text:
Netanyahu conundrum faces Iranian riddle
By Crispian Balmer
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has a simple message as he seeks a third term in office - he is a strong man and a vote for him at parliamentary elections on January 22 means Israel will be a powerful nation.
The Hebrew word for strong, "hazak", peppers the television adverts of his right-wing Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu party like a compulsive mantra and is smeared across the blue-and-white campaign posters that dominate billboards around the country.
Robust leadership is vital, Netanyahu says, to deal with his generation's biggest challenge - not the decades-old conflict with the Palestinians, but fears that Iran is bent on building an atomic bomb that could one day target the Jewish state.
"My priority, if I'm elected for a next term as prime minister, will be first to stop Iran from getting nuclear weapons," Netanyahu told a delegation of U.S. senators who visited him in Jerusalem on January 11.
"I am not on a Messianic mission, but I am on a mission to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons," Netanyahu said Monday in an interview with Israel's Channel 2 television.
Iran denies that its nuclear program is aimed at making bombs and says Israel, widely assumed to have the Middle East's only atomic arsenal, is the region's greatest menace.
Recent opinion polls suggest that Netanyahu will indeed be re-elected at the head of a coalition government. This means the Iranian issue, which has largely lain dormant since before the U.S. presidential election in November, will return to the fore.
In the diplomatic battle over Iran, Netanyahu, 63, portrays himself as an uncompromising tough guy, a former commando turned conservative hardliner, who will go it alone against Tehran if necessary to thwart what he sees as an existential threat. Continued...


text:
Free Shipping Promotion: Buy more items from the same series, product code beginning with HMS-, and you can get free shipping for an order of over $45.00 consisting of only HMS- series products. NOTE: Items with a product code not beginning with HMS- in the order will still be charged a shipping fee.
The Hampton Nautical Brass Telescope 30" is a true nautical gem that is both fully functional and beautifully decorative, adding a warm seafaring shine to any room it graces. The stand has an adjustable knob to change and hold a specific direction. Focusing is accomplished by adjusting the eyepiece ring on the telescope tube, with up to 15x magnification, and a solid brass cap is included to protect the lens when not in use.
The wooden tripod stand features smooth, polished round legs, each with solid brass fittings and a screw release to let you adjust the height. A solid brass chain holds the three wooden legs together so the telescope can maintain its position.
Dimensions: 14" L x 3" W x 30" H
If you want to:
6,000 + (and growing) factories in our existing network are eager to make it for you.
When it comes to selling in stock products, we are no difference from many other Internet retailers, but we take pride in going extra miles to do something special for you: Have some products custom made for you.
We cannot do everything, but we usually can accommodate a certain changes in product options such as color, size, material, or minor design twist. We primarily work with vendors or factories, not individual artist or craftsman. For custom made products, we usually only cater to bulk size order that meets the minimum quantity requirement of a single factory run. Don't be shy. Ask. What we can accomplish may surprise you!
Read this first: Copyrights & Trademarks

subset: commoncrawl


text:
"These cuts will be devastating to the U.S. military. We're still living off President Reagan's military buildup, but we've been engaged in war in Iraq and Afghanistan for more than 10 years," she said. "We have to have money to replace equipment whose attrition rate is higher than expected. Sequestration pretty much assures the money for resetting that equipment is not there."
Another potential casualty of the sequester, according to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, could be the entire European leg of the U.S. missile shield currently protecting Europe.Sponsored Ads
"There are already delays in the program and the plan doesn't really address the ballistic missile threat," Bendikova said. "The threat is growing, while the U.S. homeland would not be protected until 2017. The question is whether (current defenses) will be enough as the threat from Iran and North Korea progresses and advances."


text:
Join Now
Sign in
Remember me
Forgot your password?
Contact Us
Privacy & Security
Soccer America Daily
Soccer World Daily
Special Edition
Around The Net
Soccer Business Insider
College Soccer Reporter
Youth Soccer Reporter
Soccer on TV
Soccer America Classifieds
Game Report
Paul Gardner: SoccerTalk
Soccer America Confidential
Youth Soccer Insider
World Cup Watch
RSS Feeds
Manage Subscriptions
Order Current Issue
Manage My Subscription
Renew My Subscription
Gift Subscription
My Account
Join Now
Tournament Calendar
Camps & Academies
Soccer Glossary
Advanced Search
College Soccer Reporter
> Wednesday, Oct. 24, 2007
Wake Forest steamroller rolls on
by Paul Kennedy
There's no stopping Wake Forest. The No. 1 Demon Deacons beat Coastal Carolina, 5-0, on Tuesday night to give them five wins by a margin of 25-0 in their last five games -- 16-0 in the last three games, all on the road.
Read the whole story
Hokies extend unbeaten streak to 13 games
by Soccer America
[TUESDAY TOP 25 ACTION] Scott Dillie came off the bench and scored to give No. 8 Virginia Tech a 1-1 tie at No. 23 Duke. The draw extended the Hokies' unbeaten streak to 13 matches. In other Yop 25 action, German Yannick Reyering had his first career hat trick to lead ...
Read the whole story
CROWD COUNT: Men's Soccer's Attendance Leaders
by Soccer America
Seven NCAA Division I men's teams are averaging more than 2,500 fans per game. Only once before since the NCAA began keeping attendance records in 2000 have as many as four teams averaged 2,500 fans a game. For the Top 10 teams in average attendance ...
Read the whole story
NCAA Division I Men's Tuesday Results
by Soccer America
Navy is the 12th team in NCAA men's history to win 600 games thanks to a 2-1 victory at Longwood on Tuesday night. The Mids improved to 7-5-2 in 2007 with the victory and became the third team this season (joining Loyola, Md., and Indiana) to reach the 600-victory plateau. For ...
Read the whole story
NCAA Division I Women's Tuesday Results
by Soccer America
Georgetown picked up a critical Big East win with a 2-0 victory over visiting South Florida on goals by Sara Jordan and Stephanie Zare. The game was a makeup of a game called because of torrential rain earlier in the month in Tampa. For all Tuesday's scores ...
Read the whole story
Women's assist record smashed, point record tied
by Soccer America
[RECORD] Senior Ashley Fortune set an NCAA women's single-game record for assists with eight and scored four times to equal the NCAA Division I single-game mark for total points (16) in Francis Marion's 14-0 win over Howard on Sunday.
Read the whole story
Men's & Women's Small College Rankings
by Soccer America
There was only one change in the 1-2 positions in the NSCAA/adidas rankings for NCAA Division II and III men and women. Amherst dropped from No. 2 to No. 12 in the Division III men's rankings after falling to Wesleyan, 2-1, on Saturday. For all the Top 25 rankings ...
Read the whole story
Recent Most Read Stories
Soccer on TV
USMNT: Our 23 picks for the Gold Cup
MLS Closeup: Galaxy gives 'Made in LA' new meaning
Saief's switch to represent USA is approved by FIFA
Mbappe and the allure of Real Madrid
Subscribe to
College Soccer Reporter
Most Current News »
Previous Issues
Sunday, Dec 11, 2016
Monday, Dec 5, 2016
Saturday, Dec 3, 2016
Monday, Nov 28, 2016
Saturday, Nov 26, 2016
Monday, Nov 21, 2016
Saturday, Nov 19, 2016
Monday, Nov 14, 2016
Sunday, Nov 13, 2016
Monday, Nov 7, 2016
More Issues »
© 2014 Soccer America. All rights reserved.
145 Pipers Hill Road
Wilton, CT 06897 USA
tel. 347-762-2640, fax 917-591-3261
Contact Us
Terms & Conditions
Join Soccer America
Renew Subscription
Tournament Calendar
Soccer Glossary
Follow Us On


text:
Men and women may have both been created in God's image, but we all know that each gender brings a unique, endearing set of characteristics to a relationship.
A recent discussion in the Tobias and Sara Room on this topic boasts more than 700 views and 100 replies and has both men and women confessing what it is about the opposite sex that gets them every time. Here's a sample of some of the responses:
What women love about men
"Plain and simple, I like how they see things differently than I do – broadens my perspective and that's a good thing." –Laurie-523231
"I love how they are willing to hang pictures using a level and a hammer. No high heels necessary." –Careese-449851
"While I think I am pretty resourceful, I really appreciate when a man is willing to teach me how to do something (example fix something, sharing knowledge, etc.) rather than do it for me." –Kathie-430651
"Five o' clock shadows! I love a little scruff!" –Araecy-653293
"I love how they get embarrassed if you catch them crying." –Linda-624584
What men love about women
"Their encouragement when I need it." –Patrick-466954
"I like the simple elegance and beauty that they can bring just by walking into a room." –Jason-581074
"I like how they smell." –Ted-548403
"I like their intellect and chipper good mood!" –John-631631
"The many different ways they share God's love!" –Valentin-119637
So what is it that you love about the opposite sex? Whether it's lighthearted and heartfelt, let's hear it!


text:
We'll help you find the right solution for your needs
Does this sound like your topic?
Compare Lawsuits & Disputes attorneys near you. Read reviews, see Avvo Ratings, and contact them directly.
Tell us what kind of legal help you need and get quotes from local lawyers.
Tell us what kind of legal help you need and local available attorney will contact you.
Connect your case with local attorneys who are qualified to help you.
Every legal need is unique; describe yours and find a lawyer that fits you and your case.
Not yet reviewed
Avvo Rating: 8.8
I am a Member Williams Kastner. My practice focuses on general litigation with a primary emphasis on , product liability defense. I also represent municipalities on Civil Rights Section 1983 actions and premises liability, and insureds in automobi...
Practice areas: Lawsuits & Disputes, Personal Injury, Health Care, Litigation
If you make a big purchase and later decide you to return the item, what can you do if the store refuses to refund your money? You can file a lawsuit and proceed with litigation, but the process can be costly and time-consuming. The law provides several other methods to resolve disputes and all offer unique advantages. A lawyer who specializes in disputes reviews your paperwork and tells you what method will best serve your needs and budget.


text:
Costume Photos
Costume Information
|Cost :
|Awards :
|hasnt been entered in anything
|Time Taken :
|still in planning stages
|this cosplay is being done in october 08 at london mcm expo. a friend of mine persuded me to do this cosplay as i was going to be doing normal kite from the 1st .hack// serise. she may be soing azure balmung so all we need is azure orca. if anyone is willing to do it, please contact me via MSN.
firstname.lastname@example.com my msn if you wish to contact me.


text:
Home | Locations · Hours · Contact Us | Resources | About Us · Join · Careers
Thank you for your interest in Heartland Credit Union's home loans. We offer a variety of loans to meet your goals, whether you're purchasing your first home or your last one.
Current Rates Make a home loan payment
Track our home loans rates with RateTracker! We will send you an email when the rate or payment requested becomes available.
Ready to Apply? Contact Us
Need homeowners or renters insurance?
Heartland Credit Union • Madison, WI • 800.362.3944
Member-Owned Since 1936 • Privacy Notice • NMLS #421437


text:
A dominant force of the 20th century, Fordism derives from the name of American automobile mogul Henry Ford in the years prior to the First World War. Ford's use of the moving assembly line in 1913 unbelievably cut the assembly time for a complete Model T Ford chassis from over twelve hours to approximately one and a half.
Ford's development of mass production thus transformed the industrialized world by breaking production into countlessly small, unskilled steps. The result was lower costs and higher profits.
Designer, thinkers, and consumers began to consider the threats that standardization and conformity posed on individualism and self-expression. Aldous Huxley's apocalyptic vision of the industrialized world in Brave New World (1932,) Eugene Schumacher´s Small is Beautiful: A Study of Economics as if People Mattered (1973,) and Ivan Illich´s Tools for Conviviality (1973) represented varying reactions to Fordism. In the 1960s especially movements like the Pop, Postmodernism and Designmovements later challenged the corporate status quo.


text:
- Admissions
- Academics
- Research
- University Life
- Alumni
- About
Admissions & Info:
The Development Economics concentration is a more formal concentration within the Master of Arts in International Development. It was established jointly between the International Development Program and the Department of Economics and was designed to give students a strong grasp of economic theory as it pertains to development as well as a good background in quantitative analysis. Students can choose to enter this concentration once they are enrolled in their first semester and do not have to apply for it in their initial application to SIS. Please click here for the advising worksheet and approved concentration courses.
SIS.637 International Development
ECON.603 Intro to Economic Theory (Note: May be waived.)
SIS.636 Micropolitics of Development
ECON.600 Microeconomics
Choose one of the following:
SIS.635 Population, Migration and Development
SIS.624 Children and International Development
SIS.635 Rural Development
SIS.635 Urban Development
SIS.635 Community Development
SIS.635 Health in Developing Countries
SIS.635 Development Policies
SIS.635 Social Accountability
SIS.650 Global Economy and Sustainable Development
(Note: Can include a maximum of 6 credits of SIS-638 Skills Institutes at 1 credit each)
ECON.601 Macroeconomics [Required]
ECON.662 Development Microeconomics [Required]
ECON.663 Development Macroeconomics [Required]
Project Evaluation or one other Economics course
One additional International Development course
Can be an elective course, Skills Institutes, internship for credit or Master's Thesis credits
ECON.505 Intro to Mathematical Economics
ECON.623 Applied Econometrics I
ECON.624 Applied Econometrics II
SIS.795 Substantive Research Paper (SRP) in Development Economics
SIS.797 Master's Thesis
SIS.793 Practicum


text:
This is a discussion on IL CCW Witness Slips within the The Second Amendment & Gun Legislation Discussion forums, part of the Related Topics category; Below is a Facebook post from my LGS. This is a great chance for your voice to be heard during upcoming Illinois Concealed Carry discussions ...
Below is a Facebook post from my LGS. This is a great chance for your voice to be heard during upcoming Illinois Concealed Carry discussions in the legislature. If you live in Illinois and are for concealed carry then you need to get your witness slip entered. (Heck! Even if you aren't in Illinois it probably wouldn't hurt to send in your support!)
Speaker Mike Madigan has called for two hearings, one on the 19th of February in Springfield; & the other on the 22nd of February in Chicago, on the Right to Carry in Illinois.
The 19th of February hearing information is:
House Judiciary... Hearing - 12:00pm
Room 114 - Capitol Building- Springfield, IL
The 22nd of February hearing information is:
House Judiciary Hearing -10:00am
N-600 - Michael A. Bilandic Building - 160 N LaSalle St., Chicago, IL
We will be posting several witness slips over the next few of days. When we have a new post, you will see ---New--- at the top of the post. When we repeat a post you will see ---Repeat--- at the top of the post. Please share this important information with others.
We would like everyone to fill out one witness slip per person. If you are a non Illinois resident you can try to fill out a witness slips, not sure if it will work for non Illinois residents. We will put instructions for each post on how to fill them out and how we are supporting them, PROPONENT or OPPONENT.
This first witness slip is for the 19th of February, Judiciary Hearing in Springfield, IL.
Here is how to fill this one out:
I: Identification;
Your name, address, email & phone number must be filled in. In the space for Firm/Business or Agency put (NA), unless you are representing a Firm/Business or Agency. In the space for Title put (NA), unless you have a title.
II: Representation;
In the space for - Persons, groups firms represented in this appearance. Put (NA), unless you are representing a group.
III: Position
In subject matter put the recommended subjects and click the dot above either Proponent or Opponent. You can have more than one subject for this witness slip.
To add another subject click on (add another item).
IV: testimony;
Click on the box for (Record of Appearance Only). This is showing that you want to go on record with your opinion and could not appear in person to give it.
Finally, Click on (I Agree to the ILGA- Terms of Agreement)
Then click - Create (Slip)
Here are the subjects we are recommending for this witness slip along with the position we are taking:
Shall issue license carry - Proponent
Statewide preemption for license to carry - Proponent
May issue License to carry - Opponent
Firearm ban - Opponent
Magazine ban - Opponent
Ammunition ban - Opponent
Registration of firearm/magazines - Opponent
Banning private sales/transfers of firearms - Opponent
One gun a month - Opponent
Report lost or stolen firearm - Opponent
Again, this witness slip is for the 19th of February only.
There will be more to follow in the coming hours and days. Thanks for helping and supporting us.
Witness Slip
One loves to possess arms, though they hope never to have occasion for them.
~Thomas Jefferson
"Carry your gun - it's a lighter burden than regret."


text: Cucumber in Pussy Picture Picture Caption: Cucumber in Pussy Picture -- Melissa is one of the 600 delicious Girls at FTV. And in this erotic masturbation picture, we have a closeup shot of Melissa shoving a bright green cucumber deep in her delicious shaved pussy. Cucumber pussy - Cucumber cunt - Cucumber twat Uploader: FTVGirls Tags: brunette, cute, pussy, teen, kinky, beautiful, cunt, high res, wallpaper, shaved pussy, erotic, desktop, masturbation, background, ftv, ftvgirls, twat, cucumber, vegetable, closeup


text:
Put Things Where Your Customers Need Them To Be
Last year, my husband and I moved to a new neighborhood in Seattle. It was a very busy time in our lives, and we had to move and get settled in quickly. Finding a new gym was on my "get settled" list, and in my eagerness to get this task completed and dive back into my normal routine, I made a bad decision.
Everyone who has signed up for a couple gym memberships knows the golden rule of finding the right gym: Choose the gym that is closest to your house. Period.
I looked at two gyms in my neighborhood. One was only four blocks away, but it seemed a little musty and the equipment was older. The second gym was beautiful- views of the water, the latest and greatest equipment, and exceptionally clean. I signed up at the second gym.
Before last year, I was very committed to my workout routines. You could find me at the gym at least four mornings a week burning it up. But not last year. And while simultaneously starting a new business and planning a wedding can definitely put a hamper on routines such as this one, I look back and realize my gym selection did too.
See the gym I selected was seven blocks downhill from my house. The dreaded trip home kept me from walking there. Driving was an option, but parking was not convenient. And after parking, it was an obstacle course getting to the front door. I had to cross a busy road with fast traffic, few red lights, and no crosswalk. Just the hassle of getting to the gym and back in the mornings left me feeling put out. And I doubt I was the only member with this issue. The gym is located near the water leaving most of the gym's patrons to deal with crossing that busy street.
At the one year mark, I canceled my contract. The other musty gym gave me a free seven day pass. And the first day I was there, I realized that this gym saved me fifteen minutes and made life easier. It is closer, they have ample parking next to the building, and there is no need to dodge cars to get inside.
The second day, I noticed that they play great workout music, and most of the time I like it better than listening to my iPod. I also found a room just for stretching, how handy! It is awkward finding a good place to stretch in most gyms.
Throughout the next couple weeks I noticed even more perks. There are clean, nicely folded white towels waiting for me when I arrive. I get an email every month with healthy recipes and exercise tips from a trainer. And they have cleaning supplies next to every machine, so you never have to walk more than a step out of your way at the end of your workout.
The owner of this gym put everything exactly where I needed it!
She clearly gets what it is like to workout at a gym often and made this gym incredibly user-friendly. There are no beautiful views nor state of the art equipment at this place, but who cares! The equipment is current enough, and to me, the stretching room and other perks completely outweigh the age of the building. I bet most people on cardio machines will tell you that music, tv screens, and magazines matter more than having a view. And parking and towel service make the days when you really have to push yourself to get there easier.
It is clear that there is a more loyal member base here. And for most of us it began with that seven day free trial. The trial gets you in the door to figure out that this gym has a lot more to offer than you may think at first glance.
And now to the point.
When it comes to providing your customers with the best experience, you have to jump into their skin and see the experience you are offering through their eyes.
This is not a simple task. It is easy to project what you think their needs are or to fulfill your own personal desires and vision instead. The reward of doing an outstanding job empathizing with your customers and putting things where they need them to be is incredibly valuable. In return, you receive loyal, happy customers saying great things about you and wanting more from you.
What more could you want?
Thank you to Seth Godin for teaching marketers and entrepreneurs the importance of being remarkable. While you think of ways to empathize more with your customers, read more about The Fun Theory too. They can go hand in hand.


text:
Our other shortwave sites
- SWLing Post shortwave listening news, interviews, reviews and more
- SWLing.com a beginner's guide to shortwave radio listening
New additions:
Shortwave Radio Index content by SWLing.com is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License.
Based on a work at swling.com.
- Alinco
- Analog
- Anjan
- Blog
- Bonito
- C Crane
- County Comm
- Cross Country Wireless
- Degen
- Elad
- Enablia
- Eton
- Franzis
- Grundig
- Icom
- IZT Labs
- Kaito
- Kchibo
- Kits
- Lazy Dog Engineering
- Made in Australia
- Made in Germany
- Made in Indonesia
- Made in Italy
- Made In Japan
- Made in the UK
- Made in USA
- Medav
- Melson
- Microtelecom
- Midnight Science
- News
- Palstar
- Panasonic
- PC controlled
- Portable
- Portables
- Professional
- Quantum
- Quicksilver
- RadioShack
- Ramsey Electronics
- RFSpace
- Rohde & Schwarz
- Sangean
- SDRplay
- Self-Powered
- Software-Defined Radios (SDR)
- Sony
- Spectrafold Technologies
- Supersonic
- Tabletops
- Tecsun
- Ten-Tec
- Ultralight
- Uncategorized
- Updates
- WiNRADiO
- Yaesu
TagsAlinco Analog AOR C. Crane County Comm Degen Degen DE008 Digital Radio Mondial DRM DSP Eton Grundig Icom IZT Labs Kaito Kchibo Made in Australia Made in Germany Made In Japan Made in USA MP3 Portable Portables Quantum Quantum Shortwave Radio Radio Kits RDS RFspace Sangean SDR Self-Powered Shortwave Portables Shortwave Radio Kits Shortwave Radios Si4734 SiLabs Si4734 Silicon Labs Silicon Labs Si4734 Software-Defined Radio Software-Defined Radios Sony Tecsun Ten-Tec Ultralight Winradio
SWLing Post
- Woot Deal: Two pack of Eton/Grundig Executive Travelers for $94.99
- Listening across the globe: The 2017 BBC Antarctic Midwinter Broadcast
- Cold War Broadcasting: Two articles feature RFE & Radio Liberty
- RTÉ longwave 252: maintenance shutdown June 27 – July 8, 2017
- How to safely archive QSLs, postcards, photos, and printed memorabilia
- 2017 Hamvention attendance tops 29K
- Video: Air traffic on the HF bands
- Alan Roe's A17 season guide to music on shortwave
- Radios spotted in the Netflix movie "Spectral"
- Video postcards: wishing you a "Happy" weekend from Antarctica
Category Archives: Made In Japan
Shortwave Radio Index now has tags for country of origin
Several readers have written to ask where various shortwave radios are manufactured, and if there are models that are manufactured outside of China. By and large–with the exception of one Sony model–shortwave portables are manufactured in China, with a few possibly … Continue reading
Posted in Made in Australia, Made in Germany, Made in Italy, Made In Japan, Made in USA, Updates Tagged Shortwave Radios Country of Origin, Shortwave Radios Made in Australia, Shortwave Radios Made in Europe, Shortwave Radios Made in Germany, Shortwave Radios MAde in Italy, Shortwave Radios Made in Japan, Shortwave Radios Made in USA, Where are shortwave radios made?, Where are shortwave radios manufactured? Leave a comment
AOR Alpha
The AOR AR-Alpha is a new professional grade communications receiver which may be 19-inch rack mounted or used as a desk-top receiver. With continuous coverage from 10 kHz to 3.3 GHz (Cellular Blocked for US consumer version), using wide band … Continue reading
Posted in AOR, Made In Japan, Professional Tagged Alpha, AOR, AOR Alpha, AOR AR-Alpha, AR-Alpha, Made In Japan 1 Comment
Sony ICF-SW7600GR
The Sony ICF-SW7600GR is one of the best sub-$200US portable shortwave radios on the market. One of its outstanding features is its synchronous selectable sideband. We find that the sync detector on this Sony is the best in its class. … Continue reading
Posted in Made In Japan, Portables, Sony Tagged ICF-SW7600GR, Made In Japan, Sony, Sony ICF-SW7600GR, Sony ICF-SW7600GR Reviews 9 Comments
The AOR AR5001D is a tabletop wideband receiver that could just as easily be classified as a "professional" receiver. It represents the some of the highest level of performance that a receiver can offer. We have included it as a … Continue reading
Posted in AOR, Made In Japan, Tabletops Tagged AOR, AOR AR5001D, AR5001D, Made In Japan Leave a comment


text:
Champagne celebrations turn to prosecco in frugal Britain: report
By Paul Casciato
LONDON (Reuters) - More than half of British consumers refuse to spend money unless it is "absolutely necessary" in a weak economy, with prosecco now more likely to mark a special occasion than champagne, according a new consumer trend report released on Friday.
Global research firm Mintel's annual "British Lifestyles" report said one day after the country skirted a "triple dip" recession that consumers have made paying their bills and saving for a rainy day their top priorities.
Britain's Office for National Statistics provided some relief for Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron's government on Thursday when it reported that the economy grew faster than expected in the first three months of the year.
But the legacy of a sluggish economy that has flatlined since 2010 appeared clear in a report which showed that the top financial priority for 82 percent of British consumers was just keeping up with their bills.
"British consumers are adjusting to the new economic reality, with financial prudence and savvy shopping already the default for many," Mintel consumer analyst Ina Mitskavets said in a statement with the report.
Beyond paying the bills, Britons put saving up for rainy days and big ticket purchases as their other top priorities.
British consumers were also working longer hours, taking fewer holidays and more than a third said things have become more difficult in the past year.
In other trends highlighted in the report, more people were cooking and baking from scratch at home and beauty product sales remained strong because it was an affordable way for women to lift their mood, the so-called "lipstick effect." Continued...


text:
Congratulations and Welcome to the Barnard Admissions Beat!
Now that your essay-writing, application-mailing, and letter-awaiting is past - you get to take your college decision process into your own hands, peruse your options, and decide which school really is the best fit for you. There are so many puzzle pieces that go into a college-experience - classes, campus culture, residential life, life in the city, and more - now is your time to take a look and see what combination of parts best fits your own unique whole.
Hearing from students, alumnae, and parents of current students is a great way to put the pieces together and imagine what your Barnard-experience will really be like: that's where the Beat comes in.
Here you will find blog-posts from first-year students whose first year experience is fresh in their minds; from seniors who can see how their four years at Barnard have changed them; from international students and students of color who can provide an inside scoop on campus culture; from alumnae who have gone on from Barnard to continued success; and even from parents who bear witness to their daughters' growth at Barnard.
So take your time - read our blog, ask questions on our Facebook page, visit campus - we're here to help show you how Barnard fits.
Hope to see you on campus soon!


text: Emmerdale spoilers: Kerry calls off her wedding to Dan - watch the scene The ceremony is thrown into chaos after Dan catches Kerry in the arms of his brother ARTICLE CONTINUES BELOW By David Brown Saturday 19 July 2014 at 12:02AM Dan Spencer's upcoming wedding to Kerry Wyatt will be thrown into jeopardy when he catches his bride-to-be in the arms of his no-good brother Daz. In scenes to be shown next week, Dan's stag do (which sees all the guys decked out in women's dresses) will end on a sour note when the groom returns to Dale Head to find Daz (Mark Jordon) kissing Kerry (Laura Norton). "Daz has come on to Kerry, but Dan's not entirely sure about what's been going on. He certainly blows his top when he sees the two of them together," says Liam Fox, who plays the beleaguered Dan. "He's devastated and it leaves him wondering whether he really wants to get married to someone who he's just caught with his own brother." Events are set to come to a head during scenes to be shown on Tuesday 22 July - in the clip below, you can see the moment that Kerry announces that the wedding is off before she flees the church. Is it really all over for Kerry and Dan? continue reading


text:
Anyone have Insider and care to share?
Anyone have Insider and care to share?
"The dictionary is the only place that success comes before work. Hard work is the price we must pay for success. I think you can accomplish anything if you're willing to pay the price." -Vince Lombardi
Board Moderators may, at their discretion and judgment, delete and/or edit any messages that violate any of the following guidelines: 1. Explicit references to alleged illegal or unlawful acts. 2. Graphic sexual descriptions. 3. Racial or ethnic slurs. 4. Use of edgy language (including masked profanity). 5. Direct personal attacks, flames, fights, trolling, baiting, name-calling, general nuisance, excessive player criticism or anything along those lines. 6. Posting spam. 7. Each person may have only one user account. It is fine to be critical here - that's what this board is for. But let's not beat a subject or a player to death, please.


text:
Costume Information
|To go with Manticore as Debonair Jayce.
Going to go with the artwork design, rather than the in-game model. It's got much nicer colours =]
Will refer to the model for some parts though, since the artwork is lacking in different angles/views.
Wonderful. Can't wait to see how this turns out. :)
Yay for more Caitlyn! I'd not looked at the wild west skin before. It looks pretty cool though. Can't wait to see how it turns out.
Can't wait to see this! =D
Awwwww yeeeeee <3
Nice work on the hat ^^
Oh my goood this is going to be AMAZING!!!!
But where are your other guns, hat lady? >:D


text:
[Date Index]
[Thread Index]
[Author Index]
Re: How can I get list form like this
Part[f, #] & /@ Range[85]
returns a list in the form you requested, but produces warnings
because f is not defined.
If you have f defined, you will get the parts.
On Sep 10, 5:10 am, 863 <42838... at qq.com> wrote:
> Hi,guys
> As we know f/@Range[n] gives a list {f[1],f[2],f[3],=85=85};
> Here what I want is a list form like this{f[[1]],f[[2]],=85=85}(*It's=
> tedious to type one by one*)
> It means the 1st,2nd,=85=85part of list f.
> Looks similar to each other, however I can't figure it out.
> How to do this ?
> Thanks
> gyzhou


text:
Originally Posted by Karen
Our Dad was a great storyteller, and we all have many stories we will pass along to future generations.
Now that it is the season, cider, please!
Take a few moments to write them down. They are fun to look at and share in the years to come...
A seasonal cider?
The secret of life is nothing at all
-faith hill
Are you trying to punk my abuelita?
No humans were hurt during the posting of this message.
Forum Rules
Copyright © 2001-2013 Pet of the Day.com


text:
Following on the heels of AccuWeather's update for Windows Phone is WeatherBug, who lands at the 3.0 marker today. If you know updates, a whole number change means "big" and that's the case here. How significant is this? Well, our records last show an update for this app back in May. Wait sorry, that's May 2012.
WeatherBug 3.0 has been completely overhauled and it's more in line with their iOS and Android designs. That's not to say they haven't flatten some of the graphics and adapted it for Windows Phone, but rather the menu system is a bit odd for Windows Phone users. Having said, we would be lying if we didn't say it was feature packed. Let's take a look.


text:
Drake Strata Jacket. Only used one or two times this season. Comes with hood and is in a 10/10 shape. I am new to the board, but maintain a 100% rating on Ebay with over 240 transactions.
Jacket is perfect and you might think it was new, if I still had the tags. Comes in the best camo pattern made, Mossy Oak Duck Blind. Keep in mind, Mossy Oak is no longer producing this pattern and this jacket is no longer available from Drake.
Retail is 180.00
90.00 shipped
Drake Eqwader 1/4 zip pullover. Two seasons old. I would say this is 8/10. Nothing wrong, no rips or stains, just worn more. Max 4 pattern. This camo pattern is no longer made as well..
Retail is 100.00
45.00 shipped


text:
Spring 2013 Baccalaureate and Commencement
University of the Ozarks will confer bachelor degrees to her graduating seniors during the Spring 2014 Commencement ceremony, scheduled for 10:30 a.m., Saturday, May 17, on the campus mall.
- Baccalaureate begins at 9:00 a.m. in Munger-Wilson Memorial Chapel.
- Commencement begins at 10:30 a.m. on the campus mall.
- The keynote Commencement speaker will be retiring Provost, Dr. Daniel Taddie.
Related Links


text:
Image Number D799-1
This low-temperature scanning electron micrograph shows that the red palm mite uses its stylets to feed deeper into leaf tissue than most plant-feeding mites do. This menacing mite is spreading quickly in the Caribbean and causes serious damage to palms. (Magnified about 3,000x.)
Photo by Eric Erbe; digital colorization by Chris Pooley.
640 pixels wide: (d799-1.jpg)


text:
Ruling on Speed Cameras Expected on Jan. 23.
(Elmwood Place)--An upcoming ruling in a lawsuit against Elmwood Place's speed cameras will continue debate over use of the cameras in Ohio.
A least 20,000 tickets were issued, from September 2012 to March 2013. Drivers who received a ticket want Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Robert Ruehlman to order the Village to refund speeding fines and fees totaling at least $1.8 million.
The Village has appealed Ruehlmans earlier rulings against the cameras saying there should not be refunds for speeding violations. At least 6,600 tickets went out in the first month that the cameras were in use, triple the Village's population.
Last year Ruehlman ordered the Village to stop using the cameras, comparing the automated system to a rigged card game.
A class-action status for ticketed drivers, was also approved, up to 10,000 drivers who paid the $105 tickets are included in the suit. A ruling is expected on Jan. 23.
Last June, the Ohio House passed a bill making speed cameras and red-light cameras illegal, except in school zones.
The bill, sponsored by Dale Mallory (D-Cincinnati) and Ron Maag (R-Lebanon), was referred to the Senate committee on State Government Oversight and Reform. Currently Columbus, Cleveland, Akron and Toledo, collect millions from traffic cameras.


text:
Dog adoption and cat adoption saves lives. Adopt a dog or adopt a cat and you'll have a friend for life! Contact us, or contact another local humane society, animal shelter or SPCA.
The mission of Rogers Animal Services is to provide for public health and safety by removing stray animals from the streets, monitoring bite incidents, ensuring city laws and ordinances are enforced, protecting animal welfare, and saving lives through pet adoptions at the Rogers Animal Shelter. This is accomplished by using a progressive method of animal control which is focused on education, enforcement, and reuniting lost pets with their owners. Rogers Animal Services is committed to serving both the two legged and for legged citizens of Rogers Arkansas.
We have a strong volunteer corps and we are always in need of good volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering call Rogers Animal Services or just stop by the Animal Shelter during business hours. We would love to meet you.
We are now on Facebook and Twitter!!
Tuesday though Saturday 10am to 4:30pm.
Sunday & Monday closed to the public
Contact Us At:
Phone - (479)621-1197
Email - firstname.lastname@example.com
Our Address:
2935 West Oak Street
Rogers, Arkansas 72758
Do you love animals, but you are not ready to bring one home? You can still help an animal get adopted. Here's how. You can do either a partial sponsorship or a total sponsorship which will reduce the cost of the adoption for the animal. Each sponsorship is tax deductible. Call us or stop by for details.
Why should you adopt?
Dog adoption and cat adoption saves lives. Adopt a dog or adopt a cat and you'll have a friend for life! What is the difference between adopting a dog, adopting a cat, adopting a kitten or adopting a puppy versus getting dogs for sale, cats for sale, puppies for sale or kittens for sale from a dog breeder or a cat breeder? When someone is breeding puppies or breeding kittens, they are creating new dogs and cats who need homes. Some people are interested in a very specific breed of dog, cat, puppy or kitten and they think the only way to find that specific breed is to buy a dog for sale or buy a cat for sale from a puppy breeder or a kitten breeder. Yet animal shelters are filled with dogs and cats who must find homes. So rather than buying a dog or puppy for sale from a dog breeder or buying a cat or kitten for sale from a cat breeder, we encourage people to adopt a dog, adopt a cat, adopt a puppy or adopt a kitten at their local animal shelter, SPCA, humane society or pet rescue group.


text:
Feature Story
Breakout year for Gesta
For unbeaten Filipino lightweight sensation, Mercito "No Mercy' Gesta (16-0-1, 7 KOs), 2010 is the year he breaks out of obscurity and into big name fights.
"I am ready for the big fights," the Don Chargin promoted Gesta said. "Things have been worked out with my promoter and he told me this is the year . . . Click here for more


text:
Westeinde Brachialgia Study (WEB)
This study has been completed.
Medical Center Haaglanden
Information provided by:
Medical Center Haaglanden
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: August 10, 2005
Last updated: April 23, 2012
Last verified: April 2012
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Detailed Description:
The Westeinde Brachialgia Study (WEB) is a randomized controlled trial to establish the effect of cervical collar or physiotherapy compared to a wait-and-see policy in patients with acute cervical radiculopathy.
|Radiculopathy, Cervical
|Other: cervical collar Other: physiotherapy
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: Open Label
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|A Randomized Controlled Trial of Conservative Therapy in Cervical Radiculopathy
Further study details as provided by Medical Center Haaglanden:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- pain and disability at 3 and 6 weeks and at 6 months
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- time back to work
- persistent signs and symptoms
- surgery
|Estimated Enrollment:
|Study Start Date:
|August 2003
|Study Completion Date:
|July 2007
|Primary Completion Date:
|April 2007 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
|No Intervention: wait and see
|Experimental: collar
|Other: cervical collar
|Experimental: physiotherapy
|Other: physiotherapy
Detailed Description:
Cervical radiculopathy caused by spondylosis or disc protrusion is a common disorder with a usually benign natural course. Often, physiotherapy (exercise programs) and/or cervical collar are prescribed. However, there are no reliable data on the effects of these conservative therapies.
In this study, patients with acute cervical radiculopathy, defined by clinical criteria, are randomized for cervical collar, physiotherapy or a wait-and-see policy.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years to 75 Years (Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
- Cervical radiculopathy defined by neck pain irradiating to one arm with at least one of the following: provocation by neck movements or sensory changes in one or more adjacent dermatomes or diminished deep tendon reflexes in the affected arm; or muscle weakness in one or more adjacent myotomes.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Arm pain existing longer than one month
- Clinical signs of spinal cord compression
- Previously treated with physiotherapy or a cervical collar
Contacts and Locations
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below. For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00129714
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00129714
|Meander Medical Center
|Amersfoort, Netherlands
|Medical Center Haaglanden
|Den Haag, Netherlands, 2501CK
|Groene Hart Ziekenhuis
|Gouda, Netherlands
Sponsors and Collaborators
Medical Center Haaglanden
|Study Chair:
|Jos TJ Tans, MD PhD
|Medical Center Haaglanden
More Information
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
Keywords provided by Medical Center Haaglanden:
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on June 23, 2017
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
Kuijper B, Tans JT, Beelen A, Nollet F, de Visser M. Cervical collar or physiotherapy versus wait and see policy for recent onset cervical radiculopathy: randomised trial. BMJ. 2009 Oct 7;339:b3883. doi: 10.1136/bmj.b3883.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT00129714 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|August 10, 2005
|Last Updated:
|April 23, 2012
Keywords provided by Medical Center Haaglanden:
cervical radiculopathy conservative treatment
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Peripheral Nervous System Diseases
Neuromuscular Diseases
Nervous System Diseases
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on June 23, 2017


text:
The Box Office is located at Gate 29 of the Coliseum across from the California Science Center and accepts VISA, MASTERCARD, AMERICAN EXPRESS and DISCOVER.
Box Office Hours:
Monday- Friday: 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Saturday- Sunday: 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
(Box Office may be closed or hours may vary depending on scheduled events)
Coliseum Historic Tours are offered to the public Wednesday-Sunday. Tickets may be purchased in person during normal box office hours Monday-Friday or on Saturdays and Sundays between 10am-4pm barring dates when the tour operation is blacked out for an event or holiday.
Advance Coliseum event and tour ticket sales are also available through Ticketmaster at all outlets, by phone at (800)745-3000 or online at Ticketmaster


text:
Shop Republic For The Latest Autumn Winter Catwalk Trends Now.
Get Autumn Winter Catwalk Trends at Republic Now.
Stay ahead in the style stakes and be the first to stock up in the latest AW11 collection. The 70s trend continues this season alongside a move towards modern 60s styling. Dresses and Fairisle knits are worn with contrasting belts to create a key layering look. Think printed shirts and pussy bow styles with textured jumpers and skinny jeans, grandad cardigans over floral + polka dot dresses. Team outfits with high colour block heels.
For Autumn Winter denim again is key. Coloured jeans turn autumnal jewel colours & leatherette skinny's are worn as tights under long knits & the must have parka.
Republic know how important fit is when buying jeans & have just launched the Levis Curve ID collection.
To Find Your Levis Curve ID : CLICK HERE


text:
Winning bids for BC model is at such low prices that it will either fail or service levels will be pathetic. Let's hope regulators would strictly monitor what is happening on the ground
Something strange is happening in the financial inclusion and business correspondent (BC) space in India. The Maharashtra BC bid was won by Vakrangee Finserv for 0.48% of the reserve price of the bid. If that surprised most people, FINO's winning BC bid of 0.35% for Jharkhand and parts of Bihar started to make people wonder. The icing on the cake was that FINO's bid at 0.19% for being the common Chhattisgarh BC . And before I could complete this article, the bid results for the Orissa cluster are out and it has been won at 0.11%. Wonder what the next winning BC bid would be? I certainly do not want to hazard a guess!
I am sure that the regulators are knowledgeable people and they understand what is going and what the implications for financial inclusion are. To me, as someone who has worked at the grass-roots for over two decades, I see "quality servicing" of the last mile as very critical for business correspondents appointed to promote financial inclusion. And quality servicing is indeed costly as I explain later in this article.
While the use of technology is well taken, it is often perhaps over-hyped. Just as 'putting more money in the hands of people (through micro loans) could never remove poverty', likewise, technology alone cannot solve the puzzle of financial inclusion (especially servicing the last mile). And as FINO's CEO is said to have once remarked—"technology is 10%, rest are people and processes". FINO becomes common Banking Correspondent for Jharkhand. That being the case, I am not sure of what is the rationale behind the present (low) bidding trend?
Let me give you an example of why servicing the last mile is costly. Take the case of the micro-insurance (MI) regulation (2005), a pioneering effort by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA). Some years ago, prior to the MI legislation being enacted, insurance agents for low income policies were compensated on the basis of a hugely front loaded commission (about 30% in the 1st year and 6% or so in the 2nd and subsequent years—the exact numbers are less relevant here but the larger issue of inappropriate agent compensation is what needs to be noted). Thereafter, it was consistently explained to the IRDA that:
a) To collect the 2nd, 3rd, and or remaining years premium, the work to be done by the agent is much higher for low income insurance than in case of normal insurance; and
b) In fact, renewals are almost equivalent to a sale [in term service levels] for low income insurance policies as in every renewal year, low income people have to be sought out and convinced (again) to make the insurance renewal payment—as the (competing) demands for their limited money is rather high, availability of such money is quite low and priorities are very dynamically changing.
On that basis, the IRDA came up with a novel agent commission scheme (as part of its MI regulation) that recognized the (larger) effort of the agent in collecting renewals for low income insurance schemes. And as per this novel scheme, agents were compensated commensurate to their efforts in the subsequent years—20% on a yearly basis for all years instead of the 30% in 1st year and 6% in subsequent years. Thus, as per the MI regulation, IRDA went in for a consistent larger yearly commission rather than a front-loaded yearly commission for agents with regard to low income insurance policies.
In fact, when I compared regular rural low income policies (where agents get the front-loaded yearly commission) to low income insurance policies as per the MI regulation (where the agents get a consistent larger yearly commission) in a very small sample some years ago, I found that the renewal rates were by and large higher for latter. This is because the agents could be compensated on the basis of real effort rather than some notional numbers. And in the case of the former (regular rural insurance policies for low income people), it is the people who suffered and the companies who gained as agents (who were compensated poorly in subsequent years) did not do their work properly and the policies lapsed after the initial year. Likewise, a similar argument could be made here in terms of the recurring savings deposits—where by the BC who has bid low (and their agents) could cut corners and not provide appropriate service and thereby it is the customer who would be affected (either in terms of penal charges and/or getting lower interest overall). This is just an example and there are many such aspects that could wrong in the BC model because of shortcuts taken by BC agents.
That is why, just as IRDA then brought in the micro-insurance regulation which made agent commission commensurate with the level of effort across the years (from the start year to renewal years), the BC model also needs to recognize the consistent and rigorous effort required in servicing rural low income people and compensate BCs and agents accordingly. I wonder how that would be possible given the present decreasing trend towards lower and lower BC bids as noted above?
Overall, the arguments here are very simple:
a. Servicing the last mile especially in rural areas (remote ones) is costly. Take districts like Narayanpur (with population density/km of 20), Bijapur (with population density/km of 39) or Dantewade (with population density/km of 59) in Chattisgarh. I have personally worked in many of these (and other districts) given in Table #1 below. With a low population density and the attendant (Maoist or other kinds) problems, physical servicing can indeed be a very arduous task. Therefore, the lower bid for Chhattisgarh (even if a couple of these low population density districts are excluded) as compared to Maharashtra or even Jharkhand does not make intuitive sense. This is especially true given the fact that Maharashtra will provide a much larger business base than Chhattisgarh and most certainly, it would be much easier and safer for BCs and their agents to perform their tasks in Maharashtra (on a relative basis).
Likewise, many districts in Dandakaranya (parts of Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Maharashtra and Andhra Pradesh) or Santhal Parganas (parts of Jharkhand and Bihar) are extremely difficult to service in terms of the physical terrain and the prevailing socio-economic/political situation. Apart from having low population densities (as shown in the table below), for many of these districts, the business base is also not likely to be very high. That being the case, the present (low) bidding trend for cash management seems rather peculiar—the Chhattisgarh bid was lower than Jharkhand which was lower than Maharashtra … something very odd indeed…
b. A second issue is that low income rural/tribal people need a lot of quality time in terms of service provision by the BCs and /or their agents: a) to break the ice, gain peoples' confidence and have social acceptability first; and b) then explain the various aspects related to the products and schemes and also make them use these services. Hence, any servicing by the BC and/or their agents mandatorily requires a good financial literacy component as well. This aspect of financial literacy is also a necessity now given what happened in Indian micro-finance over the last few years and is perhaps in keeping with RBI's drive for greater financial literacy and transparency at the grass-roots
c. And given the above, without any doubt, BCs and their agents need to be compensated appropriately. The issue of compensation especially becomes critical with regard to agents (for example, 4,200 are to be appointed for Maharashtra by Vakrangee) . And if these agents are not compensated properly, they will either not work or they will cut corners (like further sub-contracting the BC work) and that could be a recipe for disaster. You will all surely remember how the (notorious) individual agents played an important part in the Indian micro-finance crisis in 2010, as outlined in the following Moneylife articles:
(i) Implementation safeguards against notorious agents are an imperative for the proposed microfinance bill;
(ii) How and why did microfinance agents become a part of the Indian microfinance business?;
(iii) Proposed Microfinance Bill has to look at the centre leader as a microfinance agent;
(iv) Microfinance: Will seal of excellence and social performance management as yardsticks work?;
(v) MFIN-NCAER study unearths agents' role in microfinance, but does not find these middlemen in Chennai; and
(vi) MFIN-NCAER study: Here's the proof that microfinance agents are thriving in Tamil Nadu.
Therefore, it is imperative that BCs and their agents are compensated appropriately so that they do their work as envisaged and diligently. Any attempt to reduce agent compensation is likely to manifest itself as reduced customer engagement through subsequent sub-contracting (it could be done many times over). And let us not forget what happened in 2010 in Andhra Pradesh and elsewhere where untrained and unrelated people (including those with criminal records) entered the MFI rolls (formally/informally) and very nearly destroyed the whole fabric of rural and low income finance. Thus, as Dr KC Chakrabarty, deputy governor, Reserve Bank of India (RBI), has consistently argued, "Banks have to realise that for Business Correspondent (BC) model to succeed, the BCs, who are the first level of contact for customers, have to be compensated adequately so that they too see this as a business opportunity" - Financial Inclusion and Banks : Issues and Perspectives
d. And in the light of the fact that BCs and/or their agents may take shortcuts to get the job done and given what happened in Indian microfinance in 2010, it is imperative that banks and BCs have a rigorous system of internal audits. Also, because of the pan-India scale and the sheer volume of money to be handled, the current BC model could indeed pose a systemic risk to the banking system and that is why such internal audits are even more critical. And that again will cost money and so, like a broken record, I am back to the same issue: Can Banks and BCs provide effective and transparent financial inclusion services, especially given the very low and decreasing bidding trend that is slowly but surely gaining ground in the present scenario?
Apparently, a senior regular commenting on the BC bidding said "What do we do? It is the companies that have chosen to bid so low." That, however, is a lame excuse as the ramifications of the low cost bids are many and serious and the regulators cannot afford to look elsewhere as then the whole financial inclusion paradigm, as envisaged under the BC model could collapse. While others have pointed out that the bid amounts are for cash management only and BCs will be compensated separately for other activities, based on my own experience of work in over 540 districts in India, I would say that the numbers simply don't add up. While, most certainly, the RFPs do provide for additional compensation to BCs for various tasks, I am not sure if there has been enough thought into whether these amounts are and will be sufficient: a) to provide quality service at the grass-roots; and b) for the overall model to actually work on the ground (given the above aspects). And without question, what is really lacking is transparency on how the BC model will actually work on the ground and meet all of its attendant costs in such physically demanding geographies?
To summarise, let me reemphasize that without quality servicing (which requires appropriate costing first of all) and rigorous internal audits, the BC model is doomed to fail and I hope that the powers that be look closely into the present structure of model, do a dispassionate analysis and make the necessary course corrections. Otherwise, yet another sincere effort at financial inclusion could well be lost even before the game begins…
(Ramesh Arunachalam has over two decades of strong grass-roots and institutional experience in rural finance, MSME development, agriculture and rural livelihood systems, rural and urban development and urban poverty alleviation across Asia, Africa, North America and Europe. He has worked with national and state governments and multilateral agencies. His book—Indian Microfinance, The Way Forward— is the first authentic compendium on the history of microfinance in India and its possible future.)
The death of a passenger electrocuted in a bus stop should shake up Traffic Police, Municipal Corporation, MSRDC, MMRDA, PWD, MTSU and perhaps even the judiciary
3 May 2012, Chota Durgah Bus Stop, Mahim: A commuter got electrocuted little past midnight. This happened because a live wire supplying power to the advertisement hoarding at the sleek and clean stainless steel (SS) bus stop is reported to have gotten loose and touched the integral steel structure. Apparently the earth-wire may have got disconnected from the structure and when the 21 year old youth tried to sit on the SS seat, the current passed through him and he died of electrocution.
Why did this happen at all? In my humble opinion, it happened because of abdication of duty by the governmental agency, in this case, the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transportation Undertaking (BEST) from the very first stage of putting this new SS structure. No doubt prompt action was taken by BEST to shut off power to all the bus stops unless the advertising agency which put up these thousands of bus stops free of cost to BEST obtained the certificate of safety. It has been observed that none of the bus stops are illuminating their advertisements since then.
It is interesting to note that BEST, in trying to earn revenue from advertisements, have begun to cover their red SLP (street light pole) Box with a large metal box cover and providing space for illuminated advertisement. This SLP Box actually belongs to BEST's Electric Supply wing, which is in fact already subsidizing the loss-making transport wing. If the purpose was to make transport wing self-sustaining, as desired by Central/Maharashtra Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC/MERC), then this surely is cross subsidy. Keeping that issue aside, the safety aspect will continue to be identical to the bus stop in terms of possibility of earthing malfunction. While the SLP Box is a necessity and has been kept to the smallest dimensions for the purpose, the advertisinng box cover is an aggression on urban landscape and additional encroachment of footpaths. These advertisement box covers have the potential to electrocute a pedestrian road user and also force him to walk on the road if the footpath it occupies is narrow.
The new modular design SS bus stops were put up by a private advertising agency at no cost to BEST in lieu for getting advertising rights. The area for advertisement is not only on the top front but top sides and rear side concave panel seat level to eye level and the front splash protection panels. Depending upon the viewable location of bus stop and not number of passengers observed to be waiting or number of buses halting at the bus stop, the number of modules were decided by the agency and not BEST. With the sole aim to earn money, safety aspects naturally take a back seat. Firstly even on a narrow footpath, the same design was installed even though impractical for the location, forcing pedestrians to walk on the road. The level of footpath could have been lowered to enable bus passengers to queue up in the shelter rather than on the road—it takes effort and time to get down, walk to the bus and climb up into the bus.
In the early days of installation of these bus stop shelters, power supply was by either battery or by DG (diesel generating) sets with no particular attention given to proper earthing or air and noise pollution. Subsequently, when electric connection was obtained, more often it was by hanging cable from adjoining lamp post, the issue of secure power connection and earthing was not addressed.
It is not that BEST were unaware of the problem, but having abdicated their responsibility of providing a proper bus stop passenger shelter, they seem to have abdicated their responsibility to inspect and approve the installations from all aspects of safety and convenience to commuters and pedestrians alike. The only convenience these shelters have provided is cleanliness and seats. Even the meter boxes are placed precariously low, with every likelihood of its corner hitting a man's head while entering the shelter or walking along the narrow footpath space in the back.
The callousness about electrical safety can be observed at several lamp posts where the switch box covers have been left missing on the one hand and on the other hand earthing cable not fitted.
Bus stops have been placed on the ramp section of flyovers on the Western Express Highway for buses plying on them in order to prevent them from moving to kerb side of the road after the flyover and then move back on the lanes going over the next flyover. Approach to the bus stop for bus commuters is from the slip road adjoining flyover through steel step ladder. While the step ladder has been provided with hand railing, the narrow footpath along the ramp of the flyover, the hand railing is conspicuous by its absence. While the bus stop passenger shelter may have been BEST's responsibility, providing hand railing along the ramp of surely rests with Maharashtra State Road Development Corporation (MSRDC) or Public Works Department (PWD).
The list could be endless but one final point to note here is about having vehicles halt at Stop Line. Delhi Traffic Police seems to be doing that quite effectively. This begins with road markings.
The Mumbai Traffic Police on the other hand seem busy putting up hoardings "Stop at Zebra Crossing, it is Only Decent" or campaigns with barricade sign "Halt at Stop Line". Instead of enforcing this on ground level, it asks vehicles to come forward to halt beyond the 'Stop Line" and even occupy the zebra crossing. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai appears to be in a perpetual state of poor funds to make road markings, especially the Stop Lines and Zebra Crossings! This makes road crossing not only tedious but dangerous for all groups of people perhaps short of track athletes!
It is time members of the various authorities —Traffic Police, Municipal Corporation, MSRDC, MMRDA, PWD, MTSU and perhaps even the judiciary—took to walking and began to understand how dangerous the whole infrastructure is to practically the whole of Mumbai's population. It is not that other cities things are any better—the Delhi example is an exception—they too have several issues. We have got to be caring to the Life and Limb and situation on the roads that reflects the pride of our nation's 'democracy'. Today it is far from it.
To end with positive note, it is observed that when the engineers are sensitized about the purpose of their work, they do respond positively. The turning at Chowpatty-Babulnath junction had a dead area where vehicles did not generally go over. A suggestion was made to build the footpath at that location. However, perhaps there was no budget for this work, MCGM did the next best—it continued the kerbside marking around the curve, thus psycologically making vehicle driver to avoid the dead space altogether. It is hoped that the footpath will be built there and make life safer to pedestrian.
Similarly, the footpath width was widened at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, addressing pedestrian safety, parking and traffic flow. There are a few bus stops which have been very correctly been earthed and provided with secured electricity supply, but ofcourse, after the electocution, electicity supply to all bus stop shelters have been cut off.
(Sudhir Badami is a civil engineer and transportation analyst. He is on Government of Maharashtra's Steering Committee on BRTS for Mumbai and Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority's Technical Advisory Committee on BRTS for Mumbai. He is also member of Research & MIS Committee of Unified Mumbai Metropolitan Transport Authority. He was member of Bombay High Court appointed erstwhile Road Monitoring Committee (2006-07). While he has been an active campaigner against Noise for more than a decade, he is a strong believer in functioning democracy. He can be contacted on email at [email protected])
The exemption from multi-level TDS would be applicable in case where the software is acquired in a subsequent transfer, without any modification
New Delhi: In a big relief to the software industry, the Indian government has decided to do away with the complex multi-level system of tax deduction at source (TDS) for the sector from 1st July, reports PTI.
"... no deduction of tax shall be made on... payment by a person (transferee) for acquisition of software from another person (transferor), being a resident," a Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) notification said.
The new provision will come into force from 1 July 2012, it said.
Under the current structure, TDS of 10% is levied at every level of software distribution chain -- right from master distributor to retailer and then to the final consumer.
Responding to the long-standing demand of the software sector, Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee had last week said that Section 194J of the Income Tax Act, 1961, would be amended so as to avoid multi-level TDS on information technology sector.
Section 194(J) of the I-T Act deals with fees for professional and technical services and covers royalty and non-compete fees.
The exemption from multi-level TDS would be applicable in case where the software is acquired in a subsequent transfer, without any modification.
Besides, the exemption will also be provided in cases where tax has been deducted under 194J on payment for any previous transfer of such software or under Section 195 on payment for any previous transfer of such software from a non-resident.
Further, it will also apply in those cases wherever the transferor had paid the taxes.
Software industry body NASSCOM had been demanding removal of the multi-level TDS on software arguing that such a decision would improve finances of the IT sector.
NASSCOM President Som Mittal said the announcement will help alleviate industry's concerns on the issue. "TDS deduction was leading to cash flow issues for the dealers as well as increase in cost of software as dealers could not afford funds getting locked in for long durations," NASSCOM said.
Multinational companies resort to transfer pricing to shift profits from high-tax countries to low-tax jurisdictions with a view to reducing overall tax liability.
See the government order on multilevel TDS below...


text:
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Baroda In Fab.com's New $105M Funding
Los Angeles investor Baroda Ventures, the venture capital arm of David Bohnett, has re-upped on online fashion and e-commerce site Fab.com, in a big, $105M third round of funding for that site. Baroda has been an investor in Fab since its seed funding back in June of 2010. Fab.com said the new funding round was led by Atomico, and also included Pinnacle Ventures, re-Net Technology Partners, Mayfield Fund, DoCoMo, Menlo VEntures, Andreessen-Horowitz, and First Round Capital. Fab.com operates an online, flash-sales and e-commerce site that revolves around design; the site originally started as a social network, and is headed by Jason Goldberg. Bohnett is the founder of Geocities.com. More information »


text:
Loan Comparison: PLUS vs. Alternative
The graduate PLUS loan presents an interesting alternative to private education loans. Here are some of the key differences:
Eligibility for private education loans typically depends on your debt-to-income ratio and FICO score. Eligibility for the PLUS Loan does not depend on these factors. You can get a PLUS loan even if you have a bad credit score, so long as you don't have an adverse credit history (i.e., no more than 90 days late on any debt and no defaults, bankruptcies or other adverse action on any Title IV debt).
Interest Rates
Most private education loans are variable rate loans with an interest rate that depends on the borrowers (and/or co-borrower's) credit score. The PLUS loan has a fixed interest rate of 7.99% that does not depend on your credit score. Generally, the PLUS loan will be less expensive than most private student loans.
Loan Fees
The loan fees on a PLUS loan total 4.004%, while the loan fees on private education loans depend on your credit score and can be as high as 11%.
Grad PLUS loans can be consolidated with other federal education loans, such as the Stafford and Perkins loans. Private loans cannot. Also, the Grad PLUS loan balance will count toward the economic hardship deferment, while private education loans do not.
Both the Grad PLUS and private student loans are student obligations. With the Grad PLUS a parent may be added to the loan as an endorser if the student has an adverse credit history or if the parent wants to help pay for the loan. With private student loans the parent can cosign the loan if the student has bad credit or if they have better credit (cosigning often reduces the interest rates and fees).
Graduate and professional students who borrow the Grad PLUS loan must submit the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) and max out the Stafford Loan first. Private student loan borrowers do not need to submit the FAFSA.


text:
Turkey Shrimp Salad RecipeRead Reviews Be the first to add a review
It's tradition for my family to have this salad on New Year's Day. I like to serve it with mugs of hot tomato soup and warm French bread.
Recommended: 30 Satisfying Protein-Packed Salad Recipes
- 12 cups cooked elbow macaroni
- 6 cups cubed cooked turkey
- 2 cups cooked deveined salad shrimp
- 1 cup thinly sliced celery
- 1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
- 1 can (20 ounces) pineapple chunks, drained
- 1 can (15 ounces) sliced peaches, drained and diced
- 1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 teaspoon lemon-pepper seasoning
- hard-boiled large eggs, sliced, optional
- Orange slices, optional
- In a large bowl, combine the first seven ingredients. In a small bowl, combine milk, lemon juice, oil, mustard, salt and lemon-pepper in a small bowl; mix well. Pour over salad; toss to coat. Cover and chill for at least 2 hours. Garnish with eggs and oranges if desired. Yield: 20-22 servings.
Originally published as Turkey Shrimp Salad in Home-Style Soups, Salad and Sandwiches Cookbook 1996, p52
Light-Bodied White Wine
Enjoy this recipe with a light-bodied white wine such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio.
Reviews for Turkey Shrimp Salad
Please Log In or Join to add a rating and review.
Click stars to rate
Any changes to your rating or review will appear where you originally posted your review


text:
The Influencers: Andrew Duffell
Andrew Duffell
President and CEO, Research Park at FAU
Background: As a European Studies graduate, with a special focus on political science, from Scotland's University of Aberdeen, the last place Duffell thought he would wind up was a university research park in Boca Raton. His post-graduate work began with North of England Inward Investment Agency, where he helped U.S. companies expand their footprints in the European market. He brought this experience to his next position, at the Business Development Board of Palm Beach County, where he helped bring the Max Planck Florida Institute to Jupiter. Since January 2011, he's focused his ambitious lasers on making Research Park the top research-and-development institution in the state.
How he is making a difference: Duffell has revamped the awareness of the Research Park, a segmented area of FAU just off the main campus. "There were a good number of companies that were engaged in very sophisticated technology development, but I think that there had been a drift in their outreach to the university, and the university's outreach to them," Duffell recalls. "Everyone had gotten involved in their own world and forgotten what a research park really should be. That's something I've worked on over the last two years, trying to reinvigorate those relationships and build new ones." As a result, the 20-some tenants working to shape the future in the Research Park have increased their regional profiles; press coverage has expanded, and the Park is now a more attractive destination for companies in fields as diverse as aerospace and defense, software development, health care IT and consumer behavior analysis.
What the future holds: Research Park is the technological frontier of FAU's signature themes of biotechnology, coastal and marine research, and contemporary societal challenges. The possibilities for future innovation are endless, from Lockheed Martin robots refashioned for use in port security to revolutionary advances in health care practices. "The amount of data that our companies have is mind-blowing, and the implications that [this] data could have for business applications is vast," Duffell says.


text:
a place for zinesters - writers and readers
The Museum of Contemporary Art zine fair was on yesterday, and from start to finish I left my table only twice, once to deliver some zines to another table, once to go to the toilet and get a coffee. Sorry, amazing new zinester whose work I missed out on - I was too busy to buy your zine.
In typical Rigozzi fashion, I had drastically underestimated the amount of zines I would need, thinking that…
© 2017 Created by Krissy Ponyboy Press.
Powered by
Badges |
Report an Issue |
Terms of Service
Please check your browser settings or contact your system administrator.


text:
By Chris Harris
As the Arsenal squad head to Croatia for the first leg of their Champions League qualifier, we've been getting the lowdown on Dinamo Zagreb.
Who are their key players? How much does Arsenal's visit mean to Croatian football fans? Are they glad that Thierry Henry is not fit? Drazen Brajdic, a journalist for leading Croatian newspaper Vecernji List, provides us with some answers.
Drazen, how big an occasion will this be for Croatian football?
For Croatia this is the second biggest football occasion of the year, after the World Cup. When Croatia were knocked out by Australia in the group stage we just had the club season to look forward to but now there is the Arsenal match, probably the biggest in modern Croatian club football. We also have the national team playing against England and Russia in the autumn. Football is a big passion for Croatians.
What will the atmosphere be like in the stadium?
The Dinamo fans make it a noisy and colourful stadium and we are expecting 30,000 there, the game has sold out.
Who are the key players in the Dinamo team?
The most talented player in the team is the Brazilian, Eduardo da Silva. He is a forward and most people here believe he will be playing for one of the biggest European teams in the future. He is not expected to move now but maybe in a year or two, depending on the offer. The most well-known player in Dinamo's side is Jens Nowotny, the German defender. He's not completely fit yet but he is an important player for Dinamo because they need a player who is experienced and can give some leadership. He is not 100 per cent at the moment but I think he will start. Dinamo rested some key players in the last qualifying round [against Ekranas] so they would be fresh to play Arsenal.
Is there a sense that Dinamo must capitalise on Arsenal's relative lack of match fitness in the first leg?
Yes. There is a real feeling that Dinamo's chance is in the first game and, when I was in Austria after the draw was made, Mr Wenger said that too. Physically Arsenal are not completely ready yet because they had 16 players at the World Cup so there is a chance for Dinamo to make something in the first leg, perhaps a draw, although of course they will try to score and win. If they can score and be lucky in the second leg then they have a chance, but Arsenal without the big names is still a big favourite.
Are the local fans disappointed that Thierry Henry will not be playing?
There is disappointment because the fans wanted to see him, for sure. When you have such a big team playing at your pitch you want to see all the stars. There are six players from the Champions League Final team who won't be there - Pires and Campbell have left, Lehmann is suspended and Henry, Cole and Ljungberg are not fit - but I think the fans will like the young Arsenal players. They will like the Spanish guys, Reyes and Fabregas. As for the others, like Van Persie and Eboue, the Croatian fans will find out all about them once the game starts.
Finally, what was the reaction to Croatia's World Cup exit?
Actually it was a very big disappointment because we believed
that Croatia would go through, especially after being drawn in a
group with Japan and Australia. We played well against Brazil and
thought we could beat the other sides but it has happened in the
past when Croatia have played a good game against better opponents
and then failed against teams on or below their level. In Japan and
Korea in 2002 we beat Italy but couldn't beat Ecuador.
14/1 - Dinamo Zagreb v Arsenal: Alex Hleb to score the first goal
Copyright 2017 The Arsenal Football Club plc. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source


text:
Colin Baxter Scouting Report
|Arizona Wildcats
|Jersey Number:
|Height & Weight:
|6'4 - 295 lbs.
2011 NFL Draft Prospect Scouting Report:
Colin Baxter, C, Arizona
Baxter performed so well at the center spot that he never left. In 2009 he was a second-team All-Pac-10 honoree following his honorable mention accolades a year earlier. By 2010 he was earning even more accolades and was a Rimington Trophy Award finalist. Baxter's collegiate career ended on a sour note as he was sidelined with a knee injury for ASU's Alamo Bowl appearance against Oklahoma State.
It is hard to find any player with more starting experience than Baxter. He may not be the best center out there in any single category, but he is a smart player who can quickly learn to run an offense from under center. His versatility to move over and play some guard is not a bad thing either. Baxter's future is likely at center and a team that needs depth at that position right away will pick up Baxter late in the draft.
0 Comments | Add Yours


text:
The road from Sydney, Australia to Austin, Texas has to be a grueling one. Fortunately, indie-rockers Lime Cordiale had a camera, a van, a 20-hour drive, and some great friends who "keep these shitheads alive." Through their SXSW tour diary, you can join the band in their Los Angeles rehearsal space where they worked with a few newcomers, touch up on your Beatles history, and follow them through the middle of nowhere until their big arrival in Austin.
There's a butt involved somewhere, but we don't want to spoil the moment. Watch the adventure unravel below.