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Commercial Appliance Burners A Powerful Conversion
Midco International cuts component count and keeps cost down by integrating a new control into burners for commercial foodservice appliances and HVAC applications.
The EC200 (pictured) and EC300 Economite Legacy Series of gas-fired power burners are used in commercial applications such as cooking appliances and water heaters. Midco reduced production costs by using a single Fenwal gas-ignition control with a built-in relay instead of the original two-component design.
Midco International, a Chicago-based manufacturer of power and conversion burners, recently launched the EC200 and EC300 Economite Legacy Series gas-fired power burners for use in food processing, commercial cooking, and commercial water heater applications up to 300,000 BTU. Like many similar products, the burners incorporate an automatic gas ignition control to light and monitor the flame. However, an innovative refinement of the original design specifications significantly reduced the product's production cost.
The initial design of the new burners specified a direct spark ignition control that required a separate relay to control the blower function of the burners. "It worked, but it required us to incorporate two components into the burner: the ignition and the relay," explains Larry Yu, senior engineer at Midco. "This took up space, and it cost more than a single control."
"Bottom line, the two-part design added to the production cost of each burner," says Jim Scrivner, Midco purchasing manager. "And since the Economite Series is by definition a cost-effective solution for commercial applications, we knew that we needed to find a way to streamline the product and its price tag."
Then Evan Goldenberg of EDG Sales, a supplier of gas component products in Plainfield, IL, U.S., brought Midco's attention to the 35-61 gas-ignition control from Fenwal Controls, a manufacturer of automatic gas-ignition and temperature controls for commercial and industrial OEMs. The control, suitable for appliances up to 400,000 BTU, incorporates a combustion blower relay. Using the control would eliminate Midco's need for a two-part design.
"It's the ideal two-in-one solution for an application like the EC series," explains Goldenberg. "There's no need for an additional component; it's built right in."
Goldenberg knew Fenwal products well, being a former employee of the controls company. Midco also had a history with the supplier.
"Our relationship with Fenwal began in 1968 with the 05-12-series ignition control," says Midco COO, Stan Beinarauskas. "We've used their ignition controls extensively and have also purchased electrodes and other sensing elements from the company. When we realized that the original design of the EC Series could be improved upon, and that Fenwal had the solution, it was an easy decision to make."
But Will It Fit?
The only problem left to solve was how to make the 35-61 control fit into the existing footprint of the EC-series burner. Midco was not prepared to redesign its burner to accommodate the new control.
"We had a few requirements that Fenwal would have to meet in order to earn the specification," says Yu.
Specifically, the new gas-ignition control would have to accommodate the power requirements of the motor, mount in the allotted 4-in. square space, and match the existing connections and mounting configurations. However, the standard 35-61 has quick-connect terminals for all wiring applications, which was not consistent with the existing Midco design.
Fenwal engineers designed a custom part for the EC-series burners: the 35-615926-203. Wires now extend through the bottom of the control to mount onto the 4-in. electrical box with a direct connection to the blower. This custom solution fit the existing EC without demanding design changes, and removed the need for an additional relay component.
"Fenwal…engineers were able to modify the design of the case to meet our specifications, allowing us to meet our required price point in the marketplace," says Beinarauskas.
"We saved burner space and we didn't have to overspend on additional components," adds Scrivner.
Daily News
Dec 22, 2014: Whirlpool headquarters improvements start a new phase Dec 22, 2014: DOE's Building Technologies Office releases Roadmap for Emerging HVAC Technologies Dec 22, 2014: Variable-speed circulation pump enables new Miele lab washers Dec 22, 2014: The latest retail data breach: Staples Dec 22, 2014: Consumer Spending Index is at its highest point of the year
More Daily News>>
November 2014: Appliance Magazine Market Insight Annual Subscriptions November 2014: U.S. Appliance Industry: Market Value, Life Expectancy & Replacement Picture 2014 October 2014: Portrait of the European Appliance Industry September 2014: Appliance Industry Focus: HVAC


text:
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Starting at US$9 Buy This Article
Although other materials are known to display such a cooling effect, almost all of them are derivatives of l-menthol.
Organoleptically, l-menthol displays a light, minty, refreshing peppermint odor that at most practical concentrations is complicated by an intense olfactory numbing-cooling sensation. After exposure to menthol's vapors for a while the nose becomes fatigued. The dual-sensory effect experienced makes both the odor and taste evaluation of menthol a difficult task. This decrease in one's sharpness in smelling forces those who both QC batches of menthol production and also work in the area of flavor or fragrance creation to evaluate menthol samples at the end of their working day.
Mwt 156
Classification: A saturated cyclic-monoterpenoid alcohol found in nature in significant concentrations mainly in the plants of the Mentha species.
Additional names: The name "menthol" commonly refers to the l isomer, which is only one of eight antipodes (chiral or optical isomers) of the molecule: 5-methyl-2-(1-methylethyl) cyclohexanol. 5-Methyl-2-isopropyl cyclohexan-1-ol, 3-p-methanol, hexahydrothymol, peppermint camphor. French = menthol; German = menthol; Portuguese = mentol; Spanish = mentol.
Physical data: Appearance: l-menthol US Pharmacopeia (USP) grade is a colorless crystal; often found as large crystals containing numerous faults which appear as cloudy-white areas. Racemic (d,l) menthol USP is an amorphous fused colorless-white mass. The USP lists both products together with their specifications, although they are two different materials with respect to usage and organoleptic properties.
Other topics discussed: Natural Sources, History of Menthol, The Decline of Brazil, The Emergence of India, World Consumption, Pricing, Supply of Menthol, Natural Menthol Producers and Estimated Production Capacity, Synthetic Producers, By-products, Analogs, Substitutes, Derivatives
This is only an excerpt of the full article that appeared in P&F Magazine, but you can purchase the full-text version.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Saint Matthew 3rd Annual Craft Show
Featuring wonderful specialty and holiday items, mainly handcrafted. Homemade baked goods and pulled pork. Proceeds benefit the Saint Matthew Playground Improvement Fund.
Occurs daily: [starting Nov 9, 2012 ending Nov 10, 2012]
Contact Name: Reynette Ah Sam
Contact Email: email@example.com
Contact Phone: 402-216-8665
Saint Matthew Catholic Community
12210 South 36th Street, Bellevue, NE 68123


text:
'Glee' season 6, episode 5 recap: Jigsaw puppet Sue kidnaps Klaine
'Constantine' season 1, episode 11 recap: Through the looking glass
'Galavant': What we'd want from season 2
The Avengers Face Ultron in This New 'Age of Ultron' TV Spot
Check Out This Terrifying New Dinosaur From 'Jurassic World'
Tatiana Maslany Nabs Lead Role in 'Star Wars' Spinoff: Rumor Alert!
That's A Wrap!
Review: 'Gone Girl'
Review: 'The Boxtrolls'
17 Sweet Songs Famous Dads Have Made For Their Daughters
Get a New Look at Avengers: Age of Ultron in the Movie's…
Fill Out Our 2015 Oscars Ballot!
Idina Menzel Will Star In A New Comedy Series
Ready, Set, Squee: It's Your Puppy Bowl X Starting Lineup!
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Hello. This is my first time posting, although I have read enough to know you all give great feedback on layouts.
This is a remodel of an existing space. A couple of points: - we are adding a corner pantry because we have limited storage in the house. This will also help save on cabinet costs.
Thank you in advance. |
Follow-Up Postings:
- Posted by remodelfla (My Page) on Sat, Sep 15, 12 at 16:18
how do you see yourself using the raised bar/peninsula? Is there seating there? I see it creating a pinch point and not a whole lot of function. Is there planned seating there? Other seating in the kitchen? |
- Posted by herbflavor (My Page) on Sat, Sep 15, 12 at 19:25
more info would be hepful about this floor of the home generally. I'd do it differently I think. |
- Posted by BarefootContessa (My Page) on Mon, Sep 17, 12 at 9:33
Thank you for the replies. There will be seating at the raised bar, used primarily for the kids to eat quick meals there. Over the weekend, I started thinking about the space more and will post some ideas I have for an alternative layout. Hopefully this will provide enough information for feedback. |
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text: Build-a-Lot 2: Town of the Year FREE gamesBookmark the permalink. Release date: Sep 3rd, 2010 Price: Free Version: 1.0.0 Seller: Glu Games Inc Buy Now STP SCORE: Not yet reviewed Description Related Games Godus Godzilla – Smash3 iOOTP Baseball 2014 Edition Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff Monument Valley Threes! Fashion Star Designer The Room Two Star Wars: Tiny Death Star Papa Sangre II


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- Hotel Details
- Member Reviews
- Photos
Hotel Relais Saint Honore
3 Stars308 rue Saint Honore, Paris 75001
Hotel Relais Honore is situated in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, a short walk from Tuileries Subway Station. Visitors in the France capital browse specialty stores at Champs-Elysees and watch opera acts at Palais Garnier.
Each spacious unit is accented with light hues and comes with air conditioning, LCD TV, safe deposit box, phone, mini bar, hairdryer and private bathroom with tub and shower. Suites are furnished with living room.
Before exploring the city, travellers at Relais Honore Hotel Paris have refreshing continental breakfast on site (fees apply). Diners also sample delicious French specialties at several restaurants and cafes a few metres from the property.
Hotel Relais Saint Honore provides Wi-Fi access throughout the property, Internet kiosk with printer and tour assistance for added convenience. Laundry/dry cleaning (fees apply) and room service are also on offer. Guests watch rugby games at Stade de France on spare time.
Other Recommended Hotels
Chambellan Morgane Hotel Paris | 3 Stars |
Du Bois Hotel Paris | 3 Stars |
Arc De Triomphe Etoile Hotel Paris | 3 Stars |
Exclusive Hotel Bassano Paris | 4 Stars |
Francois 1er Hotel Paris | 4 Stars |
Comfort Hotel Montmartre Place du Tertre Paris | 3.5 Stars |
Hotel de la Tour d'Auvergne | 3.5 Stars |
Comfort Hotel Lamarck Paris | 3.5 Stars |
Comfort Hotel Paris La Fayette | 3.5 Stars |
Comfort Hotel Champigny Sur Marne | 3.5 Stars |


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Current Funding Opportunities (1/15)
- We have no funding available at this time.
- Please use this link to see ALL of our funding opportunities (only projects listed on the Current Funding Opportunities page have available funding at this time)
Online Tutorial:
Wishing Well Series
There are four levels of classes to the series, addressing each stage in the funding and project process.
Only Network Members are eligible for funding in the SE/A Region. (links to our Member Services Section of site)


text:
My Profile
Spicewood, Texas
Member since Jun 2010
Flag This ProfileFlag as Inappropriate
Reviewed Spaghetti Nests
Sep 5, 2012 in Food Network Community Toolbox on FoodNetwork.com
"I made this with my 4 and 6 years old grandkids this weekend. It was not only easy but my grandson (6) said this was the best spaghetti he had ever had. Great! They loved the way they looked too.""


text:
Blog | Comments |
WoW | 54 Comments |
Recent Comments:
Spiritual Guidance: Macros for healing priests {WoW}
Apr 19th 2011 9:01PM /CAST [btn:1]Divine Hymn;Hymn of Hope
This is a macro to put your Hymns on a single, click-able button. Left clicking will cast Divine Hymn, right clicking will cast Hymn of Hope. You can also use this for a one button buff by subbing in your Fort and Shadow Protection spells.
/cast [target=mouseover,exists,help,nodead] Renew; [target=mouseover,exists,harm,nodead] Shadow Word: Pain; [help,nodead] Renew; [harm,nodead] Shadow Word: Pain; [target=player] Renew
Heal/Harm, priority targeting macro. In this case, it sets spell target priority as mouseover target, selected target, then self cast.
/raid CASTING GUARDIAN SPIRIT ON %t
/cast Guardian Spirit
Announces to the raid you are casting Guardian Spirit on the person you have targeted. This *will* announce even if the casting is not successful. It's just an alternative to using an addon to announce raid save spells for those with memory consumption issues.
#showtooltip Mind Flay
/cast [nochanneling] Mind Flay
Cast a spell, in this case Mind Flay, without clipping your currently channeled spell. (I am assuming this still works, I've not tested this one since Cata was released as far as I can remember.)
And just for fun:
/script PlaySoundFile("Sound\\Creature\\BabyMurloc\\BabyMurlocDance.wav")
Run this and thank me for it.
Warlocks getting male and female versions of all demons {WoW}
Apr 15th 2011 8:49AM @Shadowhowl1900 - Look at it from an in-game perspective: The demons are communicative, sentient, beings that already have their own names. Hunters renaming their pets makes sense: Hunter pets can't share their preferred name with their master and it gets way to confusing if everyone in the zone is screaming "Hey you! Corehound-thingie! No not you, the other one!"
Demons can tell you their proper name however, so it's only fair to call them by it. Renaming them would be like your boss or teacher renaming you.
Totem Talk: Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff vs. mastery {WoW}
Mar 10th 2011 10:07PM Thanks for the up votes. I suppose it's good to know that my embarrassing moment is, at the very least, amusing! ^.~
@Eregos ftw! - Really? I adore him. Not as much as David, but I think Matt's done a brilliant job making the role his own. I don't think even Tom Baker could have followed up David Tennet and made people happy. Not to mention Amy Pond is the hotness and Rory is the man. (who waited.) Plus, everyone knows bow ties are cool.
Totem Talk: Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff vs. mastery {WoW}
Mar 10th 2011 9:12PM Ok, seems it won't post past the "less than three"... Let's try one more time...
Don't have a Shaman but I love you for the Doctor Who reference. By the way, for those who haven't heard: The new season starts on April 23ed on BBC America.
Totem Talk: Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff vs. mastery {WoW}
Mar 10th 2011 9:11PM Ok, it cut out half my message...
Don't have a Shaman but I
Totem Talk: Wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff vs. mastery {WoW}
Mar 10th 2011 9:09PM I don't have a shaman but I
The Classifieds: Guild videos are awesome {WoW}
Jan 19th 2011 8:02PM I'm guessing "The Drums of War" is an RP element they have in their group's storyline which is like a constant, subconscious pull to join/start a fight somewhere.
That's just a guess. The phrase made me think of the drumming that The Master heard on Doctor Who (tenth doctor, series 3) you know, the drumming that drove him to get elected to public office so he could rule/wipe-out mankind?
*rereads* Wow... I really am a dork, aren't I? Pardon me while I try to find some way to earn back a few "cool points." Maybe I could find a bow-tie? I hear bow-ties are cool.
The Queue: Nothing {WoW}
Jan 15th 2011 1:09PM There is an internal "saving throw" for CCd mobs.
If you recall back when Wrath-era Naxx was the top content, there was a bug where the students you use to tank Razuvious would resist out of the Ming Control early and often. It was acknowledged that the reason was because they were getting a bonus to resisting shadow if the raid had Prayer of Shadow Protection or Shadow Protection Aura. This bonus was applied to their chance to resist out of the CC and regain independent control.
WoW Moviewatch: Kung Fu Pandaren {WoW}
Jan 7th 2011 12:37PM 10/10
That was brilliantly done.
12 Days of Winter Veil Giveaway Day 10: MSI GTX 460 HAWK graphics card {WoW}
Dec 31st 2010 11:37AM This is needed for bringing sexy back to my wowing... not in an ERP way, just in a "finally letting me turn up the water graphics and actually letting me see what the game is like when your graphics card isn't so old it's actually powered by a mouse in a wheel" sort of way.


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May 3, 2014 12:51 AM by Matt SantaMaria
RIVERSIDE, Calif. - The Cal Poly baseball team dropped their fourth consecutive game on Friday, a 7-3 defeat to UC Riverside.
The Mustangs normally reliable ace Matt Imhof lasted just three innings, surrendering seven hits, allowing five runs (four earned) and striking out just two batters.
Despite producing just three runs, the Cal Poly offense pounded out 13 hits and six Mustangs in the lineup had multi-hit games.
The Mustangs grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the second inning on a Peter Van Gansen RBI sacrifice bunt, but the Highlanders answered with a run in the bottom half of the inning and UC Riverside never trailed again.
Game two of the three game series is scheduled to get underway at 6 PM on Saturday.
Offensive or inappropriate comments are subject to removal. To report a comment, please e-mail us at email@example.com, and include the name of the story and information on the comment.
Thank you! KSBY.com
3 hours ago


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Images similaires
Afficher toutMots-clés
man warms hismelf next to a camp fire after choosing and cutting down... Photo d'actualité 158019221Adulte,Allemagne,Arbre,Campement,Centre d'intérêt,Choisir,Couper,Cultures,Forêt,Hommes,Horizontal,Incendie,Nature,Noël,Questions environnementales,Sapin de Noël,Vers le bas,ÉchauffementPhotographer Joern HaufeCollection: Getty Images News 2012 Getty ImagesFISCHBACH, GERMANY - DECEMBER 08: A man warms hismelf next to a camp fire after choosing and cutting down his Christmas tree in a forest on on December 8, 2012 in Fischbach, Germany. Forestry officials in the state of Saxony officially opened the 2012 Christmas tree season for people who want to retrieve their tree from designated forests rather than just buying it readily cut. (Photo by Joern Haufe/Getty Images)


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Blog | Comments |
WoW | 11 Comments |
Recent Comments:
12 Days of Winter Veil Giveaway Day 12: WoW novel prize pack {WoW}
Jan 2nd 2011 11:22PM Awesome books!
12 Days of Winter Veil Giveaway Day 12: SteelSeries prize pack {WoW}
Jan 2nd 2011 4:24PM That would be an awesome birthday present for me :)
WoW Moviewatch: Nub Tunes ep1: Summon U a Drank {WoW}
Nov 15th 2010 2:51PM I laughed and then cried. Laughing + Terrible Cold= Pain That was great. I loved it!
Breakfast Topic: Haven't you seen that someplace before? {WoW}
Nov 2nd 2010 8:32AM My fave is one of the many Monty Python references. The repeatable quest for sporegar to turn in those flowers you find in underbog called "BRING ME A SHRUBBERY"
BlizzCon 2010: Costume contest gallery {WoW}
Oct 23rd 2010 1:50PM Female Monk from D3.
WoW Moviewatch: Family Tauren {WoW}
Oct 11th 2010 12:54PM Illidan doing the james wood bit my me lose my shit. I thought it was great.
Breakfast Topic: What features from other games would be fun in WoW? {WoW}
Sep 22nd 2010 8:41AM I'd like to see the public quests from Warhammer online, The Tome of Knowledge and the experience from player kills in pvp. I'd like to see some dungeon puzzles like in all those rpgs. You know the ones where you have to hit the tiles in the right order or click on the correct item on the wall.
Cataclysm Beta: Fishing and cooking dailies at level 10 {WoW}
Sep 15th 2010 5:45AM Boo! Should of been Gorden Ramsey or Alton Brown!
World of WarCrafts: Player-composers create sounds of Azeroth {WoW}
Apr 5th 2010 3:17PM I'd like to see you do better.
Excellent songs. The first one sounds a lot like its already in game.
Leave a comment, win fabulous prizes! {WoW}
Mar 30th 2010 9:46AM Woot MOAR LEWTS


text:
Things to see and do - Ornans
Leaving for France
Modify the search
Restaurants Ornans
Results 1 to 1 on 1
Sort by :
- distance
- price
1 Le Courbet
34 r. P. Vernier F - 25290 Ornans
Cotation :
Type of cuisine : modern
Lunch 13€ - Menu: 27€/ 40€ - Carte: 41€/57€
In the heart of Franche-Comté's own 'Little Venice', don't miss this lovely place overlooking the Loue. Guests have the option of eating in one of two dining spaces (bistro or classic), each of which has a terrace overlooking the water. And let's not..


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KUWAIT CITY, Feb 20, (KUNA): Kuwait International Airport has released its passenger traffic report for the national celebrations holiday from Feb 24 to March 1, according to Director of Operations Management Essam Al-Zamil. Al-Zamil told Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) on Thursday that the number of passengers arriving at the airport reached 114,589 through 612 flights. Airport authorities are furnishing the passengers with proper greeting, decorating the facility with national celebrations' items, also handing the passengers the Kuwaiti flag, roses, badges and gifts starting next Sunday, he noted.
The number of departing passengers reached 116,080 through 616 flights, mainly heading to Dubai, Istanbul, Jeddah, and Mashhahd, said the Director. Arriving passengers traffic increases on Thursday Feb 27 and Saturday March 1 through 105 and 107 flights, he also added. Moreover, Al-Zamil noted that the departing passengers traffic increases on Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 of February through 106 and 108 flights. Meanwhile, the Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA) signed here on Wednesday a contract with an international company specializing in the manufacture of navigation systems for the implementation of an automated landing system at Kuwait International Airport.
The DGCA said in a statement that the contract signed with the Canadian 'Intelkan Technosystems Inc' includes the design, supply, installation, operation and maintenance of services and navigational systems for air traffic and supply of the latest aircraft landing systems. It added that the contract also includes the supply of the latest devices to measure the distance, thus, improving the capacity, safety and accuracy of overflight and landing of aircraft in the Kuwaiti airspace to the runways according to the standards and requirements of the International Civil Aviation Organization. The statement said that the project will provide training services for Kuwaiti cadres working at the DGCA in order to enable engineers work on the operation and maintenance. The contract will be completed in two and a half years.


text:
The Global Intelligence Files,
files released so far...
Index pages
by Date of Document
Our Partners
Al Akhbar - Lebanon
Al Masry Al Youm - Egypt
Asia Sentinel - Hong Kong
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Malaysia Today - Malaysia
McClatchy - United States
Nawaat - Tunisia
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Owni - France
Pagina 12 - Argentina
Philip Dorling - Fairfax media contributor - Australia
Plaza Publica - Guatemala
Publica - Brazil
Publico.es - Spain
Rolling Stone - United States
Russian Reporter - Russia
Ta Nea - Greece
Taraf - Turkey
The Hindu - India
The Yes Men - Bhopal Activists
Sunday Star-Times - New Zealand
Community resources
courage is contagious
The Global Intelligence Files
On Monday February 27th, 2012, WikiLeaks began publishing The Global Intelligence Files, over five million e-mails from the Texas headquartered "global intelligence" company Stratfor. The e-mails date between July 2004 and late December 2011. They reveal the inner workings of a company that fronts as an intelligence publisher, but provides confidential intelligence services to large corporations, such as Bhopal's Dow Chemical Co., Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon and government agencies, including the US Department of Homeland Security, the US Marines and the US Defence Intelligence Agency. The emails show Stratfor's web of informers, pay-off structure, payment laundering techniques and psychological methods.
Re: Possible Product - India
Released on 2012-10-18 17:00 GMT
Email-ID | 5374533 |
Date | 2010-11-15 21:48:04 |
From | email@example.com |
To | firstname.lastname@example.com |
Yes, every day--it's mostly used internally. I've had several clients ask
for something similar, especially on the militant front.
On 11/15/10 3:06 PM, Don Kuykendall wrote:
We do this EVERY day? Good Lord. For WHO?
Don R. Kuykendall
President & Chief Financial Officer
512.744.4314 phone
512.744.4334 fax
221 W. 6th Street
Suite 400
Austin, Texas 78701
From: Anya Alfano [mailto:email@example.com]
Sent: Wednesday, November 10, 2010 11:58 AM
To: 'Don Kuykendall'
Subject: Possible Product - India
Fred asked me to pass along the country sweep of India below--he wanted
to be sure you were aware that we produce this every day, since we may
have clients who would be willing to purchase this information as an
add-on to the site. Please let me know if you have any questions.
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [MESA] INDIA COUNTRY BRIEF 101110
Date: Wed, 10 Nov 2010 18:49:54 +0530
From: Animesh <email@example.com>
Reply-To: Middle East AOR <email@example.com>
To: Middle East AOR <email@example.com>, OS <firstname.lastname@example.com>, CT
AOR <firstname.lastname@example.com>
Basic Political Developments
o Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit Pawar, nephew of party
chief Sharad Pawar, was Wednesday chosen the next deputy chief
minister of Maharashtra.
o The Congress on Wednesday sought to put Bharatiya Janata Party in
the dock in the Mumbai's Adarsh Housing Society scam.
o Union Minister of State Prithviraj Chavan will be the next Chief
Minister of Maharashtra.
o A three-member committee formed by the Rajya Sabha to enquire into a
impeachment motion against Calcutta High Court judge Soumitra Sen
has held him guilty of corruption.
o A tense standoff over corruption charges involving the United
Progressive Alliance threatened to derail the Winter Session of
Parliament today.
o As part of its nationwide protest against the alleged anti-RSS
campaign by Congress-led UPA government the saffron outfit today
staged a sit-in dharna in front of the townhall.
National Economic Trends
o The Union Government will meet its target of mopping up Rs.40,000
crore through disinvestment from public sector this fiscal.
o Cautioning against "protectionist sentiments", Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh on Wednesday said India desired "an open, stable and
rule-based international economic development". In a statement ahead
of his departure for South Korea to take part in the G20 Summit, the
prime minister also said India would actively strive to strike the
right balance between global commitments and national interests of
Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions
o Bharti Airtel said Wednesday that its second quarter profit plunged
26.5 percent because of decline in revenue as the company cut call
rates to win a larger share of customers in Africa.
o IIFL Securities has joined as a trading and clearing member with the
Singapore Exchange today.
o Tata Motors today said it will be recalling some of its small car
Nano to install safety measures to prevent the vehicle catching
o Former chairman of Satyam Computers B. Ramalinga Raju on Wednesday
surrendered before a local court.
o Srei BNP Paribas is targeting to generate business over Rs. 1,500
crore from the unique customer engagement and incentive programme
called Khul Ja Sim Sim.
o The government today informed Parliament that further liberalisation
of foreign direct investment (FDI) policy in multi-brand retail is
under its consideration.
o Gold exchange-traded funds (ETF) are gaining in popularity as
investors become aware of the benefits of investing in gold in a
non-material form as opposed to holding it as jewellery.
o A panel assessing South Korean firm POSCO's proposed $12 billion
steel plant has given the firm 10 days to submit more information,
delaying a decision on India's biggest foreign direct investment.
o Jindal Saw on Wednesday said it has bagged orders worth over Rs 600
crore from domestic and overseas markets for supply of pipes, used
for transportation of oil and gas.
o Bharti Airtel signalled stability in its India operations after a
cutthroat pricing war but losses from its Africa business raised
concerns about its turnaround strategy .
Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)
o Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh are facing severe shortage of LPG,
forcing consumers to wait for 15-20 days for getting delivery of
cooking gas.
o Cairn Energy is getting mired in more problems as its day-to-day
operations and expansion plans are suffering in the wake of
simmering tensions with the oil ministry and state-owned partner Oil
and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC).
Militant Activity/Terrorism (Particularly in Bangalore, Mumbai, Noida, Chennai,
o Chhattisgarh police chief said two Lashkar-e-Taeba (LeT) cadres
attended a meeting of the outlawed Communist Party of India-Maoist
(CPI-Maoist) near Bastar region of Chhattisgarh early this year.
o The banned Communist Party of India-Maoist on Wednesday dismissed
allegations levelled by the Marxists on the nexus between the
Trinamool Congress.
o Two CRPF personnel were shot dead by militants in north Kashmir's
Baramulla district this afternoon.
o Violence by the banned NDFB entered the third day today as a
Hindi-speaking woman was shot dead in Kokrajhar district taking the
toll to 24.
Labor/Social Unrest
Full Text
Basic Political Developments
Ajit Pawar will be Maharashtra deputy chief minister
Wed, Nov 10 04:53 PM
Mumbai, Nov 10 (IANS) Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Ajit
Pawar, nephew of party chief Sharad Pawar and a state minister, was
Wednesday chosen the next deputy chief minister of Maharashtra after
Chhagan Bhujbal.
Pawar was elected as deputy to Prithviraj Chavan, who was selected the
Congress to replace Ashok Chavan as chief minister, by NCP legislators.
The state is ruled by a Congress-NCP coalition.
Gadkari owns Adarsh flat by proxy: Congress
November 10, 2010 17:03 IST
The Congress on Wednesday sought to put Bharatiya Janata Party in the
dock in the Mumbai's Adarsh Housing Society scam alleging that one of
its beneficiaries is "very very close" to BJP President Nitin Gadkari,
triggering strong protests from the main Opposition.
"While raising the Adarsh issue, they are not taking the name Suresh
Prabhu, who was a minister in the National Democratic Alliance regime or
Sancheti who is supposed to be very very close to the BJP president
Nitin Gadkari. According to reports, Sancheti, whose monthly salary is
just Rs 8,600 has purchased a flat worth Rs 60 lakh in the housing
society. There is speculation in media that Sancheti is a proxy for
Gadkari," Congress spokesperson Shakeel Ahmed told mediapeesons.
Reacting sharply to Ahmed's remarls, BJP spokesman Prakash Javdekar
dubbed the allegations as baseless and threatened to take legal action
against the Congress leader if the charges were not proved within 72
Ahmed, however, sought to claim high moral ground for his party on the
corruption issues and accused BJP of practicing "double standards" in
the matter.
"Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan resigned after the controversy
in Adarsh case. Similarly, Suresh Kalmadi had to resign from the post of
Congress parliamentary party secretary after the controversy on
Commonwealth Games," said Ahmed. "The BJP should explain what action it
proposes against its senior leaders Vijay Kumar Malhotra and Tarlochan
Singh who were defending Kalmadi and are seen in television footages
with the Commonwealth Organising Committee chairman. They should also
spell out their stand on Sancheti and Suresh Prabhu."
The Congress spokesperson alleged that BJP is practising double
standards on the issue of corruption and questioned the main opposition
party "Why they did not demand that investigations in these cases should
also include these aspects," Ahmed said.
Prithviraj Chavan is new Maharashtra Chief Minister
Union Minister of State Prithviraj Chavan will be the next Chief
Minister of Maharashtra succeeding Ashok Chavan who resigned in the wake
of the Adarsh Housing Society scam.
"Congress president Sonia Gandhi has chosen Prithviraj Chavan as the
Maharashtra Congress Legislature Party leader," senior Congress leader
Pranab Mukherjee told reporters in New Delhi.
He said the Maharashtra CLP had last night authorised Ms. Gandhi to name
its new leader and the Congress chief chose 64-year-old Chavan this
After the announcement, Mr. Chavan met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
shortly before he left for Seoul to attend the G20 summit and submitted
resignation as MoS in the PMO.
Mr. Chavan was heading five departments as Union Minister.
`A Great Responsibility'
"I am extremely grateful to the Congress leadership for having entrusted
the responsibility to me. I am accepting it with all the humility," Mr.
Chavan, a loyalist of the Gandhi family, said.
Mr. Chavan, currently a Member of the Rajya Sabha, said the task of
leading Maharashtra is a "great responsibility" and that he would try to
do his best.
In significant comments against the backdrop of several factions in
Maharashtra's Congress unit, Mr. Chavan said "I will try to take
everybody with me together."
Mr. Chavan also said he will seek the cooperation and support of all and
that he was sure the Congress-NCP coalition government will "work
smoothly" and try to make Maharashtra a "pre-eminent" state. He said he
will speak to the leaders of coalition partners.
Chavan's selection `good'
Mr. Chavan, who has been a steadfast opponent of NCP chief Sharad Pawar,
said he spoke to the Union Agriculture Minister and that he will also
meet him personally.
Mr. Pawar on his part said Mr. Chavan's choice was "good".
"Chavan's selection is good. He is a balanced man. The coalition
government (in Maharashtra) will work smoothly," Mr. Pawar said when
asked to comment on the Congress High Command's announcement.
Raj Bhavan sources in Mumbai said swearing-in of Mr. Chavan as the new
Chief Minister is unlikely today. Mr. Chavan is likely to leave for
Mumbai this evening.
"Swearing-in today is a remote possibility...If Chavan, accompanied by
leader of NCP Legislature party, meet the Governor this evening,
swearing-in may take place tomorrow," the sources told PTI.
Mr. Chavan met Ms. Gandhi today morning in New Delhi. He met Ms. Gandhi
at her 10, Janpath residence and the two are understood to have
discussed the political situation in Maharashtra.
Senior Congress leaders Pranab Mukherjee and A. K. Antony, who had last
night attended the Congress Legislature Party meeting in Mumbai, also
met Ms. Gandhi this morning.
Hailing from Karad district of Western Maharashtra, Mr. Chavan belongs
to the politically dominant Maratha community and his elevation to the
Chief Minister's post is also being seen as a move by the Congress to
stop consolidation of Maratha votes in favour of NCP.
His father, a prominent Congressman D R alias Anandrao Chavan, was the
"diwan" of the Indore royalty and a well-known legal luminary, who
served as minister in the cabinets of Jawaharlal Nehru, Lal Bahadur
Shastri and Indira Gandhi.
An engineer by profession, Mr. Chavan graduated from BITS Pilani and got
a masters degree from the University of California.
Rajya Sabha panel holds Justice Sen guilty of corruption
New Delhi, Nov 10 : A three-member committee formed by the Rajya Sabha
to enquire into a impeachment motion against Calcutta High Court judge
Soumitra Sen has held him guilty of corruption.
The panel, constituted by Rajya Sabha Chairman Hamid Ansari, was headed
by Supreme Court judge B. Sudershan Reddy and comprised Punjab and
Haryana High Court Chief Justice Mukul Mudgal and noted legal expert
Fali Nariman. Its report was tabled in the upper house Wednesday.
The panel said Sen was guilty of "misappropriation of large sums of
money which he received in his capacity as receiver appointed by the
high court of Calcutta" and "making false statements". Sen also
"misrepresented facts with regard to the misappropriation of money
before the High Court of Calcutta", the panel said.
The report says the charges have been "duly proved".
"In view of the findings... the inquiry committee is of the opinion that
Justice Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta High Court is guilty of
misbehaviour," the report said.
If the impeachment motion is approved by both houses of parliament, Sen
will be the first sitting judge in India to be removed in this manner.
An impeachment motion was moved against Sen in February 2009 after a
notice signed by more than 50 Rajya Sabha MPs was submitted by Communist
Party if India-Marxist leader Sitaram Yechury to Ansari, who then
constituted the three-member probe panel.
The report will now form the basis of discussion and voting in both
houses of parliament, following which a final decision for Sen's
impeachment will be taken. However, experts say that the moving of the
impeachment motion will depend on the stand taken by ruling Congress,
which is the only major party that has not supported the motion.
The only previous attempt in India's history to impeach a judge failed
in 1993 when the Congress walked out during voting on the opposition
moved motion against Supreme Court judge V. Ramaswami.
In 1994, Sen was appointed a receiver of the Calcutta High Court in a
civil suit. In this capacity, he was incharge of funds related to the
case and was meant to set them aside in a separate bank account.
Instead, it is alleged, even after his promotion as a judge, the money
remained in an account in his name.
Sen has argued that he should not be dismissed because he committed
financial violations as a lawyer, and not after he became a judge.
Standoff over corruption threatens to derail Parliament
New Delhi, Nov 10 : A tense standoff over corruption charges involving
the United Progressive Alliance threatened to derail the Winter Session
of Parliament today.
A combative Opposition on the second day of the session took up the
battlecry of a Joint Parliamentary Committee probe into the Adarsh
Housing Society, the Commonwealth Games corruption and the 2G spectrum
Both the Houses were adjourned for the day at noon after an adjournment
during Question Hour.
The Lok Sabha was adjourned for the day after the combined opposition
demanded an assurance on the setting up of a JPC to probe into the
various financial irregularities involving the allocation of flats in
the Adarsh Housing Cooperative Society on the proposed land earmarked
for the Kargil war widows.
The opposition also raised the issue of allocation of 2G spectrum which
had led to a huge financial loss for the exchequer and the escalation in
the expenses incurred in organising the XIXth Commonwealth Games (CWG).
As soon as the House re-assembled at 1200 hours after the first
adjournment, AIADMK members trooped into the well.
They were supported by BJP, SS, SAD, BJD and many other parties whose
members not only entered the well of the house but also raised slogans
for the setting up of JPC.
Some members from the BJP benches were raising slogans saying ''Yeh
Raja-Rani ke Sarkar nahe chalegee''.
At this point Deputy Speaker Karia Munda who was in the Chair adjourned
the House for the day.
Earlier, as soon as the House assembled for transacting the day's
business, BJP members stood up at their respective places and started
asking for a detailed discussion on various corruption charges levelled
against the government. This includes the Adarsh Cooperative Housing
society scam in Maharashtra in which a number of Congress leaders were
allegedly involved, CWG corruption charges and the irregularities in the
allocation of 2G Spectrum.
Speaker Meira Kumar was heard persuading the members to remain quiet and
allow the House to function normally and said she will allow the matter
to be raised in the Zero hour.
But this failed to bring the House in order. AIADMK members entered the
Well of the House and soon the other opposition parties followed suit.
At this point, the Speaker had no option but to declare the House
adjourned till 1200 hrs.
Noisy scenes by the Opposition, which demanded a discussion on the
corruption scandals including the Adarsh housing Scam, the Commonwealth
Games mess and the allocation of 2G Spectrum, paralysed proceedings in
the Rajya Sabha.
The Upper House was adjourned twice, the second time for the day.
Members of the Opposition including the BJP, the Left and the AIADMK
raised noisy scenes in the Upper House, demanding a discussion on the
various corruption scams and a probe by a Joint Parliamentary Committee
into them.
As soon as the House began proceedings for the day, Leader of the
Opposition Arun Jaitley said that over the past few months several scams
like the alleged irregularities in the allocation of 2G Spectrum, the
alleged irregularities in organisation of the Commonwealth Games and the
Adarsh Housing scam had come to light.
However, instead of bringing those responsible in these scams to book,
the Government probe in these scams was nothing but a sham.
Charging the Government with misusing the investigating agencies, Mr
Jaitley demanded that the discussion on these issues be taken up and
question hour suspended.
This enraged the members of the ruling benches who targetted verbal
volleys at the Opposition.
What ensued was chaos as members of the opposition parties like the
AIADMK and the Left parties also rose to demand a discussion on the
corruption issue.
The pleas of the chair that some of the issues raised by the opposition
had been raised in the meeting of the business advisory committee
yesterday and that a structured debate on these would take place in due
course failed to pacify the opposition who continued with their uproar.
Amid the melee, Chairman Hamid Ansari adjourned the House till 1200
When the House re-assembled after the adjournment, the Opposition
persisted with their demand for a discussion on the matter and continued
with their uproar.
Deputy Chairman K Rahman Khan tried to carry out proceedings of the
House amid the uproar.
However, after some time, the opposition members entered the well of the
House shouting slogans against the Government.
Amid the chaos, the Deputy Chairman announced adjournment of the House
for the day.
RSS nationwide protest; dharna in Bangalore
Bangalore, Nov 10 (PTI) As part of its nationwide protest against the
alleged anti-RSS campaign by Congress-led UPA government, the saffron
outfit today staged a sit-in dharna in front of the townhall here.
Flaying the Congress for their "evil conspiracy to defame a patriotic
Hindu movement of the RSS by terming it as saffron terror and Hindu
terror", RSS leaders cautioned the government to desist from the
"sinister move in the interest of larger national unity and social
"This agitation across the country is to create public awareness about
certain vested interests who are indulging in a calumnious campaign
against an organisation committed to character, discipline and national
integration," they said.
The leaders came down heavily on the Congress for making "irresponsible"
statements against senior RSS leader Indresh Kumar, who has been named
by the Rajasthan ATS in the chargesheet filed in Ajmer blast case.
National Economic Trends
India wants open economy: PM
Indo-Asian News Service
New Delhi, November 10, 2010First Published: 09:54 IST(10/11/2010)
Cautioning against "protectionist sentiments", Prime Minister Manmohan
Singh on Wednesday said India desired "an open, stable and rule-based
international economic development". In a statement ahead of his
departure for South Korea to take part in the G20 Summit, the prime
minister also said India would actively strive to strike the right
balance between global commitments and national interests of countries.
Manmohan Singh underlined that this was the second G20 Summit this year
- and the first both in Asia and outside a G8 country.
"This reflects the high expectations the world has from the G20 in
moving beyond the immediate crisis that we faced in 2008 to ensuring a
sustained and balanced economic recovery in the long term," he said.
"Given the vast development challenges we face, it is in India's
interest to have an open, stable and rule-based international economic
environment, whether in the field of trade, investment flows, technology
transfers or open markets.
"We have to be particularly wary of protectionist sentiments. There are
also developmental imbalances within and between countries, and
rebalancing of the world economy is a major challenge."
He said India would actively seek "to strike the right balance between
ensuring its credibility as well as the national interests of
The Seoul Summit will focus on the G20 framework for strong sustainable
and balanced growth, including an ambitious outcome in the form of the
Seoul Action Plan.
Manmohan Singh said: "We will work with the others towards this end, and
also encourage the G20 to focus on the development agenda which is being
introduced for the first time in Seoul.
"We must also give thought to how we can leverage global imbalances to
bridge the infrastructure gap between rich and poor nations.
"In the financial sector, we should build upon the process of IMF
(International Monetary Fund) reform on which good progress was made
last month at the G-20 Finance Ministers meeting with an agreement on
shifts in quota shares, including in favour of India, while protecting
the voting share of the poorest."
The prime minister said the summit would also look at issues of
regulatory reforms of the financial sector, and consider the new
Basel-III norms.
"This is a key area of work, and we must guard against complacency in
the pursuit of a strong financial regulatory framework and effective
"The world economy is on the path of recovery but we should keep our
focus on how to optimize global outcomes in an increasingly
interdependent world.
"As the Indian economy moves to a higher growth path, and opens to the
world, our stake in a stable, inclusive and representative global
economic and financial system will only grow."
Govt will meet target of collecting Rs 40,000 cr from disinvestment
Bangalore, Nov 10 : The Union Government will meet its target of mopping
up Rs.40,000 crore through disinvestment from public sector this fiscal.
Talking to newspersons here Union Additional Secretary in Finance
Ministry (disinvestment) Sidartha Pradhan said with the disinvestment
proceeds from the Powergrid Follow on Public Offer the government would
have augmented Rs.21,000 crore through the disinvestment route and by
March 31 the target would be met.
He said last year, the disinvestment proceeds amounted to Rs.24,500
crore. Together with this during the last 18 years the total
disinvestment proceeds had been only Rs.50,000 crore, he added.
The next in line for disinvestment would be Manganese Ore Ltd from which
the government would be divesting 10 per cent of its stake.
This would be followed by a follow on issue of Hindustan Copper (10 per
cent), Shipping Corporation of India (five per cent), Indian oil
Corporation and Steel Authority of India Limited (SAIL). All these
issues would be completed by March 31, 2011, he added.
Business, Energy or Environmental regulations or discussions
Bharti Airtel revenue declines 26.5 percent
Bharti Airtel, the country's largest mobile-phone operator, said
Wednesday that its second quarter profit plunged 26.5 percent because of
decline in revenue as the company cut call rates to win a larger share
of customers in Africa.
The company's net profit for the quarter ended Sep 30, 2010, was
Rs.1,661.20 crore as against Rs.2,263 crore during the same quarter last
The total revenue of the company, however, increased 46.6 percent at
Rs.15,215 crore for the quarter under review as compared to Rs.10,378
crore in the same quarter of the financial year 2009, the company said
in a regulatory filing.
The results included the company's Africa operations, which it acquired
in June from Kuwait's mobile telecom company Zain.
The net income of the operator decreased by 26.6 percent at Rs.1,661
crore for this quarter as compared to Rs.2,263 crore during the previous
The Africa revenue stood at Rs.3,891 crore for the second quarter ended
Sep 30 against Rs.958 in the previous quarter.
The second quarter of the fiscal was the first full quarter of the
African operations; the first quarter incorporated only 23 days of the
Africa operations effective June 8, 2010, said the company.
On the roling out of the third generation services in the country,
chairman and managing director Sunil Bharti Mittal said: "Our 3G
services will be available across India, starting with launches in the
current quarter."
"We are also redefining the accessibility and affordability levels
across Africa through innovative business models," he added.
Currently, the overall customer base of the company in 19 countries
stands at 19.48 crore.
IIFL Securities joins Singapore Exchange
Singapore, Nov 10 (PTI) IIFL Securities, a unit of financial services
company India Infoline Group, has joined as a trading and clearing
member with the Singapore Exchange today.
SGX CEO Magnus Bocker said, "Today marks an important milestone for SGX
as we welcome IIFL Securities, our first Indian broker, to our
securities market. We look forward to IIFL becoming a conduit, providing
access to investment opportunities for its customers in Singapore, India
and other markets."
Chairman of India Infoline Group Nirmal Jain said that the company had
started setting up systems and infrastructure to commence broking
"This formal approval (by SGX) lends further impetus to the commencement
of broking services in Singapore where we aim to leverage upon our
research capabilities and effectively cater to global institutional
investors," he said.
Tata to recall some Nanos, numbers yet undecided
New Delhi, Nov 10 (PTI) Tata Motors today said it will be recalling some
of its small car Nano to install safety measures to prevent the vehicle
catching fire.
"Yes, customers have been informed. Some have been already recalled,"
Tata Motors Managing Director (India Operations) P M Telang told PTI.
There are about 70,000 Nanos on the roads now, he added.
When asked how many vehicles would be recalled, Telang said: "We don't
know exactly how many vehicles will be recalled as we have to check how
many Nanos have to be rectified."
Yesterday, Tata Motors Group CEO and Managing Director Carl-Peter
Forster had said that the auto maker planned to introduce additional
safety features in the small car in the wake of reports of the car
catching fire.
Former Satyam chairman Raju surrenders in court
Former chairman of Satyam Computers B. Ramalinga Raju on Wednesday
surrendered before a local court trying the nation's biggest corporate
fraud, allegedly to the tune of Rs. 14,000 crore, in which he is the
prime accused.
Mr. Raju's freedom has been short-lived as the Supreme Court on Tuesday
rejected his plea requesting the Andhra Pradesh High court to allow some
more time to surrender.
The High Court on August 18 had allowed Mr. Raju's bail on the ground
that all other accused in the case, including his brother Rama Raju,
former Satyam CFO V. Srinivas and three other former IT company
employees G. Ramakrishna, Venkatapathi Raju and Srisailam were granted
bail by it.
The Supreme Court on October 26 cancelled his bail granted by the Andhra
Pradesh High Court in August and set November 10 as deadline for Mr.
Raju and five other accused in the Satyam scam to surrender.
Mr. Raju who attended the court proceedings in the morning however left
the court without surrendering.
He once again appeared along with counsel before the magistrate in the
afternoon and informed that he and the other five accused were
The magistrate ordered him and the other surrendered to judicial
Srei BNP Paribas targets Rs 1,500 cr business
Kolkata, Nov 10 : Srei BNP Paribas, a 50:50 joint venture between Srei
Finance Ltd. (SIFL) and BNP Paribas Leasing Solutions (BPLS), is
targeting to generate business over Rs. 1,500 crore from the unique
customer engagement and incentive programme called Khul Ja Sim Sim.
In the first half of the current fiscal 2010-11, Srei BNP Paribas has
done a disbursement of over Rs 5,100 crore, compared to last year's
corresponding figure of Rs 2,400 crore, recording a mammoth increase of
213pc in six month's time, a top company official said.
Srei BNP Paribas CEO DK Vyas said on Wednesday: "We are optimistic of
mobilising over 2,000 customers through our pan - India network of 86
offices and are expecting to disburse over Rs 1,500 crore pan India
through this marketing initiative. We are hopeful of disbursing around
Rs. 500 crore at IMME at the event itself."
On future prospects of Srei BNP Paribas, Vyas said that the Company has
already started financing Technology Solutions (financing of IT
equipment, software and services) and has effectively partnered with
leading global IT vendors for financing their customers.
"We have also forayed into financing of new Equipment classes:
Agriculture Equipment, Healthcare Equipment, Office Automation,
Equipment in Education sector etc. With its foray into new equipment
classes, Srei BNP Paribas has become probably the one and only Company
to offer complete Equipment Solutions," Vyas added.
'FDI liberalisation in multi-brand retail under consideration'
NEW DELHI: The government today informed Parliament that further
liberalisation of foreign direct investment (FDI) policy in multi-brand
retail is under its consideration.
"The further liberalisation of this policy has been under consideration
of the government," Minister of State for Commerce and Industry
Jyotiraditya Scindia said in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha.
He was asked whether the government has decided to introduce a new
policy on FDI in the multi-brand retail sector.
The existing policy allows 51 per cent FDI in single brand retail and
100 per cent in cash-and-carry stores, which cater only to bulk buyers
and traders.
He said an inter-ministerial committee is examining the comments
received on a discussion paper by the Department of Industrial Policy
and Promotion (DIPP), nodal agency for FDI related matters.
"The committee will examine and analyse the responses and provide
necessary inputs for proposed policy action. Government has yet to take
a final view," he added.
He said the possible strategy to protect interests of small traders in
the unorganised sector and the likely impact on the capacity building of
storage of foodgrains, fruits and vegetables would be taken into
Global giants like Walmart and Carrefour have shown keen interest to
enter in the sector.
French major Carrefour has called for allowing 100 per cent FDI in
multi-brand stores and said the move would ease inflationary pressures.
However, local traders body like Nav Mumbai Merchant's Chamber have said
that there should be a blanket ban on the entry of Multi National
companies (MNCs) and domestic corporate houses into retail trade in
In an another reply, Scindia said the government is not making changes
in FDI norms in the realty sector.
Gold exchange-traded funds mushroom in India
Gold exchange-traded funds (ETF) may be new for India, but are gaining
in popularity as investors become aware of the benefits of investing in
gold in a non-material form as opposed to holding it as jewellery.
ETFs are instruments that trade like shares and are backed by physical
holdings of the commodity.
India is the world's top consumer of gold, accounting for 20 percent of
global demand. Indians traditionally invest in gold jewellery.
Here are some key facts and figures on India's gold ETFs: - India has
eight gold ETFs currently listed with a total collection of more than 11
tonnes, nearly double compared to last year.
- Mumbai-based Benchmark Mutual Fund was the first to start a gold ETF
in 2007 and has the largest collection of more than five tonnes.
- The ETFs are listed on India's National Stock Exchange and Bombay
Stock Exchange and most of them have a share size of 1 gram.
- HDFC Mutual Fund is the newest to offer a gold ETF that started
trading last week. ICICI Prudential, which has already collected funds,
will list its ETF soon.
- Gold ETFs are a "must have", according to mutual funds, who typically
advise clients to allocate 10 percent of their portfolios to gold.
- More financial firms are expected to launch gold ETFs in their bid to
offer a full basket of investment products to clients.
- India's gold ETF collection is small compared to its approximately 700
tonnes of annual gold consumption, but is seen growing by at least 50
percent year-on-year, industry members say.
- The world's largest gold-backed exchange-traded fund, SPDR Gold Trust
, said its holdings were at 1,294.442 tonnes by Sept 3.
- Indians' religious sentiment for gold is visible in ETF purchases as
well, as volumes tend to rise on days that are considered auspicious for
buying the metal, officials managing the ETFs say.
- Silver ETFs may not be too far away as Benchmark intends to launch it,
though it has no date for it yet.
POSCO India decision unlikely this month: Sources
NEW DELHI: A panel assessing South Korean firm POSCO's proposed $12
billion steel plant has given the firm 10 days to submit more
information, delaying a decision on India's biggest foreign direct
investment, sources said on Tuesday.
The delay means Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who is monitoring the
project as he seeks closer ties with Seoul, will fly to the Group of 20
meeting in South Korea on Wednesday without a firm government commitment
to the project.
The verdict of the panel set up by the Environment Ministry, which is
not binding but is required before Environment Minister Jairam Ramesh
makes his final decision, was expected this week.
"The decision is unlikely to happen this month," an environment ministry
source told Reuters on condition of anonymity.
POSCO has been given 10 days from November 9 to submit the extra
information to the panel, a company source told Reuters.
POSCO is among several companies that have come under scrutiny from
Ramesh, whose tough approach has sparked criticism from businesses and
even other members of the government pushing for rapid
The long-delayed plant in India's eastern state of Orissa has been
stalled by protests and environmental reports spearheaded by Ramesh, who
has scrapped many big-ticket projects including some by London-listed
miner Vedanta Resources Plc .
Singh is keen to forge strong political ties with South Korea, raising
the likelihood that the project will eventually be given the go-ahead.
The project faces a unrelated hurdle in the form of a court case filed
by a local firm against the Orissa state government , contesting its
decision to grant a mining concession to the South Koreans. The local
company had also bid for the project.
The decision on that case lies with the Supreme Court.
Jindal Saw bags Rs 600-crore order for supply of pipes
NEW DELHI: Jindal Saw, an OP Jindal group company, on Wednesday said it
has bagged orders worth over Rs 600 crore from domestic and overseas
markets for supply of pipes, used for transportation of oil and gas.
" Jindal Saw announces the receipt of orders/letter of awards
aggregating to more than Rs 600 crore for supply of large diameter pipes
for domestic and export markets. The major order is from South-east Asia
market," the company said in a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange .
With these contracts, the total order book of the company stands at
about Rs 4,000 crore, it added.
Jindal Saw is a leading production hub of Saw pipes, primarily used for
transportation of oil and gas besides producing pipes for energy and
other sectors.
Bharti's home woes ease; Africa margins are a worry
NEW DELHI: Bharti Airtel signalled stability in its India operations
after a cutthroat pricing war but losses from its Africa business raised
concerns about its turnaround strategy .
Bharti's quarterly profit fell by a more-than-expected 27 per cent,
weighed down by the effects of a price war in its core Indian market,
and analysts said lower margins in Africa could hit overall
profitability in future quarters.
"The India operations look stable in terms of ARPU, but we expect this
to rebound," said Shristi Anand, analyst at Angel Broking. "But profits
from Africa are very low and they may be garnering market share there at
the cost of overall profit turnaround."
Bharti, 32-per cent owned by Southeast Asia's top phone firm SingTel,
acquired the African telecom assets from Kuwaiti group Zain in June in a
$9 billion deal, making it the world's fifth-biggest mobile operator.
The outlook for Bharti and rivals has improved as phone call prices have
stabilised after last year's vicious war in the 15-player Indian telecom
market hit earnings.
There have been no big price cuts since April, after call prices in
India tumbled to as low as 0.4 US cents a minute, with most of the price
declines taking place in the second half of 2009.
Bharti's founder, billionaire Sunil Mittal, who started his career
selling bicycle parts, saw an opportunity in telecoms in the mid-1990s
when India was opening up the sector for private participation.
Bharti began with just one licence to operate a mobile network in Delhi
and has grown to become the No. 1 player.
Bharti said it will launch 3G services across India in the current
The outlook for the Indian telecoms sector, in which Bharti competes
with Reliance Communications and the Indian unit of Vodafone, has
improved as prices have stabilised and carriers have geared up to launch
higher-margin advanced services.
After spending $24 billion this year to grab 3G licenses and wireless
broadband radio airwaves, the sector is gearing up for the commercial
rollout of 3G that would facilitate faster Internet browsing and premium
services such as video calling.
Earlier this month, Tata Teleservices, India's No 4 mobile carrier,
became the first private operator to launch 3G services in some areas.
Bharti said net profit including its African operations fell to 16.61
billion rupees ($374 million) under international accounting standards
for its second quarter ended September from 22.63 billion rupees a year
Revenue rose 47 per cent to 152.15 billion rupees. A Reuters poll of 12
brokerages had forecast net profit of 18.36 billion rupees on revenue of
152.70 billion rupees for the firm, which now operates in 19 countries
across Asia and Africa.
In India, Bharti accounts for more than 21 per cent of the mobile market
with its 147.7 million customers.
Its consolidated EBITDA ( earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation
and amortisation) margin, a key gauge of profitability, was at 33.7 per
Bharti's average revenue per user (ARPU) in India fell 20 per cent to
202 rupees in the September quarter from a year earlier as more than
half of its new users came from less affluent rural areas. Minutes of
usage were at 454 minutes per user, up 1 per cent from a year earlier.
Shares in Bharti, valued by the market at $28.6 billion, rose as much as
3 per cent initially after the earnings announcement but later turned
The stock is up just 1.6 per cent this year, lagging the broader
market's nearly 20-per cent gain. Bharti's stock jumped about 39 per
cent in the second quarter versus a 13-per cent rise in the 30-share
benchmark index.
Activity in the Oil and Gas sector (including regulatory)
Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh face LPG shortage
Even before the onset of harsh winter in northern region, Punjab,
Haryana and Chandigarh are facing severe shortage of LPG, forcing
consumers to wait for 15-20 days for getting delivery of cooking gas.
Expressing helplessness in mitigating consumers' grievances, LPG
(liquefied petroleum gas) distributors have blamed oil marketing
companies (OMCs) for the insufficient supply of gas, causing
inconveniences to LPG users.
"We are not getting enough LPG from (oil marketing) companies that has
resulted into backlog of 10-12 days," All India LPG Distributors
Federation President KJS Buttar told PTI. According to Mr. Buttar, there
are 840 LPG distributors in Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.
Sensing the shortage of LPG, consumers have resorted to panic buying of
the cooking gas, which has further compounded the backlog problem due to
shortage of supply.
However, OMCs are hoping for normalisation of the situation within a
LPG consumers complained they were made to wait for at least 15-20 days
by the LPG distributors for delivery. In majority of cases, distributors
were even refusing to book new LPG orders in the wake of the shortage.
Indian Oil, which has the majority share in LPG gas connections in
Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh, had shut down its Panipat refinery for
maintenance, which resulted into LPG shortage.
"The Panipat refinery was shut down for maintenance...but now the
refinery is back on stream and within a week, the situation will
normalise," a senior official of Indian Oil said here.
Indian Oil, which supplied 1,450 tonne LPG per day from Panipat
refinery, caters to Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh.
Though a senior official of HPCL admitted that there was a bulk shortage
of LPG, yet he said the backlog never exceeded five days. "We are
booking new orders after finding the genuine demand of customers," he
However, official of BPCL said there was no shortage of LPG in their
Punjab and Chandigarh have 54 lakh and 3.52 lakh LPG connections,
ONGC blocks $500 million payments to Cairn
NEW DELHI: Cairn Energy , struggling to get approval for its
$9.6-billion deal to sell its Indian unit to Vedanta Resources , is
getting mired in more problems as its day-to-day operations and
expansion plans are suffering in the wake of simmering tensions with the
oil ministry and state-owned partner Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC).
ONGC, which is the licensee and a 30% owner in the oil-rich Rajasthan
block operated by Cairn, has held back $500 million to Cairn India
alleging that the expenditure had been inflated, a director in the
company, who did not want to be named because of the sensitivity of the
matter, said.
"Cairn spent money over and above the approved budget. ONGC is a PSU, it
is public money. We can't spend it without approvals," he said.
The money was spent by Cairn, the operator, on a particular pipeline as
well as capital expenditure and operating costs. ONGC reimburses Cairn
its share of the expenditure as it is a partner in the block. The
state-owned firm has raised objections on several items in recent months
and its share of the expenditure, which it has not paid so far, has
accumulated to about $500 million now.
"Both capital and operating expenditure are inflated under various
heads, I don't remember individual items. We are examining them and
legitimate expenditures will be reimbursed," the official said.
Cairn India director (corporate affairs & CSR) Manu Kapoor, in an
emailed response to ET, did not specifically comment on the payment
Mr Kapoor said: "We remain committed to maximising the resource and
production potential from the Barmer basin working jointly with our
joint venture partner ONGC and GoI (government of India). With active
support from our joint venture partner ONGC, we have made very
significant achievements - going from discovery to first oil in a little
over five years, and we are currently producing at 125,000 barrels per
day (bpd) with the potential to significantly enhance this production."
The ONGC spokeswoman declined comment.
A person close to Cairn said the company was facing several hurdles in
its operations, as ONGC had even refused to sign the minutes of crucial
meetings of the management committee while government authorities had
not approved the company's plans to ramp up production to 150,000 bpd
from the current level of 125,000 bpd.
The company is ready to raise output, which would boost its revenues
significantly, he said. An official in the directorate general of
hydrocarbon (DGH), the oil ministry's arm that evaluates such proposals,
said Cairn's application for raising output was being studied.
"We are examining the matter. No decision can be taken in haste. We have
to make sure that extracting additional oil does not damage the
reservoir," the official, who did not want to be identified, said.
DGH and the oil ministry are represented in the management committee of
every oil and gas block. The management committee for the Rajasthan
block, which also includes executives from Cairn and ONGC, approves
budgets, development plans and other operational matters.
Another official said DGH was also studying ONGC's contention that Cairn
had inflated expenditure on pipelines transporting oil by road to
customers. Officials were also examining alleged violations in
exploration expenditure.
"One of such items was the pipeline. Cairn spent an additional $159
million on laying it to transport crude oil from the Barmer field to the
Gujarat coast. The approved cost of the pipeline was $941 million," a
DGH official said requesting anonymity.
Cairn has so far spent $2.6 billion on the Rajasthan oil field
development, company executive director & chief financial officer
Indrajit Banerjee had told analysts in a conference call on October 28.
Militant Activity/Terrorism (Particularly in Bangalore, Mumbai, Noida, Chennai,
Lashkar operatives attended Maoist meet: Chhattisgarh police chief
Wed, Nov 10 04:52 PM
Raipur, Nov 10 (IANS) Two operative of the Pakistan-based terror outfit
Lashkar-e-Taeba (LeT) attended a meeting of the outlawed Communist Party
of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) near Bastar region of Chhattisgarh early
this year according to unverified reports, the state's top police
officer said Wednesday.
'Two LeT operatives attended a CPI-Maoist central committee meeting as
observers, held sometime in April-May this year. They met in a jungle
inside Orissa, close to Bastar,' said Vishwa Ranjan, director general of
police of the state worst affected by Leftist insurgency in India.
But he said the information needs to be verified.
'This information is based on a single source, and needs to be
cross-checked,' he said.
'Information regarding LeT operatives needs further corroboration, but
it's common for observers to be present at key Maoist meetings,' said
Ranjan, a former additional director of Intelligence Bureau (IB), who
took charge as the state's police chief in July 2007.
Highly placed sources say that CPI-Maoist had adopted a 20-page policy
document at the meet, and outlined plans of seizing political power by
stepping up 'armed resistance' and inflicting 'severe losses to the
enemy forces' all over the country.
The document also warned that CPI-Maoist's new war against the country
will be 'more long drawn and more bitter' than the struggle India waged
against British colonial rule.
We have no relation with the Trinamool: Maoists
November 10, 2010 15:47 IST
The banned Communist Party of India-Maoist on Wednesday dismissed
allegations levelled by the Marxists on the nexus between the Trinamool
Congress and the rebels, saying the proscribed outfit did not have any
relations with the Mamata Banerjee-led party.
"Our party does not have any open or undercover relations with
Trinamool. If such illusions exist, it would be a task of our party to
bring them out of it. When our stand is so clear, it is not at all
proper to say as if we have relations with the party and as if we are
justifying it," party general secretary Muppala Lakshmana Rao alias
Ganapathy told mediapersons in Hyderabad.
In a detailed response on the alleged tie-up, he said since Banerjee has
to come to power in West Bengal now, she was compelled to talk as if she
was on the people's side.
"On some occasions even ruling classes may talk in the interest of the
people. They would take up some pro-people demands on some occasions for
mobilising the support of the people for votes. When such people talk in
the interests of the people, we would examine them concretely,"
Ganapathy said, on the demand raised by Banerjee for a judicial inquiry
into the killing of top Maoist Azad in a police shootout.
"For the past 15 years or more, severe clashes are going on between
Trinamool and CPI-M. Sometimes, in some places, this is taking the form
of armed clashes. The CPI-M formed armed social fascist gangs like
Harmad Bahini and is attacking Trinamool, Maoists, democrats and people
to suppress them. Trinamool took up arms to fight CPI-M. So, in order to
fight back these attacks and to come to power in the next elections, it
is natural for Mamata to speak some words to attract the people," the
Maoist chief said.
The people and democrats would like to escape from "the tiger" (CPI-M)
they were facing on the front, he said. "For them the tiger in the front
is more dangerous than the bear (Trinamool) which is at their back. But
after they chase away the tiger they cannot escape the bear's hug. Our
party would continue to caution the people about this danger too. They
would have to fight against the bear too. Unless the people get rid of
these two menaces, any one of them would continue riding on their back,"
he said.
He also said there would not be any fundamental change in West Bengal
even if Mamata came to power. "Even if Mamata Banerjee comes to power,
she would not seize the lands of landlords and distribute them among the
poor peasantry. People will not have a chance to participate freely in
the elections too. However, Trinamool will try hard to gain a tight grip
over administration," he said.
Two CRPF personnel shot dead by militants
Srinagar, Nov 10 (PTI) Two CRPF personnel were shot dead by militants in
north Kashmir's Baramulla district this afternoon, officials said.
This is the first major strike by militants in the Baramulla district in
nearly three months. No militant outfit has so far claimed
responsibility for the incident.
The CRPF troopers of 154 Battalion were on patrolling duty at the main
chowk of Pattan, 30 kms from here, on Srinagar-Baramulla national
highway when unidentified militants shot at them from point blank range
at 11.45 AM, they said.
One of the jawans, Constable B Teja, died on the spot and another, Head
constable Om Prakash, succumbed at Pattan hospital.
The service rifles of both the jawans are "missing" and believed to have
been taken away by the militants, they said.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that the militants were armed
with pistols fitted with silencers.
NDFB violence toll rises to 24
Guwahati, Nov 10 (PTI) Violence by the banned NDFB entered the third day
today as a Hindi-speaking woman was shot dead in Kokrajhar district
taking the toll to 24, even as the ultras fired at the security forces
in Sonitpur, police said.
A group of NDFB (Anti-talk) faction rebels knocked on the door of one
Kalabati Chauhan's house around 1.30 am at Jamguri. As she opened the
door, they pumped bullets into her and fled, they said.
Meanwhile, another group of NDFB members fired upon security forces,
during a search and combing operation against the outfit, near Dihing
Tea estate around 11 am before fleeing towards neighbouring Arunachal
Pradesh, police said, adding, no injury or casualty was reported in the
Labor/Social Unrest


text:
Today on New Scientist
DAILY ROUND-UP: 17:30 29 January 2015
All the latest on newscientist.com: plastic planet, locked-in people get mind reader, princely prose, internet from the skies, how to perk up a mouse, and more
Second blow to the head for effects of brain zapping
TODAY: 15:31 29 January 2015
It's a trendy field but is transcranial direct current stimulation really all that? For the second time, a review of studies has failed to find the claimed results
Twinkle telescope to check out exoplanet climate
UPFRONT: 08:00 29 January 2015
If all goes to plan, the UK will launch a telescope to find out more about known exoplanets' atmospheres in four years
Blood bank data turns donations into a numbers game
NEWS: 20:30 28 January 2015
An initiative in New York is using machine learning to figure out who's most likely to donate blood - and what's best to say to encourage them
Today on New Scientist
DAILY ROUND-UP: 17:30 28 January 2015
All the latest on newscientist.com: E. O. Wilson on extinction and religion, sperm whale's poonado, fractals in throbbing stars and more
Solo supernovae challenge cosmic distance standards
TODAY: 17:21 28 January 2015
Supernovae were thought to need help from a nearby star – if they don't, we may have to rethink how we measure cosmic distances as well as dark energy
Fractals seen in throbs of pulsating golden stars
TODAY: 14:02 28 January 2015
Zoom in on a star's vibrations and, if they're related by the golden ratio, you might see fractals, like a coastline. This could tell us about what's going on inside
Moon milestone prizes awarded to XPrize competitors
UPFRONT: 13:51 28 January 2015
The Google-sponsored competition to land a spacecraft on the moon has awarded "milestone prizes" to five competing teams


text:
We've talked before about using a longer passcode on your iPhone instead of a 4-digit pin, but as the tech blog Digital Inspiration points out, adding in accented characters adds yet another level of security.
The idea is that most people aren't going to bother dealing with accented characters (if you hold down on a letter, the available accented characters show up) when they're trying to guess your password. To use these, you first have to turn on the alphanumeric passcode. Just head into Settings > General > Passcode Lock, and turn off Simple Passcode. You'll be asked to enter in a new password, so throw in a few accented characters. It might make it a bit of a pain to enter in your passcode, but at least it's more secure.


text: Sam, Alex and Clover are three usual girls. They go to school and take a great interest in usual thing as the most of the girls of the same age. But the friends have one more unusual hobby- they work as spies in a top-secret criminal department «WOOHP». At any moment their boss Jerry can send the girls to fulfill the next complicated mission to any place of the world. Dangerous and exciting adventures in the sands of Egypt, in the snows of the Himalayas, and even in space are waiting for you! You have lots of useful espionage devices, including jet pack and laser gun disguised as lipstick.


text:
The false link between photography & terrorism
by Michael Sauers • April 26, 2013 • Politics & Law, video • 1 Comment
First watch this video:
Then read this article:
On the same day that federal investigators pleaded with the public for photos and videos that would help them identify the Boston Marathon bombers, the Department of Homeland Security and the FBI released a memo stating the "discreet use of cameras or video recorders" could be interpreted as a sign that a terrorist act is being planned.
However, the Joint Intelligence Bulletin released April 16, one day after the attacks, failed to list any specific examples that this was the case, even though it listed several examples of previous planned terrorist attacks that were thwarted.
The truth is, the memo is simply rehashing the same information the feds have been stating for years, which is one reason why so many police officers and security guards tend to treat citizens with cameras as suspected terrorists.
Read the full article @ PhotographyIsNotACrime.com.


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Outpatient Pavilion15611 Pomerado Rd. Poway, CA 92064858.613.4000
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EscondidoRancho PenasquitosTemeculaSan Elijo Hills (San Marcos)
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Patient Interview
Palomar Health Downtown CampusEducation Classroom, Lobby Level9 a.m. – 4 p.m.Led by a certified childbirth educator, expectant mothers 19 years of age and younger learn the same information covered in the regular childbirth class that is tailored to the unique needs of a pregnant teen. Tour of Palomar Health Downtown Campus Birth Center is included.FEE: Free – registration requiredTo register, call 800.628.2880 or visit www.PalomarHealth.org/classes.
Pomerado Outpatient PavilionEducation Classroom6 – 7:30 p.m.If you or a loved one has had a cardiac event, join Cardiologist Robert Stein, M.D., as he discusses lifestyle change that will enable you to return to a full and active life. To register, call 800.628.2880 or visit www.PalomarHealth.org/classes.FEE: Free– registration required
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text:
Creations De-La-Soul
Please note that we can design jubilee cards for other special years.
Ordination cards also available upon request.
Jubilee-General Rose
Jubilee-General Gold Cross
On YourJubileeCongratulations
Continued Blessings and Joyare wished for you on this special day.
On YourJubilee
May God's gracecontinue to fall upon youand guide you in His service.
Jubilee-Silver Chalice
Jubilee-Ruby Cross
As you celebrate yourSilver Jubilee
May God continue to bless youas you dedicate your life to His service.
On yourRuby Jubilee
Jubilee-Golden Chalice
Congratulationson yourGolden Jubilee
'Glory and Praise to our Lord,who alone gives light to our days;many are the blessings He bringsto those who trust in His ways.'
53 Glenholm Avenue, Belfast BT8 6LU Northern Ireland 028-9070-3372


text:
Missus Carter!
Missus Carter!
from Beyoncé (Ft. Blue Ivy Carter) – Blue Lyrics on Genius
This is the name Bey went as on her tour. Because Hov's last name is Carter she took it when they married.
To help improve the quality of the lyrics, visit "Blue" by Beyoncé (Ft. Blue Ivy Carter) Lyrics and leave a suggestion at the bottom of the page


text:
WINSTON-SALEM U.S. District Court Judge Thomas Schroeder had lots of questions Thursday for attorneys arguing for and against some of the more controversial provisions of North Carolinas election overhaul bill.
In considering what voting laws will be in place for the November elections, Schroeder told the attorneys he wanted to consider the national sweep of any decisions.
The parties are asking me to make a ruling that could potentially have some odd consequences on other states, Schroeder said while listening to the closing arguments of a U.S. Justice Department attorney.
The federal government, NAACP, American Civil Liberties Union, League of Women Voters and other organizations filed lawsuits late last summer challenging the elections overhaul bill adopted by the Republican-led legislature in July 2013 and signed into law by Gov. Pat McCrory.
The challengers contend the new law discriminates against African-Americans, Latinos and voters younger than 25. Theyre seeking to block provisions that end same-day registration, curb the number of days on which people can vote early, do away with a popular teen preregistration program and prohibit people from casting ballots out of their assigned precinct.
Schroeder said at the close of four days of arguments that he would take all points under advisement and issue a ruling sooner rather than later.
I wouldnt expect anything in the next week or so, said Schroeder, named by President George W. Bush to the federal bench.
Without indicating how he might rule, Schroeder asked the attorneys for the state how much advance notice county boards of election and other officials would need if he blocked provisions of the 2013 overhaul bill until the lawsuit challenging them could be fully heard.
The current schedule sets a trial for July 2015, but the challengers contend that provisions used in the May primary and primary runoff elections should be rolled back for the November general election.
North Carolina voters will go to the polls Nov. 4 to decide a U.S. Senate race of national interest the contest between Sen. Kay Hagan, a Democrat from Greensboro, and Republican challenger, Thom Tillis, the N.C. House speaker.
Thomas Farr, a Raleigh attorney in private practice representing the state, contended that primary results showed an uptick in African-American voter turnout from the 2010 primary. Farr; Alexander Peters, deputy state attorney general; and Phil Strach, a private-practice attorney and husband of state elections director Kim Strach, argued that the challengers had failed to show significant problems from the new provisions.
They called the testimony from the challengers witnesses about the potential for voter intimidation and disenfranchisement as little more than speculation and opinion.
The challengers argued otherwise and urged the judge to return to the election rules in place before the General Assembly vote of 2013.
During the first three days of the hearing, the array of attorneys representing the challengers called 11 witnesses voters, two Democratic legislators, a former elections official and two statistical analysts.
The case has received international publicity, in part, because of the provision requiring voters to have a photo ID at the polls in 2016.
The provision has been described by supporters as a way to prevent fraud. Critics hold up recent court decisions in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Arkansas striking down voter ID provisions and argue that such measures are meant to create an undue hardship on minorities and the poor, who often are more likely to support Democrats at the polls.
Attorneys representing the General Assembly, governor and state board of elections did not call any witnesses in the hearing this week. They cross-examined those called by the challengers and then spent nearly two hours on Thursday elaborating on their objections to the blocking of the 2013 changes in closing arguments. They argued that the 2013 rules had the same effect on all voters.
The attorneys for the state contended that though the challengers might disagree with the policies behind the law, debate on those differences would take place more appropriately in the political chambers of power, not in the courts. Their interpretations of voting statistics, they argued, did not show voter disenfranchisement.
At the end of the day, Farr said, people are not robots. They have the ability to control their own conducts.
But experts and voters earlier in the week testified about North Carolinas long and established history of voter discrimination against blacks. Poll taxes were on the books until the 1920s. Black voters recalled this week having to pass literacy tests.
Barry Burden, a professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis., recounted a chapter in North Carolina history after the Civil War in which black men had been granted the right to vote and did so in large numbers. With that increase in participation came a push by white legislators to change the law to make it more difficult for blacks to vote, Burden said.
Those obstacles remained for many years, Burden testified, until 2000, when state legislators expanded opportunities for voters to cast their ballots early and to register the same day as they voted.
The challengers contend the election overhauls bill violates a section of the 1965 Voting Rights Act that was adopted to protect voters from racial discrimination.
They also contend it violates the 26th Amendment, which lowered the voting age to 18 in 1971.
Blythe: 919-836-4948; Twitter: @AnneBlythe1
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8 Ways to Recharge Your Mind
I love what I do. As a fitness professional, I love to inspire people to embrace all the rewards of living healthy. But sometimes my travel schedule is so intense and I have so many projects going on at once that I don't know if I am coming or going. I know I am not alone. You probably have a crazy schedule too. Throw in technology and we are all plugged in all the time and our attention is pulled in many different directions.
As the summer tiptoes to a close, days can start to get busier as we all prepare for a new season, a new school year and new deadlines. Before you get increasingly frazzled and stressed to the max, take some time to give your mind a mental break. Recharge mentally with these healthy tips.
- Pay Attention. Multitasking really doesn't work. You lose time when you switch from one task to another and you can accomplish far more when you do one thing at a time. Tell your brain to pay attention, focus, concentrate and think. Focus can actually be relaxing for your brain because you aren't pulled in multiple directions at once. Try to minimize distractions, clutter, interruptions and brain overload. Keep lists and delegate when you can. You will increase your productivity and creativity. And don't forget to take some breaks for mental clarity.
- Walk it out. Someone once said all great ideas happen while walking. If you take walks, especially in nature, you can improve your mood, boost your immunity, and get some vitamin D (through sunlight). Plus, natural settings provide an inner calm that you can get in front of your computer screen.
- Think short term. Make it easier for you to achieve some of your goals by breaking bigger goals into smaller ones. Sure, you can plot out what you'd like to weigh or what size you'd like to be, but on a daily basis, think of the next short-term goal you can hit. Wouldn't you rather be excited about all the tiny victories along the way instead of holding out for the end goal? Shorter goals help you develop the habits you need to reach long-term goals by focusing on what you are doing right now, today.
- Keep looking forward. You will have slip ups. You will most likely have days when you justify to yourself why you shouldn't work out or why it's okay to overeat. It happens. Accept a little room for being human upfront. Don't get caught in a negative thinking trap; it won't accomplish anything. If you slip up, just say, "Okay, I slipped up. Now I'm getting right back on track." Jump right back in with your healthy habits and look ahead.
- Keep an accomplishment list. What have you achieved this year? What wins have you had? Keep a running list to remind yourself of how fabulous you are. Include the little and big things. Now on days when you are dragging or feeling blue, read your list. You can skip feeling defeated and go straight to feeling empowered when you use your accomplishments to fuel future accomplishments.
- Plan your fun for now and not later. Don't put off your own enjoyment of YOUR life. As the years go by, are you doing the fun things you always said you'd do one day? Ask yourself: If not now, when?
- Reconnect. What's important to you? Family? Friends? A little solitude? Serene music? A yoga workout? Make sure you reconnect with what recharges you. Busy sometimes means disconnected. When you are in the frantic pace of a busy day, you may lose that important mind and body connection. Slow down and be present.
- Listen to your inner voice. When you are deep into your busy day, you are probably drowning out that whisper of your inner voice that's your compass. It's the whisper you hear that says, "I really should exercise today" or "I probably shouldn't eat this much" or "I really want to live in a healthier way." When you slow down and focus internally, you hear your own wise counsel. Put simply, you connect with you.
Be on your own side when life is all frenzied and frazzled. With the occasional mental recharge, things can be whirling about around you while you keep an inner calm and a laser-like focus. How calm, cool and collected is that?
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School Wellness Policies
Implementing a wellness policy is a tangible way for districts and schools to demonstrate concern for and improve students' health.
Under the Child Nutrition and WIC Reauthorization Act of 2004, school districts that participate in the National School Lunch or School Breakfast program are required to develop local school wellness policies (LWPs) that address student nutrition and physical activity. The 2010 reauthorization expanded the scope of the program, requiring schools to (1) permit parents to participate in the development of LWPs, and (2) update and inform parents about the policies' content and implementation.
It is the right of all parents to be involved in decisions affecting their children's health and well-being.
What Should Be Included in a School Wellness Policy?
- Nutrition education goals
- Physical activity goals
- Nutrition guidelines for all foods available on the school campus
- Ways for parents, students, school administrators, the school board, the school food authority and the general public to get involved in developing and evaluating the wellness policy
- Other school-based activities designed to promote student wellness
- Plans for evaluating the school wellness policy
What Your PTA Can Do
- To learn about your school district's wellness policy, contact your district office and ask to speak to the person responsible for overseeing the policy's implementation and evaluation.
- Find out what the next steps in the district's plan are. What upcoming activities are planned for implementation and evaluation? Does your school or district have a wellness council or similar group? Is the PTA represented?
- Find out whether any parents are involved in the process of implementing and evaluating the policy. (Remember, parent participation is a right and requirement under the new law.) Work with the school district to find a way for your PTA to get involved.
For more information:
National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity, Model School Wellness Policies
Action for Healthy Kids, Wellness Policy Tool