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LONDON -- The FTSE 100 (FTSEINDICES: ^FTSE ) is reeling from a double-whammy today after the U.S. Federal Reserve revealed plans to wind down its quantitative easing measures later in the year and the Prudential Regulation Authority told us of a 拢27.1 billion capital shortfall at the U.K.'s banks. As a result, the index of the U.K.'s biggest companies is down 136 points, or 2.15%, to 6,212 by late morning.
With the FTSE crashing, which individual companies are leading it down? Here are three that are dropping.
It's hardly surprising that banking shares are hurting today, with Barclays the biggest faller -- the shares are down 3.4% by late morning. The PRA, the new body overseeing the banking industry, has identified a 拢3 billion shortfall at Barclays. The bank is required to maintain at least 7% of its risk-weighted assets in the form of capital resources. In an announcement this morning, Barclays told us it is confident that it will exceed this 7% Tier 1 threshold by the end of 2013.
Top 10 Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014: Bank of America Corporation(BAC)
Bank of America Corporation, a financial holding company, provides banking and nonbanking financial services and products to individuals, small- and middle-market businesses, large corporations, and governments in the United States and internationally. The company?s Deposits segment generates savings accounts, money market savings accounts, certificate of deposits, and checking accounts; and Global Card Services segment provides the U.S. consumer and business card, consumer lending, international card and debit card services. Its Home Loans & Insurance segment offers consumer real estate products and services, including mortgage loans, reverse mortgages, home equity lines of credit, and home equity loans. It also provides property, disability, and credit insurance. The company?s Global Commercial Banking segment offers lending products, including commercial loans and commitment facilities, real estate lending, leasing, trade finance, short-term credit, asset-based lending, and indirect consumer loans; and capital management and treasury solutions, such as treasury management, foreign exchange, and short-term investing options. Its Global Banking & Markets segment provides financial products, advisory services, settlement, and custody services; debt and equity underwriting and distribution, merger-related advisory services, and risk management products; and integrated working capital management and treasury solutions. The company?s Global Wealth & Investment Management segment offers investment and brokerage services, estate management, financial planning services, fiduciary management, credit and banking expertise, and asset management products. Bank of America Corporation serves customers through a network of approximately 5,900 banking centers and 18,000 automated teller machines. It was formerly known as NationsBank Corporation and changed its name on October 1, 1998. Bank of America Corporation was founded in 1874 and is based in Charlott e, North Carolina.Advisors' Opinion:
- [By Sy_Harding]
Top 10 Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014: Itau Unibanco Holding SA (ITUB)
Itau Unibanco Holding S.A., incorporated on September 9, 1943, is a bank in Brazil. The Company has four operational segments: Commercial Banking, Itau BBA, Consumer Credit and Corporate and Treasury. Commercial banking, including insurance, pension plan and capitalization products, credit cards, asset management and a variety of credit products and services for individuals, small and middle-market companies). Itau BBA includes corporate and investment banking. Consumer credit includes financial products and services to its non-accountholders. Corporate and treasury includes the results related to the trading activities in its portfolio, trading related to managing currency, interest rate and other market risk factors, gap management and arbitrage opportunities in domestic and foreign markets. It also includes the results associated with financial income from the investment of its excess capital.
On October 24, 2010, Itau Unibanco completed the integration of customer service locations throughout Brazil. In total, 998 branches and 245 customer site branches (CSB) of Unibanco were redesigned and integrated as Itau Unibanco customer service locations, thus creating a network of approximately 4,700 units in the country under the Itau brand. The Company is a financial holding company controlled by Itau Unibanco Participacoes S.A. (IUPAR). As of December 31, 2010, it had a network of 3,747 service branches throughout Brazil. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 913 CSBs throughout Brazil. As of December 31, 2010, it operated 28,844 automated teller machines (ATMs) throughout Brazil.
Commercial banking
The commercial banking segment offers a range of banking services to a diversified base of individuals and companies. Services offered by the commercial banking segment include insurance, pension plan and capitalization products, credit cards, asset management, credit products and customized products and solutions. The commercial banking segment comprises the specialized! areas and products, such as retail banking (individuals); public sector banking; personnalite (banking for high-income individuals); private banking (banking and financial consulting for wealthy individuals); very small business banking; small business banking; middle-market banking; credit cards; real estate financing; asset management; corporate social responsibility fund; securities services for third parties; brokerage, and insurance, private retirement and capitalization products.
The Company�� credit products include personal loans, overdraft protection, payroll loans, vehicles, credit cards, mortgage and agricultural loans, working capital, trade note discount and export. Its investments products include pension plans, mutual funds, time deposits, demand deposit accounts, savings accounts and capitalization plans. Its services include insurance (life, home, credit/cash cards, vehicles, loan protection, among others), exchange, brokerage and others. Its core business is retail banking, which serves individuals with a monthly income below R$7,000. In October 2010, it completed the conversion of branches under the Unibanco brand to the Itau brand and as of December 31, 2010, it had over 15.2 million customers and 4,660 branches and CSBs. Its public sector business operates in all areas of the public sector, including the federal, state and municipal governments (in the executive, legislative and judicial branches). As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately 2,300 public sector customers. Itau Personnalite�� focus is delivering financial advisory services by its managers, who understand the specific needs of its higher-income customers; a portfolio of exclusive products and services; special benefits based on the type and length of relationship with the customer, including discounts on various products and services. Itau Personnalite�� customer base reached more than 600,000 individuals as of December 31, 2010. Itau Personnalite customers also have access to Itau Unibanco netwo! rk of bra! nches and ATMs throughout the country, as well as Internet banking and phone.
Itau Private Bank is a Brazilian bank in the global private banking industry, providing wealth management services to approximately 17,951 Latin American clients as of December 31, 2010. The Company serves its customers��needs for offshore wealth management solutions in major jurisdictions through independent institutions in the United States through Banco Itau Europa International and Itau Europa Securities , in Luxembourg through Banco Itau Europa Luxembourg S.A. , in Switzerland through Banco Itau Suisse , in the Bahamas through BIE Bank & Trust Bahamas and in Cayman through Unicorp Bank & Trust Cayman. As of December 31, 2010, it had over 565 very small business banking offices located throughout Brazil and approximately 2,500 managers working for over 1,235,000 small business customers. Loans to very small businesses totaled R$5,981 million as of December 31, 2010. As of December 31, 2010, it had 374 small business banking offices located nationwide in Brazil and nearly 2,500 managers who worked for over 525,000 companies. Loans to small businesses totaled R$28,744 million as of December 31, 2010.
As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately 115,000 middle-market corporate customers that represented a range of Brazilian companies located in over 83 cities in Brazil. The Company offers a range of financial products and services to middle-market customers, including deposit accounts, investment options, insurance, private retirement plans and credit products. Credit products include investment capital loans, working capital loans, inventory financing, trade financing, foreign currency services, equipment leasing services, letters of credit and guarantees. The Company also carries out financial transactions on behalf of middle-market customers, including interbank transactions, open market transactions and futures, swaps, hedging and arbitrage transactions. It also offers its middle-market custom! ers colle! ction services and electronic payment services. The Company is able to provide these services for virtually any kind of payment, including Internet office banking. It charges collection fees and fees for making payments, such as payroll, on behalf of its customers.
The Company is engaged in the Brazilian credit card market. Its subsidiaries, Banco Itaucard S.A. (Banco Itaucard) and Hipercard Banco Multiplo S.A. (Hipercard), offers a range of products to 26 million customers as of December 31, 2010, including both accountholders and non-accountholders. As of December 31, 2010, it had approximately R$16,271 million in outstanding real estate loans. As of December 31, 2010, it had total net assets under management of R$291,748 million on behalf of approximately 2.1 million customers. The Company also provides portfolio management services for pension funds, corporations, private bank customers and foreign investors. As of December 31, 2010, it had R$184,496 million of assets under management for pension funds, corporations and private bank customers. As of December 31, 2010, the Company offered and managed about 1,791 mutual funds, which are mostly fixed-income and money market funds. For individual customers, it offered 154 funds to its retail customers and approximately 287 funds to its Itau Personnalite customers. Private banking customers may invest in over 600 funds, including those offered by other institutions. Itau BBA�� capital markets group also provides tailor-made mutual funds to institutional, corporate and private banking customers.
The Company provides securities services in the Brazilian capital markets. Its services also include acting as transfer agent, providing services relating to debentures and promissory notes, custody and control services for mutual funds, pension funds and portfolios, providing trustee services and non-resident investor services, and acting as custodian for depositary receipt programs. The Company also provides brokerage services to inte! rnational! customers through its broker-dealer operations in New York, through its London branch, and through its broker-dealers in Hong Kong and Dubai. Its main lines of insurance are life and casualty (excluding Vida Gerador de Benefucio Livre), extended warranties and property. Its policies are sold through its banking operations, independent local brokers, multinational brokers and other channels. As of December 31, 2010, it had 9.9 million in capitalization products outstanding, representing R$2,620 million in liabilities with assets that function as guarantees of R$2,646 million. The Company distributes these products through its retail network, Itau Personnalite and Itau Uniclass branches, electronic channels and ATMs. These products are sold by its subsidiary, Cia. Itau de Capitalizacao S.A.
Itau BBA
Itau BBA is responsible for its corporate and investment banking activities. As of December 31, 2010, Itau BBA offered a portfolio of products and services to approximately 2,400 companies and conglomerates in Brazil. Itau BBA�� activities range from typical operations of a commercial bank to capital markets operations and advisory services for mergers and acquisitions. As of December 31, 2010, its corporate loan portfolio was R$ 76,584 million. In investment banking, the fixed income department was responsible for the issuance of debentures and promissory notes that totaled R$18,888 million and securitization transactions that amounted to R$4,677 million in Brazil in 2010. In addition, Itau BBA advised 35 merger and acquisition transactions with an aggregate deal volume of R$16,973 million in 2010.
Itau BBA is also active in Banco Nacional de Desenvolvimento Economico e Social (BNDES) on-lending to finance large-scale projects, aiming at strengthening domestic infrastructure. In consolidated terms, total loans granted by Itau BBA under BNDES on-lending represented more than R$9,010 million in 2010. Itau BBA focuses on the products and initiatives in the international ! business ! unit, such as structuring long-term, bilateral and syndicated financing, and spot foreign exchange. In addition, in 2010 Itau BBA continued to offer a large number of lines of credit for foreign trade.
Consumer Credit
As of December 31, 2010, its portfolio of vehicle financing, leasing and consortium lending consisted of approximately 3.8 million contracts, of which approximately 71.1% were non-accountholder customers. The personal loan portfolio relating to vehicle financing and leasing reached R$60,254 million in 2010. The Company leased and financed vehicles through 13,706 dealers as of December 31, 2010. Sales are made through computer terminals installed in the dealerships that are connected to its computer network. Redecard S.A. (Redecard) is a multibrand credit card provider in Brazil, also responsible for the capturing, transmission, processing and settlement of credit, debit and benefit card transactions. As of December 31, 2010, the Company held approximately 50% interest in Redecard�� capital stock.
The Company competes with Bradesco, Banco do Brasil S.A. (Banco do Brasil), Banco Santander, Caixa Economica Federal (CEF), BNDES, HSBC, Banco Citibank S.A, Banco de Investimentos Credit Suisse (Brasil) S.A., Banco JP Morgan S.A., Banco Morgan Stanley S.A., Banco Merrill Lynch de Investimentos S.A., Banco BTG Pactual S.A., Banco Panamericano S.A, Citibank S.A., Banco GE Capital S.A. and Banco Ibi S.A.
Hot Clean Energy Stocks To Own For 2014: First Republic Bank (FRC)
First Republic Bank is a full-service bank and wealth management firm. First Republic Bank and its subsidiaries provide private banking, private business banking and private wealth management, including investment, trust and brokerage services. The Company specializes in delivering service through offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Newport Beach, San Diego, Portland, Boston, Greenwich and New York City. The Company's products and services include residential lending, commercial real estate lending, personal lending, private business banking, deposit services, trust services, brokerage services and investment management services. Investment advisory services are provided by First Republic Investment Management, Inc. Trust services are provided by First Republic Trust Company. Brokerage services are offered through First Republic Securities Company, LLC. In March 2012, the Company announced the opening of a new trust company.
The Company offers full-service banking on both coasts, including free online banking, free bill pay and free access to over 800, 000 automated teller machines (ATMs) worldwide. Its private business banking provides specialized services for accounting firms, architecture and design, art and antique dealers, business management firms, business partnership, entertainment/media, entrepreneurs, family offices, financial services, independent school, investment firms, law firms, medical firms, non-profit organizations, private equity funds, property management firms, real estate investors, venture capital funds, wineries, and yacht, golf, city and country clubs. The Company�� private wealth management offers customized investment management, trust, and brokerage services for individuals, trust endowments, and pension plans. Wealth management services include asset allocation, trust administration and custody, portfolio management, financial and estate planning, manager selection and comprehensive brokerage services.Advisors' Opinion:
- [By Dan Freed]
Shares of First Republic currently trade at "a modest 4% premium to peers" and JPMorgan does expect the bank's stock to keep pace with a 2012 15% top line growth range.
The report argues that FRC has a "strong a management team with a strong track record of creating shareholder value" and that its growth model is "highly differentiated" from other banks since a majority of growth comes from existing customers rather gathering new customers.
- [By Philip van Doorn]
First Republic Bank (FRC_) of San Francisco. Rochester upgraded First Republic to a "Buy" rating from a "Hold," and raised his price target for the former subsidiary of Bank of America by a dollar to $38, saying "we expect EPS growth double the rate of the industry for the next two years to support premium trading multiples and solid share upside." The analyst cited "above peer" growth prospects for the bank's business banking and wealth management services, as well as "a materially reduced private equity ownership overhang (from 39% in Mar. 2012 to 14% in Dec. 2012." Rochester added that First Republic could be tempted by the "potential for [an] increasing take-out premium over time," as its total assets approach $50 billion. First Republic's shares closed at $33.69 Thursday. Deutsche Bank estimates the bank will earn $2.96 a share in 2013, with EPS increasing to $2.97 in 2014 and $3.05 in 2015.
Top 10 Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014: New York Community Bancorp Inc (NYCB)
New York Community Bancorp, Inc. is a bank holding company and a producer of multi-family mortgage loans in New York City, with an emphasis on apartment buildings that feature below-market rents. It has two bank subsidiaries: New York Community Bank (the Community Bank),New York Commercial Bank (the Commercial Bank. The Community Bank has 241 branches and operates through seven divisional banks. The Commercial Bank has 34 branches in Manhattan and operates 17 of its branches under the divisional name Atlantic Bank.
During the year ended December 31, 2011, all of the one-to-four family loans the Company originated was sold to government-sponsored enterprises (GSEs). In New York, the Company serves its Community Bank customers through Roslyn Savings Bank, with 55 branches on Long Island; Queens County Savings Bank, with 34 branches in the New York City borough of Queens; Richmond County Savings Bank, with 22 branches in the borough of Staten Island, and Roosevelt Savings Bank, with eight branches in the borough of Brooklyn. As of December 31, 2011, in the Bronx and neighboring Westchester County, the Company had four branches that operated directly under the name New York Community Bank.
In New Jersey, the Company serves its Community Bank customers through 51 branches that operate under the name Garden State Community Bank. In Florida and Arizona, where it has 25 and 14 branches, respectively, the Company serves its customers through the AmTrust Bank (AmTrust) division of the Community Bank. In Ohio, the Company serves its Community Bank customers through 28 branches of Ohio Savings Bank. Customers of the Community Bank and the Commercial Bank have access to their accounts through 261 of its 285 automatic teller machines (ATMs) locations in five states. The Company also serves its customers through three Websites, which include www.myNYCB.com, www.NewYorkCommercialBank.com and www.NYCBfamily.com.
Lending Activities
The Company�� principal asset is l! oans. Its loan portfolio consists of three components: covered loans, non-covered loans held for sale and non-covered loans held for investment. As of December 31, 2011, the balance of covered loans was $3.8 billion, of which $3.4 billion were one-to-four family loans. Non-covered loans held for sale consists of the one-to-four family loans that are originated for sale, primarily to GSEs. At December 31, 2011, the held-for-sale loan portfolio totaled $1.0 billion
As of December 31, 2011, loans held for investment consisted of loans that it originates for its own portfolio, and totaled $ 25.5 billion.
In addition to multi-family loans, loans held for investment include commercial real estate loans (CRE); acquisition, development and construction (ADC) loans; commercial and industrial loans (C&I), and one-to-four family loans. As of December 31, 2011, its multi-family loans represented $17.4 billion, or 68.3%, of total loans held for investment, and represented $5.8 billion, or 64.1%, of the total loans that it originated for investment. The multi-family loans it originates are typically secured by non-luxury apartment buildings in New York City. It also makes multi-family loans to property owners who are seeking to expand their real estate holdings by purchasing additional properties.
As of December 31, 2011, CRE loans represented $6.9 billion, or 26.9%, of total held for investment; ADC loans represented $445.7 million, or 1.7%, of total loans held for investment. Its ADC loan portfolio consists of loans that were originated for land acquisition, development, and construction of multi-family and residential tract projects in New York City and Long Island.
C&I loans represented $600.0 million, or 2.4%, of total held for investment. It also offers a range of loans to small and mid-size businesses for working capital (including inventory and receivables), business expansion, and the purchase of equipment and machinery. Non-covered one-to-four family loans totaled $127! .4 millio! n at December 31, 2011.
Investment Activities
The Company�� securities portfolio primarily consists of mortgage-related securities, and debt and equity (other) securities. Its investments include GSE certificates, GSE collateralized mortgage obligations (CMOs) and GSE debentures. The Community Bank and the Commercial Bank are members of the Federal Home Loan Bank of New York (FHLB-NY), one of 12 regional Federal Home Loan Banks (FHLBs) consisting of the FHLB system. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� securities represented $4.5 billion, or 10.8%, of total assets. As of December 31, 2011, 93.7% of its securities portfolio consisted of GSE obligations; held-to-maturity securities represented $3.8 billion, or 84.0%, of total securities, and its investment in bank-owned life insurance (BOLI) was $769.0 million.
Source of Funds
The Company has four primary funding sources. These include the deposits that it added through its acquisitions or gathered through its branch network, and brokered deposits; wholesale borrowings, primarily in the form of FHLB advances and repurchase agreements with the FHLB and various brokerage firms; cash flows produced by the repayment and sale of loans, and cash flows produced by securities repayments and sales. As of December 31, 2011, deposits totaled $ 22.3 billion, which included certificates of deposit (CDs) of $7.4 billion; negotiable order withdrawal (NOW) and money market accounts of $8.8 billion; savings accounts of $ 4.0 billion, and non-interest-bearing accounts of $2.2 billion. As of December 31, 2011, the Company�� borrowed funds totaled $14.0 billion, loan repayments and sales generated cash flows of $15.0 billion, and securities sales and repayments generated cash flows of $4.2 billion.
Subsidiary Activities
As of December 31, 2011, Community Bank had 34 subsidiary corporations. Of these, 22 are direct subsidiaries of the Community Bank and 12 are subsidiaries of Community Bank! -owned en! tities. The 22 direct subsidiaries of the Community Bank include DHB Real Estate, LLC, Mt. Sinai Ventures, LLC, NYCB Community Development Corp., NYCB Mortgage Company, LLC, Eagle Rock Investment Corp., Pacific Urban Renewal, Inc., Somerset Manor Holding Corp., Synergy Capital Investments, Inc., 1400 Corp., BSR 1400 Corp., Bellingham Corp., Blizzard Realty Corp., CFS Investments, Inc., Main Omni Realty Corp., NYB Realty Holding Company, LLC, O.B. Ventures, LLC, RCBK Mortgage Corp., RCSB Corporation, RSB Agency, Inc., Richmond Enterprises, Inc. and Roslyn National Mortgage Corporation.
The 12 subsidiaries of Community Bank-owned entities include Bronx Realty Funding Company, LLC, Columbia Preferred Capital Corporation, Ferry Development Holding Company, Peter B. Cannell & Co., Inc., Roslyn Real Estate Asset Corp., Walnut Realty Funding Company, LLC, Woodhaven Investments Inc, Your New REO, LLC, Ironbound Investment Company, Inc.,The Hamlet at Olde Oyster Bay, LLC, The Hamlet at Willow Creek, LLC and Richmond County Capital Corporation.
The two direct subsidiaries of the Commercial Bank include Beta Investments, Inc., and Gramercy Leasing Services, Inc. The two subsidiaries of Commercial Bank-owned entities include Omega Commercial Mortgage Corp. and Long Island Commercial Capital Corp.
Top 10 Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014: HSBC Holdings PLC (HBC)
HSBC Holdings plc (HSBC), incorporated on January 1, 1959, is a global banking and financial services organizations. As of December 31, 2010, it provided a range of financial services to around 95 million customers through two customer groups, Personal Financial Services (PFS), including consumer finance, and Commercial Banking (CMB), and two global businesses, Global Banking and Markets (GB&M), and Global Private Banking (GPB). Its international network covers 87 countries and territories in six geographical regions; Europe, Hong Kong, Rest of Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, North America and Latin America. As of December 31, 2010, the Company had an international network of some 7,500 offices in 87 countries and territories in six geographical regions; Europe, Hong Kong, Rest of Asia-Pacific, the Middle East, North America and Latin America. PFS incorporates the Company�� consumer finance businesses, which include HSBC Finance Corporation (HSBC Finance). In April 2011, the Company closed its retail banking operation in Russia. In July 2011, the Company sold its unsecured written-off personal loan and credit card portfolio to J M Financial Asset Reconstruction Co. Pvt. Ltd. On May 20, 2012, HSBC Holdings PLC's wholly owned subsidiary HSBC Bank USA, N.A. and other wholly owned subsidiaries, sold 195 retail branches to First Niagara Bank, N.A. (First Niagara). In May 2012, the Company�� 70.03% owned subsidiary, HSBC Bank Malta plc, sold its card acquiring business to HSBC Merchant Services Ltd. In June 2012, the Company�� indirect wholly owned subsidiary, HSBC Iris Investments (Mauritius) Ltd, sold its 4.73% interest in Axis Bank Limited and 4.74% interest in Yes Bank Limited. In July 2012, its subsidiary, HSBC Europe (Netherlands B.V.), sold its 100% interest in HSBC Credit Zrt, to CentralFund Kockazati Tokealap. On March 31, 2013, Enstar Group Ltd�� subsidiary completed the acquisition from Household Insurance Group Holding Company of HSBC Insurance Company of Delaware and Household Life Insur! ance Company of Delaware, as well as its three subsidiary insurers.
The Company�� principal banking operations in Europe are HSBC Bank plc in the United Kingdom, HSBC France, HSBC Bank A.S. in Turkey, HSBC Bank Malta p.l.c., HSBC Private Bank (Suisse) S.A. and HSBC Trinkaus & Burkhardt AG. Through these operations it provides a range of banking, treasury and financial services to personal, commercial and corporate customers across Europe. HSBC�� banking subsidiaries in Hong Kong are The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited and Hang Seng Bank Limited.
The Company offers a range of banking and financial services in the People�� Republic of China, mainly through its local subsidiary, HSBC Bank (China) Company Limited. It also participates indirectly in the People�� Republic of China through its four associates. Outside Hong Kong and the People�� Republic of China, it conducts business in 22 countries and territories in the Rest of Asia-Pacific region, through branches and subsidiaries of The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation, with coverage in Australia, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore.
In the Middle East, the Company has network of branches of HSBC Bank Middle East Limited, together with HSBC�� subsidiaries and associates. Its North American businesses are located in the United States, Canada and Bermuda. Operations in the United States are conducted through HSBC Bank USA, N.A., which is concentrated in New York State, and HSBC Finance, a national consumer finance company based near Chicago. HSBC Markets (USA) Inc. is the intermediate holding company of, inter alia, HSBC Securities (USA) Inc. HSBC Bank Canada and HSBC Bank Bermuda operate in their respective countries.
The Company�� operations in Latin America consists of HSBC Bank Brasil S.A.-Banco Multiplo, HSBC Mexico, S.A., HSBC Bank Argentina S.A. and HSBC Bank (Panama) S.A. In addition to banking services, it operates insurance businesses in Brazil, Mexi! co, Argen! tina, Panama and a range of smaller markets.
Personal Financial Services
PFS offers the Company�� products and services to customers based on their individual needs. Premier and Advance services are for customers who value international connectivity and benefit from its global reach and scale. It offers a range of banking products and services reflecting local requirements. In addition, it issues card globally, offering HSBC branded cards, co-branded cards with selected partners and private label (store) cards. Its customer offerings include personal banking products, including current and savings accounts, mortgages and personal loans, credit cards, debit cards and local and international payment services, and wealth management services, including insurance and investment products and financial planning services.
HSBC Premier provides preferential banking services to high net worth customers and their immediate families with a relationship manager, wealth advice and solutions. Customers can access emergency travel assistance, telephone banking and an online global view of their Premier accounts globally with free money transfers between them. HSBC Advance provides a range of preferential products and services customized to meet local needs. With a telephone service, access to wealth advice and online tools to support financial planning, it gives customers an online global view of their Advance accounts with money transfers between them. Wealth Solutions & Financial Planning process designed for global individual customer needs to help its clients to protect, grow and manage their wealth through investment and wealth insurance products manufactured by in-house partners, including Global Asset Management, Global Markets and HSBC Insurance, and by selected third party providers. During 2010, PFS provided 92 million individual and self-employed customers with financial services in over 60 markets globally.
Commercial Banking
The Company ! segments ! its CMB business into Corporate, to serve both Corporate and Mid-Market companies, and Business Banking, to serve the small and medium-sized enterprises (SME��) sector. It provides support to companies as they expand both domestically and internationally, and ensures a focus on the business banking segments. It offers a range of financing, both domestic and cross-border, including overdrafts, receivables finance, term loans and syndicated, leveraged, acquisition and project finance. Asset finance is offered in selected sites, focused on leasing and instalment finance for vehicles, plant and equipment. It is a provider of domestic and cross-border payments and collections, liquidity management and account services globally, delivered through its e-platform, HSBC net. It provides international trade products and services, to both buyers and suppliers, such as export finance, guarantees, documentary collections and forfeiting to improve efficiency and help mitigate risk throughout the supply chain.
CMB customers are volume users of its foreign exchange, derivatives and structured products. Capital markets & advisory is raising capital on debt and equity markets and provide advisory services. Commercial cards issuing helps customers enhance cash management, credit control and purchasing. Card acquiring services enable merchants to accept credit and debit card payments in person or remotely. CMB offers key person, employee benefits and a range of commercial risk insurance, such as property, cargo and trade credit. Direct channels include online and direct banking offerings, such as telephone banking, HSBCnet and Business Internet Banking.
Global Banking and Markets
GB&M provides tailored financial solutions to government, corporate and institutional clients and private investors globally. Managed as a global business, GB&M operates a long-term relationship management approach to build a understanding of clients��financial requirements. Sector-focused client service! teams co! nsisting of relationship managers and product specialists develop financial solutions to meet individual client needs. GB&M is managed as four principal business lines: Global Markets, Global Banking, Global Asset Management and Principal Investments.
Global Markets operations consist of treasury and capital markets services. Products include foreign exchange; currency, interest rate, bond, credit, equity and other derivatives; government and non-government fixed income and money market instruments; precious metals and exchange-traded futures; equity services; distribution of capital markets instruments, and securities services, including custody and clearing services and funds administration to both domestic and cross-border investors. Global Banking offers financing, advisory and transaction services. Its products include capital raising, advisory services, bilateral and syndicated lending, leveraged and acquisition finance, structured and project finance, lease finance and non-retail deposit taking; international, regional and domestic payments and cash management services; and trade services for large corporate clients.
Global Asset Management offers investment solutions to institutions, financial intermediaries and individual investors globally. Principal Investments includes its relationships with third-party private equity managers and other investments. GB&M is a global business, which provides financial solutions to government, corporate and institutional clients globally.
Global Private Banking
GPB works with the Company�� high net worth clients to offer ways to manage and preserve wealth. HSBC Private Bank is the principal marketing name of its international private banking business, GPB. GPB works with its clients to offer both ways to manage and preserve wealth while optimising returns. GPB accesses six advisory centers in Hong Kong, Singapore, Geneva, New York, Paris and London. Private Banking services consist of multi-currency depo! sit accou! nts and fiduciary deposits, credit and specialist lending, treasury trading services, cash management, securities custody and clearing. GPB works to ensure that its clients have access to other products and services available in HSBC, such as credit cards, Internet banking, corporate banking and investment banking.
Private Wealth Management consists of both advisory and discretionary investment services. A range of investment vehicles is covered, including bonds, equities, derivatives, options, futures, structured products, mutual funds and alternatives (hedge funds, private equity and real estate). Corporate Finance Solutions helps provide clients with solutions for their companies, working in conjunction with GB&M. Private Wealth Solutions consist of planning, trustee and other fiduciary services to protect wealth and preserve it for future generations. Its expertise includes trusts, foundation and company administration, charitable trusts and foundations, insurance, family office advisory and philanthropy.
The Company�� Other contains the results of certain property transactions and unallocated investment activities. It also includes centrally held investment companies, movements in fair value of own debt, HSBC�� holding company and financing operations.
Top 10 Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014: Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA.AX)
Commonwealth Bank of Australia (the Bank) is engaged in the provision of a range of banking and financial products and services to retail, small business, corporate and institutional clients. The Bank is a provider of integrated financial services, including retail, business and institutional banking, superannuation, life insurance, general insurance, funds management, broking services and finance company activities. Its operating segments include Retail Banking Services, Business and Private Banking, Institutional Banking and Markets, Wealth Management, New Zealand, Bankwest and Other. Its retail banking services include home loans, consumer finance, retail deposits and distribution. Its business and private banking include corporate financial services, regional and agribusiness banking, local business banking, private bank and equities and margin lending. The Bank and its subsidiaries ceased to be a substantial holder in Ten Network Holdings Limited, as of September 12, 2012.
Top 10 Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014: Wilshire Bancorp Inc.(WIBC)
Wilshire Bancorp, Inc. operates as the holding company for Wilshire State Bank that offers a range of financial products and services. It accepts various deposit products that include certificates of deposit, regular savings accounts, money market accounts, checking and negotiable order of withdrawal accounts, installment savings accounts, and individual retirement accounts. The company?s loan portfolio comprises commercial real estate and home mortgage loans, commercial business lending and trade finance, and small business administration lending, as well as consumer loans, including personal loans, auto loans, and other loans. It also provides trade finance services that include issuance and negotiation of letters of credit, handling of documentary collections, advising and negotiation of commercial letters of credit, transfer and issuance of back-to-back letters of credit, and trade finance lines of credit. In addition, the company offers Internet banking services, auto matic teller machines, and armored carrier services. It has 24 full-service branch offices in Southern California, Texas, New Jersey, and the greater New York City metropolitan area; and 6 loan production offices in Colorado, Georgia, Texas, New Jersey, and Virginia. The company was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, California.Advisors' Opinion:
- [By Philip]
Shares of Wilshire Bancorp (WIBC) of Los Angeles closed at $3.42 Friday, down 55% year-to-date. The shares have 18% upside potential, based on a mean 12-month price target of $4.04, among analysts polled by FactSet.
The company had $2.7 billion in total assets as of Sept. 30, with 24 branches in Southern California, Texas, New Jersey, and the New York City area, and six loan production offices in n Colorado, Georgia, Texas (two offices), New Jersey, and Virginia.
Wilshire Bancorp owes $62.2 million in federal bailout funds received through the Troubled Assets Relief Program, or TARP. The company raised $100 million in common equity during the second quarter, following an agreement with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. and state regulators to bring main subsidiary Wilshire State Bank's Tier 1 leverage ratio up to at least 10%. The Bank subsidiary's Tier 1 leverage ratio was 13.24% as of Sept. 30.
The holding company reported third-quarter net income available to common shareholders of $10.2 million, or 14 cents a share, increasing from $2.1 million, or 4 cents a share, during the second quarter, and $5.0 million, or 14 cents a share, during the third quarter of 2010.
The main factor in the earnings improvement was a reduction in credit costs, with a third-quarter provision for loan losses of $2.5 million, declining from $10.3 million the previous quarter and $18.0 million a year earlier. A $5.7 million decline in loan loss reserves during the third quarter directly boosted earnings.
With the company continuing its aggressive reduction of its commercial real estate loan portfolio and its nonperforming loans, Wilshire Bancorp's total assets declined 17% from a year earlier. During the third quarter, the company sold $28.7 million in loans, most of which were nonperforming, for a gain of $1.7 million.
Net interest income declined 14% year-over-year to $25.5 million in the third quarter, reflecting the balance sheet reduction.
The net interest margin -- t! he difference between a bank's average yield on loans and investments and its average cost for loans and deposits -- was a strong 4.23% in the third quarter, which was down from 4.42% the previous quarter, but up from 3.393% a year earlier.
Wilshire Bancorp's ratio of nonperforming assets to total assets was 2.46% as of Sept. 30, improving from 3.22% the previous quarter and 2.87% a year earlier. The annualized ratio of net charge-offs -- loan losses less recoveries -- to total loans was 0.46%, and with reserves covering 5.27% of total loans, the company appeared well-positioned for continued significant releases of reserves.
FIG Partners analyst Timothy Coffey on Oct. 28 reiterated his "Outperform" or "Buy" rating for Wilshire Bancorp, raising his 12-month price target to $4.50 from $3.80, also "estimating tangible book values of $3.43 in 2011, $4.21 in 2012 and $4.84 in 2013." The analyst said that he anticipated that "could start to reverse the DTA-Deferred Tax Asset valuation allowance over the coming quarters," and that "the improvement in the earnings power has resulted in losses below management's projections, which has increased the valuation allowance to $40 million." Coffey estimated that "company could have no tax expense or very limited expense in 2012 before a normalized expense returns in 2013."
The shares trade for 6.8 times the consensus 2012 earnings estimate of 50 cents, among analysts polled by FactSet, and just above their Sept. 30 tangible book value of $3.27, according to SNL Financial.
Four out of seven analysts covering Wilshire Bancorp rate the shares a buy, while the remaining analysts all have neutral ratings.
Top 10 Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014: Popular Inc.(BPOP)
Popular, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides a range of retail and commercial banking products and services primarily to corporate clients, small and middle size businesses, and retail clients in Puerto Rico and Mainland United States. It offers deposit products; commercial, consumer, and mortgage loans, as well as lease finance; and finance and advisory services. The company also offers trust and asset management, brokerage and investment banking, and insurance and reinsurance services. As of December 31, 2010, it owned and occupied approximately 94 branch premises and other facilities in Puerto Rico; and 119 offices, including 20 owned and 99 leased in New York, Illinois, New Jersey, California, Florida, and Texas. Popular, Inc. was founded in 1917 and is headquartered in San Juan, Puerto Rico.Advisors' Opinion:
- [By Hilary Kramer]
Popular (NASDAQ: BPOP) provides a range of retail and commercial banking products and services in Puerto Rico, the United States, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Costa Rica. The stock has dipped along with the entire banking sector, but as is often the case when sentiment is negative, I think investors have overreacted and knocked it down too much.
Potential improvements in the Puerto Rican economy should help it bounce back, as well as clarity on the company's recent decision to pull out of an agreement to sell non-performing construction loans. It's important to note that Popular has already successfully sold a lot of its troubled loans, and the company's capital levels are solid, which puts it in good position for a rebound once conditions improve.
- [By Philip]
Shares of Popular, Inc. (BPOP), of Hato Rey, Puerto Rico, closed at $1.75 Friday, declining 44% year-to-date. Based on a consensus price target of $3.55, the shares have 103% upside potential.
The company owes $935 million in TARP money.
Popular had $11.6 billion in total assets as of Sept. 30 and announced third-quarter earnings to common shareholders of $26.6 million, or 3 cents a share, compared to second-quarter earnings of $109.8 million, or 11 cents a share, and third-quarter 2010 earnings of $494.1 million, or 48 cents a share, when the company booked a $531 million gain on the sale of a 51% stake in its Evertec subsidiary.
Third quarter earnings declined sequentially because of a $32 million increase in provisions for loan losses and because the second-quarter results included "a tax benefit of approximately $59.6 million related to the timing of loan charge-offs for tax purposes."
Third-quarter provisions increased because the company on September 29 "completed the sale of construction and commercial real estate loans with an unpaid principal balance and net book value of approximately $358 million and $128 million, respectively," the majority of which were nonperforming loans.
Following the earnings announcement, Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Michael Diana reiterated his "Buy" rating on Popular, raising his price target for the shares to $2.50 from $2.25.
All five analysts covering Popular rate the shares a buy.
Top 10 Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014: Bank of Nova Scotia (BNS)The Bank of Nova Scotia (the Bank) is a diversified financial institution. As of October 31, 2011, the Bank offered a range of products and services, including retail, commercial, corporate and investment banking to more than 18.6 million customers in more than 50 countries around the world. The Bank has four business lines: Canadian Banking, International Banking, Scotia Capital and Global Wealth Management. In January 2012, the Company closed its acquisition of 51% of Banco Colpatria. In April 2012, the Company through Scotia Capital Inc. acquired Howard Weil Incorporated. In April 2013, Bank of Nova Scotia acquired a 50% interest in Administradora de Fondos de Pensiones Horizonte SA.
Top 10 Bank Stocks To Invest In 2014: HDFC Bank Ltd (HDB)
HDFC Bank Limited (HDFC Bank), incorporated in August 1994, is a banking company engaged in providing a range of banking and financial services, including commercial banking and treasury operations. The Bank has overseas branch operations in Bahrain and Hong Kong. The Bank operates in four segments: treasury, which primarily consists of net interest earnings from the Bank�� investment portfolio, money market borrowing and lending, gains or losses on investment operations and on account of trading in foreign exchange and derivative contracts; retail banking, which serves retail customers through a branch network and other delivery channels; wholesale banking, which provides loans, non-fund facilities and transaction services to corporate, public sector units, government bodies, financial institutions and medium scale enterprises, and other banking business, segment includes income from para banking activities, such as credit cards, debit cards, third party product distribution, primary dealership business and the associated costs. Revenues of the retail banking segment are derived from interest earned on retail loans, net of commission (net of subvention received) paid to sales agents and interest earned from other segments for surplus funds placed with those segments, fees from services rendered, foreign exchange earnings on retail products.
Retail Banking
The Bank is a financial services provider of various deposit products, of retail loans (auto loans, personal loans, commercial vehicle loans, mortgages, business banking, loan against gold jewellery), credit cards, debit cards, depository (custody services), investment advisory, bill payments and several transactional services. Apart from its own products, the Bank distributes third party financial products, such as mutual funds and life and general insurance. As of March 31, 2012, the Bank had 2,544 branches in 1,399 Indian cities. The Bank had 8,913 automated teller machines (ATMs) during the fiscal year ended March 31,! 2012. In addition to the Bank does home loans in conjunction with HDFC Limited. Under this arrangement the Bank sells loans provided by HDFC Limited through its branches. HDFC Limited approves and disburses the loans, which are booked in their books, with the Bank receiving a sourcing fee for these loans. HDFC Limited offers the Bank an option to purchase up to 70% of the fully disbursed home loans sourced under this arrangement through either the issue of mortgage backed pass through certificates (PTCs) or by a direct assignment of loans; the balance is retained by HDFC Limited. It also distributes life, general insurance and mutual fund products through its tie-ups with insurance companies and mutual fund houses.
Wholesale Banking
The Bank provides its corporate and institutional clients a range of commercial and transactional banking products. The Bank�� commercial banking business covers the corporate sector, the emerging corporate segments and some small and medium enterprises (SMEs). The Bank has a number of business groups catering to various segments of its wholesale banking customers with a range of banking services covering their working capital, term finance, trade services, cash management, foreign exchange and electronic banking requirements. The Bank�� financial institutions and government business group (FIG) offers commercial and transaction banking products to financial institutions, mutual funds, public sector undertakings, central and state government departments. The main focus for this segment is offering various deposit and transaction banking products to this segment besides offering funded, non-funded treasury and foreign exchange products.
The Bank provides its customers both working capital and term financing. The Bank�� corporate banking business includes cash management and vendor and distributor (supply chain) finance products. The Bank has a wholesale banking branch in Bahrain, a branch in Hong Kong and two representative offic! es in the! United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kenya. The branches offer the Bank�� suite of banking services including treasury and trade finance products to its corporate clients. The Bank offers wealth management products, remittance facilities and markets deposits to the non-resident Indian community from its representative offices.
The treasury group is responsible for compliance with reserve requirements and management of liquidity and interest rate risk on the Bank�� balance sheet. On the foreign exchange and derivatives front, revenues are driven primarily by spreads on customer transactions based on trade flows and customers��demonstrated hedging needs. The Bank offers Indian rupee and foreign exchange derivative products to its customers. The Bank enters into foreign exchange and derivative deals with counterparties after it has set up appropriate counterparty credit limits based on its evaluation of the ability of the counterparty to meet its obligations in the event of crystallization of the exposure. The Bank also deals in Indian rupee derivatives on its own account, including for the purpose of its own balance sheet risk management.
Other banking business
The Bank has two subsidiaries: HDFC Securities Limited (HSL) and HDB Financial Services Limited (HDBFS). HSL is primarily in the business of providing brokerage services through the Internet and other channels. As of March 31, 2012, HSL had a network of 184 branches across the country. HDBFS is a non-deposit taking non-bank finance company (NBFC). Apart from lending to individuals, it grants loans to small and medium business enterprises and micro small and medium enterprises, the principle businesses of HDBFS include loans, which offers a range of loans in the secured and unsecured loans space that fulfill the financial needs of its target segment; insurance services, HDBFS is a corporate agent for HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company and sells insurance products ,as well as products, ! such as L! oan Cover and Asset Cover, and collections-BPO services, which runs six call centres. These centres cover collection requirements at over 200 towns through its calling and field teams. As on March 31, 2012, HDBFS had 180 branches in 135 cities in order to distribute its products and services.Advisors' Opinion:
- [By Halah Touryalai]
The largest privately owned retail bank in India with a network of 1,986 branches in 996 cities across the country. The bank has a strong deposit franchise and technology backbone. EPS has grown at a rate of 26% per year, over the past 10 years.


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Add to My ListAdd to FavoritesEdit Anime InformationBuy @ RightStuf Buy from Amazon Buy from Japan-Best
Alternative Titles
Synonyms: Boku no Piko OVA 2, Boku no Pico, Pico & Chico
Japanese: ぴことちこ
Type: OVA
Episodes: 1
Status: Finished Airing
Aired: Apr 19, 2007
Producers: Natural High
Genres: Yaoi
Duration: 34 min. per episode
Rating: Rx - HentaiL represents licensing company
Score: 5.661 (scored by 9940 users)
Ranked: #67642
Popularity: #1492
Members: 15,845
Favorites: 110
1 indicates a weighted score
2 based on the top anime page.
My Info
Popular TagsNo tags found

subset: commoncrawl


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TO THE EDITOR: A key issue in understanding schizophrenia and in developing better drugs for the disease is whether any improvement in the negative symptoms associated with the use of neuroleptics reflects improvement not only in secondary negative symptoms but in primary negative symptoms as well. On the basis of data from a double-blind, controlled study comparing the effects of olanzapine to those of haloperidol and placebo in exacerbated schizophrenic patients (R1558281B), Tollefson and Sanger intended subsequently to determine to what extent the superior total effect on negative symptoms was direct or indirect (R1558282B). The authors defined the direct treatment effect of olanzapine as the additional improvement in negative symptoms remaining after they had corrected for changes in positive symptoms, depressive symptoms, and extrapyramidal symptoms. They found that olanzapine had a greater direct effect than placebo and haloperidol on negative symptoms, hypothesizing that this finding represented an improvement in primary negative symptoms. Some comments, however, are warranted.
The original study was designed not for evaluating the effect on primary negative symptoms but for evaluating the effect on positive symptoms. Tollefson and Sanger state that it was not known what the patients' negative symptom histories were; in turn, it was not known whether they had exhibited a chronic deficit state before the index admission (R1558282B). The authors ignore this limitation, however, when they state that "it is likely that these results could be generalized to patients in a chronic deficit state who are not in an acute exacerbation of schizophrenia." That the benefits of olanzapine on negative symptoms were replicable in a subgroup of patients with prominent negative symptoms was not surprising because this subgroup of patients was a subset of the study group from which the results to be replicated were generated.
The authors do not mention the issue of dealing with the psychic side effects of haloperidol such as reduced speed of thinking, lack of energy, flat affect, and anhedonia (R1558283B). These symptoms are phenomenologically indistinguishable from a range of negative symptoms measured on the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms, and the number of such symptoms may not necessarily correlate with the number of extrapyramidal side effects. Therefore, the psychic side effects of haloperidol may contribute to the magnitude of the superior direct effect of olanzapine when compared with haloperidol. Improvement in negative symptoms due to changes in positive symptoms not captured by the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale may be another source of bias.
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Code Requirements
In many parts of the country, the National Fuel Gas
Code (NFPA 54) applies. Other applicable codes may include
NFPA 31, Standard for the Installation of Oil-Burning
Equipment; NFPA 211, Standard for Chimneys, Fireplaces,
Vents, and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances; and Section 607
of the Uniform Mechanical Code. In addition, be sure to
consult your local code and to adhere to the appliance
manufacturer's instructions. If there is a conflict between
your local code and the manufacturer's instructions, get the
conflict resolved before installing any equipment. The
National Fuel Gas Code Handbook can be ordered from NFPA
by calling 800/344-3555.
Special Problems With Tight Houses
Thanks to the use of vapor barriers, housewrap, sill seal,
weatherstripping, and caulk, we can now routinely build the
kind of warm, draft-free homes our grandparents could only
dream of. But if you build a very tight house without providing
adequate ventilation, it can come back to bite you.
Customers are increasingly concerned with indoor air quality.
A while ago, a homeowner showed me his new superinsulated
house, which included magnetic weatherstripping on the doors. I
mentioned that with a house that tight, perhaps he should stop
eating chili. Several months later, he called me for advice
concerning the mildew and lingering odor problems in his house.
He eventually decided to install a heat-recovery ventilator to
improve the indoor air quality. A heat-recovery ventilator will
improve ventilation levels, but it is not designed to provide
makeup air for the heating appliances.
Makeup Air
All fuel-burning appliances require combustion air. Strictly
speaking, combustion air has three components:
=Stoichiometric air, which is the air required for the
chemical combustion process.
=Excess air, which is the "little bit of extra air" that
appliance manufacturers require to ensure that the amount of
air available for combustion is adequate.
=Dilution air, which is the air required to dilute the flue
gases enough to allow their passage through the vent.
The term "makeup air" is used to describe these three
components of combustion air, along with cooling air, which is
the air required to cool the room in which the appliance is
Appliances in an Unconfined Space
In an unconfined space, the makeup air for heating appliances
is provided by the large volume of air present in the space
where the appliances are located -- usually, a basement or
According to the National Fuel Gas Code, a space is
defined as unconfined if it has a volume greater than 50 cubic
feet per 1,000 Btu/h of the combined input of the fuel-burning
appliances. For example, if a house is equipped with a gas
furnace with an input rating of 70,000 Btu/h, plus a gas water
heater with an input rating of 40,000 Btu/h, the total input of
the appliances would be 110,000 Btu/h. The space where these
appliances are located would need to measure at least 5,500
cubic feet to be considered unconfined -- equivalent to a space
about 25x28 feet by 8 feet high.
Makeup air enters an unconfined space through uncontrolled
infiltration from the exterior -- for example, by finding its
way between the top of the concrete foundation and the sill
plate. With the advent of tight construction practices,
however, some basements that meet the code definition of an
unconfined space may not provide enough makeup air for
fuel-burning appliances.
How Tight is Too Tight?
How can a builder know when a house becomes too tight for
uncontrolled infiltration to provide adequate makeup air to
appliances in an unconfined space? Unfortunately, existing
codes do not provide clear answers. NFPA 31 refers to the
possibility that a building can have "insufficient air because
of tight construction," (NFPA 31-1-9.3.2) without defining when
that point is reached. The National Fuel Gas Code
standards for makeup air assume that a building has at least
1/2 air change per hour.
Fire Safety
In an effort to curb the risk of wildfire destroying homes, more and more western...
Are ultraviolet (UV) lamps in an HVAC system an effective way to disinfect the air and...
Heat-Recovery Systems
Let's start with some obvious mistakes that aren't even visible to most builders or...
Natural Ventilation
Rooftop Accessories
Water Heaters
Please read our Content Guidelines before posting.
Copyright ©
2014 Hanley Wood Media, Inc. All rights reserved.


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Saturday marks one of the largest food drive's nationally and you can participate right here in Acadiana without leaving your home.
This year's "Stamp out Hunger" by the National Association of Letter Carriers in partnership with Campbell's Soup Company takes place Saturday as mail carriers throughout the nation collect bags of imperishable food items from over 75 million homes nationwide.
"Stamp out Hunger" occurs annually on the second Saturday of May. Residents are encouraged to leave a sturdy bag of non-perishable food items next to their mailbox before the time of mail pickup.
All proceeds benefit local food banks. For more information you can visit www.helpstampouthunger.com
1808 Eraste Landry Rd, PO Box 90665,
Telephone: 337.981.4823
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June 24, 2013
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Sourcesfelix salmon: Matt Yglesias on Steve Brill. After the education thing, and now this, I'm seeing a Brill pattern here. http://t.co/fsy71CSjYp
Kevin Roose: .@mattyglesias does the hero's duty, reads that 24,000-word Time story so you and I don't have to: http://t.co/ODOmPpoPqc
Ezra Klein: I want to link to this @mattyglesias post properly, but Twitter won't let me use italics: http://t.co/lxIdmi3m9b
guan: That @mattyglesias should get a medal for reading the Brill piece. http://t.co/NuXphKmH4u
Michael Grunwald: This @mattyglesias critique is totally fair: @stevenbrill had amazing reporting, weak policy solutions. http://t.co/PdHzqjvTUc
Jason Linkins: RT @mattyglesias: Steve Brill's health care opus, aggregated: http://t.co/HoS3wj4STa
Slate's Moneybox: Steven Brill's Opus on Health Care http://t.co/eGspdaAHFJ
Matt Yglesias: Steve Brill's health care opus, aggregated: http://t.co/HoS3wj4STa


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Lake Planting on Feb 8 a Huge Success
Click here for highlights.
If you see any problems in the park that require immediate attention, please call 3-1-1. Post maintenance issues on parkscan.org
Please check out:
Mountain Lake Remediation
Friends of Mountain Lake Park Playground
Mountain Lake Park comprises fourteen beautiful acres in San Francisco's Richmond District. It sits just south of Mountain Lake, one of the last remaining natural fresh water lakes in the City.


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Navistar to unveil its 15-liter engine
Navistar International Corp.'s 15-liter Big Bore MaxxForce engine for 2010 will be announced March 18 at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky.
Because Navistar remains the only heavy-duty engine maker not employing selective catalytic reduction technology to meet 2010 emissions standards, the company will not use Cummins SCR engines in the United States to meet 2010 emissions requirements, says Navistar spokesman Roy Wiley. Cummins officials did not respond to requests for comment.
The 15-liter MaxxForce will use exhaust gas recirculation to meet the 2010 standards.
Wiley would not confirm published but unattributed reports that the engine will be based on a Caterpillar C15 foundation. He said the company would not comment on "speculation" prior to the announcement in Louisville.
During a Jan. 22 meeting with investment analysts at the company's Melrose Park Engine Facility, Jack Allen, president of Navistar's North American Truck Group, said the new engine "will be consistent with our strategy of platform scale, of leveraging the assets we have, leveraging the assets our partners have, and we're going to bring a world-class engine to the market in a very short period."
The reference to leveraging partners' assets bolsters the notion that the MaxxForce 15 might combine technologies from the two companies. In June, Caterpillar said it will leave the North American Class 8 truck engine market by 2010, but will continue a severe-duty truck and engine partnership with Navistar. Caterpillar officials did not respond to requests for comment about the new Navistar engine.
Agency urges fatigue reduction plans
In response to a tractor-trailer rollover that triggered a collision with a motorcoach, the National Transportation Safety Board repeated safety recommendations [made Sept. 16, 2008] to deal with fatigue in commercial drivers.
NTSB wrote to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, recommending that:
· FMCSA implement a plan to deploy technologies in commercial vehicles to reduce fatigue-related accidents;
· FMCSA use a method that will assess the effectiveness of the fatigue management plans implemented by motor carriers, including their ability to improve sleep and alertness, mitigate performance errors, and prevent incidents and accidents;
· NHTSA determine whether equipping commercial vehicles with collision warning systems with active braking and electronic stability control systems will reduce accidents and to require their use on commercial vehicles if they are found effective.
NTSB also reiterated its recommendation that NHTSA determine rules on adaptive cruise control and collision warning system performance standards for new commercial vehicles.
Those standards should address obstacle detection distance, timing of alerts, and human factor guidelines, such as the mode and type of warning. An FMCSA spokesman said he had no comment about the NTSB letter.
Back On The Road winner to be named
A truck, a job and a new beginning await the winner of Arrow's Back On The Road 2009 campaign, presented by Volvo Trucks North America. The winner's journey begins March 20 at the Mid-America Trucking Show in Louisville, Ky., with the announcement by Arrow Truck Sales, which is part of the Volvo Group.
Country music star Aaron Tippin, radio personality Bill Mack from Sirius XM Radio and Back On The Road 2008 winner Don Turkelson will join Arrow for the event. The winner will receive a 2006 Volvo VNL 670, courtesy of Volvo Trucks North America, and a one-year work agreement with Heartland Express.
OverdriveOnline.com strives to maintain an open forum for reader opinions. Click here to read our comment policy.


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Crane manufacturer says it has ended business relations with Islamic Republic after Los Angeles Times report reveals Tehran used cranes for public hangings
Published: 07.15.11
A Japanese heavy machinery manufacturer said it has cut business ties with the Iranian government following a report that its cranes have been used for public executions.
The company's announcement came several days after United Against Nuclear Iran President Mark D. Wallace published an op-ed in Los Angeles Times where he names the Japanese Tadano company as one of several companies exporting cranes to Iran.
"In response to Iran's brazen attempts to intimidate and terrorize its own people, United Against Nuclear Iran has launched a Cranes Campaign. The goal is to educate crane manufacturers worldwide about the Iranian regime's clear misuse of their products and how such use can tarnish their brand image," Wallace wrote.
As part of the campaign, United Against Nuclear Iran published on its website a list of seven international manufacturers exporting cranes and other heavy equipment to Iran, along with pictures of the cranes being used for public executions.
Crane-hanging has become a common in the Islamic Republic. According to the op-ed, "Amnesty International estimates that as many as 13 people had been hanged in public by the end of April, compared to a total 14 in all of 2010. In a number of instances, those executed have been left hanging high in the air on construction cranes for all to see."
Wallace called on the international community to bring to an end "this kind of barbarism and highlight more broadly the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran."
By: aydeo
In: Iran
Tags: Japanese firm, cut ties, Iran, crane executions
Views: 7123 | Comments: 15 | Votes: 1 | Favorites: 1 | Shared: 0 | Updates: 0 | Times used in channels: 1
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A Community prayer vigil will be held at Community Clubhouse in Crisp County on Sunday, September 14,2014 at 7pm.
Police say a Sylvester car wash owner was selling drugs from his business.
35-year old Chris Hooks owns D-Mans Car Wash on Pope Street... but police think it may have been a cover for a drug business.
Sylvester Police... Poulan Police... And GBI Agents raided the business Friday.
Hooks was in his truck and took off.
Officers followed him and quickly arrested him.
He told police he ate some of the cocaine but they still found quite a bit at the car wash.
"We were able to recover powder cocaine, crack cocaine, marijuana and a little less than 600 dollars in cash," said Investigator Ronnie Graddy.
Hooks faces several charges..including sale of cocaine with intent to distribute. He is now free on bond.
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Super @RKunzig "whatdunnit" on competing camps and Younger Dryas cool spell. Check this lede:
Why did mammoths, mastodons, and other mega-beasts vanish from North America?
Was it because:
1) humans killed them;
2) they couldn't hack the climate after the Ice Age ended; or
3) an exploding comet ignited continent-wide wildfires, sent hundred-mile-an-hour winds and tornadoes howling across the land, and shattered the North American ice sheet, while also maybe gouging out the Great Lakes?
Let's talk about option number three. READ ON!


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PARIS, (Tierramérica).- The first lunar space mission, SMART-1 is underway, with the mission of analyzing the chemical make-up of unexplored regions of the Earth's natural satellite, and employing new miniature techniques, like ionic solar propulsion, which could be the technological basis for future space exploration.On Saturday, the spaceship SMART-1 (Small Missions for Advanced Research and Technology) was launched into space by an Ariane 5 rocket, from the European Space Agency's base in Kourou, French Guyana, on the Brazilian border.For the next few months, SMART-1, guided by scientists on Earth, will travel towards the moon, entering its orbit in December 2004 and, with the aid of new miniature technology, observe the moon's surface, particularly its southern pole.In a Tierramérica interview, project director Giuseppe Racca explained that "at first our plan was determined by one restriction and one freedom: we had little time to design a new space research project, which also meant little money, but, given that the European project had no precedents, we didn't have to integrate a burdensome legacy into our plans."With just four years in development, the SMART-1 probe is the outcome of these two factors.Costing a relatively modest 125 million dollars, it has an elegant design, is about the size of a refrigerator, less than a cubic meter in volume, and weighs just 367 kilos.Thanks to miniature technology, the precision instruments needed for lunar exploration all fit into this reduced space.SMART-1 is so small and light that it shared the Ariane launch rocket with two satellite missions.According to Racca, one of the great innovations of the probe is the use of dual, or solar ionic propulsion, utilizing the sun's energy to feed ionic engines."The ionic motors expel electrically charged particle -- ions -- producing a force in the opposite direction, which moves the spaceship," explained the scientist."The electricity necessary to feed the engines comes from the sun's rays, which SMART-1 captures and transforms into energy through the special panels on its wings."These engines are extremely efficient, producing 10 times more power per kilo of fuel than those commonly used in space travel.The dual ionic technology would be applicable for space missions within the solar system, where the sun can provide the needed energy.And in the near future, for trips beyond our system, where the solar energy is weak, the dual propulsion system could include nuclear engines as a substitute for the sun, says Racca.But in this first European mission to the moon, the technique will be put to a very difficult test."SMART-1 will gradually approach the moon, but will have to counteract the its gravitational pull, until reaching a specific orbit in December 2004. The path is very complex, such that ionic solar propulsion will be put to the test in extremely difficult conditions, comparable to a trip into deep space," he said.Another innovation is the use of high-definition infrared cameras. "These cameras measure visible light with a definition of a million points in a five-degree field of vision, with filters capable of selecting yellow, red or infrared light," said Racca."The cameras will observe select regions of the moon from different angles and under different lighting, which will give us clues as to the way this satellite of the Earth has evolved with the passage of time."Other SMART-1 technology includes the infrared spectrometer, capable of detecting rare minerals or revealing the details of craters formed by meteorites hitting the moon.Beginning in December 2004, when the probe will begin its orbit of the moon, it will send photographic images to the Kourou space center, particularly about the Aitken Basin, an enormous crater at the moon's south pole, created by a giant meteorite."The lunar surface full of craters provides an image of the Earth's surface some four billion years ago, an era when comets and asteroids continuously rained on the recently created solar system," he explained.The craters the asteroids left in the Earth's crust disappeared with the evolution of the planet, but the moon has not changed in nearly 3.5 billion years.Another of SMART-1's objectives is to compare the mineral composition of the two celestial bodies -- the Earth and the moon -- to confirm their shared origins.The infrared photography will allow scientists to map out the mineral make-up of the moon. "We will be able to conduct the first exhaustive mineral and chemical inventory of the unexplored regions of the moon and compare it to that of the Earth," said Racca.One of the theories favored among scientists is that when the Earth was still a young planet, a collision with a gigantic meteorite broke it in two. The larger became the Earth we inhabit today, and the smaller is the moon."SMART-1 is going to open new horizons. And we will share these discoveries with the whole world, with news and photographs each day," promised the mission chief.
* Julio Godoy is an IPS correspondent.


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Dr. Robinson knows that getting the right prescription involves balancing several factors, including clear eyesight, visual efficiency and your ability to process visual information seamlessly. Whether you need a routine eye examination, an eyeglasses fitting or treatment for eye disease (such as glaucoma or macular degeneration) or eye surgery (such as LASIK or cataract surgery), our optometrist will provide you with the best care, advice, options and follow up.
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Lessons from the Pope1,645 Views / EMail This Post / Print This Post / Home » Lessons from the Pope
Nrisimhananda Das: Pope Francis recently said that even the atheist that does "good" can be redeemed. The COMMENTS to his declaration as seen on http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/22/pope-francis-good-atheists_n_3320757.html are a vivid moniker or what happens when guru (in this case, the Pope), sastra (Bible), and sadhu (theologians) are in conflict. There is much controversy. As the Pope steers his flock more toward the Dalai Llama's idea of religion ("This is my simple religion. There is no need for temples; no need for complicated philosophy. Our own brain, our own heart is our temple; the philosophy is kindness." - DL), the statements in the Bible become more of a nuisance than a dictum. Disciples in the math of Srila Prabhupada will do well to study the effects of such dilution of canon statements.
While it may be true that all souls can be redeemed, the path of redemption is not, according to our teachings, reduced to pious acts. While we are instructed to rise to the level of the mode of goodness, the yuga dharma of Harinam cannot be circumvented in the march home, back to Godhead.
There are plenty of other "do-gooders" in the world building hospitals*, providing social services, and other philanthropic activities. Those endeavors alone cannot SAVE the conditioned soul from repeated birth and death. My understanding is that Srila Prabhupada charged us with the responsibility to teach first and foremost that the duty of all living entities is to serve Krsna through sankirtan. * Bhaktivedanta Hospital staff puts Krsna in the center.
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BD, Gen-Probe Settle Patent Dispute
December 04, 2012
BD, Gen-Probe Settle Patent Dispute
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GREY'S ANATOMY - "Now or Never" - In a shocking moment, Dr. Izzie Stevens collapses in the arms of her new husband, Dr. Alex Karev, on "Grey's Anatomy," THURSDAY, MAY 14 (9:00-11:00 p.m., ET) on the ABC Television Network. KATHERINE HEIGL, JUSTIN CHAMBERS
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Do NOT run on pavement. Its the future you will skid off the map (after falling over and your mechwarrior getting knocked out).
In your first engagement you get shot in the ammo bin and all your MG ammo cooks off blowing your mech and you into a smoking crater.


text: Philip Khokhar, Reporter | Lightstalkers Home Member Directory Calendar Groups Resources Publications You are not logged in. Click here to log in now. | Switch to our mobile site→ My Profile My Galleries My Networks Philip Khokhar Profession: Reporter Location: Copenhagen , Denmark Home base: Copenhagen, Denmark Email: •••••••• (private) Organization: DR Mobile phone: 0045 28542630 Last login: 10 months ago Member since: 07 Sep 2009 14:09 About Reporter for Danish Televison, DR. Working primarily in South Asia, but also Middle East and Europe. Testimonials Subscribe via RSS→ More about sponsorship→ Search for in membersimagespostsrepliespublications searching… Discussion Assignments Events For Sale Gear Housing Tech Support Travel Other stuff Send invitations Member Directory Calendar Galleries Groups Publications Resources About Lightstalkers Manifesto Donations Corporate Sponsorship Official Gear Send this to: (email address) Translate into: 简体字 Deutsch 日本語 한국말 Français Italiano Português Español More about our partners→ Top↑ | RSS/XML | Privacy Statement | Terms of Use | firstname.lastname@example.com ©2004-2014 November Eleven


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For Baltimore-area prep lacrosse fans, all is right with the world after the boys and girls-all-star teams went undefeated to sweep the Under Armour Lacrosse Underclass tournament championships Sunday afternoon at Towson University.
The twin wins were as much dramatic (girls) as they were decisive (boys) in completeing a combined 12-0 run through the tournament for the Baltimore squads.
The girls, who had several down-to-the-wire victories, pulled out another heart-stopper in the last 10 seconds on Mount de Sales rising senior attacker Amanda Ignacio's third goal of the game to defeat previously unbeaten Long Island, 10-9.
McDonogh rising senior Megan Whittle, who scored five goals and added a pair of assists in the triumph, fed Ignacio for the game winner. Whittle was named the tournament MVP.
"She had an awesome tournament," Baltimore coach Jessica Randisi said.
Marriotts Ridge rising senior midfielder Marissa Davey and McDonogh rising sophomore midfielder Brindi Griffin added single goals for the champs while Maryvale rising junior midfielder Miranda Ibello (two), Ignacio (two) and Century rising sophomore midfielder Hannah Warther added assists.
The Baltimore boys were ahead, 13-11, in the final against Washington, D.C. midway through the fourth quarter until they closed with a furious 4-0 run on goals by Hereford rising senior midfielder Adam Ceribelli, Westminster rising senior midfielder Jesse Uhlman, Gilman rising senior attackman Chase Wittich and Hereford rising senior attackman Jason Ashwood.
In a semidfinal earlier on Sunday, Baltimore routed defending champion Philadelphia, 17-10.
Baltimore led, 9-7, in the third period before closing the game on an 8-3 run on goals by Loyola Blakefield rising junior midfielder Ryan Conrad, Boys' Latin rising senior midfielder Tal Bruno, Gilman rising senior midfielder William McBride, Ashwood and Gilman rising junior attackman Andy Matthews.
Bruno, Ashwood and Conrad scored two goals each during the spree.
Boys' Latin rising senior attackman Shack Stanwick was named the tournament MVP.
"Shack is a very smart attackman," Baltimore coach Tom Marechek said. He's our quarterback. He controls the pace of the game."
Stanwick had two goals and five assists in the final after notching a goal and four assists against Philadelphia in a semifinal.
On Saturday, Baltimore picked a perfect time to play inspired defense in an 11-7 triumph over Long Island.
The victory earned Baltimore a top seed in the playoffs on Sunday at the same site and knocked the New Yorkers out of the playoff hunt.
Coming on the heels of a 13-10 win over New England earlier in the day, Baltimore capped a perfect day in running its record to 4-0.
Rising junior goalies, A.J. Barretto, of St. Paul's, and Century's Alex Gipe, combined for 15 saves — topping the duo's 12-save effort against New England — to help Baltimore keep it close until the offense came to life in the second half.
"We're beginning to build some chemistry," Barretto said after compiling eight saves in the first half. "Long Island has a bunch of good guys, but it's great to have Baltimore win."
Baltimore trailed, 5-4, in the third quarter until Matthews tied it on an inside roll to beat Long Island goalie Jack Concannon. Goals by Uhlman and St. Paul's rising senior Mikey Wynne gave Baltimore a 7-5 advantage heading into the final period.
After McDonogh's Brinton Valis and McBride continued the run with goals, Long Island was too far behind to recover.


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|Pension Waldhaus Arnoldshammer Weg 1, Breitenbrunn (10 miles from Schönheiderhammer)
Score from 34 reviews: Excellent Latest Booking: September 14Located in the peaceful town of Breitenbrunn, the 4-star Pension Waldhaus offers comfortable accommodation and spa facilities in the Saxony countryside. Free Wi-Fi is available throughout. More…
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|Hotel Neustädter Hof Grünhainer Str. 24, Schwarzenberg (10.8 miles from Schönheiderhammer)
Score from 32 reviews: Very good Latest Booking: September 16A sauna, traditional beer garden and buffet breakfasts are offered by this hotel. Set in the scenic Erzgebirge mountain region, it is just 800 metres from the historic Old Town. More…
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Fish Show Sponsors ~ 2014
We would like to say THANK YOU! to our 2014 fishing show sponsors:
March 2014 Club Meeting
This month we are delighted to have Joe Brotz present on eels. Eels catch big fish. If you want to catch a big fish, then you will not want to miss this seminar!


text: Sacred Destinations Destinations Ireland Tipperary Rock of Cashel Rock of Cashel Photos 2188 × share full URL share short URL embed link code photo 78 of 172 Previous | Next Cathedral from Northeast View of the cathedral (mid-13th century) and round tower (early 12th century) from northeast. Rock of Cashel, County Tipperary, Ireland. Credit: Holly Hayes license this photo at Art History Images


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Monday, September 22, 2014
Alternate title: Phantom of the Opera
The opera "Phantom of the Opera" gets aired live from the Royal Albert Hall in London. It is an event in celebration of the 25th anniversary of the show. ~ Baseline StudioSystems
Go to Cast & Credits »
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text: Bear Creek is one of four dams - the others are Upper Bear Creek, Little Bear Creek, and Cedar Creek - that provide flood control, recreational opportunities, and water supply in northwest Alabama. The Bear Creek area is popular for all kinds of boating, including canoeing and kayaking. The Bear Creek Floatway, which flows into Bear Creek Reservoir, is a popular spot for teaching first-timers to negotiate rapids and work with the current.


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Ashley Tisdale is Pretty in (Hot) Pink! (PHOTOS)
Pink may have been the signature color of Ashley Tisdale's character Sharpay Evans in High School Musical, but it looks like Ash loves rocking it too!
The 25-year-old actress was spotted out and about in LA on Friday afternoon and was running some pre-weekend errands. Keeping things cute and casual, Ash paired the hot pink tee with some light jeans. A perfect look for running errands!
So, what was Ashley up to on Thursday evening?
Ashley tweeted about a dinner date she had at Hollywood hotspot Katsuya and said:
"Went out with my man and his sister Julie out on the town tonight! #goodtimeswithfamily"Sounds like a good time was had by all!
What do you think of Ashley's errands look? Sound off in the comments!


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As a member of the R&D team, you will be challenged with the designing, building and testing of the latest film & television equipment that incorporates the most advanced components available to the industry. You have the opportunity to work on all stages of product development from design to production.
•Complete circuit board level design
•Perform analog circuit development and testing
•Conduct high speed transmission development and testing
•Design digital hardware using VHDL
•Responsible for Clock tree Design
•Switch-mode power supply development
Projects will require a wide range of experience and use of the following design tools:
•Power Logic
•DX Designer
•A degree in Electrical Engineering
•Accrued related experience of 2-5 years
•Be results oriented, self-motivated, and a team player
•Strong problem solving and trouble shooting skills
Additional exposure to the following areas are definite assets:
•Hardware development experience with Power PC and Coldfire micro-controllers
•C and C++ programming for non RTOS embedded processor development
•Structured programming technique
•Data Stuctures, device design and embedded real-time applications
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Team USA is coming off its largest margin of victory in Olympic history beating Nigeria 156-73 Thursday to improve to 3-0 so far in pool play.
The last two games have been cakewalks for the U.S. playing Tunisia and Nigeria but the degree of difficulty will start to increase Saturday morning when Team USA takes on Lithuania at 9:30 a.m. EST.
Lithuania is just 1-2 so far in pool play losing to Argentina and most recently France. Lithuania is still a team with a lot of potential, maybe not to upset the U.S. but definitely give them a tough game.
Linas Kleiza is currently leading the team in scoring so far averaging 16.0 points and 6.7 rebounds per game for the Lithuanians. Kleiza has the potential to really heat up from beyond the 3-point line in any given game which will have to happen for Lithuania to hang with Team USA.
Lithuania also features another interesting NBA player in Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas hasn't played much so far in the tournament averaging just 10.8 minutes per game but was a lottery selection by the Toronto Raptors a year ago and will be coming to the NBA next season.
Valanciunas will be the biggest player the U.S. has seen so far at the Olympics and should see an increase in workload in the game. He is still a very raw player and has been in a lot of foul trouble but his work on the interior is something that could give the U.S. trouble.
The United States have made us all forget about their one weakness having easily won all of their first three games. That will come more to the forefront starting with Lithuania and we will see if it ever becomes a big problem for them.
Carmelo Anthony has led the U.S. so far averaging 20.7 points per game heavily influenced by his U.S. Olympic record of 37 points vs. Nigeria. Anthony missed just three field goals total in the last two games for the U.S. and he made 10 threes against Nigeria.
Kevin Durant is second on the team averaging 16.3 points per game and he is the team's leading rebounder at 6.7 per game.
One thing that could prevent Lithuania from pulling off the improbable upset is that they have not been very good shooting the three so far in the Olympics. A hot night from downtown is definitely necessary to compete with the U.S.
The U.S. on the other hand have been unreal with their 3-point shooting so far most recently making 29-of-46 threes vs. Nigeria. Team USA has not been shy about hoisting threes so far in this tournament and they should see a lot of zone from Lithuania which will lead to more of the same from three.
Ultimately the U.S. should cruise to another victory in this one. Lithuania is too weak in their backcourt and doesn't have the shooting or athletes to pose a real threat to Team USA. This will not be a repeat of the Nigeria game though but a win is a win even if it's by 25 instead of 83.
Tags: 2012 Olympics Carmelo Anthony Jonas Valanciunas Kevin Durant Linas Kleiza Lithuania Nigeria USA Basketball


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Worldwide Locations
It's a fact: American students' academic achievements are falling desperately behind their peers worldwide. It's not surprising considering the state of American schools: one in three students in American never graduate and only one in two students in urban centers have a high school diploma.
It's also true that nations with declining education systems will also suffer economically as a result. In short, American schools are not preparing the rising generation for the global knowledge economy of the future.
Asia Society Senior Adviser for Education Vivien Stewart argues that the US "has reason to be worried."
Chinese is the language of the future, and to prove it, Voice of America conducted research that proves that Interest in Learning Chinese May be Growing Exponentially.
When Americans learned earlier this week that their schooling system lagged significantly behind those in Asian countries like China, Singapore, South Korea, and Hong Kong, President Obama rightly labeled the event as another "Sputnik" moment.
The rise of education in Asia is no accident, Asia Society President explains.
Australia, a nation where people from 140 countries live side-by-side, is contradicting its image as a melting pot.
In attempt to curb the rising numbers of abandoned infants in mostly-Muslim Malaysia, a school dedicated to educate pregnant teens has opened under the name of "Sekolah Harapan, Rumah Harapan," or "School of Hope, House of Hope," a first of its kind in the country.
US Secretary of Education message for teachers: our nation's future prosperity depends on you.
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For the eve of Halloween on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, The Weeknd performed an appropriately shadowy rendition of Kiss Land single "Pretty." The performance was lean and straightforward — making that guitar squall and percussion breakdown at the end that much more intense — and proves Abel Tesfaye has learned how to maximize his effect on the network TV circuit.
This latest stint certainly illustrates why fans would be wise to show up early for Drake's "Would You Like A Tour?" Europe shows next year. Check it out up top.
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Irandum ondrodu ondru serndathu with vijayakumar
Lyrics & Chords
Sonu Kanna said
Good nice to hear kartika your voice better to upload solo songs as a debut, nice to hear duet with vijai kumar let me listen to more song.
"No Prejudice comparisons"
by Kartika V
uploaded over 4 years ago
- 104 Plays. Last played on September 24, 2014
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- 1 Irandum ondrodu ondru sernd... MP3 Download