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Kenya's largest mobile operator Safaricom on Friday increased the cost of moving funds through M-Pesa following a new tax on transaction fee earned from mobile money transfer.
Safaricom said customers transferring more than Ksh101 ($1.2) will have to pay 10 per cent more on account of a government decision to introduce a similar tax on earnings from the service.
The telco is opposed to the new tax arguing that it would add more costs to customers and therefore negatively affect the sector.
As Kenyas largest taxpayer, we appreciate the need to support government as it seeks to reach its financial obligations. However, we maintain our position that a tax on mobile money is at that this time premature and is likely to have a negative impact on the countrys financial deepening agenda by creating an unnecessary barrier for wananchi who are most in need of basic financial services, Bob Collymore, the company CEO said.
The government on Friday gazetted amendments to the Finance Act of 2012, introducing a 10 per cent excise duty tax on transaction fees for financial as well money transfer services as it seeks to raise cash to fund its growing recurrent expenditure.
Analysts say the new tax law could have an even bigger impact on banks given the size of their transactions.
Banks will even be worse because the 10 per cent duty is a huge portion of their revenues. Most players will pass on costs within the next few weeks, explained Eric Musau an analyst with the Standard Investment Bank.
Source: The East African.
Ukrainian cellular market leader Kyivstar has made increases to a wide range of its tariffs. Effective from the first week of February, 16 post-paid tariff plans will increase their monthly fee by 15%-30% while certain prices for services under 29 pre-paid tariff plans will be affected, writes newspaper Kommersant. For example, for tariff plans without a regular fee, such as One price and Better with us, February will see a 15%-25% increase in the cost of on-net calls, while in a number of tariff plans the minimum cost of purchasing a block of SMS messages will increase by 50% (although the number of SMS included will increase accordingly). Kyivstars director of corporate communications, Jeanne Parkhomenko, pointed out that price rises applied only to old tariff plans, while users on newer tariffs were experiencing price reductions. She went on to say that from the first week of February the cellco was also reducing the cost of sending SMS and MMS by 50% for 80% of the subscriber base, and claimed that around three million customers will be transferred to the companys economic tariff plan and incur charges only for services used. Mrs Parkhomenko also indicated that the selected price increases were part of a company strategy to offset losses stemming from certain tariff reductions implemented following sustained pressure from Ukraines anti-monopoly agency. The LigaBusinessInform news agency adds that Mrs Parkhomenko will be leaving next week to take up a post in Kazakhstan.
Source: TeleGeography.
Online news portal Tut.by reports MTS Belarus as saying that the total number of people subscribing to its mobile internet services increased by 27% in 2012, to reach 1.5 million by the year end. In December 2012 alone, MTS Belarus said that mobile internet users generated 950,000 gigabytes of traffic, double the figure reported in December 2011, while for the year as a whole, 3G traffic totalled 9.3 million gigabytes. The cellcos 3G network currently comprises 1,760 base stations and is available in 100% of the countrys cities and towns.
MTN Nigeria has reportedly made the necessary preparations ahead of the Nigerian Communications Commissions (NCCs) long-delayed introduction of mobile number portability (MNP), which is expected to take place in the next few months. Business Day Online cites MTNs CEO Brett Goschen as saying that a series of tests have already been carried out on the operators systems and infrastructure, with further testing to take place in the immediate run-up to the launch of MNP. We have made necessary investment in infrastructure and manpower and we are now finalising the process of making this project a reality, the executive stated, adding: We are confident that when the NCC is ready to blow the whistle for the kick off of this project, we will be ready.
TeleGeographys GlobalComms Database notes that the introduction of MNP was first considered by the NCC in the third quarter of 2007, but the commission has been waiting for the conclusion of SIM registration before it officially launches the service. The NCC announced in October 2011 that it had selected a consortium of three companies Interconnect Clearinghouse Nigeria, Saab Grintek and Telcordia to set up and implement number portability for the first five years, and having already pushed back the expected launch date on various occasions, in December 2012 the regulator said it was set to begin testing the system in order to address any problems ahead of a planned launch in the first quarter of this year.
Source: TeleGeography.
According to data from the Rwanda Utilities Regulatory Agency (RURA), the countrys wireless subscriber base at the end of 2012 was just under 5.7 million, up from 4.7 million just six months previously. MTN remains the market leader with a market share of 60.3%, followed by Millicom-owned Tigo with 32.8%. New entrant Airtel, which launched in June 2012 and is backed by Indias Bharti Airtel, grew its subscriber base from 144,044 in July to 391,072 by the end of the year. MTN and Tigos networks each reach more than 98% of the population, whereas Airtels population coverage currently stands at 15%.
In a statement published in Cuban newspaper Granma, state-owned telecoms operator Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba (ETECSA) has confirmed that internet traffic is being carried by the islands first submarine fibre-optic cable. The telecoms monopoly stated that the Alternativa Bolivariana para los Pueblos de nuestra America (ALBA-1) cable, which connects Cuba to Venezuela, has been carrying international voice traffic since August 2012, while data traffic tests have been carried out on the cable since 10 January 2013. When the testing process is completed, however, ETECSA noted that the launch of the cable will not automatically mean that the possibility of access will increase, adding that investment in the domestic telecoms infrastructure is required and that even then the goal is gradual growth of a service that we offer mostly for free and with social aims in mind. Historically, Cuba has had to access the internet via expensive and slow satellite connections, but earlier this month internet monitoring firm Renesys observed that the ALBA-1 cable had finally been activated, almost two years after the system first landed on the island.
Chilean telecoms watchdog Subtel has set new standards for wireless Quality of Service (QoS), increasing the minimum percentage of successful call attempts and completed calls to 97% in urban areas and 90% in rural areas, splitting a previous national total into regional values. The decision follows a study conducted by the regulator in H1 2012 investigating the service standards of the nations cellcos. The report found that in Q1 Entel had 94.8% successful calls, Claro 93.0% and Movistar 92.5%, which improved to 97.6%, 96.0% and 96.0% in Q2. Newcomers to the market Nextel and VTR had successful call rates of 97.6% and 96.5% respectively. In terms of completed calls Entel had success rates of 93.4% (Q1) and 96.1%, Claro had 91.7% and 94.8% whilst Movistar fell behind with 90.9% and 94.2%. Nextel and VTR customers completed 96.8% and 95.3% of calls.
Commenting on the changes, the secretary of state commented: The decision to upgrade the standard of quality of service for mobile phones, from a national average to a regional standard, aims to improve the performance of networks in each city and guarantees users good service where they live. This regulatory change will increase the demands for companies that will even out the quality of their networks throughout the country.
Costa Ricas telecoms watchdog Superintendencia de Telecomunicaciones (Sutel) expects a management company for the implementation of mobile number portability (MNP) to be selected by early February, with the system to be in place within the following three months, La Nacion quotes Eduardo Castellon, a spokesperson for the regulator, as saying. Four companies are competing for the project, Telcordia Technologies, Informatica El Corte Ingles, Teletech and CESA-Porting Consortium. TeleGeographys GlobalComms Database notes that a committee representing the nations trio of cellcos ICE Celular, Claro Costa Rica and Movistar Costa Rica is to make the selection but if no decision is reached, Sutel will intervene and select a company. Such an eventuality is expected, as incumbent ICE has sought to hold up the project and had filed 20 appeals to halt or delay the introduction of MNP by end-December 2012.
Mobile network operator Airtel Tanzania has cut the cost of its on-net calls to TZS0.10 (USD0.00006) per second after the first two minutes of the call equivalent to a reduction of 70%. The new lower rate will take effect from 24 January, allowing Airtel pay-as-you-go users to pay far less to make on-net calls.
The Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) has set a new price cap of NGN4 (USD0.025) for domestic off-net text messages, to be introduced from 5 February 2013, according to local newspaper The Guardian. The new rate is a 60% reduction from the previous cap of up to NGN10 per off-net SMS. Commenting on the move, Josephine Amuwa, the NCCs director of Legal and Regulatory Services, said that having evaluated and analysed SMS traffic information provided by the operators, the regulator noted that there was a general recognition that the cost of SMS is too high, especially in view of the interconnection rate of NGN1.02 for SMS as determined by the Commission in 2009. She added that at present, the NCC has no plans to place a price cap on international SMS, but said the regulator would encourage operators to work towards lowering the cost of international messages.
Brazils telecoms regulator Anatel reports that the country was home to a total of 261.78 million mobile connections at the end of 2012, up 8.07% (or 19.5 million new lines), from the 242.20 million reported at the end of 2011. Cellular penetration increased to 132.78 mobile lines per 100 of population over the same period, it added. Of the total, 80.53% of lines (210.82 million) were pre-paid, down from 81.8% a year earlier, while GSM continued to be the most popular access platform, accounting for 74.8% of connections, compared to 82.4% in 2011.
In terms of mobile market share, Anatel said that Vivo (owned by Spains Telefonica) controlled 29.08% of the segment at end-2012, ahead of TIM Brasil (26.87%), America Movil-backed Telecom Americas (Claro) with 24.95%, Oi SA in fourth with 18.81%, CTBC or Agar Telecom (0.18%), regional operator Sercomtel (0.03%) and fledgling MVNO Porto Seguro (with 8,300 accesses). For the first time NII Holdings Nextel Brasil unit was also ranked, having launched 3G data plans without fanfare at the end of the fourth quarter.
Alongside Anatels mobile market update, Brazils Telebrasil association released its estimate of the broadband market, reporting a total of 86 million high speed internet accesses (fixed and mobile) at end-December, up 45% year-on-year with the strongest growth coming from mobile broadband (up 60% y-o-y). The association said that around 27 million new mobile connections were activated last year, lifting the total to 52.5 million 3G cellular accesses and 13.5 million via data terminals (including modems and M2M connections).
Finally, Brazils incumbent cellcos continued to roll out their 3G coverage last year, collectively reaching 3,285 municipalities, or 88% of the population, at the years end, up 24% (or 635 new municipalities) compared to end-2011. The deployments helped boost the total cities covered figure beyond the governments own target dramatically; the state had set a goal of 928 cities covered with 3G networks by April 2013.
Rene Meza, the managing director of Vodacoms Tanzanian mobile operation has expressed concerns over a plan by the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA) to slash interconnection fees, saying such a move would hurt infrastructure investment in the East African nation.
As reported by TeleGeographys CommsUpdate, the government of Tanzania is considering slashing the rates that mobile network operators charge each other for terminating calls on each others networks by up to 69% from March 2013, in an effort to drive competition. Innocent Mungy, a spokesman for the TCRA, was quoted as saying that under the proposal, the mobile interconnection rate could be cut to TZS34.92 (USD0.022) a minute, from the current TZS112.00. The TCRA will decide on the precise magnitude of the cut this month, but in an e-mailed statement Rene Meza said: We have raised concerns with the significant reduction proposed in March 2013 and the basis by which the reduction has been proposed
It is important that interconnect charges are designed to reflect the actual costs of mobile operators and the impact that the reduction will have on investment plans by Vodacom and other national operators.
The government of South Sudan is looking to deploy a fibre-optic network connecting the capital Juba with submarine cables in east Africa, in a bid to reduce the high cost of internet services in the landlocked country. We are targeting this year, within this year, that we will be connected to the submarine cable, Juma Stephen, undersecretary at the Ministry of Telecommunication and Postal Services, told news agency Reuters, adding: Construction of fibre-optic cables will more than halve internet prices and make it twice as fast. South Sudan, which officially gained independence from Sudan in July 2011, currently relies on slow and expensive satellite links for international bandwidth. Stephen said the government is carrying out a feasibility study on whether to connect with submarine cables (such as The East African Marine System [TEAMS], Eastern Africa Submarine System [EASSy] and SEACOM) in Djibouti or Kenyas Indian Ocean port of Mombasa.
Bahrain Telecommunications Company (Batelco) has announced its results for the twelve months ended 31 December 2012. Consolidated net profits fell to BHD60.3 million (USD160.0 million) from BHD80.0 million the previous year, and group EBITDA also fell to BHD101.8 million versus BHD126.0 million posted in 2011. The company attributed the decline to aggressive competition in Bahrain, restructuring costs for 2012 and 2013 and a number of one-off adjustments including expenses associated with an extensive restructuring and cost rationalisation programme at the domestic division. Consolidated total annual revenues stood at BHD304.7 million in 2012, down by 6.8% from BHD327.0 million a year earlier, while fourth-quarter total group revenue was BHD77.2 million, down by 5.3% from BHD81.5 million in the same period of 2011. At year-end 2012, 41% of revenues and 39% of EBITDA were sourced from overseas markets up from 37% and 31% respectively in 2011 according to TeleGeographys GlobalComms Database helping to partially offset the effects of intense competitive pressures in Bahrain.
The groups total subscriber base grew to more than 7.8 million across six markets, representing 18% growth year-on-year, driven by strong results in Jordan and Yemen during the year and in the fourth quarter in particular. Mobile subscriber numbers grew 17% year-on-year and 5% quarter-on-quarter. Broadband customers increased by 52% year-on-year and by 18% in October-December 2012, with results supported by progress in Bahrain and Jordan. Figures excluded results from operations in India, where Batelcos agreed sale of its 43% stake in S Tel is pending completion, and the Bahraini telco is suing its Indian partner for non-payment.
The Bahraini groups domestic division achieved a 3% increase in mobile subscriber numbers during the fourth quarter of 2012, although year-on-year the mobile base saw a 5% decline as a result of ongoing and aggressive competition and a challenging regulatory environment, Batelco said. Bahraini mobile broadband subscribers increased by 56% y-o-y and 8% q-o-q, but fixed broadband and fixed line customers reduced by 8% and 5%, respectively y-o-y, whilst remaining stable over Q4 2012.
Umniah in Jordan delivered 3% growth in its mobile subscriber base to 2.4 million, following the launch of 3.5G services (adding 122,000 3G subscribers during 2012). Umniah reported fixed and wireless broadband subscriber growth of 521% y-o-y and 62% q-o-q.
In Kuwait, Batelco claimed that Qualitynet remained the market leader in the data communications and internet sector, maintaining market share and ending the year with 39,000 customers.
Sabafon (Yemen) returned to growth in 2012 following stabilisation of the countrys political situation and the rationalisation of the customer base, which was completed in the first quarter, excluding non-active SIM cards. Sabafon ended 2012 with a subscriber base of more than 4.1 million users, up by 33% y-o-y and 9% q-o-q.
Atheeb (Saudi Arabia) made a shift in its business model during 2012, focusing on the high margin business segment, resulting in an annual decline of 11% in total voice and data services customers, while the company was successful in adding a significant number of new business customers to keep numbers steady on a quarter-on-quarter basis, and in terms of growing revenues.
Batelco recently announced a deal to enlarge its footprint by acquiring equity interests in Cable & Wireless Communications Monaco & Islands division across eleven new markets, which was approved by the shareholders of both companies in early January 2013, and which remains on track to close during the first quarter.
Malik Shaban, the deputy CEO of ZTE in Libya, has revealed to the Libya Herald that a nationwide WiMAX network could be in place as early as August this year, confirming that work has now commenced on the second phase of deployment. The rollout, which is being carried out on behalf of the countrys dominant internet service provider (ISP), state-owned Libya Telecom & Technology (LTT), will see around 300 WiMAX base stations deployed across the country, with a particular focus on rural areas in the south. The rollout will supplement LTTs current footprint of 346 towers, which cover 18 locations. However, the undertaking may not end there; LTTs managing director, Saad Ksheer, told the paper that the company is planning a total of 588 new WiMAX towers to ease network congestion. ZTE has been active within Libya since September when it was drafted in to repair infrastructure damaged during the revolution. However, it is thought that phase two of the rollout dates back to the period prior to the fall of the Gaddafi regime.
Now that the government has decided to allow the RM200 rebate for all types of smartphones, local phone distributors and telecommunication providers are now experiencing a big jump in sales. For some, problems have even cropped up: they do not have enough phones to sell because of the surge in demand. The governments move to remove the limit to smartphones costing RM500 each or less is expected to benefit about one million youths between 21 and 30 years earning less than RM3,000 a month.
Jason Lo, Chief Executive Officer of Tune Talk Sdn Bhd, said since the announcement, demand for its smartphones has risen by over 50 per cent. Tune Talk is one the service providers for the package under the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC). The announcement was a good move by the government. We receive around 10 to 15 new applications for the rebate daily and the number is rising, Lo told Bernama. The governments pro-active move also benefited Tune Talks 800 dealers nationwide, he said. We do not have a problem in terms of smartphones stocks as our policy is to order only when there is a demand. Currently, demand is still under control, Lo said. Eddy Tay, Head of Sales at NineTology Malaysia Sdn Bhd, said youths were benefiting from the government effort to equip them with smartphones as they have more models now to choose from. Youths these days not only purchase smartphones to communicate but also for Internet data, he said. With the latest announcement, Tay said demand from his distributors had increased. Meanwhile, ZTE Malaysia Director of Terminal Division, Jeremy Zhao, hoped that the government could extend the campaign to not only smartphones but also to the entire list of mobile broadband products to help enrich end-user options and increase mobile broadband penetration in Malaysia. Initially, 23 models were shortlisted, but now all smartphone vendors stand to benefit, he said, adding that his company was also experiencing an increase in sales.
Source: The Malaysian Times.
Brazilian mobile network operators TIM Brasil and Oi SA have announced plans to share 4G networks in the country, to allow them to offer ultra-high speed cellular services in the host cities for the FIFA Confederations Cup (Copa das Confederacoes) Belo Horizonte, Brasilia, Fortaleza, Recife, Rio de Janeiro and Salvador. In a joint statement on 18 January, the two carriers said the decision to share the deployment of Long Term Evolution (LTE) network infrastructure will yield savings of between 40%-60%, enabling them to be more competitive against other mobile carriers. The new services are expected to be ready in April, in time for testing ahead of the football tournament which kicks off in June 2013. The partnership agreement is still to be approved by the national watchdog Anatel.
Macedonias industry regulator the Agency for Electronic Communications (AEC) has published its latest observatory of the countrys telecoms markets for the period ended 30 September 2012. At that date the watchdog counted a total of 2.299 million active mobile subscribers, up 1.9% from 2.257 million in September 2011. Of these, the number of mobile broadband (2G/3G) users stood at 446,288, up 15.9% from 384,988 a year earlier; 2G narrowband users topped 172,787 (+63.8%). The Macedonian regulator also said that mobile phone users generated voice traffic of over 1.020 billion minutes in Q3 2012, up 17.3% y-o-y and 3.7% higher than in Q2 2012.
The total number of main lines in service (PSTN and ISDN) reached 407.896 at end-September 2012, down 1.4% year-on-year, of which business lines accounted for 43,615 (-0.02%). Meanwhile the number of residential fixed line subscribers dropped by 1.5% in the year under review to 364,281. The total number of internet connections was 302,257, compared to 271,773 at end-September 2011. IPTV subscriptions stood at 58,385, up 64.9% on an annualised basis.
A fibre-optic undersea cable that links Cuba with the global internet via Venezuela appears to have finally been activated, almost two years after the system first landed on the island. In the past week, internet monitoring firm Renesys has observed much lower latencies in Cuba, while noting that Spanish telecoms firm Telefonica has begun service to the islands state-owned telecoms monopoly, Empresa de Telecomunicaciones de Cuba (ETECSA). The 1,600km cable, known as Alternativa Bolivariana para los Pueblos de nuestra America (ALBA-1), landed on Siboney beach in Cuba in February 2011, but no further developments on the cables progress have been reported until now. In an online blog, Renesys noted that traffic via the cable seems only to be flowing into the country, not out of it: Telefonicas service to ETECSA is, either by design or misconfiguration, using its new cable asymmetrically (i.e. for traffic in only one direction)
In such a configuration, ETECSA enjoys greater bandwidth and lower latencies (along the submarine cable) when receiving internet traffic but continues to use satellite services for sending traffic. Cuba accesses the internet via expensive and slow satellite connections, and while the activation of the undersea cable system is a first steps towards providing ETECSA with a better link to the internet, Renesys noted that it is unlikely to lead to widespread public access to the World Wide Web, in the short term at least.
Bloomberg News writes that the government of Tanzania is considering slashing the rates that mobile network operators charge each other for terminating calls on each others networks by up to 69% from March 2013, in an effort to drive competition. Innocent Mungy, a spokesman for the Tanzania Communications Regulatory Authority (TCRA), is quoted as saying that under the proposal, the mobile interconnection rate could be cut to TZS34.92 (USD0.022) a minute, from the current TZS112.00. He added that the TCRA has also acquiesced to a request from domestic operators to start charging fees in the local currency, the shilling, rather than in USD dollars, as has been the case until now.
We are doing this to encourage competition in the sector, and to ensure calling is affordable to consumers, the TCRA official said. We held consultations with stakeholders including consumers and telecom operators on the matter yesterday and the board will have to make a decision in a week or so but before the end of this month. The rates however have to go down.
Chinas wireless market expanded to 1.11 billion users by the end of 2012, including 233.4 million 3G subscribers according to data released by the nations three mobile providers, increasing from 975.7 million total and 127.5 million 3G customers at end-December 2011. China Mobile recorded 710.3 million active wireless users at the end of December 2012, of which 87.9 million were 3G users, up by 9.3% and 71.7% year-on-year respectively. China Unicom meanwhile, claimed a total of 239.3 million users (+19.6%) including 76.5 million 3G customers (+91.0%) whilst China Telecom had 69.1 million 3G customers (+90.3%) out of its 160.6 million-strong customer base (+27.0%).
Con el avance y puesta en marcha del Proyecto Nacional de Fibra Óptica, 226 municipios adicionales se conectarán con servicios de Internet de alta calidad.
El anuncio lo hizo el Presidente de la República, Juan Manuel Santos, durante el Acuerdo para la Prosperidad realizado en Coyaima (Tolima), en donde resaltó que gracias a este proyecto el 100% de los municipios del Tolima ya están conectados con fibra óptica. Los 266 municipios beneficiados hacen parte del primer grupo del Proyecto Nacional de Fibra Óptica, que lidera el MinTIC, y gracias a la cual se conectarán a la autopista de la información el 96% los municipios del país. Las poblaciones del primer grupo están ubicados en 9 departamentos: Antioquia (29), Caldas (17), Cundinamarca (32), La Guajira (1), Meta (13), Nariño (38), Norte de Santander (24), Risaralda (9), Santander (31) y Tolima (32). El Proyecto Nacional de Fibra Óptica consta de una gran red que se despliega por todo el país interconectando las cabeceras municipales. Con este proyecto Colombia pasó de tener 200 municipios conectados en el 2011 a 551 a comienzos del 2013, y la meta es llegar a 1.078 en el año 2014. El despliegue de la infraestructura óptica inició en noviembre de 2012 y durante el proceso que culminará en el 2014 se construirá una red de 15.000 kilómetros a lo largo de todo el país. El Ministro TIC, Diego Molano Vega, precisó: Este proyecto, que hace parte de los objetivos del Plan Vive Digital, permitirá que el país se ubique a la vanguardia de conectividad en América Latina, haciendo parte del grupo de líderes que actualmente implementan proyectos nacionales de banda ancha, soportados en redes de fibra óptica. ¿Por qué Fibra Óptica? A través de esta red se transmiten voz, imágenes, videos y datos a grandes velocidades y menor costo en comparación a otras tecnologías, convirtiendo la fibra óptica en una verdadera autopista de la información para los colombianos. Las señales que son transportadas no se ven afectadas por cambios climáticos o radiaciones electromagnéticas. ¿Para qué Fibra Óptica? · Ofrecer servicios como Internet, televisión digital y telefonía en municipios pequeños. · Generar oportunidades de Educación a través de Internet. · Mejorar los sistemas de información de las entidades públicas, privadas e instituciones de atención en caso de emergencia. · Incentivar a entidades de salud a desarrollar proyectos de telemedicina. · Promover el desarrollo de contenidos y de aplicaciones. · Consolidar una herramienta para las miles de MiPymes colombianas. · Generar más oportunidades de negocio en temas como la Educación Virtual y los Contact Center.
Source: Dinero.
The Zambia government announced that five firms, including South Africa-based Vodacom, have expressed interest in the country's fourth mobile licence. Communication, transport, works and supply Minister Chris Yaluma said no decision had been made yet regarding the successful bidder and that other interested companies can still bid, ITweb reported. Zambia's telecommunication market is currently dominated by Airtel and MTN, which together have over 8.5 million subscribers. The government still needs to revoke regulations that have been blocking the introduction of a fourth mobile service provider. Yaluma said once the paperwork is done, a tender would be launched for the interested companies. He said the country could see the setting up of the fourth mobile company before the end of 2013.
Source: Telecom Paper.
Indonesias second largest mobile operator by subscribers, PT Indosat, is forecasting that data users will swell rapidly in 2013 to account for the majority of its total user base by the year end, driven by strong demand for smartphones and internet access. The Jakarta Post quotes Indosat director and chief commercial office Erik Meijer as saying: We expect data subscribers to increase from 49% to 60% [of the total], in fiscal 2013.
The cellco experienced fluctuating fortunes in terms of its subscriber base last year, which fell by 2.3% to 50.914 million in Q2 2012, before rallying to 55.451 million by end-September. Although fourth-quarter financial and operational data is not yet available, Indosat earned IDR1.6 trillion (USD165.6 million) in net profits for the first nine months of 2012, up 55.4% when compared to the same period in the previous year. Revenues for 9M12 reached IDR16.5 trillion, up 7.6% year-on-year, with Mr Meijer saying that in 2013, the company is aiming to grow its business at least in accordance with industry growth estimated at between 7% and 8%. Further, data subscribers contributed about 20% to the groups total revenues last year, he added noting that each data subscriber could generate as much as 30 times more traffic than three years ago.
The number of telephone subscribers in India fell to 921.47 in November, down by 13.70 million from October, according to figures from the Telecom Regularity Authority of India (Trai). The overall teledensity slipped to 75.55 from 76.75 a month earlier. The mobile subscriber base fell to 890.60 million from 904.23 million in the previous month, down by 1.51 percent, due to large scale disconnections of inactive subscribers by some operators. Private operators hold 88.19 percent of the mobile market share (based on subscriber base) whereas state-owned operators BSNL and MTNL hold a 11.81 percent share of the market. Meanwhile, the fixed-line subscriber base declined from 30.95 million in October to 30.87 million in November. BSNL and MTNL hold a share of 79.66 percent of the fixed-line market and private operators have a 20.34 percent share. Furthermore, the broadband subscriber base increased to 14.88 million from 14.81 million a month earlier. The top five ISPs in terms of market share (based on subscriber base) are BSNL with 9.79 million broadband customers, Bharti Airtel with 1.39 million subscribers, MTNL with 1.08 million, Hathway with 370,00, and You Broadband with 290,000 broadband customers.
China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) is proposing to conduct a two-year trial to allow MVNOs. The new proposal is an attempt to increase competition on the Chinese telecommunications market which is dominated by three firms. Companies wanting to operate an MVNO must have telecommunications experience and a team of over fifty people, the Shanghai Daily reports. Telecommunications carriers Chine Mobile, China Telecom, and China Unicom are required to provide bandwidth at fair prices. Interested parties can lodge feedback on the proposal until 6 February.
Israeli Minister of Communications director-general Eden Bar-Tal says tenders for 4G frequencies will be completed soon, Globes reported. Bar-Tal said the 2013 work plan, which the ministry is currently discussing, includes the allocation of 4G frequencies. Bar-Tal said that he not only intends to hold the tender, but to complete the allocation of frequencies so that mobile carriers will be able to prepare, and even begin the planning and establishment of the new network this year. Bar-Tal plans to allocate 1,800 megahertz frequencies, which are available for use to Pelephone, HOT Mobile and Golan Telecom for LTE networks. He said Cellcom and Partner Communications, which already have frequencies in the range, will have to use them and will not be eligible to acquire additional frequencies. The director-general said the tenders committee is due to convene and decide on the structure for the allocation and the number of frequencies. The committee is also due to decide on the allocation terms, since if it turns out that one of the carriers is not establishing a mobile network, it will not be able to receive an allocation of frequencies. Another question that the committee, or the ministry, will also have to decide is what will happen if Cellcom or Partner decides to use their frequencies and rush to set up 4G networks, while the other carriers have no such option because they lack frequencies. The ministry of communications' position is that it will prevent such a situation from developing, but it has yet to explicitly clarify the matter, said Globes.
Bulgaria's telecoms regulator on Friday granted the country's fourth GSM mobile phone licence to local satellite operator Bulsatcom.
Bulsatcom will now compete with three other groups - M-Tel, controlled by Telekom Austria ; Globul, the Bulgarian unit of Greek OTE and Vivacom.
"Bulsatcom won a 10-year licence to use the frequencies in the 1800 Mhz range for 19 million levs ($12.96 million) and we already received a confirmation that the amount was paid," a spokeswoman for the regulator told Reuters.
Bulsatcom, which said its GSM services would be available for customers by the end of the year, said it would not seek a big market share at this stage.
Mobile phone market penetration in Bulgaria, the European Union's poorest member, for 2011 was 147 percent. ($1 = 1.4656 Bulgarian levs) (Reporting by Angel Krasimirov. Editing by Jane Merriman)
Source: Reuters.
Telecommunications operator K2 Telecom has launched its operations in Uganda, the Daily Monitor reported. K2 Telecom is already positioning itself as the choice of the masses, the paper said, although the existing players seem to think that its entry is ill-timed and unnecessary. K2 telecom is the seventh player in the telecommunication industry after Airtel, MTN, Warid, UTL, Smiles Telecom, and Orange Uganda.
The network has a national coverage. However, Warid Telecom chief commercial officer Shailendra Naidu said everything had already been done by the existing service providers, and there was nothing a new player could add. MTN said there could be as many service providers as possible because Uganda is a liberalised economy. MTN general manager for corporate service and chief legal counsel, Anthony Katamba, said whoever was able to offer quality services, would carry the day.
Currently, there about 15 million telecommunication subscribers. The first industry player was Celtel, now Airtel, before MTN, UTL and others ventured into the market. K2 Telecom's calling code is 0730.
Maxis yesterday shooed in the new year with the launch of Malaysia's first commercial LTE services in parts of the nation's Klang Valley.
The incumbent operator announced the commencement of services in Taman Tun Dr Ismail, Damansara Utama, Desa Sri Hartamas, Bandar Puchong Jaya, Bandar Sunway and Cyberjaya.
Maxis, which was one of eight operators to receive a 2,600-MHz 4G license in early December, has committed to invest 500 million ringgit ($164 million) towards rolling out its LTE network over the next few years.
The company will initially be offering modem based wireless broadband services over the network. The plans come with between 3GB and 48GB of data, split evenly into peak and non-peak periods, for prices ranging from 48 ringgit ($16) to 158 ringgit.
Maxis said in a statement that service offerings will be extended to smartphones and tablets very soon, but did not provide further details.
CEO Sandip Das said the company will also soon be ready to provide value-added 4G enabled services to its subscribers, thanks to its robust partnerships with device makers and content providers.
He said Maxis' 4G subscribers can expect real-world average speeds of between 10-Mbps and 30-Mbps.
Source: Telecom Asia.
China Mobile Hong Kong (CMHK) launched the worlds first converged Long Term Evolution (LTE) FDD/TDD network on 18 December as scheduled. At the official launch one of its two network technology suppliers Ericsson demonstrated the worlds first live seamless bi-directional LTE FDD/TDD interworking on the converged 4G network. Ericsson was the sole supplier for CMHKs LTE FDD network which launched in April 2012 while in July CMHK awarded ZTE and Ericsson contracts to expand the capacity and coverage of its 4G network by deploying LTE-TDD (TD-LTE) technology, aiming for dual-mode coverage of over 70% of the territory. According to CMHK both vendor companies have an equal share of the network construction project, with ZTE supplying equipment for the network in primary commercial areas of Hong Kong while Ericsson is responsible for the remaining areas. In its own press release Ericsson says it has delivered TD-LTE radio access infrastructure as well as network management using Ericsson OSS-RC (Operation Support System for Radio and Core) and an Evolved Packet Core network expansion and upgrade.
As part of the launch Ericsson also assisted CMHK and parent China Mobile with the first TD-LTE roaming services between Hong Kong and mainland China. The launch event showcased a series of applications based on TD-LTE data roaming between Hong Kong and Shenzhen in Chinas Guangdong Province. The demonstration was supported by the LTE FDD/TDD converged commercial network in Hong Kong, as well as the TD-LTE Evolved Packet Core (EPC), In-Building Solution (IBS) site and universal SIM (USIM) deployed by Ericsson in Shenzhen. The demonstration showcased real-time high-definition video interaction between the two cities on TD-LTE networks for the first time, involving the LTE FDD/TDD dual-mode terminal in Hong Kong providing roaming to Shenzhen, as well as the TD-LTE terminal in Shenzhen providing roaming to Hong Kong.
Mexico Congress votes for cell phone charges by the second MEXICO CITY, Dec 18 (Reuters) - Mexico's lower house of Congress voted unanimously on Tuesday to change the country's telecom law to make cell phone operators charge customers per second of call, instead of rounding in minutes, as they had been doing for years.
The move had previously been approved by the Mexican Senate. The modification, which now only requires the final signature of president Enrique Pena Nieto, will become official 90 days after being published in the country's official gazette.
Source: Chicago Tribune.
Claro, the Brazilian unit of América Móvil, became the first carrier to launch LTE services in the country. Claro announced that LTE services are now available in the cities of Recife, Campos do Jordão (SP), Paraty and Buzios (RJ). Commercially branded as 4GMax, the service will be offered as part of phone and modem chip packages.
Although Claro was granted 40 megahertz of spectrum in Brazils June spectrum auction, the carrier started services in Recife using just 10 megahertz. Claro said it will gradually ramp up the service. In the cities of Campos do Jordão, Buzios and Paraty, Claro is using all 40 megahertz of spectrum.
Claro stated that it will meet Anatels requirement to provide LTE coverage for all the FIFA Confederations Cup host cities by April 2013. Coverage in the remaining cities will follow Anatels schedule.
Located in the northeast, Recife is the capital of the state of Pernambuco. According to Claro, Recifes entire population is covered with 3G networks, and 93% of the state of Pernambucos urban population is covered by the carrier.
Claro is offering packages and plans above 5 gigabytes. The devices compatible with Brazils LTE technology are Motorolas Razr HD, which costs about $314 (R$649), and Samsungs Galaxy SIII, which costs about $479 (R$999); however, these prices are attached to the companys contract plan: Claro Unlimited 200 4G. As for modems, Claro offers the Huawei E392 for about $153.50 (R$320) when attached to the contract plan dubbed Claro Internet 5GB. The pricing plans may vary according to region.
Source: RCR Wireless.
China's internet user base will reach 800 mln in 2015, reports People's Daily citing China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT). As explained by MIIT minister Miao Wei, as the MIIT accelerates its 'Broadband China' project and expands broadband construction in the country, the number of internet users will continue to increase rapidly. Miao said it will continue to expand the development of mobile internet, e-commerce, cloud computing and M2M information services in China with the goal of reaching yearly e-commerce transactions of CNY 18 trillion, 2.3 million new internet sector jobs, and yearly software and information service revenue of CNY 4 trillion by 2015. The MIIT has also set a goal of domestically producing 80 percent of the country's LCD display panels used in television production.
The government of the Union of Comoros has launched the privatisation of its national PTO Comores Telecom (Comtel) via an international auction, Agence Ecofin reports. Under the plan the Ministry of Economy and Finance is looking to divest a 51% stake in the incumbent operator to private investors. The remaining 49% equity will be retained by the government (34%), and 15% will be held by Comtel employees. TeleGeographys CommsUpdate reported in November 2012 that the government had published expressions of interest for the majority stake on offer, requesting that interested parties submit applications, including information on their business and their reasons for wishing to participate in the tender process. As a precursor to the sale, the Ministry confirmed its intention to restructure Comtel, which has 230,000 mobile and around 23,600 fixed line subscribers, transferring its primary assets to a new legal entity (Newco). The privatisation of the operator was one of the recommendations of the International Monetary Fund, as part of the countrys plan to reach the completion point of its Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) programme, the external debt relief for which amounted to EUR133 million (USD174.7 million).
The Democratic Republic of Congos five principle mobile operators Africell, Airtel, Orange, Oasis (Tigo) and Vodacom along with fixed line operator Standard Telecom, have come under fire from telecoms minister Tryphon Kin-Kiey Mulumba over their poor network quality. Agence Ecofin reports that Mulumba is pressing for financial penalties to be applied to the companies as censure for their lack of network improvements. His grievances also include the chaotic distribution of SIM cards by street vendors, which in his opinion conspires to distort the satisfactory identification of mobile users.
Israeli Minister of Communications Moshe Kahlon has told the cabinet that the public has saved ILS 5.7 billion in the past two years from the mobile market reform. According to Globes, Kahlon said an average household with three mobile phones saved ILS 1,900 a year, and that a household with four phones saved ILS 2,500 a year. Kahlon also said that the average mobile phone user pays ILS 93 a month, 36 percent less than the ILS 145 a month spent in 2010, even though average minutes of use per user rose from 347 per month to 426.
Kahlon said that the average cost of minutes of use on a mobile phone has fallen 75 percent in the past two years from ILS 0.42 to ILS 0.10. The minister said that the mobile devices import reform has cut prices by 60 percent. He also reported that one million subscribers switched carriers in January-September 2012.
Vietnam's mobile phone exports grew 97.7 percent during 2012 to reach USD 12.6 billion. According to the country's customs department, Vietnam exported 11.901 million phones and phone parts in the first half of December, which is up 84.7 percent year-on-year, Viet Nam News reports. The main importers of Vietnamese phones are the European Union, with USD 5.08 billion, accounting for nearly 45 percent, followed by the United Arab Emirates, which imported USD 1.31 billion, Russia at USD 690 million, and Hong Kong with USD 460 million. Phone exports are expected to reach USD 12.9 billion this year.
India ended November with 663.77 million GSM customers, as operators jointly shed 9.02 million subscribers in the month, according to figures from the industry association Coai. Bharti Airtel lost 2.80 million subscribers in November to bring its total to 183.61 million, and the company had a market share of 27.66 percent. Vodafone India shed 2.38 million customers and ended the month with 150.76 million subscribers. Vodafone's market share stood at 22.71 percent. Idea Cellular shed 1.56 million subscribers to bring its total to 114.14 million and the operator had a market share of 17.20 percent. Meanwhile, BSNL maintained its customer base at 97.17 million and its market share totalled 14.64 percent. Aircel ended the month with a total subscriber base of 65.32 million and a market share of 9.84 percent, as the company lost 1.46 million customers. Uninor shed 437,915 subscribers to end November with 40.60 million subscribers and a market share of 6.12 percent. Videocon shed 379,787 subscribers to bring its customer base to 4.01 million and its market share stood at 0.60 percent, while MTNL lost 741 subscribers to end the month with 5.12 million subscribers. MTNL had a market share of 0.77 percent. Loop Mobile maintained its customer base at 3 million with 0.46 market share.
Sri Lankan mobile network operator Mobitel has announced the launch of its Long Term Evolution (LTE) network on a commercial basis, having conducted trials of the 4G technology as far back as May 2011. At that date the cellco said it achieved mobile data speeds of up to 96Mbps (downstream) and 49Mbps (uplink). In this latest development, Mobitel claimed that the opening of the new infrastructure to the public would enable it to provide an enhanced and diversified service to its customer base. Looking ahead the cellco has also noted that it expects to yield the best out of the mobile 4G/LTE services by taking advantage of the fibre network operated by its parent company, Sri Lanka Telecom.
Meanwhile, the countrys largest cellco by subscribers, Dialog Axiata, has announced its own launch of LTE technology in Colombo. According to LteWorld.org, the operator has introduced Time Division Duplex LTE (TD-LTE) services in the capital, with coverage expected to be extended to all of the countrys major cities and towns in the immediate future. Prices for the market leaders LTE services start at LKR1,400 (USD10.95) per month for a connection offering downlink speeds of 4Mbps and 25GB data usage allowance.
Mobile number portability (MNP) is now available in Paraguay, TeleSemana reports. The service is priced at PYG21,864 (USD4.82) and includes an eight-day processing time, which is scheduled to decrease to five working days by the end of the year.
As previously reported by TeleGeographys CommsUpdate, in June 2012 Spanish firm El Corte Ingles won the contract to administer Paraguays MNP database, after being selected by the Comision Tecnica de Portabilidad Numerica (CTPN), which comprises representatives of the countrys four mobile operators Tigo, Nucleo (Telecom Personal Paraguay), Hola Paraguay (Vox) and Claro Paraguay and telecoms regulator Consejo Nacional de Telecomunicaciones (Conatel). El Corte Ingles reportedly beat off stiff competition from Ericsson del Paraguay, a local offshoot of US firm Telecordia. El Corte Ingles has administered Spains number portability database since 1999, with a monthly average of over 140,000 ported lines. It has already won numerous contracts to administer MNP across Latin America, including markets such as Peru, Colombia, Dominican Republic and Mexico, although it lost out to chief rival Telcordia in both Argentina and Chile.
French watchdog the Autorite de Regulation des Communications Electroniques et des Postes (Arcep) has announced a new maximum termination rate for voice calls in French overseas territories. The rate, which is effective from 1 January 2013, has been set at EUR0.01 (USD0.01) per minute and applies to operators in the Antilles-Guyane region (incorporating Martinique, Guadeloupe and French Guiana) as well as Reunion and Mayotte.
Telenor Norge claims it has become the countrys first operator to enable access to Long Term Evolution-based (LTE-based) services via mobile phone. With access having previously been restricted to those connecting via USB dongle, the operator has confirmed that from yesterday customers with 4G-compatible mobile handsets will be able to utilise its LTE network. It notes that it has put in place an automatic solution which provides voice access over Telenors 3G network, while customers are transferred to the LTE infrastructure where it is available for web surfing and internet access.
Alongside this development, Telenor has also named a number of new locations which it plans to extend 4G coverage to by Christmas, with those being: Drammen, Fredrikstad, Sarpsborg, Skien, Porsgrunn and Kristiansand. Looking further ahead, the 4G footprint is expected to expand further in the New Year, with Telenor naming Tromso as another location where the network will be switched on at that date. In addition to expanding 4G across the country, Telenors managing director Berit Svednsen reiterated that the operator is also continuing to develop its third-generation infrastructure, noting: 90% of Telenors mobile customers have 3G coverage where they live, and the continuing expansion will ensure as much as 95% coverage. By the end of 2015 nine out of 10 Norwegians will also be able to use 4G from Telenor.
As previously reported by CommsUpdate, Telenor Norge unveiled commercial LTE services in eleven cities and towns across the country in October 2012. At launch the 4G network was available in Oslo, Bergen, Trondheim, Stavanger, Lorenskog, Sandnes, Lillestrom, Asker, Baerum, Lofthus in Hardanger and Longyearbyen.
Telecom Namibia achieved an 8.7% year-on-year increase in turnover to NAD1.2 billion (USD135 million) in its financial year ended 30 September 2012, its managing director Frans Ndorama announced, adding that FY 2012 operating profit rose by 29% to NAD133 million. As reported by Namibia Press Agency, the growth was attributed to increased uptake of the telcos broadband services, supported by capital expenditure (CAPEX) since 2009 of NAD746 million, covering investment in services/networks including ADSL, WiMAX, MPLS, submarine and terrestrial fibre-optic cables.
Botswana Telecommunications Corporation (BTC), the countrys incumbent fixed line operator, has reported revenues of BWP1.17 billion (USD145.9 million) for the twelve months ended 31 March 2012, an increase of 10.2% year-on-year, on higher data-related sales of BWP450 million. Local newspaper Mmegi Online reports that comprehensive income totalled BWP375.6 million for the 2011/12 fiscal year, compared to BWP227.4 million in the year-ago period, boosted by higher sales and a BWP138.7 million gain on property revaluation. State-owned BTCs operating costs for the twelve-month period stood at BWP992 million, up from BWP881.6 million in the year ended 31 March 2011. Commenting on the results, BTCs CEO Paul Taylor said: We have been very vigilant in cutting costs, nonetheless we will continue to be prudent and make sure that we spend on those activities which yield the most value to our customers and other stakeholders. BTC offers fixed telephony services, as well as wireless telephony via its wholly owned mobile subsidiary beMOBILE and internet and data services through its Botsnet unit.
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The Lakeland Public Library System offers two monthly book discussion groups, Books Sandwiched In and Discussions at the e.
Books Sandwiched In (BSI) is a monthly book discussion group, which meets every first Tuesday in the Main Library (100 Lake Morton Drive) meeting room & first Wednesday at 12:15 p.m. in the Jackson Branch Library (1700 North Florida Avenue) meeting room.
Discussions at the E (DATE) is a monthly book discussion group, which meets at the elibrary South Lakeland on the first Thursday of every month at 12:30 p.m.
Each month's selected book can be purchased for $2.00 at the respective libraries during the preceding month while supplies last. Coffee/tea and books are underwritten by the Friends of the Library. Please feel free to bring a bag lunch.
Books Sandwiched In
Upcoming titles:
June 4 & 5
Charles Frazier
July 2 & 3
At Fault
Kate Chopin
August 6 & 7
The Best American Short Stories, 2012
Tom Perrotta, editor
Discussions at the e
June 6
Interpretation of Murder
Jed Rubenfeld
July 11
The Revenge of the Radioactive Lady
Elizabeth Stuckey-French
(Later date due to Independence Day holiday.)
August 1
Innocent Traitor
Alison Weir
The programs at the Lakeland Public Library (100 Lake Morton Drive) are free and open to the public. For more information, call Brenda J. Patterson at (863) 834-4276 or send e-mail email@example.com.
For upcoming events and programs, visit Lakeland Public Library's website and Facebook page at http://www.lakelandgov.net/library/ClassesPrograms/AdultPrograms.aspx andhttp://www.facebook.com/lakelandpubliclibrary. Follow our Twitter feed at http://twitter.com/#!/lakelandpublib.
Brenda J. Patterson
Fine Arts/Programming Librarian

subset: commoncrawl


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I hope you guys who are burying parts kits in PVC tubes in your back yard are planning for the "real" end of the world. Doomsday is just that - the day of doom. Sure any bubba with surplus camo pants can run around with a gun... the goal of preparation is to delay the effects on you and yours for longer than the sheeple to survive and start to rebuild. Or at least that should be the goal. Sooner or later you'll run out of food, ammo, gas, or all of the above.
Then what?
How many people know how to garden (farm) for food? Build a greenhouse?
How many people know how to hunt for food? Fish? Trap?
Water source? Have a well or nearby body of water? Water filtration? Manual well pump? Ever make a solar still?
Have enough duct tape?
Chain saw oil? Gas for a chain saw?
Long-burn candles? Fire-starting supplies?
What about medical care? Who REALLY knows how to set a bone or stitch a wound?
Fight infection after the meds run out? Can you really make Vodka on a still with supplies from the local feed store? And will it really fight infection? I don't know... it sound reasonable.
What about diabetic medicine? Read a book once where it was alluded that you can harvest something from farm animals to make insulin, but no details. How many have a 10 year supply of insulin? Can you even store it that long?
Have stuff to barter with? How will you obtain supplies from others if the economy suddenly becomes like Jamaica?
Yeah I know it pays in the long run to be prudent. I worry that we don't spend enough time on the short-term things. If you can't survive long enough to let the long-term things support you then you are boned before you start. Got to make it out of the gate to run the race ;)
Here's where I am going - what about short-term survivability? How many are debt free? If things BEGIN to go from bad to worse, it will START with finances. How many would be crippled by their CC bills? Turned out of their house? Car reposessed? Yeah, I'm actively working on debt reduction and hope to be clear within 18 months. YES - debt free (besides mortgage) in 18 months! :hatprop:
Food for thought.


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Fox's Geraldo Rivera Maintains "Hoodie" Comments Were "Potentially Life-Saving" Advice
Fox News' Geraldo Rivera is attempting to clarify comments he recently made about the killing of unarmed black teenager Trayvon Martin. On two separate occasions on Fox News, Rivera claimed that Martin's outfit, which he likened to that of "a wannabe gangster," was "as much responsible" for his death as George Zimmerman, the man who pulled the trigger.
On March 23 on Fox & Friends, Rivera claimed [1], "I think the hoodie is as much responsible for Trayvon Martin's death as George Zimmerman," adding that Martin "wore an outfit that allowed someone to respond in this irrational, overzealous way." Later that night on The O'Reilly Factor, Rivera denied blaming Martin for his own death, but nevertheless advised [2] young minority men to avoid dressing "like a wannabe gangster," because "some knucklehead is gonna take you at your word and the tragedy is gonna result."
In an email to Politico today, Rivera attempted to explain those comments, saying, "I have obscured the main point that someone shot and killed an unarmed teenager." However, he also suggested his comments were a "very practical and potentially life-saving campaign urging black and Hispanic parents not to let their children go around wearing hoodies."
Politico reported in a March 27 article [3]:
"I apologize to anyone offended by what one prominent black conservative called my 'very practical and potentially life-saving campaign urging black and Hispanic parents not to let their children go around wearing hoodies,'" Rivera said in an email to POLITICO Tuesday.
Rivera said that "by putting responsibility on what kids wear instead of how people react to them I have obscured the main point that someone shot and killed an unarmed teenager," and that he was offering a "heartfelt apology" to anyone he may have offended in his "crusade to warn minority families of the danger to their young sons inherent in gangsta style clothing; like hoodies."
Rivera reportedly added: "[M]y own family and friends believe [that] I have obscured or diverted attention from the principal fact, which is that an unarmed 17-year old was shot dead by a man who was never seriously investigated by local police. And if that is true, I apologize."
UPDATE: On April 1, Rivera hosted Trayvon Martin's parents on his Fox News show and apologized to them personally, saying, "I never intended to hurt your feelings." He stated:
RIVERA: A week ago, I ranted against hoodies like the one worn by Trayvon on the evening he was shot dead by George Zimmerman, because in Zimmerman's words, Trayvon looked like he was up to no good. I said then that Trayvon's hoodie killed him as surely as George Zimmerman did.
Now, what I was trying to do was caution parents that allowing their kids to wear hoodies or similar clothing in certain circumstances, particularly if they're minority young men, could be dangerous. But I never intended to hurt anyone's feelings and certainly, Sybrina and Tracy, I never intended to hurt your feelings. I want to personally convey my deepest apologies to both of you. I am sorry if anything I said, Tracy, added to your misery.
- Posted In
- Diversity & Discrimination [4], Race & Ethnicity [5], Justice & Civil Liberties [6], Crime [7], Guns [8]
- Network/Outlet
- Fox News Channel [9]
- Person
- Geraldo Rivera [10]


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Atrium Orchids IV
Item #: 1124075
Atrium Orchids IV
Item #: 1124075
Custom made, ships Premier In-home Delivery. You will be contacted within 9 to 11 weeks to schedule a delivery date for this item.
Different sizes, frame options, paper, canvas, and more
Artist Biography
Graphic quadrant. Divided into four equal-sized panels, this colorful orchid garden is blossoming with cheeriness. Eye-catching yellows, purples, and oranges meet bold reds and greens for a radiant effect that brings the sunshine inside. Original artwork by American painter Elizabeth Horning. An Ethan Allen exclusive.
Elizabeth Horning was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and graduated from the Rhode Island School of Design with a BFA in painting. Since graduation, she has never ceased studying art, and over the years, she has attained superb technical proficiency in her craft. She lives and paints in the American Southwest.
Download the Ethan Allen Limited Warranty >


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Send mail stuck in your Outbox, or delete it. The usual cause for stuck mail is a large attachment. Watch this video to learn how to send or delete stuck mail.
Other videos in this course
This video is part of a training course called Send or delete an email stuck in your outbox.


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I'm in the northeast and want to increase the chances that new queens that I rear from my overwintered hives mate with others that have overwintered. I was thinking maybe it would be better to rear queens early to try and avoid them mating with shipped in packages. But if they already have drones in them its probably unavoidable .
Do package bees have drones in them?Are overwintered drone still viable and probable candidate for successful mateting in the spring?mvh edward :-P
I think I may have chosen the wrong forum to ask my question. I thought there were more expienced beekeepers on here than myself.


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Happy Birthday Justin Bieber!
Listen to Justin Bieber on iHeartRadio
It is Justin Bieber's 19th birthday - the last year of his teen years! Boy, does time fly, and of course no one knows that better than the pop superstar's mother. The KVJ Show on WiLD 95.5 in Palm beach interviewed the birthday boy's mom Patti Mallette.
During the interview, she talks about her teen pregnancy with Justin, what it was like being pregnant so young, and how her life has changed becoming a parent. She says,"He knows my story, we have an open dialogue, it's always important to talk about things. And now that he's 18, it's a different world that I have. I got to let go a little bit, and let him make some of his own decisions, and still be a voice in his life."
Well, what exactly do you get Justin Bieber for his birthday? Patti told Wild 95.5, "I just look forward to spending time with him, and doing dinner with him. This is the first birthday that I'm going to miss."
Listen to the entire interivew here:
Photo Credit Getty Images


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Cadillac Escalade, EXT and ESV Forum - 1999 - 2006 Discussion, 04 ext Shuts off randomly. in Cadillac Escalade Forums; Originally Posted by Bigrick31 So its $150 for the dealer to reprogram the BCM it would have been $300 but ...
- 07-10-13 10:37 PM #16Originally Posted by Bigrick31
Re: 04 ext Shuts off randomly.
Well it wasnt the BCM they reprogrammed it and the truck still wont start. They are going to call me back tomorrow when they figure out whats wrong.
- 07-11-13 09:27 PM #18Originally Posted by Bigrick31
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Re: 04 ext Shuts off randomly.
Just got the truck back from the dealer. They said after they reprogrammed the BCM the truck would crank but wouldnt start. They ended up finding a bad ground wire behind the engine. They said it looked good visually but the wires under the insulation broke apart. With reprogramming the BCM and finding and fixing the bad ground it only cost me $445 which is a huge relief.
- 07-12-13 05:14 PM #20Originally Posted by Bigrick31
Re: 04 ext Shuts off randomly.
At least now I have a spare ECM and BCM that are programed to my vehicle should I have problems in the future lol. Thanks for all your help cadillac man
- 07-12-13 09:46 PM #22Originally Posted by Bigrick31
The engine computer is called a powertrain control module as it works both the engine and transmission
Glad to help
Re: 04 ext Shuts off randomly.
Turns out my troubles are not over yet. The truck drove fine for about a week after the dealer fixed it. There were some minor issues like a rough idle or my projected fuel economy being a lot lower than usual but I figured the truck just had to re learn a few things since a lot had been changed. However I was going to go for a bit of a drive this past weekend and right when I pulled out of my driveway I get hit with the "service stability system" message and reduced engine power message. I got a tow truck on its way right now to pick the truck up and take it to the dealer. The only issue is if I try to drive the truck right now it drives fine hopefully the dealer can replicate the problem.
- 07-23-13 07:09 PM #24Originally Posted by Bigrick31
I know how you feel about it I was in your shoes but my truck wouldn't even start or crank(the data bus for the throttle went down and the PCM shut the engine down) and I was lucky it did or i would have plowed through a Walmart as when I got it home via tow truck and got a code scanner I found out the tps was showing I had the pedal to the floor(not good)
You did the right call by not taking the risk and driving it when it showed the message
Mine would lag on the throttle before the PCM died
Re: 04 ext Shuts off randomly.
as for the PCM I just replaced it a couple of weeks ago with a tested good working unit. I did this when I first started getting the service stability message I first changed out the Accelerator position sensor then the entire throttle body then the PCM and finally I replaced the BCM. If it is the PCM then my original PCM and the PCM I purchased online would have to have the same problem which seems unlikely or am I missing something here? Also I only get the message when I hit a bump or in this case when I drive the truck in and out of my driveway I actually drive off of the curb as my driveway is wider than the slanted part that merges into the street.
What happened this weekends was I backed out of the driveway firs the rear tires drop off of the curb and then the front ones. Then when I am far enough back I put the truck into drive and thats when I got the error messages. However I just did this exact same thing right now to drive the truck up onto a tow truck and the truck worked just fine.
- 07-23-13 10:16 PM #26Originally Posted by Bigrick31
If I did have that happen and I survived my truck would have been totaled most likely due to the impact with the building
I am wondering if a wheel sensor is bad or a wire is loose/chaffed though given how the message is at random
I have only seen that message one time and that was when I had overworked my brakes(was on a trip so I didn't get to check for codes and the issue went away after I restarted the truck)
Re: 04 ext Shuts off randomly.
I actually don't know if my wheel sensors are still working. I purchased a set of 18s from someone who had just purchase a 2010 escalade and wanted aftermarket wheels. I never got around to getting the the new wheels set up to my wheel sensors. The dealership just called and asked me if I had already replaced my AP sensor or if I had replaced the ignition switch. I told them I changed the APS but not the ignition so that's where they think the problem is coming from at the moment.
- 07-24-13 05:59 PM #28Originally Posted by Bigrick31
That's a great point Cadillac man! Who could only guess what your bill might be! I am SO glad I have a buddy that's a a Cadillac Mechanic and does my work on the side at the Cadillac dealer he works at! You talk about saving some money, he has saved me a TON in repairs over the years!
- 07-25-13 10:57 PM #30Originally Posted by Mark Edward Morrison
Any work I can't do myself I get the dealer to do it
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Whatever you've been playing The Wolf Among Us on - PC, Mac, PS3, Xbox 360, or iOS - the third installment in the series is out now!
Here's what some of the folks in the press had to say about Episode 3: A Crooked Mile.
- Nerdist - "a rich, bloody tapestry for you to unravel ... will leave you breathless"
- The Escapist - 5/5 - "a stellar climax"
- PC Gamer - 88/100 Editor's Choice - "one of the best expressions of Telltale's consequence engine yet"
- Game Informer - 8.5/10 - "The excellent pacing, the varied choices, and how the writers still make me guess their next move keeps this episode riveting"
- OXM - 8.5/10 - "the murder mystery in Fabletown deepens ... this is ever more the land of shades of gray"
- GamesBeat - 90/100 - "brings up the intensity and complexity of the entire series ... Here, just past the halfway point, I'm completely on board, and I can't wait to see what happens next."
Also, if you've been holding off on jumping into the series, now is a great time! With Episode 3 just released, the whole season is 40% off on Steam as part of their Midweek Madness sale.
In The Walking Dead news, Gavin Hammon joined IGN's Greg Miller on Playing Dead to talk about his role as Kenny, and how he went from digging ditches to voice acting. It's definitely an interesting interview! You can check it out below.
Be sure to keep an eye out for more Playing Dead, and for news on the upcoming Episode 3 of The Walking Dead: Season Two!


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Urovex Butterbur Extract supports healthy bladder function. This patented, standardized extract contains the biologically active components petasin and isopetasin and is specially processed to remove undesirable pyrrolizidine alkaloids. Urovex Butterbur Extract may also be used for other traditional applications.
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Do not use if either tamper-evident seal is broken or missing. Keep out of the reach of children.
Additional Information
|Planetary Herbals
|Product Type
|Herb Extract Base
Planetary Herbals Mission: To integrate traditional herbal wisdom, modern pharmacological science, and human clinical experience into each botanical product, in order to provide consumers and health professionals with reliable, expertly crafted, high quality herbal supplements.
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UConn offers sixteen clinical programs in which students earn academic credit by representing actual clients and doing other real legal work under the supervision of faculty members and other lawyers. These programs cover a broad range of practice areas including: asylum and human rights; children's advocacy; criminal prosecution and defense; energy and environmental law; intellectual property (patents and trademarks); mediation; nonprofit and municipal law; poverty law; and tax. Other clinics offer students placements in clerkships with state and federal judges, legislators and legislative staff, and administrative agencies.
In the Asylum and Human Rights Clinic, law students handle every aspect of representation in high-stakes cases that determine whether a client who has fled political, religious or other persecution in his or her home country will be granted asylum in the United States.
Through the Center for Energy and Environmental Law, students at the UConn School of Law have access to rich educational experiences in the growing fields of energy and environmental law.
The Center provides legal representation for children who have been abused or neglected. Attorneys also advocate for better education and healthcare for the children they represent.
With the assistance of law students, CULI has provided a unique service learning opportunity for law students and critical legal assistance for the nonprofit sector.
The Criminal Clinics aim to develop a student's professional and technical competence so that he or she can practice at the highest standards of criminal defense lawyering. Our clients' cases present student attorneys with myriad legal, social, economic and political issues common in the practice of criminal law.
Students will work directly with Connecticut Fund for the Environment (CFE) attorneys on matters pending before administrative agencies, courts and the legislature. Clinical assignments will be performed at CFE's office in New Haven, CT.
The Intellectual Property and Entrepreneurship Law Clinic provides students with a unique opportunity to counsel Connecticut's innovators on an extensive range of intellectual property and business related law issues.
The Mediation Clinic is a four credit, one semester program in which students undergo intensive training in mediation and conflict resolution techniques.
Students in this clinic assist in the investigation and litigation of civil rights cases in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Connecticut, under the supervision of Assistant United States Attorneys and alongside experienced investigators and paralegals.
The Semester in DC Program places selected UConn Law students in federal agencies, legislative offices, or national-level public interest organizations as legal interns for a semester of service.
The Tax Clinic is a pro bono legal clinic that gives legal assistance to low income taxpayers with either IRS or DRS issues. The clinic also works with attorneys in Connecticut who volunteer to help low income taxpayers.
Students in this clinic will intern with state prosecutors and will be certified to appear in court, where they may argue motions, and examine witnesses.
With the Individual Externship Program, students who have completed their first year of study have an opportunity for experiential learning that is tailored to the student's own educational and career goals.


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After: San Francisco split-level party
The gravel was replaced with two levels of colored concrete. The Byrnes use the upper terrace mostly for dining and hanging out; three steps down, a built-in bench invites guests to lounge around the firepit.
A gappy ipe fence gives a sense of spaciousness while preserving privacy. Low care plants, such as autumn moor grass, Mexican weeping bamboo, and yucca, soften the angular design. Now, Susan says, "People can't get enough of our backyard. All our guests want to go out there."
Design by: Outer Space Landscape Architecture, San Francisco,
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|Topic Review (Newest First)
|Mopar Ron
Thank you guys very much some good reading here.
I guess I will get a diode for it. Ron...
The #2 wire senses system voltage. If it's connected to the battery terminal of the alt it will shut off the alt even if the system voltage is lower than 12 volts, as long as it's 12 volts at the alternator. So in general the alternator charges at a lower rate than it should. It works in most cases, but can cause problems in battery life.
It should be hooked at the power buss, in some cases this is at the starter, or on a firewall junction block. This will read the voltage of the whole system, and will cause the alt to charge at a higher rate.
Now, on the #1 terminal hooked to accessory on the ign sw. A situation that could burn out the diode trio would be a couple electric fans hooked to the accrssory terminal. If the fans are running, and the switch is turned off, they can draw current though the #1 wire, overloading the diode trio. You need something in line to limit the amperage that can be drawn on that wire. It can be bulb, a resistor, or a diode. You can get a diode at Radio Shack for under $2 that will protect the alternator.
There is a site called www.madelectrical.com which gives a good explanation of this
|richard stewart 3rd
You might try here for one wire info.
all connect to battery directly
except for the small wire for the dash
i always just jump the spade hot wire down to the post on the back of the alt
real simple
always works
|Mopar Ron
|then what does the #2 wire hook to if not the batt post???
|The way you have it wired will work. The proper way would not have any wires jumped to the large stud. This is however a common practice. Usually the light circuit will drop the voltage to the terminal on the alternator. I dont think it matters. I have run 12 volts to mine for several years. If anything I think it would damage the regulator as that is what it is connected to.
|Mopar Ron
SORRY another 3 wire GM alt question
I have a 40 dodge PU with a 318 dodge engine in it and I put a 3 wire gm alt on it and had the infamous run on problem and after going back and forth with the #2 and #1 wire to the batt post on the alt, we wired it right with the #2 going to the batt post and the # 1 going inside the truck to a ing feed with the key on but then as you know it would not turn off with the key.
now I didn't want to run a light and after we discussed this problem with some other streetrod guys they said I need to hook the #1 feed wire to the ACC side instead of the run side and that made total sense, so I went home and did that and sure enough it works fine, I have had it like this for about 8 month now.
now I was posting on another site about how it is now wired and this is a reply that i got:
You don't want to do that. I'll guarantee you --unless these units have been changed electrically by GM--that if you do that long enough you'll blow up a diode trio. I don't remember all the "ins and outs" but there are situations where the diode trio can "try" to become the source (charge, or supply source) and they won't handle much amperage. The original cars had a resistor / lamp combo, so you either need that or the diode.
My answer:
I don't know what you mean by "long enough" but last year I had a charging problem and the run on issue and with my 40 dodge PU with the gm alt and I was tring different things with the # 1 wire and the #2 wire and after talking with a bunch of streetrod guys we figured out that the reason it was running when the key was turned off was because it was being feed from the #1 wire to the Ing run side and I needed to either put a lite in line like GM does or just get the power to the #1 wire from the ACC side. so that is what I did and for 8 month now it works just fine Ron..
I think you misunderstood. It WILL work "just fine" for ahwile, but you need the diode/ or resistor/ light in there to protect the diode trio in the regulator. By "long enough" I mean "some period of time." Might be a week. Might be a year. I don't remember the mechanics of this failure, but there are/ is a certain condition which can cause the trio to become a source of power and the small trio diodes won't handle the load. This is a well documented failure, and is why the no1 is hooked up this way.
so does that sound right,will this way fail??? thanks in advance, Ron...
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General News | 23rd September 2005
Footitt quick to sign new Notts contract
The 19-year-old from Carlton, who this week signed a new two-year contract, is already regarded as one of the quickest bowlers in the country and is aiming to maintain his progress after making his Championship debut this season.
He said: ?Spending three months in the company of people who have played Test and One-day International cricket will be a real help to me - much like it has been in the Notts dressing room this year.
?I?m sure a winter at Loughborough will make me fitter and stronger and able to bowl longer spells at full pace.
?I?d like to get more games under my belt and hopefully what I learn this winter can help me become part of a rotation system with the other seamers at Trent Bridge.?
Footitt took five wickets on debut against Glamorgan at Trent Bridge, including a prize maiden first-class scalp of Indian captain Sourav Ganguly, and also played a big part in England Under-19s series victory over Sri Lanka.
He added: ?It?s been a great year for me and I hope I?ll be able to celebrate plenty more trophies in the future with Notts. I?m a Nottingham lad and Trent Bridge is the only place I want to play.?
Director of Cricket Mick Newell said: ?Mark has developed into a handful at any level with his pace and we want to see that progress continue.
?He offers us something different to our other left-armers Ryan Sidebottom and Greg Smith and with their experience we feel Mark can make further steps forward in the future.?


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Here's a pic of what it looks like if you don't have access to a lathe then it is going to be hard to use.
Printable View
Here's a pic of what it looks like if you don't have access to a lathe then it is going to be hard to use.
got mine today its a unprofiled unturned blank in hopefully a 311 bore ( I havent slughed it but sticking a bullet down in id say its close. its saw cut on bolth ends. Ill have to get it in the lathe and turn it on centers to see how consintric it is. but for $36 dollars shipped it will make a barrel for any AK as long as its under 30" it looks just like the picture above
when i get time ill chamber it and make sure its true to the centers and if it is ill turn the trunion end to 23 mm and leave the rest large and crown it and do a bull barrel target barrel with out gas port or GB and see how well it can shoot. the out side is a smooth black. looks like one inch rod with a hole in it. hope fully it will be fairly consentric.
IMOO the ads says profled and to me that means even if its straight it should be turned on centers. if its a straight or tapered or steped profile it should have been turned. this should be a advertised as a .311 20"x1" OD unturned blank with the correct twist rate given. Im not going to biuth as its what I really wanted but I can see how others will be disipointed. If it shoots i may get a few more to set up as plug and play target barrels for sale. Id like to be able to buy other calibur blanks like this for that price. a 5.45 for instance woud be nice as well as a 223 and .308. Id but a bunch of 6.5mm" blanks as well for that price.
the twist rate is fast. I really dont get the reason for the Ak,s using such a fast twist unless the equipmint was left over form doing Mosin barrels and they just never changed it. its even fast for a 150 grain bullet IMOO. 30-06 and 308 use mostly 1-10 as well as most other 30 caliburs that normay shoot 150 grain bullets they use 1-10 because they also shoot up to 200 grain bullets as well. in all but a supressed application a bullet over 150 is pretty much pointless in a AK as its just to damm slow. if good bullets are used its fine as overstabelising will not affect a consentric bullet as much but if the bullets are out of spec a little then that high rate of spin will hurt accuracy.
a couple good links here about twist rates and using a to fast of a rate.
Barrel Twist vs. Bullet Weight
30BR Guide - 30 BR Benchrest Lapua Cartridge with Reloading, .308 Bullet, Accuracy, and Competition Info
Barrel FAQ -- Barrel Velocities, Lengths, Twist Rate, Contours, Cleaning, Accuracy and Ballistics for Benchrest, Hunting, Precision Shooting
I have a 30 BR barrel in 1-17 that I plan on rechambering to .308x39 some time and see how it does.
1biggun, does the barrel have a mark on it at either end to tell you which end is the chamber end?
NOPE none that I could find. Ill likey face off each end and wahat ever end swallows the the bullet the most will be the breach. Im not sure what else to do? I cant tell if one side of the rifleing is sharper than the other or any thing like that. Im looking for suggestions. I might call them and have a few words with them.Quote:
1biggun, does the barrel have a mark on it at either end to tell you which end is the chamber end?
My .50 cal Green Mountain barrel has a noticeable burr on the muzzle end, which is also a bit smaller than the chamber end.
I don't have enough experience with blanks to know how common this sort of thing is. The bore was nice and shiny, so I decided to ignore it and continue.
on mine the burr end is a bit bigger. I im sure it makes a differance and Id like to know how to tell. the barrel is saw cut on both ends so Im sure it was cut. from a longer blank
Im guessing the burrs are were the tooling was pulled out of the barrel but I dont know if that the muzzel or the breach end. Im thinking you would want the bullet going the directionthe tooling was but I have no reall reasoning oter than any burrs or ruff ness would be pointing to the exit of the tooling. I think I need to call them and ask WTF.
This would make a really cool looking bull barrel gun maybe add a intrigal break like magna porting although I doubt there would be much of a kick with this heavy of a barrel.
Good reason? The M91 Mosin Nagant used that twist and the Russians didnt see any reason to change it.
Accuracy with the 1:10 twist has shown to be great if good ammo is used and a little trigger work is done. The sights are the biggest limiting factor. Put those sights on a bench rest rifle and use 10 cent a round crap surplus ammo and it will shoot like shit too.
Bumping this on up. There current description is
Did just notice they are listing a 17.5" 9mm barrel blank. 9mm Button Rifled Barrel Balnk, 1.20" x 17.5"


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'"They were flat, but they won't be flat (tonight)," Ruff said yesterday. "We're going to have to be ready for them and be a lot better. You saw a (Leafs) team that turned it up and flat out smoked Pittsburgh."'
Ruff expects battle
February 17, 2009 Submitted by
Via: Toronto Sun


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So glad Tommy's OK - {{{hugs}}}.
Dog of the Day
Cat of the Day
Pet of the Day
So glad Tommy's OK - {{{hugs}}}.
We're all so glad this worked out so well for Tommy and you, Sandie!
I meant," said Ipslore bitterly, "what is there in this world that truly makes living worthwhile?"
Death thought about it.
CATS, he said eventually. CATS ARE NICE.
-- Terry Pratchett (19482015), Sourcery
Give Tommy extra hugs from me!
"To begin, begin." ~William Wordsworth
I'm so glad Tommy's okay! Did the vet have any idea what made that tooth fall out?
Proud to be a crazy cat lady!
He will have a dental in 2 to 3 months. We try to keep the mouth clean on the former ferals (for me, that means Ebony, Chaplin, Bobby, Tommy, Tuppence and Mandy -- I trapped all but Ebony, she came from another colony which I didn't work on myself). We are going to wait on his dental to allow this area to heal up completely.
I've been Boo'd ... right off the stage!
Aaahh, I have been defrosted! Thank you, Bonny and Asiel!
Brrrr, I've been Frosted! Thank you, Asiel and Pomtzu!
"That's the power of kittens (and puppies too, of course): They can reduce us to quivering masses of Jell-O in about two seconds flat and make us like it. Good thing they don't have opposable thumbs or they'd surely have taken over the world by now." -- Paul Lukas
"We consume our tomorrows fretting about our yesterdays." -- Persius, first century Roman poet
Cassie's Catster page: http://www.catster.com/cats/448678
I'm so glad that Tommy is fine and I hope his mouth heals up quickly.
Owned by Sky, Pearl, Ziggy Stardust, Alani, Blaze, Colby, Finnegan, and Summer.
My Rainbow Bridge Babies:
RB Pepper 3/17/97- 2/3/03 RIP Sweet Pepper
RB Starr 3/22/05- 7/1/09 RIP Sweet Starr
RB Sunny 8/25/00- 2/28/10 RIP Sweet Sunny
RB Storm 1/11/96- 8/2/12 RIP Sweet Storm
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All Items : Kitchen : Salt and Pepper Shakers : Pre 1970 item #875197 (stock #M-1071)
Treasured Vintage Collectibles
$10.00 Shipping+Insurance $8.00
$10.00 Shipping+Insurance $8.00
This vintage Pyrex glass salt and pepper shaker set is classic retro. Each piece is clear glass with a blue cap. "PYREX MADE IN U.S.A." is imprinted on each cap. Each piece stands 4 1/2" high and 1 3/4" in diameter at the base. Remarkable condition with no noticeable flaws. This classic set will still add style to any collection. From a private collection and never been used.
All Items : Kitchen : Salt and Pepper Shakers : Pre 1960 item #866974 (stock #M-1051)
Treasured Vintage Collectibles
$55.00 Shipping+Insurance $8.00
$55.00 Shipping+Insurance $8.00
This elegant set of diamond patterned Anchor Hocking glass salt and pepper shakers includes a relish jar with an original petite plastic spoon. These three jars are set in a shiny metal frame wheelbarrow. The three sparkling jars stand 2 1/4" tall x 1 3/4" in diameter. The metal wheelbarrow measures 4" high at the handle x 4 1/2" long x 3" wide. One jar has 1 large hole and the other has 12 holes. In excellent condition except for a dark spot of metal embedded in the the glass of one jar...


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Hi All,
I've done a search on the boards looking for how people are attaching alluminum stalk to their jango buckets..
I would like it to be moveable, but I've seen some pics that I then need to add a piece to build the ear up 1st? which would then mean sanding the cap down so that it stays flush?
If possible I will also be going with the magnets route to hold the ear cap on.
This is something I need to figure out prior to doing any primer paint etc
What have you done with yours? and how has it worked for you?
I don't have my ref cd as yet so please bear with me :)


text:
The Federal Government will Become America's Model Employer for the 21st Century.
Recruit, Retain and Honor a World-Class Workforce to Serve the American People.
Human Resources and Security Specialists should use this tool to determine the correct investigation level for any covered position within the U.S. Federal Government.
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ODI will assist departments and agencies to accomplish their varied missions as they develop a strategic focus on diversity and inclusion, allowing them to prepare for shifting workplace demographics, improved services to all populations and innovation for the future.


text: I've been youtubing lately and find myself going to the old reliables. Reliable, not because of their competetive metal but because of the care they took when constructing a program. Whilst some of these ladies never medalled at worlds, nor remembered by the current generation of fans, these are trully some of the finest moments inf ladies figure skating of the last 10 years IMHO and I'd love to see the current crop learn a thing a two from the following ladies/programs. It's all about the nuances IMHO. - 2007 LP 'Munich' by Susanna Poykio The original music choice, the quiet performance and understated expression. The free turns on the music after the first lutz, the build up to the spiral, the super ending right on the footwork..... such a clever program worthy of any podium. -- 2000 LP 'Legends of the Fal'l by Vanessa Gusmerolli Again, a quiet performance but so many choreographical highlights. The split stop, the Ina, the change of direction camel spins to finish, packed with originality. Clearly the best program of 2000 and unfortunately only 4th at both worlds and Euros. - 2001 LP 'Sleeping Beauty' by Angela Nikodinov I think this is the epitome of flow. IMHO it's a better program and better skated program than anything her more famous compatriot ever produced. - 2003 LP 'Malaguena' by Julia Lautowa Call me insane, but I genuinely think this proves how simple it is to make a program come alive...the queen of punctuation. SHe highlights so many random beats, it's very easy to do and very effective...see opening 10 seconds, spiral, even the jumps are placed on the beat of the music (see loop)...and low and behold she splats on the last beat, I believe on purpose, all in the name of punctuation. -2006 LP 'Turandot' by Shizuka Arakawa SOmetimes you don't have to have that much choreography when you have killer flow, and jumps that are so pleasing on they eye they may aswell by choreography. When you have an Ina Bauer and a Full split COE spiral too boot......super program. Plenty more to be added in time.


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Hey All,
I'm going to be out in the Puyallup area (the girly is working out there) and thought I poke around and see if anyone was interested in meeting up to chase some grouse. I have absolutely nothing planned during the day between Christmas and New Year's and thought I'd spend some time in the woods. If anyone's interested let me know. I can drive or take care of gas etc. I'm packing the toys for this next trip, and thought it would be a good chance to meet some folks from here in another area of the country. Feel free to send me a PM if you prefer.