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Posts tagged Consumers
Haryana consumers to get power bill on SMS
Mar 7th
Chandigarh: Electricity consumers in Haryana can now get information about their power bills through an SMS, a state power distribution agency spokesman said.
"The electricity consumers may give their mobile telephone numbers to the meter reader in their respective area when he comes to take the reading. As and when the consumers provide mobile phone numbers, they would start getting the SMSs," the spokesman of the Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (DHBVN) said.
The Nigam has already received mobile telephone numbers of over 200,000 consumers who have started getting information relating to bills, he said.
"The Nigam has already started sending information of electricity bills to its consumers through SMS also after successfully integrating the facility with DHBVN's billing data base," he said.
"The SMS would include amount and due date of payment and would be in addition to the hard copy of the bill. Consumers would get three SMSs, first to intimate about amount and due date of payment of the bill, second to remind them 48 hours before the due date of payment of bill and third after receiving payment of the bill to intimate the receipt of payment," he added.
The SMS bill facility has been started in 13 computerized sub-divisions of the DHBVN.
From www.siliconindia.com
Imaging Consumers Prefer Cameras: NPD
Feb 21st
Tweet Imaging Consumers Prefer Cameras: NPD By Greg Tarr — TWICE, 2/21/2011 PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y. – A recent consumer study conducted by The NPD Group found that despite the growth of mobile phones with built-in cameras, the dedicated camera remains the image-capture device of choice by most consumers.
The finding was part of the market research company's December 2010 Imaging Confluence Study, which said that digital still cameras account for the largest percentage of photos taken, at 51 percent.
The mobile phone followed in second place, at 42 percent.
"Demographics play a factor in which device consumers choose for image capture," the report states. "Thirteento 17-year-olds reported taking 54 percent of their photos with a mobile phone and 36 percent with a camera, while mothers reported taking 40 percent of their photos with a mobile phone and 55 percent with a camera."
As more devices are capable of both still and video capture, the usage pattern for video also skews towards cameras, NPD said. The amount of video recorded by mobile phones and digital cameras was nearly evenly split, at 35 percent phone/34 percent camera.
Only 27 percent of video was reported being recorded on either a traditional or pocket camcorder, NPD said.
Ease of use, long battery life and ease to carry appeared as the most important features consumers are looking for in their next photo-capture device. All three are supported by smartphones.
Other popular features in dedicated cameras include high-quality photos in low-light environments, optical zoom capability and fast response time after pushing the shutter button.
"Mobile phones have allowed more people to capture spontaneous images and videos on the go. With increasingly better quality and the immediate gratification of instant sharing, the imaging industry benefits with more widespread enjoyment of photos and videos," said Liz Cutting, NPD senior imaging analyst and executive director. "But the future for dedicated cameras is bright, as their dual purpose of still and video capture opens the eyes of consumers to multimedia memories. Imaging marketers should capitalize on the need for better and more creative editing, sharing, archival and printing."
From www.twice.com
Bulgaria Consumers Rally against Mobile Operators Weak
Feb 21st
The rallies will be held every month until concrete measures, defending the interests of consumers, are adopted, organizers said. Photo by Sofia Photo Agency
Only a dozen people turned up at a rally in Sofia to protest against what they see as unfair and unfavorable practices of the Bulgarian mobile phone and telecommunications companies.
The protest was organized by two consumer rights structures – the Associations of Telecommunications and Internet Users and Active Consumers Association.
The rally was much smaller than expected as over hundreds of people had supported the cause in Facebook. The procession started at the St. Alexander Nevsky cathedral and culminated at the building of the Communications Regulation Commission.
The protesters declared themselves against several business practices of the Bulgarian mobile phone companies – M-Tel, Globul, and Vivacom. These include the automatic extension of subscription contracts, and large sanctions when contracts are terminated.
The two consumer associations insist on the creation of an ethical code of the mobile phone operations and new legislation to create a consumer board to "discipline" the companies.
They also slammed M-Tel, Globul, and Vivacom for sending automatic Text Messages with promotions and offers at any time of the day or night.
The rallies will be held every month until concrete measures, defending the interests of consumers, are adopted, organizers said.
From www.novinite.com
Astral to target outdoor ads to specific consumers
Feb 17th
Astral Media Inc. ACM.A-T is launching an outdoor advertising service that can target the interests and buying habits of a neighbourhood, in a strategic move that's expected to help increase revenues.
The service uses available consumer data from Statistics Canada, lifestyle and consumer surveys as well as postal codes for its geo-targetting, Astral said Thursday.
More related to this story
- Astral tries to derail Cogeco acquisition
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- Astral to launch mobile apps for radio
Astral Media (ACM.A-T) Add to Watchlist
That means putting the outdoor ads – on billboards, transit shelters, street benches, columns – to reach specific groups of consumers in specific places.
"You're really able to pinpoint the key areas where people, live, work, shop and play," said Philippe Rene, senior director of research at the Astral Out-of-Home advertising division.
Rene said the technology that Astral is using can take specific consumer information, including habits and consumption, and put it on a map with a "high degree of precision."
The technology, for example, would allow an airline to geographically target consumers with ads who want to vacation in the Caribbean or Mexico, he said. A bank could advertise mortgage rates to prospective home buyers in a specific neighbourhood.
It would allow an imported beer company to pinpoint key areas where consumers who drink imported beer live and where they're most likely to spend their time, he added.
Rene said the service, called MARK, will help Astral increase revenues in its outdoor business division. "Definitely, we can win accounts based on this technology. So if we look at it this way, it contributes to our growth."
Targeted ads based on people's interests and demographics are already a staple on the Internet and it's also being done on TV and on mobile phones.
Montreal's Cogeco Cable CCA-T has announced it will test different ads for different TV viewers with a trial on Hamilton's independent CHCH television station this year.
New wireless company Wind Mobile will let its customers receive rewards and discounts by opting into its targeted advertising on their mobile phones early this year.
Pattison Outdoor Advertising, a rival to Astral, said it offers digital advertising designed to reach targeted audience demographics.
Astral said consumers' privacy will be respected and names and identities are not used to design targeted ad campaigns.
Astral Out-of-Home, a division of Astral Media, is one of Canada's leading outdoor advertising companies. Astral operates more than 100 of the country's most popular pay and specialty television, radio, out-of-home advertising and digital media properties.
From www.theglobeandmail.com
Consumers complain about mobile service quality
Feb 17th
VietNamNet Bridge – mobile phone subscribers are not only disturbed by advertisement SMSs, but also when a they are woken up at night just because service providers inform them that the money left in their accounts is 28,000 dong.
Lap, a subscriber of MobiFone complaines that every day since January he has been receiving two messages from the operator informing him how much money is left in his account. The worst thing is that these messages are always sent at midnight when he is deep asleep.
"Sometimes the messages are sent at 3 am", said Lap. All say the same" "The money left n your account is 28,000 VND…" and "You have just added three messages to your SMS account…".
"I have reported the problem to MobiFone, but until yesterday nothing has changed", says Lap.
some subscribers of Viettel also complain they often receive the operators' messages at inappropriate times.
Thinh, a customer at Viettel, said that three months ago, he downloaded eight songs to his mobile phone. When a song was successfully downloaded, he received three messages. And when the time-limit for these songs ended, another three messages was sent to his mobile phone to inform him.
Thinh's mobile phone even broke down once when it received 24 messages at a time. The messages came at 12 pm when he was taking a nap. This continued on the following day and annoyed me very much", he adds.
Thuy, a Vietnamobile subscriber, complains that she receives about 15 advertisements a week. Though she found it very troublesome, she does not use the block-message service,afraid that she would miss some important ones.
Viettel's representative said that Viettel has received complaints from its customers about messages sent at inappropriate times. "Every time we receive complaints from consumers, we check the system and fix the problem".
As for Lap's case, Mobifone says that they have checked and solved the problem already. "We made an apology to the customer", said one of the managersof MobiFone.
A Viettel customer, Long, complaines that he had been charged a roaming fee to China during his trip to Phanxipan Mount, despite the fact that he hadn't left Vietnamese territory.
When he climbed to the mountain top, he discovered that the domestic mobile phone signal was intermittent while the foreign mobile operator's signal – China Unicom – was very strong. Long's mobile phone was set on the automatic roaming mode, so it caught the signal of China Unicom, instead of Viettel or other domestic Operators.
Long noticed this, but he ignored it since he was still on Vietnamese territory and couldn't be charged roaming fee.
After the trip, Long received a message from Viettel i that his roaming fee to China was 20,000 dong. Although surprised and annoyed, but since the charge was not high,he decided not to complain to the mobile service provider. He said: "Lucky for me, I just received short phone calls. If I kept boasting about getting to Phanxipan's top, I would have died because of thei phone bill now".
A source f information from Viettel explained that for some kinds of cell phones, foreign mobile phone signal is stronger than domestic ones. If the phone is set on the roaming mode, it will automatically catch the stronger signal.
From english.vietnamnet.vn
Consumers Group Pushes for Rules to Stop Cell Phone Bill Shock
Feb 13th
Washington, D.C. – infoZine – Consumers Union, the nonprofit publisher of Consumer Reports, today filed comments with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) in support of its proposed rules to stop cell phone "bill shock" – the growing problem of customers hit by unexpected charges on their wireless bills.
Consumers Union's submission included signatures from more than 47,000 people who back the FCC's proposal to require wireless companies to notify customers before they exceed their limits on minutes, text, and data.
Parul P. Desai, policy counsel for Consumers Union, said some industry groups have dismissed the proposed rules as unnecessary. She countered that some carriers do not offer reliable tools for consumers to keep up with their limits, and the current efforts of carriers have clearly not limited the experience of "bill shock" among customers.
"Consumers Union believes consumers will benefit most from consistent, industry-wide rules, and thousands of consumers agree," Desai said. "Consumers cannot rely on voluntary industry codes to protect them from experiencing 'bill shock.' The FCC should implement mandatory, enforceable rules."
Among the consumer stories submitted by Consumers Union was one from a Maryland man who was hit with a $4,000 wireless bill after his daughter studied abroad in England, even though he took steps to ensure that she limited her phone use and was on an international plan. He said the carrier T-Mobile did not alert them that the real-time information on the data charges would be delayed, and the carrier provided no warning that he was building up a large bill.
Consumer Reports recently polled more than 58,000 readers and found 1 in 5 respondents had received a much higher-than-expected cell phone bill in the past year. Among those consumers who reported "bill shock," half of them were hit with least $50 in overage charges, and one in five was hit with more than $100 in overage charges.
Related infoZine Cell Phone Bill Shock Article
Crackdown Urged on Cell Phone "Bill Shock" in FCC Comments
From www.infozine.com
Wireless operators wise up to smart phones' appeal among mainstream consumers
Feb 4th
Ron Rakow had a cell phone but never owned a smart phone until a holiday promotion at U.S. Cellular caught his eye. He took the plunge in late December.
"It's a computer," Rakow, 44, of Mount Prospect, said of his new HTC Desire. "I was thinking of going home and canceling my Internet service."
Rakow recently went to a workshop at a U.S. Cellular store in Rolling Meadows to get more comfortable with his phone and learn how to customize it. During the free one-on-one session, store employees walked him through using a navigation application, setting up a screen of speed-dial contacts and downloading an app that syncs with Apple's iTunes on his home computer.
"This is a smart phone for dumb people," Rakow joked.
Four years after Apple's iPhone showed the world the potential of a powerful, fun-to-use mobile computer, wireless operators are looking to bring smart phones to consumers outside of the early adopter crowd.
At stake is the growing pot of data revenue that smart phones generate. Wireless data revenues totaled $46 billion in 2010, up from $41.5 billion in 2009 and $32.3 billion in 2008, according to data collected by industry association CTIA.
At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas early last month, T-Mobile Chief Executive Philipp Humm said smart phone penetration in the U.S. is just 31 percent of mobile consumers, leaving a wide playing field for carriers.
But catering to the mainstream requires different strategies than those used to woo early adopters, who are willing to pay premium prices and work out the kinks of a new product. Carriers are now offering smart phones at lower price points. These devices may lack the full processing power of the priciest gadgets, but they are positioned as entry-level products for younger users or customers who may be upgrading to a smart phone for the first time.
"Affordability is really critical to making sure we get market penetration," Humm said at CES. Last year, T-Mobile launched four Android smart phones priced under $100 and introduced a $10 monthly data plan.
The growth potential for smart phone adoption is big. Research firm In-Stat released a report last week predicting that more than 50 percent of U.S. handset shipments will be smart phones by 2012. The 2010 percentage was 42.7 percent, a figure representing future sales to new and existing smart phone users.
"Prices have gone down for the data plans; they're becoming more affordable," said Allen Nogee, principal analyst at In-Stat. "Certainly the phone prices have dropped a whole lot. The operators are really pushing to have more volume."
Demand for smart phones has also caught the attention of prepaid carriers, which in the last few years have been shedding their image of catering only to budget-conscious consumers or those with bad credit. Operators such as Virgin Mobile and Cricket Wireless have introduced Android smart phones and are offering competitively priced data packages without contracts.
"Within the prepaid space, you really are seeing what I would call a second wave of smart phone users now moving in," said Bob Stohrer, vice president of corporate marketing at Sprint, which owns Virgin Mobile. "Those people … weren't early adopters and have been standing on the sidelines for a while, but now recognize that smart phones and the ways that people can connect have fundamentally changed."
At Virgin Mobile, the $249.99 Samsung Intercept represents about 20 percent of the operator's sales mix, Stohrer said, upending the traditional belief in the prepaid industry that customers would balk at handsets priced above $99.
Prepaid carriers historically have offered lower phone subsidies than their postpaid rivals, but no-contract subscribers are showing a willingness to pay more for sophisticated devices — a dynamic that is boosting these companies' ability to compete for smart phone users.
Cricket Wireless, for example, inaugurated its smart phone portfolio with the BlackBerry Curve in August and followed with two Android devices, including the Huawei Ascend, which costs $159.99. By the end of 2010, 9 percent of Cricket's 5.3 million customers owned a smart phone.
"We saw that the demographic for prepaid and the demographic for smart phones was really a mass-market, value-driven demographic, much different than it was a few years ago," said Matt Stoiber, Cricket's vice president of devices. "We drove down a path of working directly with (manufacturers) in Asia to find the backside of the curve on price point."
Traditional carriers are refining their pricing strategy for monthly data plans. Last year, AT&T replaced its $30 unlimited option with a two-tiered system where consumers can pay $15 for 200 megabytes or $25 for two gigabytes. Sprint is sticking with an unlimited offering, but now the carrier is charging new and upgrading smart phone users an extra $10 per month.
"There is a great debate going on whether you need unlimited or you sell megabytes and gigabytes," said Carol Damit, director of advertising for Verizon Wireless in the Midwest. "Everyone is feeling their way through it."
Carriers say today's mobile phone shoppers are savvier about comparing the full cost of owning a device, from the handset price to overage charges and early termination fees. Consumers are also honing their preferences for operating systems, touch screen versus a physical keyboard and other features. David Owens, vice president of consumer acquisitions at Sprint, said "the sophistication of the user" is a major factor for operators as they drive smart phone adoption in the mainstream.
Consumers "are not going to walk in and for $50 less, buy something that's not going to fit their needs," Owens said.
Verizon installs speed brakes
On the day the iPhone went on sale for Verizon Wireless customers, the carrier delivered a warning to its heaviest data users: Verizon reserves the right to slow your access speed.
For the subscribers that fall within the top 5 percent of the network's data users, Verizon said it may reduce their download speeds for the current and subsequent billing cycles. The company said the slowdown would most likely be periodic and during peak hours.
"Our proactive management of the Verizon Wireless network is designed to ensure that the remaining 95 percent of data customers aren't negatively affected by the inordinate data consumption of just a few users," Verizon said Thursday.
The new throttling option will only apply to customers who sign new contracts on or after Thursday; existing customers are grandfathered in and won't have the speed brakes applied.
From www.chicagotribune.com
Handset upgrades keep consumers buying
Jan 31st
The global mobile phone market grew 17.9 percent in the fourth quarter of 2010 as consumers ditched their old phones and opted for one of the many new affordable smartphones appearing in the market.
"Mobile phone users are eager to swap out older devices for ones that handle data as well as voice, which is driving growth and replacement cycles," said Kevin Restivo, senior research analyst with IDC's Worldwide Mobile Phone Tracker.
Device shipments rose to 401.4 million units in 2010′s fourth quarter, up from 2009′s fourth quarter figures of around 340.5 million shipments.
In the western world there is a strong consumer movement towards smartphones, but in emerging markets low-cost feature phone makers such as China's ZTE are seeing their piece of the pie expand.
ZTE leapfrogged over handset makers such as Motorola, Sony Ericsson and Research in Motion (RIM) to claim the number 4 position worldwide for the first time during the quarter – but analysts with IDC are not sure how long the company will retain its current position.
"Change-up among the number four and five vendors could be a regular occurrence this year," said Ramon Llamas, senior research analyst with IDC's Mobile Devices Technology and Trends team in a report released January 27.
"Motorola, Research In Motion, and Sony Ericsson, all vendors with a tight focus on the fast-growing smartphone market who had ranked among the top five worldwide vendors during 2010 are well within striking distance to move back into the top five list."
Consumers in the market for a new mobile phone will continue to be seduced by the extra features found on smartphones in the years to come says IDC. This trend will boost smartphone submarket shipments by 43.7 percent year over year in 2011.
In the Asia-Pacific region low-cost feature phones and high-end smartphones flew off the shelves. Smartphones were exceedingly popular in Korea, accounting for two-thirds of phones shipped during the fourth quarter of 2010.
The iPhone 4 HTC Desire, Nokia N8, Samsung Galaxy S and BlackBerry 8520 were Western Europe's top-selling handsets.
Apple and RIM lead the mobile phone market in the United States while smartphones from Nokia RIM, Samsung and Huawei helped boost the current social networking and messaging trends in Latin America.
Top Five Mobile Phone Vendors and their global market share in 4Q10
1. Nokia – 30.8%
2. Samsung – 20.1%
3. LG Electronics – 7.6%
5. Apple – 4.0%
Others – 33.2%
From www.independent.co.uk
New Mobile Phones 2011 are like boon to consumers
Jan 10th
New Mobile Phones 2011 are like boon to consumers Written by Aliks George Monday, 10 January 2011 09:10
Some of the best giving from technology are mobile phones. Earlier, handsets were less capable and could not performed various tasks. But now, technology has made them more capable to accomplish most of the works in a skillfull manner with ease and comfort. Nowadays, so many capable mobile phones are easily available in market and which help to a large extent. Out of those, you can go for any of choice. In case, you are not interested in those then go for latest mobile phones.
If reports are to be believed then new coming soon mobile phones 2011 are more capable than previously launched handset as well as can be wore as fashion accessories. In fact, mobile phones 2011 promise great efficiency and performance. You will feel delighted to know that latest mobile phones 2011 would easily be available with lucrative mobile phone deals. According to rumours, all the most-prominent network companies of UK including vodafone, virgin, orange, o2, three and t-mobile would offer such phones at competitive price. You just need to pick deal of choice that suits your needs and budget better.
To lock Upcoming Phones 2011 in a convenient manner, you do not need to do anything big except pay a visit to market and ask retailer or dealer. You can also take help from online portals. Both the modes have their own pros and cons. So, you should go for best per your convenience. We tell that market dealing is tiring and troublesome. Possibly, you might get in traffic jam on roads. In case, you do not want experience such practice then online shopping is the best mode for you.
For online shopping, you do not need to come out of home. Just switch on computer from home or office and order with simple clicks of mouse. After placing order, you do not need to wait for long time as their delivery system is fast and you gets delivery as soon as possible.
Aliks George is a business writer specialization in Telecoms and has written qualitative several articles. This article is about New Phones 2011 and Mobile Phone Deals.
Last Updated on Monday, 10 January 2011 22:48
Unproven economic models hurting Canadian consumers
Dec 31st
The Public Interest Advocacy Centre (PIAC) has concluded that the consumer benefits promised by the major incumbent telcos and the government have not arrived. As well, the CRTC's failure to use traditional procedural rules, such as cross-examination, has resulted in consumers being shut out of the regulatory process.
The PIAC, an Ottawa-based consumer organization, claims in its 218-page report, "Waiting for the Dream, The Consumer Brief for Telecom Reform 2010", that the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) has used "questionably low thresholds for competition" in exercising forbearance.
As a result, ordinary consumers are still not getting the benefits promised to them by industry competition. In particular, consumers have received few benefits from the policy decision in December 2006 by then Industry Minister Maxime Bernier that ordered the CRTC to use market forces to the maximum extent possible, and ensure that regulation was minimally intrusive.
PIAC's report principally recommends that "policy makers and the regulator stop trying to make decisions based on untested economic theories and make sure that markets actually work for consumers".
Not only did the report conclude that Canada has had a mediocre performance in broadband and wireless, the deregulation of cable and satellite services from deregulation of basic service has delivered the opposite effect to consumers that one would have expected from competitive markets.
PIAC's report recommends that the government rescind the Policy Direction of December 2006, and establish a licensing regime for all carriers with codes of conduct in place for all licensees. It also recommends reforms to the CRTC operations, including the establishment of more powers and resources recommended by the Government's Policy Review Panel Report of 2006.
The results promised at the time, including lower local telephone rates, have failed to materialize, the report says. The report does not advocate a return to regulation in the telecommunications industry. Rather, it recommends the government allow foreign competition and more liberal rules for small market players.
Three new wireless services have recently launched in Canada, Wind, Mobilicity and Public Mobile, but PIAC claims that none has captured any substantial share of the market. This view counters recent reports that, in fact, the wireless start-ups are hitting the incumbents hard, having picked up one-third of all new cellphone subscribers.
Mobilicity claims to have already gained 50,000 wireless subscribers in the quarter, with Wind Mobile chairman Anthony Lacavera claiming his company would be "well north of 200,000" subscribers by the end of 2010. Overall, analysts estimate that by the end of this quarter Wind will have grown by 75,000 subscribers, Mobilicity by 70,000, Public Mobile by 40,000.
Stakeholder interest has affected pricing and service landscape
In addition to encouraging more competition, the report suggests mandatory licensing for all phone companies with appropriate codes of conduct and meaningful enforcement.
The report says the average monthly cellphone cost in Canada, including voice, text and data, is C$67.50, compared with C$59.99 in the United States and C$32.40 in the United Kingdom. In Europe, there are also ceilings on roaming charges when mobile phone users travel from country to country.
However, one could argue that some progress has been made: Telus's broadband internet service, which starts at C$22 a month, is about half the price of what dial-up service cost 10 years ago. Wireless can start at C$20 a month.
The report concludes that the failure of the regulatory reform of the last two decades to deliver the goods for ordinary residential consumers is not one that has its roots in theory, but in practice. Here, the interests of powerful stakeholders have affected the service landscape.
In the same way that incumbent players used their political and economic influence and regulatory capture to get their way in the monopoly era of regulation, the winners have used the market-based system to their advantage, the report says. As a result, neither regulation nor deregulation will help if the decision making process is skewed by conditions and assumptions that favour some stakeholders over others.
Most importantly, says PIAC, the governance and regulation of the telecommunications industry in Canada must respond to results. For the most part, the restructuring of telecommunications has been guided by untested economic theories, largely provided by experts engaged by the largest stakeholders. The relatively poor performance of telecommunications service for ordinary consumers should have long ago engendered a review of the regulatory framework and market structure that is producing the same. In the last five years, the only acknowledged measure of success has been how fast telecommunications services have been deregulated, with predictable market results.
The solution – new models
According to PIAC, the solution is not a return to old regulation but new models. First of all, there are a variety of consumer issues associated with basic rights for information, quality of service, security of service, disconnections, privacy etc. that should be met by all carriers whether they are incumbent or not. Basic service, obligations to serve, complaints resolution, and burdens of service in uneconomic areas have to be in place for all players. The best way to ensure that this occurs is for mandatory licensing for all carriers, with appropriate codes of conduct and enforcement with meaningful force in the form of administrative monetary penalties. The Telecommunications Act should be amended to reflect these improvements.
The report argues that the CRTC has never examined whether the interests of users remain protected by competition in forborne markets where the evidence seems otherwise (BDUs and Internet). While incumbent providers are continually agitating for change where the results are not favourable to their interests, consumers have had no such opportunity.
As a result, PIAC concludes that the Policy Direction is an impediment to achieving fair, balanced, results-based regulation and should be rescinded. The sections of the TPR Report recommending the primacy of market forces are, at least in practice, problematic for fixing real market consumer problems. As well, there should be no winnowing down of the objectives in the Telecommunications Act, rather a clarification of their importance in relation to the specific powers of the CRTC.
While the report is in favour of efforts at liberalization of foreign ownership telecommunications rules for new entrants or small market players, it also warns that it is no solution to all consumer problems particularly those associated with quality of service. As well, current merger rules should be tightened to prevent any competitive benefits from flowing away from Canadian consumers.
Finally, the report endorses the recommendations of the TPR Report in terms of improving the research and professionalism of the CRTC. It also notes the importance of the adjudicative function of the Commission and recommends the use of traditional procedural rules such as cross-examination where the facts and issues at stake warrant. Public participation in telecommunications policy making requires more structural support by the regulator and the government. In broadcasting, there is a critical need to level the playing field for non-commercial public and consumer interests by resourcing representation at broadcasting hearings in a similar way to the practice in telecommunications.


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I am sorry if this is not appropriate here. We are building a wealth management system and I really would like to know whether amortization of bond start accumulating on trade date or settlement date according to common accounting standard. Thanks!
Global Investment Performance Standards state that bond amortization performance evaluation starts on trade date rather than settlement date.
On the attached see 1.A.5 which states:

subset: commoncrawl


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How do you find the point for a circle and find the radius when $x^2$ has a co-efficient?
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For an equation of the form $$ax^2 + by^2 = c^2$$ unless $a = b$, you do not have a circle, but rather, an ellipse.
If $a = b$, then you do have a circle, and you can rewrite your equation as $$x^2 + y^2 = \left(\frac ca\right)^2\tag{1}$$
In this case $(1)$, the center of the circle is the origin, and the radius is $\dfrac ca$.
In general, the equation of a circle with center $(x_0, y_0)$ and radius $r$ is given by:$$(x- x_0)^2 + (y-y_0)^2 = r^2$$


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ET Bureau; Sagar Malviya At Kumbh Mela, the largest congregation on earth where all big marketers are vying to sell their wares and boost their brands, one promotion that stands out is Hindustan Unilever's 'Roti Reminder' for its Lifebuoy soap brand, ET reports. The country's largest consumer products firm, along with creative agency Ogilvy, has partnered more than 100 dhabas and hotels at the mela site to serve rotis that are stamped with "Lifebuoy se haath dhoye kya?" (Have you washed your hand with Lifebuoy?).
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Buddies Without Borders
The mission of BWB is to promote:
- Building friendships through common interests
- Working together
- Bridging different cultures
BWB fosters friendship among international students and American students. Buddies are paired based on similar interests. Buddies have fun and bond together through many different activities, such as playing sports and games, learning how to cook different types of food, listening to music, watching movies, etc.
The benefits of BWB:
- You can participate in the Leadership Certificate program (click here for more information)
- Cultural exchange
- Conversation
- Friendship
Contact Info
Thuy Nguyen, OISS
Gillissen Green, OISS
Rachel Seely, ESL
Curt Kenoyer, MUB


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Shoguns and Samurai
Central Japan is a region of tall mountain ranges and fast-flowing rivers. It wasn't until recently that roads reached the remoter villages, and today many remain remarkably well-preserved, and evocative of centuries past. Our journey takes us through Japanese history from modern Tokyo, known as Edo during Japan's period of rule by the Shoguns, to end near Kyoto, Japan's capital for 400 years and the repository of much of the countries cultural heritage. From Tokyo we head first to Yudanaka Onsen hot spring where the famous "snow monkeys" come to enjoy the natural hot spring baths just like humans. In feudal times people traveling from Kyoto to Tokyo would use the Nakasendo way – the road through the central mountains – one of a network of ancient highways. We will visit one of the best preserved sections in the Kiso Valley, where the lovely villages of Tsumago and Magome have been immaculately restored.
Itinerary Details:
Day 1 – Tokyo
Meet at Narita International Airport and transfer to Tokyo. In the evening there will be a welcome dinner at a city restaurant.
Accommodation: Hotel (4*)
Day 2 – Tokyo
Our first full day in Japan will be spent on a walking tour of Tokyo, visiting the elegant Ginza shopping district and the grand Meiji shrine. In the evening your tour leader will be on hand to help you with ordering dinner.
Accommodation: Hotel (4*)
Day 3 – Obuse & Yudanaka Hot Spring
We will travel this morning to Obuse in Nagano Prefecture north-west of Tokyo. The small, attractive town of Obuse was where the artist Hokusai, famous for his ukiyo-e woodblock prints, lived towards the end of his life. We will visit the Hokusai-kan, a museum where many of his works are on display. We will also visit Masuichi-Ichimura Saké Brewery, where we will have the opportunity to eat their famous chestnut rice for lunch. Afterwards, we will make the short journey to Yudanaka Onsen, a hot spring village famous for its 'snow monkeys'. The Japanese macaques originally came here to warm themselves in the outdoor hot spring bath during the cold winters, and now come all year round.
Day 4 Matsumoto & Narai Post Town
We will travel first to the city of Matsumoto to see its beautiful castle, built in the 16th century. After lunch we continue to the Kiso valley and the small town of Narai, an atmospheric example of a post-town on the ancient Nakasendo way between Kyoto and Tokyo. There are many well-preserved houses and former inns. Our accommodation will be an Edo-period house converted into a minshuku.
Accommodation: Minshuku (family run Japanese inn)
Day 5 Tsumago & Magome Post Towns
After breakfast, there will be time to wander the beautiful streets of Narai. The village is a good place to buy lacquer ware and woodcrafts, made from Japanese 'hinoki' (which resembles cypress) and zelkova. A train journey followed by a 10-minute bus ride will take us to the small town of Tsumago. Another of the post-towns on the former Nakasendo trail, Tsumago has been preserved by strict self-imposed rules that prohibit the sale, rental or destruction of the handsome houses. It's a living museum, but one which is still inhabited by the local residents. We will wander the streets, tasting gohei-mochi, skewered balls of pounded sticky rice covered in a sweet paste of miso, sesame and walnuts. There will be time to visit the folk museum, with exhibits on the old Nakasendo trail and the village.
From here, the trail winds its way over the Magome Pass to the neighbouring town of Magome. For those wishing to, there will be the opportunity for some lovely walking along the ancient trail. We will arrive in time to check in to our minshuku, family run Japanese inn.
Accommodation: Minshuku (family run Japanese inn)
Day 6 Transfer to Takayama
After breakfast, we will stroll through Magome and then transfer to Takayama. Takayama was formally an enclave for skilled carpenters working for the imperial courts in Kyoto and Nara. It has retained much of its traditional architecture and is well-known for its crafts, particularly yew-wood carving, Shunkei lacquerware, pottery and furniture. After arriving at the ryokan, there may be time to explore the surrounding areas. Relax in a hotspring bath before dinner. In the evening we will try the local Hida beef and perhaps some locally-brewed saké.
Accommodation: Ryokan (Japanese inn)
Day 7 Takayama
Today we will have a full day in Takayama. We will explore the San-machi area with its rows of old merchant houses, some open as museums. In the morning there will be an opportunity to visit the morning market. In the afternoon there will be free time to wander the old town and hunt for souvenirs or perhaps see some of the museums, such as the Takayama Matsuri Yatai Kaikan (Takayama Festival Floats Exhibition Hall), which displays some of the huge, elaborate floats used for the Takayama Festival, famous as one of the three most beautiful festivals of Japan. Admission also allows entrance to Sakurayama Nikko Kan, which houses a scale model of the Toshogu Shrine in Nikko, built over a period of 15 years almost a century ago.
Accommodation: Ryokan (Japanese inn)
Day 8 Shirakawa-go
In the morning, we will visit Takayama Jinya, a local governor's office during the Edo period. There once were more than 60 similar buildings in Japan, however Takayama Jinya is the only one left today. After lunch, we transfer to Shirakawa-go.
North-west of Takayama is the village of Ogimachi, within the Shirakawa-go area of the Sho-kawa valley. The village is home to a large number of gassho-zukuri houses, and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1995. These large wooden houses have steep thatched roofs designed to withstand heavy snow, and the term gassho-zukuri refers to the shape of praying hands formed by the roofs. Inside, the houses could accommodate large extended families of up to sixty people.
Accommodation: Minshuku (family run Japanese inn)
Day 9 Transfer to Kyoto
We will leave the mountains today, travelling by bus to Kanazawa and then by train to Kyoto. We will check into our accommodation, a comfortable modern hotel in central Kyoto.
In the evening we will take a walk through the Gion district famous for its many ryotei (exclusive private restaurants) and the geiko (full-fledged geisha) or maiko (apprentice geisha). We will also visit the Sanjo-ohashi Bridge, the western end of the Nakasendo Trail. Luggage sent from Takayama will be waiting at the hotel.
Accommodation: Hotel (4*)
Day 10 – Kyoto
There will be a half-day walking tour this morning. We will visit the famous Kinkaku-ji, also known as the Golden Pavilion, originally built by the Ashikaga Shogun in the 14th century as a place of contemplation and rest. From there, we will visit Ryoan-ji, with its famous rock garden of raked gravel and fifteen moss-covered boulders. It is not possible to see all fifteen boulders at once from any place in the garden. It is said that if you can see all fifteen, you have achieved enlightenment. There will be free time in the afternoon so you can explore the area further or shop for crafts.
Accommodation: Hotel (4*)
Day 11 - Nara - Day Trip from Kyoto
The ancient city of Nara, which preceded Kyoto as Japan's capital from 710 to 784, is one hour south of Kyoto by train. We will visit Todai-ji temple, with its bronze statue of Buddha. The temple is said to be the largest wooden structure in the world. Next we will visit the old merchant district of Nara-machi with its narrow streets, shops, cafes and restaurants, or we may instead walk along the back road from Todai-ji to Kasuga Taisha Shrine. Return to Kyoto in the evening.
Accommodation: Hotel (4*)
Day 12 - Mount Koya
We will transfer to Osaka by a local train then travel along the scenic Nankai Railway Line to Mount Koya, a bowl-shaped valley filled with stands of cedar trees 900 metres up in the mountains of the Kii Peninsula. Since the 9th century, when the priest Kukai (also known as Kobo Daishi) founded the first temple and the shingon sect of Buddhism, Mount Koya has been a place of religious devotion and ceremony. Today there are more than 100 monasteries, many of which have shukubo (temple lodgings). We will stay in one of the elegant temples, run by the monks, and dine on shojin-ryori (Buddhist vegetarian cuisine). There will be a guided walk through the vast Okuno-in cemetery, with thousands of graves and memorials to feudal lords and other past luminaries.
Accommodation: Shukubo (temple lodging)
Day 13 - Tokyo
This morning you will have the opportunity to get up early (6am!) to join in the Buddhist service at the temple. After breakfast we will check-out and return to Tokyo via Osaka. There will be a farewell dinner in the evening.
Accommodation: Hotel (4*)
Day 14 - Tour Ends
The tour will end today after breakfast. Your guide will be on hand to offer assistance and advice for travelling to the airport if you have homeward flights.
Tour Accommodation:
We have chosen each accommodation carefully for their comfort, service and personal service. On several nights we use Japanese-style accommodation with shared bathrooms and toilets. These generally have separate male and female bathing areas. Couples or those traveling together will have their own room, while single travelers may be asked to share with another member of the group (same gender only).
Tokyo, Kyoto, Nara : Western style hotels.
Obuse, Narai, Magome, Shirakawa-go Takayama: Japanese inns (ryokan and minshuku)
Mount Koya: Buddhist temple.
Please note that single rooms are normally only available in hotels – where a single room supplement may apply. Single travelers may be asked to share a room (same gender) in Obuse, Narai, Magome, Takayama and Mount Koya.
To make sure you get the most
of your Japan experience, Japan Road tours offer a wide
variety of Japanese cuisine to enjoy. You will have the chance
to eat local specialties in small Japanese diners and sample
some of the more 'refined' Japanese cuisine.
All breakfasts and 10 evening meals are included in the tour price.
Lunches and 3 evening meals in Tokyo, Kyoto and Nara are not included for reasons of choice and convenience, but your tour leader will be available to help with recommendations and ordering.
Tour Guidance:
Full time services of a Japanese and English speaking tour leader.
This 14 day tour begins and ends in Japan.
If you have any questions or if you are ready
to make a reservation please Contact
Us or call at +1-248-747-4048
Tour schedules are subject to change.
If any changes should be made it will be done in the best interest of the travelers.
Japan Roads will at all times aim to offer you the most interesting tour possible.
Dates 2016
March 27 to April 9 (full)
May 8 to 21 (full)
July 17 to 30
October 16 to 29
November 6 to 19
The above dates are subject to change
Price 2016
per person.
Tour price includes all transportation between destinations, accommodation, entrance fees, full-time services of tour leader, all breakfasts and 10 evening meals. Single supplement is US$ 560.
"We want to commend Mari Ohara in the highest terms possible. She said "Yes, of course!" to every request anyone made and followed through. You couldn't possibly have come up with a better ambassador of Japanese culture than Mari. It was a terrific trip. The food, the variety of sites, the pace: everything was superb. Hats off to everyone involved, and, again, thanks especially to Mari-san for sharing her love of Japan with us."
D. Kirby, Tallahassee, USA
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In Europe, employee representation at the board level is ubiquitous. Unionization is the norm, and workers routinely have some say in how companies conduct business. Here in the U.S., rank and file employees rarely get a seat at the table. Is it possible to change this situation on a personal level? Is there a way to influence the board, even if you aren't a majority shareholder? What actions might you take to make a difference?
Influence Comes with Credibility
The first place to start in influencing the board is connecting with board members, and the first step is by investing in your company. You are not going to try to force change by purchasing a controlling interest in the company, but becoming a shareholder is critical to have any kind of conversation.
Read Your Proxy Statement!
Even a small investment will ensure that you have a vote on major decisions and about who gets to be on the board of directors. You'll receive a proxy statement and be permitted to attend the annual shareholder's meeting. Read the proxy statement in full to understand the company as seen from the perspective of other stock owners. Go to the annual meeting and use it as an opportunity to speak with shareholders one-on-one. Since the people who actually bother to attend these meetings tend to be the movers and shakers, you'll find yourself in good company.
As you interact with other stockholders, keep the following tips in mind:
- Watch and learn so you fully understand the way shareholder meetings work before you chime in.
- Be aware that the boardroom is no place for airing personal grievances.
- Don't use this venue to ambush upper management or the CEO with awkward questions, accusations, or complaints.
Consider Bringing a Resolution
Once you have owned $2000 in company stock for at least a year, you have the right to bring a resolution before the board and put it to a vote. Before you do this, take the time to make alliances. When you discuss changes that need to occur, focus the conversation on the things other shareholders care about such as increased productivity and profitability. You need to be viewed as an insider who can offer valuable perspective on ways to increase the effectiveness of the business.
In the Stimulus Consulting paper 'Employees as Shareholders?' Simon Telfer lists the five key things that matter to employees vs. stockholders. In his experience, there is no overlap at all for these two interest groups. That needs to change if you want to influence the board. You must have a goal in mind that is bigger than advancing your own career over the short term. Gather research and statistics to support any argument you make in favor of organizational, policy, or procedural changes.
While it might still appear like a monumental task to feel like you can make a change, if you want to influence the board, always remember that dividends speak louder than words.


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Verna Ritzert, 61, of Erie and a former Manhattan resident died Wednesday, September 25, at Labette Health in Parsons. Among her survivors is her husband, Dale Ritzert, of the home.
Complete obituary details and funeral arrangements will be announced by the Pierce-Carson-Wall Funeral Home of Parsons. Online condolences may be left at http://www.wallfuneralservices.com
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On March 4th, 2014, Kevin McCullough of the American Family Association blamed Vladimir Putin's decision to seize Ukraine's Crimean peninsula, not on the instability of the region or a possible belief in restoring the Soviet Union to its former glory, but on a drag show fundraiser on a US military base in Okinawa.
The event in question was held by six military servicemen at the Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa to raise money for OutServe-SLDN, a non-profit that supports the military's LGBT community, which exceeded the organizers' expectations. Initially, expectations were that they would sell 75 tickets; they ended up selling 400.
Needless to say, McCullough, who last came to this column's attention for trying to equate choice with promiscuity, was greatly displeased by this and eager to pin some kind of blame on it.
According to McCullough, Putin feels he can "get away" with his invasion of Crimea "because of what he has seen disintegrate culturally right in front of everybody's eyes in the US" as well as "the sissification of our military."
"Putin looks at the US and we're having drag shows on our bases," he continued. "Do developments like this have anything to do with making our military leaders look less impressive in the eyes of the world? For instance, does Mr. Putin sit there and go, 'Yeah, I'm not going to do anything Obama says because number one, he can't keep his word, and number two, your military is now having drag shows on its bases.'"
Given that Putin also invaded South Ossetia before the repeal of the DADT policy, that seems unlikely.
McCollough's insistence that a gay-tolerant military is less threatening could just as easily be flipped in reverse as well. After all, how threatening is a military full of uptight homophobes who will refuse to fight until everyone in their platoon has been thoroughly checked for signs of gayness?


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In this "PicFolio", Ben uses his senses to find the most striking moments of beauty in his surroundings. Ben Griessmeyer is a Performing Artist and Photographer currently living in Provincetown, MA. Born in Wisconsin, he grew up amidst the golden sandy dunes of his hometown Sheboygan and is continually inspired by the landscape and light of Cape Cod.
Comment posted.
ipanther says
Beautiful colors and shots, as varied as Life In Provincetown. Look forward to the rest of it.
posted at 09:44AM Apr 20 PST
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|Weekly SEO news: 31 August 2010
| Welcome to the latest issue of the Search Engine Facts newsletter.
Google has been granted a new patent some days ago. The patent can give us further insight on how Google judges the influence of the links to your site on your Google rankings.
In the news: Google's John Mueller talks about duplicate content and Google's terms of service, there might be another Google algorithm update and more.
Table of contents:
We hope that you enjoy this newsletter and that it helps you to get more out of your website. Please pass this newsletter on to your friends.
|1. New Google patent: how to judge the value of a link
Google has been granted a new patent with the name "Determining quality of linked documents" some days ago. The patent might give us further insight on how Google judges the influence of a link on the search engine positions of a web page.
What is the patent about?
How does Google limit the value of a link?
How can Google recognize affiliated web pages?
What does this mean for your website rankings?
If you haven't done it yet, download our SEO software tool IBP now and optimize the links to your website as well as the content of your pages. IBP's Top 10 Optimizer is based on Google's latest ranking algorithm and it tells you what is needed to get high rankings on Google with the current algorithm.
|2. Search engine news and articles of the week
Google's John Mueller: how to prevent duplicate content
|3. Success stories
"Our results are more consistent and higher."
|4. Previous articles
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- Please use the buttons at the bottom of this page to inform your friends about the information above.
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Curious correlations seen by CMS
Sep 23, 2010 16 comments
A subtle and unexpected signal in data from the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Geneva could mean that the proton accelerator is capable of creating a "hot soup" of interacting particles called a quark–gluon plasma.
The result comes as a surprise because physicists had believed that colliding protons at the LHC should not create such a plasma – hints of which have already been spotted by the RHIC accelerator in the US, which smashes heavy ions such as gold together.
Hundreds of particles
When two protons collide at 7 TeV at the LHC, hundreds of particles can sometimes be produced and detected. In order to understand the underlying physics, physicists look for correlations between the angles at which pairs of particles fly away from the point of impact.
Researchers using the Compact Muon Solenoid (CMS) experiment at the LHC had expected that a plot of the correlations would show a peak where the angles are zero, which would mean that the particles are leaving the collision point in a jet pointing in a specific direction. Instead, the peak seems to be riding on top of a ridge-like structure. This suggests that some particles are heading off in completely different directions – and correlations between pairs of these wayward particles are set by some sort of interaction between the particles when they were created in the collision.
One possible interpretation of the ridge is that the collision creates a dense fluid of many quarks and gluons – a quark–gluon plasma – which then condenses to produce the detected particles. The collective motion of the plasma could be transferred to the particles, resulting in the mysterious correlations. The problem with this explanation is that protons in the LHC shouldn't create such a plasma.
New physics?
Another possibility is that CMS has caught sight of a hitherto unknown collective process that occurs when protons collide – something that would require a significant revision of our understanding of such collisions.
"Now we need more data to analyse fully what's going on, and to take our first steps into the vast landscape of new physics we hope the LHC will open up," said CMS spokesperson Guido Tonelli.
The exact nature of the quark–gluon plasma is of great interest to physicists because the universe is believed to have been such a hot soup shortly after the Big Bang.
The results are described in a preprint on the arXiv server.
About the author
Hamish Johnston is editor of physicsworld.com


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Christmas in Newport, Rhode Island | 30 Days of Holiday Magic
The Breakers, Cornelius Vanderbilt II's 138,300-square-foot tribute to excess, is dripping with Christmas trees, garlands, and giant kissing balls made of poinsettias. And in case you missed the point, there's gold everywhere. It's hard to say what's more eye-catching: the 50×50-foot Great Hall; the 3,500-pound bronze Tiffany lamp over the billiard table; the 12-foot Baccarat crystal chandeliers in the formal dining room; or the mansion's namesake, the dark sea breaking beyond the expanse of lawn and a spectacular 30-foot drop to the water.
In the ballroom at The Elms, a brass quartet is playing "Amazing Grace" in the shadow of a floor-to-ceiling white poinsettia tree. Once on the brink of being demolished, this relatively modest 1901 mansion makes a luscious impression with delicate shades of white, cream, and beige, and a conservatory that was the garden room in Newport back then. After a day of blowing winter cold, the palms are a heady sight, and the steamy scent of lilies in December is intoxicating.
But it's time to hit the road back to the 21st century, fortified by a weekend of warm comfort for cold travelers. In this town that celebrates giving for an entire month, it's easy to conjure up Jimmy Stewart, stumbling through the ruins of Pottersville, finding his way back to the true meaning of Christmas. Or that young Dickens hero, Tiny Tim, whose words communicate our shared yearning for community. It's here. It's waiting. And we can create it. We're all important, "every one."
Roots of Newport's Christmas
It started as a movement toward simplicity. In the early 1970s, local resident Ruth Myers wanted to get away from the commercialism of Christmas. At a time when bright multicolored lights and street-spanning garlands dominated, her idea was to light the town with clear bulbs, simulating candlelight. And so a small committee gathered and the idea for Christmas in Newport was born.
Today, 1,500 volunteers help this nonprofit organization raise thousands of dollars for a variety of charities. And although the event has far outstripped its humble origins, its essential guidelines remain profoundly simple: Calendar events must be traditional, noncommercial, and oriented around the holiday. Programs are free of charge or benefit a nonprofit or charity. And Newport's merchants and homeowners still uphold the tradition of decorating with simple white lights.
For seasonal events, check the Christmas in Newport calendar: 401-849-6454; christmasinnewport.org
More about Newport: Touro Synagogue
Newport is famous for its hospitality. Join Yankee as we take in the sights and tour this charming waterfront city, where Colonial history meets Gilded Age elegance. Here are a few of our favorite stops along the way. For more information on lodging, dining, shopping, and area activities, contact the Newport County Convention and Visitors' Bureau: 800-976-5122; gonewport.com


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March 10, 2014 12:55 pm
Los Angeles isn't always a place of crunchy granola vibes and wheatgrass shots. Ford Image's Ashleigh portrays the city in a more sterile light for the newest Bergdorf Goodman magazine. Photographed by Gregory Harris and styled by Lori Messerschmitt, a robotic Ashleigh roams the metropolis collecting data on the town's less trafficked areas. This is a high-fashion terminator infinitely cooler than Arnold Schwarzenegger's.
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Things to see and do - Austria
Leaving for Austria
Austria :
Where to go?
Where to sleep?
Austria Hotel tips
Hotel Schloss Kassegg from61 €Book
Hotel Fahrnberger from126 €Book
Alpenhotel Ensmann from68 €Book
Austria Leisure tips
Danube Valley Day Trip from Vienna
- 74.0 €
- Book
The Original Sound of Music Tour in Salzburg
- 42.0 €
- Book
Vienna Mozart Concert at the Musikverein
- 49.0 €
- Book
Practical A to Z
Practical A to Z
- Eating out
- Electricity
- Embassies and consulates
- Health
- Money
- Post
- Public holidays
- Shopping
- Telephone
Eating out
Opening hours
Lunch is traditionally served from noon to 2pm and dinner from 6pm, but many establishments serve hot meals all day long.
A full meal will generally start with a soup, followed by a main course made up of boiled, breaded or roast meat, served with a salad or baked fruit, such as cranberries with game. To finish, try one of Austria's famous pastries and wash it all down with one of the local fruit brandies.
The voltage in Austria is 220V and plugs are standard two-pin continental plugs, so you will probably need an adaptor. You will also need an adaptor if you want to hook up your laptop to the internet, because the telephone wiring and plugs are also different. Hotels often have a few of these cables for use by guests.
Embassies and consulates
British Embassy – Jauresgasse 12, 1030 Vienna – t 01 716 130 – http://ukinaustria.fco.gov.uk/en/
Irish Embassy – Rotenturmstrasse 16-18, 5th Floor, 1010 Vienna – t 01 715 4246 – email@example.com
Also see Know before you go.
Universal European emergency number: t 112.
Fire brigade: t 122. Police: t 133. Ambulance: t 144. Emergency doctor: t 141.
When chemists are closed, the name and addresses of out-of-hours chemists nearby are posted on the window.
The currency of Austria is the Euro.
Banks / exchange
Banks are open Monday to Friday from 8am to 12.30pm and from 1.30 to 3pm (5.30pm on Thursdays).
Credit cards and traveller's cheques
Credit cards are used widely and there is no shortage of ATMs. A few rare guesthouses do however request that payment be made in cash.
Euro zone residents should note that bank charges for withdrawals and payments are identical to those in their country of origin.
Budget / Cost of living
The cost of living in Austria is roughly equivalent to that of the United Kingdom and Ireland.
Hotels are relatively expensive (around €70-80 for a comfortable double room in a tourist town), but more economical solutions do exist, such as youth hostels, bed and breakfasts and rentals of private apartments.
Allow between €15-30 per meal in a medium-range restaurant.
Visits to a castle or major museum will cost between €6 and 12.
Post offices are open Monday to Friday from 8am to noon and 2 to 6pm and sometimes from 8 to 10am on Saturdays. In large cities, the main post office branches and those in stations operate longer opening hours. A standard letter or postcard to an EU country costs €0.55.
Public holidays
1 January
6 January – Epiphany
Easter Monday
1 May
Ascension Day –Forty days after Easter Monday
Whit Monday
Corpus Christi – moveable feast
15 August – Assumption Day
26 October – National holiday
1 November – All Saints Day
8 December –Immaculate Conception
25 and 26 December
Shops are open Monday to Friday from 6am to 7.30pm (5pm on Saturdays). In many tourist districts and major cities, the shops stay open until 9pm on weekdays and 6pm on Saturdays.
Calling Austria froma abroad
00 + 43 (country code for Austria) + area code without the 0 + number of the person.
Calling home from Austria
00 + country code. For the United Kingdom: 44; for Ireland: 353.
National calls
Dial a 0 before the area code if you are calling from another region of Austria. Within the same region, it is not necessary to dial the area code.
The number of digits in telephone numbers is variable: public services have shortened numbers while other subscribers have 7-digit numbers.


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The heavily disguised mule featured in these spy shots from Northern Sweden is the new Kia K9, a new sedan based on the same rear wheel drive platform of the Hyundai Genesis that some people on the internet call 'the South Korean answer to the Maserati Quattroporte'. That's a bit of an exaggeration, isn't it? Still, the next flagship for the Korean manufacturer will come with an engine line-up that does sound quite promising: a 3.8-litre V6 delivering 333 hp, a 4.6-litre V8 delivering 385 hp and also a 5.0-litre V8 producing 429 hp. The V8 units will be available in North America only while a diesel powertrain is also in the works to rise more interest among European motorists. The new K9 will come with a standard 8-speed automatic transmission, but a 10-speed gearbox option is also being developed.
Rumor has it that the car will eventually adopt the name 'Opirus' and will complete Kia's three-box line up that features the Forte (C-segment), Optima/K5 (D-segment) and Cadenza/K7 (E-segment). Aesthetically, this car seams to bear some resemblance with the GT Concept we had seen at the latest Frankfurt Motor Show (see gallery below), while the headlights seem to be using full-Led technology. Kia K9/Oprusl is expected to debut by the end of the current year.
View the full Kia K9 spy shots photo gallery
View the full Kia GT Concept at the 2011 Frankfurt Motor Show photo gallery


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What is the best way to masturebate
kgb answers » Health & Body » Health & Fitness » What is the best way to masturebate
Tag: pillow
Thursday, February 02 2012
Source: http://www.mademan.com/mm/5-best-ways-masturbate.html
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Student Home
Employee Home
Women's Basketball Guard Named All-American
Grant Funds Health Care Career Training at Cambridge Campus
Music Faculty Anderson Elected President-Elect of MN Music Educators Association
College Offers Free Suicide Prevention Workshop April 29
College Presents Reading/Discussion with Author Scott Wrobel, April 23
College Contributes $327 Million, 3,235 Jobs to Regional Economy
Anoka-Ramsey Women's Basketball Team Wins Region XIIIA Championship
Open Houses: April 2 and 4
College Offers Minnesota Manufacturing and 21st Century Career Paths Discussion, April 17
Kent Hanson Named President of Anoka-Ramsey Community College
Cambridge Campus Student Newspaper Wins Top Award
College Invites Public to Attend Anti-Science: A Challenge to Modern Science, March 7
College proudly presents The Last Night of Ballyhoo Feb. 28 - March 3
Anoka-Ramsey Provides Free, Public Screening of Latina Film, Quita Mitos, March 5
College Annual Scholardazzle Fundraiser Sets New Fundraising Record
Theatre Students Gain Experience/Distinctions at Largest Region Theatre Festival
Cast Announced for College Production of Last Night of Ballyhoo, Feb. 28 – March 3
College Presents Free, Public Discussion with Penumbra Theater, Feb. 27
Public Invited to Ceramics Workshops at College, Feb. 13 and Feb 25
Need a Good Laugh? Urinetown Playing at College, Feb. 8 – 16
Three Semifinalists for President of Anoka-Ramsey Community College and Anoka Technical College Named
Scholardazzle Jan. 25 Offers Opportunity to Support Community
Three College Faculty Members Earn State Arts Grants
Join College for Candlelight Ski Feb. 2
College Invites Public to Music Building Grand Opening, Jan. 14
Support Higher Education in the Community: Attend or Support Scholardazzle Scholarship Fundraiser, Jan. 25
Cast Announced for Winter Musical
The Board of Trustees of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system today appointed Kent Hanson to be the president of Anoka-Ramsey Community College and Anoka Technical College.
Steven Rosenstone, Chancellor of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system, said, "Kent is a passionate educator who is excited and energized by the potential of these aligned colleges. At both Riverland and Northland Community and Technical College, he proved himself to be a naturally skilled leader committed to student success and the mission of community and technical colleges. He is clearly the right person at the right time for the Anoka colleges."
Clarence Hightower, chair of the MnSCU Board of Trustees, said, "Anoka-Ramsey Community College and Anoka Technical College both play vital roles in meeting the workforce needs of the Twin Cities as well as greater Minnesota. I am pleased that we have such a skilled administrator ready to become the next leader of these outstanding institutions."
Kent Hanson has served as interim president of Riverland Community College since August, 2012. Prior to Riverland, Hanson served nine years as provost and vice president for academic and student affairs at Northland Community and Technical College. His previous experience also includes 12 years at Northwest Technical College, where he served as radiology program director from 1991-99 and health and human services dean from 1999-2003. He holds a bachelor's degree in Psychology and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of North Dakota, and a master's degree in Human Resource Administration from Central Michigan University.
Hanson said, "The role that community and technical colleges play in improving the lives of our students and meeting the needs of the state is more important than ever. It will be a true privilege to work with the faculty, staff, and students as we fulfill this vital role."
Anoka Technical College and Anoka-Ramsey Community College were officially aligned July 1, 2011 and together the institutions (three campuses) serve more than 16,000 learners – the largest community and technical college entity in Minnesota. Anoka Technical College offers more than 35 career programs including certificates, diplomas and associate in applied science degrees designed to lead immediately to rewarding, in-demand careers. Anoka-Ramsey Community College, with campuses in Cambridge and Coon Rapids, MN provides liberal arts and transfer programs, as well as career-track programs and offers more than 100 certificate and degree programs.


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For the latest entry into this hallowed franchise, Irrational Games step away from Rapture, and introduce an all-new hero who must go on a mission to a city high above clouds, to the floating city of Columbia
Want your very own commercial and a trip to SPIKE's Guy's Choice Awards 2013?!
Want your very own commercial and a trip to SPIKE's Guy's Choice Awards 2013?! The search is on for the most Veteran-friendly small business in America.
What came before Marcus and Delta Squad, the Horde and Jancinto, and Adam and Azura? Judgment. The latest entry into the series serves as a prequel to the three other games, and shows players some of the events that lead up to the original Gears of War.
Yooo! Attention to all you Dish Network Customers out there: All of our favorite SPIKE shows, Bellator MMA, Bar Rescue, Ink Master, etc., are making a REALLY big move. Don't worry, all you need to remember is 241...
Our good friends over at GameTrailers are very proud to announce the launch of their own free App on Xbox LIVE, which is available now for download via the Xbox Live Marketplace! This is serious, people.
All Access Weekly heads down to Austin, TX for SXSW 2013! Katie gets up close and gory with the cast of the new Evil Dead and we take an early look at Nasa's new way of checking out a galaxy far, far away.
Dhani heads to South By Southwest Interactive, to see what kinds of digital innovations are on the horizon and what they'll mean for sports.
Just when you thought that there wasn't anyone or anything left for Kratos to kill, he went and found some more.
All Access Weekly heads down to Austin, TX for SXSW 2013! Katie sits down with Steve Carell, Jim Carrey and Olivia Wilde from The Incredible Burt Wonderstone and we find out how Marvel plans to add a soundtrack to your favorite comics.


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Joined IHG® Rewards Club at a Hotel?
Joining is easy and free
Earn points at over 4,700 hotels
Redeem points for free rooms and more
Contact your local IHG® Rewards Club Customer Care to source your PIN and to update your profile with your email address. When you receive your PIN you can also update your email address via www.ihg.com/updateemail.
Reward Nights
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Once you complete your Reward Night reservation you will be given the option to duplicate this reservation.
* Requires affiliation in the respective organization.
** Best Available Rate Search does not include affiliation rates.
To book more than 9 rooms for one stay or request a quote, please use our Easy Meetings tool, call 1-800-MEETING (in United States, Mexico and Canada) or contact a Global Sales Office.
The 28-storey Holiday Inn Suzhou Jasmine pierces the skyline over Suzhou city centre. You can marvel at city panoramas from your homely, welcoming Guest room, or upgrade to relax in the top-floor Executive Lounge. CRH fast trains accelerate to Shanghai from Suzhou rail station in 28 minutes, and flights span China from Wuxi Airport, 23km away.
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You can use our complimentary car park and drive to your meetings at IBM and Siemens, 20 minutes away. Business parks are nearby, like Suzhou Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone, 3km away, and China-Singapore Suzhou Industrial Park, 6km away. You can catch up after working hours with complimentary wireless Internet in appointed public areas.
Find Holiday Inn Suzhou Jasmine in the heart of the Shilu commercial district with its international shopping malls and electronics markets. There are old city gems to explore like the 1,100-year-old Shan Tang Old Street which runs alongside the ancient canal, 1km away, and Tiger Hill with its towering Cloud Rock Pagoda, 7km away.
Business guests mingle with colleagues over local Tsingtao Beer and coffee in the relaxed Lobby bar at Holiday Inn Suzhou Jasmine. Work up an appetite in our Fitness Centre before dining on stir-fried crab and braised pork knuckle at 6th-floor Tulip Cafe's buffet.
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Torchbearer Award
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IHG® Rewards Club Excellence Award
Service above and beyond the call of duty is a matter of pride to the IHG® Rewards Club family of brands. The IHG® Rewards Club Excellence Award is significant because the award recognizes hotels that are consistently delivering benefits and recognition to our top customers - IHG® Rewards Club members.


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Craig Nelson Yeast
Position: WR
Height: 5-7 Weight: 165 lbs.
Born: November 20, 1976 in Danville, KY
High School: Harrodsburg
College: Kentucky (school history) (Yeast college stats)
Drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 4th round (98th overall) of the 1999 NFL Draft.
Weighted Career AV (100-95-...): 4 (9949th overall since 1950)
Other SR Links: College Football at Sports-Reference.com
Output includes all passing, rushing, and receiving plays.See all Craig Yeast Super Bowl plays using the Super Bowl Play Finder


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With the hills covered in pale green, it is hard to even imagine that Southern California is a desert. The trees are covered with pale emerald new leaves and the artificially irrigated landscapes never looked better. Even the commuters seem to be in a better mood, perhaps because tax season is over.
Spring transforms Southern California from one of the best places to live in the world to a virtual paradise. The cold 50 degree weather is all but gone, and the 100 degree weather has not arrived yet. Off the coast, the Pacific Ocean is teaming with life as the whales make their annual trek from Alaska. Even the beaches are teaming with surfers who are trying to decide whether to wear their shorty wet suits or not.
The sun is not so intense that it is pleasant to take a walk and for the most part, the smog gets blown away. Yes, the sky is really blue. With some moisture in the air and an occasional cloud, the sunsets are spectacular as the sun glistens off the top of the waves, and sinks slowly into the evening. Bugs are virtually non-existent and air conditioning is an open window to let the cool ocean breezes flow through. California dream'n is our reality.
Spring eventually fades into summer. The hills dry out and all the bright colors fade in the hot sun. Beaches become littered with hot pink people who haven't seen the sun all winter, and California returns to being only one of the best places to live on earth.


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How important are communication skills and interpersonal skills within the workforce?
Interpersonal skills relates to the ability to work in teams, negotiate effectively and serve clients. It also includes active listening, delegating information and demonstrating leadership qualities among many other skills. Many top business personnel believe that leadership is directly related to interpersonal skills because it focuses to strengthen business relationships through increasing trust. I believe this is really important because effective leaders need the trust and support of their employees to conduct business efficiently. Workers that believe in their management generally tend to have positive morale which results in them being more passionate towards their duties.
I have worked for individual's that have had very poor people skills. These leaders lacked communication skills, the ability to delegate jobs, and were very sloppy when serving customers. This portrayed unprofessional conduct in the workplace and to clients. For instance, I worked for a construction company and my superior asked me to build footing for a framing project. I started the footing process and later discovered that I did not line up the dimensions with the pins. The boss did not clearly communicate how to do the job properly, which ended up costing us money to redo it.
If my boss had utilized the communication model below, the message would have been sent and decoded by myself correctly. My boss is the sender, his message was for me to build footing for the framing process, the communication medium was correct as we conversed in person; however, I failed to decode his message because no feedback was sent to make sure I was on the same page as him.
(Image provided by: home.ubalt.edu)
Oral communication is a critical skill to possess as it is needed to land a job during the interview process as well as in general life. In order to communicate correctly and effectively one must try to deter noise and utilize the correct medium to communicate. Many organizations look for individuals with strong communication and interpersonal skills when recruiting individuals into their companies.


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I found a great weight training book. It is entitled "Strength Training Anatomy" and it was written by Frederic Delavier. It was $20 and Barnes and Nobles.
What a great book. It has each type of weight lifting exercise broken up into chapters. For example, chapter one is Arms, 2 is Shoulders, 3 is chest, 4 is back and so on. Then each chapter has each individual exercise broken down on its own page or two with a drawing depicting the muscles the movement isolates and the proper stance and posture for the lift. It goes into a good amount of detail and is easy to use and understand even for someone who has not been weight training for their whole lives.
Last night was my back and chest night and with all the new lifts I did with this book as an example, I am sore all over tonight. I mean It really feels like I was beat up. But, that is great because that means I tore the muscles down and they are rebuilding now.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in getting into weight training and for anyone who has been doing it for a while. It is a good book to have if you lift.
Find the book HERE


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Sirius XM Holdings Inc. (SIRI)
Industry: Consumer Services
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Sirius XM Radio (SIRI)
Q1 2009 Earnings Call
May 7, 2009 8:00 am ET
Paul Blalock - Senior Vice President Investor Relations
David J. Frear - Executive Vice President, Chief Financial Officer
James E. Meyer - President, Operations and Sales
Scott A. Greenstein - President, Chief Content Officer
Mel Karmazin - Chief Executive Officer
David Bank - RBC Capital Markets
Murray Arenson - Janco Partners
Jim Goss - Barrington Research
Previous Statements by SIRI
» SIRIUS XM Radio Q2 2009 Earnings Call Transcript
» SIRIUS XM Radio Q4 2008 Earnings Call Transcript
» Sirius Satellite Radio Inc. Q3 2008 Earnings Call Transcript
Paul Blalock
Thank you, Sarah. Good morning, everyone and welcome to SIRIUS XM Radio's earnings conference call. Today Mel Karmazin, our CEO, will be joined by Jim Meyer, President, Operations and Sales; Scott Greenstein, President and Chief Content Officer; and David Frear, our EVP and CFO. They will review SIRIUS XM's first quarter 2009 financial results and at the conclusion of our prepared remark, management will be glad to take your questions.
First I would like to remind everyone that certain statements made during this call might be forward-looking as that term is defined in the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These and all forward-looking statements are based on management's current beliefs and expectations and necessarily depend upon assumptions, data or methods that may be incorrect or imprecise. Such forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially. For information about those risks and uncertainties, please see SIRIUS XM's SEC filings. We caution listeners not to rely unduly on forward-looking statements and disclaim any intent or obligation to update them.
As we began, I would also like to caution our listeners that today's results may and will include discussions of both actual results and pro forma results. Listeners should take special care to ensure accuracy in looking at today's report.
I'll now hand the call over to David Frear.
David J. Frear
Thanks, Paul. SIRIUS XM's second full quarter as a combined company demonstrates continued and substantial progress in improving our financial results, despite the myriad of macro challenges confronting every consumer-facing discretionary business. The satellite radio business model, low variable costs and high contribution margin, combined with improved fixed cost, has clearly proven itself and you will see in our results that our team is delivering on the merger synergies we've outlined.
Most of the results I will discuss today will be based on portfolio combined company figures without purchase price accounting adjustments, which we believe represents the best way to observe the core trends underlying the business. And as you will see from our financial results, the cost savings we have been able to achieve are quite strong.
Top line revenue rose approximately 5%, or $27 million, versus the same period a year ago to $605 million, primarily driven by a 6% growth in average subscribers. Ad revenue fell 30% to $12 million from $18 million in the first quarter of 2008, reflecting an awful ad spending environment.
The slight decline in ARPU, under 1%, was entirely due to lower advertising revenue per subscriber, but it was partially offset with revenue from our best of programming plans.
For the second time, SIRIUS XM delivered positive adjusted income from operations, which we refer to as adjusted EBITDA, reaching $109 million compared to a negative $70 million in the first quarter of 2008, and nearly 3.5 times the $32 million we reported just one quarter ago. The company's adjusted EBITDA improved by nearly $180 million on a $27 million increase in revenue, driven by cash operating expense improvements of 23% versus the first quarter of 2008, resulting in lower cash operating expenses of approximately $152 million.
While some of this cash expense reduction is from lower subscriber acquisition costs associated with lower gross additions, we also improved SAC per gross addition by 26% and accelerated our cuts in fixed costs which were down 25% in the quarter.
With the exception of revenue share and royalties, every expense line item used in calculating adjusted EBITDA declined from the prior year. Satellite and transmission declined 23%, programming declined 10%, sales and marketing was down 35%, G&A down 32%, and engineering costs down 48%.
SAC, as reported on the income statement, was $84 million, down 48% year over year. Of the $78 million reduction versus the prior year, approximately $50 million was due to lower gross adds and approximately $20 million was due to greater unit efficiencies as SAC per gross add declined 26% to $61.
The improvement was driven primarily by efficiency gains in our OEM channel where we saw improved economics arising from cheaper integrated head units and improving supply chain inventories, as well as higher inventory reserves taken in the year-ago period in the retail sector.
We also continue to see improvements in customer service and billing, with a 7% improvement to $1.06 per subscriber per month.
Summing up the financials, revenue improved $27 million, contribution margin improved by $26 million, pre-SAC EBITDA improved by $94 million, as we reduced fixed costs, and adjusted EBITDA improved by $179 million, taking us from a negative 12% margin in Q108 to a positive 18% margin in the first quarter of '09.
Consolidated net loss improved 73% to a $63 million loss compared to $233 million a year ago.
Read the rest of this transcript for free on seekingalpha.com


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Happy New Year!
Ok so I am a little behind in saying Happy New Year (smile)
However remember in the realm of Spirit, time does not exist. OK, so back to the point.
It's 2014 and I have a question for you.
How many of your New Year's resolutions our right on target?
How many of them did you set and are keeping up with and doing just as you said you would?
You know it's interesting that a lot of times we set these New Year's resolutions with the highest of hopes of and the most sincere of intentions. We plan to lose that weight, to stop smoking, to eat better, to get more rest, to take more vacations, to work less hours, and to spend more time with family and friends, etc.
And yet each year as the list of resolutions are set and the new year rolls around and moves on through the days, weeks, and months, we realize that like last year and the year before that and the year before that our New Year's resolutions have faded into quiet dissolution, despite our promise to ourselves that this year would be different.
But why is it that when each New Year comes, nothing is dramatically different; if different at all? Why with each passing year is it the same old thing?
The short answer…Clarity of purpose.
All too often when we set these New Year's resolutions we are not clear on why we are setting the resolution. I mean, yes we know that we have the intent to be healthier and yet behind that intent we lack the clarity of what that truly means. For example, if I say to you that I intend to live a healthier life but I give you no specifics as to what I mean by that, you are left to make your own assumptions.
In your mind a healthier lifestyle could simply mean more exercise, eat less take out or fast food, and maybe increase the amount of vacation time each year. However, when I sit down and truly think about what it means to live a healthier life, what I realize that I mean is establishing a stronger spiritual practice, consume greater quantities of fruits and vegetables while decreasing the amount of sugar and sodium. I could also mean increasing the amount of the daily exercise or daily physical activity by walking a mile each morning, while also making sure to meditate twice a day.
Your view and my view are not so different as to be comparing apples and oranges, however, in setting a clear intention that is to be the impetus behind life changing transformation, I must be crystal clear; vague intentions produce vague results. As metaphysicians we know that the Universe will give precisely what we give to It. Set a vague resolution or one weak in power and I will see that same energy demonstrated in my life. This is partly what "Without vision the people perish" is speaking about. The farmer must be crystal clear as to what crops he will plant. Each type of crop has different needs. If he is not clear and says he will plant fruit and having set that intention plants apples, when under deeper investigation he wanted to plant grapes, what will he reap? He will reap perfectly what he intended, apples despite the fact that what he truly wanted was grapes!
To have a truly life changing New Year's resolution, you must choose to be "resolute" with your intentions; meaning you must be clear in mind and clear of focus and from that place you will demonstrate the needed energy to shift and manifest the conditions to make those resolutions manifest as intended.
Still your mind and formulate what you desire in your mind's eye. Get clear and know exactly what your intention looks like, sounds like, feels like, smells like, and what it tastes like. This is a full sensory experience – That's clarity!
With that type of clarity your intention will manifest as so ordered.
Like Robin Hood or Legolas from The Lord of the Rings (if you prefer him over Robin Hood), draw your arrow from the quiver. Carefully and with skill, take aim. With target firmly set in your sights, release the arrow, allowing it to fly precisely where you aimed it! You know full well that once released you cannot control how it flies and so you also emotionally and mentally release it and are able to trust. You trust what you know. Your target set, the arrow will reach its mark; in like fashion, your intentions, when set in mind and released into the Universal Mind, and put into action, will manifest and demonstrate precisely as the law of attraction dictates.
Blessings and much success to you this year!


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a few more hours to win Wooden Birds (ex-American Analog Set) ticketsMay 29th, 2009
You have a few more hours to win tickets to ipickmynose presents show, the Wooden Birds at the Rickshaw Stop this Sunday. The contest ends at noon.
To enter to win a pair of tickets to this show, email contest [at] ipickmynose [dot] com by 11:59am Friday May 29 with "Wooden Birds†in the subject line. The winner will be chosen at random from all that email in. I'll email the winners this afternoon.
The Wooden Birds – False Alarm (mp3)