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By Nathan Rudyk
Today was the culmination of months of work for the market2world team on a new Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) initiative we created with Canada's C-11 large cities. It started with a brand-building exercise this fall, and today culminated in the PR launch of ConsiderCanada.com and CanadaEnTete.com, Web sites that present Canada's large cities as a unified force for attracting new trade and investment opportunities.
Today's launch occured after a recent statement by Finn Poschmann, vice-president research at the C.D. Howe Institute, that "Canada's international reputation as a destination for capital and investment is better than it has been for a generation."
But don't economic development execs from Canada's cities fan out around the world and compete against each other for lucrative foreign investment opportunities? Why bother working together? As John Jung, the CEO of Waterloo Region's economic development agency, Canada's Technology Triangle puts it, because "collaboration is the new competitive advantage".
At today's public relations launch in Ottawa, which garnered cross-country news coverage in less than 24 hours, Michael Darch, Executive Director of OCRI's Ottawa Global Marketing team, underlined the need for collaboration in the context of the mega-city phenomenon that makes the city-state the heart of the matter in 21st century economic development:
Let me share some FDI math. As many of you know as Ottawa's lead economic development agency, OCRI has been active in China, with nine FDI trips over the last four years. And I've got the worn out shoe-leather to prove it! Chongqing, one of five national cities we try to meet with on a regular basis, has a population of 31,422,300 people in one single city. Canada's population is just over 34 million people.
Every economic development executive present here today knows that working in isolation, you have the proverbial snowball's chance in hell of making an impact in terms of systematically attracting foreign direct investment and trade from the world's mega-cities. Operating as solo agencies, attempting to compete with each other, we simply don't have the money to take on the world, but more important, we don't have the time.
India's new roads, ports and railways will not wait. China's intelligent cities and clean technology solutions are being built now. Brazil's IT challenges are urgent. Africa's telecommunications infrastructure must happen. And every country has pressing needs for Canada's natural resources and food, as well as Canadian R&D advancements to recycle and deploy these precious commodities for the maximum benefit of every citizen of the world.
Now, working together as a unified team, we can undertake meaningful, impactful investment and trade initiatives with the globe's top 25 mega-cities. Places like Chongqing, Beijing, Mumbai, São Paulo, and Mexico City. Places that account for more than half of the world's wealth according to the United Nations. And if we take in the top 40 mega-regions around the world, we are now talking about two thirds of the planet's economic activity and about 85 percent of human technological and scientific innovation.
Mike, a friend who along with his dedicated Global Marketing team at OCRI has coached the market2world team over the last several years on how to make outsized awareness impacts on foriegn trade missions for both OCRI and the Ontario Technology Corridor, also quoted a recent Washington Times editorial that stated: "It may not be long before Americans see our northern neighbor as the land of the future."
Mr. Darch would beg to differ. To him, we are not the land of the future. Canada, and Canada's large cities, are here and now the best and brightest economic opportunity in the world. "Our job," said Mike today to his C-11 colleagues, "is to tell our story, tell it well, and bring home the economic benefits for all Canadians."
The last words go to Mike, and Lee Maleau, the CEO of the Vancouver Economic Development Comission, in their interviews with CBC Radio's Chad Pawson:
(Nathan Rudyk is President and CEO with market2world communications inc., the public relations and product marketing agency for global innovators.)


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Honey-Herb Pork
1 cup beer or ginger ale
1/2 cup prepared mustard
1/2 cup honey
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 tablespoons onion powder
1-1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary, crushed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 pork tenderloins (1 pound each)
In a small bowl, combine the first nine ingredients. Pour 1 cup
marinade into a large resealable plastic bag; add the pork. Seal bag
and turn to coat; refrigerate for at least 1 hour. Cover and
refrigerate remaining marinade for basting.
Coat grill rack with nonstick cooking spray before preparing the
grill for indirect heat. Drain and discard marinade from pork.
Grill, covered, over indirect medium heat for 25-30 minutes or until
a meat thermometer reads 160°, basting occasionally with reserved
marinade. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with any
remaining marinade if desired. Yield: 6 servings.
Nutritional Analysis: 4 ounces cooked pork equals 274 calories, 8 g
fat (2 g saturated fat), 84 mg cholesterol, 432 mg sodium, 17 g
carbohydrate, 1 g fiber, 31 g protein. Diabetic Exchanges: 4 lean
meat, 1 starch.
Razzle Dazzle Recipes

subset: commoncrawl


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Hoole, Chester 01244 310633
The Nail Spa, Hoole is Chester Original Nail Salon, we have been trading over 25 years and we offer a range of full range Nail Services to suit ALL types of nails...
because when it comes to nails ALL clients are different!
We offer Acrylic & Gel Extensions - Sculpted or Tipped!
We offer Builder In A Bottle - a new yet totally superior nail product!
We offer The Gel Bottle, Shellac or Gelish - because some clients are suited more to one than the other!
We offer Structure Gel for those who love Shellac & Gelish but want a little bit more flexible strength!
We offer Polydip for clients who need more than Shellac or Gelish but still want a lighter touch than Acrylics!
But most importantly we offer experience and professional advice to ensure you walk away with the perfect nail system for you...
We also offer a range of facials, waxing, intimate waxing, eye treatments and tannning.
01244 310633
"I had my nails done here this evening by Janet, lovely atmosphere and an amazing job done, I will definitely be returning regularly, thank you for my lovely gel! "
Zoe Sept 18
"Friendly salon with excellent service. Online bookings really easy too. Will definitely be back again when I need some tlc for my nails or a spray tan!"
Louise August 18


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Call us - 0397544587
Sarah Kulkens
The 7th Generation of this famous family.
Sarah Kulkens is the daughter of the famous Kerry Kulkens. She is a 7th generation psychic and has been working along side her mother all her life. Her first insight into her abilities that she can remember is running into her parents room of a night telling them what the old lady at the end of her bed told her. It wasn't until a few years later that she realized from photos that it was her great grandmother. Taunts through school (due to her mothers shop) made her not discuss dreams, premonitions, psychic abilities to friends as this would only add to the taunts. Now some of those schoolyard bullies are regular clients of hers. Sarah has appeared along side her mother to television, radio appearances, séances, exorcisms, mind body spirit festival, Sexpo and promotional charity events from a young age. For the past 25 yrs sarah has been answering the hundreds of letters, emails, faxes and phone calls on just about anything re the paranormal from all over the world. She has built up her own client base of famous celebrities, politicians and royalty but keeps her client base hush hush. She has also built up her own mail order business as well as her mothers with potions and lotions for just about anything, love and luck potions, spells kits, incense oils and brews. She has co- written and written several books and booklets on a large range of subjects as well as appeared in Videos, TV. and radio herself. She writes articles for several magazines and newspapers throughout the world. She also runs classes in astrology, palmistry, witchcraft, Wicca, tarot, psychic development, psychic self defense, spirit guides, guardian angels, spells, feng shui, herbs, incense, oils, crystals, dreams, I ching, runes, crystal ball gazing, numerology, the occult just to name a few.
She conducts private readings in her mother's shop, which combines a large range of her skills. In her own words. My private readings are done by what comes through if a client comes in and there is a demanding spirit around them that wants to give them a message I'll give it, if they are having trouble with their love life I might provide a love spell. If it's a court case or a business matter I might use the cards each reading I do is different person-to-person depends on the situation at that time. A client might come in this week and get a message from a spirit then next week they might come back and there is no message its not a skill you can turn on and off like a tap. Sarah participates regularly in charity work for various organizations by doing tealeaf readings, tarot cards, palmistry etc for the lions club, Country Fire Authority, Schools. She has worked over the past couple of years typing her mothers new books as well as writing a few more of her own in between running her 1900 lines, classes and private readings now since 1982. Assisting her in all of these is her daughters and husband.
Her abilities/ qualifications include:
Psychic, clairvoyant, numerology, astrology, tarot, crystals, crystal ball, spells, Wicca witchcraft, rituals, potions, palmistry, dream interpretations, séances, herbs, incense, candle power, oils, feng shui, runes, I ching, the occult, American Indian magic, Egyptian magic, Celtic magic just to name a few.
Sarah is currently writing for a Beverly Hills Magazine, a Japanese Magazine and several papers throughout the world. She also does charity work and public speaking as well as regular spots on radio & Television throughout Australia, America and India.


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Published: 2006-07-14
A limited attack attempted to compromise systems using a previously unknown flaw in PowerPoint, Microsoft and others said on Friday.
The attack, dubbed Trojan.PPDropper.B by security firm Symantec, is contained in a Chinese PowerPoint file. The remote code execution vulnerability is currently being investigated by Microsoft.
"Microsoft is aware of extremely limited, targeted attacks exploiting this vulnerability," the company said in a statement sent to SecurityFocus. "In order for this attack to be carried out, a user must first open a malicious PowerPoint document that is sent as an email attachment, posted to a website or otherwise provided to them by an attacker."
Microsoft added that more recent versions of PowerPoint will issue a warning if the attachment is opened from e-mail. SecurityFocus is owned by Symantec.
The PowerPoint attack marks the third time in two months that a previously unknown, or zero-day, exploit has been used to compromise corporate systems running Microsoft Office. Last month, security firms reported that a previously unknown flaw in Excel had been used by attackers to compromise a limited number of systems. And, in May, some companies discovered a malicious program using a flaw in Word to compromise systems.
The exploits appear to be related to a string of targeted Trojan horse attacks that come from systems in China. A year ago, the national computer emergency response teams in the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia all warned of targeted attacks hitting organizations in those countries. While the U.S. organization, US-CERT, did not issue an alert, antivirus companies acknowledged that low-volume e-mail attacks had targeted U.S. companies and government agencies.
Posted by: Robert Lemos


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Rage of Samedi - Children of the Black Sun - NOW IN STOCK
- Details
- Published: Thursday, 22 December 2016 10:14
Finally we can announce the slightly delayed release of Rage of Samedis "Children of the Black Sun".
It's a very heavy piece of music, influenced by lots of artists and bands.
It covers genres from 70's Doom to modern Sludge.
For all of you who are interested visit our shop!
Just 10€ or as Shirt-Package 18€
Shirt only costs 10€ too.
For those of you who are more interested here are a few reviews:
Undergrounded: (German)
|8,5 / 10 - Wer auf Doom und Sludge steht, der macht mit "Children Of The Black Sun" alles richtig.
Doombringer: (Portuguese)
MetalNexus: (English)
When all is said, sung, played, and done, Rage Of Samedi's "Children Of The Black Sun" is a hammering, hard-driven rampage of crushing musicality and earthen grit.
Heavy, dense, and pummeling for those that like their music hard and aggressive.


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Optimizing the Use of Pre-Hospital Emergency Medical Data to Identify Opioid Overdoses
s Opioid overdose is the leading cause of accidental death in the US. To respond to this public health crisis, public health and safety agencies are attempting to optimize their use of data sets that can identify opioid overdoses cases early in the continuum of emergency medical care. In this study, we are developing and validating a novel approach to identifying opioid overdose cases using a set of indicators from pre-hospital data, including the electronic patient care record...Read More


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Some questions for the scrutiny committee
A letter from Jean Saunders on behalf of the Save Coate campaign.
Dear Councillor Small
We are writing to you in your capacity as Chairman of the Scrutiny
Committee and in response to your request to contact you with issues that
should be subject to scrutiny.
We suggest that the Committee examines decisions related to the Coate
Development proposals.
We believe that Swindon Borough Council has failed to take account of public concern related to the proposals, has failed to consult with the public before pushing forward with substantial policy changes in the emerging Swindon Local Plan and Wiltshire Structure Plan and has broken all promises related to granting planning permission for the new hospital at Commonhead with the understanding that this was a "one-off" and would not open up the Coate area for development.
We do not understand how an area that has been protected fiercely for years through planning policy as a high landscape value area can, over-night, seemingly become valueless. We are angry that no-one is taking account of the concerns of at least 27,000 people who have signed the Save Coate petition and who have called for a one kilometre of buffer of countryside to be left around Coate Water in order to retain its status as a COUNTRY park and not a town park and to protect the environmental,
social and historic assets of the area.
We want to know why the University of Bath has been allowed to dictate planning policy. We want to know why the University of Bath was invited to sit on the Urban Regeneration Company and then the New Swindon Company when its remit was to take part in the urban regeneration programme for Swindon as a result of North Star being identified as the site for the university campus.
We want to know why English Nature, English Heritage, the Countryside Agency and the Environment Agency weren't consulted about the proposals before the planning policies were formulated in draft.
We want to know why the Borough Council has not organised any public meetings where the public might express their views on the matter.
We want to know why the Borough Council has not seen fit to look at the literary importance of the area in relationship to Richard Jefferies' life and works.
We want to know why the Borough Council keeps referring to the COMMONHEAD development area when the development is not taking place on the top of the road junction.
We want to know why the planning applications lodged by the Swindon Gateway Consortium in April 2005 haven't been taken to planning committee and refused planning permission. The applications run contrary to policies in the emerging local plan for this area.
Yours sincerely
Jean Saunders
on behalf of the Save Coate! coalition


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Who We Are
There's only one bank that can truly call itself Waterville's own – Kennebec Federal Savings.
Kennebec Federal Savings is the only bank to continually reinvest in the Waterville community for more than 80 years. Both of our full-service locations are right here in Waterville. Simply put, our home is here, just like yours.
What does our Waterville focus mean to you? Our employees are involved in the community – just like you. We support the businesses and organizations right here – where we live. We'll keep your deposits working here, through loans and donations. And you don't need to worry about your mortgage leaving our Waterville offices; you can walk in anytime with questions.
KFS will take the time to get to know you before we recommend a checking account, CD, Money Market or IRA. Our Lenders will analyze your individual circumstances to be sure they are providing you the best possible options. We're here to help you achieve your goals.
Kennebec Federal Savings was established in 1936 as a mutual (customer owned) financial institution. Born in the middle of the Great Depression, Kennebec Federal Savings has withstood economic ups and downs, all the while doing what it was chartered to do, serving the housing and financial needs of the Waterville area. Today, in this difficult economy, KFS is strong financially and has plenty of money to lend.
There's only one bank that can truly call itself Waterville's own. The Bank's board of directors and staff take great pride in being the only bank whose base of operations is right here in Waterville. That means all decisions are made locally, all loans are serviced right here in Waterville, and you can stop by anytime to see any of the Bank staff, including the President.
Kennebec Federal Savings has continually reinvested in the Waterville community over the years. Both of the Bank's full-service locations are right here in Waterville. According to Allan Rancourt, President of KFS, "Our home is here, just like yours."
Kennebec Federal Savings began in 1936 in the Council Chambers at Waterville City Hall. Later, the Bank moved into an office on Common Street, remaining there until 1975, when the bank moved to its current location at 70 Main Street. In 1986, the bank doubled in size with the acquisition of the adjacent Dunham's building. Over the past two years, KFS has updated the interior and Main Street exterior of their downtown office to provide customers more comfort and convenience.
In 2007, KFS opened a second office at 11 Washington Street, just off Kennedy Memorial Drive. After considering locations in other communities, KFS chose to expand its commitment right here in Waterville. The Washington Street office provides drive-up conveniences, which could not be added at the downtown location. Comfortable seating, coffee bars, and internet banking stations are available at both locations.


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About 9 Elephants
About Tarot
January through March - Live Authentically, Make Peace With Money, and Nurture
Tuesday, December 12. 2017
Death - Start Living Authentically
Many people freak when they see the
card in a Tarot reading, as they think it represents a physical death. This card does not represent an actual death. Instead, it represents an ending. While endings can be tough to deal with, the
card always heralds a positive new beginning.
Most people don't like change, and sometimes, change is awful – like when you lose a job. However, quite often, a job loss can be a good thing as you go on to find a job you like more than the one you lost. So, don't be afraid of the
card. Be proactive and maybe make all the changes you know you need to make before the Universe makes them for you.
Do you need to quit smoking? Work out more? Eat better? Now is the time to break any bad habits and get started down a new path. Also, if you have put aside projects for too long, now is the perfect time to write that book you've been harboring in your heart. Learn how to speak Spanish. Take a cooking lesson. Do something positive to shake up your world.
And if you find people leaving your life, feel free to mourn, but know it was probably for the best. This is the perfect time to end toxic relationships, as well. Start out the New Year with a clean slate and be committed to living a more authentic life in 2018.
Six of Pentacles – Money, Money, Money
If you're having money problems, raise your hand. Yeah, I'm right there with you. Well, this February, it's time to seriously figure out how to end your money battles and determine out how to bring in more than you spend. It is time to pay bills and save more. The
Six of Pentacles
is here to offer advice.
Like many, I've had too many unexpected expenses over the past three years and these upsets have really put a dent into my savings, while adding to my credit card debt. I find myself having little extra money. Because the Universe kicked my ass prior to my writing this post, know that, I'd already begun working on a budget with my daughter and we are learning how to live on less. I got rid of my cleaning service and wheedled my cable provider into a less-expensive plan (without having to give up one single station). I've demanded that my daughter get past her hatred of cooking and help me in the kitchen so we don't have to order in so much. I'm doing everything I can to spend less and save more. What do you need to do? It might not be your fault that you're having money issues, but for those of us that are, let's get the issue fixed.
Six of Pentacles
reminds you that you need to find a balance with money. Don't horde it, but don't blow it, either. For those of you who are doing fine financially, the
Six of Pentacles
is asking that you help out those in need. Give more to your favorite charities. Even with my new budget, I refuse to stop giving to certain charities, like St. Jude and Planned Parenthood. These people do such great work, I don't care how broke I am, I'll find a way to give.
Many people find themselves in need of charity at some point in their life. If you find yourself in these circumstances now, your lesson is to learn how to receive. Pride is a tough bugger. Many of us worry that we might feel lesser if we ask for help. But, there's always someone who has the means to give. So, if you're in need of help, don't be shy about asking and accept the support graciously. Know that someday, after you get back on your feet, you'll help out others in need.
Here's to all of us working out way into financial security in 2018.
Queen of Cups – It's All About the Nurturing
Queen of Cups
is extraordinarily nurturing and caring. She is also quite sensitive, so she knows how others feel and this sensitivity also turns into intuition, so she can offer not only great support, but prescient advice. The
Queen of Cups
will always be there to help.
If you are a Water sign – Pisces, Cancer, or Scorpio – know that the
Queen of Cups
is talking directly to you, as she carries all of the water in the Universe in her cup. Are you helping others the way you should be? For that matter, are you doing right by yourself? This month, everyone needs to put their most helpful selves forward, but for Water People, you need to also figure out what you need to do to become happier, healthier, and more relaxed.
Also, don't put away those nagging feelings about other people or situations. You're intuition is spot on. You might feel hinky about someone that everyone thinks is the best person ever. That's okay. You don't have to vocally disagree or try to bring down the person in question. Just honor your feelings and be conscious of your interactions with this person.
Queen of Cups
is also a reminder that if you are a helper, you have to draw boundaries. If not, you'll wear yourself down – possibly become ill – and if you are not at your best, you can't help anybody. So, please do what you need to do to remain calm. Drink herbal tea, listen to relaxing music, take bubble baths, meditate, run, do yoga – whatever it takes to keep you focused and healthy.
As a Scorpio with a Pisces moon, I find that people from all walks of life come to me to ask advice or get my help. Even when I try to hide, people search me out. In the past, I'd try to do everything for everyone the minute they asked. I've learned, though, that I can still help while setting boundaries. This doesn't mean that I'll turn anyone away. I won't (unless they're toxic).
But, I will offer my help in my own time. This way, I can give the advice and support others need without having to destroy myself in the process.
You know who else is a Scorpio with a Pisces moon?
Hillary Clinton
. I don't know if you're still as gutted as I am that her Presidency was stolen from her, but just look at all the good she continues to do, despite the way the United States just kicked her to the curb and then stomped on her. We all need to find our inner Hillary Clinton this month.
Queen of Cups
is also a lover of the arts. So, if you're the artistic kind, use this month to create. If you are not an artistic person, this doesn't mean you can't enjoy the arts. Listen to music you love or go visit a museum. See a play. Even a movie can add some artistic entertainment to your life. Just don't forget to be a joy to others even as you find joy in the arts. And be that person that everyone can turn to.
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Leather Upholstery Care
Accident Protection Plan - Leather
In order to keep your quality freedom Upholstery product looking its best, the freedom Accident Protection Plan (Provided by Care Cover), is an essential accompaniment.
We know that life is full of surprises and understand that sometimes accidents happen, no matter how careful you may be. That's why we have created this Accident Protection Plan.
Just a quick note about leather: it's a natural product and variations in colour and texture are recognised as a feature. In other words, they're a good thing. To work out which leather best suits your lifestyle and home, please speak to someone in store.
Regularly clean and moisturise leather upholstery to maintain its appearance. In extreme climates you'll need to moisturise the leather more often. Check the care label on your furniture for more information.
Wipe up water spills straight away, don't let it soak in. Water based stains will leave a mark.
Clean up food spills straight away. Food oils can permanently bond with the leather.
Vacuum regularly with a soft upholstery attachment. Wipe over the leather with a damp, soft, clean cloth weekly. Dirt and grime can act as abrasives on leather.
If you can, rotate the cushions to even out the wear.
To keep the warranty valid, use only freedom recommended leather care and cleaning products every 8 to 12 weeks.
Don't place leather furniture near direct light or heaters as they can fade and damage the leather.
Try not to get body oils on the leather, as they can oxidise and change the colour of the leather. Special care is also required if anyone sitting on the furniture is taking medication.
Looking after leather
Whilst leather is durable it does need care to help prevent damage from drying out and fading.
Most leathers used on upholstered furniture have a clear top coat sealer which helps protect the colour and stops the leather from drying out. If dirt, grime and perspiration are left to build up on the surface of your furniture, this protective top coat can wear away, severely reducing the life of your leather. The following tips will help you care for your leather furniture and add years of life, while enjoying it every day:
- Sunlight can fade the colour in your leather. Keep away from direct sunlight.
- Heat can shrink leather. Keep your leather furniture away from direct heat sources like fire places and heaters.
- Keep direct, dust and food spill off the surface. It's especially important that you don't allow grime to build up in folds and seams. Avoid using any other cleaning products other than the ones recommended as part of this Accident Care Plan. The use of other products may void your Plan and can harm or even damage the surface finish.
- Be aware that some medication (specifically heart medication, blood pressure, chemotherapy and diabetes tablets) can be excreted through the pores and may damage the surface coating of your leather. Take measures to protect your leather from prolong direct exposure if you or any persons using the furniture are taking such medication.
- Excessive exposure to high levels of body perspiration can damage the surface coating of your leather. If your leather is going to be exposed to excessive perspiration ensure that it is cleaned more frequently


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All Entries Tagged With: "new homes builder in austin"
Just Once in a Lifetime…Escavera at Flintrock Falls
A completed custom home featuring luxury, beauty and craftsmanship only comes along once in a lifetime. When it does, you have to take advantage of the opportunity quickly before someone else snags your dream home. If you've been waiting for your "once in a lifetime" home, then now is the time. Luxury home builder Sterling […]
March 30, 2011 | Carol Morgan | Comments 0


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Football in their blood: sons of Singapore stars
The next generation of Singapore football takes centrestage at the 25th Canon Lion City Cup, happening from 8 to 16 June.
Watch out for Irfan Fandi, Adam and Amer Hakeem, Ribiyanda Saswadimata and Amiruldin Asraf at Jalan Besar Stadium.You may not know them yet, but these sons of ex-national stars will be looking to make their mark at the pioneering youth tournament. Click on to read more about their relationships with their famous fathers.
Tickets are on sale now at all AXS machines island-wide, the Ticketbooth website, as well as at all Ticketbooth outlets. Tickets start from $7 for youths and senior citizens and $20 for Grandstand. Also catch all the matches live on StarHub SuperSports Arena Ch 112/201 and on TV Anywhere.


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|Session Name:
|Leonard Frankel
|Company Name(s):
|Track / Format:
|Free to Play Design & Business Summit
|Leonard Frankel will discuss how Plarium brought a hard-core strategy game to over 4m MAU in less than 3 months. This will be a walk through Plarium's game mechanics, user acquisition thoughts, platform integrations and payments. Plarium is the 2nd largest HC games developer on Facebook with Stormfall: Age of War as one of its leading titles.


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Insurgent attack on Syrian airbase kills 56 soldiers
Al Nusra Front fighters seize Abu al-Duhur military base in Idlib province, in a major victory for the insurgents, reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Deborah Gembara reports.
***THIS STORY CONTAINS USER GENERATED CONTENT THAT WAS UPLOADED TO A SOCIAL MEDIA WEBSITE. IT HAS BEEN CHECKED BY REUTERS' SOCIAL MEDIA TEAM AND REVIEWED BY A SENIOR EDITOR. REUTERS IS CONFIDENT THE EVENTS PORTRAYED ARE GENUINE.*** Insurgents are now in control of Abu al-Duhur military base in northwestern Syria after killing at least 56 government soldiers in an early morning attack. Fighters from al Nusra Front, which is an offshoot of al Qaeda, could be seen exploring the facility on Tuesday. Some climbed onto aircraft while others examined weapons, according to this latest video posted to a social media website. Dozens of soldiers have not been accounted for and as many as 40 are believed to have been taken captive, reported the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Capturing Abu al-Duhur -- and with it, dozens of President Bashar al Assad's fighter jets and rocket launchers -- is a major victory for insurgents, who have made steady gains in Idlib province since May. Syrian military officials aren't confirming reports they've lost the base -- saying only that they've evacuated the area.


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on June 29, 2011 by if (function_exists('coauthors')) { coauthors(); } else { the_author(); } ?> in 2011, Comments (0)
Relating Processes and Events for Granularity-neutral Modeling
We investigate an approach of classifying temporally extended entities (occurrents) which distinguishes events and processes by means of their inner structure and their relation to change. By assuming processes to be homogeneous up to a certain intrinsic granularity, we develop a suggestion on how to model events and processes in a way that is to a great extent neutral to granularity issues.
Niels Grewe
University of Rostock, Rostock, Germany
Biomedical reality is full of changes and processes, things that unfold in time: The citric acid cycle, an infection of the sinuses, the beating of a heart, an appendectomy, the growing of a tree: These examples of changes are affecting things on different levels of granularity and show a great deal of variation. Despite efforts in various top-level ontologies, no uniform treatment of such "unfolding", temporal entities has emerged in biomedical ontologies. Rather, specialized accounts have sprung up to treat the needs of particular disciplines (e.g. in the fields of systems biology (cf. LeNovere 2007) or epidemiology (cf. Kawazoe et al. 2008). This is unfortunate from a data integration perspective, especially if entities on multiple layers of granularity are involved. For example, epidemiological ontologies would benefit from being capable of integrating information about the biochemical workings of antibiotics.
In this paper we take a small detour to motivate a suggestion on how a integration-friendly ontology of temporally unfolding entities should look like. This detour draws upon ideas of Glaton and Mizoguchi \cite{Galton:Mizoguchi:2009} about the traditional ontological distinction between occurrents and continuants, a simplified model that does not account for "changes" of occurrents, which are important in their own right. We then further distinguish mutable and immutable entities and use the categories of events and processes thus characterised to highlight how integration between different levels of granularity could be achieved.
Continuants and Occurents
The Standard Account
In most attempts at ontologically adequate modeling one distinction is ubiquitous: The distinction between entities that are present as a whole at every moment of their existence (called "continuants" or "endurants"), and those which are only partially present at each moment (called "occurrents" or "perdurants", cf. Simons 1987). Hence, top-level ontologies such as DOLCE (cf. Masolo et al. 2003) or BFO (cf. Grenon and Smith, 2004) adopt this distinction as the primary means to partition the entities in the world.
At first sight, this distinction aligns nicely with everyday experience and scientific method: Continuants, both the familiar, independent variety (e.g. a DNA molecule or a scalpel) and the more outlandish dependent continuants (e.g.the weight of the DNA molecule or the colour of the scalpel) do not have tardy parts: If they are present at all, they are wholly present. Occurrents, on the other hand are fleeting, we never experience more than a single "slice" of them at once. At a given moment, we will, for example, observe exactly one phase of a mitosis, but never, say, prophase and metaphase of one and the same mitosis together.
This neat picture has another important consequence: Only continuants are entities that endure in time and hence only continuants can be the subjects of change because in order to speak of change, we need to ascribe different properties to them at different instants. For example, a scalpel used during an appendectomy can be the same scalpel at the beginning and the end of the procedure, even though it might have undergone some changes in the meantime (e.g. it was located on the table at and in the hands of the surgeon at , or it may have been quite sharp at and rather blunt at ).
The same cannot be said for occurrents. Since the parts of the appendectomy present at and are clearly distinct, claiming that the appendectomy has changed would be as absurd as claiming that the scalpel "changed", just because the blade exhibits characteristics different from those of the handle. Consequentially, the division between continuants and occurrents lines up with the distinction of entities which allow for change and those which do not.
Mutable Occurents
Still, this standard "continuants vs. occurrents"-picture has been repeatedly challenged. Often those challenges have been put forward by ontologists who strive for extreme parsimony and try to achieve an adequate description of reality with just a minimal set of categories. Some suggest that continuants should be perceived as four-dimensional space-time worms, which then also encompass what we call "occurrents" (cf. Quine 1960). Others, in a loosely Whiteheadian tradition (cf. Whitehead 1929), advocate that continuants should be absorbed to occurrents (Seibt 1997).
Against those, at least in part reductive, proposals, the intuitive appeal of the assumption that continuants and occurrents are distinct categories that are divided because of substantial ontological differences has to be stressed. We side with the authors of the BFO (cf. Grenon and Smith 2004) in assuming that both a diachronic, occurrent-centered and a synchronic, continuant-centered description are necessary and adequate representations of biomedical reality.
Still, even if one accepts the general distinction, much can be found at fault within the confines of that framework. Most importantly, Galton (2006) and Galton and Mizoguchi (2009) have raised concerns about the nature of different classes of occurrents. They argue that specific occurrents can actually undergo changes. Our alignment of continuants as mutable entities and occurrents as immutable entities would then be incorrect.
The primary justification for this is that there are many propositions that ascribe changes to occurrents. Some of these appear quite natural in everyday language. For example, someone might be tempted to say that "the snowing got more intense during the night." Here different intensity qualities are assigned to a perduring episode of snowing at two different points of time. Likewise, many properties of physical systems, which can be described by differential equations, can often readily be explained by appealing to changes of an occurrent. Key examples would be the concepts of damping or acceleration. Damping describes the change of amplitude in an oscillation process and acceleration the change of velocity in a motion process.
The fact that one usually ascribes the corresponding property to a participant of the process (for example, "acceleration of a body" or, to take a simpler example, "velocity of a body") is only a superficial counterargument. Such descriptions rather serve to illustrate a peculiar feature of scientific parlance: The (in this case: physical) models are usually reduced to their bare minimum in order to capture only those factors that are essential for the system under study. Hence the phrase "velocity of a body" arises as a convenient shorthand for "velocity of a body participating in motion process p relative to an inertial system s". But this shorthand is only unambiguous for simple models. One can easily see this when asked to determine the velocity of the earth: What is meant by "velocity of the earth"? The velocity that characterises the motion around the earth's axis or to the velocity that characterises the motion of the earth around the sun? In this case, one cannot do away with the reference to the motion process and "short-circuit" to ascribing the velocity to the object alone. Hence, if the velocity changes, we might be compelled to ascribe the change (at least partially) to the motion process (One is not, however, compelled to claim that the change is effected by the process. I take the conservative but very plausible stance that there are no free-floating changes of processes: Every change to a process is due to an underlying change in the participating continuants)
This observation is clearly at odds with the intuition that occurrents do not undergo change. One is thus obligated to either provide some rationale for overriding the intuition or to provide a analysis that avoids the conclusion that occurrents do change.
Events and Processes
The solution that Galton and provide for this conundrum rests on the distinction between events and processes. (Caveat lector: The terminological confusion about the terms "event" and "process" is Babylonian in extent. I will use them here to denote two sibling-classes under the parent Occurrent. Their specific differences will become clear in what follows.) This distinction is, in turn, modeled in analogy to the distinction of objects and matter on the continuant side.
Events are said to be analogous to objects in as far as both "are discrete individuals which may be referred to using count nouns." (Galton and Mizoguchi, 2009, 74) This is certainly true: Just as the surgeon can count the scalpels and hemostats on the operating table, he can count the appendectomies and colonoscopies he has performed. Each of them will be a single, clearly delineated individual.
Closely related to this feature of "discreteness" is that of "definite extension": Just as each object takes up a fixed amount of space, each event occupies a fixed time interval. (The extension of either events or objects might, however, exhibit some degree of fuzzyness.)
Additionally both categories share certain constraints on their internal structure: Both are "non-dissective", or heteromerous. This means that no part of the original whole is still of the same kind as the whole. The blade of a scalpel is a blade, not a scalpel, and the initial incision during the appendectomy is an incision, not an appendectomy.
On the other side of the spectrum, an equivalent analogy is drawn between matter and processes, which are characterised by the inverse set of characteristics: Matter is not discrete in the sense that it constitutes a cleanly delineated individual, it is rather "the 'stuff' from which those individuals are made" (Galton and Mizoguchi 2009, 74). Hence, the hemostat will be made of steel, and steel alone does not yet carry any clear criterion of individuation since we can never say that there is complete "steel", only complete chunks of steel.
The same is said to be true for processes with regard to events: The incision event that is the first part of the appendectomy is made up from a cutting process. The cutting process, as such, does not have a definite criterion of what makes a "complete" cutting. The incision event in the appendectomy, on the other hand, has one: It is complete once the intended endpoint (e.g. McBurney's point) has been reached by the scalpel. Again, this also means that there is no definite extension for either matter or processes.
Table 1. Analogous features of objects, events, matter, and processes according to Galton and Mizoguchi (2009).
But the most important analogy between matter and processes is their dissectivity: Save for granularity issues that we will have to deal with later on, a certain kind of matter can be arbitrarily divided into smaller portions and still be of the same kind. The same is arguably true for processes: If cutting is going on from until , cutting is also going on from until .
This notion of dissectivity (also called homogenity or homoeomericity) is one key ingredient to solving the change conundrum: In as far as occurrents are non-dissective (i.e. events), they cannot change because the selfsame event is only completely present over the whole time interval it occupies and there is no point in claiming that a change took place from until because there would not be the same entity present at both points in time. (cf. Galton and Mizoguchi 2009, 78)
As far as occurrents are dissective (i.e. processes), it seems to be possible to speak of change. The reasons are as follows: If one assumes that a process p is going on between and , the same process is also going on at every such that due to its dissectivity. Thus one can identify the process p at multiple points in time and ascribe different qualities to it at those timepoints. The transition between them amounts to something that is at least analogous to the change of a continuant. It needs to be stressed that this is only possible because a process is dissective: There is at least one (non-contingent) aspect about it that stays the same while the process is going on.
This position is thus on the one hand different from views that merely use dissectivity as a classification criterion for distinguishing occurrents that effect changes from those that merely describe the continued existence of a state, which is how DOLCE introduces the categories of "stative" and "eventive" occurrents. (cf. Masolo et al. 2003, 17)
On the other hand there is a marked difference to views such as that of Rowland Stout, who makes similar claims to continuant-like characteristics of processes but does not require them to be dissective. He instead appeals to an allegedly primitive human capacity of "tracking" things (i.e. objects or processes) through time to account for the reidentification of a process through time. (cf. Stout 2003, 148) Since there is no explanation on offer for this capacity, it has a certain air of obscurum per obscurius, which makes it less useful for the purpose at hand.
Galton and Mizoguchi conclude that a process seems to be "more ike an object than an event, calling into question the neat division into continuants and occurrents." (Galton and Mizoguchi 2009, 79) Their complete solution is more sophisticated and quite revisionary in that it describes objects as "interfaces" between processes (Galton and Mizoguchi 2009, 92). Since scientific ontologies should be founded on well-understood and uncontroversial principles I will not discuss it here but instead restrict the discussion to the granularity issues that are crucial in this context.
Process/Event Relations and Intrinsic Granularity
Temporal Windows
Assuming matter and processes to be homogeneous is a fitting abstraction if one tries to expound the conceptual similarities between the two categories. It is not, however, an adequate principle for concrete modeling. Matter may be
dissective on the macro- or mesoscale but on the microscale, there are limits to dissectivity.
When one start dividing a given portion of water, one will at first obtain different portions of the same kind: But that is no longer true once one has divided the portion that only consists of two water molecules. Any further division will produce entities that are no longer of the same kind, for example a hydroxide anion and a proton. Hence, the molecule is the natural grain of the divisible water-stuff (cf. Jansen and Schulz, 2010).
Such intrinsic levels of granularity play an important role in the definition of processes as well. For example, an episode of walking can only be divided into further episodes of walking until the granularity of a single step has been reached. The same is already true for very basic physical processes, like the emission of a sound at a certain frequency f, which can only be subdivided into intervals that last at least seconds.
According to Galton and Mizoguchi, these intrinsic granularities can be used to define "temporal windows" for processes (Galton and Mizoguchi 2009, 83–85). These windows are time slots which are just long enough so that the characteristics of the process kind in question can be realised. Hence, for a walking process, the temporal window will have the duration of a single step and for a process of a bacterial infection spreading, the temporal window will accommodate individual cell divisions.
When a process is going on, the temporal window moves along with the present temporal extension of the process and might even shrink or grow as needed, for example if the person walking slows its pace or if the rate of cell division in a bacteria colony increases. Since for each temporal window the qualities of the process can be determined, the succession of different qualities amounts to the changes a process undergoes.
But the temporal window of a process is different from its temporal parts: The temporal parts of a walking process are the individual movements of the left and the right leg, and those of the spreading process of a bacterial infection are the various phases of the single cell divisions. Neither of these constitutes the complete processes they are temporal parts of.
Temporal windows are more like "temporary parts" (I am borrowing this term from Stout (2003, 153), who uses it in a similar manner) of the process: At every temporal window, the same process is wholly present, but each temporal window is only present during a small duration of the time that the process is going on. Just like, for example, most (or probably all) of my epithelial cells are only part of my body for a short period of time, but my body is still present as a whole during each of those periods.
Unfortunately, the "temporary part of"-relation seems rather arcane. With continuants, it clearly corresponds to temporally indexed spatial parthood ("x is (spatial) part of y at t", but this is clearly not an option for processes, because what is needed is a relation between two occurrents. One potential candidate is a constitution relation between occurrents. We would then read "y (temporally) constitutes x", as saying that a process x is constituted by an occurrent y during the duration of y. I will use this as a rough approximation of what is needed here.
Interrelation between Processes and Events
Events as Process-ChunksWith these clarifications we can turn our attention to the interrelations between processes and events Fortunately the model just developed for dealing with change ascriptions to processes also proves to be very useful to clarify those interrelations To do this it is useful to consider the analogy from the continuant categories of matter and object again Considered carefully matter is a rather abstract category. In the reality we experience there is no such thing as "raw" matter: We never see steel or water by themselves but instead chunks of steel and portions of water Water and steel are still the stuff that the chunks and portions are made of but we always need to assign a definite extension to them
With processes, things are rather similar. We never come across entities which are just walking or cutting. What we experience and talk about are rather concrete episodes of walking or cutting. In this case, by adding temporal extension as a delimiting factor, we create an event from the process. For example "the episode of walking from 5:00pm to 5:30pm" would describe an event that delimits, and hence is made of or constituted by, a walking process. Events are thus "chunks" of processes, (Galton and Mizoguchi 2009, 82) which is unsurprising given the fact that the distinction between processes and events was motivated by looking the way matter and objects relate.
Processes as Event-Masses But there is an additional type of relation between processes and events. This can be seen when one tries to answer the following question: What kind of thing fits into temporal windows? It is clear that we are dealing with an occurrent here, but are we dealing with a mutable or immutable entity? Since temporal windows are aligned to the intrinsic granularity of the process they are temporal windows of, they seem to require a specific time interval to be specified. But if that is the case, the entity contained in each window is already fixed by the boundaries of the window which would forbid it from changing. It thus needs to be an event.
The temporal windows of a process contain events that are atomic with regard to the process: A walking process is (temporally) constituted by a series of step events. But since events are only complete when they are already gone by, this introduces a neat little puzzle: Suppose I am walking across the street and in the middle of a step somebody pushes me so that I do not get hit by an approaching bus: Would I be right to say "I was walking across the street when I was pushed."? On the face of it, and quite counter-intuitively, it seems that this is not the case: If the temporal windows of a walking process can only be filled by (complete) step events, I was only walking until I set out to make the last step before being pushed.
One might try to remedy this by allowing the last temporal window of a process to be filled by the initial segment of the usual process-grain event as well. But there are other cases where this does not seem plausible. For example, the process of flashing a light twice a second would have temporal windows with a duration of 1s. In each window, the process would be constituted by an event of two flashes, which decomposes into two temporal parts with one flash each. If after some time, I switch to flashing the light only once per second, I would be compelled to include the first flash of the new sequence as belonging to the previous process.
The semantics of such interruptions and process replacements seem to be rather subtle and I am inclined to assume that the question is a material one that needs to be answered on a case by case basis.
Still, the assumption that the temporal windows of a process are filled by events is a very useful one when combined with the assumption that some events are made up from processes. (Since events can be specified by supplying completely arbitrary fiat-boundaries, not all events can be constituted by processes (cf. Stout 2003, 154)). We can then have processes, which constitute events, which constitute processes (because they form temporal windows). And since this structure can be nested, it opens an avenue for integrating different levels of granularity.
Let us take the growth of an cancerous ulcer as an example. The intrinsic granularity of this growth process is the single cell division and at each point in time the growth process will be temporally constituted by at least one and potentially a large number of cell division events. A cell sdivision in turn is an event with multiple parts (in this case know as phases). If we look at, for example, the anaphase, we can see that it, again, has two parts: The separation of the sister chromosomes and their movement of the respective centrosomes. The event of the chromosomes moving to the centrosomes is in turn constituted by a movement process which can be analysed further into the events it is made up from.
This way, multiple levels of granularity can be combined into a consistent picture without introducing any tight coupling: If we are not interested in the specifics of how chromosomes move to the centrosomes, we can just leave it at describing their movement as an event that is atomic with regard to the process on the higher level. This kind of modeling can be regarded as granularity-neutral. It allows for integration with upper and lower levels where needed, but it does not force modellers to adopt those levels if they have no use for them.
The problem of whether occurrents can be the subjects of change is a particularly difficult one since one is always at risk of mistaking linguistic artifacts or mere colloquialisms for proper ontological facts. It is thus useful to show that this kind of scheme has additional merit apart from a proper treatment of mutability. As it turns out, the consideration of this problem does indeed lead to a new perspective on granularity issues that pertain to the ontology of events. Differentiating between processes and events and encapsulating them in one-another can reduce the need for a fixed base-granularity in event descriptions, which seems to be useful for projects that need to integrate information from various levels of reality.
Designing an concrete ontology that implements the suggestions made in this paper would, however, require quite some work to achieve a working formal definition of process and event mereology as well as of the constitution relation that seems to be required to properly talk about processes and the atomic events they are made up from.
This work is supported by the German Science Foundation (DFG) as part of the research project "Good Ontology Design" (GoodOD). Many thanks go to Ludger Jansen and Johannes Röhl (Rostock) for challenging and fruitful discussions on the topic of this paper and to four anonymous reviewers for their insightful comments.
Baker, L.R. (2002) On Making Things Up: Constitution and Its Critics Philosophical Topics: Identity and Individuation, 30, 31–52.
Galton, A. (2006) On What Goes On: The Ontology of Processes and Events. Formal Ontology in Information Systems: Proceedings of the Fourth International Conference (FOIS2006). Ed. by Bennett, B. and Fellbaum, Chr.. Amsterdam, 4–11.
Galton, A. and Mizoguchi, R. (2009) The water falls but the waterfall does not fall: New perspectives on objects, processes and events. Applied Ontology,
Grenon, P. and Smith,B. SNAP and SPAN: Towards dynamic spatial ontology. Spatial Cognition and Computation, 4.1, 69–104.
Jansen, L. and Schulz, St. (2010) Grains, Components and Mixtures in Biomedical Ontologies. OBML 2010 Workshop Proceedings. Ed. By Herre, H. et al. Leipzig, 43–46.
Kawazoe, A. et al (2008) Structuring an event ontology for disease outbreak detection.BMC Bioinformatics
9.Suppl 3, S8. DOI: 10.1186/1471-2105-9-S3-S8.
Le Novère, N., Courtot. M. and Laibe, C. (2007) Adding Semantics in Kinetics Models of Biochemical Pathways. Proceedings of the 2nd International Symposium on experimental standard conditions of enzyme characterizations. Beilstein Institut, Frankfurt a. M., 137–153.
Masolo, C. et al. (2003) WonderWeb Deliverable D17. The WonderWeb Library of Foundational Ontologies and the DOLCE ontology. 2003.
Quine, W.V.O. (1960) Word and Object. Cambridge, MA.
Seibt, J. (1997) Existence in Time: From Substance to Pro-cess. Perspectives on Time. Ed. by Faye, J., Scheffler, U. and Urchs, M. Dordrecht, 143–182.
Simons, P. (1987) Parts. A Study in Ontology. Oxford.
Stout, R. (2003) The Life of a Process. Process Pragmatism. Essays on a Quiet Philosophical Revolution. Ed. by Guy Debrock. Amsterdam and New York: Rodopi, 145–157.
Whitehead., A.N. (1979) Process and Reality: An Essay in Cosmology. New York.


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Your Main Character
Account type: (gold, silver or f2p): Gold
-Name: Lucidney
-Class: Enchanter
-Race: DE
-Level: 105
-Number of AAs: 13.9k
-Magelo Number (if you have one):
-List which keys and flags you have: none
-List your alts on this server (name, level, class):
A Little Bit About Yourself
-What are a few things you enjoy most about playing EQ? (For example: raiding, grouping, soloing, tradeskilling, exploring, questing, etc): grouping and getting quests done
-Tell us some of your short and long term goals for your character. (For example: quests, epic, tradeskills, leveling, AA ability, etc)
just looking for a guild of friendly people to have fun
-When do you normally play EQ? What is your time zone?
evening/nights and weekends. central time zone
-CN generally raids Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Saturdays at 8 pm Eastern Time. Raiding is not required, but we would like to know what % of raids you think you will attend. (must met all requirements to raid so only answer this question if you met them all)
Saturday would be the only day i could usually attend.
-Please tell us which other guilds you have been a member of and why you chose to leave.
Dragonlords, I left because my friend Zenels joined this guild
-If you are still a member in another guild, please explain:
Your Experience with CN
-Which members of CN do you know? Have you had a chance to raid or group with us?
Zenels. No experience with any guild members yet that i know of.
-Why are you applying to CN? Is there a specific reason you chose to apply to our guild?
zeneles referred me
-Tell us what your goals are for applying. What do you hope to get out of the guild?
most of my time is spent in group content, just looking to make good memories of fun times.
-Have you read the CN Rules, Policies and Looting (CNP) outlines and understand them? yes i understand
Lucidney 105 Enchanter
Applications are open for all classes. Hello!
Moderator: Littlabit
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Sorry about the delay ;__;
also, you can read the spanish version here:
@futuredirected A lot of them, for sure xD jeje thanks dear!
I'd also like to add (for those without a SmackJeeves account) that you can like the Salmagundi Facebook page for update information: facebook.com/salmagundicomic
No one drinks the first Martini of the evening that way. Nice detail! Conveys the mood Don is in perfectly.
@PB_And_J: I hoped people would catch that! That won't be the only time she's mentioned in this comic.
I already freaking love him
@This one guy with the name and s: I know, I loved him since this page too


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Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak launched the 1Malaysia Amanah Rakyat Scheme (SARA) on Thursday, Jan 12th 2012, aimed at helping those with a monthly household income of RM3,000 and below. Najib said the scheme had attractive features which had not been introduced before.
He said the scheme was a hybrid of a unit trust investment and loan product, capable of generating a consistent cash flow or monthly incentive.
He said the scheme was a hybrid of a unit trust investment and loan product, capable of generating a consistent cash flow or monthly incentive.
- "The limit is RM5,000 and it can be bought through savings or investment loans from selected financial institutions," he said.
"We guarantee that investors would get RM134 monthly and for those who borrow, they only need to pay RM84 a month and still get RM50 in profit," he added during the launch. - Bernama
This has became the headlines of major tabloids yesterday and today. So, let's digest the short announcement and see for yourself if you'd like to invest.
Everyone is eligible! So long as he/she satisfies the following requirements:
- Malaysians aged between 18 and 58 years,
- Household or single parents monthly income of RM3,000 or less,
- Not declared bankrupt throughout the loan funding period,
- Not a beneficiary of other Government special schemes managed by Amanah Saham Nasional Berhad (ASNB),
- No other investments in ASNB unit trusts, OR, if there is, a combined aggregate investment must be RM10,000 or less in all ASNB products
From sara1malaysia website, distribution of funds is by way of
50% to Bumiputera,
30% to Chinese
15% to Indian
5% to Others
On how they formulated it that way, you make your own deduction.
How to apply?
Obtain Forms from participating banks starting from 30 January 2012. Currently there are 4 listed banks, namely: Maybank, CIMB Bank, RHB Bank and Bank Simpanan Nasional (BSN.
What documents are required?
The original and certified true copies of the followings:
- Identity card of applicant – 2 copies
- Identity card of spouse/s, if applicable – 1 copy
- Income verification document:
- latest three months' pay slip or Bank Statements of applicants and/or spouse.
There are two options available to prospective investors:
1) Invest RM5,000 from your own pocket. You are guaranteed monthly dividend of RM134. If you opt not to withdraw your monthly dividend, you can expect return of RM13,000 after 5 years.
2) Invest RM5,000 through loan from bank. You are guaranteed monthly dividend of RM50, after deducting RM84 as minimum repayment to the bank. If you opt not to withdraw your monthly dividend, you can expect return of RM5,000 after 5 years.
You may be asking if this scheme is better than Amanah Saham Bumiputera (ASB). As a matter of fact, yes. Albeit certain limitation in terms of maximum amount of unit you can buy and the limited investment tenure. To compare, ASB's average return is about 8% to 10% annually and the scheme is open only to Bumis.
Let me explain.
Option one is investment from your own cash, with RM134 x 12 = RM1,608 return annually. This is equivalent to 32.16%. After 5 years, you would have accumulated RM8,040 of dividend which is 160.8%. Assuming that you left your investment untouched, you will get back about RM13,040 at the end of the tenure. Now, where in the world can you find such an investment scheme?
Option two is investment using borrowed cash (from bank), with RM50 x 12 = RM600 return annually. In mathematics sense, this is even better as percentage of return is high (infinity),
i.e. RM600/(zero investment) x 100%. In real sense, you get less simply because you did not put any money in your investment coffer.
In order for this too-good-to-be-true scheme to guarantee such return, the Government (to my understanding, and it is easy to see) will channel fund to the participating banks to enable it to source loans at 'competitive' rates, and hence the high rate of return to investors. In other words, a better way for the Government to dish out money compared to the one-time RM500 payout.
According to Bernama, dividend in SARA is guaranteed by a special purpose vehicle, Malaysian Development Holdings Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Finance Ministry Incorporated.
Hell, yes! Without hesitation. While I'm not eligible for this scheme, for the qualified you stand to gain handsomely either way. The return breaks all other previous records held by every unit trust in the country, at least for a 5-year period. The best is Option One but if you don't have the money, Option Two is still a steal!
This is limited to the first 100,000 applicants so, make up your mind and act fast. You've got nothing to lose.


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Kylix T-Shirts…
The Wiert Corner – Russel Weetch last week posted a few pictures of Kylix related T-Shirts (wow, I had forgotten that Kylix was released back in 2000!) about Living la vida Linux. To which I commented: Kylix was great. But too late and aimed at a Linux desktop market that never took off. Who'd imagine then that a semi-open system based on Linux and JVM would power most of the mobile world and a closed system based on BSD would generate a huge part of the paying app world? –jeroen via Sorting out my T-shirt shelves and there, amongst my old surfing ones, I found….Filed under: Delphi, Development, ...
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Sold for $950,000 on Sep 12, 2016
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On January 4, 1993, representatives of fourteen
Somali factions met in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to begin discussions on political
resolution. Secretary General Ghali opened the talks by saying that
the aim of the first session was to make the Somali people feel like they
were participating in their own national rehabilitation and that the multitude
of soldiers and relief workers in their country were not a foreign army
(48). This first session
established the significant political organizations and leaders.


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How Food Affects Your Mood
Does your mood swing from happy and content one minute to irritated and irascible the next? Or do you feel downright depressed, stressed, tired or sluggish? Believe it or not, your mood is not only affected by what you're doing or the people around you; your mood can actually be affected by the food you eat. Learn more about how food can affect your mood and tips for choosing the right things to eat.
How Food Affects Your Mood
When it comes to its effect on mood, food doesn't always get the credit it deserves. We all know that if you eat healthfully, your skin glows, your body develops properly and numerous health conditions can be avoided. But what some people may not know is that eating healthily can have just as positive of an effect on your mood. Here's how food can positively affect your mood:
- B vitamins can relieve depression – Some studies have linked low levels of B vitamins to depression. Researchers believe that it may play a role in the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that regulates your mood. Because of this, it's believed that B vitamins may be help to help treat those with mood disorders such as Seasonal Affective Disorder, or SAD.
- Thiamine can put some pep in your step – Thiamine is a type of B vitamin that's found in whole grain cereal, pork, eggs and cauliflower. Researchers have found that thiamine can boost your sense of well-being, your sociability and your energy level.
- Omega 3 fatty acids improve your mood – Omega 3s can boost your mood as well as your memory. They can also prevent fatigue and improve your focus.
- Iron wards off fatigue – Eating iron-rich foods can keep you from feeling fatigued or depressed. It can also boost your attention span.
- Complex carbohydrates can boost your mood – Complex carbs, which can be found in whole grain foods, elevate your mood, help you relax and suppress your appetite.
- Protein makes your happy – Protein slows the absorption of sugar in the blood, which means you'll feel happier and more productive for a longer period of time. Plus, eating protein will help to suppress your appetite.
Conversely, eating unhealthy foods can negatively impact the way you feel. Here's how:
- Fatty foods can slow you down – Eating foods that are high in fat are tougher to digest, which means that your body will have to do more work to break them down. Because your stomach has to work overtime, you'll feel more tired and sluggish.
- Fatty foods can also make you feel depressed – Foods that are high in saturated fat have been linked to depression and dementia. Of course, eating fatty foods also leads to weight gain, which can make you feel depressed.
- Refined starches can lead to mood swings – Refined starches are found in white breads, crackers and cereals. Eating too much of them, as well as sugary snacks and drinks, can cause your blood sugar to spike and drop, leading to a mood swings and ultimately, a bad mood.
Eating Habits Can Also Affect Mood
Sometimes it's not so much what you eat that affects your mood. In some cases, your eating habits may be to blame. These are the eating habits that can leave you down in the dumps:
- Not eating enough – A growling stomach is enough to make anyone feel grouchy. So when you feel hungry, eat. Food is the fuel that keeps your body going and if your body doesn't get enough of it, it begins to shut down, which leads to feelings of fatigue and crankiness.
- Skipping breakfast – Breakfast is the most important meal of the day because it will prevent cravings and help you maintain a healthy weight. To find out more, check out: Top 10 Benefits Of Eating Breakfast.
- Not paying attention to what you drink – The drinks you consume can affect your mood just as much as the food that you eat. For instance, coffee and soda can cause you to crash, but beverages like milk and green tea can help boost your mood.
Cutting carbs and not getting enough nutrients in your diet are other bad habits that will negatively affect your mood.
Foods That Boost Your Mood
So what should you be eating to get those important nutrients? These foods should do the trick:
- Poultry, seafood, eggs – These foods are great sources of mood-boosting protein.
- Sweet potatoes, beans, apples and pears – These foods are all good sources of insoluble fiber, which, like protein, will slow the absorption of sugar in the blood, causing you to feel happier longer.
- Nuts, salmon and flaxseed – These foods are excellent sources of omega 3 fatty acids.
- Lean beef, cottage cheese, spinach and shellfish – These foods are all rich in vitamin B12.
- Yogurt, milk, fish with bones – These foods have high amounts of vitamin D, which increases the amount of serotonin in your body.
- Chocolate, berries, tea – Studies suggest that the chemicals found in the flavors of these foods can elevate your mood.
The bottom line is, you are what you eat, and that includes the way that you feel. If you eat a lot of junk foods, you're going to feel like junk. But if you eat a healthy, well-balanced diet, you'll feel happy, upbeat and more productive in your daily life.


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Milltek Sport support Thorney Motorsport at this years' Bimmerfest show
Milltek Sport attended this years' Bimmerfest UK show, held on the 22nd October 2006 at Donington, to assist main Milltek BMW specialist Thorney Motorsport. The show brought together a good crowd of BMW enthusiasts from around the country and both Thorney Motorsport and Milltek received high-levels of interest in our constantly expanding range of BMW performance products.
The main Milltek exhaust systems of interest were the E30 M3, E36 M3, E46 M3 / M3 CSL, X5, and the brand new 335i Coupe.