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- WIBC announces leaderboard to foster global Islamic banking
- Saudi schools IPO is said to underscore weakening foreign demand
- Turkey discussing Halkbank with the US, says Erdogan
- Dubai Aerospace raises $1 billion in dual-tranche notes
- Duqm Refinery signs $4.6 billion Shari'ah-compliant project financing
- Arabtec hires Moelis for debt restructuring
- APICORP expects 15 per cent asset growth in 2019, says CEO
- Tesla investors urge directors to go beyond SEC's board overhaul
- Fund management's $1 trillion club eats its peers
- South Africa's Gigaba violated ethics act, public protector says
Digital developments
Bhairav Trivedi, Group CEO, Network International
Now hiring!
As countries within the MENA region are expected to hire new staff, contributing experts give insight into finding the right…
Ride on!
In spite of investors' general disinterest in social business, the Chairicycles co-founders have continued to focus their…
Get to Govinda's
Govinda's, a home-grown restaurant has been catering to vegetarians since 2001, and recently opened its second branch and…
Latest storiesarchive
Seven ways to avoid UAE VAT penalties
Michael Armstrong, ICAEW Regional Director for the Middle East, Africa and South Asia, shares his top tips for UAE businesses to avoid financial penalties that may be imposed due to violations,…
Ten things MENA HR professionals need to do as part of the GDPR implementation
Paul Burrin, Vice President, Sage People, discusses what HR professionals need to take into account
The European Union's General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into…
VAT challenges for UAE insurers could hurt 2018 performance
Although the relevant authorities have made it clear over the past few months that all insurance policies—with the exception of life insurance—are subject to the levy,…
10 ways SMEs can prevent cyberattacks
Richard Anning, Head of IT Faculty at ICAEW discusses how the digital age has brought the world closer in trade, innovation and accountability but has opened…
AI, cloud control, and data stewardship are key factors in making most of data in 2018
In the same way that a CFO sets out the strategy and framework for investment and cash flow, CIOs and CTOs need to take control of making dataflow work for their organisations,…
VAT tips for UAE entrepreneurs
Entrepreneurs Organization (EO) UAE, the local chapter of the global network of entrepreneurs, reported that its members experienced a seamless transition to VAT this week.
Dollar stumbles into New Year, Gold extends gains
Asian stocks were mostly higher during early trading on Tuesday, after an unexpectedly upbeat survey of Chinese manufacturing activity in December stimulated risk appetite, according…
NBF–banking options for female Emirati entrepreneurs
National Bank of Fujairah has made moves to accommodate the financing needs of their female Emirati clientele.
According to the 2015 Female Entrepreneurship Index developed…
A sincere form of flattery?
When Stevi Lowmass of The Camel Soap Factory discovered her product was being copied and sold, she took a number of steps to address the situation.
Stevi Lowmass, the CEO and Founder…
Employees engage!
Employees who feel appreciated while working in a healthy environment will go above and beyond to ensure the business succeeds.
Recent research revealed that more than 80 per cent of employees…
Digital diversification
Adeeb Ahamed, Managing Director, Lulu Exchange Holdings, discusses the considerations made as the company develops its online presence.
What market gap was Lulu Exchange…
Omaira Farooq AlOlama
The Emirati Managing Director of ALF Administration is passionate about developing the skillset of UAE Nationals in an effort to contribute to the development of her country.
Family planning
Siobhan Crick, from asset manager SANNE, discusses the different approaches taken by GCC families to succession planning.
Collectively, the largest GCC family-owned businesses…
Accounting–better get started
With VAT a few months away, Arshi Kaura at Legends Accounting discusses how small business owners can get their financial reporting in order.
SME owners must maintain good financial…
Five ways to spot a toxic employee
Toxic employees can do damage to your team and spotting them soon is essential, according to Chester Elton, Partner and Founder of employee engagement training and coaching provider,…
2018 IT security predictions–attacks, investment areas and cybersecurity strategies
It's that time of year again when we look back at what has motivated the market for IT security solutions in the last year, in order to develop our plans for the next year. With…
Digital Trends of 2018
As we near the end of 2017, the surge in all-things-digital is showing no signs of stopping, according to Alexander Rauser, CEO and Founder of Prototype Interactive.
The inevitable…
Future proofing organisations with zero-trust approach
Repeated onslaughts of cybersecurity attacks are driving businesses to relook at their security policies end-to-end, and to make them more future-ready for digital environments, explains…
Voluntary benefits key to unlocking employee productivity and corporate competitiveness
Employees across the UAE are looking to employers for additional employment benefits, following the successful introduction of mandatory health insurance, which has created a new benefits…
How blockchain technology is changing the security landscape in the banking sector
Blockchain, the technology that is used in the popular cryptocurrency bitcoin, is revolutionary in many ways–it addresses multiple challenges associated with digital transactions, such as double…
VAT in the GCC–accelerating compliance with the right ERP platform
The benefits of tax aside, being prepared for VAT compliance can be a daunting prospect writes Monzer Tohme, Regional Vice President, Middle East & Africa, Epicor Software.
Public cloud not the only strategy for Middle East organisations
For consumers and businesses alike, digital technology has proven disruptive, but a reluctance to embrace digital technologies can leave organisations falling behind competitors, according…
Safe in the clouds
Hadya Fathalla, Executive Director, C5 Capital discusses the role SMEs can play in tackling cyberthreats head on.
Businesses are set to lose $8 trillion to cybercrime over…
Oreo you ready?
Mohamed Shalaby discusses how the right public-private partnerships have allowed Mondalēz to expand its presence in the country and meet the growing market demand in the GCC.
US-based confectionary…
FXTM: What to watch for
Hussein Sayed, Chief Market Strategist at FXTM Key discusses the key events to watch in the week ahead.
The US dollar and stocks made a fantastic run towards the end of last week…
Pitch perfect
Two SME owners share what entrepreneurs need to know when going before investors, having successfully raised funds themselves.
The first six months of 2017 saw 88 closed deals…
Risk Management
Business risks exist everywhere but early implementation of a proper management system can mitigate them once they occur, or even catch them early.
SMEs are becoming increasingly…
Sandbox clever
The Bahraini Government has taken a number of steps to develop different areas of the SME sector to make the Kingdom more competitive in the GCC region and internationally.
Bahrain is on track…
SMEs, Bahrain, and the law
Brian Howard, Partner, Trowers and Hamlins, discusses the reality of setting up a business in Bahrain.
It is incredibly easy to establish a company in Bahrain–even an onshore…
FinanceME and Female Fusion talk VAT
Accounting and legal experts address certain issues to help business owners prepare for VAT's implementation on 1 January 2018.
Currently the mandatory threshold for VAT registration is…
Digital transformation spurs the rise of the GCC's millennial manager movement
As generational monikers go, the term 'Millennial' often rouses mixed opinions, writes Hazel Jackson, CEO of Biz Group.
For a start, its very definition is clouded.…
Palo Alto Networks research highlights a disconnect between cloud ambitions and security
UAE organisations face a major disconnect between cloud aspirations and secure cloud infrastructure, with 64 per cent of CIOs in the region ranking cloud security as important, but 34 per cent admitting…
Benefits of voluntary VAT registration, especially for SMEs
With the UAE and Saudi Arabia implementing VAT on 1 January 2018, Aaron White, Regional Director for Sage Middle East, looks at the advantages of voluntary registration.
The new…
Women entrepreneurs–go for it!
Women can have it all–a fulfilling career with flexible time allowing them to dedicate themselves to their families, which can even include working with their spouses, according…
Can employee debt sabotage your bottom line?
How much do you know about your employees' finances? This is a question Nausheen Popat, Founder & Chief Operating Officer at Lifecare is asking all business…
After BoC hike, will the ECB announce the end of QE?
Currency traders were in action on Wednesday, with a couple of unanticipated events causing some wild swings in FX markets, according to Hussein Sayed, Chief Market Strategist…
VAT in the GCC: what does it mean for your business?
On 1 January 2018, value-added tax (VAT) will come into effect for the first time in United Arab Emirates. Naturally, small businesses are concerned about the financial and operational…
Why a strong incentive programme brings genuine ROI to your company
Incentive or 'pay for performance' programmes provide a disciplined way to motivate staff to achieve their best, they add to the overall proposition for attracting and retaining…
Telltale signs you cannot handle your company's finances
Every entrepreneur needs finance skills. But not every entrepreneur has them, according to Neil Petch, Chairman at Virtugroup.
Most entrepreneurs will have bags of acumen…
What does a government shutdown mean for the US markets?
After stocks and the dollar surged on Tuesday, following a Politico report that Trump's team have taken a significant step on tax reforms, the President's threats on…
FXTM: Politics and central bankers under investors' radar
FXTM Chief Market Strategist Hussein Sayed comments on why politics and central bankers are currently under investors' radar.…
Greenback took a double hit
The US dollar remained on the defensive early Thursday, after yesterday's declines led by increased uncertainty over another US rate hike in 2017 and President Donald Trump's…
Mind the (gender) gap
The gender gap in the workplace must be addressed by women driving the change they want to see.
GCC women run SMEs worth AED 1.4 trillion, driving…
Stocks recover as geopolitical tensions ease; safe havens plunging
After suffering the steepest weekly declines since March, S&P 500 futures are indicating a positive opening for US stocks, according to Hussein Sayed, Chief Market Strategist…
Dig deeper
With discrepancies becoming more prevalent in employment applications, recruiters need to start running more stringent background checks.
HireRight, a…
Flight to safety subsides; attention shifts to data
The war of words between Trump and North Korea, has largely dictated the direction of the market for the past 24 hours, according to Hussein Sayed, Chief Market Strategist at FXTM.…
Optimism that the rand could strengthen quickly fades
Any optimism that the South African rand (ZAR) would continue its attempt to strengthen against the USD, appears to have gone out the window following the news that Jacob Zuma survived…
Can OPEC revive oil bulls?
There was little excitement in the oil markets during Tuesday's trading session; with investors on guard as OPEC and Non-OPEC members discussed compliance levels on their…
Markets in sleep mode, VIX drops below 10
Despite the S&P 500 and Dow Jones Industrial Average hitting record highs on Monday, the news barely made headlines, which could be explained by the scale of the moves, according…


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Single page responsive psd työt
We are looking to have 1 page website designed and built - allowing people to make donations in $ and £ using stripe. The page will ask a few questions, take their personal infomration and then take their payment They will have the option to make a single payment or recurring.
...We have a Wordpress website with WooCommerce. Currently, for products with variations, the price displays the lowest and highest price available. Eg. $99 - $199 Ideally, the page would load with the prices as above. However, when a user selects an option from the drop down variables, the price would change to reflect the price of that variation. That's
I am looking for a single page I can up load to a test domain so I can show my client what my new design would look like both on a PC and on a mobile device. This will be a full width webpage with a single menu at the top, and a single scrolling banner. All pictures and text will be supplied in any way you request.
We are looking for a data scraping expert. Scraping of data from a single html page (we can provide example in private message). Output of data to csv format. You can use any data scraping methods, but we would like to run the scripts ourselves on a Linux server from command line, so less dependencies, the better.
I have unity single game. I want to convert the game to multi one. There are many rooms and 2 players per room in this game. If you can complete this project, please let me know.
Woocommerce Single Product Page not working, need to fix. got error, This page isn't working [kirjaudu nähdäksesi URL:n] is currently unable to handle this request. HTTP ERROR 500
We need help for integration and built single page order with our design to whmcs module
We need a single dedicated part time resource on Angular js 6.0 with python to give support for US people on weekdays morning around 90 minutes IST 6 00 am to 8 00 am will provide 20000 per month minimum 4+ years of experience candidates only eligible for the bid.
Our Organization is planning to go with Single Sign on using firebase with our applications. Our applications 1. Internal(Opensource) 2. External(3rd party services). ** Both are web applications not mobile. ** Please let us know 1. Time line to complete this 2. Costing fixed or Hourly.
I need single web page that looks like attached image. There's two images, one that is how it will look, and another with the grid overlaid. The grid is rough, just to give idea of column layout (1 column row, 2 column row, etc.). Doesn't need to be replicated pixel perfectly. Max content width in the image is 1150px, but, again, can be adjusted a
Hi i need single leg plans anyone can do
Hello i need single leg mlm software anyone available pls provide Pls check my image like this
Please read the job description fully before apply. Only Independent Freelancers need appl...enzyme and jest. You should have a good sense of design and know how to use Styled-components and/or CSS to build a great user experience. NOTE: If you did not know about Single Page Apps before you read this job description, please do not apply. Thank you.
I need to restyle in an attractive way the current single webpage-landing page for a crowdfunding coffee farm project, it should have a clean appealing graphic, the page will be hosted in [kirjaudu nähdäksesi URL:n] and it should be easy to be uploaded over there. the current page [kirjaudu nähdäksesi URL:n] (Please show some creativity and no ...
I need content on a document changed.
The attached image is being used as a paralax background for a web design project. I need the following changes made. - The faded city skyline backdrop needs to be removed and replaced with a similar faded image of a city skyline for a different city. I can provide the picture to be used. - The green geometric pattern on the right needs to be changed, so that the colors and triangles are diffe...
need to add mobile responsiveness to a single html home page while keeping the desktop version undisturbed. Budget is INR 200-350.
I am looking for someone to develop a listbox react *****front end***** page with placeholders for my API calls. I have screenshots of a similar app I am using as reference I want to create the page as follows: 1) projects 2) tools 1)The user selects a project from the drop down 2) All of the tools will show up among the 2 listboxes. The user can
Hi, I need the following paragraph proofread and edited if deemed necessary: "Hailing predominantly from Peru, maca is often mentioned as one of the 'lost crops of the Andes'. Used by the ancient Peruvians as currency for trade, it later become so coveted that the Incan Empire reserved it exclusively for royal consumption. Once the Spanish discovered the Americas, it was importe...
Design and build scrollable single page mobile first website for roadside assistance business Majority of the site users will be accesing it trough their mobile devices, so the site should be designed in mobile first approach. Main designe to be made for mobile users first; laptop and PC versions serves only representetive purpose and alot design time
We want a single dashboard where we can get Swiggy, Zomato and Uber Eats orders a single place and categorized by Order by Order providers i tabs.
Writing of a research paper with the topic mentioned above
I want your help improving a website while keeping its aesthetics extremely simplicity. The website is currently a single HTML page and I want to keep it that way. The improvements I want: 1. Render well on mobile. 2. Render well when printed on paper or PDF. 3. Control the blurb and image that shows in search results, and when linking from social
Hi! I need to simulating with Simaris a single line schemes. With the schemes I need to see short circuit calculations, voltage drop calculations and circuit breakers type (66 kA or 55 kA )
We need a single dedicated part time resource on Java 8,9 Spring 4, 5 Spring boot Kubernetes to give support for US people on weekdays morning around 90 minutes IST 6 00 am to 8 00 am will provide 20000 per month minimum 4+ years of experience candidates only eligible for the bid.
Complete project only. Must provide several concepts prior to starting work. Requires 2D drawing of existing building off provided measurements and photos. Requires concepts for renovations with 3D renderings. Requires complete plans for renovations, including 2D,3D. Electrical, plumbing, heating. Kitchen, bedroom, closets 3D, 2D plans and renderings. Complete BOM for all materials including wind...
We need a responsive Foundation 6 design ([kirjaudu nähdäksesi URL:n]) for our Single Page Building Designer App. See attached PDF file for important design information.
Need two unique but similar single page website for our Drive Image Backup and Restore Software product. There are two domains ([kirjaudu nähdäksesi URL:n] and [kirjaudu nähdäksesi URL:n]) that we now need to use their own set of files due to forcing use of https, so we decided we would like to try a unique product only page in a completely new modern sty...
We need a single dedicated part time resource on java with AWS to give support for US people on weekdays morning around 90 minutes IST 6 00 am to 8 00 am will provide 20000 per month minimum 4+ years of experience candidates only eligible for the bid.
I need a new website. I need you to design and build a website for my small business. The website for software technology company so Aboutus Contact us Service (7) Additional 2 menus (may be )
On the attached responsive website we would like to add a thick vertical Line through the whole one-page-layout. The line should look like the blue vertical line on the attached jpg: Blue_line.jpg. The html site is here: [kirjaudu nähdäksesi URL:n]
I'd like to see a silhouette of a woman showing strength, class, and humility wearing pearls and purple gloves in an aline dress. We need a silhouette with pearls in the aline dress (sample of dress attached) and purple gloves. This image will be used for a book cover so it needs to be detailed, well drawn out and beautiful. *Image sample of what the dress should look like is attached. ...
We need a single dedicated part time resource on SAP hybris to give support for US people on weekdays morning around 90 minutes IST 6 00 am to 8 00 am will provide 22000 per month minimum 4+ years of experience candidates only eligible for the bid.
Hi, i require someone who can log into my hosting and fix an error. Our upload link/button currently is not correctly working showing an error. It states there is no valid path any further information please ask
need structural design for a single family house 3 story with roof
need a sketch up model for a single house
I have one simple HTML page. This is used as an email template, so basically our system takes these templates and sends out an email. We have a new design and this HTML page needs to be adjusted to follow the new design to maximum possible extent. Please, find attached the original page (in jpg) and thew new design (also in jpg). As soon as we make
We need a single-line diagram for a small PV project. Please find the attached docs as how I would like to have it. The project details are as follows 307 Kw Trina 300W solar panels Solar edge inverter Ground mount racking system Also, can you send me a sample of your commercial jobs
Need a single line diagram -SLD electrical drawings in AUTOCAD similar to attached. I will send you a DXF file of the design you will convert to a SLD
need 3D rendering for a single residential house
I apologize for not being word-perfect in English. I came from Thailand. I have my school project. I just want this girl in 3D model but it's hard for me to do this work. This girl she is a famous singer in Thailand. Her name is "Mewnich BNK48". You could find her images on Google.
Questions similar to attached file (urgent)
Hi. I work for a charity and we are having a fund raiser event. I have already setup the domain, server and installed wordpress to the site. I just need a nice looking 1page site with information, links etc.
Need a single page angular ui dashboard comprising of charts (high charts) with data driven from xml and json objects (both remote and local using toggle on/off) Bar Chart Line Chart Pie Chart Drill down capability to hourly, minutes of data Export/Print Ready - Dashboard downloadable to PPT and/or PDF Data comes in the following folder structure
To build a POS which can work both offline and online.. the project has two interfaces 1. admin interface for the business owners(Us) to view and manger sales 2. for the restaurant pos interface
I would like a single web page built… The page will have the same theme as our existing site: [kirjaudu nähdäksesi URL:n] – and it will eventually be "connected" to the site. The single page we are making here for this project is the INVESTORS page (where the link is currently broken). After this project, I will connect ...
I want a single page website to be converted to bootstrap / responsive.
Hey I'm a R&B artist and i just need a cover art for one of my singles
Looking for someone who can build a single product website. Prefferly shopify

subset: commoncrawl


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We've been watching the wires, collecting the best quotes from the past few days, just so you can sit back and enjoy a week's worth of opinion and controversy, covering everything from Kinect: Star Wars to Mass Effect 3 to Journey, with an inevitable stop-off at next-gen consoles...
Political Harassment
"This isn't about protecting children, it's about political harassment."
EA spokesman Jeff Brown, on anti-gay campaigners.
GamesIndustry International
I'm Rusty, I'm Slow
"If I was a brave man I would do it, but I don't know if I'm that brave. I'm like someone who is about 60 pounds overweight going to the gym for the first time. I'm rusty, I'm slow and these are the athletes of coding. I thought that I could go in some sort of disguise."
Peter Molyneux on attending game-making experiment Moly-Jam, and trying his hand at coding a game.
The Verge
The Lights Can't Move
"In the current state of the art, it's all pre-baked. Like, if you play Gears of War or Rage or something, it's beautiful. But the lights can't move. If objects move it starts to break down. If you move an object, the lighting's on the wrong side and it's all wrong."
Gearbox chief Randy Pitchford, currently making Aliens: Colonial Marines, getting excited about the next-generation.
Take a Chill Pill
"I want everybody to just take a chill pill and relax about this. I'm not going to make you sing into a microphone. I'm not going to make you dance in front of your TV. I'm not going to make you beatmatch. This is just a fun way to honor a part of Disney's history. If you don't like that part of Disney's history, skip it."
Warren Spector, creator of the upcoming Epic Mickey 2: The Power Of Two, on musical sections in the game.
The Feeling of Being Somewhere
"In Journey, thatgamecompany finally discovers that facility was never the design problem they were looking for. Its games are about the feeling of being somewhere, not about the feeling of solving something."
Games culture commentator Ian Bogost.
The Atlantic
If You Spend Every Day Killing One Another
"There's this assumption in video games that if you run into a random player online, it's going to be a bad experience. You think that they will be an asshole, right? But listen: none of us was born to be an asshole. I believe that very often it's not really the player that's an asshole. It's the game designer that made them an asshole. If you spend every day killing one another how are you going to be a nice guy? All console games are about killing each other, or killing one another together. Don't you see? It's our games that make us assholes."
Journey creator Jenova Chen.
People Like to Dissect Graphics
"We do not focus on technology specs. We understand that people like to dissect graphics and processing power, but the experience of playing will always be more important than raw numbers."
A Nintendo of America spokesperson responds to reports that Wii U will be less powerful than Xbox 360 and PS3.
Digital Trends
In Six Months
"THQ won't be around in six months."
Take-Two CEO Strauss Zelnick. He later apologized for the remark.
Brown Shooters
"We wanted to make sure that we didn't just have another one of these brown shooters. It's pretty common these days to just show this really dirty, grungy brown environment. It would be a real shame to show Dubai without the super shiny, glass, marble, and gold, and crystal. It really is a colorful place."
Yager Developments' Cory Davis on Spec-Ops: The Line.
Skew the Rankings
"The most common way to skew the rankings is to temporarily discount the price. This spikes downloads from deal seekers, driving the game up the rankings. Within days, the app returns to full price while sitting in a highly visible spot near the top of the app store."
Media expert Kevin Joyce on App Store ranking scams.
Horrible at Finishing
"I like smaller games. It's nice to be able to know that people are actually finishing the game. I'm horrible at finishing them. I love games, but I'm not a completionist. Having it be shorter is really nice for people, especially those who have full-time jobs and kids."
Portal and Quantum Conundrum creator Kim Swift.
I'm the Only One
"Why do I feel like I'm the only one who's not ready for this gen to end?"
Top-rated comment (from mountain-duwe) on news of PS4's specs.
When Girls Gather
"When boys gather around to play games just with each other, it's not really social. When girls gather around just to chat, it's not very social. The social starts when they hang out together and play games together."
Prime World producer Larisa Nuretdinova on plans to entice more fenmale gamers with in-game bonuses and discounts.
Penny Arcade
Excites, Inspires and Engages
"Make a game that has thousands of hours of dialogue and storytelling. Make a game that excites, engages, and inspires. Now do it again. And again. For 30 years. In every genre. On every platform."
PopCap's John Vechey on EA's ludicrous award as 'America's Worst Company.
John Vechey
Dancing in Star Wars
"Why would they put dancing in Star Wars? Why wouldn't you just play Dance Central?"
Penny Arcade's Gabe's seven-year-old son says what we're all thinking.
Penny Arcade
Colin Campbell is an award-winning games journalist based in California. Follow him on Twitter and at IGN.


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KDE 4.4.0 Released
Posted by Philipp Esselbach on: 02/09/2010 07:16 PM [ Print | 0 comment(s) ]
KDE 4.4.0 has been released
9th February, 2010. Today KDE announces the immediate availability of the KDE Software Compilation 4.4, "Caikaku", bringing an innovative collection of applications to Free Software users. Major new technologies have been introduced, including social networking and online collaboration features, a new netbook oriented interface and infrastructural innovations such as the KAuth authentication framework. According to KDE's bug-tracking system, 7293 bugs have been fixed and 1433 new feature requests were implemented. The KDE community would like to thank everybody who has helped to make this release possible.
KDE 4.4.0 Released


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Verizon is the only major U.S. carrier yet to announce a new HTC phone for this year. But that could change in a few short weeks. New details and pictures of the upcoming HTC Incredible 4G (also known as the HTC Fireball) have shown up, giving us a closer look at the device and shedding some new light on its specifications and possible release date.
As we've mentioned before, the design of the HTC Incredible 4G is reminiscent of the previous HTC phones offered by Verizon. The contoured back panel resembles the HTC Incredible and Incredible 2 while the dark glossy finish around the front of the device looks to be lifted directly from the HTC Rezound.
Specifications on the HTC Incredible 4G include a dual-core 1.2 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 processor paired with an Adreno 225 GPU, 1GB of RAM, 4-inch qHD display, 8 megapixel camera (presumable paired with HTC ImageSense and a dedicated image chip) front-facing VGA camera, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n, NFC, MHL and Bluetooth 4.0. The HTC Incredible 4G will run on Android 4.0.3 with HTC Sense 4.0.
An exact launch date for the HTC Incredible 4G is anyone's guess at this time, but PocketNow seems to think that Verizon may be able to get the phone into the hands of consumers before the end of April.
While Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T and Sprint may all have their own variants of HTC flagship One series, it's extremely hard to line them up and say which one if the best. All four phones will offer the same software and camera experience with HTC ImageSense, but the hardware designs and internal components have subtle differences which is hard for consumers to pick out which one is the best.
If the HTC One X, One S, EVO 4G LTE and Incredible 4G were all offered on the same service provider, which One would you choose?


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KINGSTON, NORTH CAROLINA -- My home was given to my husband and I am still helping pay bills and also still have a loan on the house that I have been paying with from the rental home. This is marry property and do not understand why Springleaf Finance will do such a thing. I have been upset about this since 1995 and have not got over what they did. This bothers me every time I think about what they did. They took away all the equity and did not put it back. My name was fraud on paper at the courthouse and they think I sign the papers. The lady at the bank notarize the paper and it was not sign in her presence by me. Every one been helping my husband fraud me.
I do not know why people do such evil thing and not doing their job right. Springleaf Finance in Smithfield took over the loan from the Kingston office and started doing the same thing. I do not know what I may have sign but they got to be out of their mind to think I have been trying to give my half of the property away to my husband. I am not, no rich women. I just hope American General Finance or Springleaf Finance get that court record right cause I did not give my husband my home and he getting all of the rent money paying bills with it.
NC later on took over the loan from Kingston office and then took my land away and gave it to my husband. These are some crazy people. My husband one year got a DWI stop and I paid for the car which was $14,000 and they said he paid for it. This car had both of our name on it. Somebody is trying to make me out of a fraud and leave me with nothing. Every time I pay something, they give me back a receipt and say he paid it. I feel like my identity been stolen for my home and deed to my home been taken away.
BELLEVUE, WASHINGTON -- I decided to buy a new motorcycle and the dealer arranged the financing through American General Financial Services. I had a blemish on my credit and could not get premium financing and decided this was a way to rebuild my credit at a cost of about $50 per month over good bank financing. I applied for and was granted a loan for $7500. The motorcycle cost $10,000 and I was prepared to put down the difference. No problem. While sitting in the parking lot for American General, I called my own bank who financed both my cars and worked out a much better plan.
If I put $8,000 into a CD they would loan me $8,000 for only 3% over prime. Over a 48-month period I would earn more money on the CD than the finance charges on the loan. I left American General hanging and drove straight to my bank and did the deal. When they called to ask if I was still coming, I told the representative 'NO' and explained the deal I got at the bank. He admitted he could not match the deal and I thought OK, game over.
Then I got a denial letter from American General saying I was 'DENIED' the loan due to information on my credit report which was not true. I called the Branch Manager in Bellevue, Washington and she would not return my calls so I filed a complaint with the State Attorney General followed by a letter to the Branch Manager advising them of my action. Finally a few days later some other guy called claiming to be the REAL manager and said he was sorry for the confusion. He said no report was filed with the credit bureau and the denial was just internal. Yeah sure!
The end result was my State Attorney General forwarded my complaint to **, the American General Assistant General Counsel, who replied saying they were in their right to file a denial report since I applied for a $10,000 loan (not true) and they could not grant that loan amount due to my credit report (also not true).
Basically they twisted the facts to suit themselves, blathered on about their compliance with the Equal Credit Opportunity Act to justify their 'denial' of credit when in fact it was I who denied them and I think they just got pissed off about it. I suggest if you are ever in this situation go to the creditor and get a copy of your complete file, get a letter from them at that time stating they will NOT file a denial of credit with the credit bureau and that your application was closed due to your choice not to proceed.
ILLINOIS -- I have recently been questioning our mortgage company and its lending practices. We were first time home buyers and went to a finance company where we had done small loans with before. We trusted these people but now I am really wondering about things. We received just one document at closing, which was an open-end mortgage. We had to meet with the manager on a Saturday, and we were rushed through the signing. Basically it was a sign here, initial there, we will take care of the rest the next week. Well, I finally after 7 years got most of the documents from our loan. We have been requesting this information for the last 2 years.
We have now found out it was a HELOC mortgage. We finally received a good faith estimate, which they also call their settlement statement, basically a range of what we were supposedly charged. Our interest rate is 15%, which was not what we were told in the beginning, but we paid points to have it brought down. We have a pre-payment penalty, a balloon payment in 2016, and a mandatory arbitration clause. There was not a 3 day right to cancel, a truth in lending statement.
We bought a modular home which cost $41,898.00 now we find out the HELOC states our initial line of credit was $49,941 and the initial advance was $47,178.88. So where did the approx. $6000.00 go? We have made payments for the last 7 years and I requested a payoff statement as of December 2008 and it was 50,521.68 with a per diem interest 15.90. We were also charged for a single premium insurance at the cost of $1160.00 which we were unaware of. I'm not sure if any of this makes any sense to anyone, because I am having a hard time understanding it myself.
We were very naive buyers, but we really felt secure with borrowing from this company, and expected them to be open and honest with us. We had not questioned any of this before, but my husband became very ill a couple of years ago, and we were told we had disability insurance, which is a whole other story that I won't go into. My husband became disabled and we waited 18 months on SSDI but got behind one payment during his illness.
When I try to talk to the branch manager about any of this she threatens foreclosure, which she tells me, they can make us move out immediately. I have been trying to read some info on the net about HELOC's and open-end mortgages, but I am starting to get more confused, the more I read. Am looking for anyone else's input if at all possible. Thanks.
DELAWARE, OHIO -- In 2006 we got a loan to fix our windows for $2,500 plus financing it was going to cost us $3,748. Well a couple months later we hit a bind and they offered to loan us another $500. Turned out what I thought was just an extension to our loan was in fact our 1st loan paid off and then they rewrote a new loan including the extra $500. That stupid $500 just cost us 1 more year and the loan is now for $5,900. How the hell this loan just doubled? I can't get these loan sharks to admit to but I'm determined to let anyone and everyone know that they are just as bad if not worse than any loan shark out there and they did this legally.
It was my fault I sat and listened to them as they said they would just "amend" the contract when in fact they had me paying back twice more than I borrowed. I filed a BBB complaint and they have a neg report on them but I don't think that they care. Stay clear of these people they will take you to the poor farm and will keep trying to sell you snake oil. Research if you don't believe me but I have proof they have ripped me off and they won't even send statements of receipt of payment because I paid extra and I paid monthly and they still have me behind on payments. Wish me luck in fighting these jerks!
COUNCIL BLUFFS, IOWA -- American General reviewed our credit report and suggested that we apply for a loan to refinance our home, consolidate some bills, and do some home improvement. We followed the requirements of supplying the proper paperwork and such. We were contacted a few times asking for different information. Each time we were told that the loan looked good. On 8/23/10, we received a phone call stating that our loan was OK'd and they needed some information about the bank that had our mortgage.
When I called them back with the information they required, I specifically asked them if the loan was passed for sure and could we contact some companies about estimates on the home improvement. They said, "Absolutely". We contacted some companies and set up appointments. We also told a couple of our friends about our plans. On 8/24/10, we received a call stating that the loan was refused because of something that they saw on the credit report. This item that they mentioned has been on the credit report for 8 months. They should have seen it when they originally checked the credit report.
Also, I might mention that our house which they would have had for collateral on the loan is worth much, much more than what the loan would have been for. I feel that we were the victims of unfair business practices. I suggest you don't deal with American General unless you want the rug jerked out from under you.
I must admit that I have to withdraw my complaint posted on 8/25/10. It was all due to a large misunderstanding. I had sent a letter to American General Financial containing the information I posted on this site. I received a phone call from the Regional Manager today stating that this was all a major misunderstanding and that application would revert back to its original status and the loan would be approved. The whole incident happened because of miscommunication between the home office and the local office. In speaking with the main office and the local office, everything has been settled to our satisfaction and we are now very happy with American General. Thank you American General. Donald G. Powers
LAS CRUCES, NEW MEXICO -- I applied for a personal loan through Money Now USA which states they work with numerous lenders. I actually have tried a few times to see and it always refers to American General Financial Services (member of AIG). I filled out the application and was emailed that it was accepted and I would be contacted in less than one business day. I noticed through a credit monitoring service I use that my credit rating was verified immediately. Two business days later, no call. I decided to call them where they questioned me on the same things contained in my initial application.
They took almost an hour of my time, only to offer me a loan of about 15% of what I asked for and at 35.99% interest. The manager was rude and condescending, unprofessional, and even actually called me again after I turned them down on their ridiculous offer. They are a branch office in Las Cruces, NM. I have tried repeatedly to contact their corporate customer service with no luck at all. They never answer, much less return calls.
Now get this, AIG is getting billions of our tax dollars for a "bailout" and their financial services group does this kind of stuff to American taxpayers! WOW!!! I am not ashamed to say I have a score of 668, had a work accident and it shot everything. Still not bad, great pay history over last few years. And everything I have credit wise is under 11.99%. Way to go with the tax dollars and the Presidential order to start lending money! Let's see how my Congressman handles this.
ST. LOUIS,, MISSOURI -- American General has been harassing me for payment due. I have overpaid them. Their accounting practices are a joke. Also, their payment memos never let you know how much of your loan you have paid down. You have to be careful, it is REALLY easy to overpay.
MARTINSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA -- I decided in 2005 that I needed money for Christmas and American General seemed to give me what I needed. I was very satisfied in the beginning with them until I went to pay off my first loan. I had only been with them a little over 8 months when I paid them off and then I needed another loan. I went to purchase a vehicle with the proceeds from refinancing my home and American General told me that they would give me back the money in a loan. I used every penny I had in the bank (11,000) to buy this car on a Saturday because they were closed. When I went to their office on that following Monday they told me that I could only get 6,500 dollars.
I was very upset but evidently did not learn my lesson. I sold the vehicle and did a payoff from CarMax. They told me that I would still have a balance of around 700 dollars I would owe and that was fine. I asked them since I just paid off 8,500 dollars by selling the car, that they could let me borrow on a personal loan about 3,000 dollars (including the 700 balance from old loan). What I was told was NO PROBLEM!!! Then when they received the payoff from the other company they told me that they were sorry, they could only refinance the balance owed and that my interest rate would go up if I refinanced almost 10%!!! What a ripoff.
I don't recommend these people to anyone and I hope you think twice about going to them for a loan. I got burnt twice but I can bet you it won't happen again. Remember this is the location in Martinsburg, WV. I don't think it matters where they are though. The corp. office did nothing to solve my problem. They said that it was up to the District Manager to make the call.
I was never late on a payment because I had direct debit out of my checking account. I was told that I had the lowest possible rate because I was a valued customer. But you won't give me another loan because my credit score dropped because I purchased a new vehicle and they had inquiries on my credit report? And by the way, a flawless credit report at that with NO derogatories on there. Please consider this before you go to them for your financial needs.
GREENSBURG, INDIANA -- I recently contacted American General Finance on behalf of my son. He had asked me to help him out with a payment. I contacted them at the Greensburg, Indiana office and informed them I wished to make a payment. They said they would not give me any information on their account, but then told me that 473 dollars would bring the loan current. I offered to pay it with a credit card. They refused. Most places take credit cards these days. I then offered to pay them with a check that I would mail today.
The manager of the office said the payment had to be in their office by Friday which it probably would not be if I mailed it. The man was not very customer oriented so I asked for his bosses name and number and called him. He was even less customer oriented. I would say that he probably costs the company a lot of money as his attitude belonged with Satan and not the angels.
To make a long story short, they said they would proceed with litigation against my son. When a company cannot wait one more day for a check to bring a loan current, it is time to stop doing business with them. This company is a perfect example of what is wrong with our country, and why we are losing ground so fast. Their terrorist tactics are inexcusable.


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Washington (AFP) | 14 November 2017 11:00
More than 3,000 donations — from $5 to $250 — have rolled in since November 6, when the GoFundMe campaign was set up on behalf of Juli Briskman.
Briskman's raised middle finger was caught by news photographers as Trump's motorcade passed her on October 28 as he left Trump National Golf Course in Sterling, Virginia. The image immediately went viral.
Three days later, the 50-year-old marketing executive was fired by her company, government contractor Akima.
"Thank you Juli Briskman," wrote Rob Mello, who set up the GoFundMe account, calling her "an inspiration to us all."
All the money raised goes directly to Briskman, he says on the site.


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Development of the neural Response Imaging over time in pre-lingually deaf children
Suche in Medline nach
|31. Mai 2005
The Advanced Bionics Neural Response Imaging System (NRI) allows recordings of the auditory nerve activity to be made in response to an electrical stimulus via the cochlear implant. To permit the method to be used to monitor the integrity of the auditory nerve over time base line data on the influence of electrical stimulation on the developing auditory system of children is required. A study was initiated to collect NRI recordings in a group of ten pre-lingually deaf children implanted with a HiRes90K below the age of 4 years. The Advanced Bionics clinical fitting software Soundwave was used to measure NRI recordings on four channels during surgery, at initial fitting and 3, 6 and 12 months after first fitting. All children were fitted with HiRes while the clinician fitting the study subject was blind to the NRI results to avoid bias in fitting levels. The NRI threshold was compared to the M-level used in the HiRes program. Changes in NRI success rate, threshold, shape and growth function were tracked.


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Ventriculoperitoneal shunting is surgery to treat excess cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain (hydrocephalus).
Shunt - ventriculoperitoneal; VP shunt; Shunt revision
This procedure is done in the operating room under general anesthesia. It takes about 1 1/2 hours.
The procedure is done as follows:
This surgery is done when there is too much cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in the brain and spinal cord. This is called hydrocephalus. It causes higher than normal pressure on the brain. It can cause brain damage.
Children may be born with hydrocephalus. It can occur with other birth defects of the spinal column or brain. Hydrocephalus can also occur in older adults.
Shunt surgery should be done as soon as hydrocephalus is diagnosed.
Risks of anesthesia are:
Risks of ventriculoperitoneal shunt placement are:
The shunt may stop working. If this happens, fluid will begin to build up in the brain again. As a child grows, the shunt may need to be repositioned.
If the procedure is not an emergency (it is planned surgery):
Ask your doctor or nurse about eating and drinking before the surgery. The general guidelines are:
Follow any other instructions about preparing at home. This may include bathing with a special soap.
Children need to lie flat for 24 hours the first time a shunt placed. After that, your child will be helped to sit up.
Children and adults stay in the hospital for 2 to 4 days. The health care team will closely monitor the patient. IV fluids, antibiotics, and pain medicines will be given if needed.
Follow your health care provider's instructions about how to take care of the shunt at home. This may include taking medicine to prevent infection of the shunt.
Shunt placement is usually successful in reducing pressure in the brain. But if hydrocephalus is related to other conditions, such as spina bifida, brain tumor, meningitis, encephalitis, or hemorrhage, these conditions could affect the prognosis. How severe hydrocephalus is before surgery also affects the outcome.
Kinsman SL, Johnston MV. Congential anomalies of the central nervous system. In: Kliegman RM, Stanton BF, St. Geme JW III, et al., eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 19th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Saunders; 2011:chap 585.11.
Rosenberg GA. Brain edema and disorders of cerebrospinal fluid circulation. In: Daroff RB, Fenichel GM, Jankovic J, Mazziotta JC, eds. Bradley's Neurology in Clinical Practice. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Saunders; 2012:chap 59.


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[Verse 1: Journey Hernandez]
What you got
Boy I wanna show you off
Tonight I wanna show you off
Come over here, put your lips
On mine and show me what we're made of
We are in this together
Close your eyes and forget
This world we live in for tonight
You've got me drunk
I'm swervin' and not thinking straight, can you believe it?
Drunk off your love
Amazed with your body, craving your touch, don't be afraid
What you got, boy what you got
I'm sitting on the moon looking down
I see all the girls whisper when you walk by, I the girls tryyna grab
What they can't have
When I walk by, I got them heads turning
I've got them hearts ah breaking
Baby, we are in this together
Saying no to all the guys is no sweat to my back
Oh, them other girls got
All that lipstick and their pretty face
And all them guys thinking they got what I want
Well, I guess they will be dreaming forever
They can't have you
You're mine
And all those dumbasses struttin' their stuff ain't gotta clue what it takes
I love you. I don't want them, oh cause boy what you git takes me to another planet
When you call me yours, now do it again, look me in the eyes and tell you love me
It paralyzes me
How did you know
How did you know where to put your hands?
You got me head over hills
I want you to know you're far from the usual
All the other clowns are out of luck
Cause I'm in love with the joker
The angel and the joker
Who would've guessed?
We are in this together
[Verse 2: Lil Young Blood]
No hesitations please
You're my motivation
I feel your heart beating fast
Just hold me close. we knew this day would come
Ok lets start with the girls
The girls thinking they got me
Shes got that mean swag like I do
Her touch is driving me insane
I have that love blood blood in my fucking veins
Damn, she an angel that fell from the heavens and im
The demon form hell
Haha she changed me a lot
I don't think I have horns and fire anymore
Shit, she gave me a halo and put her little shine on me
But shes brighter than me
Bitches try to run laps just to get with me
But whats the fucking point
Guys do the same with you
But they know that your all mine
She says my touch paralyses her
No, that's her just realizing that my touch is better than
Together forever
You got me gone like Nelly and Kelly
"Our future is gonna be amazing, be ready for the unthinkable
By time our love rules over the world, everything will change
Babygirl, I promise."
[Verse 3: Lil Young Blood]
Our love is at the top of the world
Way past that
Girl, my heart beats faster
As you get closer
You take my breath away
In that very special way
I got a confession
All this aggression
All this attention for me
Needs to go away
I used to be so sad like the big great depression
Well I'm all fine
Because shes all mine
She makes me feel better
I'm proud to actually have her
"Hey guys uh my girlfriend did this song with me. So tell me what ya'll think." – Lil Young Blood


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Car News
8 New Cars with Surprising Standard Features
Although most car shoppers think it's a given that luxury cars are better equipped than their workaday counterparts, that isn't always the case. In fact, a growing number of traditional automakers are adding unique features to their models to provide an edge over the competition. The eight cars in this list do just that by offering surprising standard features that give buyers access to upscale items at a more reasonable price than on many high-end cars.
Cadillac XTS iPad
Yes, the Cadillac XTS's $44,995 base price may push it over to the luxury-vehicle realm, but the all-new sedan includes something not available in rivals costing twice as much: a free iPad. Cadillac recently announced that all buyers of its new 2013 XTS will receive an iPad with the purchase of the vehicle, providing tech-savvy drivers with a major reason to pick the sedan over competition from BMW and Mercedes. The iPad will come preloaded with Cadillac's CUE app, which lets buyers practice using the sedan's new information and entertainment system before getting behind the wheel.
Chrysler Town & Country DVD Player
For many parents with young children, a rear DVD player has become a must-have item that helps keep kids entertained in the back seat of the family hauler. Knowing this, Chrysler made the feature standard in all versions of its 2012 Town & Country minivan, which starts at $29,995 before destination. That gives the van a major leg up over rivals like the Honda Odyssey, which starts at $36,625 with a rear-seat DVD player, and the Toyota Sienna, which includes the feature as a $2,495 option on its $33,205 XLE model. As a bonus, the Town & Country also comes standard with leather upholstery, which is easier to clean than the standard cloth seating in the Odyssey and Sienna.
Ford Fusion SYNC
Despite an inexpensive starting price of just $22,495 before destination, even the most basic trim level of Ford's all-new 2013 Fusion sedan offers the automaker's convenient SYNC information and entertainment system as standard equipment. Featuring mobile phone integration, voice recognition and digital music player connectivity, SYNC offers nearly everything a tech-savvy car buyer could want. It also includes several novel features, including an AppLink function that runs smartphone apps and a feature that allows drivers to play their text messages aloud. Ford's SYNC brings a standard dose of high technology to the mundane mid-size sedan segment.
Honda CR-V Reversing Camera
While government legislation is pending that could make reversing cameras standard in all vehicles by the 2014 model year, Honda has jumped the gun and added the feature to all versions of its compact CR-V SUV for 2013. With a starting price of $22,495 before destination, that makes the CR-V the least expensive vehicle on the market to get a standard reversing camera; the helpful feature costs extra on the CR-V's rivals. But it's not just other compact SUVs that lack the convenient technology as standard equipment: even buyers who fork over more than $87,000 for BMW's high-performance X5 M SUV must pay an extra $1,900 for a reversing camera.
Nissan Altima 2.5S Intelligent Key
The technology used in Nissan's Intelligent Key was originally developed by Mercedes-Benz for its most luxurious sedans. The system allows a driver to leave the key fob in a pocket when unlocking, locking and starting his or her vehicle, and it is not just convenient; it's downright cool. It's included for free on the basic Altima 2.5 S, which starts at $22,710 before destination, despite remaining an option on the $65,000 Mercedes E550 Cabriolet. Not interested in the Altima? Intelligent Key is standard on most of Nissan's models, including the mid-size Maxima, the sporty 370Z and the fully electric Leaf hatchback.
Subaru BRZ Limited-Slip Differential
With its sporty lines and rear-wheel-drive layout, it's no secret that Subaru's BRZ coupe is designed for driving enthusiasts. But even with its high-performance appeal, the BRZ offers a standard feature virtually unknown in a vehicle at its $24,000 base price level: a limited-slip differential. Designed to enhance traction under hard cornering, limited-slip differentials are usually standard fare on sports cars at twice the BRZ's price point. The feature is also included on the BRZ's mechanical twin, Scion's newly released FR-S, making both cars bargains for enthusiasts interested in high-performance handling at a reasonable price.
Suzuki SX4 Crossover All-Wheel Drive
While base models of Suzuki's SX4 still come standard with front-wheel drive, the automaker's SX4 Crossover hatchback is the least expensive vehicle available today with standard all-wheel drive. With a base price under $17,000 before destination, that's good news for buyers in snowy northern climates, who would have to spend at least $1,500 more for the all-weather capability of Subaru's recently redesigned Impreza. The SX4 Crossover also comes loaded with a host of other standard features including remote keyless entry, heated power mirrors, a cargo cover and an auxiliary jack for iPods and other digital media players.
Toyota Prius c Hybrid Engine
With a starting price under $19,000 before destination, Toyota's Prius c offers something that no like-priced competitor can claim: a hybrid engine. Hybrid powertrains are offered in many luxury vehicles and even Toyota's own Prius, which starts just under $25,000, but car shoppers looking for a compact car on a budget haven't been able to swing the technology until now. But that's changed, with the inexpensive new hatchback offering a 73-horsepower hybrid 4-cylinder capable of 53 mpg in the city and 46 mpg on the highway-meaning that eco-friendly buyers can now save both at the dealership and at the pump.
What it means to you: You don't necessarily have to buy a luxury car to get a car with standard high-end equipment.


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The Global Biodiversity Information Facility
Meredith A. Lane is a public relations and communications officer with the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) Secretariat. She can be reached at Universitetsparken 15, 2100 København Ø, Denmark; mobile: +45 28 75 14 84; phone: +45 35 32 14 84; fax: +45 35 32 14 80; e-mail: email@example.com.
Biodiversity or biological diversity means the variability among living organisms from all sources including, inter alia, terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems and the ecological complexes of which they are part; this includes diversity within species, between species and of ecosystems (Convention on Biological Diversity, Art. 2, para. 1).
The Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) (www.gbif.org) mission is to make the worlds biodiversity data freely and universally available via the Internet. GBIF was established and is being maintained by an ever-growing consortium of forward-thinking countries, economies and international organizations. Its charge is to carry out specific tasks that are essential to a worldwide infrastructure that can overcome current barriers to the universal availability of species-level biodiversity information.
The GBIF Vision
Science. Significant parts of the tripartite (gene, species, ecosystem) biodiversity information resource are already online, such as the DNA data served by GenBank, EMBL and DDBJ and other sequence (RNA, protein, etc.) data served by various sources such as RNAbase, SCOR and ExPASy. These community research resources have already contributed substantially to medical, pharmaceutical and agricultural industries and through these to society, which has footed the bills for the establishment and maintenance of the digital information resources.
Ecological, ecosystem and planet-wide data are provided online by, for example, MABnet and LTERnet, the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) through its Mission to Planet Earth (MPE) and other national and bi- or trilateral consortia. These online ecological resources are just beginning to be thoroughly analyzed and the results synthesized into larger understandings of the functioning of the natural systems of our planet. Nonetheless, they hold great promise for predictive modeling of global climate change and other large-scale ecological phenomena.
Though there are areas of the world that still do not have either full access to the Internet or the on-site infrastructure to fully utilize data that might be received (one hopes that this situation will be rectified in the near future), the molecular and ecological data discussed above are available to anyone and everyone with an Internet connection. One of the reasons that this is so is that the available data have all been collected in the past few decades, during the age of computers.
The piece, in fact the anchor stone, of biodiversity information that to-date has been missing from digital availability is data about individuals, populations and species of whole organisms. These data are not online because most pre-date the computer age. They have been collected over nearly three centuries and recorded in the only medium available: paper and ink. These data are on the labels of natural history specimens, in libraries and in handwritten notebooks or typewritten card files. Species-occurrence data are essential to many kinds of analyses, and one of GBIFs four major areas of work is aimed at making these data digital and therefore more useful and available.
All of GBIFs tasks are aimed at making digitally available the bridging pieces (data about individuals, populations and species) that tie the whole biodiversity information pattern together (see Figure 1). Without the Taxonomic Name Service (a function that uses both the Registry of Shared Biodiversity Information and the Electronic Catalogue of Scientific Names) that will be provided by GBIF, there is no way to obtain a seamless response to a query that requires a call upon both ecological and molecular data, such as What other organisms live in the same kinds of habitats as this one from which I have extracted a gene that enables it to tolerate high levels of lead acetate, and are able to do so because of either homologous or analogous gene function?
Society and Sustainability. The beauty of digital data is that they can be used over and over again and in many ways. The same information can be put to many purposes by the whole variety of users in the world. Investments made in digitizing scientific data and bringing them online via well-planned information architecture are paid back many times over. Not least of these repayments is that these data are now usable by people other than scientists.
The ultimate source of global and national wealth is natural resources. Biodiversity, the living portion of natural resources, provides an ever-increasing portion of that wealth. Biodiversity has provided the basis of human survival (clean water and air, food, fuel and fiber), not to mention prosperity, since Homo sapiens first set foot on Earth. If we humans are to continue to prosper and to leave future generations a healthy place in which to live, we must learn to use living resources in a sustainable way and make it possible for all peoples to share in the benefits of the sustainable use of biodiversity.
If the economic and survival benefits provided by biodiversity are to be equitably shared globally, as required by the Convention on Biological Diversity, a number of factors must be overcome. Primary among these is the need for access to scientific data and information about biodiversity to be as easy and complete in Mongolia or Madras as it is in Madrid or Munich. If scientific advances regarding biodiversity are to be made by any and all of the talents around the world that can contribute to them, access to the data and results that have already been generated must be as easily and fully available, wherever the researcher.
The GBIF Strategy
The GBIF biodiversity informatics infrastructure has two equally important components:
1) Computational (standards, interoperability and search engines)
GBIF is also aware of the digital divide faced by many of the most biodiverse countries and, therefore, undertakes capacity-building activities to help overcome these challenges.
At present GBIF is focusing on making primary, species-level biodiversity data available via the Internet. Primary data are those derived from the direct observation of nature, such as the labels on natural history specimens or culture tubes. Eventually, GBIF will include in its purview secondary data which have been derived through some manipulation of primary data, such as an analysis of pattern or process. This task will likely be done in close collaboration with digital library efforts, as well as the Biodiversity Commons. However, the immediate need is to provide, via the Internet, the label data from more than two billion natural history specimens and uncounted culture collections.
GBIF is an international organization in its own right. Importantly, GBIF is open to participation by all countries, economic entities and organizations that can benefit from the open sharing of biodiversity information on a global scale.
Unlike other megascience facilities that are built of bricks and mortar, GBIF operates as a virtual facility. The bricks of this facility are the databases, other information resources and informatics tools made available by GBIF participants. The mortar that holds the bricks together is the informatics infrastructure (software tools and the Internet). It is staffed by a small secretariat (14 positions) that works internationally to co-ordinate national, regional and local biodiversity informatics efforts and bring focus to the activities of the organization as it develops GBIF.
GBIF is distributed and encourages cooperation and coherence; it is global in scale, though implemented regionally, nationally and locally. GBIF, through relationships built by its secretariat staff, works closely with many producers and providers of biodiversity information as well as with its users. In some ways GBIF has the characteristics of a large, distributed public-domain database with a number of interlinked and interoperable modules such as data stores, software and networking tools, search engines and analytical algorithms that enable users to navigate and use the data. It differs from such a unitary database, however, in that it is more comprehensive in content and much more complex in its interconnections.
In summary, the GBIF strategy includes:
Figure 1. The pieces of biodiversity (gene, species, ecosystems) information. The tasks that GBIF will carry out provide the center pieces that tie the other pieces together. Each of the three information sub-domains (genes, species, ecosystems) will want to generate its own specialized search engines. However, the Electronic Catalogue of Scientific Names is a GBIF partnership task that will facilitate searches across all the sub-domains for a single query because a scientific name is often the only data field common to databases in all three sub-domains. It can also alleviate some of the difficulties faced by sequence databases regarding taxonomic classification (dotted arrow, upper left). Because primary specimen data can be analyzed to predict the characteristics of a species habitat, queries about the ecological role of particular genes can be posed. Rapid answers to such questions have never before been possible. The registry of shared biodiversity data facilitates searching and can serve as a major link among the sub-domains and to the growing digital library of biodiversity information and the secondary datasets of the members of the Biodiversity Commons. The first-generation GBIF information architecture will be online by the end of 2003; the growth of the electronic catalogue is underway, but is expected to take approximately 10 years to achieve 90% of all names. Digitization of natural history specimens has begun, but needs substantially more investment to speed the work. (Source: GBIF)
Biocomplexity Thesaurus Launched
Reprinted from U.S. Geological Survey. (2003). NBII Access, newsletter of the National Biological Information Infrastructure, 6 (3).
On May 20, 2003, the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) and CSA (Cambridge Scientific Abstracts) announced the launch of the Biocomplexity Thesaurus, a major new resource for the bioinformatics community. The thesaurus is now online and available for use by the NBII nodes, their partners and the public-at-large. The Biocomplexity Thesaurus can be accessed at http://thesaurus.nbii.gov.
The Biocomplexity Thesaurus will be integrated into NBII products and services to facilitate more relevant retrieval of and intellectual access to these resources by NBII users. It will be the required thesaurus for all keyword and subject metadata created by NBII nodes. The thesaurus will be used for the cataloguing of Web resources, the creation of HTML metadata for Web pages and the creation of new Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)-compliant metadata records for the NBII Metadata Clearinghouse. Accordingly, researchers, scientists, librarians and the general public will be able to use the thesaurus as an aid in creating strategies for searching NBII databases.
This thesaurus represents a major step forward for the biological sciences and the NBII network. It is one of the most comprehensive and freely accessible biological thesauri available online.
The Biocomplexity Thesaurus is a living resource that will be updated quarterly. To this end, the NBII Thesaurus Working Group (TWG) has been established to review recommended additions and modifications to the thesaurus. The goal is to have representation from every node on the TWG. Two NBII regional nodes, Pacific Basin Information Node and Southern Appalachian Information Node; CSA, the thesaurus developer; and the NBII Program Office already have representation on this working group. Representatives from the thematic nodes and the other regional nodes are encouraged to participate as well.
Additionally, a Biocomplexity Thesaurus community has been set up in the NBII portal. All nodes may submit requests for term additions or modifications through a gadget located in this online community. NBII node partners may also submit comments and requests through this gadget. Contributors need not be members of the TWG to access this Community.
Jessica L. Milstead is the primary architect of the Biocomplexity Thesaurus. She is one of the foremost experts in the world on thesaurus development for the biological and natural sciences. She holds a doctorate in library science and is the founder of the index and thesaurus development company, JELEM (www.jelem.com). Dr. Milstead has extensive experience in both industry and academe. Under contract to CSA, she brought the massive Biocomplexity Thesaurus project to fruition in just 18 months instead of the 24 months originally allocated.
To create the Biocomplexity Thesaurus, Milstead merged, vetted and reconciled the terminology in five large existing thesauri plus one smaller specialty thesaurus collectively covering the biological, environmental, aquatic, ecotourism and sociological sciences. These thesauri include
Milstead used the high-powered MultiTes 8.0 thesaurus development software package to create the Biocomplexity Thesaurus. Among many other features, MultiTes provides for an unlimited number of hierarchies per thesaurus, an unlimited number of relationships for each individual term, the validation of conflicting relationships and the automatic generation of reciprocal relationships.
The online Biocomplexity Thesaurus is very user-friendly. Tips are offered for easily navigating and searching the thesaurus. Explanations are provided for best understanding search results, such as concepts related hierarchically or associatively to the search entry term.
The NBII (www.nbii.gov) is a broad, collaborative program to provide increased access to data and information on the nation's biological resources. The NBII links diverse, high quality biological databases, information products and analytical tools maintained by NBII partners and other contributors in government agencies, academic institutions, non- government organizations and private industry.
CSA (www.csa.com/csa/about/Biocomplexity.shtml) is a leading producer of bibliographic citation databases and Web resources databases. CSA recently extended its government/private industry partnership with the NBII from 20 to 56 months. CSA's original designation as the "Biocomplexity Information Node" has now been broadened to "NBII Infrastructure and Knowledge Integration Node."
Copyright © 2003, American Society for Information Science and Technology


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A few days ago i showed how to split string with XML.
Now it's time for concatenation with XML.
DECLARE @t TABLE (col VARCHAR(10))
INSERT into @t
select 'aaaa' UNION ALL
select 'bbbb' UNION ALL
select 'cccc' UNION ALL
select null UNION ALL
select 'dddd'
SELECT * FROM @t
SELECT col + ', ' as [text()]
FROM @t
ORDER BY col DESC
) AS MyCsvList
Both of these (split and concat) methods aren't really anything special. They're just a new way of solving old problem.
But whenever i need them i have to look them up, so where else to keep them handy than here, right? :)
Print | posted on Friday, June 01, 2007 9:49 AM |
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A shift in leadership of the hematology and oncology services at Wake Forest Baptist Health Cancer Center — Lexington brings in a doctor accustomed to practicing at a community-based facility.
A shift in leadership of the hematology and oncology services at Wake Forest Baptist Health Cancer Center — Lexington brings in a doctor accustomed to practicing at a community-based facility.
Dr. Pooja Bardhan comes from the Regional Cancer Center in Marion, Va., and is seeing patients full time in Lexington.
Bardhan replaces Dr. Nathan Streer, who is helping to develop a palliative care program for cancer patients at the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem.
"We feel very fortunate that Dr. Bardhan is taking the physician lead in hematology and oncology services in Lexington," said Dr. Bayard Powell, section chief of hematology and oncology at the Comprehensive Cancer Center at Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center. "She is well-trained and has excellent experience in a community cancer center."
Bardhan sees the move as a perfect fit for her. "I am delighted to be in Lexington and to take care of the patients with cancer or hematologic diseases. My medical experience is in a small community, and I value the benefits that come from developing relationships with patients and their families."
The new doctor says it is important to recognize the dynamics of such specialized care.
"A cancer diagnosis is complex and affects not only the patient but their family, too," she noted. "I try to understand the diverse personal needs of each patient and individualize treatment. A collaborative multi-disciplinary team approach with the involvement of the patient and their family allows me to provide the best care."
Bardhan completed a fellowship in hematology-oncology at the H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research Institute at the University of South Florida. Her residency was in internal medicine at the University of Connecticut. Her medical degree is from Kasturba Medical College, Manipal University in Mangalore, India. In addition, Bardhan earned a master's degree in public health from the University of North Texas. She is board certified in internal medicine, hematology and oncology.
In a news release, Wake Forest Baptist Health — Lexington Medical Center President Steve Snelgrove noted the significance of Streer's contribution while at LMC.
"Dr. Streer has provided our oncology patients with outstanding care the past four and one-half years and has made a significant impact on our cancer program. We are glad he will be just a short drive away from Lexington and part of the team of specialists who provide world-class care to our cancer patients."
Streer said he has been "blessed" to be in Lexington. "I can't think of a better place to work as an oncologist. I am grateful to my patients and for my time in Lexington," he added.
In his new role, Streer will combine his training in oncology with his interest in palliative care. "I have a passion for being involved with patients who have advanced malignancy and would benefit from additional support from a multi-disciplinary team. Palliative and supportive care is being recognized as a very important part of caring for our patients, and I believe it is where I can best be used," he said.
The Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center cancer program is one of only 41 in the United States to be designated a "Comprehensive Cancer Center" by the National Cancer Institute, according to the news release. The Cancer Center — Lexington offers diagnosis and treatment of cancer, treatment of benign and malignant blood disorders, chemotherapy, laboratory services, radiation therapy and mammography.
Dwight Davis can be reached at 249-3981, ext, 226 or at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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also, what kind of pre amps are you planing to use both your mics and the xpander needs a pre amp.Also are you sure about the xpander have you try it or do you own it already ? sorry if I have not been reading the whole thread...I had the Xpander for a while I decided to sell it.It is not the the first thing I would spend the money.. in a new studio.
. Behringer
. a better second hand value
I live in Sweden but I buy a lot from Germany cause it is cheaper.Alright I understand now, but the price difference for the yamaha and the x32 compact is only 200 dollars, considering your threshold for me the choice would had been easy.http://www.thomann.de/de/behringer_x_32_compact.htmwell, it exist good solutions with all in one units, Prism audio have some good products..for instance..but they are expensive... I myself have the Antelope Eclipse, which is basically 3 products in one too..hmm the DM 1000 doesn't that cost like 6000 EUR ? your budget suddenly changed ?
Thanks Tomas.Any good recommendation in the 500 euros price range? 1000 it's a bit steep for a mic.
Behringer is a shit, sorry, I hate that shitty company, please don't recommend me their crap, because I had bad experiences with them in the past.


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Someone asked me, and I told them I would try to find out... what is the meaning of this symbol:
B'L or BL'
(I'm not sure if the tick comes before or after the L. It was found on a "nerd clock". The value of this symbol, by the way, is 1.
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Someone asked me, and I told them I would try to find out... what is the meaning of this symbol:
B'L or BL'
(I'm not sure if the tick comes before or after the L. It was found on a "nerd clock". The value of this symbol, by the way, is 1.
Questions on MathOverflow are expected to relate to research level mathematics within the scope defined by the community. Consider editing the question or leaving comments for improvement if you believe the question can be reworded to fit within the scope. Read more about reopening questions here. If this question can be reworded to fit the rules in the help center, please edit the question.
Apparently, it is supposed to be Legendre's constant, also known as $1$.
This was supposed to be a comment to Mariano's answer, but it seems too long for a comment.
Somebody gave me that clock for Christmas and all along I thought $B_L'=1$ was some silly Physics constant... but it seems Mariano is right, and this refers to Legendre's constant (at least, that's the case according to this other site).
I was terribly curious, though, to find out where this notation came from and decided to go right to the source, "Essai sur la Theorie des Nombres", by Legendre. Amazingly, our friends at Google have scanned the whole book, and the whole volume is freely available here. It is a large volume, however! So it was not easy to locate the exact place where Legendre talks about the prime counting function. A nice paper by Goldstein in the American Math Monthly, "A history of the prime number theorem"" was very helpful to locate the exact reference: p. 394-398 in the second edition of the "Essai sur..." by Legendre.
In p. 395, Legendre explains that $\pi(x)$, the number of primes $\leq x$, seems to grow like $$\frac{x}{A\log x + B}$$ and conjectures that $A=1$ and $B=-1.08366\ldots$ (now a famous mistake, since later on the proofs of the prime number theorem would show that $B=1$). But, in any case, Legendre himself called this constant $B$ and I suppose somebody added the subscript $L$, to $B_L$, to remind us of Legendre's name.
However, I am still puzzled by the apostrophe, $B_L'$.


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1 / 1
Want a vintage-feel dress, that is still in style today? This dress is a great vintage Burda pattern, brought out from the archives in Germany and re-made and re-styled. It was originally published in Burda Moden 5/1961.
This lovely dress features a draped back, shoulder ribbon ties, and is made in a luxurious velvet. You could even lengthen the hemline to the floor for a dress fit for a fancy gala. Or you could make it in a floral print for a more casual day-dress.
Length from waist 66 cm (26 ins)


text:
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Website Development and Management by Next Generation Commerce Solutions LLC


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With the "Drive Kit Plus for iPhone®", your iPhone® 4/4S is comprehensively integrated into the vehicle. It is integrated through the interaction of the Mercedes-Benz app called "Digital DriveStyle" with the "Drive Kit Plus for iPhone®" interface in the vehicle, where the iPhone® is connected and charged.
The "Digital DriveStyle" app is available free of charge from the iTunes® App Store[1]. In the app, extensive functions are seamlessly integrated in the new revolutionary user interface and shown on the vehicle display[2] . With the iPhone® connected, the "Digital DriveStyle" app is reliably and conveniently controlled via the ergonomically designed Controller.
Some of the functions of the "Digital DriveStyle" app:
[1] "Digital DriveStyle" app available in the iTunes® App Stores in Germany, France, Italy, Portugal, Great Britain, Austria, Switzerland, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Further countries to follow.
[2] In conjunction with Audio 20 CD or COMAND Online.
[3] Only audio support.
You can find a list of Siri™ commands on http://digitaldrivestyleapp.com
[4] Languages: German, English, Italian, French, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, Portuguese.
Drive Kit Plus integrates your iPhone® 4/4S comprehensively in your vehicle and offers a range of versatile functions.


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When I was cutting my teeth on the Knicks in the 90's, the schedule was chock full of rivals. It was like Lincoln's cabinet (History!).
New York had intense rivalries with the Bulls, the Pacers, the Heat and even a brief, but passionate fling with Shaquille O'Neal and the Magic. But the thing about rivalries, is that they only work when both teams are good. The Knicks/Celtics "rivalry" hasn't really flourished in over two decades, what with neither team ever being good at the same time.
So sure, I still get the shakes at the sight of the Bulls, recoil in disgust at the thought of the Pacers and am fairly upset that the Heat are even still a thing, but none of those have really been rivalries by the historical definition for an awful long time now.
Which brings us to the Nets. The Nets and Knicks have never been rivals. Most of the time, it's been hard to remember that the Nets even exist. Two teams, within miles of each other, sharing the same division and yet the Nets seemed designed as simply a way for New Jersey Knicks fans to get to see their team a couple times a year.
But with a move to Brooklyn, the Nets are hoping to change all that. With the two teams sitting 1 and 2 at the top of the Atlantic standings, their first meeting takes on a little more significance. The pieces are in place for a legitimate long-standing, inner-city hatred.
And rivalries are fun. Irrational sports hate is one of the true pleasures of the trade. My ability to truly hate players and teams is one of the great joys of my life. As a 16-year-old, I recall hearing about Reggie Miller's house burning down and feeling thrilled. In hindsight, I'm very happy that everyone was OK.
And yet, for some reason, I'm not looking forward to this rivalry. I really don't want to hate the Nets. To be honest, I so preferred complete indifference to them. For the New York sports fan, most of the year is something of a daily battle. If you like the Mets, you're acutely aware that not everyone else does. Those folks are called Yankee fans, and they're often vocal in reminding you that they field the superior team. Same goes for the Jets and Giants. It's pretty much constant warfare.
But the Knicks have always united us. Everyone I know is a Knicks fan and it's always been something of a relief, a comfort at bars, or other such venues where sports are commonly discussed. So the prospect of dealing with actual Nets fans, people dressed in Nets garb as though that's an acceptable thing to do is actually kind of bumming me out.
I know it'll be fun. I'm sure I'll get into it, but at the moment I'm not really looking forward to it.
Is that just me?


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The New York Times recently published a story about dragonflies and how prolific the flying insects are as hunters. But what probably stood out for most readers was the jaw-dropping footage used to illustrate the piece–notably the super-slow-motion footage showing a spotted skimmer dragonfly evading a predatory leaping frog (watch as the frog believes it has scored an easy meal, only to fall into the water empty-handed).
We asked Dr. Andrew Mountcastle, the Harvard researcher who captured the footage, to share a few details about his photo session and he confessed that he chronicled the event by accident while at a city park in Seattle, filming for a project featuring insect flight.
"Eight spotted skimmers frequently hunt from perches on twigs and rocks near water, so I had focused my camera on one such perch to try to capture take-off and landing sequences," Mountcastle explained. "As I was waiting for the dragonfly to take off, I briefly looked away, at which point I heard a splash in the water. When I looked back at the perch, the dragonfly was gone and the water underneath the perch was disturbed.
"But fortunately the camera had recorded the entire event. It wasn't until I reviewed the video that I saw the frog had stolen the scene."
New research, according to the New York Times, suggests that dragonflies "may well be the most brutally effective hunters in the animal kingdom."
For example, they manage to snare prey items–flies and mosquitoes, etc.–in midair at an astonishing 95 percent success rate.
Furthermore, they're surprisingly voracious. Stacey Combes, another Harvard researcher, once watched a dragonfly consume 30 flies in a row.
Their adeptness stems from their ability to calculate a trajectory to intercept their prey, and to adjust that trajectory as needed.
Clearly, judging by the footage, they're masters of evasion as well.
–To view more of Mountcastle's movie clips, visit his website
–Find Pete Thomas on Facebook and Twitter


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Climb Back Into the Womb With This Handy Uterus Chair
Annoyed by everyone around you? No problem, just transform your chair into a cozy womb-like tent and climb in to experience serenity like you haven't felt since you were floating inside your mother. That's pretty much what this HUSH chair allows you to do, according to designer Freyja Sewell's website:


text:
Posted on June 6, 2013 in Miscellaneous
Most tennis players I know have a bit of a sweet tooth. So it's no surprise to me that Maria Sharapova's new line of candy is a big hit!
We just got Sugarpova in at Tennis Warehouse! And to say that there was a buzz around the office when this candy hit our desks would be putting it lightly! When our staff saw the fun, sweet and colorful candies we couldn't wait to tear into the bags of candy and give it a taste!
The Sugarpova candy features four distinctive categories of fruity, sweet fun! Everything from gummies, soft chews, sour gummies and even gum tennis balls are featured in this line of candy. With fun names, shapes and flavors — you will be craving these sweets after a long practice session!
Take a bite out of the sweeter side of tennis and grab some style for your smile with Sugarpova!
Play with heart,


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HERNDON, Va., April 9 (UPI) -- During his unannounced trip to Baghdad last month, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry met with Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to seek greater assistance in monitoring flights from Iran to Syria flying through Iraqi airspace.
Such flights are providing arms for Syrian President Bashar Assad to continue his fight against rebel forces. Iraq claims the flights are to ship humanitarian supplies; the United States knows otherwise.
Kerry hoped to get Maliki to conduct regular inspections or to deny Iran over-flight rights. It won't happen.
There is a sign present within Iraq -- not literally but physically -- indicating why this is so. Baghdad's approval to display it doesn't bode well for the country's democratic future. A hint of the significance of this sign's presence today was given long ago by Iran, even before the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq.
To appreciate such significance requires understanding the following:
1. Sectarian rivalry and violence within Islam began with the death of the Prophet Muhammad in the seventh century. Two main sects evolved with Sunnis outnumbering Shiites 4:1. Today, only four countries count Shiites as a majority population, with two of those states -- Iran and Iraq -- bordering each other.
2. Rule of thumb: States having the same majority sect population bond with each other -- Sunnis with Sunnis; Shiites with Shiites. But, as was seen by the 8-year war (1980-88) fought between two Shiite nations -- Iran and Iraq -- there is an exception.
The exception occurs when a majority sect state's population is ruled by a leader from among the minority sect -- as was the case with Iraq's Sunni leader, Saddam Hussein. With Iraq no longer ruled by Saddam, the rule of thumb comes back into play.
This is also why Sunni majority Syria -- ruled by minority Alawite (a Shiite offshoot) leader Assad -- has bonded with Shiite majority Iran rather than other Sunni majority states and why Iran, fearing a Sunni-run Syrian state, works to keep Assad in power.
3. Two years into the Iran-Iraq war, Saddam proposed terms for terminating hostilities with Iran. Tehran's Supreme Leader Ruhollah Khomeini, would only agree to the proposal if Saddam left Iraq. Saddam refused and the war continued for six years, ultimately being settled on the exact same terms Saddam offered earlier.
In announcing the war's end to his people in 1988, Khomeini did so begrudgingly: "Happy are those who have departed through martyrdom. Happy are those who have lost their lives in this convoy of light. Unhappy am I that I still survive and have drunk the poisoned chalice ..."
His reference to the "poisoned chalice" was symbolic -- for he had failed to accomplish his religious Mandate.
4. The Mandate: Khomeini believed in the return of the mystical 12th Imam -- a 5-year-old religious leader who disappeared in the ninth century, ascending into a state of occultation -- from which he will descend at some future date to lead Islam to world domination.
But the Prophet Muhammad foretold the 12th Imam was to rule from Iraq! Therefore, Khomeini's mandate was to secure entry into Iraq for the 12th Imam by gaining control over the country -- a goal denied to him when Saddam remained in power after the Iran-Iraq war. Iran has methodically focused ever since then on gaining influence over Iraq.
5. The late Khomeini had envisioned himself, as does his replacement, Ali Khamenei, today, as the supreme leader of ALL Muslims -- not just Iran's and not just Shiites.
The game plan was to first bring fellow majority Shiite nation Iraq into the supreme leader's "Fold" and then to branch out, offering Sunnis the chance to enter the Fold as well.
Denied a military victory in the Iran-Iraq war to dominate Iraq, Iran's mullahs seek to manipulate their influence over fellow Shiite Maliki to fulfill the mandate to gain access for the 12th Imam to Iraq.
6. Playing into Iran's game plan, Maliki is fulfilling his role by "Saddamizing" Iraq, i.e., gradually converting it, once again, into a dictatorship.
He controls entry into, and airspace over, Iraq -- with Iran having full access. The leader of Iran's deadly Quds Force -- charged with spreading the Islamic Revolution internationally --spent eight years trying to fight his way into Iraq during the war yet now is allowed to freely enter.
Ironically, the most telling sign of Iranian influence in Iraq is perhaps the most innocent in appearance. Thousands of posters and billboards appear, adorned with the smiling face of Iranian Supreme Leader Khamenei. They generate the atmosphere of a political candidate running -- unopposed -- for office in Iraq. It is a strange sight as no other country in the region markets, within its own borders, the leader of another.
The message is clear: Khamenei , as Iran's "poster boy" for its Islamic Revolution, is promoting what is to come in Iraq.
A sectarian glue is holding the Iran-Iraq alliance together today. It is ironic, however, as Iran's greatest setback in exporting its Islamic Revolution looms large with the possible fall of Syria's Assad on the horizon, its greatest victory may yet lie ahead by pulling Iraq fully into its Fold.
(James G. Zumwalt, a retired U.S. Marine Corps lieutenant colonel and infantry officer, served in the Vietnam war, the U.S. invasion of Panama and the first Persian Gulf war. He is the author of "Bare Feet, Iron Will--Stories from the Other Side of Vietnam's Battlefields," "Living the Juche Lie: North Korea's Kim Dynasty" and "Doomsday: Iran--The Clock is Ticking." He frequently writes on foreign policy and defense issues.)
(United Press International's "Outside View" commentaries are written by outside contributors who specialize in a variety of important issues. The views expressed do not necessarily reflect those of United Press International. In the interests of creating an open forum, original submissions are invited.)


text:
product description
Related Products:
Edge Pro
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Sharpening and Maintenance Items
Maker: Edge Pro (click to see more by this maker)
Price: $9.00
Item num: 87381
Item weight: 0.56 oz.Size: Pack of 15 tapes
Description: This 2000 grit polishing tape is designed to be used with Edge Pro Sharpening Systems. It should be attached to a Polishing Blank. It is an ideal grit for creating a "bity" edge. This polishing tape is perfect when used prior to 6000 grit tape or 7000 grit tape.
Availability: Backordered - usually ships in 1-2 weeks


text:
A lot of you have been asking about the DVD release of TZP. I know I am guilty of delaying on that one. But I've almost finished my director's commentary. Another two-three days and it should be done. Last night I was in the recording studio till 1am, after shooting till 7pm. Tomorrow will be the same. But I promise it will be worth it. I'm trying my best, really want to make this special. DVD should be out sometime in the month of May. Promise.
For now, we can make do with this episode of Director's Cut, with Kabir Bedi (remember him?!) interviewing Aamir Khan (some in English). Really like the introduction to Aamir. Cannot believe that he hated the smell of mehndi! I still don't like the smell of mehndi, so there's a commonality. Oh, and I do share his love for daal chaawal and seekh kebab ;) Watch part 1 below, and the rest of the parts at these links: Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5. Enjoy. Thank you Zoom TV!