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Illinois public sector unions are aggressively defending all public employee contractual rights in their state.
On the other hand, when they had the opportunity, Colorado public sector unions kicked their retired union brothers and sisters "squarely in the teeth."
From the Illinois public pension reform debate:
Illinois retiree Calloway:
"'We worked hard all those years. I mean, we worked. And then we retire. We did what we were supposed to do, and now they want to take our money from us,' said Calloway, who believes a tax increase is perhaps the most viable option for the state to address the problem."
"'I cared for mentally retarded patients. Some had little or no family contact,' Calloway told the Sun-Times, recalling the grueling and physically challenging conditions she faced."
Illinois retiree Halvorson:
"I don't think it's right that people who put away money for years and years and years and had it misappropriated by other people . . . don't get what we earned," she said.
"I get the fiscal condition the state is in. I just don't think it should be our money that helps dig us out of it."
(My comment: Colorado's 2010 legislation [SB 10-001] includes provisions to break the contracts of Colorado PERA retirees. This is an attempt to force a small group of Coloradans to pick up the state's contracted debt.)
Illinois public sector retirees recently defended their rights to their contracted pension COLA benefits in a Sun-Times article:
"All retirees on fixed government pensions, they each worry about how their seemingly once-secure retirements could change for the worse if Gov. Pat Quinn and lawmakers return to Springfield in early January and gut pension benefits for ex-public employees."
"[Retiree] Calloway, 73, was a caretaker for the developmentally disabled in a state home. Paprocki, 69, is a long-time, former campus cop at Northeastern Illinois University, and Halvorson, 66, is a former grade school teacher in Evanston."
Former Illinois Governor Jim Edgar defends public pension contracts:
"The former two-term Republican governor, a traditional ally of business interests when he oversaw state government in the 1990s, went so far as to deliver a tongue-lashing recently to some of the business leaders who have been the most strident in pushing for pension cuts."
"'I've told some of the CEOs in Chicago who are all for this, Hey, I worked in state government. We never had profit-sharing. We never had stock options. We never had bonuses. All we really had was our retirement,' Edgar said. 'I think people in the private sector don't understand there were some limitations in the public sector they didn't have. And they ought to be a little more understanding and not maybe quite as harsh on some state workers as they've been.'"
Illinois public sector unions are defending retiree contracted COLA benefits (unlike Colorado public sector union administrators and lobbyists who, in 2010, supported the breach of their retired union member's contracts.)
"But with strong pushback by a united front of public-employee unions, the votes don't appear to be there yet for the kind of drastic pension overhaul that Quinn envisions and that would strip retirees of existing benefits and invite a certain constitutional challenge that the Illinois Supreme Court ultimately would be left to decide."
Like Colorado, Illinois has skipped out on its public pension bills in the last decade:
"But beginning in 2002, the state borrowed to meet those commitments or passed laws to effectively underpay what the true annual pension costs were – in some cases, by as much as two-thirds. In fact, between 2002 and 2011, the state only once paid what truly was necessary on an actuarial basis and, in that single instance in 2003, it came from an infusion of borrowed dollars, state records show."
"While Illinois' pension systems routinely were funded at rates of 39 percent and less during the 1940s and 1950s, the scope of the problem now translates to this: The pension debt owed by every man, woman and child in Illinois stands at $7,373.
(My comment: The taxpayer's "public pension debt" mentioned in this article is simply payment for services [to be made over the next 40 to 60 years] that the public has received in the past. Payment of this debt is a fraction of all taxpayer responsibilities for public services that will be provided in these coming decades.
A 2006 Federal Reserve paper, by Ronald A Wirtz, notes that public pension funded ratios in the 50 to 60 percent range were typical in the 1970s, and yet public pension contracts were upheld:
"From a long-term perspective, however, one can't really pin too much of the pension problem on the recent stock market pullback-in fact, it's [the stock market in recent decades] been a savior for most pensions. Rewind 50 years, and almost all pension assets were invested in U.S. bonds and other fixed-income sorts of securities. Though comparatively safe in terms of protecting assets, such a portfolio could not generate the returns necessary for pension funds to keep up with the benefits promised by generous government employers. During the 1970s, funding ratios generally hovered between 50 and 60 percent." If the rule of law in the United States somehow survived the low funded ratios of public pension plans in the last century, I believe that we can also make it through this century without breaching public pension contracts.)
Back to the Sun-Times article:
"The state doesn't have the option of somehow writing off that debt the way someone with a crushing array of credit card balances could in declaring bankruptcy. And its ability to target existing retirees hasn't been tested in court because the state's Constitution establishes a government pension as 'an enforceable contractual relationship' that cannot be 'diminished or impaired.'"
"But none of the steps aimed at longtime workers or retirees has passed both legislative chambers in the face of aggressive union opposition, the serious constitutional questions and bickering between Republicans and Democrats."
"Last week, a public-employee union coalition known as We Are One Illinois came up with its own plan that it said would save $10 billion over 30 years by having state workers and downstate and suburban teachers contribute another 2 percent of their paychecks toward their pensions."
"In exchange, they (Illinois public sector unions) want an ironclad guarantee that the state won't skip or skimp on annual pension payments."
(My comment: Colorado public sector unions looked first to breach the contracts of their retired union brothers and sisters . . . people who worked at their side for many years. Illinois public sector unions are fighting for all public pension rights, including those of their retired members. This act of treachery by Colorado public sector unions in 2010 is unparalleled in the history of the United States labor movement. How is it possible that public sector unions in the United States tolerate this type of treacherous behavior in their midst? How is it possible that such behavior may be rationalized or justified? I cannot explain it.)
Full article:


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Blair Tells Haaretz: Folly to Ignore Iran's Threats to Israel
British PM says Western leaders are aware of global struggle against Islamic extremism, but public less so.
Western leaders are increasingly aware of the global nature of the struggle against Islamic extremism led by Iran, but within Western public opinion "there is a big battle to be won."
This somber assessment was offered here Sunday by British Prime Minister Tony Blair, in an interview with Haaretz. The British leader, who just recently announced his intention to step down within a year, acknowledged that his own domestic political difficulties were closely tied with this "ideological battle" for British and Western hearts and minds.
After a day of prodding Israeli and Palestinian leaders to get back on the negotiating track, the prime minister treated his interviewers to some flashes of the old Blair magic, interspersed with philosophical, almost wistful reflections on the vicissitudes of international affairs and political fortunes.
Did you find Prime Minister Olmert different from when you met him last (in June)?Obviously it's been a very traumatic, difficult time. When you lead a country through a crisis like that, it's a massive challenge. I found him extraordinarily focused and energetic and determined.
Did you give him any political advice?He was more likely to be giving me political advice! What I did say was this... The important thing is for Israel to be always the country that is striving for peace but is sometimes forced into war. And that's why it's important that we got the resolution 1701, because that is a political framework within which the issues to do with Lebanon can be dealt with. And if we can, we should invigorate the peace process with the Palestinians.
Olmert has forgone the West Bank disengagement...The important thing is to try and get a negotiated agreement because that in the end is the only way forward. Now, in Israel people will be very skeptical, not to say cynical as to whether it is possible at all. There is one major strategic question that has changed in the whole of the international community. People everywhere now see this global movement of extremism, they see Iran putting itself at the head of it, and there is a huge strategic interest that includes America, Europe, Israel and any Arab and Muslim countries that want a modern future - there is a huge strategic interest in making sure that that extremism doesn't succeed.
Did the Lebanon war sharpen this consciousness?Yes, I think it did, and though obviously, for obvious reasons because many innocent people died - many innocent Israelis, many innocent Lebanese - and the destruction of so much in Lebanon is terrible, of course. And so while the conflict was going on, it was very difficult for people to think in terms of anything other than stopping the conflict. But I think that there emerged from that a clearer notion of how this came about and how Iran and to an extent Syria are pulling the strings and ensuring that there is such conflict. And so I think there has been that greater clarity.
... greater clarity in your mind. But what makes you think in the minds of other European leaders?Because I think amongst the leaders in Europe I think it is clear. Amongst the people in Europe and Western opinion there is a big battle to be won. I mean, I'm being just honest about this. And I think there is a desire not to face the fact that we are fighting a global struggle. There are all sorts of issues to do with America and whether people want to be associated with America. And I think there is sometimes a naivete about organizations like Hezbollah and the activities of Iran. I'm just being frank. I think there is a battle, and it is important that we take our case out and win that battle.
And one part of winning the battle is making the case as to why Israel is entitled to its security and why it's important to revitalize the Palestinian process.
How can Israel fend off the erosion of its legitimacy, the proposed indictments of Israeli officers... academic boycott in Europe and in UK in particular?The two things are: To give people a real sense of strategic clarity about the threat that we face, and secondly to be the people who are striving to revive the Palestinian process. We may not succeed, but we should always strive.
With the recent arrests of suspected terrorists in the UK. These are people who grew up in the UK, in the welfare state, with no experience of any form of oppression or occupation. Did you ask yourselves what went wrong, what you did wrong?Well, they become like that. It's not necessarily what have we done wrong, because part of the problem of what you have in Western opinion is that Western opinion always wants to believe that it's our fault and these people want to have a sort of, you know, grievance culture that they visit upon us and say it's our fault. And so we have a young British- born man of Pakistani origin sitting in front of a television screen saying I will go and kill innocent people because of the oppression of Muslims, when he has been brought up in a country that has given him complete religious freedom and full democratic rights and actually a very good job and standard of living. Now, that warped mind has grown out of a global movement based on a perversion of Islam which we have to confront, and we have to confront it globally.
And as I said recently in my L.A. speech, the first way to win a battle is to realize you're in a battle. That's part of the trouble: We don't yet really understand this is a global movement and it requires a global strategy to beat it.
One other point - you can't beat it simply by security or military means. This is an ideological battle. It's got to be taken out to the enemy. And that's why I say it's important for us always to be the ones who have got a political strategy running alongside the military strategy. We should never, ever, whatever the technical difficulties, let the political strategy fall away.
We in our paper see your political difficulties and the battle of ideology as very closely linked. We have witnessed with a certain amount of sorrow your inability to inculcate this awareness in your own public opinion and among Western European opinion.Yeah, but you know in the end sometimes it takes people a long time to wake up. And sometimes these struggles go over a whole generation, almost. It's less important what my position is - but as you say rightly, I expect it indicates that we've got a big job to do.
But I think that underneath opinion is changing. On the surface I agree at the moment, no, it isn't. But underneath people are beginning to see it change. Now my own view is that if we were able to revive the Palestinian process that would be a huge part of persuading opinion that the one issue where even quite moderate Muslims just feel frustration and anger - that we were dealing with it now.
...I know from the Israeli point of view how frustrating it is to be told, you know, this is an issue that in the interest of the world has got to be solved... and you worry in Israel that maybe our interests get sacrificed in the course of finding a solution. I hope that I've done enough to prove that I will never sacrifice the security of Israel in that way. But I do genuinely believe that our job has got to be to build that alliance of moderation and empower the moderate Muslims and Arab voices.
We are concerned that even you cannot evoke from the Palestinian side - now that the Hamas has won power and Abu Mazen is merely a figurehead, having lost the election to them - even you can't evoke a negotiating partner, just when an Israeli government, however bruised and battered, is ready to relinquish the vast bulk of the territories...That's absolutely right and I understand that. One of the things I've been discussing here - because this has been a very strong sentiment of mine for a long time - is that what should have happened on disengagement from Gaza is this: Everyone should have come into Gaza, built a strong institutional capability and governing capacity, with the economic reconstruction, and then say, 'right - the disengagement from Gaza is the beginning, now let's move to the next stage.'
I'm sure that is what should have happened. And it didn't. And the fact that it didn't means that there is in my view a need for the international community to support in a far stronger and more effective way capacity on the Palestinian side.
Otherwise there are two alternatives: What happens is that either we try to reinvigorate the process but it never really happens... you agree to documents but they're never really operationalized; or alternatively what happens is that - and I think this is a reason why it is very much in the strategic interests of Israel to try to make progress - is that you can end up with a sort of semi-state on the Palestinian state, full of militias and gangs and trouble.
But the Hamas government rejects the conditions of the Quartet, despite the economic and diplomatic boycott and military pressure?Yes, well I think there is a lot of pressure coming now from the Palestinian people. This refusal to accept at least the basis of the Quartet principles is holding back the Palestinian people. And after all, how can we possibly negotiate with a government about a two-state solution if they don't accept the existence of the other state?
Is it pie-in-the-sky to see the beefed-up UNIFIL as something of a precedent for involvement in the Palestinian question later?Only in this way: Not that you'd replicate that type of force or anything like that, but I think that it does indicate that sometimes what happens is not that moderates don't want to do the right thing - but that they don't have the capacity to do it. I am quite sure that Prime Minister Siniora never wanted a situation where Resolution 1559 was never implemented. He wasn't able to do it. Interestingly, with Resolution 1701 he may be able to do it. I think in the same way we can transfer the analogy to this extent: That's why you need real international support on the Palestinian side. I think that is in the interest of the Palestinians and of the Israelis as well. Obviously these are things we'll now discuss, because I think you'll find now a great churn of activity but we need to make sure that out of it comes something that is applicable.
Regarding Iran, do you agree with the comparisons to the 1930s that we often read about?When you have the President of a country as powerful as Iran say those things, it may be very foolish of us to assume he doesn't mean them. And when he's also trying to acquire a nuclear weapon, then I think the warning signs are pretty clear... I think for a president of a country to say they want to wipe another country off the face of the earth and at the same time he's trying to acquire a nuclear weapons capability - if we don't get worried about that, future historians will raise a few questions about us and about our judgment.
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Caribbean Sea Jazz Festival in Aruba
With a small budget and a lot of help from local people and enterprises, a dream comes true every year!
Aruba's annual Caribbean Jazz Festival has taken place in Orangestad every Autumn since 2006. The dream and creation of Eric E, the festival boasts an impressive lineup of local and international jazz, funk, blues, hip-hop, salsa, soul and Latin artists. The music is just a part of what makes this festival such an amazing experience. A positive, vivacious ambience intertwined with music, art, poetry, dance and delicious food from around the world make this a truly sensuous and memorable experience.
A four-day warm-up precedes the festival and is held at smaller, more intimate venues, offering a selection of free concerts.
Well-known artists who have featured at past festivals include George Benson, Angie Stone, Eddie Palmieri, Marcus Miller, Isaac Delgado, Candy Dulfer, Raul Midon, Richard Bona, Izaline Calister, David Sanborn, Moon Baker, Chaka Khan, Oscar d' Leon, Pete Philly, Randy Bracker, Giovanca, Jose James, Willy Garcia and Prince Royce.
Why not join us for this special 10th anniversary Caribbean Jazz Festival on Saturday 24th of September! We promise to rock you with a show you will never forget!
Tickets are selling like hot tamales! Hurry and get your's now @ https://caribbeanjazz.com/tickets/
Check out this snippet from an awesome review on www.caribbeanjazz.com:
Unity's live performances have touched the souls of audiences with their sizzling hot interpretation of the coolest Michael Jackson songs. From the moment the Latin big band takes over the stage with their blazing beats and stunning visuals, they bring a performance that shakes the soul down to the spine and straight into the hips. Adding flavor to the songs you grew up to know so well, the 16-people strong musical formation is bound to blow you away and straight into a trip down memory lane. On this year's edition of the Caribbean Sea Jazz Festival, UNITY featuring Jon Secada are dedicated to not only honor, but to celebrate Michael Jackson
Looking forward to seeing you there!


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Robert Downey Jr: I clawed my way to the top
Los Angeles: Robert Downey Jr was presented with the Generation Award at MTV Movie Awards by his 'Avengers: Age Of Ultron' co-stars. In his acceptance speech, he talked about how he has "literally clawed" his way to the top.
Robert Downey Jr. Pic/AFP
The 50-year-old actor was presented with the Generation Award on Sunday at the Nokia Theater here by Scarlett Johansson, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Chris Hemsworth and Jeremy Renner -- who all dropped down to their knees when he took to the stage -- and recalled his past troubles and struggles that he has turned away from and seen his career go from strength to strength, reports femalefirst.co.uk.
The actor, who has previously battled drug addiction but has been clean for almost 12 years, said: "When I witnessed the first MTV Movie Awards. The first was in 1992, and that's my generation's version of the Oscars. And when the first Generational Award was given in 2005, I thought where's mine?
"In the 34 years that have passed since the birth of MTV, I've grown up, I've failed, succeeded, partied way too much, begged for second chances and literally clawed my way to the top. Dream big, work hard, keep your nose clean. Be of service, and yes, because you can -- define your generation."
The 'Iron Man' star then went on to praise his co-stars.
"I try to live honourably and never forget my love of the game and my friends. If a man is judged by the company he keeps then I must be doing something right, because look at who I'm rolling with," he said.
Before leaving the stage, the actor, who has 21-year-old son Indio from a previous marriage and son Exton, three, and daughter Avri, five months, with wife Susan Levin, introduced a new clip from the forthcoming action-thriller 'Avengers: Age of Ultron'.


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Measurement and Implication of Commercial Banks' Interest Rate Spread in Selected SEACEN Countries
This study examines commercial banks' interest rate spreads between lending and deposit rates. The measurement of the spread is important as many central banks now are publishing the overall average interest rates of the banking systems while authorities aew increasingly requiring banks to disclose more detailed financial information for determining the spread without additional costs. The internediation spread is an outcome of banks' decision on rates, affected by both micro and macro level factors. As a social cost of financial intermediation, the spread is subject to many macro level issues that shape efficiencies in financial sector performance. A certain level of financial sector structural development is required before banks can gear up to perform at a level of efficiency that can be observed in the spread. The spread is a reward for liquidity risk generated by transforming money into loans and also a reward for the selection and monitoring of the right kind of borrowers. It is thus an information premium. The spread also provides sufficient margins for banks to continue operating in the market. To be competitive in the market, banks have to manage and monitor other risks such as market risk, legal risk and so on. Banks must also be able to cover the costs of operation and give good returns for equity holders. In that sense, central banks and Governments can do a lot in terms of improving the environment in which banks operate, by making the economic environment more conducive for efficient risk management. On the other hand, banks tend to grow big and become leveraged. Thus, ensuring the right level of competition in the market place is crucial for achieving a lower social cost of bank intermediation and at the same time providing long run stability of the system as whole. This analysis of the study is based on a pool of data provided by the selected SEACEN member banks. From the analysis, it was observed that where the risk level is high and the financial infrastructure is not efficient, this methodology seems to be a good way of determining the main factors affecting the spread. The study revealed that banks' spreads are influenced by bank specifics, market forces and the regulatory environment. The findings of the study indicate that the factors that increase the spread in the selected SEACEN countries include market concentration and credit risks. However, bigger banks tend to operate with lower spreads due to better managerial efficiency. Reserve requirements are also costly for customers but statutory reserve remuneration appears to mitigate this burden effectively, at least in some countries. Consolidation through mergers and acquisitions can give banks the market power to operate with higher spreads, contributing to long term stability and profitability of banks.
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|This book is provided by South East Asian Central Banks (SEACEN) Research and Training Centre in its series Research Studies with number rp64 and published in 2006.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Bucs rookie RB Smith not settling for backup job
TAMPA - Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie running back Michael Smith has news for anyone who thinks the battle for lead ball-carrying duties will boil down to a fight between incumbent LeGarrette Blount and first-round draft pick Doug Martin. "I look at it very differently," said Smith, a seventh-round pick out of Utah State who declared himself a contender following the first round of rookie training camp workouts Thursday at One Buc Place. "Others may see it (as a two-man race), but I'm not out here just to be a third-down back. I'm going to be out here working and (looking) to start, to play immediately and to make an impact on the team." At 5-foot-9 and a chiseled 205 pounds, Smith has an almost ideal running back's build. And, as his 4.3-second pro-day 40-yard dash time suggests, he has better than ideal speed.Smith ran 114 times for 870 yards last year to finish third among all FBS backs with a 7.63 yards-per-carry average. He also caught 16 passes for 181 yards and two touchdowns, and there is little doubt that one of his primary competitors also sees him as a contender, or maybe a threat, for those starting duties. "It's not just me and LeGarrette," Martin said. "We've got like five running backs in our room that can do it, so there's competition between everybody, and that's good because all that's going to do is make all of us better." The Bucs needed to improve their running back corps following last year's 4-12 season. They finished the year with only Blount, ineffective Kregg Lumpkin and the seldom-used Mossis Madu on the roster. Martin has impressed the Bucs with his ability to run the ball, catch it out of the backfield and pass protect. And Smith has wowed the Bucs with his speed. He said there is another element to his game, though. "I'm very anxious to put the helmet on and put the shoulder pads on and go out and hit somebody and show that I am also a physical back," he said. "I'm not just a scatback. I'm balanced." Martin said there is balance throughout the Bucs' running back corps, and he includes Blount in that mix, saying Blount is a good pass catcher and blocker as well. Bucs coach Greg Schiano doesn't disagree with that assessment. He made it clear Thursday that he believes the Bucs have a lot of options at the running back spot, which is why he considers the race for carries too close to call. "I don't have any favorites," Schiano said when asked who he favored in the battle for lead ball carrier. "Most positions, we'll just dish out the reps in an appropriate manner and then we'll see where the chips fall." Smith hopes a lot of those chips fall his way, and not just on third down. He said he knows he can handle those duties, but he's out to show he can handle an even bigger role. "I can do anything the team wants me to do," he said. "I'm just here for the team. I just want to be a Buccaneer all the way. I'm 100 percent in, so whatever they want me to do, I'm here."
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FORT MYERS, Fla. – The 2013 Perfect Game National Showcase will always be remembered as the PG National that featured one of the deepest and most talented pitching classes in the prestigious event's 13-year history; the first day of the 2014 MLB First-Year Player Draft last week drove that point home.
Ten pitchers that are alumni of the 2013 PG National were selected in the first round of the draft, including No. 1 overall pick Brady Aiken, a left-hander from Cardiff by the Sea, Calif., and No. 2 pick Tyler Kolek, a right-hander from Shepherd, Texas. At the completion of the first round and the competitive balance round A (41 picks), a total of 17 2013 PG National Showcase alumni had been chosen.
The expanded 2014 Perfect Game National Showcase, the 14th edition of amateur baseball's most prestigious showcase event, will run Thursday, June 12 through Monday, June 16 at JetBlue Park with more than 300 of the top prospects from the high school class of 2015 performing in front of hundreds of professional scouts and college coaches and recruiters.
This year's event, lengthened to five days from four in previous years, will feature prospects taking part in workout and batting practice sessions over the first three days. They will be divided into 12 teams, with each team playing three games on consecutive days over the course of the five-day run; games will be played all five days. (For the complete schedule, please click here).
Similar to past years, Perfect Game will streaming the 2014 Perfect Game National Showcase in its entirety. The 60-yard dash, outfield, infield and catching drills, batting practice and all 18 game will be available, for free, for everyone to watch from the comforts of their own home. Simply follow the link that will be available on Perfect Game's homepage (www.perfectgame.org) to access these streamed videos.
Forty-three of the top-50 nationally ranked prospects from the 2015 graduating class will be at JetBlue Park for this year's PG National. That number includes 26 of the top-30, 18 of the top-20 and all 10 of the top-10.
In almost a complete reversal from a year ago, the class of 2015 is loaded with standout position players; only two of the top-10 prospects in attendance are primary pitchers, and they're ranked Nos. 6 and 10. Broken down even more narrowly, if the 2013 National was "the year of the pitcher" this one could be called "the year of the shortstop" with four primary shortstop prospects ranked in the top-12, including Nos. 2, 3 and 4.
Or, perhaps, "the year of the outfielder" would be appropriate. Four primary outfielders are ranked in the top-13 nationally, including overall No. 1 Dazmon Cameron, a 6-foot-1, 186-pound center fielder from McDonough, Ga., who has committed to Florida State.
In an interesting parallel, Cameron shares a hometown with Atlanta Braves outfielder Jason Heyward, an alumnus of the 2006 PG National Showcase, held that year in Fayetteville, Ark. Both also played in the East Cobb Baseball organization.
The other 2015 prospects ranked in the top-10 are: No. 2 shortstop Brendan Rodgers (Longwood, Fla.), Orlando Scorpions, Florida State commit; No. 3 shortstop John Aiello (Lansdale, Pa.), Tri-State Arsenal, Wake Forest; No. 4 shortstop Nicholas Shumpert (Lone Tree, Colo.), Prospects National Team, Kentucky; No. 5 Jahmai Jones (Roswell, Ga.), Georgia Roadrunners, North Carolina.
No. 6 right-hander Kyle Molnar (Aliso Viejo, Calif.), CBA Marucci, UCLA; No. 7 catcher Chris Betts (Long Beach, Calif.), CBA Marucci, Tennessee; No. 8 outfielder Ryan Johnson (College Station, Texas), EvoShield Canes, Texas Christian; No. 9 catcher Michael Hickman (Katy, Texas), Marucci Houston, Oklahoma; No. 10 left-hander Thomas Szapucki (Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.), All-American Prospects, Florida.
Cameron has been the class of 2015's top-ranked national prospect since the second set of rankings was released on Dec. 1, 2012. He was No. 3 in the inaugural 2015 national rankings released on Sept. 4, 2012 – behind Molnar and Szapucki – but has held down the top spot in nine subsequent updates.
Never satisfied, Cameron has continued to excel at his craft. He was named to the all-tournament team at eight PG WWBA or PG BCS tournaments and included on the top prospect list at four Perfect Game showcase events since the summer of 2011.
"You've got to be pleased with your progression; you've got no choice but to be pleased in this game," Cameron said in September while playing at the PG/EvoShield National Championship (Upperclass) in Goodyear, Ariz.). "I go out there and try to play my best every time I'm out on the field."
His father Mike Cameron – a retired veteran of 17 major league seasons – has enjoyed a front-row seat throughout his son's PG career, watching Daz's young career advance to the point where he is performing on the biggest national stages.
"It's been good to see him start to excel in some areas," Mike said in September. "He's starting to put himself in pretty good position player-wise moving into this senior season, and that's always a good sign. Probably the biggest thing is that he's continuing to progress and he's continued to learn more and more about himself every day."
Donovan and Szapucki aren't the only top arms at the event. Right-handers Nolan Kingham (ranked No. 14, Las Vegas, Texas commit), Beau Burrows (No. 15, Weatherford, Texas, Texas A&M) and Gray Fenter (No. 20, West Memphis, Ark., Ole Miss), and left-hander Juan Hillman (No. 18, Haines City, Fla., Central Florida) headline the 2015 class.
Additionally, right-hander Anthony Molina from Pembroke Pines, Fla. – the No. 1-ranked national prospect in the class of 2016 – will be in attendance on the heels of an appearance at the PG Jr. National Showcase earlier in the week. Outfielder Seth Beer from Suwanee, Ga., ranked No. 4 in the class of 2016, will also be at the PG National after performing at the PG Jr. National.
The prospects in attendance will not only be trying to catch the eyes of the hundreds of MLB scouts in attendance but also those belonging to Perfect Game scouts and front office personnel. A prospect's performance at the PG National Showcase is taken into account when invitations are extended to the prestigious Perfect Game All-American Classic, played in early August at the San Diego Padres' Petco Park.
With the results of the 2014 MLB amateur draft now final, a total of 1,602 PG National Showcase alumni have been drafted since the event's inception in 2001. They include overall No. 1 selections Justin Upton (2004 PG National/2005 draft), Tim Beckham (2007/2008), Gerrit Cole (2007/2011), Mark Appel (2008/2013), Carlos Correa (2011/2012) and Aiken (2013/2014).


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Thread: plsql can call windows explorer?
12-28-01, 07:11 #1Registered User
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Unanswered: plsql can call windows explorer?
use portal/plsql develop web.
would plsql call out the windows explorer?
coz I want upload/download the files.
06-03-04, 14:19 #2Registered User
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Research PL/SQL External Procedure Calls, also known as PlsExtProc or simply Extproc.MarkRem
Author, Oracle Database 10g: From Nuts to Soup
06-03-04, 14:29 #3Registered User
Provided Answers: 1You can lead some folks to knowledge, but you can not make them think.
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The average person thinks he's above average!
For most folks, they don't know, what they don't know.
Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgement.


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Locksmiths, Morrisville, NC
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The Flying Locksmiths - Raleigh
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PRO Cary Locksmith NC
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Apex Lock And Key Locksmith
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AAA Locksmith Solutions
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text: I know this isnt everyone's favorite fuzz, and for good reason, but until my other pedals arrive I'm stuck with it. Anyway, I've been playing it through a Squier jazz and I've had no problems, but I got a Jaguar and the P pickup sounds amazing through it on every string, EXCEPT the e string, which is pretty crucial. It just gets too boomy. Its bassy, but not in a good way. It loses definition and sounds like mud. I've tried it on multiple settings, and its either the same problem, or there's no bass at all. Through the other pickup, its much clearer and more defined, but loses bass. This isn't a problem playing clean, and I don't have any other pedals to compare it to ATM. Some differences that could be part of the issue: Jazz bass has flatwounds, jag has round. Jass pickups versus p/j combo Full size versus short scale I've noticed the pickups are a lot closer to the strings than on my jazz bass, and I've tried lowering them, but I don't know how far they can go. Sorry for the long post. Anyone have any experience? I'm planning on getting a Grey Stache to replace this, and I have a couple other things coming soon, but in the meantime, I'd like to fix this. Its no fun when your new bass sounds like crap through your only fuzz.


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Crucial M550 2.5" SATA SSD Full Capacity Roundup
PCMark Vantage and 7
For trace based testing, we are replacing the outdated PCMark 05 results with a pair of newer versions of the same. PCMark Vantage and PCMark 7 results will be included moving forward. We are also running PCMark 8 on samples as we receive them, however we do not yet have sufficient comparative data to make a useful chart. Vantage results tend to be higher as they show more of a raw / peak type of result measured during the trace, while 7 shows more of an averaged value over the time duration of the trace. Translation: Vantage shows max throughput while 7 shows how that throughput impacts overall system performance. You can easily tell the difference by looking at the results of the HDD (VelociRaptor), which scores higher under 7 since the overall system is usually doing other things in addition to accessing storage.
Cramming all of the actual numbers onto these charts is overwhelming, but it's easy to see relative differences between the compared units. PCMark Vantage and 7 both consider overall system performance (in addition to the storage device), which explains why the majority of SSDs come in very closely on these tests.
You were all impressed with performance vs price for these 550 SSDs greater than 128Gb, and I tend to agree. The Samsung EVOs seem to be an additional $20-30, but the Samsung Magician software especially for firmware update notification is excellent. Does Crucial have software similar to Magician ? Because firmware updates are a pain.
Hey guys I just saw your video and I was wondering, I want to buy a M550 128gb SSD because its very affordable compared to the same one with 256gb. Write now my Acer Aspire has a 250gb HDD, its to slow, that's why I am changing to SSD, but the question is: is their a difference in speed between those two? I use my laptop for recording music and stuff like that and the speed is very important to me.
Is their a speed difference between the M550 128GB and the M550 256GB?
I agree, but it's not just the cost - it is also the capacity, power, and suitability for video recording. Low-power, video/surveillance 3.5" drives are available up to 6TB now, while 2.5" drives tend to max out at 2TB. If you are building a DVR which can record 6 or more programs at once, supporting 1 or 2 3.5" hard drives (as the reviewer showed) makes a lot more sense than using four 2.5" drives.
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While a team-up between Level-5 (Inazuma Eleven, Professor Layton) and the beloved Studio Ghibli seems like it should be a can't-miss proposition, Japanese sales of the pairing's Ni no Kuni have been what the business world might describe as "soft." Consequently, Level-5 is looking at how the game does internationally before committing to a sequel.
In an interview with Famitsu.com at Namco Bandai's recent Gamers Day event, Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino said he'd like to continue with the series if they see strong results from the overseas version. He referred to the studio's Dark Cloud, which sold 120,000 units in Japan, but topped a million total in worldwide sales, as an example of what Ni no Kuni could do.
Ni no Kuni: Wrath of the White Witch will hit North America and Europe in first quarter 2013. Hino explained that the studio has been taking their time with a proper translation, headed by a new Level-5 localization director.


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KARACHI - Experts have urged the public to show extreme caution on edibles especially drinking water when travelling during vacations.
As summer vacations have started, people with their families are planning trips and vacation where they are likely to drink contaminated lake water and eat food from outside, Dr Iqbal Memon, President Pakistan Paediatric Society said, while speaking at health awareness seminar held on Saturday.
"This is happening everywhere in Pakistan, no matter vacation or not, it may be noted that contaminated water and even filtered sources of water , with their viral infective components continue to affect health of all users exposing to danger of Hepatitis A. It is important to ensure that every family member including adults & children are vaccinated before visiting such areas," he said.
Dr Iqbal Memon said that unsafe water can lead to many intestinal and liver diseases, particularly Typhoid, Hepatitis A & E, Gastroenteritis, Dysentery, etc. Dairy products also are good sources of these ailments. With summer hovering, use of unsafe water , over ripe fruits, cooked or uncooked food left in open, even without cover, and increased need and demand of water for drinking and drinks shall add to the issues, he added.
"Parents should get themselves and their children vaccinated for Hepatitis A as they will be exposed to contaminated water and food during their journey and stay at different locations up-north, where the sanitary and hygiene conditions are unfortunately poor and substandard," Dr Iqbal said.
"Immunisation is one of the most cost effective and quick means, protecting people against preventable ailments; non-utilisation of vaccines is equivalent to crime against humanity, particularly children. All EPI program managers and health officials are urged to ensure delivery of all vaccines in most convenient manner and with maximum outlets along with awareness drive locally through schools, mosques and madarsahs periodically and achieve vaccination targets," he said.
The residents of the scenic and exotic cities in the north of the country unfortunately are already complaining about and suffering from Hepatitis A outbreak due to lack of awareness and medical facilities, he mentioned.
"Hundreds of patients suffering from Hepatitis-A have already been admitted in various hospitals. It seems that contaminated water has mixed into the drinking water which has caused the epidemic," Dr Abdul Wasay said.
KARACHI - Experts have urged the public to show extreme caution on edibles especially drinking water when travelling during vacations.


text:
Urban Decay Mechanical Pencil in Asphyxia
1 review
0% would repurchase
Package Quality: 1.0
Price: $$
Package Quality: 1.0
Price: $$
Not tested on animals
Urban Decay is a Cruelty-Free Subsidiary.
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Start your review
Age: 19-24
Skin: Normal, Fair, Not Sure
Hair: Brunette, Other, Other
Eyes: Hazel
I have several gripes about this product. I got it on eBay for something like $6, so the price was right. But this product is somewhat of a joke and a letdown. I was expecting the Asphyxia I know and love: the bright purple with a blue shift that makes my eyes look beautiful and sparkling. This... heh... this is a drab eggplant color that goes on clumpy. The packaging makes me scoff in its general direction. It's supposed to be self-sharpening, but it still has a blunt edge no matter how much I screw around with the liner advancer. Also, it gets stuck so now, since I tried to save it or at least see the redeeming qualities of it, I have a long stick of ugly aubergine eyeliner that I have to use with so much care and precision to make it look right, I might as well be drawing mustaches on goldfish. >.<
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text:
Need little help on my homework assignment. Let's say I have the information on three stocks which include stock name, buying price, current price, number of shares bought and and yearly fees.
I am supposed to calculate the following:
1. initial cost which is number of share * buying price
2. current cost, which is the number of shares * current price
3. profit, which is current_cost - initial_cost - yearly_fees
4. total profit = total + profit.
I also need have the program figure out how many of the three stocks are generating positive profit, negative profit or break even and print out the number of each.
Another requirement is to write with appropriate functions and paramenter passing (the reference/value stuff) and to use one void function and one function with return statement.
I have completed assignment using only void functions, but wondering how to incorporate the return statement deal?


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GK: Halloween is a time when spirits are free to walk the earth so if you walk after dark you are likely to run into some surprising people (TR REAGAN: I am still convinced that most air pollution is caused by trees and that's why I'm out here in the woods. I am here to help.) Yes, you never know who you might run into on these dark fall nights (TR (REAGAN): Well, there you go again.)
GK: And of course monsters are walking the earth too or flying over the earth (SS WITCH CRY) like this witch ----
SS (WITCH): They're requiring seat belts and air bags on these brooms now. And by law we have to list the ingredients in the witches' brew. (BUBBLING, STEAM) Boiled Toad, Eye of Newt, Lizard's leg, Root of Hemlock, Calcium benzoate, monosodium glutamate, and tongue of snake.
GK: Many monsters are simply in search of health care. They flock to emergency rooms on Halloween.
SS: Yes? May I help you?
TR (VAMPIRE): I need a blood transfusion.
SS: May I ask what for?
TR (VAMPIRE): For dinner! I am hungry. And I have these ugly fangs. Do you have a dentist on duty?
SS: We have oral surgeons on call, yes----- is this an emergency?
TR (VAMPIRE): In about an hour it's going to be a big big emergency. (HE HOWLS)
SS: I'm sorry, you'll have to keep your voice down.
TR (VAMPIRE): I am so sorry. (HE HOWLS A SMALL HOWL) (BRIDGE)
GK: It's the one night of the year when monsters can move freely and get the care they need. Werewolves are flocking to beauty salons.
SS: I've never done a facial wax job before, so I'm really really sorry if this hurts.
SS: Oh wow. You have hair on your forehead and all over the back of your neck and everything. I better put more wax on. (SQUORTS) (TK WEREWOLF REACTIONS) You look so much like that nice man whose hair I cut just the other day. (TK WHINES) You are? Really? Oh gosh. And now look at you. Hair all over your entire face. Okay. You ready? (TK WEREWOLF GRUNTS) This is going to hurt. Okay? All set? (TK GRUNTS) You want me to do it all in one rip or in a series of little rips? (TK MOAN) Okay. Here we go. One two three------ (BIG RIP, TK SCREAM)
GK: Monsters face some of the same problems that you and I face, and getting affordable health care is one of them.
TR: I'm Dr. Pomfret, Mister---- Mister-----
TR: Okay. Good to meet you. We've done a complete M.R.I., Mr. Grunt and what we find is that your body is decaying rotting flesh, your face is coming apart and what appears to be brain matter is leaking out---- (TK GRUNT)---- No, it's a little late for Botox ------No, no, don't do that, sir---- please (BIG SQUORT----- okay, there you just pulled your arm out of your socket----- why did you do that? (TK GRUNT)----- that doesn't help anything, does it? Hey---- (BIG RIP, SQUORTS) and now you've pulled half of your face off. Do you think that is attractive? (TK GRUNT) You think someone's going to hire you, looking like that? Huh? I don't think so. Let me ask you: have you been near hazardous waste? (TK GRUNT NO) Have you come in contact with alien beings? (TK GRUNT NO) Have you been watching more than four hours of television a day? (TK GRUNT UNCERTAINTY, THEN NO) What I'm going to do, Mr. Grunt is suction out your entire brain and then see if that doesn't help? Okay. (TK GRUNT) Okay. Here we go. (BIG SUCTION, CHUNKS, SQUORTS) Okay. Brain matter is entirely cleaned out.
TK: Boy, that was a weird feeling. Wow.
TR: I can imagine.
TK: So how is it possible for me to talk without any sort of a brain?
TR: It's an election year.
TK: Oh. Right.
TR: Now I'm going to try to kill the zombie virus by sending a hundred thousand volts of electricity through your body. Ready?
TK: Is this going to hurt?
TR: You'll feel a tingling sensation and some heat and you may smell smoke.
TK: Okay. (BIG ELECTRICAL SHOCK WAVE, THEN ANOTHER, THEN ANOTHER)
TR: Okay. All done. How are we doing?
TK: Good.
TR: You feel better?
TK: Much better. What do I look like?
TR: We'll have to do a face transplant. Skin graft. And an arm replacement.
TK: How much is that going to cost?
TR: Well, your health insurance does not cover zombie-related procedures so your bill is going to come to $225,575.
TK: What???? How can that be? That's outrageous. Impossible. Horrible. (HIS VOICE BEGINS TO SLIDE BACK INTO ZOMBIEHOOD) How can you do that? Why? Why? Why?
(TK ZOMBIE GROANS)n
GK: We tend to stereotype monsters and think of them as aliens utterly unlike ourselves but in fact we have a great deal in common with them.
SS (ZOMBIE): Chocolate. I need chocolate.
GK: When monsters come to your home Sunday night, be generous.
TR (VAMPIRE): Licorice. Red licorice.


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This Small Radar Device Can Track Your Sleeping Patterns
In our quest for ever-better sleep trackers, we may have to turn to an older technology for results.
In our quest for ever-better sleep trackers, we may have to turn to an older technology for results.
Like many of you, I work in front of a computer. They're powerful devices, but they also suck your will to live and trick you into never, ever getting up and going outside. Reasons like that are why fitness trackers were invented.
Mothers are responsible for the welfare of their children. This is something we assume is true and something that guides the behavior of women with kids. They are watchful. They are worried. They set boundaries: Go to bed at such-and-such hour. Eat a balanced breakfast. Follow these rules.
The worst-kept gadget secret in recent history is no longer secret at all. The new Fitbit Charge, Charge HR, and Surge fitness trackers are official. Here's everything you need to know.
Everybody and their mother has brought an activity tracker to market in the last year, but it actually makes sense that Polar—a company with a long history making heart rate monitors—would get into the game. Unfortunately, their first stab at a fitness monitor feels more like a first-draft.
Remember Fitbit, makers of tiny activity-tracking gadgets for health and fitness? Well, the 2012 models are here and they're smaller, cheaper, and better than their last thingies. After all, fitness-tracking shouldn't be limited to big-pocketed rich people, right?
Here's a good use of GPS: its a new device that allows victims of domestic violence be aware of when someone they have a restraining order against is nearby.
We've seen mini GPS loggers before, but stalking your girlfriend has never been easier than with this $259 SkyTRX GPS Mini Tracker. It has a magnet mount for easy stickage to the undercarriage of her car, and will record her every move for 100 hours straight.
Even though Nintendo's delivering about 2,700 times the amount of Wiis as PlayStation 3s this quarter, demand is still outnumbering supply, and you may be having a hard time getting your hands on a console. Here comes the Nintendo Wii Console Status Tracker.
Useful for runners, bikers, skiiers, and people who do any activity that involves moving from point A to point B, this FRWD sports computer tracks your progress for later viewing on a PC. The FRWD Recorder Unit contains the GPS, which tracks all the relevant stats like distance and speed and displays it on the FRWD…


text:
Features and Benefits:
Flash chromed ram and pump piston inhibit rust. Full swivel ball bearing caster wheels with zerk grease fitting. Front wheels include roller bearings. Rear kick plate helps turn jack when in tight places.Low Lift Height 5"High Lift Height 22"Overall Length 55.5"Overall Width 17"Overall Height At Pump 9.5"Handle Length 45.75"Saddle Diameter 5.75"Net Weight 209.44 Lbs.


text:
The Cardinals have signed righthander Junior Fernandez for $400,000. Fernandez is a 17-year-old who has spent time living in the United States, but moved to the Dominican Republic and signed as an international free agent. Here's a more in-depth look at Fernandez's stuff and his unusual path to signing. He trained with Felix Liriano.
• Top 30 International Prospects List
• Top 30 International Prospect Scouting Reports
• Team-By-Team International Forecasts


text: The long-tailed macaque is native to the jungles of Southeast Asia. But, unless we get him out, Calvin will never know freedom, never climb a tree, and never feel the sun warm his little body. Assigned Holocaust No. CX99, Calvin was born into captivity at the notorious Alpha Genesis on June 1, 2003 and sold into slavery at the University of Florida on February 25, 2008.


text:
PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A bullet-riddled Northeast Portland bar is raising the drinking age on the premises in an attempt to combat an increase in gang violence.
Magoo's Bar and Grill at 5028 NE 42nd Ave. reserves the right to refuse service to anyone under 26 and so far, the strategy has worked.
"We're really trying to clean up the bar in the neighborhood and we have a 26 and over in the neighborhood now," said a Magoo's bartender.
Staff said nine months ago, police were called to Magoo's every weekend responding to fights, calls of disorderly conduct — even shootings.
"A bullet went into our building and shot one of our customers in the leg," he said.
"It's the younger crowd that causes the problem, the newbies in the gang a lot of the older gang members they come in here they've been in the gang so long they don't want to fight," said nearby resident Jeremy Hanson.
There have been at least three shootings in the last five years in the neighborhood.
"It's nice during the day it's just when it starts to get dark, some not so nice people come out and take over the bar," said neighbor Lisa Hart.
Magoo's is within its rights according to the Oregon Liquor Control Commission to raise the age of entry.
"It doesn't really matter there are so many bars here in Portland you don't have to worry about one making that rule, the one making the rule for a business choice to keep the wrong element out," said Hanson.


text:
Australia is a popular destination for a quality education. The country is accommodates highly regarded and internationally recognized graduate and post-graduate courses. Foreign who have received approval from educational institutes, to pursue registered master degree by research or a doctoral degree, should hold an Australian Postgraduate Research Student visa.
Australian Postgraduate Research Student Visa Basic Requirements
In order to apply for a Postgraduate Research Student visa, applicants should have good English language ability. They should be registered in an authorized postgraduate research course as their primary course of study. They should be able to produce evidence of adequate financial means to support themselves. In addition, for their tenure in Australia, they should have acquired overseas student health insurance cover.
Australian Postgraduate Research Student Visa Entitlements
Australian Postgraduate Research Student visa is valid for the tenure till the postgraduate research course concludes. This is a temporary visa. During the term, visa holders are allowed to work for a maximum of 20 hours per week. However, during the term breaks, visa holders can work unrestricted.
In order to show and highlight the opportunities that exist for Chinese businesses, students and travellers in Canada, Minister of Canadian Citizenship and Immigration Chris Alexander is currently travelling to Hong Kong and Shanghai.
Oluwatosin Olajide (Australia Skilled Visa)
Abdullah Elfatih (Australia Skilled Visa)
Haytham Tawfik (Australia Skilled Visa)
Chandru Chandramohan (Australia Skilled Visa)
Sharandeep Singh (Canada Student Visa)
Yasser Madibo (Australia Skilled Visa)
Farhan Mustafa Khan (Canada Skilled Visa)
John Mathew James (Australia Skilled Visa)
Jeevanandam.S (Australia Skilled Visa)
Prabhjot Kaur (Canada Skilled)
Aqif (Canada Skilled)
Farhan Akbar (Australia Skilled)
Lalit Kumar (Australia Skilled)
Bobby Joseph (Australia Skilled)
Deepak Kumar Verma (Australia Skilled)
Fazley Rabbi (Australia Skilled)
Jimmy Cherian (Australia Skilled)
Adnan Malik (Australia Skilled )
J.Harikrishnan (Canada Skilled)
Amandeep Kaur (Canada Skilled)
Kusha Pandoh Sharma (USA Study Visa )
Anupam Goyal (Skilled Visa Canada)
Suvarna Vyavahare (Skilled Visa Canada)
Sanjiv Farmer (Skilled Visa Canada)
Harry Sekhon (Skilled Visa Canada)
Aabha Sharma (Skilled Visa Canada)
Rahul Kapoor (Skilled)
Sikanderjeet Singh (Study Visa)
Sharanjit (Study Visa)
Simrat Kaur (Study Visa)
Priyanka Sharma (Skilled)
R. K. Mehta (Business Immigration)
Teena Simon (Skilled)
Gurpreet Singh Grewal (Business Immigration)
Silvy (Skilled )
R.S. Mac (Business Immigration)


text:
No guarantee Steve Irwin reserve safe from mining
Queensland Mines Minister Andrew Cripps has refused to rule out mining in the Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve on Cape York in the state's far north.
More than 600 people, led by Terri Irwin, had signed a petition calling on the Government to ensure no mining applications would be approved in the area.
Cape Alumina is conducting environmental assessments for a proposed bauxite project on part of the reserve.
It has been declared a "significant project" by the Queensland coordinator-general.
Mr Cripps has responded to the petition, saying the project will undergo rigorous assessment to ensure the environment and native title rights are protected.
Topics: mining-environmental-issues, mining-rural, activism-and-lobbying, regional, public-sector, cairns-4870


text:
The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit (or MAP) is the next-generation version of the agent-less assessment platform from Microsoft. In this new version, MAP has expanded its capabilities into assessment areas of Hyper-V server virtualization, desktop security, and SQL 2008 migration. In summary, MAP 3.1 assessment areas now include:
· Server Migration Reports and Proposals (Windows Server 2008)
· Server Consolidation Reports and Proposals (Virtual Server 2005 R2 and Hyper-V) (NEW!)
· Desktop Security Assessment to determine if desktops have anti-virus and anti-malware programs installed or if the Windows Firewall is turned on (NEW!)
· Application Virtualization Assessment Reports (Microsoft Application Virtualization, formerly SoftGrid)
· SQL 2008 Migration Assessment Reports (NEW!)
· Windows Vista and Microsoft Office 2007 Hardware Assessment Reports and Proposals
The Microsoft Assessment and Planning Toolkit performs three key functions - including hardware and device inventory, compatibility analysis, and readiness reporting.
MAP is based upon an agent-less infrastructure scanning technology that allows users to conduct a network inventory of their servers, desktops, applications, and devices - all without installing any software agents on each machine being assessed. This tool has the ability to discover machines within Active-Directory managed domains and forests as well as workgroups.
With the new user interface and enterprise-scale inventory engine, users can generate multiple technology migration reports and proposals for their OS migration and virtualization projects in a matter of hours.


text:
Hybrid Recommendation Techniques for Improving Wireless Information Delivery
Wireless Web is an another important area which is consists of much more complex structures and huge collection of ambiguous data. The wireless portion of the web is also quite different from the traditional web. The information contained in the wireless web is often more concise, more location-specific, and time-critical. The multiplicity of wireless web application among assortment of recommendation aim and technique involve that to gather more and more global recommendation requirements, it is reasonably significant to implement hybrid recommendations for wireless commerce.
Provided by: International Journal of Emerging Technology and Advanced Engineering (IJETAE) Topic: Mobility Date Added: Nov 2012 Format: PDF


text:
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I have been doing cakes for 25 years and have always steered away from
fondant, but I just had a bride insist on it and as I was searching youtube
I came across your video about the mat. I knew it would work because this
is how I always made my pie crusts so I ordered the mat immediately.
Needless to say it was a complete success. The cake was flawless! I am
sending an attachment to share. Plus I used about 1/2 of the fondant that
Wilton said was needed which saved me $$$ and made to overall texture of the
cake more pleasant to eat!
You made my first fondant experience a GREAT one!
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This ultimate book for candy making is filled with recipes, instructions and ideas. Almost every type of candy is included: mints, painted molds, 3-D chocolates, bonbons, truffles, turtles, toffee, hard candy, fondant centers, caramels, cherry cordials, fudges, and much more! Full color
All About Candy Making
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By Andrew Garrison Shotts. Insider tips for making designer-quality chocolates at home. More than 40 recipes for chocolates, truffles and confections are created using exotic and unique ingredients such as spices, herbs and more. Includes techniques and tips from a professional chocolatier. 176 pages, full color.
Making Artisan Chocolates
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For a month in the summer of 2010, I traveled to Ireland with Colleen Brogan to investigate the role of gaelic games in Irish society. Explicitly suppressed by British authorities throughout early modern Irish history, gaelic football and hurling were on the verge of extinction when they were consciously revived as part of the Celtic Cultural movement of the late 19th century. Today, gaelic games remain an unmistakably Irish activity, played in all 32 counties of Ireland despite the political tensions between the north and the southern Republic. Colleen and I were particularly interested in why these games continue to be played in the age of global sport. Why would the Irish chose to continue playing their own indigenous games (which are played purely for amateur love of the game) instead of football or olympic activities that could take them around the world?
Operating from a small cottage in Dublin 6, and traveling to County Offaly and County Cork, we attended gaelic game matches, interviewed players, fans, and managers, and even tried our own hand at the playing the games. We kept track of the project through twitter, nine "broadcasts from Dublin" on vimeo, and frequent blog posts on our WordPress website. We later termed this diverse approach to using multiple media outlets an "intermedia" project.
When we returned to the States, we edited twelve hours of raw footage down in a 32 minute final documentary we dubbed "Playing Irish". We later premiered the film at the Newport Public Library in Newport, Rhode Island, and hope to shortly have it air in Ireland via An Lar TV.
The project was sponsored by AT&T and the Watson Institute for International Studies. In two receiving $2,500 grants, Colleen and I were named "New Media Fellows" of Watson's Global Conversation Project. We were also named Watson Associates, a distinction that honors Brown University graduates whose work and passions consistently utilize a global perspective.


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The Outback Steakhouse Outback Steakhouse Mac-A-Roo is a macaroni and cheese recipe many people have requested in the past. The recipe is only on the children's menu, but why should children have all of the fun? I hate to say it, but when I order take out, I will add in an order of their macaroni and cheese so I can have some at home.
Outback Steakhouse Mac A Roo N Cheese
If you need to reheat this later, the macaroni and cheese can be made creamy again by adding more heavy cream. Honestly, you can use milk for this recipe, but the results are much creamier when you use heavy cream. I have also made this with half and half and whole milk with good results.
This recipe is very simple to make. You basically need to cook pasta and add Velveeta cheese and heavy cream. Really, that is all there is to this recipe.
Do you have any interesting stories or experiences of you ordering off the children's menu? In addition to ordering this via take out, I have also been guilty of ordering the peanut butter and jelly kids' combo at Panera Bread. I never keep bread in my house, because I don't eat a whole loaf before it goes stale, so for me, a freshly made peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a treat. What are your guilty pleasures from a children's menu?
Do you love the Outback Steakhouse? Be sure to check out these copycat recipes that taste just like they do at the Outback Steakhouse.
Outback Steakhouse Alice Spings Quesadilla
Outback Steakhouse Tiger Sauce
Outback Steakhouse Baked Potato
Outback Steakhouse Mac A Roo and Cheese
This macaroni and cheese is tasty and simple to prepare. Now you can have macaroni and cheese just like the Outback Steakhouse with this copy cat recipe.
- 2 cups dry penne pasta
- 8 ounce Velveeta cheese
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Cook pasta according to package directions. Cube Velveeta in small pieces, so it can melt easily. In a small saucepan, combined cubed Velveeta cheese and heavy cream. Turn the heat on low and stir until all cheese is melted. Reduce the heat to simmer until you are ready to combine with the pasta. Once pasta is done, pour back into the pot where it was cooked; add sauce and mix well.Print Recipe
I worked at outback for 13 years, and my husband was the kitchen manger. This is exactly how they made it. Nothing spicy, etc!
So delicious and simple to make! Kids kept asking for more and more.
Thank you.
We loved it! Just made it for Thanksgiving and everyone loved it. Thank you for sharing!!
Taking anything out of waitstaff pockets is a nasty form of robbery. If you can't leave a 20% tip don't eat out!
Sorry this receipe is not correct….They hardly put a ton of cheese and they put this distinct seasoning on it to make it spicy but it delicious. The mac and cheese did not look like there was velveeta cheese nor heavy cream on it. I was there last week.
That is because this is the old BETTER recipe. I have been a customer at Outback since I was 4 and I am now 20 and am very disappointed that they changed the recipe.
Exactly, Katie!
It was my favorite food up until they changed it.
Very disappointed with the new mac and cheese…
Can't believe the recipe is so simple!
Why would they change it when it was already amazing and I'm sure way simpler than the new stuff?!?!
Anyway, thanks Stephanie!
You a have restored a very small but important piece of my childhood. ♡
Order the kids macaroni the new one is indeed different. But the kids Mac a roo ni is what you're thinking of.
So agree with you, they used cheddar and the waitress said crushed pepper flakes.. for sure NOT velveta
This recipe is great. I salt the water to add a bit of flavor to the noodles. I also found the sauce was a little thick for my liking so I added a bit of milk, and it is great! Thanks for posting.
Velveeta cheese? Wow, what a disappointment!!
Have you tried their Macaroni and Cheese? I think everything has its place, even Velveeta.
I just tried this recipe and it totally tastes extremely close to the actual meal at the restaurant. c: Even great value brand like-velveeta cheese works just as well!
Thank you for the tip on the Great Value brand cheese.
Just a little update… I currently work at outback and have for several years. Their Mac
A Roo is simply penne, name brand velveeta and milk. They used to use heavy cream but switched to milk in an effort to reduce calories for when they will become listed on the menu. The pasta is precooked in the morning and when some one orders it the pasta, milk and velveeta are put in the microwave until the ingredients can be combined. The milk and velveeta ae just eyeballed which is why there can be a big difference in the thickness of the sauce.
Hope this clears some stuff up.
Enjoy 🙂
Outback Kid Mac Cheese sauce
Portions changed over the years, but
Equal portions(by weight)of heavy whipping cream and velveeta cheese + penne
Delicious. My daughter can not get enough. Thanks for the recipe!
So now you can save some money by making it at home.
This recipe is way off, the only correct item is penne pasta. A) They don't use Velvetta B) They dont use HEAVY CREAM or any cream for that matter and B) you forgot the spices they use? Your recipe is bland
actually i used to work for outback and they DEFINITELY go by this exact recipe. the only thing they add is a sprinkling of parsley. you dont need to be so rude jessica cohen, didnt see you shedding any light on what you thought the real recipe was.
You need to add salt to the water when you boil your penne. This will help if it seems bland. And SOME Outback restaurants will sprinkle parsley over top before serving. Outback also puts the cheese, cream, and precooked pasta into a plastic baggie, knots the top, microwaves till melted, pours onto a platter, and stirs to mix and coat evenly.
Thank you for your suggestion of adding the salt to the water for when you boil the pasta.
Actually YES it is. My husband was a proprietor at an outback. This is the KIDS MAC RECIPE, This is NOT the steakhouse Mac and cheese recipe for adults… So research before you get on a high horse and act rude, it's a long drop off that pedestal you put yourself on Jessica Cohen
I worked at outback for 13 years, and my husband was the kitchen manger. This is exactly how they made it. Nothing spicy, etc!
I used to work at Outback and used to always get the Mac a Roo and Cheese! It's amazing!!!! Fun little hint, you can possibly substitute this for a side when you order from the adult entree if you have a helpful server!!! 🙂
Great tip! Thanks.
Check out my blog. Just did a write up with pictures. I have been enjoying this recipe for about 8 months now. No more boxed mac and cheese for this family. I add more heavy cream. http://sahdwhateverthatmeans.blogspot.com/2012/03/easy-mac.html
this was awesome! I used half and half and regular american cheese from the deli and it turned out so good!
i don't understand why so many "dupe" recipes of the Outback mac n' cheese call for rigatoni pasta instead of penne. I prefer penne.
The above recipe… just three items are all goes it this yummy dish! Still love it after several years working there!
tell me your secrets…how is the blooming onion so large….its a regular onion right? or is it a gigantic mutant onion only indigenous to austrailia?
Just to let you know you forgot to put in Alferado cheese in it.I know this cuz the waitress told me.
I so agree with you about Alfredo. Just had their mac n too for the first time and there's got to be more than Velvet cheese in there. There's a flavor I'm unable to pin point. Hmmm…
Thanks so much! My son gets this every time we go to Outback, and wishes I could make it at home. He will be so happy! : )
If you eat at Outback, you can order the mac n cheese as a side for the adult meals. I do that every time I go there. Some locations charge an extra $1.00, but more times than not, they don't charge anything extra. Just thought I'd share. I will be trying this recipe soon.
Not even as a side.. i've ordered it as a main meal multiple times. Whether or not they charge $1 more for it is up to the server at the time, so if they do you can just take it out of their tip.
Take it out of their tip? Just because they are doing their job and charging u what they are supposed to, u want them to pay for it? Ridiculous
That is horrible. You should never take money out of a waiters tip because of a restaurant policy. I worked at Outback and we were required to charge the extra $1 for kids meals ordered by adults. Yes, a lot of times I would not charge the $1, but if I got caught, it was my a$$. I hope you understand that so next time you decide to take money from a waiter's tip because of a policy set by the restaurant, you will think twice.
P.S. You don't happen to dine at Outback on Sunday's do you?
You are ridiculous! Take it out of their tip? It isn't our fault that our manager charges extra. If you can't afford it, don't order it or just stay at home!
Dear god relax. It's ridiculous that you're getting worked up over the fact that a guy may leave four dollars for a tip instead of five.
I would like to shed some light on your comment…..since I do work at an Outback Steakhouse.
First of all, it is not up to your server's discretion… most of the restaurants are modern and the computer calculates the cost due to management set up.
Second, why would you take out of anyone's tip…. you want it… you order it… because we are accommodating the server should be rewarded not punished! That is just wrong!
You can't take it out of their tip!!! It's only a dollar to us, but waiters and waitresses work mostly for tips. If they give good service you shouldn't penalize them.
haha every time i go to outback i get the mac-a-roo-n-cheese and i am 19 years old :/
OMGosh! This was awesome! Thank you so much!
It is whipping cream, look for it in the dairy section of the grocery store, note this whipping cream is not sweetened. Stephanie
this has become my family's favorite side dish now. My VERY picky son actually requested this after having it at the restaurant, and I was glad to have found this site. THANK YOU
i love that ideah
This is how my mom used to make macaroni and cheese. I use real cheeses now, but every once in a while I crave some Velveeta!
Love this! Anything with Velveeta is alright by me!!!


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As it turns out, however, that's far from the truth—but the majority of the initiative must come from Europe. The European Union has thus far failed to confront the Iranian and Syrian regimes to the full extent of its ability. Though they are loath to admit it, European countries are Iran's and Syria's best customers, providing the EU with significant leverage. Meaningful energy sanctions could deliver a one-two punch to Iran's nuclear weapons program and Syrian president Bashar Al Assad's ongoing campaign to snuff out his country's democratic reformers.To its credit, the EU imposed oil sanctions on the Syrian regime in September, barring its 27 members from purchasing Syrian oil. Given that the EU consumes 95 percent of Syria's oil exports, the embargo could potentially cripple the country's economy. But there are loopholes in the EU sanctions that allow European energy firms to maintain their investments in Syrian oil fields, continue producing oil from them, and continue delivering it to their EU customers until mid-November. As a result, major European energy companies continue to operate there, including the United Kingdom's Gulfsands Petreoleum and Petrofac, Hungary's MOL, France's Total, Croatia's INA Industrija Nafte d.d, and the joint Dutch-British enterprise Royal Dutch Shell.And when it comes to Iran, the EU remains the country's most important global trade partner. Just last year, the total trade volume between the EU and Iran exceeded €25 billion. Almost 90 percent of Europe's imports from Iran are energy, making the Islamic Republic the sixth-largest energy provider to the EU. While U.S. companies are prohibited from purchasing Iranian gas, and the Obama administration pushed the EU to ban the export of energy technology to Iran, Europe continues to buy Iranian gas. In addition, Iran joined Syria and Iraq in July as a signatory to a $10 billion natural gas pipeline agreement, under which Syria would eventually buy between 20 and 25 million cubic meters of Iranian gas per day, and run an extended transportation operation—the so-called "Islamic Gas Pipeline"—to Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea, through which it would pipe gas into Europe.If the EU decided to reduce its Iranian gas imports, the measures could jolt Iran's fragile energy market, prompting secondary pain to the cash-strapped Syrian regime that Iran is aiding. Iran's highly vulnerable energy sector has long been considered its Achilles' heel. The country finances its nuclear program with invaluable revenue from its energy sector. A staggering 70 percent of Iran's governmental revenues derive from its petroleum business, which makes up 80 percent of the country's export activities.Instead, however, the EU—and especially Germany, which is Iran's number one EU trading partner—continues to have a soft spot for the Iranian regime when it comes to trade. Despite the new EU sanctions, German exports to the Islamic Republic increased by 2.6 percent between 2009 and 2010, reaching a total of €3.8 billion. German exports then dropped from approximately €2.22 billion for the first half of 2010 to roughly €1.76 billion for the first half of 2011, but German imports of Iranian goods increased from to €382 million to €453 million during the same time period. The Federal Republic's consumption of Iranian gas and oil rose during the first six months of 2011 to €280 million, up from €197 million in the first half of 2010.Benjamin Weinthal is a Berlin-based investigative journalist and fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies.The above article was published in tnr.com on October 12th, 2011.Continue reading
From Trump's America to Putin's Russia to Lebanon, the marriage of business with politics is closer than ever
December 22, 2016
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Unlike the most popular understanding iOS 9 upgrade goes way beyond to simply adding new look to the mobile operating system. Along with the several large attributes the software update also adds many small but useful attributes that may go undetected if you're not searching for them. Among the various useful features iOS 9 brings is the inclusion of new skills and shortcuts in iOS 9 computer keyboard.
In this short article we'll inform you of the hidden top features of iPad and iPhone computer keyboard you don't understand about.
Inclusion of unique keys in specific programs
twitter email computer keyboard
Apple has configured the onscreen keyboard in iOS 9 that empowers it to reveal applicable keys to an individual in accordance with the program he/she is using. For example in the email program you'll see the @ button now show up in the primary computer keyboard and also you don't need to press the 123 button to get it. This @ button isn't section of the primary Messages computer keyboard mainly as it's not used as frequently for the reason that program as it's found in the email program. By making the computer keyboard intelligent enough Apple has taken complete benefit of the onscreen keyboard as the keys are fixed according to users need in this scenario. For those who have attentively observed the keynote of the first iPhone Steve Jobs back in 2007 mentioned this very edge of the onscreen iPhone computer keyboard.
Add symbols or characters immediately with long pat
iOS 9 computer keyboard symbols
That is valid for both money symbols and accented characters. To include money symbols exploit to the 123 button after which tap and hold to the $ icon. This may unveil numerous other popular currency signs you could add. Recall in the event your home is outside the United States for example in the UK you'll see L indication in the key button and taping with this button will show other currency signs.
For accentuated characters tap and hold to the letter of the applicable button. Thus to add or other characters you may need to tap and hold to the e button. To input the upper case sort of the character just press the caps lock button after which pat on hold on the button.
Usually if you must input a punctuation signal such as ? or ! You must pat to the 123 button after which from your amount way of the computer keyboard pat in the punctuation sign button. That is not an ideal method to do it since it's necessary to pat to the 123 button once more so that you can go back to the alphabet style of the computer keyboard. Here's a better method to get it done. You must slip around the display without lifting you finger. When you get to the button of the sign just lift your finger. Now your symbol will soon be input as well as the computer keyboard will automatically go back to the abc way with no need of you pressing the 123 button again.
Adding the internet extension more readily
If you want to include the internet extension of a URL it is possible to exploit on the .com or sometimes the . This makes opening websites in Safari a whole lot more suitable.
Adding Emoji computer keyboard
The majority of you may have previously heard about this one but for those that haven't here's a simple trick that will make messaging to the iPhone much more interesting. iOS has a builtin emoji computer keyboard that allows users to input smileys or emoticons within their chats, e-mails as well as other displays. To be able to activate it just visit Settings > General > Computer Keyboards > Keyboard. From there pat in the Add new Computer Keyboard choice and in the list select emoji. Now to access emoji computer keyboard simply pat to the world icon that ordinarily seems to the 123 button.
So there you go people. All these are a few pretty useful iPad and iPhone keyboard shortcuts which are no simple to locate.


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Seoul Captures 4th Place in UIA International Meetings Cities Rankings
- Published by Ozgur Tore
Seoul captured 4th place in the 2013 International Meetings Statistics Report released last week by the Union of International Associations (UIA).
Since 2010, the city has remained in the UIA world top 5 for three consecutive years. According to the report's findings, Seoul's ranking moved up a place, with the city shown to have hosted a total of 242 international congresses held in 2013 as determined by UIA criteria, accounting for 2.3% of the global total.
Seoul also played a major part in South Korea's ranking, which rose to 3rd place with 635 meetings, up from 5th place with 563 meetings in 2012, reflecting a 12.8% increase.
The news comes just weeks after Seoul placed 9th in the International Congress and Convention Association (ICCA) 2013 Country and City Rankings statistics report, moving up eight places bringing it into the ICCA top ten.
Both rankings reflect the increasing recognition in recent years of Seoul's high-quality business events services, as well as the city's ever-expanding infrastructure. Massive upgrades to the city's meetings offerings are currently underway as part of the Seoul Metropolitan Government's industry 'Master Plan' to match the steady-growing demand for the capital as an events destination. This has already included the opening of two new venues earlier in the year – the Dongdaemun Design Plaza and the Floating Island – with plans to redevelop the Yeongdong district in southern Seoul, home to the Coex convention and exhibition center, by 2020.


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Issue No. 04 - April (1997 vol. 8)
pp: 397-401
DOI Bookmark: http://doi.ieeecomputersociety.org/10.1109/71.588617

Abstract—We consider the problem of selecting the <it>K</it>th smallest element of a set distributed among the sites of a communication network when the size of messages is bounded; that is, each message is a packet which contains at most <it>c</it> bits, where <it>c</it>≥ 1 is a constant.

A general selection algorithm using packets is presented and its packet complexity is analyzed. Its complexity is shown to be a significant improvement for a large range of packet sizes over the existing bounds. The proposed technique is then instanciated for specific classes of network topologies; the resulting bounds either match or improve the ones of existing solutions for a large range of values of the packet size. Furthermore, it is bit optimal in star networks.

Bounded-size messages, communication complexity, communication networks, distributed algorithms, distributed sets, K-selection.
Jorge Urrutia, Nicola Santoro, Alberto Negro, "Efficient Distributed Selection with Bounded Messages", IEEE Transactions on Parallel & Distributed Systems, vol. 8, no. , pp. 397-401, April 1997, doi:10.1109/71.588617


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In an industry where today's product is already out of date, the work of automotive engineers is to make tomorrow a reality. Every automotive company is hungry for the best new recruits to keep the development treadmill turning. To do this they must inspire the younger generation to take up their spanners and get their hands dirty in the oily world of engineering. However, with many of the grand engineering projects fading into history, youngsters are instead looking to the service industries for their shortcut to wealth and respect. The Bloodhound SSC team is looking to reverse that trend. Not just a rocket-powered attempt to take the land speed record to 1,000mph (1,609kph), Bloodhound SSC also hopes to rekindle the romance of engineering in the hearts of a new generation of potential automotive engineers.
It takes considerable engineering talent to keep new cars at the leading edge of technology. At current rates of exchange, OICA estimates that over US$100bn is spent each year on research, development and production facilities. The British government's latest survey of international R&D spending shows that Japan is the leading investor, committing around US$30bn in 2009 with Germany following at a distance with US$26bn.
Not just a rocket-powered attempt to take the landspeed record to 1,000mph, Bloodhound SSC also hopes to rekindle the romance of engineering in the hearts of a new generation of potential automotive engineers.
For the rest, they must punch above their weight by attracting the brightest talent at the lowest cost. Fortunately, the British car industry has transmogrified into a new form, and made rich outsiders foot the bill. According to the UK's Advanced Institute of Management Research, there are around 4,500 firms involved in the UK's motorsport sector, employing up to 25,000 elite engineers. Turnover is in the region of £6bn (US$9.35bn), with over £3.6bn being earned in exports. In 2009, Formula Money estimates that the McLaren F1 team could call on around US$480m, the majority of which was sourced from foreign sponsors. The trickle down of technology from such heights to family cars is negligible, but it does act as a rallying call for aspiring engineers who then join the wider industry.
The trickle down of technology from such heights to family cars is negligible, but it does act as a rallying call for aspiring engineers who then join the wider industry.
If the motor racing industry is a tributary of the mainstream industry, then the land speed record teams inhabit a mysterious backwater. Achievement of the highest speed accolade seems to have attracted the peculiar interest of British engineers most of all. Following a long tradition of record breakers, including 1997's supersonic Thrust SSC, the Bloodhound SSC is planned to be the first 1,000mph car.
It builds on work started by Ron Ayres, designer of the BAC Bloodhound surface-to-air missile. Indeed, the SSC is surely more a projectile than a car. It does have four wheels, required for it to qualify as a car, but they are solid forged titanium able withstand a force of 50,000 times gravity at 10,000rpm. It also has a car engine; a racing Cosworth V8, but only as an auxiliary power unit. The real thrust comes from two other engines, a rocket and a jet, providing power and control.
If all this activity can put the glamour back into automotive engineering in Britain and elsewhere, then the 1,000mph car will be a mere sideshow.
Yet, the land speed record is only one motivation of the effort; the other is to glamorise engineering. Just as the space programme in the US resulted in a surge in the number of doctorates, in the UK inspiration to budding engineers was provided by projects like Concorde. The Bloodhound Education Programme has stepped into this role by forming technical partnerships with four universities and has welcomed nearly 4,000 schools into its virtual classroom activities.
There have already been tangible benefits. At one extreme there are primary and secondary school children discovering how mathematics and science can make dreams of the record attempt come true. University students are given access real data in order to solve genuine technological challenges while postgraduate students can gain their masters degree. In refining the aerodynamics of the car, Swansea University has been able to advance the esoteric art of fluid dynamics to world leading levels. If all this activity can put the glamour back into automotive engineering in Britain and elsewhere, then the 1,000mph car will be a mere sideshow.
Dr Michael Wynn-Williams is the author of Surfing the Global Tide: Automotive Giants and How to Survive Them. He lectures in international business at the University of Greenwich.
The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Automotive World Ltd.


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