in the resort town of Krasnaya Polyana.
Ninety-eight events in fifteen winter sports will be held. Both the Olympics and 2014 Winter Paralympics are being organized by the Sochi Organizing Committee (SOC). Sochi was selected as the host city on 4 July of 2007, during the 119th IOC Session held in Guatemala City, defeating bids from Salzburg, Austria, and Pyeongchang, South Korea.
The Sochi Olympics will be the first Olympics in the Russian Federation since the breakup of the USSR.
Yokozuna Harumafuji Withdraws from January Tournament Due to Injury
January 10 /infomongolia.com/ The 70th Yokozuna of Japanese Grand Sumo Harumafuji, D.Byambadorj announced to withdraw from 2014 January Tournament due to injury in his leg.
However, the Banzuke for 2014 Hatsu Basho or January Tournament was released earlier, in which, Yokozuna Harumafuji leads the East flank, but Harumafuji hurt his injury got during last November Tournament in recent training for upcoming Basho.
Master of Isegahama Heya (Stable), where Harumafuji belongs to, said, "There is no chance to compete in Hatsu Basho, he needs some period for complete recovery, and Yokozuna Harumafuji will participate in the following March Tournament".
This is the first occurrence, when Yokozuna Harumafuji takes a break since his debut in the Top Division - Makuuchi and D.Byambadorj commented, "I wish to compete but I am afraid to worsen my injury and I will definitely contest in March Tournament".
The 2014 Hatsu Basho starts in Tokyo on Sunday, January 12 for consecutive 15 days.
Mongolian Organizations in Europe to Unite
Ulaanbaatar, January 10 /MONTSAME/ An online meeting of the Mongolian Society in Europe (MSE), or the Cooperation Unity of Europe-based Mongolian Organizations, ran January 6.
The action attracted delegates of 12 Mongolian organizations based in the UK, Germany, France, Sweden, Portugal, Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Ireland and Austria. Functioning in other countries--Hungary, France, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, Norway--missed the action due to some reasons but expressed a willingness to collaborate with the society.
Through the event, the gathered consolidated their opinions and proposals on developing together, protecting interests of the Mongolians in Europe and co-organizing works and measures.
The online meeting resulted in electing a head of the National Associations for Mongolians in Sweden N.Nomun-Erdene the leader of the MSE. A board member of the Association for Mongolians in the UK J.Onormaa was named the deputy chair, and Ch.Solongoo--the MSE secretary-general in charge of domestic affairs.
National Council for Mongol Studies to Be Founded
Ulaanbaatar, January 10 /MONTSAME/ A parliamentary session on Thursday decided to establish a National council for the Mongol studies under the jurisdiction of the PM.
The session backed a draft of parliamentary resolution on further development of the Mongol studies that foresees establishment of a governmental institution responsible for the Mongol studies.
A need to launch this institution has risen from recently increased incidents of misrepresentation and distortion of the Mongolian historic facts.
In this regard, the Mongol Studies Support Fund will spend 800 million togrog, which is almost 18 times greater than the money spent for the Mongol Studies from the PM's package in 2013. A third, or 250 million togrog of the funding planned, is projected to support overseas academic centers of the Mongol studies and the Mongolists there.
The new agency for Mongol studies will employ nine persons, including a general secretary who is working in the Mongol Studies Support Fund.
After the discussion the draft resolution was submitted to related Standing committee.
Tourism Minister Meets Delegates of Japan Ecotourism Society
Ulaanbaatar, January 10 /MONTSAME/ The Minister of Culture, Sport and Tourism Ts.Oyungerel Thursday received delegates of Japan Ecotourism society.
The sides shared views on the ways to cooperate and to connect Mongolian companies, interested in the Japanese market, to related bodies.
They also focused on possibilities of developing eco- and bird-watching tourism by ways of protecting pasture, planting trees and acclimatizing birds.
National Tourism Center Signs Cooperation Deal with Journalists
Ulaanbaatar, January 10 /MONTSAME/ The National Tourism Center Thursday signed up a cooperation pact with the Confederation of Mongolian Journalists.
The memorandum of understanding aims at promotion of the tourism sector and timely delivering of tourism news and information.
Under the agreement, the sides seek ways to increase the involvement of Mongolian journalists in raising public awareness on tourism matters and, to create a new window of information flow for domestic and foreign tourists, and to conduct joint researches.
The first action of the National Tourism Center, together with the journalists, will be training sessions on the true value of tourism.
Oyu Tolgoi: Veterinary check-up conducted for livestock of Gobi herders
Umnugobi, Mongolia, January 9 (Oyu Tolgoi LLC) Oyu Tolgoi is implementing many projects and programmes in cooperation with local community herders. One of them is the 'Pastureland management programme' being implemented by the Regional Development and Social Performance Department. Within the framework of this programme, work is being undertaken to conduct veterinary checkups of animal health and ensure the sanitary conditions of livestock in Khanbogd soum of Umnugovi aimag. The scheme is also identifying the prevalence of animal diseases.
The purpose of this work is to determine the current conditions of livestock in the area around the mine and to contribute to improvements in animal health. We asked Ts.Ulziibuyan, veterinarian of 'Sonor' veterinary clinic, part of the 'Key to Business success' NGO about the progress of this work. She said: "Currently we have conducted veterinary checkups of over ten thousand animals belonging to 40 households. We also took samples from animals for laboratory analysis. Soum veterinarians and herders are actively participating in this work and the soum Veterinary and breeding unit is also providing support."
It is planned that veterinary checkups will be conducted on the livestock of some 130 households as part of this programme.
Animal husbandry accounts for 70 per cent of agricultural output in our country so ensuring sanitary conditions of livestock is crucial for both the improvement of the quality of livestock products and for ensuring food safety. In order to develop a productive and market oriented livestock sector, the creation of healthy and sanitary conditions for livestock and monitoring their health is essential. Oyu Tolgoi's Livestock animal health project is an important part of making improvements in this area.
Saving the "Mountain Ghosts" in Mongolia
· Mongolia is home to the second largest population of snow leopards in the world. The snow leopard is classified as an endangered species.
· The snow leopard range countries endorsed a new global initiative to save the species and conserve the high-mountain ecosystems it relies on.
· Mongolia is committed to contributing to the global initiative as it has worked on snow leopard conservation for two decades.
Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, January 10, 2014 (World Bank) Elusive and enigmatic, the endangered snow leopard inhabits some of the world's most rugged and remote terrains, like those in Mongolia, where about 1,000 live across the fragmented mountains of the Gobi Desert and Altai regions.
Mongolia is home to the second largest population of snow leopards in the world, after China. There are between 3,900 and 6,400 snow leopards left in the wilds of 12 countries today: Afghanistan to the west, China to the east, Russia to the north and India to the south.
Recently, the governments of these 12 countries convened in Bishkek, Kyrgyz Republic. Together they endorsed a new global initiative to save the snow leopard and conserve high-mountain ecosystems the species rely on, and the Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Recovery Program.
Over the last year, range countries, including Mongolia, met several times to develop the program, build country ownership, nurture political will at the highest level and design cross-sector solutions to the issues for the first time. The Global Tiger Initiative provided support to these countries in moving from isolated interventions, typically NGO-led, toward collective actions led by the governments.
The Importance of Snow Leopards to Mongolia
The snow leopard species is protected as "very rare" by the Mongolian Law of Wildlife (2012).
Nicknamed "mountain ghosts", the distinctive cats are rarely seen by people. But they serve as an indicator of the health of landscapes they share with people and livestock. Providing water, hydropower, minerals, livestock-based livelihoods, opportunities for ecotourism, snow leopard landscapes are important resource for rural and regional economies.
Humans pose serious threats to snow leopards' survival. In Mongolia, they are poached for their skin and bones, meeting the demands of both the fur industry and traditional Chinese medicine. Overhunting and poaching of their traditional prey have caused conflicts between snow leopards and herders. As the number of their wild prey decreased, snow leopards have turned to attacking domestic livestock. To protect their animals and livelihood, herders retaliate by killing the snow leopards.
Increasing development of roads, railways and other infrastructures that support the mining industry in Mongolia is becoming another threat. For example, construction of a paved road and planned railway in the southern and western parts of Mongolia would divide both the habitat and population of snow leopards and their prey in the area.
Since it is a top predator of the mountain ecosystem of Mongolia and Central Asia, the snow leopard is an umbrella species for the conservation of other species and habitats, says B. Munkhtsog, a senior biologist at the Institute of Biology of Mongolian Academy of Sciences.
The preservation of the Mongolian population of snow leopards is also an important part of the efforts to save and recover the Russian population of the species in the northern edge, and maintain the gene flow with the Chinese snow leopard population in the south.
"Conserving these endangered animals and their habitats means managing ecosystems sustainably, adapting to the impacts of climate change, and maintaining water security for over a quarter of the world's people." Carlos Drews, Global Species Program Director, WWF International
Snow Leopard Conservation in Mongolia
The first-ever snow leopard conservation project in Mongolia started in 1994, by the Mongolian Association for Conservation of Nature partnering with the Snow Leopard Trust.
In the last 20 years, snow leopard conservation has been ongoing in Mongolia. This has included:
· Policy, conservation programs and habitat protection of the snow leopard and its prey species
· Research and monitoring of the snow leopard and its prey species
· Environmental education programs in the snow leopard distribution range
· Establishing and engaging local conservation communities and strengthening governance in the snow leopard range areas
· Employment of anti-poaching teams, volunteer rangers who regularly patrol wildlife protection areas
· Training law enforcement agencies in how to recognize and prevent smuggling of snow leopards and wildlife parts
· Raising public awareness through media outlets
Innovative Conservation Efforts and Best Practices in Mongolia
Sainbileg, from the Yamaat valley of western Mongolia, remembers witnessing other community members poaching wildlife. In 2004, she joined the Snow Leopard Enterprises handicrafts program.
The program provides herders with access to local and foreign markets for herder-made handicrafts, returning the bulk of sales profits directly to the herders. In return, the herders promise not to harm the local snow leopards or their natural prey and to protect them from poaching.
After Sainbileg earned some extra money through the program, she also convinced her neighbors to join. "I am proud to report that we have not seen any poaching these days," she said.
More than 400 herder families living in the snow leopard habitats in seven provinces of Mongolia are now part of the program. "Where people have an alternative source of income, it is less likely for them to kill snow leopards either to sell illegally or in retaliation for livestock killings," says Bayarjargal Agvaantseren, Mongolia Country Program Director, Snow Leopard Trust.
Like the handicrafts program, these practices have also proven successful and could be replicated in the long run:
· Since the 1990s many new protected areas were established in potential snow leopard habitats in Mongolia. Today, 20 state-protected areas in the country harbor snow leopards.
· Two Trans-boundary Nature Reserves were established in important snow leopard habitats at the border of Russia and Mongolia.
· Two inter-agency anti-poaching teams were established in western Mongolia to conduct regular patrolling in snow leopard habitats. As a result, the number of poaching incidents in five western provinces decreased rapidly.
Four water sources built for Mazaalai gobi bears as part of preservation effort
January 10 /news.mn/ The Mongolian Government has initiated prompt actions to protect the Mazaalai, or Gobi bear, by establishing a nature reserve to restore a safe habitat, by opening a zoo and setting up a working group to explore ways of increasing the bears' population over the past years.
As a part of the actions taken, two water springs were refreshed and a pond was built in Shar Khuls and Khushuut at the Great Gobi National Park in order to increase surface water access for the Mazaalai. There are also two groundwater wells that are powered by sun and wind energy in Myangan tooroi and Baruun sharga.
There are now four new surface water sources for the Mazaalai in 2013. Over 20 tons of food for the Mazaalai has been stationed across 28 points with the help of the Undesnii Bakharkhal (National Pride) and "MAMA" NGOs, individuals and local entities in the area. The food was distributed in the time between spring and autumn when the Gobi bears are not hibernating. The critically endangered Gobi bear is only found in the Mongolian Gobi Desert. The estimated population was 15-20 bears in 1960, 20 bears in 1970, 25-30 bears in 1980 and 30 bears in early 1990.
Now there is a very small population of 22 Gobi bears living in the most remote parts of the Gobi Desert, wandering near oases and mountain ranges with water sources where they can survive in the harsh and extreme desert climate. The Mazaalai is listed in the Red Book of Mongolia with a status of very rare. Mongolia prohibited Gobi Bear hunting since 1953 but environmental degradation, climate change and lack of water and food in its habitat have affected the health and reproductive success of the Gobi bear.
Gobi Bears Access More Water Points – Montsame, January 10
Munkhdul Badral Bontoi
Founder & CEO
Email: firstname.lastname@example.com
Mobile: +976 9999 6779
Skype: mogibb
P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail.


text:
Teabook Assorted Specialty Classics
$28.90 | $28.90
Black tea AND Green tea in double chamber tea bags with individual foil sachet/envelope, from the high grown elevations of Ceylon & India with an assortment of 8 sachets each of English Breakfast, Earl Grey, Darjeeling, Sencha.
As assortment of 100% Pure Ceylon black & green teas
32 Foil sachets with double chamber teabags.
Free Shipping

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Beautiful All-Inclusive Executive Furnished apartment in trendy Beechwood neighbourhood.
Available Sept 1st.
Agents welcomed
Rent includes the following services and amenities.
• Unlimited Internet
• TV w. Premium Cable (HBO, TMN…)
• Parking (indoor, heated)
• Pool
• Gym
• Phone (w. North America long distance)
• Laundry (in suite)
• Central Air Conditioning (in suite controlled)
• Forced Air Heat (in suite controlled)
• Electricity
• Water
• Storage locker
Unit is clean and very well appointed. It comfortably accommodates up to 2 persons and provides dining (seating & tableware) for up to 4 persons. Linens, bedding and kitchen needs are all provided. Underground heated parking spot close to building access also included.
Fully equipped with
• Stainless steel appliances: fridge, stove, dishwasher, microwave
• Queen bed
• Blackout curtains
• Full size washer and dryer
• Lots of in-unit closet/storage space Luxurious finishes
• Granite countertops with island bar
• Hardwood & ceramic floors.
Tremendous scenic views of Downtown, Rideau River & Gatineau Hills from 12th floor balcony.
• Trendy Beechwood area
• Clocktower Brew Pub & Royal Oak
• Metro (grocery), Muckleston & Brockwell (butcher), Jacobson's (fine foods), Nature's Buzz (natural food)
• Second Cup, Bridgehead
• Lots of top restaurants incl. Fraser's Cafe, Ola Cocina, Beechwood Gastropub, Arturo's, Scone Witch, Red Door, Da Bombe, Clarkstown, SushiME…
Nearby activities/attractions include
• Parks, Bike and Walking paths
• Rideau River
• Rideau Hall (Governor General's Residence) • 24 Sussex (Prime Minister's Residence)
• Rideau Waterfalls
• Byward Market Area
• Rideau Centre Great place to stay if you're visiting Ottawa, whether for work or a vacation.
Available Sept 1st.
1 year lease @ $1950/month (2 year lease negotiable)
Agents Welcomed @ 50%


text:
Diamonds and Dogs
Monster Beverage (MNST) is having a monster day up 13% after beating earnings estimates. The famous energy drink found in almost every convenience store, gas station, college campus, and everywhere else reported their strongest year-over-year sales growth since the summer of 2012. Part of the sales surge was due to a pre-announced plan to raise the prices on some of its most popular drinks at the end of August, motivating a few customers to stock up on reserves at the lower price adding roughly $11 million in extra sales in the third quarter. Monster Beverage is also in the early stages of integrating into Coke's international bottling network which should boost sales going forward. Things are looking up for Monster.
Three suits for the price of one may be just the start for today's dog, Men's Wearhouse (MW). The stock is plunging over 43% to a new 52 week low following disappointing earnings. The main culprit for the lousy results is due to the $1.8 billion merger with Jos. A Banks this summer. The merger has not worked as Men's Wearhouse now concedes that sales from Jos. A. Bank will decline 20%to 25% next quarter as it tries to lower its dependence on aggressive promotions like "buy one, get-three-free" events, suggesting that a significant sales improvement isn't happening anytime soon. With the stock down 66% since the June highs, let's hope the worst is over for the clothing retailer.


text:
The Atlantis Glass can be installed on vertical surfaces in light and heavy commercial and residential applications. It is suitable for floors in light residential pedestrian use only. This product is also suitable for areas with standing water, including pools, fountains and tub surrounds.
All substrates should be firmly fixed, flat, clean, dry and free of contaminants such as dust, oil, paint, sealers etc. to ensure proper adhesion. Painted surfaces must be scuffed or sanded for the product and adhesive to bond correctly. Wet areas need special attention and require appropriate substrates, e.g. concrete, cement boards (compressed sheet), and/or treated plywood. The use of reinforced waterproof membranes is suggested, and in the case of floors, a fall to the drainage point of no less than two inches.
Waterproof membranes prevent leakage of water through to the sub-floor framing and/or habitable spaces below. Particular attention must be paid to: carrying the membrane up the wall, outside shower boxes, installation of bond breakers, and sealing around penetrations. It is strongly recommended that membrane systems be used in all wet areas. Some systems may involve the use of a primer.
Atlantis Glass is mounted to mesh backing for easy installation. This backing can easily be cut with a utility knife or scissors.
Follow the adhesive manufacturer's instructions carefully. We do not recommend one brand of adhesive over another. Please check with your local tile supply store for alternative and comparable products.
The manufacturer's literature will explain if the adhesive product is suitable for interiors and/or exteriors, as well as walls and floors. Most thinset mortars with a latex additive (multi purpose and polymer modified thinsets) are adequate for installing glass. A cement-based adhesive is generally suitable on masonry substrates where no movement is anticipated. Where slight movement could occur through thermal or pedestrian loads, a modified cement adhesive should be used as a minimum. A 1/4" – 1/8" notch trowel is recommended for most applications. Set the tile in place gently tapping it in with a grout float to ensure 100% adhesive coverage. Suggested adhesives include but are not limited to:
Custom Building Products: Premium Plus Thin-Set Mortar (white) mixed with Custom Flex Ultra-Strength Thin-Set Additive.
Custom Building Products: MegaFlex Ultimate Thin-Set Mortar (white). No admixture is necessary.
Hydroment: ReFlex Ultra-Premium Latex-Modified Thin-Set Mortar. No admixture is necessary.
Laticrete: 254 Platinum Multipurpose Thin-Set Mortar. No admixture is necessary.
TEC (H.B. Fuller): Super Flex Premium Performance Universal Latex-Modified Thin-Set Mortar. No admixture is necessary.
Sanded grout is recommended due to the size of the joint in between each piece of glass. Grouts are ordinarily a water mix, but where some flexibility may be needed, a latex additive or similar product should be used.
Atlantis glass mosaics do not have to be sealed but we strongly recommend sealing the grout after installation to help prevent it from absorbing stains.


text:
Phylogenetic and functional evidence suggests that deep-ocean ecosystems are highly sensitive to environmental change and direct human disturbance
Ashford, Oliver S.; Kenny, Andrew J.; Barrio Froján, Christopher R. S.; Bonsall, Michael B.; Horton, Tammy ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4250-1068; Brandt, Angelika; Bird, Graham J.; Gerken, Sarah; Rogers, Alex D.. 2018 Phylogenetic and functional evidence suggests that deep-ocean ecosystems are highly sensitive to environmental change and direct human disturbance. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 285 (1884). 20180923. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2018.0923Before downloading, please read NORA policies.
Ashford et al. Manuscript non formatted.pdf
Download (920kB) | Preview
An understanding of the balance of interspecific competition and the physical environment in structuring organismal communities is crucial because those communities structured primarily by their physical environment typically exhibit greater sensitivity to environmental change than those structured predominantly by competitive interactions. Here, using detailed phylogenetic and functional information, we investigate this question in macrofaunal assemblages from Northwest Atlantic Ocean continental slopes, a high seas region projected to experience substantial environmental change through the current century. We demonstrate assemblages to be both phylogenetically and functionally under-dispersed, and thus conclude that the physical environment, not competition, may dominate in structuring deep-ocean communities. Further, we find temperature and bottom trawling intensity to be among the environmental factors significantly related to assemblage diversity. These results hint that deep-ocean communities are highly sensitive to their physical environment and vulnerable to environmental perturbation, including by direct disturbance through fishing, and indirectly through the changes brought about by climate change.
|Item Type:
|Publication - Article
|Digital Object Identifier (DOI):
|Date made live:
|02 Oct 2018 12:29 +0 (UTC)
Actions (login required)
|View Item
Document Downloads
Downloads for past 30 days
Downloads per month over past year


text:
Show your partner how much they mean to you with a little piece of your heart. Our glass love tokens are the perfect thoughtful gift for celebrating anniversaries and Valentine's Day. These heartfelt yet practical paperweights would look great on your other half's desk whether at home or in their office at work.
- Measurements: 9cm x 8.5cm x 1.5cm
- All love tokens come in a black padded gift box
Engraving Information
- Add your two lines sets of initials and we will incorporate this into the design.
- Line 1: 3 Characters Max
- Line 2: 3 Characters Max
- The heart shape will be automatically added.
- These items are all designed and made in house so if you have any special requirements or requests please get in touch.
Delivery & Returns
Delivery & Returns
UK & Northern Ireland
- Free UK Delivery on orders over £20 – estimated 3-6 days (excludes weekends)
- Standard UK Delivery - estimated 2-4 days (excludes weekends)
- Premium UK Delivery - estimated 1-3 days (excludes weekends)
If you need quicker delivery, we offer a Royal Mail Next Day Delivery. Please feel free to call us if you have any questions as many items can be posted via next day delivery:
- Royal Mail Special Delivery - estimated 1 day (excludes weekends)
For full detail please see our Delivery & Returns Info Here
International Shipping
- We ship internationally
- Prices start from £4.95 for airmail and are calculated during the checkout process.
- Standard shipping times vary depending upon the destination: Republic of Ireland approx. 5-12 days/European Union approx. 7-14 days/Rest of World approx 14-28 days
- We offer an express international tracked service which starts from £9.95 and is usually a 5-10 day service, however due to customs checks in non-european countries, delivery times may be considerably longer.
- For full delivery times and terms please click Here
- For full returns details please click Here


text: lgblom 1 Report post Posted August 17, 2012 Hi, is it possible to add an single or double vertical line on content sides? content-> white line-> gold line-> page i have little problems with background image on iPad wiev so i will test this. /L G Share this post Link to post Share on other sites


text:
Members near Nottingham, England
Ben McElroy
Hi my name is Ben from the Wirral but living in Nottingham. Play fiddle and guitar and enjoy all sorts of styles... but with a particular fondness for celtic music and play in a little ole Ceilidh band..joined 7 years ago
Bill Hawley
I'm living in Nottingham and play folk tunes on an octave mandola with Chicago tuning. I play piano accordion with the 'Heads and Tails' Ceilidh Band who do gigs in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire and sing with guitar as a worship leader at my local chur...joined 6 years ago
- Fran Harrison joined 3 years ago
B T Smithson
Newbie to flute, have played guitar and violin in the past.joined 2 years ago
Guitar, Bass, Drums.joined 2 years ago
English concertina, but Irish tunes, based in Nottingham.
- Jono joined 2 years ago
Stefan Rennick-Egglestone
Fiddle player from Nottingham, brought up on classical guitar but looking to play music socially. Also known to pick up a whistle or mandolin occasionally.joined 5 years ago
paul ross
I play mandolin, Guitar, 5 Banjo and Fiddle (Poor) Irish whistle (a bit)joined 7 years ago
Yvonne dreyer
I play the banjo ceiling old time, mandolin, mouth organ, fiddle.joined 5 years ago


text: German 1 LANG 9049 Email to a Friend Our German 1 course is an introduction to spoken German. Focus on the words and phrases used when shopping, dining and asking for directions as well as in other daily encounters. Contact Information 416-415-5000, ext. 2092 firstname.lastname@example.com Course Section(s) Available CRN: S82986 Date(s) Day(s) Time Building Room 05 May 2020 – 04 Aug 2020 Tu 6:30 – 9 p.m. SJH TBA Hours: 35 Fee: $298 Register Now Some courses require you to purchase a textbook. The cost of the textbook is not included in the course fee unless otherwise indicated. If there is a textbook assigned for this course, it will be listed on the bookstore website.


text:
Rebel Alliance
Rebel Alliance
Rebel Alliance guides & strategies
Never tell me the odds
The – probably incorrect – answers to the questions you never imagined asking about the odds of Sunny Bounder, Lando, Guri et. al.
The Focus of the Rebellion
In X-wing Second Edition the Rebels are up to their usual old tricks with helping each other perform better in dog fights. With a large part of the Rebel pilot roster revealed, we can take a look at pilot abilities that either depends on having Focus tokens or provides additional Focus tokens to allies.
Second Edition not yet fully operational
The Academy's thoughts and predictions about X-Wing Second Edition prior to launch.
Rebel Alliance ships All Rebel Alliance ships
Rebel Alliance aces All Rebel Alliance pilots
Rebel Alliance upgrades All Rebel Alliance upgrade
Rebel Alliance products All Rebel Alliance products
A/SF-01 B-Wing Expansion Pack
SWZ42 Wave: IV
Millennium Falcon Expansion Pack
SWZ39 Wave: IV
Rebel Alliance Conversion Kit
SWZ06 Wave: I
BTL-A4 Y-Wing Expansion Pack
SWZ13 Wave: I
Posted on:
Revised: 02-12 2018
Submitted by: Echo


text:
Yes, so it is very important to have all necessary paperwork or documents completed and processed for the international IBO to start the Chart Your Course Program.
Does the Chart your course rules also apply to international sponsorship?
Amway Support
- Updated
Related articles
- I missed my due date to place my second order, can I apply for an extension?
- I tried to place all of my three orders in one day but none of the vouchers applied to my orders why?
- I placed my downline's first order to start their Chart Your Course program but it did not create the first voucher for my downline?
- What is direct selling?
- What are the key features of MyBiz?


text:
We hope this highly accessible teaching and learning tool will challenge you, engage you, and empower you. By working through the different sections of the website, on your own, with friends or under the direction of your teacher, you will deepen your understanding of the facts about HIV whilst increasing your awareness of its social impact.
This interactive website is a tool to teach young people about HIV, how it affects people here in the UK, how to prevent it spreading and how to reduce the discrimination experienced by those living with HIV. It also provides insights into the global dimension of the epidemic and introduces a series of interactive activities to raise awareness among the new generation and encourage positive, campaigning action to be taken.
It is strongly recommended that you read the TEACHERS' NOTES PDF carefully before teaching about HIV with your students. Included in these are guidelines about how to teach HIV sensitively and suggestions for how to use the resource with your colleagues as well as your students.
Positive? has been designed as a multi-disciplinary resource that can be used for teachers working in Science, English and Media, Citizenship and PSHEE. Teachers notes specify which activities relate to which subject area and different routes through the resource are suggested.< BACK


text:
Family-Friendly Maine Cottage
Reuse and Recycle
Boughton repurposed a table as an ottoman in the family room, trimming and staining the legs and setting a tray into the upholstered top. "I like to reuse things when possible," she says. "This lets you prop your feet up but also put a drink down."
Get the look: The sectional is from Wesley Hall. The rug is from Dash & Albert.
Create an Outdoor Room
To forge a connection between the main house and the carriage house, landscape designer Ted Carter created a pseudo courtyard, partially shaded by a small, covered pergola. The courtyard offers diverging paths that lead to the ocean, river, and main entrance. "It unites everything outside," says Beaudette.
Get the look: The siding is painted Stonington Gray by Benjamin Moore.
Set the Tone
In keeping with the couple's request for calm, unfussy interiors, Boughton and Beaudette gave the front hall a clean, relaxed attitude, with an inviting bench and a pair of Dutch doors. Baskets hold everything from towels to flip-flops. "There's so much to see outside, that they wanted to make sure the interiors reflected a sense of continuity," says Boughton.
Get the look: The bench is from Richardson Allen. The fish wall art is by Tyson M. Weiss.
Go Back to Nature
The existing living room fireplace was due for a makeover, so after replacing the mantel and surround, Boughton sent the children out to hunt for beach stones, which were then crafted into an inset that frames the firebox. "It changed the whole feel of the room," she says. "Plus, it allowed us to truly incorporate the family into the design."
Get the look: The sofas are from Lee Industries; the rug is by Landry & Arcari. The pillows are by Cowtan & Tout.
Make it Last
Boughton utilized outdoor fabrics throughout, like the marine vinyl that covers the ottoman in the carriage house sitting room. "It has the same kind of graining as calfskin, but doesn't wear as easily," she says. She had the rug made into a bull's-eye pattern. "It's polypropylene—it doesn't mind wet, and it won't fade."
Get the look: The chairs are upholstered in Sunbrella fabric. The rug is from Ethan Allen.
Liven Up with Color
Custom, crisp white cabinetry in the kitchen keeps clutter to a minimum, while the wood floors make cleaning up after sandy feet a breeze. To bring a pop of color into the room, Boughton reflected the seaside palette with counters made of recycled glass and cement and a vibrant glass subway tile backsplash. "Even a little bit of color can have a huge impact."
Get the look: The cabinets are painted White Dove by Benjamin Moore. The range is from KitchenAid.
Maximize Space
In the children's bedroom, two rows of beds put a whimsically nautical spin on the traditional bunk. Built-in drawers and bookshelves in the place of headboards provide clever storage solutions and make the most of the long, narrow space.
Get the look: The quilts are by Jane Churchill for Cowtan & Tout. The rug is from Stark. The walls are painted Grand Rapids by Benjamin Moore.
Video: Take a tour of this home.
Shop: Get the look in our boutique.
Be Kid-Friendly
What's now the playroom was formerly a dark space with no view of the water, so the husband asked Beaudette to add dormers. "The kids watch the lobster boats going by," says Boughton, who created a comfortable refuge with pieces that can withstand rough-and-tumble activity, such as a corduroy upholstered sofa and a sturdy wool carpet.
Get the look: The sectional is from Circle Furniture. The poufs are from Serena & Lily.


text:
Is this course right for me?
Target Audience: Staff and post graduate students
The course provides those delegates with responsibility for design, installation, use and maintenance of equipment or systems involving gases and solvents with an understanding of how to apply the principles of DSEAR. This will include introduction of a simple calculator for hazardous area classification and other necessary calculations.
Delivered By: DSEAR Risk Management Company
PrerequisitesIt is essential for those attending to have completed the DSEAR Awareness course prior to attending the DSEAR Workshop.
We want our training sessions to run at full capacity to ensure value for money and to get the most from group interactions and discussions. Cancelling attendance at a course should only be done as a last resort (some of our sessions are delivered by external training providers and we would incur a high fee if we need to cancel sessions based on low numbers). Demand is high for our training sessions with many having a waiting list and when a booking is made, others are turned away on the strength of that booking. If you have to cancel a training session we would appreciate as much notice as possible (at least 48 hours), and this can be done via the "Go To My Bookings" link.


text:
|Thread Tools
|Search this Thread
|January 26th, 2009, 06:30 PM
Inner Circle
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 4,100
Why is my footage so noisy? - Answer
One of the often asked questions from shooters is why their footage is so noisy. They have the latest and greatest camera, they set the parameters according to what they saw on the internet, and yet the blacks are not clean, and there is grain throughout the footage. It's a maddening issue. The sage posters generally ask how much light was on the subject but generally get vague answers from the original posters. Comments like "plenty", "a lot", or "500 watts" are common.
So if you'll permit me, I'd like to address this just a bit. Roger Deakins is one of my favorite Cinematographers and has shot some of the most beautiful footage ever commited to film stock. He is known best for his lifelike lighting that does not interfere with the story. The January edition of American Cinematographer offers a unique look into some of the lighting setups he used in Revolutionary Road, and I highly recommend you pick up a copy. Page 32 of the magazine is particularly helpful and I'd like to point out a few things.
The first image on the page shows how Deakins set about trying to get "daylight" into the house they were shooting in. Large reflectors with very large sources bounced off them and into the house set up ambient lighting levels. It's probably fair to say that ambient in the house would be about what you'd see on a bright, but partly cloudy day.
The second photo shows what the scene lighting in the house produced. Nicely lit, not overly bright, even toned with nice shadows and little noise.
But it's the third photo that really tells the tale. In addition to the 18k lights on the lawn providing ample ambient in the house to shoot existing light, Deakins has added 3 400-600w fixtures bounced into a reflector at fairly close range. Let's examine what that means.
He is shooting with Kodak 5218. An iso500 film typically rated at 400. My EX1 rates at about 320-400 when shooting 1080/24p. Most 1/3" sensor cameras would probably rate closer to 160-200. He is using some of the best lenses in the world which allow more light than our cameras could hope for, and he has a 35mm "sensor" which is about 10 times the size of what we typically shoot on. In other words he is gathering in TONS more light than the average video shooter. And even with all that, he is putting several hundred footcandles of light on this 2-shot in addition to the ambient light pouring in.
To get a similar amount of light in my camera, I'd have to shoot with something akin to 3-4k watts of tungsten power in what looks to be a 10x12 sized space. He has carefully flagged off the lights to avoid spill, and flagged off the top of the scene to avoid too much light directly on the actor's faces.
And with all this, the image comes out cleanly.
So the next time you take out your camera with the intent of shooting clean footage like you see in the Hollywood movies, take a page from the script of one of the worlds best cinematographers, and put ample light on the subject. And leave the "existing light" shooting to the guys with the $250k cameras.
As usual, just my $.02 and I hope it helps someone.
DVX100, PMW-EX1, Canon 550D, FigRig, Dell Octocore, Avid MC4/5, MB Looks, RedCineX, Matrox MX02 mini, GTech RAID, Edirol R-4, Senn. G2 Evo, Countryman, Moles and Lowels.
|January 26th, 2009, 08:04 PM
Inner Circle
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Los Angeles, California
Posts: 2,109
Good post Perrone.
Very true. One of my favorite shows that I worked on that had great lighting was NYPD Blue. One of the numerous DPs that worked a few seasons, Stephen Crawford, used to light the entire precinct with numerous 12 and 18ks through all of the windows in the multi-story set. He could have lit it like a normal TV show, from a grid but he wanted that naturalistic "Deakins-like" look to it. Plus with all of the multiple roaming cameras, putting all of the light sources outside of windows, other than practicals or perhaps an occasional hero light on set, meant that they didn't have to constantly worry about blocking to not show stands, cables, rigging or sources.
If you watch that show, you can also see that they liked to shoot up from the floor as well as down onto characters.
I don't think many prosumer camcorder owners have a clue as to how much lighting it takes to achieve a really killer, naturalistic look that most of them are trying to achieve. A Lowel kit just isn't going to get them there. You see the same posts over and over, "I am just starting out, I bought XYZ camera and I have $800.00 left for a lighting kit. I need to shoot a scene with eight people around a dinner table. Will this Britek or will a couple of Home Depot worklights do it?".
Usually the largest scenes I light may have 4-5 actors in them and just for small intimate scenes, I am working anywhere from 4-10 instruments and that is definitely not to light up the whole set, just portions of it. And that is largely because I don't have anything larger than a 2k.
|January 26th, 2009, 08:23 PM
Inner Circle
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Tallahassee, FL
Posts: 4,100
That's the difference. You know that to have anything larger than a 2k, you'd need a generator. Oddly enough, my largest light is Mole 2k. :)
There is nothing wrong with not putting 500FC on a scene. Non-Pro actors are going to have terrible stage fright walking onto a set that looks like a summer day at the beach! But we need to understand what we're doing. I tend to shoot at F4 or more open. I also shoot with my camera's lowest gain setting, -3db. BUT, I also take care to have enough light on the set to nearly force me to have to use ND filters. If you don't have adequate light to have you looking at ND, you are probably not shooting with enough light to get those blacks out of noisy places.
Your comments about people buying cameras and such and having $800 left over for lights (and grip, and audio) are SO true. Many, if not most, could have saved a fortune on the camera if they'd have simply bought some decent lights and an audio recorder and mic. When I decided to take my office HD, I budgeted $3k for lights (mostly interviews), $2k for the sound, and whatever I had left over for the camera. Fortunately, I had enough for the EX1 still. But I did NOT have enough left over for media for the camera! OOOPS! I had to film in HDV with my firestore. Until the SDHC thing happened.
I hate noisy footage. If I want noise, I want to add it myself. I wish every person who graduated to the prosumer stage had a mandate to buy a barger baglite, a 2k, and a 1k softbox. Along with 5 c-stands and foamcore. If that was the mandate, I bet we'd see a LOT less posts about noisy footage with 1/3" CCD cameras.
DVX100, PMW-EX1, Canon 550D, FigRig, Dell Octocore, Avid MC4/5, MB Looks, RedCineX, Matrox MX02 mini, GTech RAID, Edirol R-4, Senn. G2 Evo, Countryman, Moles and Lowels.
|January 29th, 2009, 11:04 AM
Inner Circle
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia (formerly Winnipeg, Manitoba) Canada
Posts: 4,088
Perrone: I own 4 800w Ianiro's, a Lowel 55 Rifa EX (500w), and 5 Lowel Prolights with 250w lamps and I consider that a good START.
BTW, that's about $10k in lights, stands and accessories.
Shaun C. Roemich Road Dog Media - Vancouver, BC - Videographer - Webcaster
www.roaddogmedia.ca Blog: http://roaddogmedia.wordpress.com/
|February 3rd, 2009, 08:39 PM
Major Player
Join Date: May 2004
Location: Louisville, KY
Posts: 378
Great post Perrone and Dan. When I bought my first prosumer camcorder I had no idea about lighting(I just shot BMX videos) and it stayed that way for probably 3 or 4 years until I got a DSLR with a wireless flash. Once I started using an off camera flash I noticed that some of the photos really turned out great but I had no real idea how to place the lights. After working at the college PBS station for a year and a half I've learned that the way you place a light really makes a difference. I'm not great at lighting but I'm way better than I used to be.
It's not just the number of lights, but they way they are placed.
You said pretty much the same thing in your post, but just thought I would share my experience.
|February 3rd, 2009, 09:38 PM
Inner Circle
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Los Angeles, California
Posts: 2,109
Thanks for your input Eric. You should spread the word. I see a slightly disturbing trend developing amongst 5D MKII users that I think bears some comment. Yes, the 5D MKII is capable of fairly clean images with the camera set as high as ISO 6400. But even with that camera, if you want your shots to look GREAT, you still need to light. Just because a camera can see a lot without light doesn't mean that people should just forsake lighting and only shoot available light. I have seen some nice images with that camera but mostly they were lit or at least partially lit shots that impressed me.
Being a good photographer/videographer/cinematographer is all about taming light and bending it to your will. You paint with the light to highlight objects and talent and too turn that flat 2D format into a 3D reality. There is no substitute for using light.
|February 26th, 2009, 04:59 AM
Regular Crew
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Brisbane, Australia
Posts: 95
Just wanted to say that I have found this post to be hugely informative.
Just did my first shoot last weekend where i was responsible for the lighting -- baptism by fire. Wish i had read this thread before then. Never mind.
Amazing how much thought and tech goes into making something look like it is totally spontaneous and natural!
Thanks all for sharing your experience and wisdom.
mark stavar
|February 26th, 2009, 08:14 AM
Regular Crew
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 48
about to ask a question and saw your post.
Thanks Perrone. Your post helps newbies like me. I was using existing one lamp to create dark mood and it was noisy. Afterall the lens (my DVX's) is not as sophisticated as my eye is. I have a question though. If I light the subject with ample lighting and close down the aperture good bit (to make the room look darker), does it still add noise?
Last edited by Subbu Vedula; February 26th, 2009 at 08:42 AM. Reason: -
|February 26th, 2009, 01:45 PM
Regular Crew
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Milan, Italy
Posts: 140
So, I just spent $250 on a 1/6" single sensored videocamera and have $50 left over for a light kit...
Seriously though, I just wanted to thank the great posters here who continue to educate budding videographers on the importance of lighting (and sound for that matter). As a result, I've learned so much about the technical part of videography so fast. Your posts are really appreciated!
|February 26th, 2009, 02:55 PM
Join Date: Nov 2005
Location: Honolulu, HI
Posts: 1,961
Subbu (and others), noise is caused by the camera increasing gain (aka "iso" in still photography) which induces noise exactly like turning up the volume on a weak audio signal. The inherent noise generated by electronic circuits starts to become stronger compared to the weak video image. All electronic circuits are subject to noise from their own and outside radiation inducing currents within their own "wiring". You might think that digital equipment would not be subject to this effect since it is not analog but at the point where the real world and the digital meet there is always a physical medium. In the case of audio it is the microphone and signal amplifier. With video it is the CCD or CMOS imaging chip behind the lens.
If you can decrease the gain in your camera separately from the exposure, turn down the gain and add light until the image is to your liking. Making the image seem dark has nothing to do with the strength of the light but rather with the difference between lights and shadows in your image. Also, an easy rule to follow is to not light your talent from the front but from the side and leave lots of shadows on their faces. Also, make sure there are some dark areas in the background. Just light the edges of your talent and you will see that it seems like darkness while still retaining an image of your scene.
To combat signal noise there are a few options in no particular order:
Increase the signal strength. With audio that requires moving the microphone closer or talking louder. In video it means more light is needed.
Use more sensitive signal-gathering equipment. Video cameras with larger chips and better lenses gather more available light. High quality mics have better diaphragms that provide the amplifier with a stronger signal.
Use equipment that has less inherent noise. Better imaging chips and microphones/amplifiers generate less noise so the incoming signal can be increased without getting fuzzy. This is why better mics/amplifiers are quieter and better cameras with the same size chips can be less noisy at the same light levels.
Equipment with less noise and greater sensitivity tends to go together into much more expensive gear. It is often more cost effective to just use more light than to get a more expensive camera. Even the best cameras still need light so you can't avoid depending on the skill of the lighting people. Since the sun is free, reflectors are great for lower budget lighting. If you have plenty of electricity available, cheap work lights are also cost effective. Of course, depending on the sun can be risky and work lights have limitations that make them not worth the cost savings once larger crews and expensive talent become part of your productions. In the real world, a balance of available light and controlled lighting is likely the best choice in many situations due to cost. The talent of the lighting crew is where the best quality with available lighting is brought to the camera. This makes the lighting and camera crew (not the camera and lights) the most important component of getting a good image.
|February 26th, 2009, 03:14 PM
Regular Crew
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: New York, NY
Posts: 48
Thank You
Marcus, thank you very much for taking time to explain it in detail.
I really appreciate.
|Thread Tools
|Search this Thread


text:
Sophia Narrett
I try to make exactly what I want to see and to express an honest fantasy. I give myself the license and responsibility to depict precarious desires that chase beauty, drama, fear, eroticism, and romance. As the emotionality of the narrative heightens to that of melodrama, my investment in the embroidery process echoes the overwrought nature of the fantasy. Embroidery erases the specificity of photographic source material. In this taming process, explicit imagery is filtered through thread, and trades some of its intensity for more nuanced and potentially confusing flavors. The decadence of the images, in their content as well as their construction, is a futile yet desperately desired condition of escape.


text:
1. Luna 2
It is the first human-made object to reach the surface of the moon. It was the Soviet Union's mission on September 14, 1959.
2. Ranger 4
- It is the first USA spacecraft launched by NASA to reach the surface of the moon on April 23, 1962.
3. Luna 9
- This spacecraft was launched by the Soviet Union. It performed the first successful soft landing on moon on February 3, 1966 and took numerous photographs
4. Surveyor 1
This was America's first unmanned soft landing on June 2, 1966. It transmitted 11,237 still photos of the moon's surface to the earth.
5. Apollo 11
- This spacecraft landed Neil Armstrong and Edwin Aldrin of the USA (the first humans on the moon) on July 20, 1969.
6. Apollo 17
- This spacecraft was used for the sixth and the final landing of humans, Eugene Cernan and Harrison Schmitt of the USA on December 19, 1972.


text:
If you haven't already, please take a moment to sign up to be an official opponent of a possible November 2014 ballot measure being pushed by trial lawyers that would significantly weaken California's Medical Injury Compensation Reform Act (MICRA) and increase lawsuits against doctors, community clinics, health centers, hospitals and other health care providers.
It only takes a moment to join and add your and/or your organization's name to the official list of opponents to this greed-fueled initiative. Once you do, you also will receive regular email updates from the campaign to protect MICRA.
To date, trial lawyers and their allies have raised more than $1 million to pay for signatures to qualify the measure for the ballot. The main component of the proposed ballot measure would quadruple MICRA's $250,000 cap on non-economic damages – raising the cap to $1.1 million plus an automatic annual increase. If successful, these efforts would be devastating to California's health care system. Raising the cap would increase lawsuits against health care providers leading to a significant increase in medical liability insurance costs. Ultimately, this measure will increase health care costs for all consumers and reduce patient access to affordable, quality health care – especially in rural and underserved communities.
Please MICRA Resource Center in opposing the trial lawyers' ballot measure. To learn more about MICRA and what you can do to help, visit our MICRA Resource Center.
Resources for physicians and health care providers on the latest news, research and developments.
Opt in to receive updates on the latest health care news, legislation, and more.


text:
The company has specialized in Customer Experience Management and Information Display Solutions to meet the requirements of Banks, Telecoms, Stock Exchanges, Retail, Brokerage Houses, Healthcare, Advertising, Entertainment, Retail, Education, Airlines, Mass transit, Airports & Public organizations etc.
Wavetec has a unique capability of providing customized solutions to its clients to match their needs accurately.
Our Research & Development team develops cutting edge solutions based on years of experience to drive value to our client's and empower their customers, employees and partners with real-time data analytic and visual media content.
Wavetec was incorporated in 1986 and is headquartered in Dubai Silicon Oasis, UAE.