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"We'll be opening up the Home Beta to the public very soon and hope to see you there"
Those are the words of Susan Panico, Senior Director of PlayStation Network commenting on the PSN and Home in the Official PlayStation Magazine.
Could we be seeing the open beta this month or next?
Words like "soon" are all relative
but the word "very" before that "soon" implies that the wait will be shorter rather than longer. Maybe it's supposed to come with the patch this month.
lol after that in shirt xmb crap sony pulled off at gdc, i am taking every bit of sony news with a grain of salt
Home is still slated for Spring 2008 and spring ends in June.
Then again Warhawk and GTA4 are getting "home" environments this month....
that way one will never be let down if something comes up. Still ... it's been a while and recent events and news points to Home coming soon.
I might be breaking my own rules here but, I just can't help but get excited. I've had a PS3 since launch and have watched the console fall into place. It's taken longer then I wanted but, it's still exciting me.
Very soon means 3 weeks espcially in this industry when people don't like releasing information unless it's accurate or ready. This will be an awesome month for the PS3. Dualshock 3, Home, Prologue, and GTA4!.
i can't wait to see what you guys think of it.
I have said it would be before GTA4. I'm still hoping :)
You have to admit though, the sheer amount of people that are requesting that Sony include in-game XMB in the next firmware update is a little ridiculous. I mean, i'm sure that Sony knows that everyone and their mother would like to see in-game XMB, and I am also sure that they are diligently trying to get it to work out on the system, but it seems that it's just an internet crapflood of requests.
Hell, if I was working on something but people kept asking me to finish it, I would get a little peeved...
Exactly sonarus I would like to hear something along the lines of NEXT TUESDAY.
Hate to jynx it but maybe the next store update (april 17th.
Sony did say that there would be an exciting update to open the new store.
It could be just the MGO beta and other random stuff which would have been released this Thursday and the following one. But i hope you're right. That's damn to help PS3 sales for those PS2 owners going this-gen for some GTA goodness.
i doubt it, this way in the May issue of the Playstation magazine, so no April lol.
Ahh, but the wait is excruciating
just because its the may issue doesn't mean everything takes place in may, think of when this interview took place, it was obviously atleast a week before the magazine what published, which means it could be any day now, i would go to guess when the store reopens. well just have to wait and see.....
can someone provide the link where sony says this cus i never heard about that
true, but still the may issue isn't released yet to non-subscribers of the magazine. So when may rolls around and people get it, and the title of a article says "Home to be released soon?" when its out already wouldn't make sense.
I heard this back on November, so I am just going to wait and see. I really need to test this out, I just look amazing.
october, november! i hope the open beta start's soon!
Man I wish they would give a date.
I agree dude. WE just need a date, and everyone will be happy.
Unless they miss the date and then we'll all be pissed! :)
ya we dont want another psp 2.00 update fiasco. they made a date and ended up being weeks late and everyone flipped. ever since then sony doesnt give dates for updates.
I see Home, the PSN Store Reskinning, and MGS4 beta, all happening the same week.
In my opinion, in a business point of view, there is no better time for all of the above.
I think that is possible! They said it will all be worth the wait and that we will be blown away! Could it be? Who Knows, but it is soon! :)
Thatll be great, i have high hopes for Home
Early May, probably a coupla days after GTA4
I wouldn't be surprised if its out this month seeing that GTA4 is out and there was stuff mentioned about it have support for Home, the store is getting an update with could have something to do with it and the Home integration with Warhawk in the lastest patch.
But knowing Sony...
I was hoping it would come with GTAiv. I mean why not? It's not like blue-ray doesn't have space or anything.
The HOME beta trials were going to be April 18, can anyone confirm this?
That's just in-time for the GT5P U.S. release on April 15. That would be really sweet if it's true.
"very soon" can be taken in many different ways.
I'm waiting for a concrete date before I really let the excitement build. But I have heard some news from "friends" and i honestly don't believe we'll be waiting to long. 6 weeks max.
the ad behind GOW: COO said GOW lll will be here "soon" but its widely known that it wont be here until 2009, but im hoping the word "very" in the article wll make a difference
I do think that there will be an open beta sometime in May but not getting excited about an unofficial announcement. I see Sony wooping out home around Haze release date right before MGS4 and after GTA.
...why Home is going to be such a big deal?
Sorry, but it does not look like a game but only a mechanism for navigating to games or information about games, gamers or other digtal content.
If it were more like Sims where you could construct your own home and had to keep your virtual character (or family) happy then I could see the point. I know many people arie looking forward to home, I'm just one of those struggling to see its real worth from a "gamers" point of view.
I can see why Sony likes its potential as it will become a micro-transaction haven for selling pixels.
To those hitting "Disagree" can you please enlighten me as to why Home will be so good in your eyes. As I said earlier, I'm struggling to see its worth. I'm not saying it won't be popular but what makes it a must have?
I hate when people look at it like that. It's a chance for the PSN community to meet others in a 3D realm. You can randomly meet people on the PSN and see what games they like, share info etc etc. People can come to your home and stream media from your PS3. You can launch from home into a game. Each game is going to have trophies much like achievements. These are displayed in Home. There's going to be arcade like games. There's supposed to be a movie theater. Games like Warhawk will even support things like a war room where a clan can gather and see scale maps of the game and plan out formations and attacks. The possibilities with home are endless. Home is Sony's answer to a very competitive LIVE network. It's not a game but rather a three dimensional translation of the LIVE network.
BTW ... I did not disagree with you.
I didn't hit disagree, although I do not agree with what you've said.
The thing that makes Home exciting to me is because it pushes the social aspect of gaming. Right now, I can go onto my PS3 and have a chat with 5 of my friends, but I can't do much else while I'm doing that. With Home, I can be doing that same chat with those same five friends, but I can do it while we're all watching a movie on my HDD, or shooting some pool, or maybe going to the bowling alley, or listening to music.
When we're done with that, if we want to jump directly from there into a game of Warhawk, we can just go for it with Home's party system.
Or if I don't feel like doing any of that, I can just chill in the mall and play a game of chess with my friend in Greece, or plan strategies in Warhawk right there in Home, complete with a mini-map.
There is so much potential in this program that it boggles the mind. It wouldn't shock me if they ended up broadcasting their E3 press conference this year inside of Home.
Why? because key games have home integration...Warhawk, Resistance...even GTA4...and probably Metal Gear Solid 4 and HAZE...probably every game released after GTA4...
The beta will be an open beta...and the final version will come out in late summer or early fall...but HOME will be a work in progress...just like the PSN network. Home will be hot...and every other console maker will try to make something like home...but they will fail...sony has been working on home over over 3 to 4 years...even back in the PS2 days....they are just trying to get the right integration and excitement and stability before an open beta starts...even the current closed beta is nothing what the open beta is going to be like. You will see a stress test of the system...there are over 11 million PS3 systems...don't forget that...and HOME and the entire PSN network is free.
Its amazing that they are squeezing home down to at most 500megs...
oh I love you Sony... :) PS3 fan since day 1, not day 360 or 720..lol
My Sony Soldiers are so loyal; in fact King Kaz couldn't ask for a better fanbase! Far better than those back-stabbing PIGS!
We should all meet up in HOME!!! ;-D
That would be funny!;)
+There will be no PIGS(T.M King Kaz) ;) there to!!! ;-D
(T.M = Trade Mark) ;)
Emperor kutaragi,Emperor hirai, former Lord Harrison, i'll be there too. :)
I'm sorry to burst the bubble but it's been "soon" for over a year now. It'll come when it comes. I'm not holding my breath. A late Spring Beta is the best we can hope for.
Hmmm,, interesting thanks for the link'
soon is very soon hhmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm 2 months,years millenium??
I hope this "soon" is a short amount of time. Anyway I hope the beta comes with the trophy system, because I love collecting stuff. And truth be told, I am sorta an achievement whore with my friends 360...
Atlease, we are hearing from Sony and i take it "soon" to be this month or next i hope. We waited this long...lol
I've been doing that for about half a year now. Remember the October 10 release?
And besides, if it's going to be released to the public as a whole, why bother continuing to call it a beta? Everyone other than Sony will just consider it the release.
home beta please
Soon for Sony means like 2 months.
Wipeou HD "soon"-> 2 or 3 months waiting.
IN game XMB "soon"-> still waiting...
Home we are waiting since November.
And to the poster on top of me, there are no store updates until April 17th due to store changing.
Why come people can not be patient...sony has to do this right....its all gonna go down by end of summer..
People wanted the PSN store as a built in app and to look pretty work work fast...sony did it..(or we shall see in two weeks)
People want home...sony will release it in open beta form real soon
People wanted divx\xvid...sony delivered
People want in game xmb...sony will deliver
People want support for DTS-HD Master Audio...sony will deliver this soon.
People wanted the PS3 to upscale PS2\PS1 and DVDs to 1080p...sony delivered..
Sony will deliver what we want..because sony cares...they put their heart and soul into the PS3...they do not want it to fail.
Microsoft will realize this on the next xbox...but hopefully by then microsoft and sony will collaborate on one console.
this site will explode with PS3 sweetness (yes, more), it could be dangerous...
You wonder why we are excited? How bout you answer me a question first. Why do you xbox users praise the gamer score and achievment system? All those points amount to nothing, so please, explain.
My answer to your idiotic question, as to why we are so excited. Well for one its a virtual world where we can hang out with our friends. Not just voice chat, but to actually chill in the same room, watch movies, bowl, play pool, and pretty much just f*ck around in any way shape and form that we please. It might not make sense to you xbots, ( considering you guys buy anything and everything regardless if its good or not and claim all xbox games to be the best in the world), but Home gives us more than the 360 could ever offer, including trophies, which is technically better than an achievement point.
Want more? Well lets see, since I only have one bubble I'll keep this short and to the point. Okay, not only can we hang out, but we can show off pictures of our loved ones in picture frames, share and stream movies in our living rooms, have pimped out themes from exclusive ps3 games and including games that are on the 360 like furniture items, shirts, and stuff that would be just so cool to show off to your friends. And did I mention,, its all FREE!
As for me, I will buy the tightest pad so me and my Clan can hang out in. It wont be an apartment, it will be a house with 2 stories, and hopefully have a pet, like a dinosaur or something, one that is rad as heck. I dont know, I think all the things above are worth wanting home as bad as we do. Poor xbots, all you guys have is in game chat and text,, Guess what,, we will too,, real soon,, so why do you guys still just own a 360? Why do you pay 350+ dollars for something that always breaks and doesnt even come with a high def player. Only 20 gigs of ram, and not to mention having to pay for a service that doesnt doesnt even run sometimes. I heard it was down again,, thank god I stuck it out with sony.
How many times have I heard this exact same news now? Honestly, it's getting annoying.
is definently going to be anounced at E3 08
More like advertised. The Open Home Beta will probably the almost final version, and the official version will probably be available by then. But still, it's pointless to announce when it becomes "official", since it'll probably be simply a firmware update to clear any bugs, and again, that's just a name, since nothing guarantees that the official version won't have any bugs. Even more, it's bound to keep growing and getting new features... so, kinda pointless to announce a new label.
Dude your wooooohooooooo!!! just says it all i am so pumped up for Home to meet new people. Now i just need to join a clan in warhark lol. With Warhark having that Home thing in the new patch they did that only means we are so much more closer to the Home Open Beta than we thought this is a very good year for a gamer so much to look forward to. (^O^)
Home will undoubtedly prove to be yet another Sony gimmick that fails to live up to its promises disappointing gamers everywhere with more Sony lies while Xbox LIVE and the Xbox 360 continue to provide the greatest online gaming service in human history with countless AAA titles and award winning features.
Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE is the future today, while Sony continues to lie to its consumers with any old gimmick they can find to keep them happy and ignorant of how inferior their platform truly is


text:
The latest updates from Park Hills. Click here to see the latest news.
City & Event
Nestled in the rolling hills of northern Kentucky, Park Hills is a tranquil and park-like setting with an active and close-knit community. Residents and business owners take pride in great civic features: Green spaces, historic homes, and local events. Impressive proximity to downtown Covington and Cincinnati—as well as all the great outdoor amenities of Devou Park—make Park Hills one of the most convenient places to live. Come see for yourself why Park Hills is truly a hidden gem.
Photos courtesy of Bob Amott.
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using MuniciPAY.
Please note: There is a convenience fee for processing payments online. Fees are disclosed before payments are processed. All major credit cards are accepted and payments can be made by electronic check.
All major credit cards are accepted online and in the City Clerk's office. For more details, call the city offices at (859) 431-6252.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Your simple guide to losing weight and living healthy.
About the Book
Elementary Weight Loss is a simple and effective way to lose weight. This essential guide provides easy to understand concepts and useful tools to help you live a healthy life. With Elementary Weight Loss, you will achieve your weight loss goals by: Preparing for Success, Eating Less and Exercising More.
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Make exercising a habit by following routines, scheduling workouts, and incorporating passive exercise into everyday activities.


text:
The Ambitionist is a business and lifestyle publication for ambitious, smart and passionate women.
Our aim is to inspire, empower and educate with thoughtful and engaging content that celebrates what it means to be a woman in today's changing world.
Our readers are strong, independent and believe in living life to the full.
If you're interested in contributing get in touch below.
To collaborate with The Ambitionist download our media kit: media-kit-2017.pdf


text:
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Cisco Defense Orchestrator
- What is the Cisco Defense Orchestrator?
- The Cisco Defense Orchestrator (CDO) is a cloud-based platform that helps network operations staff establish and maintain an end-to-end security posture by managing security policies across Cisco security devices. It analyzes security policy configuration for Cisco Adaptive Security Appliances (ASA), Cisco Firepower Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW), and Cisco Umbrella to identify and resolve policy inconsistencies, model policy changes to validate their impact, and orchestrate policy changes to achieve consistency and maintain clarity in security posture.
- Is CDO Secure?
- CDO offers end-to-end security for customer data through the following features:
- Two-Factor Authentication
- Authentication calls for APIs and database operations
- Data isolation in flight and at rest
- Separation of roles
- CDO offers end-to-end security for customer data through the following features:
CDO requires multi-factor authentication for users to connect to their cloud portal. Multi-factor authentication is a vital function needed to protect the identity of customers.
All data, in flight and at rest, is encrypted. Communication from devices on customer premises and CDO is encrypted with SSL, and all customer-tenant data volumes are encrypted.
CDO's multi-tenant architecture isolates tenant data and encrypts traffic between databases and application servers. When users authenticate to gain access to CDO, they receive a token. This token is used to fetch a key from a key-management service, and the key is used to encrypt traffic to the database.
CDO provides value to customers quickly while making sure customer credentials are secured. This is achieved by deploying a "Secure Data Connector" in the cloud or a customer's own network (in roadmap) that controls all inbound and outbound traffic to make sure the credential data doesn't leave the customer premises.
- I received the error "Could not validate your OTP" when logging into CDO for the first time
- Check that your desktop or mobile device clock is synchronized with a world time server. Clocks being out of sync by less or more than a minute can cause incorrect OTPs to be generated.
- Should I create dedicated CDO accounts on my devices?
- Yes. It is recommended that new accounts be created for CDO access rather than reuse existing admin accounts.
Is my device connected directly to Cisco Defense Orchestrator cloud platform?
Yes. The secured connection is performed using the CDO SDC which is used as a proxy between the device and CDO platform. CDO architecture, designed with security first in mind, enables having complete separation between data traversing back and forth to the device.
How can I connect a device which does not have a public IP address?
You can leverage CDO On-Premises Secure Device Connector which can be deployed within your data center and doesn't need any outside port to be open. Once the On-premises SDC is deployed you can onboard devices with internal (non-internet routable) IP addresses.
Is using the On-Premises Secure Device Connector require any additional cost or license?
Are there any performance limitation with using either the cloud or on-premises Secure Device Connector?
No. both the cloud and on-premises SDCs uses the same code base and one should not have any limitation over the other.
What types of Virtual Private Network are currently supported with CDO?
For ASA customers, CDO supports IPsec Site-to-Site VPN tunnel management only. Stay tuned for updates to our What's New page!
How can I check the tunnel status? State options
CDO performs the tunnel connectivity checks automatically every hour, however ad-hoc VPN tunnel connectivity checks can be performed by choosing a tunnel and requesting to check connectivity. Results may take several seconds to process.
Can I search a tunnel based on the device name as well as its IP address of one of its peers?
Yes. Search and pivot to a specific VPN tunnel details by using available filters and search capabilities on both name and the peers IP addresses
Policy Optimization
- How can I identify a case when two or more access lists (within the same access group) are shadowing each other?
- Cisco Defense Orchestrator Network Policy Management (NPM) is able to identify and alert the user if within a rule set, a rule higher in order, is shadowing a different rule. User can either navigate between all network policies or filter to identify all shadow issues. For more information, see Network Policy Management.
Note: Cisco Defense Orchestrator supports only fully shadowed rules.
- What is required to connect my devices to the CDO cloud-based Secure Device Connector?
- ASDM image present and enabled for ASA.
- Public interface access to 18.104.22.168, 188.8.131.52, 184.108.40.206
- ASA's HTTPS port must be set to 443 or to a value of 1024 or higher. For example, it cannot be set to port 636.
- If the ASA under management is also configured to accept AnyConnect VPN Client connections, the ASA HTTPS port must be changed to a value of 1024 or higher.
- The Secure Device Connector changed IP address, but this was not reflected within CDO. What can I do to reflect the change?
- In order to obtain and update the new Secure Device Connector (SDC) within CDO, you will need to restart the container using the following commands
Stop Docker deamon > #service docker stop
Change IP address
Start Docker deamon > #service docker start
Restart container on the SDC virtual appliance > bash-4.2$ ./cdo/toolkit/toolkit.sh restartSDC <tenant-name>
- In order to obtain and update the new Secure Device Connector (SDC) within CDO, you will need to restart the container using the following commands
- What happens if the IP address used by CDO to manage my Firepower Threat Defense Device (FTD) or Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA) changes?
- If the IP address of the device changes for any reason, whether it is a change in the static IP address or a change in the IP address due to DHCP, you can change the IP address that CDO uses to connect to the device and then reconnect the device. When reconnecting the device you will be asked to enter the new IP address of the device as well as re-enter the authentication credentials.
- While performing complete deploy of device configuration from CDO to managed device, I get a warning "Cannot deploy changes to device". What can I do to solve that?
In case an error occurred during deploying full configuration (changes performed beyond CDO supported commands) to the device, majority of the time, simple "Read" of latest available configuration from device will solve the problem and you will be able to continue making changes on CDO and deploy them. In case issue persist, please email CDO Support at firstname.lastname@example.com.
While resolving out-of-band issue (changes performed outside of CDO; directly to a device), comparing the configuration present in CDO that of the device, CDO presents additional metadata that were not added or modified by me. Why?
As CDO expands its functionality, additional information will be collected from the device's configuration to enrich and maintain all required data for better policy and device management analysis. These are not changes that occurred on managed device but already existing information. Resolving the conflict detected state can be easily solved by reading from the device and reviewing all detailed changes occurred.
- CDO is rejecting my cerificate. What can I do about it?
- What is an Adaptive Security Appliance (ASA)?
- The Cisco ASA provides advanced stateful firewall and VPN concentrator functionality in one device as well as integrated services with add-on modules. The ASA includes many advanced features, such as multiple security contexts (similar to virtualized firewalls), clustering (combining multiple firewalls into a single firewall), transparent (Layer 2) firewall or routed (Layer 3) firewall operation, advanced inspection engines, IPsec VPN, SSL VPN, and clientless SSL VPN support, and many more features. ASAs can be installed on virtual machines or supported hardware.
- What is an ASA Model?
- An ASA model is a copy of the running configuration file of an ASA device that you have onboarded to CDO. You can use an ASA model to analyze the configuration of an ASA device without onboarding the device itself.
- What is Firepower Threat Defense (FTD)
- Cisco's next generation firewall software image. It strives to combine the best of Sourcefire next generation firewall services and the ASA platform. It can be installed on a number of different Firepower hardware devices or virtual machines. This is not the same as a ASA FirePOWER module. See ASA Software and Hardware Support for more information.
- What is Firepower Device Manager (FDM)
- Firepower Device Manager is Firepower Threat Defense management software delivered with the FTD image. FDM is designed to manage the one FTD it is delivered with. You may also hear FDM referred to as the "local device manager."
- What is Firepower?
- Firepower is a general term that refers to a group of next generation firewall hardware and software.
- When is a device Synced?
- When the configuration on CDO and the configuration stored locally on the device are the same.
- When is a device Not Synced?
- When the configuration stored in CDO was changed and it is now different that the configuration stored locally on the device.
- When is a device in a Conflict Detected state?
- When the configuration on the device was changed outside of CDO (out-of-band), and is now different than the configuration stored on CDO.
- What is an out-of-band change?
- When a change is made to the device outside of CDO. The change is made directly on the device using CLI command or by using the on-device manager such as ASDM or FDM. An out-of-band change causes CDO to report a "Conflict Detected" state for the device.
- What ASA commands are currently supported?
- All commands. Click the Command Line Interface link under Device Actions to use the ASA CLI.
- Are there any scale limitations for device management?
- CDO's cloud architecture allows it to scale to thousands of devices.
- Does CDO manage Cisco Integrated Services Routers and Aggregation Services Routers?
- CDO allows you to create a model device for ISRs and ASRs and import its configuration. You can then create templates based on the imported configurations and export the configuration as a standardized configuration that can be deployed to new or existing ISR and ASR devices for consistent security.
- Can CDO manage SMA?
- No, CDO does not currently manage SMA.
If you cannot find the answers to your questions here, please contact firstname.lastname@example.com


text: American College of Surgeons Member Services Resident and Associate Society About RAS-ACS Communications Committee About RAS-ACS Bylaws for RAS-ACS Advocacy and Issues Committee Associate Fellow Committee Communications Committee Education Committee Membership Committee Committee Liaision Reports Organizational Chart Communications Committee Chair Crystal Johnson-Mann, MD Vice-Chair Red Hoffman, MD About Us The Communications Committee is one of the four committees that serve the Resident and Associate Society of the American College of Surgeons (RAS-ACS). Our committee continually seeks opportunities to enhance communication among residents, Fellows, and leaders of the ACS via social media, e-newsletters, and the ACS website. Objectives Publish a RAS-ACS e-newsletter six times per year Oversee publication of the annual RAS-ACS-themed August issue of the Bulletin of the American College of Surgeons Maintain the RAS-ACS Facebook page and Twitter feed with conference call reminders and other news updates Oversee contributions to the ACS Communities Oversee the annual RAS-ACS essay contest Current Projects Annual essay competition August Bulletin issue Podcast creation JACS social media journal club collaboration RAS promotional video Contact us at firstname.lastname@example.com for more information or to join this committee.


text:
Many of you out there wear glasses & as you know, they're sometimes very expensive. Well, not with Firmoo! Firmoo just released their New Arrivals for May...and the best part is, you might be able to get them for FREE!
Spring and Summer give you a chance to show off great fashion; however, it can be frustrating when you already have a nice dress or outfit to wear but can never seem to find the right pair of accessories to go with it.
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This is a compensated post.


text:
Life is moving at an astonishing pace. Email, internet, cell phones and staying politically correct . . .
In a whirlwind of change, who has time just to live much less ask where we are headed?
The Church of Christ at Louisville is a group of Christians who believe that the Bible reveals the truths about faith and living that uncomplicates life.
Our Church
- A church that empowers its members to grow more into the likeness of Christ.
- A church that upholds the Bible alone as the rule of faith and living.
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- A church that aggressively spreads the good news of Jesus Christ by word of mouth and by lifestyle.
- A church that encourages friendships with other Christians.
- A church where all people, regardless of race, gender, age, or socio-economic standing, are valued and useful in the kingdom of God.
- A church that believes salvation comes by faith in Jesus Christ and not by man's efforts to be morally or doctrinally perfect.
Our Beliefs
- There is one invisible, eternal God who is both loving and just (Exodus 34:6; Deuteronomy 6:4)
- God has revealed himself in the persons of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Mark 1:9-11)
- Jesus is the Christ, God in the flesh (John 1:1, 14).
- The Holy Spirit is received in water baptism as a strengthener and teacher (Acts 2:38; Ephesians 1:17; 3:16).
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Our Purpose:
Guiding others into a deeper love for JESUS


text:
Hiya guise! It's Friday, December 20th...and it's time to GROUPDRINK!
So, I'm going to start now and leave this as an open thread... and there are events along the way. Head over to IRC to hang out in real time with everyone! Your username is well, your username and the channel is #Groupthink. NO PASSWORD!
If you're my best friend from high school...stop lurking, get a fucking Kinja account and start talking! YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE!


text:
Texas Rangers
'Perfect' off-season for Rangers' Feliz, Ogando
The word used this week by two of the most important members of the Texas Rangers' 2014 pitching staff to describe the health of their right arms gave reason for optimism.
Talk, however, is cheap. No matter how "perfect" Neftali Feliz and Alexi Ogando said they feel when throwing off a mound fewer than three weeks from Rangers pitchers and catchers reporting for spring training, they have to prove that they are healthy and then stay that way.
The Rangers' success doesn't entirely rest on the health of Feliz, who is intent on replacing Joe Nathan as closer, and Ogando, a key member of the projected rotation a year after three stints on the disabled list.
But it certainly can't hurt if they can pitch as well as they have in the past. And that's their plan
"My arm is perfect. When I threw in winter ball, my command was perfect," Feliz said Tuesday after a workout at the Rangers' Dominican academy. "I've tried to work hard to be ready to do my job as closer and go to the playoffs this year."
Getting Feliz into position to compete to be the club's closer has been one of the Rangers' top priorities this off-season. They pulled Mike Anderson away from his scouting duties in the Dominican to work with Feliz on some mechanical tweaks and tightening up his repertoire as he pitched for Toros del Este in the Dominican Winter League.
Feliz pitched well in 10 appearances over 9 2/3 innings, posting a 2.79 ERA and walking only two. He struck out 11. He said his velocity was at its best late in this stint.
After working in the low 90s late last season in his first major league appearance since having Tommy John surgery Aug. 1, 2012, Feliz was clocked at 98 mph while pitching on the second day of back-to-back outings.
Fellow right-handers Joakim Soria and Tanner Scheppers will also get consideration to be the closer this season, but Feliz expects to be the go-to guy in the ninth inning.
"Oh, 100 percent," said Feliz, who saved 72 games in 2010 and 2011 before working as a starter in 2012 before he was injured. "I've tried to be focused on doing the job I've done before. I know how to do it."
Ogando said he isn't feeling any pressure to stay healthy, even though left-hander Derek Holland (left knee) is out until at least the All-Star break and another lefty, Matt Harrison, underwent three operations in 2013.
"I'm sorry about Derek," Ogando said. "You never know what's going to happen."
Ogando knows how to do his job, but he hasn't made it through a full season as a starter without wearing out or being felled by injury. He went 7-4 with a 3.11 ERA in 2013, but found the DL three times with biceps and shoulder issues during his return season to the rotation.
So, his off-season focus was on strengthening his shoulder. The tall, lean Ogando said that he weighs 205 pounds and has had no issues during his winter workouts.
He and Feliz said they are ready to make up for lost time in 2014.
"I'm happy with being in the rotation," said Ogando, who is 19-12 with a 3.40 ERA in 48 career starts. "Right now, I'm working hard every day. My shoulder feels perfect. I've got no problems. I don't want to go back like last year."


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Hugh Jackman receives special Tony Award
(CBS News) Hugh Jackman was given with a special Tony Award on Sunday by a special presenter - his wife, Deborra-Lee Furness.
Pictures: Tony Awards 2012 red carpet
Pictures: Highlights from the Tonys ceremony
Pictures: Scenes from the press room
Complete Coverage: The 66th Annual Tony Awards
Jackman, who was being honored for his contributions to the Broadway community, was surprised to see his wife presenting him with the award, because she had told him she was going to the bathroom.
"She's never kept a secret her entire life," Jackman said, adding that his wife had told him, "I'm just off to the loo."
"I know how much you hate public speaking. This is probably the greatest thing you've ever done for me," he told Furness on stage. "Really, it means the world to me."
Jackman is no stranger to Broadway, or the Tonys stage. He won a Tony in 2004 for his leading role in "The Boy from Oz," and is a three-time host of the Tony Awards ceremony.


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Santa Caterina, feel the mountains all year round!
Santa Caterina Valfurva is surrounded by the high peaks of the Ortles Cevedale chain and is located in the heart of Stelvio National Park. Santa Caterina means nature, snow and high peaks and it is an oasis of peace and serenity that knows no rush but only a true passion for mountain and fun.
It provides
In Santa Caterina Valfurva any type of holiday becomes true, both in summer and winter!
Do not forget that Santa Caterina guarantees environmental quality!
The air is 100% clean thanks to a district heating system for the production of heat and hot water.


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He's making a list, checking it twice (all together now) he's going to find out who's naughty or nice…. ( I must say that was some awesome harmony) What if I told you that all of us have a naughty list? It's true! Our naughty list seems to be longer than our nice list. The people on our naughty list are those who have done one or more of the following: insulted, irritated, embarrassed, betrayed, offended, hurt us, hurt our feelings, or hurt someone we like or just flat out ticked us off. Have you ever considered the fact that those on your naughty list are stuck there forever? There's only one way they can get off our naughty list – if we choose to remove them from the list. Removing people from our naughty list requires us to give the gift that few people are giving this Christmas – the gift of forgiveness.
Now I know what you're thinking why would I remove them from my naughty list – what's in it for me? I thought you might ask that question – so let me share with you a few benefits of offering the gift of forgiveness this Christmas season:
…A decent night's sleep – those aren't sugar plums dancing in your head each night as you rehearse all the rotten things people have said and done to you.
…An end to isolation – the cold hard facts are that just about everyone we're in a relationship with is going to offend us at some point or another. Can you imagine how lonely your life will be if people find out that there is a one strike policy with you. You can't put everyone in your life on the naughty list. So maybe it's time to revisit your list and give some on your list a "get out of jail free" card for Christmas.
…Forward movement in your life – people who refuse to forgive have a backward look in their life. They live in the past. They dwell on the hurts of the past. The result is they never live their present or future life. You've got so much life to live – don't waste it by dwelling on the hurts of the past.
…A solid relationship with Jesus – And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Matt 6:12 Jesus points out to us that we receive forgiveness in our daily lives based on how we forgive others. Here's a thought – when we keep others on our naughty list – we put ourselves on God's naughty list. When we forgive and take people off our naughty list – God takes us off of his.
I'm not saying that it will be easy to remove people from your naughty list this Christmas. But I am saying that you can give something this Christmas that can't be found on Black Friday or Cyber Monday – the gift of forgiveness.


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Students' homework assignments are assignments of schooling and data. Courses are designed for all ranges of culinary expertise, and what units Rouxbe aside is that they provide Cook Courses for the leisure chef, and Professional Cook Courses for cooks who wish to work in the industry. These are aimed toward those that wish to update skilled expertise; in many cases these courses may be taken as part of a longer award programme. For more information about Amity University Online admission Form comparable to Admission Dates Procedure Details, examine the next instruction on MCM Online Website.
After you may have established your partnerships each legally and logistically, plan and plot out your faculty course choices on this order; majors, cirriculums, and programs. I am additionally posting such good jobs at my weblog and like this I have posted many vacancies right now. Despite these challenges, many educators and researchers are committed to creating educational games and incorporating recreation-primarily based studying into lecture rooms throughout the United States.
Thank you for sharing this…i'm newly retired and am fascinated by discovering out about things i did not really have the time to pursue when i used to be educating…i will undoubtedly be wanting into some of these courses. The benefits of online training contains, the flexibility to earn the identical degree as an in class scholar, examine at your individual tempo, convenience pupil resource center.
Within Sept 2006, a contemporary larger educational training program initiated through the ecu union ended up being introduced within Hungary far too, generally known as the Bologna plan of action, that gives pupils to be able to pursue their very own research in a very dynamically developing, convertible European higher instructional program. There are ten totally different video games for youths to play with the lists that help them memorize the phrases. It's positively good that know-how is bridging the gap for people who haven't got entry to an education. I must agree right here that not all applications and faculties are value-efficient.
The rating body additionally scored the online course as having extremely efficient student services and know-how that enhances a vibrant scholar engagement. Finally, by focusing only on college students and faculty involved within the distance education schemes, the Best Online Programs rankings assess what might be most related to scholar experiences.


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Pretty interesting; I'm glad Al pointed this out. It may very well be a WAI technique that helps app developers make some of our recommendations accessible. If anyone knows of any usability studies, or deployment experience, with @live, whether or not it's on security related interactions, please let the group know (now or in the future). Mez Mary Ellen Zurko, STSM, IBM Lotus CTO Office (t/l 333-6389) Lotus/WPLC Security Strategy and Patent Innovation Architect Web Security Context Issue Tracker <firstname.lastname@example.com> Sent by: email@example.com 04/15/2007 10:51 AM Please respond to Web Security Context WG <email@example.com> To email@example.com cc Subject ISSUE-39: cooperate with WAI-ARIA \'politeness\' (from public comments) ISSUE-39: cooperate with WAI-ARIA 'politeness' (from public comments) http://www.w3.org/2006/WSC/Group/track/issues/39 Raised by: Bill Doyle On product: Note: use cases etc. >From public comments raised by: Al Gilman email@example.com http://lists.w3.org/Archives/Public/public-usable- authentication/2007Apr/0000.html cooperate with WAI-ARIA 'politeness' of live regions in your quest for assured presentation where it says, 2.5 Reliable presentation of security information The Working Group will recommend presentation techniques that mitigate deceptive imitation, or hiding, of the user agent's presentation of security information. please consider One of the aspects of verbosity control in some delivery contexts adapted for people with disabilities is the filtering and buffering of events. In the WAI- ARIA specifications, we have introduces values of the @live attribute that denote politeness, or the urgency with which the user's attention should be given to this event. You have a similar need with yet more authority, in a way. It would be great if we had event politeness wired into the backplane and we could piggyback our functionality for the access API bindings on top of your functionality forReceived on Wednesday, 18 April 2007 14:09:43 UTC
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.3.1 : Tuesday, 6 January 2015 21:14:15 UTC


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Definition of doubledouble - adj. having two meanings with intent to deceive; large enough for two; twice as great or many; consisting of or involving two parts or components usually in pairs; having more than one decidedly dissimilar aspects or qualities; used of flowers having more than the usual number of petals in crowded or overlapping arrangements; used of homologous chromosomes associated in pairs in synapsis; adv. two together; downward and forward; to double the degree; noun a base hit on which the batter stops safely at second base; a quantity that is twice as great as another; someone who closely resembles a famous person (especially an actor); a stand-in for movie stars to perform dangerous stunts; raising the stakes in a card game by a factor of 2; verb increase twofold; hit a two-base hit; do double duty; serve two purposes or have two functions; bridge: make a demand for (a card or suit); make or do or perform again; bend over or curl up, usually with laughter or pain.
Double on: Dictionary Google Wikipedia YouTube (new tab)


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Forget about Brahms, Beethoven or Bach. The Seattle Symphony is bringing some other classics — with names like Mario, Master Chief and Zelda — to Benaroya Hall this summer. On June 21 and 22, the Seattle Symphony will play the music from 25 popular video games while projecting images from the games overhead.
Traditional symphony fans may scoff at the idea of listening to music whose main purpose is to highlight animated characters jumping over barrels or blowing apart enemy combatants.
But it sounds pretty cool to us.
After all, can you imagine Super Mario floating above while listening to this?
I am just curious to see how the Seattle Symphony pulls that off. The performance — dubbed "Play! A Video Game Symphony" — was a huge hit when it debuted in Seattle in 2008, with back-to-back sell outs. This year, the symphony is adding a couple of new favorites to the mix, including Civilization V and Mafia II.
Directing the show will be Andy Brick, an American composer whose credits include music for Halo 3, Sim City, Super Mario and many others. Tickets range in price from $17 to $74.
The performance appears to be well timed, since the DigiPen Institute of Technology is hosting the Game Education Summit in Redmond June 22-23.


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MA6251 MATHEMATICS-II S.NO CONTENTS PAGE NO UNIT-1 VECTOR CALCULUS 1.1 Gradient-Directional Derivative 1 Problems 1.2. Divergence And Curl –Irrotational And Solenoidal Vector Fields Divergence 4 Problems 1.3 Vector Integration 7 Problems 1.4 Green's Theorem In A Plane;(Excluding proof) 9 Problems 1.5 Gauss Divergence Theorem:(Excluding proof) 10 Problems 1.6 Stoke's Theorem(Excluding proof) 12 Problems UNIT –II ORDINARY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS 2.1 Higher Order Linear Differential Equations With 14 Constant Coefficients Problems 2.2 Method of Variation of Parameters 22 Problems 2.3 Differential Equations for the Variable Coefficients 24 Problems 2.4 Simultaneous First Order Linear Equations with Constant Coefficients Problems 26
MA6251 3.1 MATHEMATICS-II UNIT –III LAPLACE TRANSFORMATION Laplace transformation-Conditions and existence 28 Problems 3.2 Transforms of Elementary functions-Basic Properties 29 Problems 3.3 (a) Transforms of derivatives 31 (b)Derivatives and integrals of Transforms (c)Integrals of Transforms Problems 3.4 Transforms of the unit step functions and impulse function 34 Problems 3.5 Transforms of periodic functions 35 Problems 3.6 Inverse Laplace Transform 36 Problems 3.7 Convolution theorem 42 Problems 3.8 Initial and final value theorems 45 3.9 Solution of linear ODE of Second Order with constant coefficients 47 Problems UNIT-IV ANALYTIC FUNCTIONS 4.1 Introduction –Function of A Complex Variable 49 4.2 Analytic Functions(C-R Equations) 49 Problems 4.3 Harmonic and Orthogonal Properties Of Analytic Functions Problems 51
MA6251 4.4 MATHEMATICS-II Construction of Analytic Functions 56 Problems 4.5 Conformal Mapping 58 Problems 4.6 Bilinear Transformation 61 Problems UNIT V- COMPLEX INTEGRATION 5.1 Prerequisite 62 5.2 Introduction 62 5.3 Cauchy's Theorem 62 Problems 5.4 Taylor's and Laurent's Series Expansion. 64 Problems 5.5 Singularities 67 Problems 5.6 Residues 69 Problems 5.7 Evaluation of real definite Integrals as contour integrals 72 Problems 5.8 Applications 79 APPENDICES A Question Bank B University Questions
MA6251 MATHEMATICS – II REGULATION 2013 SYLLABUS MA6251 MATHEMATICS – II L T P C 3104 OBJECTIVES: • To make the student acquire sound knowledge of techniques in solving ordinary differential equations that model engineering problems. • To acquaint the student with the concepts of vector calculus, needed for problems in all engineering disciplines. • To develop an understanding of the standard techniques of complex variable theory so as to enable the student to apply them with confidence, in application areas such as heat conduction, elasticity, fluid dynamics and flow the of electric current. • To make the student appreciate the purpose of using transforms to create a new domain in which it is easier to handle the problem that is being investigated. UNIT I VECTOR CALCULUS 9+3 Gradient, divergence and curl – Directional derivative – Irrotational and solenoidal vector fields – Vector integration – Green's theorem in a plane, Gauss divergence theorem and Stokes' theorem (excluding proofs) – Simple applications involving cubes and rectangular parallelopipeds. UNIT II ORDINARY DIFFERENTIAL EQUATIONS 9+3 Higher order linear differential equations with constant coefficients – Method of variation of parameters – Cauchy's and Legendre's linear equations – Simultaneous first order linear equations with constant coefficients. UNIT III LAPLACE TRANSFORM 9+3 Laplace transform – Sufficient condition for existence – Transform of elementary functions – Basic properties – Transforms of derivatives and integrals of functions - Derivatives and integrals of transforms - Transforms of unit step function and impulse functions – Transform of periodic functions. Inverse Laplace transform -Statement of Convolution theorem – Initial and final value theorems – Solution of linear ODE of second order with constant coefficients using Laplace transformation techniques. UNIT IV ANALYTIC FUNCTIONS 9+3 Functions of a complex variable – Analytic functions: Necessary conditions – Cauchy-Riemann equations and sufficient conditions (excluding proofs) – Harmonic and orthogonal properties of analytic function – Harmonic conjugate – Construction of analytic functions – Conformal mapping: w = z+k, kz, 1/z, z2, ez and bilinear transformation. UNIT V COMPLEX INTEGRATION 9+3 Complex integration – Statement and applications of Cauchy's integral theorem and Cauchy's integral formula – Taylor's and Laurent's series expansions – Singular points – Residues – Cauchy's residue theorem – Evaluation of real definite integrals as contour integrals around unit circle and semi-circle (excluding poles on the real axis). TOTAL: 60 PERIODS


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We were taking the kids to a big amusement park for the day. It was me, my wife, our four children and both sets of grandparents. There was plenty of cheese fries and cotton candy on the menu for that day. As for me, I like funnel cakes with strawberries, vanilla ice cream and whipped cream. However, I know the day would be tiring so I rented a toronto wedding limo to take us.
The limo was big enough to hold a full wedding party, so there was plenty of room for the ten of us and our supplies. The kids were super excited to be showing up at the amusement park in the limo.


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- Home
- About Us
- Lessons
- Locations
- Students
- News
- Contact
- Member Login
Sally Piano Music offers music lessons throughout Orange County, San Diego County and Riverside County. Unlike many music schools, we offer more than one location, and give students the option of having a qualified, vetted teacher travel to their home to teach lessons. Our music instructors have their own safe, well-equipped home studios, but if you're unable to find a compatible teacher in your area, a member of Sally Piano Music's teaching consortium can come to your house or apartment. At-home music lessons provide a great option if you have a piano at home, and prefer that your children learn piano in San Diego or Orange County with your family piano. You might also rent a piano for practice at home, and want you child to learn on that same piano. Home voice, violin and guitar lessons are also available. Sally Piano Music organizes shows and recitals for students, so once your child has mastered a few songs, she/ he can perform onstage in front of family, friends and fellow students.
At our music studios, we make sure to use the following time-tested methods to ensure young students' lessons are more enjoyable and successful.
• We give children a series of successive tasks, where each one is only slightly more difficult than the previous one. This gives kids a sense of accomplishment and prevents frustration from tackling something too difficult too soon.
• Our teachers don't rush students to learn a certain number of songs or concepts at a given lesson. Instead, instructors nurture your child's love of music, and encourage learning at a comfortable pace. Every student progresses differently, and teachers adapt their lesson plans accordingly.
• Most kids have a hard time sitting for an entire lesson, so we'll break up time "on the bench" with activities that require standing or moving around. All parts of the lesson, whether performed at the keyboard or not, are geared toward making piano as fun and fulfilling as possible.
• When explaining concepts to students, teachers use concise descriptions so students won't get bored or confused. For younger students, we often initiate an activity that lets the student experience the concept's meaning, followed by an activity that shows the symbol. After the activities, the teacher will verbally explain the term to your child.
If you're interested in music lessons in Orange County, San Diego or Riverside, fill out our contact form. Many of our instructors are proficient on teaching and playing more than one instrument.
Piano Lessons
Learning piano is the gateway to a fulfilling musical hobby or career for people of all ages. We recommend students begin their studies with Piano in San Diego, Orange County or Riverside County. Sally Piano music offers piano lessons with a special emphasis on teaching children. Teaching a 5 or 10 year old is much different than teaching an adult or teenager, so our instructors take special care with kindergarten or elementary school age students.
Guitar Lessons
If your child is interested in playing guitar like her/his favorite pop or rock star, we can help. Of course, once she/he starts playing, they will discover their own style. We offer guitar lessons to kids, teens and adults in Irvine , Costa Mesa , Laguna Beach, Huntington Beach and most cities in Orange County and San Diego. Children as young as five can learn guitar on a child-size instrument and then move on to a full-sized instrument to continue their lessons. Guitar students can choose from acoustic, bass and electric guitars, though it's easier for most students to begin lessons on acoustic guitars and then move on to electric or bass guitar.
Violin, Viola and Cello Lessons
Our San Diego, Riverside county and Orange County music school offer classical violin lessons for children. Playing the violin is one of the most challenging but rewarding experiences for a young music student. Your child can study violin at four of five years old. The violin is smaller and easier to handle for young children's small hands. Our violin teachers will instruct your child on the following points during the first music lessons in Orange County or San Diego.
• Finger placement
• Holding the violin and bow
• Learning the parts of the violin
• Proper posture for playing the instrument
• Arm strengthening exercises
• Reading notes
Violin is a challenging instrument, but with patience, practice and thorough instruction, your child can learn to play Beethoven's "Theme from Ode to Joy" and other classical pieces. Our violin instructors are well-versed in both traditional and Suzuki methods. Although most beginning violin students are children, we also teach violin to teens and adults. Contrary to popular belief, adults learn music lessons as fast as or faster than kids. Adult students may move more slowly than children, or have more physical tension. A good violin teacher will adjust lessons so an adult student can learn at a comfortable pace. We also teach viola and cello lessons at all three of our locations – San Diego, Riverside and Orange County.
Voice lessons at our San Diego, Riverside County and Orange County music school will train your child to develop good singing habits. Our instructors teach children to sing within their own range, and practice good breath control. These habits protect your child's singing and speaking voice well into adulthood. Although many vocal instructors believe students shouldn't begin voice lessons until after puberty when the voice has matured, some younger students are capable of learning how to sing. When you bring your child in for an interview, the teacher will discuss your child's goals and determine if the time is right to start lessons. Voice lessons are excellent for people of all ages, whether the goal is to perform in front of an audience or just have fun at karaoke. Singing lessons improve health by encouraging slow and deliberate breathing. This increases the blood's oxygen levels. It improves lung capacity, posture, and lowers blood pressure.
Give us a call or email us today to set up an interview with one of our personable and experienced music teachers from our Orange County music school , San Diego Music school or Riverside Music school. We can match you or your child with the perfect instructor for your needs. Check out our teacher profile page to learn more about Sally Piano Music teachers in your area.


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Lake Forest Residence
The house was designed around family functions but now that the children have moved away, the couple find that their needs have evolved and the house no longer functions as well as it once did. The renovations and additions focus on maximizing long-term accessibility. While reflective of many European country houses, the existing house design does not clearly fit within one clear-cut architectural style. It reflects a melding of design elements that together create a truly American style of architecture. Its simple massing, clean lines, and Doric columns are neoclassical in origin; their pared down detailing instill a modern sensibility. The horizontal orientation of the house and its relationship to the landscape evokes Palladian principles. The material palette and roof forms have clear precedent in Tuscan renaissance architecture. All of the nearby houses are of similar vintage to the residence and feature varied architectural styles. Given the uniform age of the nearby structures, the variation in styles provides a welcome diversity. Their passion for gardening will be accommodated by an expanded work area within the house, and the small standalone conservatory.


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23 April 2018
The Hong Kong-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement: Capitalising on the New Opportunities
- Table: Hong Kong-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement Trade in Goods Commitments
- Table: Hong Kong-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement Trade in Goods Commitments of Selected Products
- Table: ASEAN FDI by Major Source
- Table: Hong Kong's FDI in ASEAN by Major Sector
- Table: Importance as a Sourcing Location
- Table: Expectation on Sourcing Activities
- Chart: Locations to Develop Brands and or Increase Sales
- Chart: Locations to Seek Out Business Partners or Agents
- Chart: External Services Required
- Table: Locations to Acquire the Services
Hong Kong's role as a "super-connector" has become more prominent with the advancement of the country's Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Along the BRI routes, the ASEAN region has apparently received the most attention so-far, probably due to its proximity to China and more importantly, the vast market and investment opportunities offered amid the region's inclusive growth and push for liberalisation. The region has a strong and growing demand for Hong Kong consumer products and business services, according to a recent HKTDC survey of over 300 Malaysian companies.
Recently, Hong Kong and the 10 ASEAN member states have signed a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and a related Investment Agreement. The Agreements, encompassing trade in goods, trade in services, investment, economic and technical co-operation, dispute settlement mechanism and other related areas, are expected to enter into force on 1 January 2019 at the earliest, subject to completion of the necessary procedures.
As Hong Kong has very few locally made products, the impact of trade in goods commitments may not be significant, but Hong Kong exporters should be able to benefit from the reduction of trade restrictiveness due to non-tariff barriers. Yet the WTO-plus services commitments will open up new business opportunities for Hong Kong. This, together with the full investment protection offered to Hong Kong investors, will support further growth in bilateral trade and investment flows, which have seen impressive growth in the past years.
Trade in Goods Commitments
While Singapore is generally a free port, which imposes no customs tariffs on most of the imported goods, the rest of the ASEAN member states have agreed to eliminate or reduce their customs duties on goods originating from Hong Kong, subject to the rules of origin. Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, the Philippines and Thailand will eliminate customs duties on about 85% of their tariff lines within 10 years and reduce customs duties on about another 10% of their tariff lines within 14 years; Indonesia and Vietnam will eliminate customs duties on about 75% of their tariff lines within 10 years and reduce customs duties on about another 10% of their tariff lines within 14 years; and Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar will eliminate customs duties on about 65% of their tariff lines within 15 years and reduce customs duties on about another 20% of their tariff lines within 20 years. The tariff reduction commitments cover a wide range of goods, with a clear and progressive tariff reduction timetable.
The rules of origin, however, stipulate that the goods have to be made with not less than 40% of materials sourced or value added in Hong Kong or ASEAN or a combination of these places. That is, re-exports of products made in the Chinese mainland to ASEAN are generally not eligible for the preferential treatment. Apart from the regional value content requirement, direct consignment is required.
Hong Kong's manufacturing base is small and therefore the impact of lower tariffs is not expected to be substantial and widespread, but it is certainly a positive development in any sense. As to which types of products are likely to benefit, reference can be made to The Mainland and Hong Kong Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement (CEPA) which requires 30% of value-add in Hong Kong in order to qualify for zero-tariff treatment when exporting to China. The number of applications for the respective certificates of origin has been higher in textiles and clothing, food, pharmaceutical, plastics, and plastic products.
As part of the trade in goods commitments, Hong Kong and ASEAN will strengthen co-operation in sanitary and phytosanitary measures, technical barriers to trade and customs matters. In many cases, non-tariff barriers are the real impediment to trade. According to World Trade Organization (WTO) estimates from a sample of 91 countries, non-tariff barriers are equivalent to a 12% tariff barrier. With the FTA in place, trade restrictiveness between Hong Kong and ASEAN is expected to be reduced amid the authorities' effort in removing non-tariff barriers.
Trade in Services Commitments
The scope and coverage of the commitments on trade in services are generally in line with both sides' commitments under the WTO. Yet individual ASEAN member countries have made more commitments than those currently imposed under the multilateral WTO agreement. Some of the major WTO-plus commitments include:
- Thailand will allow foreign equity participation not exceeding 70% (higher than the WTO's 49%) of the registered capital in some sectors, such as hardware and software consultancy, R&D, advertising, higher education and environmental services.
- Malaysia will allow an aggregate foreign interest up to 30% or RM10 million (US$2.5 million) in value on mergers, acquisitions and take-overs, while the respective WTO commitment is RM5 million.
- Indonesia will allow foreign equity participation not exceeding 51% (higher than the WTO's 49%) for construction and related engineering services.
- The Philippines will allow, in the financial leasing sector, foreign nationals to own up to 50% (versus the WTO's 40%) of the voting stock. Also, foreign nationals may become members of the Board of Directors to the extent of the foreign participation in the equity of the enterprise, while the respective limit is one-third under the WTO commitment.
In addition, individual ASEAN member countries will open some sectors not currently covered under the multilateral WTO agreement. For example, Malaysia will open urban planning and landscape architectural services and maritime freight forwarding services; Thailand will open arbitration services and electronic mail services; Indonesia will open restaurant services and energy related analysis services; and Singapore will open technical testing and analysis services, and adult education services.
There are rules under the FTA requiring all parties to maintain transparent and fair domestic regulations. The FTA also provides a regular review mechanism which paves the way for future negotiations of improvements to market access commitments and progressive liberalisation for the services sector.
Investment Protection
According to the latest available data, Hong Kong was the fourth largest source of foreign direct investment (FDI) in ASEAN, trailing Singapore, US and Japan. FDI from Hong Kong amounted to US$9.9 billion in 2016, or 10% of the total FDI in ASEAN, an increase of 218% compared with 2011. In the past years, Hong Kong's FDI in ASEAN have been concentrated in sectors spanning finance, electricity, manufacturing and real estate.
The Investment Agreement between Hong Kong and ASEAN will promote and strengthen Hong Kong investors' confidence for the ASEAN region. It will provide the Hong Kong enterprises investing in ASEAN markets with fair and equitable treatment; full protection and security of investments; and free transfer of investment and returns. Compensation will be provided according to the agreed standard in case of expropriation of investments or investment losses owing to war, armed conflict or similar events. Before that, Hong Kong had only Investment Promotion and Protection Agreement (IPPA) with Thailand among ASEAN countries. The newly signed Investment Agreement will extend the protection to cover all major economies in Southeast Asia.
Other FTA Commitments
The FTA comprises a chapter on economic and technical co-operation (ECOTECH) which aims to enhance the benefits of the FTA through capacity building programmes and technical assistance. Both sides have agreed to conduct ECOTECH activities in five priority areas, namely customs co-operation, professional services, small and medium enterprises co-operation, trade facilitation/logistics, and e-commerce co-operation. These activities, in the form of seminars, workshops, exhibitions, visits, etc, are targeted at the private sector to help them enter the ASEAN market.
In the area of intellectual property rights, both sides have agreed to promote and strengthen co-operation in order to enhance their economic and trade relations, apart from reaffirming the rights and obligations under the WTO Agreement. Also, the two sides have agreed to establish a transparent mechanism for consultations and settlement of possible disputes. An arbitral tribunal may be established if the consultations fail to resolve the disputes.
Malaysia's Demand for Hong Kong Products and Services
Malaysia sees a strong demand for Hong Kong consumer products – especially fashion items – and services including IT, licensing and franchising, and creative and design, according to a recent HKTDC survey conducted at the In Style Hong Kong (ISHK)[1] held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A total of 344 valid questionnaires were received from the participants of the event.
Malaysian buyers visiting the ISHK Expo were asked to rate from 1 to 7 the importance of different sourcing locations, with 1 denoting the most important. Overall, Chinese mainland, with a score of 1.97, is considered the most important sourcing location, followed by Hong Kong (2.44) and ASEAN (2.84). However, respondents regard Hong Kong as a more important sourcing location for jewellery and watches, and fashion and accessories.
In the coming three years, Malaysian buyers believe that they will increase sourcing from all these three locations but with higher percentage for ASEAN (62%) than Chinese mainland (49%) and Hong Kong (44%).
The survey has also revealed Malaysian companies' strong intent to expand, according to participants of the ISHK Symposium. Virtually all respondents (96%) said that they plan to increase sales and/or develop brands over the next three years. Over half of these respondents named ASEAN countries (other than the respondents' home countries and Singapore) (52%) as their target market, followed by their home countries (49%) and Hong Kong (35%).
Seeking out business partners or agents is often necessary during the expansion process. In the HKTDC survey, 96% of the respondents who have expansion plans in mind said that they would need to seek out business partners or agents to help implement the new initiatives. While most of the respondents planned to find one in their home countries (48%) and in other ASEAN countries (45%), 42% would look for theirs in Hong Kong.
Acquiring external services is also common. In the HKTDC survey, respondents were asked what type of external services would be required for implementing their plans for the next three years. Over half of them indicated information technology (58%) and advertising & marketing (58%) as necessary, followed closely by logistics and warehousing (54%), business consulting (54%) and creative and design (51%).
As to where the ASEAN companies will acquire these external services – in their home countries, Singapore, Hong Kong and/or other places, survey results show that respondents prefer acquiring all of these services in their home countries. Outside their home countries, respondents prefer Hong Kong to Singapore regarding all the external services listed, with stronger demand from Hong Kong in information technology (37%), and licensing and franchising (36%), while largest margins of Hong Kong over Singapore were seen in creative and design (33% versus 16%), information technology (31% versus 16%), business consulting, and logistics and warehousing (30% versus 15%).
[1] In Style Hong Kong is a large-scale signature promotion campaign organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC). The November 2017 In Style Hong Kong was held in Kuala Lumpur, including a trade expo showcasing a wide array of quality branded and design-led lifestyle products from Hong Kong, a service symposium featuring a range of business services, a high-level gala dinner welcoming prominent officials and business leaders from Malaysia and Hong Kong, and a series of citywide promotions to engage Malaysian consumers. This followed a similar October 2016 event held in Bangkok.


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These days, business plan competitions yield prizes worth more than ever.
The Wharton Business Plan Competition, for example, awards $20,000 in cash and $10,000 in legal services to its top entrant. Harvard Business School's traditional track competition awards $25,000 in cash and $25,000 in business services to its winner. M.I.T.'s Clean Energy Prize includes $200,000 in cash. And Rice University offers a whopping $225,000 prize to its first-place winner, including $125,000 in equity investment, $20,000 in cash and more than $80,000 in services.
Still, it's really not about the money, says Cliff Holekamp, a senior lecturer in entrepreneurship at Washington University's Olin Business School, which hosts multiple competitions, including the recently introduced Social Entrepreneurship and Innovation Competition, a do-good variation with a $150,000 prize pool. "The value of participation," says Mr. Holekamp, "is not found in funding but in a process that brings you mentorship, support, structure and access to the resources and people that will help perfect your business model."
As impressive as the cash awards sound, Saad Khan, who has served as a competition judge and is an investor with CMEA Capital in Mountain View, Calif., says the amounts are "fairly small in the context of starting a business." A better reason to compete, he says, is "to get feedback in real time and to get noticed by alumni who have done well, local VCs and other investors in that community."
There are even worthy competitions that offer no prize money. In 2006, for example, Ryan MacCauley won the Launch Award at the University of North Carolina's Kenan-Flagler Business School with a plan for the Class Watch, a company he now runs with his brothers John and Kevin. "What wasn't going to help us quit our day jobs and launch was a $20,000 check," says Mr. MacCauley, "but winning gave us confidence."
It also helped them secure a deal with an angel investor. The Class Watch, which sells customizable, college commemorative timepieces, began generating revenue in the second quarter of 2008 and hopes to hit $3 million in sales within a year.Continue reading the main story
Pick the Right Competition
Since their advent in 1984, when the University of Texas at Austin held its first "Moot Corp," business plan competitions have proliferated within academia and beyond. More than 50 American colleges and universities host them. So do corporations, nonprofits and government economic development offices.
Hosts include Wal-Mart, Amazon.com, the states of Michigan and Nevada, the cities of Anaheim, Calif., and Pittsburgh, the Brooklyn Public Library, China's government-controlled television network CCTV2, and Al Gore, in partnership with the Indian Institute of Foreign Trade.
Some remain invitational but most have loosened their eligibility terms to foster interdisciplinary, international and intercollegiate collaboration (in other words, you don't have to attend most business schools to enter their competitions).
Competition within the competitions can be fierce, however. And that's why Cindy Boyd, who is chief executive of the Houston-based consultancy Sentigy and a frequent judge at competitions hosted by Rice University and the Entrepreneurs' Organization, recommends that would-be entrants conduct extensive online research via the Web sites of the host organizations. Even more important, she suggests contacting past participants — judges, winners, and losers — to ask what worked and what didn't.
Don't submit an application, says Ms. Boyd, unless the advice you get sounds do-able for your team.
Give Yourself Time to Prepare
After selecting an appropriate competition, George Abe, a faculty director at U.C.L.A.'s Anderson School, says most teams should take at least a year to hone their business plans. "The earlier the prep begins," says Mr. Abe, who has seven years of judging experience, "the better the plan is. You can get away with three months minimum if you have a product or service crystal clear in your mind. But you cannot be figuring out a market and competitive story in 60 days."
Business plan competitions require an initial submission, sometimes called the "intent to compete" entry. Normally, it consists of a two-to-three-page executive summary explaining all elements of the business: product, market, competition, finances and operations. If it isn't well written and succinct, a team won't make it through the door.
"Students spend too much time describing the hammer and not enough time talking about the nails," Mr. Abe says. "They have to be able to explain their product or service quickly so a judge not knowledgeable in the field can basically get it. What every judge knows is how to question students about markets, competition and finances. Those are the nails." The bottom line: you need more than a cool idea; you have to show how the idea will make money.
Judges are often impressed by serious market research: the results of customer surveys, for example, or of pilot sales programs. That may have been what gave a team from the London Business School the edge in Columbia Business School's first Odyssey competition this year.
The team's plan, says a team spokesman, Vivek Makhija, was for "a renewable energy company using a combination of original and licensed technology to offer power generation at a micro level to households in India." As yet unnamed, the company worked with an alumni mentor who is deeply involved in market research to develop comprehensive reports on rural Indian consumers' access to and use of electricity.
Make Sure Your Teammates Know Their Roles
NIR Diagnostics wanted to commercialize technology that can prevent amputations and fatalities caused by chronic wounds. These sores may appear to be healing on the surface even though they're actually deteriorating and infected underneath.
Clearly defined roles were essential, according to the team leader, Armen Karamanian, the interim chief executive. "We came together around common goals and complimentary skill sets," Mr. Karamanian says. "We didn't want to wind up with a great, life-saving idea — and lawsuits over this, that or money." Have an honest discussion over what your team wants to accomplish beyond the academic exercise, such as how you want to start the business and who will do what, he suggests.
NIR Diagnostics won the 2009 Wharton Business Plan Competition and believes it can miniaturize, manufacture and sell by 2012 a device (based on technology created at Drexel University) that bounces lasers through layers of a chronic wound to give doctors a more complete reading of its healing progress.
The company, recently renamed Lumina Diagnostics, is now seeking a $15 million investment over several years to gain F.D.A. approvals and refine its technology..Continue reading the main story


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Sarcococca hookeriana humilis is commonly know as Christmas box and is in the same group as sweet box bushes. It is an evergreen plant with origins in Asia and a wide, spreading shape fuelled by its suckering habit. Sarcococca hook can be used as a ground cover in areas where a 2-foot height is not a problem. The plant has glossy, green leaves and produces tiny white flowers that spread their vanilla scent in a wide area for such little blooms. Sarcococca needs little pruning unless you are using it in a formal planting. The best time to prune is in early spring after the flowers are finished.
Prepare all cutting tools prior to starting a project. Well-sharpened blades require less effort on your part and also make cleaner cuts on the plant. Clean cuts help prevent tissue damage to the Sarcococca and the introduction of disease. Hold the blade on the stone at a 45-degree angle and scrape it across the stone two or three times. Use oil to lubricate the moving parts.
Make cuts for tip pruning at the next leaf branching. If you just want to drop the height of the plant, cut the terminal growth off 1/4 inch outside the next set of leaves. Do this to the entire plant and you can drop the profile by approximately 2 inches and still retain the appearance of a fully leafed exterior.
Clean up the exterior of the plant by removing any canes that are well outside the natural growth habit. Long, leggy branches can be cut down to a leaf cluster that is just one or two clusters inside the rest of the growth. Prune it out 1/4 inch before your leaf cluster.
Open up the plant by removing the oldest, woodiest canes. They need to be cut down to the base of the plant. Use the long-handled loppers to help you reach down into the cluster of growth. Leave 4 to 6 inches of base wood, making the cut at a leaf node.
Remove any frost-damaged wood tips. Sarcococca is an evergreen, but occasionally wind scorch, or extremes of cold on new growth, will cause the tips to blacken and lose leaves. Cut this damaged tissue back to healthy growth.
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