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Ford, Nissan and BMW unveiled electric models with more range for China on Saturday as the Beijing auto show opened under anti-virus controls that included holding news conferences by international video link.
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Automakers are looking to China, the first major economy to start recovering from the coronavirus pandemic, to drive sales growth and reverse multibillion-dollar losses.
Auto China 2020, postponed from March, is the first major trade show for any industry since the pandemic began. The ruling Communist Party's decision to go ahead with it reflects official confidence China, where the pandemic began in December, has the disease under control.
"The 2020 Beijing motor show is a symbol of hope," BMW AG's (XE:BMW) China CEO, Jochen Goller, told reporters who wore masks but stood shoulder-to-shoulder at the event. He paid tribute to Chinese medical workers who "made it possible for us to enjoy this large-scale event today."
Authorities ordered limits on crowds at the event, which attracted 820,000 visitors at its last installment in 2018. Employees walked through the cavernous exhibition center carrying signs that said, "Be Sure to Wear Masks."
China's auto market, the world's biggest, already has rebounded to sales above pre-pandemic levels. Purchases rose 6% in August compared with a year earlier, while U.S. sales were down 9.5%.
Global and Chinese automakers displayed dozens of electric models, part of a race by the industry to meet Chinese government sales quotas imposed to promote the technology.
Electrics increasingly offer speeds and acceleration to rival gasoline engines in an effort to make the technology a mainstream product. Some promise ranges of up to 600 kilometers (380 miles), or more than the average tank of gasoline, to combat "range anxiety," or consumers' fear of running out of power.
Ford Motor Co. (F) held the China debut of its all-electric Mustang Mach-E SUV. It promises 0-to-100 kph (0-to-60 mph) acceleration in 3.5 seconds.
Nissan Motor Co. (JP:7201) showed its all-electric Ariya SUV, which it said can travel up to 610 kilometers (380 miles) on one charge.
"We need to adapt to the Chinese market," said CEO Makoto Uchida in a news conference conducted by video link from Nissan's Yokohama, Japan, headquarters.
Uchida said China is a key part of an effort under way to return Nissan to profit after it reported a $6.2 billion loss for the year ending in March.
That plan calls for releasing nine electrified models in China by 2025, according to Nissan senior vice president Sohei Yamazaki.
Most foreign-based auto executives stayed home due to travel restrictions that require visitors arriving in China from abroad to undergo a two-week quarantine. Several brands broadcast their events online to reach auto writers abroad.
BMW displayed its iX3 electric SUV, which Goller said will be produced at a factory in China's northeast for sale worldwide. The company also held the global debut of its M3 sedan and M4 coupe, reflecting the growing importance of China's luxury market.
The Communist Party wants to make China a leader in electrics and has used subsidies and other support to transform it into the biggest EV market, accounting for about half of global sales. Beijing ended restrictions on foreign ownership of electric vehicle producers in 2018 to spur competition.
China's young but ambitious brands also are pushing aggressively to extend the range of battery-powered vehicles to appeal to a broader market.
Geely Auto, Xiaopeng state-owned Shanghai Automotive Industries Corp. displayed models that all promise more than 500 kilometers (300 miles) on one charge.
GAC New Energy, a unit of state-owned Guangzhou Automotive Corp. New Energy, is working on plans to export to Europe but has yet to decide on which markets, according to its public relations manager, Wu Shinan. The company's Aion line includes a pure-electric sedan and displayed a hydrogen fuel cell-powered concept SUV.
Demand for electrics weakened last year as Beijing started to wind down subsidies. They were due to end this year, but regulators extended them at a lower level through 2022 to help the industry weather the pandemic.
Chinese brands also are pressing ahead with plans to export to developed markets despite weak U.S. and European demand.
Chery, one of China's biggest independent brands, is working on plans to export its X70PLUS, a gasoline-powered SUV, to Western Europe, according to its general manager, Chen Jiacai. He said sample models have been sent to some markets but declined to give other details.
China's major auto shows, held in Beijing and Shanghai in alternate years, are the industry's biggest events, attracting every global automaker and dozens of Chinese brands.
This week's event follows a smaller auto show in July in the western city of Chengdu with 120 exhibitors, equal to about 10% of the size of the typical Beijing and Shanghai shows.


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5 things to know from Vikings' win over Steelers
LONDON (AP) — The Minnesota Vikings got on the jet back to the United States with newfound reasons to believe they can salvage this season.
For the Pittsburgh Steelers, an unsuccessful London trip means it already could be time to start looking toward next year.
The Vikings and Steelers both arrived in Britain knowing that only a win would give them a realistic chance of fighting for a playoff spot. After Minnesota's entertaining 34-27 win at Wembley Stadium, the optimism is certainly back in the Vikings' locker room.
"There is a sense of relief, for sure," Minnesota head coach Leslie Frazier said. "We've had some tough losses. In the fourth quarter of every one of these ballgames we were right there. For whatever reason, it didn't work out for us."
At Wembley Stadium, the Vikings' defense finally found a way of finishing the job. With the Steelers looking for a tying touchdown, Everson Griffen stripped Ben Roethlisberger of the ball on the 6-yard line with 19 seconds left and Kevin Williams recovered the fumble to seal the victory.
Greg Jennings and Adrian Peterson provided the offensive spark for the Vikings, with each scoring two touchdowns.
"It would have been a long flight back to take after a loss," Jennings said. "It was a special day. To do this at Wembley Stadium is a once-in-a-lifetime experience."
Here are five things we learned from the Vikings' win over the Steelers in London:
PONDERING PONDER: Matt Cassel made the most of his first opportunity to play for the Minnesota Vikings, and suddenly Christian Ponder's starting spot may not be all that secure. With Ponder sidelined by a rib injury, Cassel went 16 for 25 for 248 yards and two touchdowns. More importantly, he had no turnovers — although he did fumble once but the ball was recovered by Jerome Simpson for a 10-yard gain. "It was a great night for me," Cassel said, "and I was really excited about the fact that I was able to contribute to the team." He was quick to add that Ponder "is a heck of a quarterback," and that "hopefully he gets healthy and comes back soon." As far as Frazier is concerned, there's no quarterback controversy. "If you're asking, our quarterback is Christian Ponder," the coach said.
DOUBLE THREAT: Jennings finally showed off his play-making ability, and that could help take some of the burden off Peterson going forward. Having caught just 11 passes in the first three games with no touchdowns, Jennings broke off a 70-yard catch-and-run in the first quarter and added a second TD in the second half. It was the kind of performance the Vikings had been expecting when they signed the wide receiver from the Green Bay Packers in the offseason. "Playing against that guy for a couple of years at Green Bay, I definitely knew what he had and what he could bring to the table for this offense," Peterson said. "He was able to make a big play today that helped us win. So he's doing exactly what I expected."
LONG BYE: The Steelers have two weeks to ponder the predicament they find themselves in. No team has made the playoffs after starting 0-4 since the 1992 San Diego Chargers. And if the Steelers don't improve dramatically, there's little to indicate they'll replicate that feat. "Right now you could say we're the worst team in the league," Roethlisberger said. "That hurts." The quarterback was hurting physically, too, after hurting the index finger on his throwing hand and being sacked five times by the Vikings. He said the finger wasn't broken and should be fine.
SAVED BY BELL? If there's anything positive for the Steelers to take back home from London, it was the performance of Le'Veon Bell. The rookie running back made his much-anticipated debut after a foot injury and gave the team its first two rushing touchdowns of the season. He first broke off to the right for an 8-yard score to make it 10-7, somersaulting into the end zone, and pulled Pittsburgh within 3 by plowing in from the 1-yard line in the third quarter.
BLOCK PARTY: Peterson has his favorite blocker back, and that makes him even more difficult to stop. Fullback Jerome Felton returned from a three-game suspension and provided key blocks on both of Peterson's touchdown runs. The league MVP finished with 140 yards on 23 carries, and said Felton was a big reason for that. "It made a big difference," Peterson said. "He's one of those guys that you know is going to bring it to the table."

subset: commoncrawl


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Delightfully Dangerous, 1945, b&w, Arthur Lubin (dir.), Jane Powell, Ralph Bellamy, Constance Moore, Morton Gould and his orchestra, Arthur Treacher. 1:32. [1:30]
15-year-old Cheryl (Jane Powell) is a music student who wants to make it in theater—just like her older sister (Moore). Turns out Moore's really a burlesque performer. Cheryl pays a surprise visit to New York. Hijinks ensue. Good musical numbers, decent plot, fine performances by all concerned—but there's some distortion in the sound track for the first half, unfortunate for a musical. That brings it down to $1.25.
Private Buckaroo, 1942, b&w, Edward F. Cline (dir.), the Andrews Sisters, Dick Foran, Joe E. Lewis, Shemp Howard, Harry James, Donald O'Connor, Huntz Hall, Mary Wilkes, Ernest Treux. 1:08.
Shemp Howard was much better on his own than as part of the Three Stooges, in my opinion, and he shines in this wartime flick as a sergeant who has trouble with his supposed girlfriend. The real plot: Harry James gets drafted and his group all enlist to stay with their leader. There's another draftee who's not willing to obey orders. The plot makes as much sense as any of these war-promotion flicks, and there's a great running gag: Harry James, an amazing trumpeter, can't get the hang of the Army bugle. The middle Andrews Sister is a bit much for my taste, but overall there's good non-slapstick comedy, great music, and a generally decent print. $1.50.
Stage Door Canteen, 1943, b&w, Frank Borzage (dir.), Judith Anderson, Tallulah Bankhead, Ralph Bellamy, Edgar Bergen & Charlie McCarthy, Ray Bolger, Katharine Cornell, Gracie Fields, Lynn Fontanne, Helen Hayes, Katharine Hepburn, Jean Hersholt, George Jessel, Gypsy Rose Lee, Alfred Lunt, Harpo Marx, Elsa Maxwell, Yehudi Menuhin, Ethel Merman, Paul Muni, Merle Oberon, George Raft, Cornelia Otis Skinner, Ethel Waters, Johnny Weissmuller, Ed Wynn, William Demarest, Count Basie, Xavier Cugat, Benny Goodman, Kay Kyser, Guy Lombardo and many more stars of stage and screen (I'm not kidding…Peggy Lee doesn't even get a credit). 2:12 [1:52]
First the bad news: The print isn't as good as it might be (some ghost images), although the soundtrack's fine—and apparently a few minutes are missing. Oh, and the plot's not compelling. But the plot's mostly a way to show off an astonishing cavalcade of stars, either performing on stage or acting as waiters and the like—just like the real Stage Door Canteen and Hollywood Canteen (although it's hard to believe they got quite such an impressive concentration every night). If you know stage, screen and music of the 1940s, there's probably another 30 people I should have listed here. Supposedly, this is Katharine Cornell's only screen appearance (a cameo). Katharine Hepburn singing The Lord's Prayer (very well). Yehudi Menuhin playing two numbers, one of them Flight of the Bumble Bee. Benny Goodman playing clarinet like he invented it. And so much more. Thoroughly enjoyable, wartime propaganda and all. Even with a second-rate print, this gets $2.25.
Career Girl, 1944, b&w, Wallace Fox (dir.), Frances Langford, Edward Norris, Iris Adrian, Craig Woods. 1:09. [1:07]
Three out of four ain't bad. This is the fourth. Traditional "girl from the Midwest goes to New York to make it big on Broadway, gets her heart broken, but it works out†story, with a wealthy fiancée back home who wants her to settle down and be Mrs. Mine-manager and a theatrical boarding house full of women who keep her from giving in. There aren't many musical numbers and they aren't all that great; the plot doesn't really reach resolution; but worst of all, the soundtrack's distorted enough that the musical numbers are mildly painful. Being generous, $0.75.


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Disney has been releasing a new series of Mickey Mouse shorts online, and in honor of October, they're sharing a spooky silly episode featuring an undead Goofy.
Several commenters have noted that this video is, unfortunately, not available in many countries.
Mickey Mouse in "Ghoul Friend" was written, storyboarded, and directed by Aaron Springer, with art direction by Joseph Holt. It's a fun short that plays nicely with its decaying second banana.
[via Cartoon Brew]


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ACLU Seeks Carrier Smackdown Over Android UpdatesACLU Seeks Carrier Smackdown Over Android Updates
ACLU urges FTC to let consumers return carrier-supplied Android devices for full refund or exchange within two years if they don't get regular security updates.
April 17, 2013
Facebook Home Invasion
Facebook Home Invasion (click image for slideshow)
Are mobile phone carriers putting subscribers at risk by failing to update their Android mobile devices in a timely manner?
That question is at the heart of a complaint filed Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) with the Federal Trade Commission, requesting that the agency investigate the country's four major wireless carriers. The ACLU also seeks a "request for relief" for consumers, and proposed allowing any consumer using a carrier-supplied mobile device running Android that doesn't receive regular security updates to return the device in favor of one "from Apple, Google, Microsoft or another mobile operating system vendor" that issues regular updates directly to device users. Alternatively, said the ACLU, consumers using devices that aren't regularly updated should be allowed to return their device, within two years, for a full refund. [ Are flyers safe? Read FAA Dismisses Android App Airplane Takeover. ] "A significant number of consumers are using smartphones running a version of the Android operating system with known, exploitable security vulnerabilities for which fixes have been published by Google, but have not been distributed to consumers' smartphones by the wireless carriers and their handset manufacturer partners," said the complaint, coauthored by the ACLU's Speech, Privacy & Technology Project principal technologist and senior policy analyst Christopher Soghoian and director Ben Wizner. Failure to update modern smartphones in a timely manner puts millions of consumers at risk of having their personal data stolen or communications intercepted. "Android smartphones that do not receive regular, prompt security updates are defective and unreasonably dangerous," wrote Soghoian and Wizner. To date, however, there's been little consumers can do about it. "In spite of the fact that their devices are vulnerable ... consumers remain locked into their wireless service contracts, which are enforced by prorated early termination fees," they said. By forcing consumers to choose between being penalized for breaking a contract, versus using a smartphone that's reasonable secure, carriers are perpetrating an "unfair business practice," they said. The four carriers named in the ACLU's complaint are AT&T, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless. Asked via email to respond to the ACLU's allegations and to provide a list of all Android devices they currently sell -- as well as a timeline of all operating system and security updates released for those devices -- Sprint responded with the following statement: "Sprint follows industry-standard best practices designed to protect its customers." T-Mobile USA spokesman Glenn Zaccara said via email that "T-Mobile takes security very seriously, and regularly provides security updates to our customers, including those using the Android operating system." AT&T and Verizon Wireless did not immediately respond to the same emailed request. But Verizon told Ars Technica that it works to provide "mandatory updates" for consumers. "We are known for our rigorous testing protocols which lead the wireless industry, and we thoroughly test every update before delivering it to customers," said Verizon. "We work closely with our OEM partners and provide mandatory updates to devices as quickly as possible, giving attention and priority to ensuring a good and secure customer experience." This isn't the first time that criticism has been leveled at some Android smartphone manufacturers and carriers for their failure to update some devices in a timely manner, if ever. For example, Harry Sverdlove, CTO of Bit9, released a report in November 2011 assessing the security of the top 20 Android smartphones then on the market, and found that on average, carriers treated a device as being "end of lifed" -- meaning it no longer received support or updates -- after just one year, despite the majority of consumers having signed two-year contracts. Sverdlove also found that some carriers and manufacturers took months after Google released an Android operating system update to distribute it to their subscribers. For example, Samsung took 316 days to patch its Galaxy Mini, while Motorola's fastest update was 141 days, for the Droid X. Sverdlove's research was complicated by manufacturers occasionally releasing updates and then withdrawing them without warning due to instability issues. In other cases, carriers and manufacturers would make updates available to users, but require them to jump through hoops to install the software fix; for example, by having to manually root their phone first. "As a security professional, it's the most chaotic thing I've ever seen," said Sverdlove at the time. Updates for Android devices can be slowed by manufacturers and carriers adding their own overlays -- aka skins or enhancements -- and tools to the core Android operating system. In some cases, these additions amount to little more than bloatware, and in worst-case scenarios can introduce new security vulnerabilities. In the wake of a zero-day vulnerability being exploited by multiple active attacks, IT teams wait for Oracle to respond. Again. Here's how to keep your systems safe. Get our Insecurity With Java report today. (Free registration required.)
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Implementation of Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System in all KV Schools
18, Institutional Area, S.J. Marg,
New Delhi-110016.
F. No. 11090-50/2015KVS (S&S)
Date: 15.06.2015
The Deputy Commissioner/Director
Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan,
All Regional Offices/All ZlETs
Subject: Implementation of Common Biometric Attendance System
As a part of the "Digital India" program of Government of India, it has been decided to implement common Biometric Attendance System (BAS) which will enable an employee to register attendance by simply presenting his I her biometric (finger print/ Iris) which will be authenticated online by doing one to one match with the bio-metric stored in the UIDAI data base against the employee's Aadhaar number. This Aadhaar Enabled Biometric Attendance System needs only Aadhaar number, basic demographic details and a photograph of the user at the time of user registration which can be done by employee himself I herself by simple web based system. The biometric details are already available with the UIDAI which are then used for authentication.
2. To overcome the challenges in the present attendance systems, Common Biometric Attendanc System is envisaged with following featuree:
2.1 Cloud-based attendance software installed and operated from NIC National Data Centre
(Further details can be noted from para 2 of "On-boarding Manual for Biometric Attendance System" which is available on the 'attendance.gov,in' web site)
2.2 Dedicated secure connectivity will be provided between National Data Centre & UIDAI Data Centre by NIC for authentication.
2.3 All Ministries I Departments I subordinate organisations can access the system using the NIC network provided in the Bhawans.
2.4 Offices using the system will install biometric enabled terminals I devices to mark the attendance; the number and location of required devices will be assessed by the offices; the offices concerned will be responsible for day-today maintenance of the devices.
2.5 Connectivity of the devices /terminals will be established through Wi-Fi I GPRS.
2.6 Customised reporting formats for various levels of employees will be developed by UIDAI/ NIC.
2.7 Facility for centralised compilation and publication of attendance data in public domain will be provided as per requirements.
3. This setup costs extremely less and management information system does not require any resources or manual intervention. To facilitate the implementation and thereafter operate the Biometric Attendance System (BAS), it is desired to nominate a Nodal Officer (NO) for acting as a Single Point of Contract (SPoC) for driving the Boimetric attendance initiative. The Deputy Commissioner will be the Nodal Officer in case of Regional Offices. The Director will be the Nodal Officer in case of ZIETs and Principal shall be the Nodal Officer in case of Kendriya Vidyalaya concerned. The Nodal Officer shall be responsible for:-
3.1 Monitoring and co-coordinating with the stakeholders for smooth functioning of the Biometric Attendance System
3.2 providing update facility for bio-metric updating in case of poor bio-metric capture during enrolment process and in cases where there are failure in detecting the fingerprints by organising Aadhaar camps.
3.3 Organising special Aadhaar Enrolment Camps (AECs), if considerable numbers of employees are not able to register on the portal due to nonavailability of Aadhaar numbers.
3.4 Aadhaar number generation for the enrolments done in the AECs.
3.5 e-Aadhaar access.
3.6 Best Finger Detection and other Aadhaar related issues.
3.7 The Nodal Officers concerned are required to register the Unit online (once) on the portal for using attendance.gov.in by giving number of employees and their existing website name. Once the registration of the KVS unit (i.e Regional Office/ZIET/KV, as the case may be) is complete, the name of Unit concerned will be listed in the portal for enrolment of the employees and generation of various types of reports pertaining to that Unit.
(For further details and steps for on-boarding the unit in the attendance portal can be found in Appendix 'B' of para 5.2 of On-boarding Manual for Biometric Attendance System-)
3.8 Subsequent step after registration of Unit concerned is, registration of employees. The employees of the Unit concerned are required to do online registration on attendance.gov.in portal for enabling them to mark attendance. The employees need to fill an online form using the fink 'Employees Registration' on the attendance portal. After the quality check y the UIDAI I Nodal Officer the employee becomes active in the attendance portal and can mark its attendance through the devices installed.
(The details required for on boarding of employees in the attendance portal can be found in Appendix 'C' of para 5.3 to 5.6 of 'On-boarding Manual for Biometric Attendance System'·)
4. In the first phase of implementation, approximately 150 Central Government Organisations have on boarded about 50,000 employees on common attendance portal {attendance.gov.in). 1000 wall mounted bio-metric attendance terminals, 5000 finger prints scanning devices and 200 IRIS devices have been procured through an open tender process floated by NICS I for 100 Government Bhawans I buildings. In the second phase of the program, the Gol has proposed that Central Government organisations shall use the common biometric attendance portal, which is hosted at NIC data center and shall procure I maintain biometric attendance terminals and desktop fingerprint scanning devices I IRIS devices in a decentralised manner, through open tenders, DGS&D rate contract & NICSI empanelled vendors. The Central Government Organisations shall procure the required Wi-Fi Access point for enabling network connectivity in the biometric attendance terminals through DGS&D rate contract.
(Further details for the plan of action can be noted from para 4, 5.7 of On-boarding Manual for Biometric Attendance System-)
5. It is estimated that for every 50 employees, one wall mounted bio-metric attendance terminal would be required and one finger print scanning device on a desktop would be sufficient for a unit (i.e. RO/ZIET/KV). Therefore, the total requirement of wall mounted biometric terminals as well as desktop devices could be estimated based on the total number of employees. However, depending upon the justified ground – based circumstances, the additional number of such devices can be
procured for the smooth implementation of the BAS. The device(s) [i.e. wall mounted bio-metric attendance terminals, desktop finger print and iris scanning devices] can be procured through following methods:-
5.1 NICSI – devices are readily available for procurement through tho empanelled venders.
5.2 OPEN TENDERS devises can also be procured through open tenders but device specification should adhered to as appended in Appendix 'D' of the On-boarding Manual for Biometric Attendance System.
5.3 DGS&D – rate contracts are being finalised,. However, present status may be inquired at your level and document(s) in this regard be kept in your office record before taking further action.
( Tlw Indicative specifications ot tile devices required for the Installation of the BAS can be found in Appendix 'D' of the On-boarding Manuel for Biometric Attendance System·)
6. The bio-metric attendance terminals would require Wi-Fi connectivity through the internet I NICNET for communicating with the back-end attendance servers, which are installed at NIC data centers. Therefore, there is need to procure connectivity (GPRS/Wi-Fi using NICNET/Broadband /Internet) from suitable service providers. For proper functioning of the Biometric attendance terminals, minimum 1 mbps of bandwidth connectivity is advised. The format placed at Appendix 'E' of the On-boarding Manual for Biometric Attendance System for capturing the connectivity requirements may be used.
7. The site for installation of the wall mounted biometric terminals under 24 hours security shall be vigilantly & intelligently identified by the Nodal Officer ensuring the following:-
7.1 220 V/5A Electrical points with suitable security.
7.2 Protection from environmental conditions like rain, sun etc.
7.3 LAN point for connecting Wi-Fi access devices.
7.4 Good data connectivity through GPRS I 3G as a backup connectivity. Appendix 'F' of the On-boarding Manual for Biometric Attendance System for site requirements may be referred to.
8. The Nodal Officer shall take up the installation, commissioning and maintenance of the Biometric attendance terminals with the help of vendors who are empanelled with DGS&D, UIDAI, NIC and DeitY who shall extend all technical support for integrated back-end infrastructure.
9. The Nodal Officer of the respective Unit (i.e. Regional Offices, ZIETs and Kendriya Vidyalayas) shall be responsible for maintenance of the devices installed in his I her Unit. The agencies will also be responsible for taking suitable on-site warranty support for smooth functioning of BAS.
For any suspicion, you may visit the 'On-boarding Manual for Organisations to install Aadhaar-enabled Biometric Attendance System' which is readily available on the KVS web-portal and also the FAQs available on 'http://attendance.gov.in/fag/public fag'.
10. The Nodal Officers in case of KVS, Regional Offices and ZIETs shall ensure to complete the process of procurement of devices as per requirement & norms and make the Biometric Attendance System functional by 07.07.2015.
11. The Deputy Commissioner of respective Regions will further ensure that the Biometric Attendance System is put on fully functional in each of the Kendriya Vidyalaya of his I her Region.
12. It is also intimated that M/s MGRM Net Ltd have been recently awarded the work of MIS/ERP of all KVs through NICSI by KVS. M/s MGRM Net Ltd will be providing one Bio-metric terminal with no additional cost to each school while implementing MIS/ERP (KV Shaala Darpan) in all Kendriya Vidyalayas. One Biometric Terminal seems to be sufficient for 50 to register attendance. So, a KV up to the strength of 50 employee, need not spend on hardware (Biometric device) The compliance report may be sent to this office. Suggestions, if any, to improve the system are solicited.
Yours faithfully,
(G.K. Srivastava)
Additional Commissioner (Adm.)
Source: www.kvsangathan.nic.in


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The countdown has begun and parents all over the United States are tackling the age old question: How on earth do I keep my kids busy during the summer without breaking the bank? Vacations and overnight summer camps can be expensive...believe me, I've checked! Here's my list of cheap and money-saving activities for kids this summer.
1. Free Bowling
Yes, that's right FREE bowling through the summer, two games per child per day. That's over $500 in savings per child. Kids Bowl Free is a program that community bowling centers participate in during the summer months as a way to give back to their communities and provide a safe and fun environment for local children. Sign up your family at KidsBowlFree.com and bring on the free strikes!
2. Rainy Day Crafts
Follow my board on Pinterest this summer where I'll continue posting cheap and easy kids crafts. Create a rainy day craft jar and put the name of each craft on a slip of paper. When the rain starts to pour, let your kids pick a craft from the jar and spend the day inside letting the creativity flow.
3. Grocery Hunt
Save Sunday newspaper ads to your local grocery store or check out Coupon Sherpa's grocery coupon page. Clip coupons with images of products or use a grocery store ad insert and bring your kids to the grocery store. Instruct your kids to be on the look out for the products on your coupons or store ad. This is a great way to keep them occupied while in the grocery store, but also an opportunity to teach your kids about saving money with coupons.
4. Cheap Summer Movies
Many movie theaters offer a summer movie lineup that are both kid- and wallet-friendly. Cinemark is hosting a Summer Movie Clubhouse where you can buy 10 movie tickets for $5 or just $1 per movie at the ticket window. AMC is offering baby mammas a guilt-free way to catch "What to Expect When You're Expecting" through their Bring Your Baby Day program. Select AMC theaters will feature dim lights and lower volume where breastfeeding, strollers and crying babies are permitted. What a genius idea!
5. Local Deals and Activities
If your city has a parks and recreation program, look into activities they offer for your children's age group. My city offers everything from dance and swimming to basket weaving (yes, I'm serious), all at an affordable price. Subscribe to group-buying sites like Living Social, Groupon and Seize the Deal where you can often find deeply discounted activities for children. Also check your local Entertainment Book for coupons to area museums, zoos and sporting events.
6. Kids Eat Free
Take your kids out to eat, but make sure to look at this list of 101 restaurants where kids eat free. If you have more than one child, take full advantage of a kids-eat-free deal by ordering one meal for each kid and saving any leftovers for later meals.
7. Volunteer
This summer, teach your kiddos that it's better to give than to receive. Spend some time volunteering together. Ask your local soup kitchen what their need is and check nursing homes or senior center for visiting hours. Visit VolunteerMatch.com where you can find a comprehensive list of opportunities that are age appropriate. There's nothing better than seeing your kids put a smile on someone's face.
Maisie Knowles is a working mother of two with three-year's experience writing on parenting and partner issues. She received a B.A. in Communications from the University of Colorado and co-founded Kinoli Inc., site manager for a family of money-saving websites, with her husband.
I'm a former 7th grade Science teacher turned stay-at-home mom that lives in Houston, Texas. I am married to my college sweetheart and have a beautiful daughter named Riley, who definitely keeps me on my toes! I am also involved in starting a small business which would both manufacture and sell an invention that I've patented, called Toothpaste 2 Go. I love interacting with my readers and hope to learn as much about you as you learn about me!
Melissa @ Mommy Living the Life of Riley!
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(We are collecting the experiences of our alumnae and students who studied science at Barnard. What was your most memorable course or experience? Did a particular professor inspire you? Did you go on to pursue a career in the sciences? If so we want to hear from you. Please take a moment to leave us a comment at the end of this story. Please Note: The comments will not be published immediately.)
Reshmi Mukherjee, Barnard's Helen Goodhart Altschul Professor of Physics and Astronomy, begins her introductory physics class with a discussion of so-called noctilucent clouds. These wisps of ice crystals, thought to be symptoms of climate change, appear in polar skies, and only at twilight. Though the sun has dipped below the horizon, its rays still reach the upper atmosphere, making the clouds shimmer and glow. Mukherjee's question to her class: Exactly how high into the sky do these ghostly forms extend? By setting physics problems within the context of an atmospheric phenomenon linked to climate change, Mukherjee shows each new class of students how basic physics can help them approach complex scientific issues. She demonstrates how to use simple geometry to come up with an estimate of how high up the clouds are.
"In the last five years, many [students] have come into the course having already studied advanced math and advanced physics," says the professor, who has taught introductory physics for the past 15 years. "In the past it was really an intro course. But that has changed." New students who have taken advanced placement and honors physics in high school may have selected Barnard specifically for its strong programs in science. The physics and astronomy department at the College is intimate—with four professors and small class sizes, ensuring that students will receive close attention.
The Introduction to Physics course typically enrolls 45 students. The challenge, adds Mukherjee, lies in covering the basics while still engaging students who may already have encountered similar material. To meet it, she relies on a combination of old-school teaching tools combined with an exposure to cutting-edge research that is rarely available to undergraduates.
That's quite the departure from her own undergraduate training at India's University of Calcutta. "The material of introductory physics hasn't changed," says Mukherjee. "But the way it's taught has." Her undergraduate coursework involved a lot of memorization and the answering of questions based on theory. "The way I teach it, there's a lot less memorization. It's more about understanding and applying the material."
Mukherjee makes frequent use of her blackboard, solving problems in chalk rather than using Web-based tools. She feels the common practice of using PowerPoint to teach problem solving can make the teaching process move too quickly. Writing out each problem slows the material down and helps the students find their footing in the science.
Throughout the course, she handpicks real-world problems from daily life, current scientific news, and her own research in high-energy astrophysics. Then, she uses those problems to frame fundamental lessons in kinematics and collisions, and the conservation of energy and gravitation. She introduces particle physics, for example, by telling students about the Large Hadron Collider, near Geneva, and scientists' recent discovery of a Higgs Boson-like particle, which could lead to a discovery of how matter attains its mass. Research in particle physics and astrophysics, she notes, has spinoffs in technology and electronics development down the road.
Other problems lean towards the whimsical, like one that Mukherjee takes from Antoine De Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince. The lamplighter that the prince encounters on a small planet complains that in the past he only had to light the lamp and extinguish it every 12 hours, but now has to do so every minute. Using concepts of conservation laws in physics, the students are asked to compute the ratios of the past and present surface areas of this strange spinning planet to determine the cause of the lamplighter's plight.
Mukherjee delves into astrophysics— her specialty—by explaining how researchers are using recently launched NASA satellites to study high-energy astrophysics, which probe the history and origins of the universe. Students interested in research might even get the chance to analyze data from these satellites as they continue their studies, thanks to a recent grant Mukherjee obtained from NASA. She knows that physics students often wait years before they can apply their knowledge to research. But regular reminders of how they can use what they're studying give them a vivid picture of what's possible in the field. Her pitch to students: Her generation won't answer all the questions—it's up to them to make the next moves forward.
In addition to her work in the classroom, Mukherjee heads Barnard's VERITAS (Very Energetic Radiation Imaging Telescope Array System) group, which conducts research at an observatory about 50 miles south of Tucson, Ariz. At VERITAS, a collaboration of nearly 100 scientists and research students, an array of four telescopes captures the flash of light that high-energy gamma rays produce upon entering the earth's upper atmosphere. The gamma rays themselves originate from a variety of sources: active galaxies thought to have black holes at their centers; spinning neutron stars called "pulsars" in our own galaxy; and even gamma-ray bursts that the group hopes to locate. "There are a lot of steps in the process," Mukherjee says. "But we're essentially looking at light. Not light from the sun, but light that is a billion times more energetic than sunlight."
Every year, Mukherjee takes students from Barnard, Columbia, and other institutions to work at VERITAS. For the first time last summer, she took two dedicated first-year students to Arizona to work on an ongoing project funded by the National Science Foundation. There, current sophomores Gladys Velez- Caicedo and Florence Doval helped upgrade the telescopes' sophisticated cameras. They also analyzed data from VERITAS and NASA satellites at Columbia's Nevis Laboratories in Irvington, New York.
Whether students take Mukherjee's course as a pre-med requirement, potential physics majors, or to fulfill their science requirement, they'll emerge understanding Newton's laws, collisions, and momentum. They'll also understand why they matter to the groundbreaking research changing the field today.
—VL Hartmann
Did you go on to pursue a career in the sciences? If so we want to hear from you. Please take a moment to leave us a comment. (Note: The comments will not be published immediately.)


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15/11/2018 - Improving the tax treaty dispute resolution process is a top priority of the BEPS Project. The Mutual Agreement Procedure (MAP) peer review and monitoring process under Action 14 of the BEPS Action Plan was launched in December 2016 with the peer review process now well underway.
The peer review process is conducted in two stages. Under Stage 1, implementation of the Action 14 minimum standard is evaluated for Inclusive Framework members, according to the schedule of review. Stage 2 focuses on monitoring the follow-up of the recommendations resulting from jurisdictions' Stage 1 report. To date, four rounds of Stage 1 peer review reports covering 29 jurisdictions have been released.
The OECD is now gathering input for the Stage 1 peer reviews of Brazil, Bulgaria, China (People's Republic of), Hong Kong (China), Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, Russian Federation and Saudi Arabia, and invites taxpayers to submit input on specific issues relating to access to MAP, clarity and availability of MAP guidance and the timely implementation of MAP agreements for each of these jurisdictions using the taxpayer input questionnaire. As taxpayers are the main users of the MAP this input is key for the review process and we encourage taxpayers and associations of taxpayers (e.g. business and industry associations) to complete the questionnaire and return it to firstname.lastname@example.com (in Word format) by 13 December 2018 at the latest.
For more information on the BEPS Action 14 peer review and monitoring process, visit: www.oecd.org/tax/beps/beps-action-14-peer-review-and-monitoring.htm
Media queries should be directed to Pascal Saint-Amans, Director of the OECD Centre for Tax Policy and Administration (+33 1 45 24 91 08) or Achim Pross, Head of the International Co-operation and Tax Administration Division (+33 1 45 24 98 92).
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This iconic footage of a person apparently talking on a cellphone in a Charlie Chaplin film is just one clue that time travel is happening all around us. People have seen the past, and the future — and there are tons of telltale photographs and films. Here are the clearest signs of real-life time travel.
The Mouberly-Jourdain incident (or the Ghosts of Petit Trianon) in the gardens of the Petit Trianon, a small château located on the grounds of the Palace of Versailles, France, August 10, 1901
Two female academics, Eleanor Jourdain and Charlotte Anne Moberly allegedly experienced here a time slip, and saw Marie Antoinette, the Comte de Vaudreuil and some other people in the time of the French Revolution.
(via Myrabella and Wikimedia Commons)
An old woman using mobile phone in a short clip from the DVD extras of Charlie Chaplin's film The Circus, 1928, spotted only in 2010 by filmmaker George Clark
It could be a Siemens hearing instrument, patented in 1924 or a Western Electric Model 34A Audiphone Carbon Hearing Aid (pictured below).
And the same explanation for this video from 1938, showing a crowd exiting a factory in Massachusetts, 1938:
(via Hearing Aid Museum)
The time slip of Air Marshal Sir Robert Victor Goddard over the former Royal Air Force station Drem Airfield in 1935
"In 1935, while still a Wing Commander, he was sent to inspect a disused airfield near Edinburgh at a place called Drem. He found it in a very dilapidated state with cattle grazing on grass that had forced through cracks in the tarmac.
Later that day, he ran into trouble while flying his biplane in heavy rain and decided to fly back to Drem to get his bearings.
As he approached the airfield the torrential rain abruptly changed to bright sunlight. When he looked down he saw the airfield had been completely renovated and was now in use. There were mechanics in blue overalls walking around and four yellow planes parked on the runway. One of these was a model which, for all his aviation experience, he completely failed to recognize." – according to Time Travel: A New Perspective, by J. H. Brennan
Four years later, RAF began to paint their planes yellow and the mechanics uniforms were switched to blue.
(via Planes and Choppers and Scotlands Places)
The man often called Time Traveling Hipster from the reopening ceremony of South Forks Bridge in Gold Bridge, British Columbia, Canada, 1941
That type of sunglasses with leather side shields were used since the 1920s and he's wearing the sweater of a hockey team instead of a modern T-shirt, but it's still a cool photo!
(via Forgetomori)
The Philadelphia Experiment, 1943
There were no such experiments, of course, but some reports stated that U.S. Navy destroyer escort USS Eldrige travelled back in time for about 10 seconds on October 28, 1943.
(via Wikimedia Commons)
Henry Fonda and Shirley Temple checking their stagecoach route on an iPhone in the movie Fort Apache (1948)
We promise that they used Google Maps instead of Apple's Maps app.
The Fentz legend, 1950s
This urban legend is about a man in his early thirties named Rudolph Fentz, who was hit by a taxi and fatally injured at New York City's Time Square in mid-June 1950, dressed in the fashion of the late 1800s. In his pockets there were a copper token for a beer, a bill for the care of a horse and the washing of a carriage, a letter from 1876, 70 dollars and business cards, all without any signs of aging. A NYPD policeman found a person who was disappeared in 1876 in the age of 29.
The story originated in a 1951 sci-fi short story by Jack Finney, but the legend has been reported since the 1970s as an evidence for the existence of time travel.
(via Transpress NZ)
The Mountauk Project conspiration theory
The Montauk Air Force Station reportedly has a real time tunnel in its subterranean laboratory that allowed scientists to travel back to 1943. This story started with two men, the author Preston B. Nichols and Al Bielek in the 1980s, when they had begun to "recover repressed memories of working in the lab".
(via Wikimedia Commons)
Time-traveler busted for insider trading, March 2003
The story originated with the Weekly World News, but appeared in some newspapers after Yahoo reprinted it two weeks later:
[…]"The fact is, with an initial investment of only $800, in two weeks' time he had a portfolio valued at over $350 million. Every trade he made capitalized on unexpected business developments, which simply can't be pure luck."
"The only way he could pull it off is with illegal inside information. He's going to sit in a jail cell on Rikers Island until he agrees to give up his sources."
The past year of nose-diving stock prices has left most investors crying in their beer. So when Carlssin made a flurry of 126 high-risk trades and came out the winner every time, it raised the eyebrows of Wall Street watchdogs. […] Carlssin declared that he had traveled back in time from over 200 years in the future, when it is common knowledge that our era experienced one of the worst stock plunges in history. Yet anyone armed with knowledge of the handful of stocks destined to go through the roof could make a fortune.
"It was just too tempting to resist," Carlssin allegedly said in his videotaped confession. "I had planned to make it look natural, you know, lose a little here and there so it doesn't look too perfect. But I just got caught in the moment." […] – according to a Yahoo Entertainment article, found in the Internet Archive here.
The story of John Titor
A man, appeared on some online bulletin boards in 2000 and 2001, and claiming to be a time traveler from 2036. He made numerous predictions about events after 2004 and often described his time machine.
None of those events have happened yet.
(via Stranger Dimensions)
The story of Håkan Nordkvist, who just met with an older version of himself, 2006
Nordkvist slipped through a wormhole in his kitchen and met an older man who had the same tattoo as Håkan. He just knew that no one's going to believe this — so he filmed the encounter.
As everyone later discovered, this was just part of an advertising campaign of the Swedish insurance company AMF, made by Forsman & Bodenfors.
(via Forsman&Bodenfors)


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Dang it, I got a visitor today that I really didn't want. Look at my front steps. I sure hope it doesn't get worse. We already have more than enough to ruin Halloween if it sticks around. I would guess that we have about 6-8 in. so far from this current storm and we are in for more over the next 24 hours. Now how in the world are my kiddos going to be able to get on all their snow gear underneath their costumes? Ugh.
A Week In The Life, Vol 40.
2 hours ago


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We can offer assistance with the development of programmes for school visits.
The museum's new exhibitions have been developed with the needs of school students in mind. For senior school groups with specific research topics, the museum can provide access to some primary source material.
Akaroa and Banks Peninsula history is summarised in the form of a 20-minute DVD, in the form of a 20-minute DVD, Akaroa - The Long Harbour.
10.30am to 4.30pm,
seven days a week.


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July 6, 2021 4 Reasons to Choose Cloud Point of Sale Read More
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4:10 PMYouTube Downloader HD 2.2 + Portable
YouTube Downloader HD 2.2 + Portable | 3.35/5.03 Mb
It's software that allows you to download videos from YouTube, including HD and HQ videos, and many others and convert them to other video formats. The program is easy to use, just specify the URL for the video you want to download and click the Ok. It also allows you to convert downloaded videos for iPod, iPhone, PSP, Cell Phone, Windows Media, XVid and MP3. Allows you to access YouTube videos for which you need to be 18+ years of age. Now, plays videos downloaded.
Tool to download videos from YouTube and save it to your local computer. The videos can be converted to avi video format or to mp4 (compatible with iPod, iPhone). The main distinguishing feature of Youtube Downloader HD is that now you can download High Quality videos and High Definition videos from YouTube.
This simple freeware application works pretty well, given how basic the interface is. It has two main features: to download FLV files from YouTube, and to convert them to most major formats. If there's a YouTube URL in your clipboard, it will automatically paste it for you when you click on the dialog box. From there, just hit OK and the downloading will commence. One more left-click is all it takes to load the file in the converter, which supports iPhone, iPod, PSP, cell phone, AVI, MP3, WMV, and Xvid. Surprisingly, there's also a basic video editor for cropping videos by time stamp. You can also cut out the sound when converting.
This is one of the lightest editors around, but the simplistic interface belies its functionality and it performs exactly as advertised. We'd like to see support in future editions for hunting down missing codecs, and version 2.1.5 and earlier won't work because of embed code changes on YouTube itself. Still, the YouTube Downloader is proof that not only is video-making accessible to everyone, so is video downloading and editing.
Easy to use: just copy video URL from your web browser and paste to Youtube Downloader HD.
No need to use scripts or browser plug-ins.
Convert downloaded video to various formats.
Download Youtube High Definition videos (available on certain videos)
Unicode support: Youtube Downloader HD can save movies whose names have non-standard characters (like Chinese, Japanese, Cyrillic, etc.)
Support for big video files
YouTube Downloader HD 2.2
YouTube Downloader HD 2.2 Portable
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"The RAI Studio of Musical Phonology is the outcome of the matching between music and the possible new means of analyzing and processing that sound has" - Luciano Berio
After more than fifty years since the birth of analog magnetic recording, on the 17th of September 2008 at the Castello Sforzesco's Museum of Music Instruments in Milan, took place the inauguration of a new space dedicated to Rai Studio of Musical Phonology - "musical instrument of the 20th Century, extension of human thought". Such an event was made possible thanks to the International Music Festival MITO, in collaboration with the Civic Museum of Musical Instruments and RAI.
Maddalena Novati, RAI Radiophonic Production's musical consultant and responsible for the Phonology archive - thanks to the decisive contribution from Doctor Massimo Ferrario, Director of RAI TV Production Centre (Milan) - was able to transfer all the Studio equipment from Rai Turin to Milan headquarters. This is the very first plan of recovery, storing and refurbishing electrophonic musical instruments.
Maddalena Novati does in fact describe this niche of the Museum as the "20th Century lute shop". The idea of conceiving this space as a sole instrument in its whole, is moving: there are so many experiences enclosed in those devices that it is actually still possible to perceive the residual energy that characterized the entire handcraft process of sound-writing. The Milan Institute of Musical Phonology, designed by physicist Alfredo Lietti, was created in June 1955 at the RAI headquarter in Corso Sempione 27, by Luciano Berio and Bruno Maderna. During that year, Milan was on the verge of becoming a pivotal point in the international electroacoustic music post-war scene, through a new expressive language, which was a synthesis of the concrete and electronic experiences happening in Europe at the Studio für Elektronische Musik (WDR) in Cologne and at the Groupe de Recherches Musicales (GRM) in Paris. Among the electronic music experimental productions at the Studio of Phonology, we must mention works such as Visage by Luciano Berio, Notturno by Bruno Maderna, Fontana Mix by John Cage and Omaggio ad Emilio Vedova, the only entirely electronic work created by Luigi Nono.
"...in the opaque Milan of the '50s, Berio and Maderna found a hostile, apathetic environment, while opening the Phonology Studio. In a completely different situation from the newborn Studio in Cologne, the two masters, built their ideas on the strong basis of their French experiences, through a different technical method which was free and imaginative. Creatively, it has been the most relevant experience in the whole Old continent…" - Giacomo Manzoni
I always close my eyes and try to jump backwards in time, inside that Studio, imagining the noises, dialogues and sounds coming out the loudspeakers: living and breathing the miracles happening in that far age. We now have the possibility to touch by hand what I always used to see only in photographs and videos, how many protagonists of that time have lived (eminent musicians like Luigi Nono, Giacomo Manzoni, Aldo Clementi, Henri Pousseur, John Cage). In fact, in room XXXVI of the Museum of Music instruments, thanks to a glass structure designed by the architect Michele De Lucchi, the back of the eight famous frames containing the circuits are open for everyone to enjoy, allowing spectators to get the heart of the analog technologies with a 360° vision. Based on original pictures and videos from the time, the atmosphere of those years has been recreated.
Further information about the sounds that characterized the second half of last century, are available to the public of devotees and researchers, thanks to four computer stations with multimedia applications, and a digital library with photographs, footage, sound examples and scores (cured by the LIM Laboratory of the Università Statale di Milano).
The Studio, a patrimony fundamental to understand electroacoustic music writing, in the beginning has been experienced by composers as a mean to emancipate themselves from traditional instruments, with its 9 oscillators, the noise generators, different modulators, filters and the Tempophon (a device with rotating heads that allowed to vary the duration of the playback of a previously recorded sound, while maintaining the original pitch).
Those were the times of technicians in white lab coats, yet one particular person changed this professional's profile: Marino Zuccheri. Born on the 28th of February 1923, he was hired by EIAR in 1942; in the following year he left his job because of the war, but was re-hired a few years later by the new-founded RAI.
"... I like remembering Marino in his Phonology Studio, master among masters, master of sound among masters of music, because sound for him did not have any secrets, since he was trained in auditoriums while working for the Radio together with the most famous directors of the time. He would always recall how he begun working in Phonology by chance, but it is certain that it wasn't because of chance that he continued during the years, considering he's been the only holder of the Studio from when it was created (1955) until it closed down (1983)." - Giovanni Belletti, "Marino Zuccheri in Fonologia", 2008
He did not have any obligation to give advice, contributions or suggestions, yet musicians would follow his instructions on how to realize musical compositions: without him, much of last century's music would have never been born.
[Marino Zuccheri and Luigi Nono - courtesy of Fondazione Archivio LN]
"... All the protagonists of Neue Musik passed through the Studio, and it is fair to say this: many of them were in Milan through scholarships, and had to present a final composition at the end of their term, and sometimes the stay had not been long enough to master the nine oscillators' secrets, so the great Marino Zuccheri would put together an acceptable composition with a few touches, thus many of electronic music "incunabula" are his works, and not of those who signed them." - Umberto Eco, La Repubblica, 29 ottobre 2008
That has been an amazing adventure for many years, until 1983 to be precise, year of his retirement (Zuccheri then passed away in Milan, 10th of March 2005).
"Marino Zuccheri's demise was a great loss, not only for what he meant for Contemporary Music, but moreover for what he still could have done: he was to be involved in an important project by RAI, in order to catalog tapes (as himself defined the work) that would have given us a fundamental technical, artistic, musical and cultural insight on the history of the Phonology adventure (another of his own definitions), but not to restore the sound itself (which could be done by others when needed), rather to revive the ideas and technical intuitions that made possible the creation of that sound: Marino (along with the composers) was the only one that could help us!" - Giovanni Belletti, "Marino Zuccheri in Fonologia", 2008
"[..] Two of the first electronic works in my record collection - Berio's Visage from 1961, and John Cage's Fontana Mix from 1958 - were created there with Zuccheri. Even today, both of these pieces sound impressively vivid and dynamic, and what we should now recognise is that such qualities should be attributed to the technician as much as to the composer.
[..] Zuccheri appears to fit the profile: Parete 1967, composed for painter Emilio Vedova for the Italian Pavilion at Montreal Expo, 1967, was his only known work. [..] Luigi Nono was his first choice as composer, but Nono's schedule prevented that, so Zuccheri stepped in to assemble a 30 minute continuous work using previously recorded sounds built up from long intersecting tape loops. Zuccheri's modest opinion of himself was that he was no composer. Certainly there's very little sense of form in Parete 1967, but the dramatic contrasts of harsh noise, perhaps sourced from piano strings and struck metal, and shifting, modulating drones suggestive of vocal choruses, have something in common with the ritualistic side of Iannis Xenakis, or the best horror movie soundtracks. To the regret of his label Die Schachtel, who have produced another of their sumptuous limited edition vinyl releases here, Zuccheri died before seeing the publication of his only record." - David Toop, The Wire, 2008
After the Studio closed down, the equipments were disassembled and exhibited in Venice for a short period, on the occasion of the temporary exhibition called Nuova Atlantide, organized in 1986 by the Biennale (with the collaboration of Roberto Doati and Alvise Vidolin) and in Milan for I piaceri della città - Iconografia delle sensazioni urbane in 2001, where Il risveglio di una città was displayed through music thanks to the futurist composition of the same name by Luigi Russolo, and to Ritratto di città, the first electroacoustic composition of the Fifties (voice and tapes by Luciano Berio and Bruno Maderna, lyrics by Roberto Leydi) created in order to convince the direction of RAI to create the Studio.
At the end of the Eighties, there still was no awareness of what the Phonology Studio had meant historically, at the point that all the documentations had been deposited (packed and cataloged) in a storage room at the RAI Museo della Radio in Turin, together with all sorts of disused equipments such as video-cameras, tape recorders, record players, microphones, with no plans to be restored or rebuilt.
Thanks to Maddalena Novati's interest, in 1996 the Studio devices were displayed in Turin's Music Salon and in 2003 they were brought back to RAI in Milan and located in a room on the fifth floor which is adjacent to the one where the Phonology Studio originally was. On June 20, 2008 they were officially transferred to the Castello Sforzesco.
It was a great pleasure for me to interview Maddalena Novati to talk about what the unique experience of the Milan Institute of Musical Phonology was and meant, and to understand what consequences and developments this process of recovery could lead to.
Matteo Milani: Maddalena Novati, why in your opinion the Studio became a myth?
Maddalena Novati: In 1955, to own 9 oscillators tuned on different frequencies, as opposed to the single one that was in Cologne, was like having a "whole orchestra" at your disposal, that could generate many sounds simultaneously like in a chord. This way, you already had a handful, a palette of sounds that killed production times. Human ear was the only judge which decided whether a sound was good or not, and after several attempts and mistakes, interesting tapes would be recorded and stored and this process would continue until a result was achieved. Berio would broadcast on radio each new composition from other Studios around Europe in order to spread the repertoire. The 11 TV episodes of C'è Musica e Musica (1972) on the history and ways of making music, sound fascinating with explanations by Luciano (Berio, n.d.a.). He was a great teacher on top of being a great composer, a person that could communicate and bring music to large audiences.
Berio developed an intense activity as a teacher in the United States and Europe, offering courses of composition in Tanglewood (1960 and '62), in Dartington Summer School (1961 and '62) in Mills College in California (1962 and '63), in Darmstadt, Cologne, Harvard University and, from 1965 to '72, in Juilliard School of Music in New York. From 1974 to '79 he collaborated with IRCAM in Paris. Berio's "Un ricordo al futuro - Lezioni americane" published by Einaudi is a beautiful book, which collects the lectures on aesthetics he gave in the US.
MM: When and how did Phonology's decadence period began?
MN: After the Sixties, at the beginning of the Seventies, radio is not anymore the core of research (not being an experimental mean anymore). Computers came up, and research centers moved elsewhere: large calculators are owned by universities and musicians depend on the physics and science departments. The computing machines had to function day and night, and only when physicists would leave their workplaces, musicians could take their place at night in order to perform calculations for their compositions. The radio was not involved anymore, as the broadcasting media did not yet use computers and their respective courses were different. Due to the lack of updates to its equipments and technology, the Phonology Studio was less and less attended by composers. Moreover the defection of some big names (Berio moved to the IRCAM of Paris, Luigi Nono to Fribourg, Maderna passed away prematurely in 1973) had an influence on an inevitable decline.
Active Conservation
It's again Maddalena Novati who tells us that today the archives (original master copies) of the Phonology Studio, hold 391 ¼ inch-audio tapes with one or two tracks, as well as one inch tapes with four tracks, plus 232 digital copies from acquisitions (copies of works coming from other studios, centers for electronic music, recordings or concerts or plays of the main authors and interpreters who frequented the Studio during its active years). Since 1995 the custody of tapes continues to be her primary objective as well as their cataloging and digitalization in cooperation with Casa Ricordi (the oldest and most important Italian editor), together with the central Nastroteca of RAI and Mirage Laboratory of the Gorizia University.
No real decay of the tapes has occurred, thanks to the good quality of the tapes from BASF, that were selected instead of other brands like Scotch or Agfa. Survival of the audio documents is possible only by separating them from their physical support, and periodically transferring them to new supports. The second digital transfer at 96 khz/24 bit is currently ongoing at the Centro di Produzione TV and Produzione Radiofonia of Rai Milano, in cooperation with Mirage laboratory.
Restoration of recorded music
by Alvise Vidolin
As for the restoration, the most common task is the elimination of noise of the analog tapes and, according to the tape conditions and the specific nature of the music, there are other interventions to be decided on a case by case basis. As a start, one has to perform an initial search, in order to detect the possible existence of other copies of the same music, as it would then be possible to exploit the best parts from each copy, and with suitable techniques, improve the effectiveness of the cleaning work.
In many works of electronic music, the original tape contains scratches and joints glued with adhesive tape whose glue loses its adhesive properties after a few years. Therefore it often happens that one has to paste various pieces of tape before copying it on a new support. On some tapes, it happens that there are some detached magnetic fragments, while on others, parts of material or protective film might have melted, and therefore deposited on the sound head thus blocking the progress of the tape. On top of these mechanical problems, there might occur electromagnetic problems or problems due to the type of equalization used during recording, and the fact that the oldest tapes could only support a proportionally lesser quantity of magnetization.
Reconstructing the laboratories
As I already had the chance to point out, very often the production of electronic music is not linked to a specific instrument like it happens with traditional music, but rather to a whole of equipments commonly called a system. Hence the conservation of a single element of a system does not give a full testimony of the modus operandi of a musician in a given period. Without doubt, the most effective solution is reconstructing a lab where one can reproduce all the phases of the production process of a musical work. In Cologne for instance, they reconstructed and brought back into function a lab for electronic music with the same configuration it had in the Fifties. In a similar way, this is what is happening at the Aja museum for the study of Sonology Institute of Utrecht University in the Sixties. In Paris at the Parc de la Villette, they are setting up a large section dedicated to the musical electrophonic instruments, until the experiences of computer music in real time of the Eighties.
[Vidolin A., "Conservazione e restauro dei beni musicali elettronici", in Le fonti musicali in Italia - Studi e Ricerche, CIDIM, year 6, pp. 151-168, 1992]
[the italian version of the article is also available @Digimag 55]
[listen: Ricordo di Marino Zuccheri | ITA - via Radio3 Suite]


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A number of differences exist between the traditional family life of the Roma and that of the Czechs, which arise from different
approaches to life and can cause mutual misunderstandings. These differences result in the dissimilar demographic structures of the
the Romani community and the Czech. The main difference is the lower average life span - Romani women: 59.5 years, Czech
women: 75.4, Romani men: 55.3 years, Czech men: 67.8.
The arrangement of the Romani family life is also different because the Roma place importance on different values than the majority
society. The professional life of the Roma is different for this reason as well, and is connected to the disparagement in education and
a greater emphasis on the family than on work outside the family. Along with this strong family orientation comes the appreciation of
a large number of children in the family, because the more children the family has, the happier it is. Parents don't so have to fear
being out of work or an "empty nest" in their old age, as Romani women have children for their whole lives and the elderly enjoy great
respect among the Roma.
This traditional approach to family life has changed in recent years, and the above-mentioned attributes have survived only in
isolated communities, such as those in Eastern Slovakia. In spite of this, elements of these customs can be found in the life of the
Czech city-dwelling Roma, though they may only exist as influences in the modern-day family life. Because of this, even though
these traditions have experienced great changes, becoming more familiar with them can help one to better understand the Romani


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'Ancient Battle: Successors' – Free Download Codes
'Tis the season to be giving, and Hunted Cow gave Armchair General 10 download codes for Ancient Battle: Successors to pass on to our readers. The iPad/iPhone/Mac game focuses on the long series of conflicts that followed the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC. Combat units include chariots, elephants, pikemen, archers and more.{default}
To have a chance at winning one of the 10 free download codes, just leave a comment below telling us the title of your favorite game, book or movie involving warfare in the Ancient World. Only one entry per person. Contest closes at midnight on Sunday, December 7, 2014. We'll randomly select 10 winners the next day.


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Dean Martin Turns 100: Dino's Iconic Tuxedo
Dean Martin, smooth and multi-talented entertainer
Burbank, California, 1965 to 1974
Series: The Dean Martin Show
Air Dates: September 16, 1965 – April 5, 1974
Director: Greg Garrison
Tailor: Sy Devore
On June 7, 1917, Dino Paul Crocetti was born in Steubenville, Ohio, to Angela and Gaetano Crocetti, the latter a barber from the Abruzzo region in Italy where much of my own family hails. One hundred years later, the world remembers him as Dean Martin, the charming crooner whose legendary career spanned half a century as a major headliner from nightclubs and casinos to movies and TV shows.
Effortlessly charismatic and unflappable, Dino brought his smooth star power to his popular comedy act with Jerry Lewis and later as a leader of the Rat Pack alongside Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr.
CNN contributor Bob Greene wrote in 2012: "His friend Frank Sinatra may have liked the image of being Chairman of the Board, but the core of Martin's enduring allure is that not only did he not want to be chairman, he didn't even want to serve on the board: It would mean that he would be cooped up in some boardroom for meetings when he'd rather be out playing golf. The sight of him in a tuxedo – he wore it as comfortably as most men wear a pair of pajamas – says to people who weren't even born when he was at the height of his fame: Take a deep breath and let yourself grin. Your problems can wait until tomorrow."
While the boozy, womanizing antics of the Rat Pack may have alienated younger audiences during the radical '60s, Dean Martin's solo star never stopped shining. In 1964, Dean's recording of "Everybody Loves Somebody" knocked the seemingly invincible Beatles off of the number one spot on the Billboard charts. Not only was it his first hit to crack the Top 40 in six years, but it almost immediately shot to the top of Billboard's Hot 100 list. Later to be his signature tune, "Everybody Loves Somebody" retained its top position on the "Pop-Standard Singles" chart for eight weeks.
As Dean Martin demonstrated his staying power even in the age of the British Invasion, he was approached to headline a variety show on NBC. Reluctant to scale back his bread-and-butter work in movies and nightclubs and unwilling to commit to the pressures of a weekly show, Martin laid down admittedly and deliberately outrageous terms for his acceptance: a staggering salary of $40,000 and a commitment to show up only to the show's taping without rehearsals. Of course, NBC was delighted for any response at all and accepted, and Dean announced to his family: "They went for it, so now I have to do it."
The Dean Martin Show debuted on NBC on September 16, 1965 and became an NBC staple, running at 10 p.m. on Thursdays (Thirsty Thursday, of course) and, later, Fridays for 264 episodes until its final show on April 5, 1974. The show was exactly what one would expect of Dean Martin, a casual, genuine, and unpretentious hour of entertainment that benefited from the natural spontaneity of Dean's unrehearsed performances and willingness to put himself out there. My grandma still laughs when remembering Dean's genuine shock at the celebrity guests who would knock on a closet door on the set, surprising him as the producers almost always kept guest identities from Dean in order to provoke the best response.
While his fellow Rat Packers and stars of the era were often plagued with addictions and scandal, Dean Martin was seemingly most addicted to fake-drinking rather than actually imbibing as heavily as his image demanded, often filling his on-stage rocks glass with apple juice rather than his preferred J&B scotch whisky. Dean was a dedicated father to his seven children and was forever heartbroken when his son Dean Paul Martin was killed in a crash while flying with the California Air National Guard in March 1987.
A lifelong smoker of Kent cigarettes, Dean Martin was diagnosed with lung cancer in 1993. Despondent over the loss of his son six years earlier and tired after his long, successful career, Dean refused the surgery that may have prolonged his life and died in his Beverly Hills home on December 25, 1995 at the age of 78. The lights of the Las Vegas Strip where he had entertained so many were dimmed in his honor, and Ohio Route 7 through his hometown of Steubenville was renamed Dean Martin Boulevard.
The epitaph on his crypt in Westwood Village Memorial Park reads "Everybody Loves Somebody Sometime," both the name of his signature song and the personal credo that defined his beloved persona.
What'd He Wear?
"In regular clothes, I'm a nobody," Dean once reflected. "In a tuxedo, I'm a star."
Thus, for his most starring role as the host of a long-running variety show, Dean dressed to the nines every night in a tailored dinner suit perfectly suited for his debonair playboy image.
The Dinner Jacket
Over the course of his variety show from 1965 to 1974, Dean Martin wore at least four different styles of dinner jacket that reflected the fashions of the times. A few aspects remained consistent on each: all were black dupioni silk with a single-breasted, single-button closure and a welted breast pocket for his trademark red silk display kerchief.
Dino's dinner suits are all made from that shiny, slubby pain weave silk fabric known as dupioni. Slightly heavier than other silks like shantung, dupioni silk may have worn warm for our hero during unrehearsed nights of singing, dancing, and prancing under the hot lights of a TV studio, but the fabric's wrinkle-resistant properties lend well to the lounge lizard aspects of Dean's persona, allowing him to luxuriate around the set week after week without his trademark tux looking rumpled.
His two dinner jackets with peak lapels were the most formally detailed with jetted side pockets and ventless back while his notch lapel dinner jackets incorporated other less formal details borrowed from business suits such as ticket pockets and side vents.
When Dean's show debuted in September 1965, he appeared in a sleek ventless dinner jacket with slim peak lapels that roll to a single silk-covered button at his waist. The red silk display kerchief favored by several Rat Packers puffs out from his welted breast pocket while his straight hip pockets are jetted for clean lines through the torso. The sleeves end with three silk-covered buttons on each cuff.
As the show went on into the late '60s, Dean's tuxedo retained its closer cut but loosened up on its formality; by 1968, Dino was rocking slim notch lapels, flapped pockets, and long double vents on his dinner jacket… less formal elements but certainly appropriate given the "living room" nature of the production. The flapped hip pockets slant slightly backward and, like the flapped ticket pocket on the right, are positioned just below the buttoning point. He still has three cuff buttons, albeit black plastic sew-through buttons rather than the more elegant silk-covered buttons of his earlier jacket.
When the sixth season began in September 1970, Dean was back to a ventless dinner jacket with peak lapels, albeit wider lapels more fitting the fashions of the era. The hip pockets slant backward, and Dean's ever-present red pocket square again puffs out from his welted breast pocket, echoing the jacket's red faille lining. For the '70s, Dean also started wearing jackets with single-button cuffs.
Finally, by the end of the show's run in the spring of 1974, Dean's dinner suit fell victim to some of the excess of '70s fashion with long double vents and extremely wide satin-faced notch lapels that extend to nearly an inch away from his armpits. The ticket pocket and straight hip pockets have wide flaps. This jacket, too, has a single black plastic button on each cuff.
At least some of his dinner jackets, most probably the earliest ones, were likely tailored by the Rat Pack's unofficial tailor, Sy Devore. By the 1970s, Dean was known to wear dinner jackets tailored by Carmen Lamola of Beverly Hills, such as this black wool tuxedo that was auctioned in June 2008 as part of Julien's Summer Entertainment Sale.
Like his fellow Rat Pack comrade Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin was a major proponent of the red silk pocket square, albeit worn more rakishly unstructured than the Chairman's preferred TV fold… a difference that reflects both men's styles, sartorial and otherwise.
Dino in particular seemed to favor bright red satin kerchiefs, providing a vibrant splash of color against the duo-toned black dinner suit and white shirt.
To add the Dean Martin touch to your formal attire, a crimson red silk pocket square like this.
Everything Else
Dean's formal trousers naturally matched his dinner jackets, suited in black dupioni silk with a shiny satin stripe down the side of each leg. He often placed his hands in his side pockets, positioned just behind the satin braid.
The flat front trousers typically rose low on his waist, coordinating well with the low button stance of his dinner jackets. The bottoms are plain-hemmed, per standard practice for formal trousers.
Befitting his casual nature and a wise concession under the hot studio lights, Dean would forego wearing a waist covering such as a cummerbund or waistcoat, instead keeping his jacket buttoned and relying on the finely tailored coordination to keep him looking cool and composed.
Dean Martin seemed to abhor traditional dress shirts, fully embracing a button-down collar to wear with every outfit from sport coats and business suits to dinner suits. Unacceptable to menswear purists, a button-down shirt with black tie is indicative of Dino's unpretentious attitudes that lent him a unique degree of sartorial freedom. (Sinatra, an impeccable dresser whose precision bordered on obsessive compulsion, probably took issue with some of his friend's fashion choices.)
Dino takes his unorthodox shirt a step further by often sporting the seemingly incongruous combination of a button-down collar and double (French) cuffs on the same shirt, a unique combination that was also worn—albeit less formally—by his friends Frank Sinatra and Cary Grant. Frank, Dean, and Sammy Davis Jr. all had many shirts made from Nat Wise; Anto acquired Nat Wise in 1987 and still offers "the Dean Martin—cotton voile, button-down collar, ⅜-inch-pleated front, French cuffs," according to Lisa Eisner's March 2008 article in Vanity Fair.
Through the nine seasons of The Dean Martin Show's run, Dean wore a variety of cuff links, including sets in mother-of-pearl, diamond, or plain metal.
Interestingly, the most nontraditional element of Dean's shirt was also the most consistent as he never appeared in anything but a white button-down shirt on his show… however, the details beyond that would often vary. A plain front was usual, but Dean would also wear shirts ranging from a front placket with mother-of-pearl buttons to diamond studs (as seen in the New Year's Eve 1970 episode with Sinatra). Dean's non-double cuff shirts were usually of the multiple-button barrel cuff variety, as seen in Ocean's Eleven and in the famous photo from backstage at Carnegie Hall in 1961.
Like the lapels of his dinner jacket, Dean's black satin silk bow tie would grow in size over the course of the show to reflect the trends of each show's particular season.
Dean's on-air footwear with his dinner suits was always a pair of black velvet Prince Albert evening slippers, both with and without gold embroidery.
While less formal than oxfords, the elegant Prince Albert slipper has long been an acceptable black tie footwear alternative in settings like the home, club, or other intimate gatherings. Dino also correctly wears his evening slippers with black dress socks, avoiding some men's misconceptions that evening slippers should be worn sockless like bedroom slippers!
Dean Martin typically wore his jewelry on his left hand. A silver (or white gold) diamond ring was a mainstay on his left pinky, dating back to his early career in the Martin and Lewis days. He would also usually wear a silver chain-link bracelet around his left wrist, a common affectation among Italian-American men.
In some early episodes, Dean could be spotted wearing a gold dress watch rather than his bracelet. This watch has a square silver dial and is worn on a gold bracelet.
For more information about Dean Martin in a dinner jacket, check out this early BAMF Style post about his black mohair tuxedo in Ocean's Eleven (1960).
Go Big or Go Home
At the height of The Dean Martin Show's popularity, Dean hosted one of the most highly rated episodes at Christmas 1967 featuring regular guest Frank Sinatra and members of both of their families, including Martin's wife Jeanne and all seven of his children (Craig, Claudia, Gail, Deana, Dean Paul, Ricci, and Gina) in addition to Sinatra's three children (Tina, Nancy, and Frank Jr.)
Celebrity Christmas specials were a dime a dozen in the late '60s, seemingly the backbone of Andy Williams' career, but Dean's show highlighted the warmth that set him apart as an entertainer. Dean may have loved opening his door to the surprise appearances of stars like John Wayne and Ann-Margret, but it was his family that truly gave him the most happiness.
Frank Sinatra essentially became a member of Dean's family. As one of his first guests, Frank was often to return to The Dean Martin Show for incredible music duets and skits. It was only around the easygoing Dino that Frank could loosen up.
A loyal and unflappable friend, Dean would always step in to help Frank and it was often Dean's cooler head that would prevail when the short-fused Frank was provoked by seemingly harmless triggers like an undercooked egg or a loud bar patron.
How to Get the Look
Dean Martin will be forever linked to the image of a charming figure comfortably clad in a black tailored tuxedo, looking forever at ease.
- Black dupioni silk single-breasted 1-button dinner jacket with satin-faced peak lapels, welted breast pocket, straight jetted hip pockets, 3-button cuffs, and ventless back
- White cotton shirt with button-down collar, plain front, and double/French cuffs
- Black satin silk bow tie
- Black dupioni silk flat front formal trousers with satin side stripe, straight side pockets, and plain-hemmed bottoms
- Black velvet Prince Albert slippers
- Black dress socks
- Silver chain-link ID bracelet
- Silver diamond pinky ring
Toss a red silk kerchief in your breast pocket and a glass of scotch in your hand, and that's amore!
Do Yourself a Favor and…
Check out the show! In addition to a number of YouTube clips, compilation DVDs are also available on Amazon.
Of course, you should also be listening to the music. This 30-song collection is branded as his "essential" volume and with classics like "Ain't That a Kick in the Head", "Volare", and "You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You", it's a fine place to start.
I also like the mellow collection on Late at Night with Dean Martin, featuring an understated version of his signature hit "Everybody Loves Somebody" in addition to classics like "Baby Won't You Please Come Home", "Dream", and "Mean to Me".
The Quote
If you drink, don't drive. Don't even putt.
There seems to be some confusion about whether or not Dean Martin's birth date is June 7 or June 17. The earlier date seems to be the more widely accepted date. Either way, he's a Gemini.
Somehow, his birth time has been confirmed as 11:55 p.m… which makes perfect sense.


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|A day without you is like a year without wifi.
I'm in a serious relationship with my internet at sea. You can say we have a good...connection! No Strings Attached...
When you are in the middle of nowhere and the center of everything--that means one thing--a strong internet connection at Starbucks. Around the world, the best signals have been:
1. Coming Home To Starbucks In Catalonia
|Haikus are easy/
But sometimes they don't make sense/Starbucks
Sure I am in Barcelona, romanticized as Cafe Life, where dudes smoke Havana cigars with a post-lunch carajillo (Coffee/Congnac). I miss my Epiphany chair like @ SBUXS USA, where life changes in an instant, as I drank from a paper cup.
It's not just about the coffee; it's about the lifestyle. The Urban Monk attitude, no strings attached, living in this world but not of this world, telecommuting at location neutral, Hotel @nyware from a wi fi hot spot. I am back to that place that I have never been before...
2.The Urban Monk On The Hong Kong Express
3. Kona Joe-It's Not A Drug. It's A Vitamin.
Kona has coffee; and where there is coffee there is caffeine, and where there is caffeine, there is (Starbucks) and the opportunity to do stupid things faster; and that's where the teachable moments are---because time doesn't exist in Hawaii but being stupid does (has its benefits). Ignorance is bliss.
4. CDG--Mind, Body And France-It's A Beautiful Day
5. Bordeaux-More Cowbell
6. Make Coffee Not War
I'm in my own world--
but it's ok--they know me here.
The best SBUCXS in the Caribbean is right here on Rafael E. Melgar LB, Centro, San Miguel de Cozumel.
SBUX---America's favorite drug dealer is serving up, what Mexicans call "Dirty Water".
They have persuaded millions of cruise ship passengers to spend $4 for what had been a $1 product." That's an amazing-getting less for more value proposition. Drinking OK coffee and standing in line to buy it. The cult of the amateur, the army of one, patronizing the YOUniverse. Now that's EGOomics.
Honorable Mention
1. Bahamas-Coffee Is My Cup of Tea
Blake flies in from "on high" to Paradise Island for some Seagull Management; makes a lot of noise, $h1ts all over everything then flies away again.
Ed Reif, former NYU classmate of Alec, and Starter for Team Baldwin, votes for Starbucks today, where life changes instantly, as he drinks from a paper cup.
Roll Video...


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|R.A. 7228 (Authored by former Rep. James L. Chiongbian)
|Date Established:
|March 16, 1992
|76th Province
|Capital Town:
|Congressional District:
|Lone District of Sarangani
|District 1: Maasim, Kiamba and Maitum
District 2: Alabel, Malapatan, Glan and Malungon
|No. of Barangay:
|Geographical Location:
|Land Area:
|3,972.84 square kilometers
|Total Coastline:
|Generally Fair, Typhoon free, Rainfall is evenly distributed throughout the year.
|Average Temparature:
|498,904 (2010)
|Average Growth Rate:
|Population Density:
|125 per square kilometers
|Per Capita Income:
|Php 15,350.00
|Per Capita Expense:
|Php 13,471.00
|Major Ethnic Composition:
|B'laan, Cebuano, Ilocano and Maguindanaon
|Major Religions:
|Roman Catholic, Prostestantism and Islam
|Literacy Rate:
|Labor Force:
Getting there
Sarangani Province can be reached by land, air and sea through the City of General Santos which is approximately 1 hour and 50 minutes from Manila by airplane. Its capital town Alabel is Approximately 11 kilometers away from General Santos City with an estimated travel time of 15 minutes by land.
Priority Investment Areas
Agri-industrial / Aqua-marine / Forestry
- High Value crop production
- Industrial crops / tree plantation
- High value fin fishes production & processing
- Deep sea fishing & its support services
- Livestock production & processing
Manufacturing / Processing
- Furniture, fixture and handicrafts
- Food processing
- Light manufacturing (agri-products)
- Metal processing & fabrication
- Cement processing
- Shipbuilding and repair
Tourism Development
- Hotel and Restaurant Development
- Resorts, Entertainment / Recreational Facilities
- Health & Wellness Facilities
- Adventure and Wildlife Parks
- Retirement Camps
- Tourism Support Services (Transport, Travel, & Tour Operators)
Infrastructures Facilities
- Telecommunication Development
- Port Zone Development
- Industrial and Commercial Estates
- Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution
- Water and Sewerage System
- Post-Harvest Facilities (Warehouse and Cold Storage)
Support and Allied Services
(Facilities that provide services to the above enumerated priority investment areas such as but not limited to)
- Information and Communication Technology
- Real Estate Projects (Mass Housing)
- Transport Services
- Business Processes Outsourcing
- Waste Management Services


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Andy Murray always said his favorite Grand Slam was the U.S. Open. Something about the noise, the music, the late nights. It was a weird thing for a Scotsman to say, since he was not so subtly turning his back on Wimbledon, and the British fans.
And then this year happened. Murray, ranked No. 4 for the fourth straight year, hired Ivan Lendl as a coach. He made the Wimbledon final, where he broke into tears after losing to Roger Federer, endearing himself to those fickle Brits in a way he never had before. He won the Olympic gold—at Wimbledon, over Federer—three weeks later, and it felt a little like redemption.
Cue the 25-year-old's favorite tournament. Flushing has waited for a final of this caliber for a long time. The Australian Open, the French, Wimbledon: They all got classics, usually involving Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal.
Finally, we have our classic, and we didn't even need Roger or Rafa. It was a match of defense versus defense. There's a reason we got those maddening, impossible, endless rallies all night.
"Most of our matches that we played against each other were very close, and only small margins decide the winner," Djokovic said a couple of days ago. "That's something that is expected in a way, because we have similar games."
Well… yup. Yes, indeed. The first set lasted nearly 90 minutes (including a mind-boggling 54-shot rally). No set in this match lasted less than 46 minutes. There was a mere five point differential in total points won (160 to 155, with Murray in the lead).
But Djokovic was the guy cramping at the end, and Murray has provided the critical plot twist the men's game needed as we start to move past the Roger-Rafa era. Novak has a formidable opponent heading into the future. The U.S. hosted a major that could kick off a new era for the golden age of the men's game. Finally.
Oh, and by the way: They're pretty happy overseas too: