text:
Financial Express (Holdings) Limited ("we", "our", "us" and derivatives) are committed to protecting and respecting your privacy. This Privacy Policy, together with our Terms of Use, sets out the basis on which any personal data that we collect from you, or that you provide to us, will be processed by us relating to your use of any of the below websites ("sites").
For the purposes of the Data Protection Act 1998, the data controller is Trustnet Limited of 2nd Floor, Golden House, 30 Great Pulteney Street, London, W1F 9NN. Our nominated representative for the purpose of this Act is Kirsty Witter.
We collect information about you when you register with us or use any of our websites / services. Part of the registration process may include entering personal details & details of your investments.
We may collect information about your computer, including where available your operating system, browser version, domain name and IP address and details of the website that you came from, in order to improve this site.
You confirm that all information you supply is accurate.
In order to provide personalised services to and analyse site traffic, we may use a cookie file which is stored on your browser or the hard drive of your computer. Some of the cookies we use are essential for the sites to operate and may be used to deliver you different content, depending on the type of investor you are.
You can block cookies by activating the setting on your browser which allows you to refuse the setting of all or some cookies. However, if you use your browser settings to block all cookies (including essential cookies) you may not be able to access all or part of our sites. Unless you have adjusted your browser setting so that it will refuse cookies, our system will issue cookies as soon as you visit our sites.
We store and use information you provide as follows:
We may also send you emails to provide information and keep you up to date with developments on our sites. It is our policy to have instructions on how to unsubscribe so that you will not receive any future e-mails. You can change your e-mail address at any time.
In order to provide support on the usage of our tools, our support team need access to all information provided in relation to the tool.
We will not disclose your name, email address or postal address or any data that could identify you to any third party without first receiving your permission.
However, you agree that we may disclose to any regulatory authority to which we are subject and to any investment exchange on which we may deal or to its related clearing house (or to investigators, inspectors or agents appointed by them), or to any person empowered to require such information by or under any legal enactment, any information they may request or require relating to you, or if relevant, any of your clients.
You agree that we may pass on information obtained under Money Laundering legislation as we consider necessary to comply with reporting requirements under such legislation.
We want to ensure that the personal information we hold about you is accurate and up to date. You may ask us to correct or remove information that is inaccurate.
You have the right under data protection legislation to access information held about you. If you wish to receive a copy of any personal information we hold, please write to us at 3rd Floor, Hollywood House, Church Street East, Woking, GU21 6HJ. Any access request may be subject to a fee of £10 to meet our costs in providing you with details of the information we hold about you.
The data that we collect from you may be transferred to, and stored at, a destination outside the European Economic Area ("EEA"). It may be processed by staff operating outside the EEA who work for us or for one of our suppliers. Such staff may be engaged in, amongst other things, the provision of support services. By submitting your personal data, you agree to this transfer, storing and processing. We will take all steps reasonably necessary, including the use of encryption, to ensure that your data is treated securely and in accordance with this privacy policy.
Unfortunately, the transmission of information via the internet is not completely secure. Although we will do our best to protect your personal data, we cannot guarantee the security of your data transmitted to our sites; any transmission is at your own risk. You will not hold us responsible for any breach of security unless we have been negligent or in wilful default.
Any changes we make to our privacy policy in the future will be posted on this page and, where appropriate, notified to you by e-mail.
Our sites contain links to other websites. If you follow a link to any of these websites, please note that these websites have their own privacy policies and that we do not accept any responsibility or liability for these policies. Please check these policies before you submit any personal data to these websites.
If you want more information or have any questions or comments relating to our privacy policy please email [email protected] in the first instance.
Neither this Announcement nor any part of it constitutes an offer to sell or issue or the solicitation of an offer to buy, subscribe or acquire any new ordinary shares in any jurisdiction in which any such offer or solicitation would be unlawful.
Titanium Resources Group Ltd.
(changing its name to Sierra Rutile Limited)
Placing and Issue of Equity
Placing to raise approximately £11.4 million
23 February 2011: Titanium Resources Group Ltd. ("TRG" or the "Company") is pleased to announce a cash placing by Mirabaud Securities LLP ("Mirabaud"), of 113,660,925 new ordinary shares (the "Placing Shares") at a price of 10 pence per share to raise (before expenses) approximately £11.4 million (US$18.3 million, EUR13.4 million) from investors (the "Placing" as further defined in Appendix II).
Approximately EUR13 million from the proceeds of the Placing will be used by the Company to fund the repayment, by its subsidiary undertaking, Sierra Rutile Limited ("SRL"), of a portion of the principal and interest outstanding pursuant to the loan to SRL from the Government of Sierra Leone. The repayment will cut the Group's (as defined in Appendix II) overall debt at the date of this Announcement by approximately 36% and significantly reduce ongoing interest and principal repayments due. As a result of this, the Company expects to benefit from increased free cashflows from its operations which would put it in an improved position to invest in and develop its business.
John Sisay, the Company's Chief Executive Officer, commented:
"The funds raised in this Placing will enable us to repay a significant portion of our debts, providing us with improved financial flexibility. The repayment will also further strengthen our relationship with the Government of Sierra Leone."
"The market for our products remains strong and I am confident in the long-term prospects of the Company. Our focus now is on achieving a significant improvement in operating reliability whilst we assess the optimal strategy for boosting production."
Details of the Placing
The Placing Shares have been conditionally placed with institutional investors by Mirabaud which is acting as broker to the Placing. The Placing Shares will rank pari passu in all respects with the Company's existing ordinary shares in issue including the right to receive all dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid after the date of issue of the Placing Shares. The Placing Shares will represent approximately 22.75 per cent. of the Company's enlarged issued share capital. Following Admission (as defined below), the Company will have 499,525,000 ordinary shares in issue.
The Company will apply for admission of the Placing Shares on the AIM market of the London Stock Exchange plc ("AIM") ("Admission"). It is expected that, conditional on, inter alia, Admission becoming effective, and on the placing agreement entered into today between the Company and Mirabaud (the "Placing Agreement") otherwise becoming wholly unconditional and not being terminated in accordance with its terms, trading in the Placing Shares will commence on or around 1 March 2011. The Placing is being made on a non-pre-emptive basis.
Appendix I to this Announcement (which forms part of this Announcement) sets out the terms and conditions of the Placing.
Appointment of Broker
The Company also announces that it has appointed Mirabaud as a joint broker. Mirabaud will operate alongside the Company's existing broker and nominated adviser, Arbuthnot Securities Limited, with immediate effect.
Related Party Transaction
Pala Investments Holdings Limited AG ("Pala") and M&G Securities Limited ("M&G") have agreed to participate in the Placing. Under the AIM Rules, Pala and M&G are "substantial shareholders" in the Company and therefore each is deemed a related party for the purpose of the Placing.
Pala and M&G hold the following number (and percentage) of the current issued ordinary shares of the Company and have agreed to subscribe for the following number of Placing Shares, which following completion of the Placing, will result in their respective holdings of ordinary shares in the enlarged issued share capital of the Company to be as follows:
Number of shares currently held
% holding of Shares currently in issue
Number of Placing Shares to be subscribed
% holding of share capital as enlarged by the Placing
38.15 %
38.15 %
15.94 %
Where a company whose shares are quoted on AIM enters into a related party transaction, the AIM Rules require the independent directors of the company to confirm that they consider, having consulted with the company's nominated advisor, that the terms of the transaction are fair and reasonable insofar as the company's Shareholders are concerned.
For the purposes of the Placing, John Bonoh Sisay, Alex Kamara, Michael Brown, François Colette and Charles Entrekin are considered to be independent directors (as Jan Castro and Michael Barton are associated with Pala). Accordingly, the independent directors of the Company consider, having consulted with Arbuthnot Securities Limited, the Company's nominated adviser, that the terms of the subscriptions by Pala and M&G are fair and reasonable, insofar as the Shareholders are concerned.
Background to, and reasons for the Placing
It is intended that the proceeds of the Placing, less applicable broker fees and other expenses, will be utilised to fund SRL to enable it to make part-payment of the loan outstanding to the Government of the Republic of Sierra Leone.
Prior to admission to AIM on 25 August 2005, and in order to fund the restart of SRL, the Company agreed a Euro denominated loan from the Government of Sierra Leone under a programme funded by the European Commission. The Board believes that it is now appropriate to repay a proportion of the principal and accrued interest of the loan in order to improve the financial position of the Group.
A reduction in the Group's outstanding debt in this way would:
· reduce the Group's total outstanding debt from EUR36.5 million (US$49.8 million) to EUR23.5 million (US$32.1 million), approximately a 36% reduction;
· significantly reduce future principal and interest payments by SRL to the Government of Sierra Leone; and, as a result
· free-up substantial cashflows of approximately EUR14.7 million (US$20.1 million) through to June 2013 which could be reinvested in the business to improve production efficiency or volumes.
Furthermore, the Company is currently in negotiations with the Government of Sierra Leone in regards to the sequencing of future repayments of principal due under the loan. Should these negotiations be successful, the Company would not be required to make any further repayments of the principal until 2013. A further announcement will be made in due course.
For further information:
Titanium Resources Group
John Sisay, Chief Executive Officer
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7321 0000
Mirabaud Securities LLP
Joint broker
Peter Krens
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7321 2508
Arbuthnot Securities
Nominated Advisor & Broker
Hugh Field / Richard Johnson
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7012 2000
Aura Financial
Andy Mills / Harry Cameron
Telephone: +44 (0) 20 7321 0000
This Announcement has been issued by and is the sole responsibility of the Company. No representation or warranty, express or implied, is or will be made as to, or in relation to, and no responsibility or liability is or will be accepted by Mirabaud Securities LLP or Arbuthnot Securities Limited, or by any of their respective affiliates or agents as to or in relation to, the accuracy or completeness of this Announcement or any other written or oral information made available to or publicly available to any interested party or its advisers, and any liability therefore is expressly disclaimed.
Mirabaud Securities LLP, which is authorised and regulated in the United Kingdom by the Financial Services Authority ("FSA") is acting for the Company in connection with the Placing and no-one else and Mirabaud Securities LLP will not be responsible to anyone other than the Company for providing the protections afforded to the clients of Mirabaud Securities LLP or for providing advice to any other person in relation to the Placing or any other matter referred to herein.
This Announcement is for information purposes only and shall not constitute an offer to sell, issue or subscribe for, or the solicitation of an offer to buy, sell, issue, or subscribe for any securities nor shall there be any sale of, the securities referred to herein in any jurisdiction in which such offer, solicitation or sale would require preparation of any prospectus or other offer documentation, or be unlawful prior to registration, exemption from registration or qualification under the securities laws of any such jurisdiction.
This Announcement, including the Appendices, is not for distribution directly or indirectly in or into the United States (including its territories and possessions, any state of the United States and the District of Columbia), Canada, Australia, South Africa or Japan or any jurisdiction into which the same would be unlawful. This Announcement does not constitute or form part of an offer or solicitation to purchase or subscribe for shares in the capital of the Company in the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa or Japan or any jurisdiction in which such an offer or solicitation is unlawful. In particular, the Placing Shares referred to in this Announcement have not been, and will not be, registered under the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the "Securities Act") or under the securities legislation of any state of the United States, and may not be offered or sold in the United States absent registration or pursuant to an exemption from, or in a transaction not subject to, the registration requirements under the Securities Act. The Placing Shares referred to in this Announcement are being offered and sold only outside the United States in accordance with Regulation S under the Securities Act. No public offering of securities of the Company will be made in connection with the Placing in the United Kingdom, the United States or elsewhere.
The Placing Shares have not been approved or disapproved by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, any State securities commission or any other regulatory authority in the United States, nor have any of the foregoing authorities passed upon or endorsed the merits of the Placing or the accuracy or adequacy of this Announcement. Any representation to the contrary is unlawful.
The relevant clearances have not been, and nor will they be, obtained from the securities commission of any province or territory of Canada; no prospectus or admission document has been lodged with, or registered by, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, the South African Financial Services Board or the Japanese Ministry of Finance; and the Placing Shares have not been, and nor will they be, registered under or offered in compliance with the securities laws of any state, province or territory of Canada, Australia, South Africa or Japan. Accordingly, the Placing Shares may not (unless an exemption under the relevant securities laws is applicable) be offered, sold, resold or delivered, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States, Canada, Australia, South Africa or Japan or any other jurisdiction outside the United Kingdom.
This Announcement includes statements that are, or may be deemed to be, "forward-looking statements". These forward-looking statements can be identified by the use of forward-looking terminology, including the terms "believes", "estimates", "plans", "projects", "anticipates", "expects", "intends", "may", "will" or "should" or, in each case, their negative or other variations or comparable terminology, or by discussions of strategy, plans, objectives, goals, future events or intentions. These forward-looking statements include all matters that are not historical facts. They appear in a number of places throughout this Announcement and include, but are not limited to, statements regarding the Company's intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, the Company and the Group's results of operations, financial position, liquidity, prospects, growth, strategies and expectations.
By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risk and uncertainty because they relate to future events and circumstances. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and the development of the markets and the industry in which the Company and the Group operates, may differ materially from those described in, or suggested by, the forward-looking statements contained in this Announcement. In addition, even if the development of the markets and the industry in which the Company and the Group operates are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this Announcement, those developments may not be indicative of developments in subsequent periods. A number of factors could cause developments to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements including, without limitation, general economic and business conditions, industry trends, competition, changes in regulation or government, changes in its business strategy, political and economic uncertainty and other factors.
Any forward-looking statements in this Announcement reflect the Company's current view with respect to future events and are subject to risks relating to future events and other risks, uncertainties and assumptions relating to the Company and the Group's operations and growth strategy. Investors should specifically consider the factors which could cause results to differ before making an investment decision. Subject to the requirements of the AIM Rules for Companies or applicable law, the Company undertakes no obligation publicly to release the result of any revisions of any forward-looking statements in this Announcement that may occur due to any change in the Company's expectations or to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Announcement.
Persons (including individuals, funds or otherwise) by whom or on whose behalf a commitment to acquire Placing Shares has been given ("Placees") will be deemed to have read and understood this Announcement, including the Appendices, in its entirety and to be making such offer on the terms and conditions, and to be providing the representations, warranties, acknowledgements, and undertakings contained in the Appendices. In particular, each such Placee represents, warrants and acknowledges that it is: (i) a Relevant Person (as defined above) and undertakes that it will acquire, hold, manage or dispose of any Placing Shares that are allocated to it for the purposes of its business; (ii) not within the United States; (iii) not within Australia, Canada, South Africa, Japan or any other jurisdiction in which it is unlawful to make or accept an offer to acquire the Placing Shares; and (iv) not acquiring the Placing Shares for the account of any person who is located in the United States, unless the instruction to acquire was received from a person outside the United States and the person giving such instruction has confirmed that it has the authority to give such instruction, and that either (a) it has investment discretion over such account or (b) it is an investment manager or investment company and, in the case of each of (a) and (b), that it is acquiring the Placing Shares in an "offshore transaction" (within the meaning of Regulation S under the Securities Act; and (v) it is not acquiring the Placing Shares with a view to the offer, sale, resale, transfer, delivery or distribution, directly or indirectly, of any such Placing Shares into the United States or any other jurisdiction referred to in (iii) above.
Persons (including, without limitation, nominees and trustees) who have a contractual or other legal obligation to forward a copy of the Appendices or this Announcement should seek appropriate advice before taking any action.
The Placing Shares to which this Announcement relates may be illiquid and / or subject to restrictions on their resale. Prospective purchasers of the Placing Shares offered should conduct their own due diligence on the Placing Shares. If you do not understand the contents of this Announcement you should consult an authorised financial adviser.
The Placing Shares to be issued pursuant to the Placing will not be admitted to trading on any stock exchange other than the AIM market operated by the London Stock Exchange. Neither the content of the Company's website nor any website accessible by hyperlinks on the Company's website is incorporated in, or forms part of, this Announcement.
Appendix I
Mirabaud and the Company have today entered into the Placing Agreement under which, subject to the conditions set out in that agreement, Mirabaud has agreed to use its reasonable endeavours to procure subscribers for the Placing Shares at the Placing Price with certain institutional and other investors.
The Placing Shares will rank pari passu in all respects with the existing ordinary shares including the right to receive all dividends and other distributions declared, made or paid on or in respect of such ordinary shares after the date of issue of the Placing Shares.
Application to AIM and admission to trading
Application will be made to the London Stock Exchange for admission of the Placing Shares to trading on AIM. It is expected that Admission will become effective on or around 1 March 2011.
Participation in, and principal terms of, the Placing
1. Mirabaud is arranging the Placing as agent for and on behalf of the Company. The Company will determine in its absolute discretion, in consultation with Mirabaud, the extent of each Placee's participation in the Placing, which will not necessarily be the same for each Placee.
2. Participation in the Placing will only be available to persons who may lawfully be, and are, invited to participate by Mirabaud.
3. Each Placee will be required to pay to Mirabaud, on the Company's behalf, the Placing Price for each Placing Share agreed to be acquired by it under the Placing in accordance with the terms set out herein. Each Placee's obligation to acquire and pay for Placing Shares under the Placing will be owed to Mirabaud and the Company.
4. Each Placee has an immediate, separate, irrevocable and binding obligation, owed to the Company and Mirabaud as agent of the Company, to pay to Mirabaud (or as it may direct) in cleared funds an amount equal to the product of the Placing Price and the number of Placing Shares such Placee has agreed to subscribe and the Company has agreed to allot and issue to that Placee.
5. Each Placee will be deemed:
(a) to have read and understood the Appendices in their entirety;
(b) to be participating in the Placing upon the terms and conditions contained in the Appendices; and
(c) to be providing the representations, warranties, agreements, acknowledgements and undertakings, in each case as contained in the Appendices.
6. To the fullest extent permitted by law and applicable FSA Rules, neither (i) Mirabaud, (ii) any of its partners, directors, officers, employees or consultants, or (iii) to the extent not contained within (i) or (ii), any person connected with Mirabaud as defined in the FSA Rules ((i), (ii) and (iii) being together "affiliates" and individually an "affiliate"), shall have any liability to Placees or to any person other than the Company in respect of the Placing.
Conditions of the Placing
1. The obligations of Mirabaud under the Placing Agreement are conditional on, amongst other things:
(a) the fulfilment by the Company of its obligations under the Placing Agreement (to the extent that such obligations fall to be performed prior to Admission);
(b) the warranties given by the Company in the Placing Agreement remaining true, accurate and not misleading in all material respects; and
(c) Admission having occurred not later than 8.00 a.m. on 1 March 2011 or such later date as the Company and Mirabaud may agree, but in any event not later than 8.00 a.m. on 15 March 2011.
2. If any of the conditions contained in the Placing Agreement in relation to the Placing Shares are not fulfilled or waived by Mirabaud, by the respective time or date where specified, the Placing will not proceed and the Placee's rights and obligations hereunder in relation to the Placing Shares shall cease and terminate at such time and each Placee agrees that no claim can be made by the Placee in respect thereof.
3. Mirabaud may, at its discretion and upon such terms as it thinks fit, waive compliance by the Company with certain of the Company's obligations in relation to the conditions in the Placing Agreement. Any such extension or waiver will not affect Placees' commitments.
4. None of Mirabaud, the Company or any other person shall have any liability to any Placee (or to any other person whether acting on behalf of a Placee or otherwise) in respect of any decision they may make as to whether or not to waive or to extend the time and/or the date for the satisfaction of any condition to the Placing nor for any decision they may make as to the satisfaction of any condition or in respect of the Placing generally, and by participating in the Placing each Placee agrees that any such decision is within the absolute discretion of Mirabaud.
Termination of the Placing Agreement
1. Mirabaud is entitled, at any time before Admission, to terminate the Placing Agreement in relation to its obligations in respect of the Placing Shares by giving notice to the Company if, amongst other things:
(a) the Company fails, in any material respect, to comply with any of its obligations under the Placing Agreement; or
(b) it comes to the notice of Mirabaud that any statement contained in this Announcement was untrue or misleading at the date hereof in any material respect; or
(c) any of the warranties given by the Company in the Placing Agreement has ceased to be true and accurate in any material respect; or
(d) if prior to Admission there happens, develops or comes into effect: (i) an event which in the reasonable opinion of Mirabaud is material and adverse and which would prevent Admission; or (ii) any international crisis, act of terrorism, outbreak of hostilities, change in national or international financial, monetary, economic, political or market conditions including fluctuations in exchange rates which Mirabaud in its absolute discretion believes is, will be or may be materially prejudicial to the Company or the successful outcome of the Placing.
2. Upon such termination, the parties to the Placing Agreement shall be released and discharged (except for any liability arising before or in relation to such termination) from their respective obligations under or pursuant to the Placing Agreement subject to certain exceptions.
3. By participating in the Placing, Placees agree that the exercise by Mirabaud of any right of termination or other discretion under the Placing Agreement shall be within the absolute discretion of Mirabaud and that they need not make any reference to Placees and that they shall have no liability to Placees whatsoever in connection with any such exercise or failure so to exercise.
No prospectus
1. No offering document, prospectus or admission document has been or will be submitted to be approved by the FSA or submitted to the London Stock Exchange in relation to the Placing and Placees' commitments will be made solely on the basis of the information contained in this Announcement (including the Appendices) released by the Company today, and subject to the further terms set forth in the contract note to be provided to individual prospective Placees.
2. Each Placee, by accepting a participation in the Placing, agrees that the content of this Announcement (including the Appendices) is exclusively the responsibility of the Company and confirms that it has neither received nor relied on any other information, representation, warranty, or statement made by or on behalf of the Company or Mirabaud or any other person and none of Mirabaud or the Company nor any other person will be liable for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any other information, representation, warranty or statement which the Placees may have obtained or received. Each Placee acknowledges and agrees that it has relied on its own investigation of the business, financial or other position of the Company in accepting a participation in the Placing. Nothing in this paragraph shall exclude the liability of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation.
Registration and settlement
1. Settlement of transactions in the Placing Shares through depositary interests following Admission will take place within the system administered by Euroclear UK & Ireland Limited ("CREST"), subject to certain exceptions. The Company reserves the right to require settlement for and delivery of the Placing Shares (or a portion thereof) to Placees in certificated form if, in Mirabaud's opinion, delivery or settlement is not possible or practicable within the CREST system or would not be consistent with the regulatory requirements in the Placee's jurisdiction.
2. Participation in the Placing is only available to persons who are invited to participate in it by Mirabaud.
3. A Placee's commitment to acquire a fixed number of Placing Shares under the Placing will be agreed orally with Mirabaud. Such agreement will constitute a legally binding commitment on such Placee's part to acquire that number of Placing Shares at the Placing Price on the terms and conditions set out or referred to in the Appendices and subject to the Company's Memorandum and Articles of Association.
4. After such agreement is entered into, each Placee allocated Placing Shares in the Placing will be sent a contract note stating the number of Placing Shares allocated to it at the Placing Price and settlement instructions.
5. Each Placee agrees that it will do all things necessary to ensure that delivery and payment is completed in accordance with the standing CREST or certificated settlement instructions that it has in place with Mirabaud. Settlement should be through Mirabaud against CREST ID: 834, account designation: CLEARING. For the avoidance of doubt, Placing allocations will be booked with a trade date of 1 March 2011 and settlement date of 1 March 2011, the date of Admission.
6. The Company will deliver depositary interests in respect of the Placing Shares to the CREST accounts operated by Mirabaud as agents for the Company and Mirabaud will enter its delivery (DEL) instruction into the CREST system. The input to CREST by a Placee of a matching or acceptance instruction will then allow delivery of depositary interests in respect of the relevant Placing Shares to that Placee against payment.
7. It is expected that settlement will take place on 1 March 2011, being the day of Admission, on a delivery versus payment basis.
8. Interest is chargeable daily on payments not received from Placees on the due date in accordance with the arrangements set out above at the rate of two percentage points above LIBOR as determined by Mirabaud.
9. Each Placee is deemed to agree that, if it does not comply with these obligations, the Company may sell any or all of the Placing Shares allocated to that Placee on such Placee's behalf and retain from the proceeds, for the Company's account and benefit, an amount equal to the aggregate amount owed by the Placee plus any interest due. The relevant Placee will, however, remain liable for any shortfall below the aggregate amount owed by it and may be required to bear any stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax (together with any interest or penalties) which may arise upon the sale of such Placing Shares on such Placee's behalf.
10. If Placing Shares are to be delivered to a custodian or settlement agent, Placees should ensure that the trade confirmation is copied and delivered immediately to the relevant person within that organisation. Insofar as Placing Shares are registered in a Placee's name or that of its nominee or in the name of any person for whom a Placee is contracting as agent or that of a nominee for such person, such Placing Shares should, subject as provided below, be so registered free from any liability to UK stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax. Placees will not be entitled to receive any fee or commission in connection with the Placing.
Representations and warranties
By participating in the Placing each Placee (and any person acting on such Placee's behalf) acknowledges, undertakes, represents, warrants and agrees (as the case may be) the following. It:
1. has read this Announcement, including the Appendices, in its entirety;
2. acknowledges and agrees that no offering document, prospectus or admission document has been or will be prepared in connection with the Placing and represents and warrants that it has not received a prospectus, admission document or other offering document in connection with the Placing or the Placing Shares;
3. acknowledges that the ordinary shares in the capital of the Company are admitted to trading on AIM, and the Company is therefore required to publish certain business and financial information in accordance with the rules and practices of AIM (collectively, the "Exchange Information"), which includes a description of the nature of the Company's business and the Company's most recent balance sheet and profit and loss account and that it is able to obtain or access such Exchange Information without undue difficulty and is able to obtain access to such information or comparable information concerning any other publicly traded company without undue difficulty;
4. acknowledges that none of Mirabaud or the Company or any of their respective affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them has provided, and will not provide, it with any material regarding the Placing Shares or the Company or any other person other than this Announcement; nor has it requested Mirabaud, any of its affiliates or any person acting on behalf of any of them to provide it with any such information;
5. acknowledges that (i) it and, if different, the beneficial owner of the Placing Shares is not, and at the time the Placing Shares are acquired will not be located in or residents of a Restricted Jurisdiction, and (ii) the Placing Shares have not been and will not be registered under the securities legislation of the United States, Canada, the Republic of South Africa, Australia or Japan and, subject to certain exceptions, may not be offered, sold, taken up, renounced or delivered or transferred, directly or indirectly, in or into those jurisdictions;
6. acknowledges that the content of this Announcement is exclusively the responsibility of the Company and that neither Mirabaud nor any person acting on its behalf has or shall have any liability for any information, representation or statement contained in this Announcement or any information previously published by or on behalf of the Company and will not be liable for any Placee's decision to participate in the Placing based on any information, representation or statement contained in this Announcement or otherwise. Each Placee further represents, warrants and agrees that the only information on which it is entitled to rely and on which such Placee has relied in committing itself to subscribe for the Placing Shares is contained in this Announcement and any information previously published by the Company by notification to a Regulatory Information Service, such information being all that it deems necessary to make an investment decision in respect of the Placing Shares and that it has neither received nor relied on any other information given or representations, warranties or statements made by either of Mirabaud or the Company and neither Mirabaud nor the Company will be liable for any Placee's decision to accept an invitation to participate in the Placing based on any other information, representation, warranty or statement. Each Placee further acknowledges and agrees that it has relied on its own investigation of the business, financial or other position of the Company in deciding to participate in the Placing;
7. acknowledges that neither Mirabaud nor any person acting on behalf of it nor any of its affiliates has or shall have any liability for any publicly available or filed information, or any representation relating to the Company provided that nothing in this paragraph excludes the liability of any person for fraudulent misrepresentation made by that person;
8. represents and warrants that neither it, nor the person specified by it for registration as a holder of Placing Shares is, or is acting as nominee or agent for, and that the Placing Shares will not be allotted to, a person who is or may be liable to stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax under any of sections 67, 70, 93 and 96 of the Finance Act 1986 (depositary receipts and clearance services);
9. represents and warrants that it has complied with its obligations in connection with money laundering and terrorist financing under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, the Terrorism Act 2000, the Terrorism Act 2006 and the Money Laundering Regulations 2007 (the "Regulations") and, if making payment on behalf of a third party, that satisfactory evidence has been obtained and recorded by it to verify the identity of the third party as required by the Regulations;
10. if a financial intermediary, as that term is used in Article 3(2) of EU Directive 2003/71/EC (the "Prospectus Directive") (including any relevant implementing measure in any member state), represents and warrants that the Placing Shares subscribed for by it in the Placing will not be acquired on a non-discretionary basis on behalf of, nor will they be acquired with a view to their offer or resale to, persons in a member state of the European Economic Area which has implemented the Prospectus Directive other than to "qualified investors" within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive, or in circumstances in which the prior consent of Mirabaud has been given to the proposed offer or resale;
11. represents and warrants that it has not offered or sold and, prior to the expiry of a period of six months from Admission, will not offer or sell any Placing Shares to persons in the United Kingdom, except to persons whose ordinary activities involve them in acquiring, holding, managing or disposing of investments (as principal or agent) for the purposes of their business or otherwise in circumstances which have not resulted and which will not result in an offer to the public in the United Kingdom within the meaning of section 85(1) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 ("FSMA");
12. represents and warrants that it has not offered or sold and will not offer or sell any Placing Shares to persons in the European Economic Area prior to Admission except to persons whose ordinary activities involve them in acquiring, holding, managing or disposing of investments (as principal or agent) for the purposes of their business or otherwise in circumstances which have not resulted in and which will not result in an offer to the public in any member state of the European Economic Area within the meaning of the Prospectus Directive (Directive 2003/71/EC) (including any relevant implementing measure in any member state);
13. represents and warrants that it has only communicated or caused to be communicated and will only communicate or cause to be communicated any invitation or inducement to engage in investment activity (within the meaning of section 21 of FSMA) relating to the Placing Shares in circumstances in which section 21(1) of FSMA does not require approval of the communication by an authorised person;
14. represents and warrants that it has complied and will comply with all applicable provisions of FSMA with respect to anything done by it in relation to the Placing Shares in, from or otherwise involving, the United Kingdom;
15. (a) represents and warrants that it is a person falling within Article 19(5) and/or Article 49(2)(a) to (d) of the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000 (Financial Promotion) Order 2005 or is a person to whom this Announcement may otherwise be lawfully communicated; and (b) acknowledges that any offer of Placing Shares may only be directed at persons in member states of the European Economic Area who are "qualified investors" within the meaning of Article 2(1)(e) of the Prospectus Directive and represents and agrees that it is such a qualified investor;
16. represents and warrants that it is entitled to subscribe for Placing Shares under the laws of all relevant jurisdictions which apply to it, and that its subscription of the Placing Shares will be in compliance with applicable laws and regulations in the jurisdiction of its residence, the residence of the Company, or otherwise;
17. undertakes that it (and any person acting on its behalf) will make payment for the Placing Shares allocated to it in accordance with this Announcement on the due time and date set out herein, failing which the relevant Placing Shares may be placed with other subscribers or sold as Mirabaud may in its discretion determine and without liability to such Placee;
18. acknowledges that neither Mirabaud, nor any of its affiliates, nor any person acting on behalf of any of them, is making any recommendations to it, nor advising it regarding the suitability of any transactions it may enter into in connection with the Placing and that its participation in the Placing is on the basis that it is not and will not be a client of Mirabaud for the purposes of the Placing and that Mirabaud has no duties or responsibilities to it for providing the protections afforded to its clients or for providing advice in relation to the Placing nor in respect of any representations, warranties, undertakings or indemnities contained in the Placing Agreement nor for the exercise or performance of any of its rights and obligations thereunder including any rights to waive or vary any conditions or exercise any termination right;
19. undertakes that the person whom it specifies for registration as holder of the Placing Shares will be (i) itself or (ii) its nominee, as the case may be. Neither Mirabaud nor the Company will be responsible for any liability to stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax resulting from a failure to observe this requirement. Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of such Placee agrees to participate in the Placing and it agrees to indemnify the Company and Mirabaud in respect of the same on the basis that the Placing Shares will be allotted to the CREST stock accounts of Mirabaud who will hold them as nominee on behalf of such Placee until settlement in accordance with its standing settlement instructions;
20. acknowledges that these terms and conditions and any agreements entered into by it pursuant to these terms and conditions and any non-contractual obligations arising out of or in connection with such agreements shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales and it submits (on behalf of itself and on behalf of any person on whose behalf it is acting) to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts as regards any claim, dispute or matter arising out of any such contract, except that enforcement proceedings in respect of the obligation to make payment for the Placing Shares (together with any interest chargeable thereon) may be taken by Mirabaud in any jurisdiction in which the relevant Placee is incorporated or in which any of its securities have a quotation on a recognised stock exchange;
21. acknowledges that Mirabaud and its affiliates will rely upon the truth and accuracy of the representations, warranties and acknowledgements set forth herein and which are irrevocable and it irrevocably authorises Mirabaud to produce this Announcement, pursuant to, in connection with, or as may be required by any applicable law or regulation, administrative or legal proceeding or official inquiry with respect to the matters set forth herein;
22. agrees to indemnify and hold the Company and Mirabaud and their respective affiliates harmless from any and all costs, claims, liabilities and expenses (including legal fees and expenses) arising out of or in connection with any breach of the representations, warranties, acknowledgements, agreements and undertakings in this Announcement (including the Appendices) and further agrees that the provisions of this Announcement (including the Appendices) shall survive after completion of the Placing;
23. represents and warrants that it will acquire any Placing Shares subscribed for by it for its account or for one or more accounts as to each of which it exercises sole investment discretion and it has full power to make the acknowledgements, representations and agreements herein on behalf of each such account;
24. acknowledges that its commitment to subscribe for Placing Shares on the terms set out herein and in the relevant contract note will continue notwithstanding any amendment that may in future be made to the terms of the Placing and that Placees will have no right to be consulted or require that their consent be obtained with respect to the Company's conduct of the Placing. The foregoing representations, warranties and confirmations are given for the benefit of the Company as well as Mirabaud. The agreement to settle a Placee's subscription (and/or the subscription of a person for whom such Placee is contracting as agent) free of stamp duty and stamp duty reserve tax depends on the settlement relating only to the subscription by it and/or such person direct from the Company for the Placing Shares in question. Such agreement assumes, and is based on a warranty from each Placee, that neither it, nor the person specified by it for registration as holder, of Placing Shares is, or is acting as nominee or agent for, and that the Placing Shares will not be allotted to, a person who is or may be liable to stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax under any of sections 67, 70, 93 and 96 of the Finance Act 1986 (depositary receipts and clearance services). If there are any such arrangements, or the settlement relates to any other dealing in the Placing Shares, stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax may be payable. In that event the Placee agrees that it shall be responsible for such stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax, and neither the Company nor Mirabaud shall be responsible for such stamp duty or stamp duty reserve tax. If this is the case, each Placee should seek its own advice and notify Mirabaud accordingly;
25. understands that no action has been or will be taken by any of the Company, Mirabaud or any person acting on behalf of the Company or Mirabaud that would, or is intended to, permit a public offer of the Placing Shares in any country or jurisdiction where any such action for that purpose is required;
26. in making any decision to subscribe for the Placing Shares, confirms that it has knowledge and experience in financial, business and international investment matters as is required to evaluate the merits and risks of subscribing for the Placing Shares. It further confirms that it is experienced in investing in securities of this nature in this sector and is aware that it may be required to bear, and is able to bear, the economic risk of, and is able to sustain a complete loss in connection with the Placing. It further confirms that it relied on its own examination and due diligence of the Company and its associates taken as a whole, and the terms of the Placing, including the merits and risks involved;
27. represents and warrants that it has (a) made its own assessment and satisfied itself concerning legal, regulatory, tax, business and financial considerations in connection herewith to the extent it deems necessary; (b) had access to review publicly available information concerning the Group that it considers necessary or appropriate and sufficient in making an investment decision; (c) reviewed such information as it believes is necessary or appropriate in connection with its subscription for the Placing Shares; and (d) made its investment decision based upon its own judgment, due diligence and analysis and not upon any view expressed or information provided by or on behalf of Mirabaud;
28. understands and agrees that it may not rely on any investigation that Mirabaud or any person acting on its behalf may or may not have conducted with respect to the Company, its Group, or the Placing and Mirabaud has not made any representation to it, express or implied, with respect to the merits of the Placing, the subscription for the Placing Shares, or as to the condition, financial or otherwise, of the Company, its Group, or as to any other matter relating thereto, and nothing herein shall be construed as a recommendation to it to subscribe for the Placing Shares. It acknowledges and agrees that no information has been prepared by Mirabaud or the Company for the purposes of this Placing; and
29. accordingly it acknowledges and agrees that it will not hold Mirabaud or any of its affiliates or any person acting on its behalf responsible or liable for any misstatements in or omission from any publicly available information relating to the Group or information made available (whether in written or oral form) in presentations or as part of roadshow discussions with investors relating to the Group or otherwise (the "Information") and that neither Mirabaud nor any person acting on behalf of Mirabaud makes any representation or warranty, express or implied, as to the truth, accuracy or completeness of such Information or accepts any responsibility for any of such Information.
By participating in the Placing, each Placee (and any person acting on a Placee's behalf) subscribing for Placing Shares acknowledges that: (i) the Placing Shares are being offered and sold only pursuant to Regulation S under the Securities Act in a transaction not involving a public offering of securities in the United States and the Placing Shares have not been and will not be registered under the Securities Act; and (ii) the offer and sale of the Placing Shares to it has been made outside of the United States in an "offshore transaction" (as such term is defined in Regulation S under the Securities Act) and it is outside of the United States during any offer or sale of Placing Shares to it.
In addition, Placees should note that they will be liable for any stamp duty and all other stamp, issue, securities, transfer, registration, documentary or other duties or taxes (including any interest, fines or penalties relating thereto) payable outside the United Kingdom by them or any other person on the subscription by them of any Placing Shares or the agreement by them to subscribe for any Placing Shares.
Each Placee and any person acting on behalf of each Placee acknowledges and agrees that Mirabaud or any of its affiliates may, at their absolute discretion, agree to become a Placee in respect of some or all of the Placing Shares.
When a Placee or person acting on behalf of the Placee is dealing with Mirabaud, any money held in an account with Mirabaud on behalf of the Placee and/or any person acting on behalf of the Placee will not be treated as client money within the meaning of the rules and regulations of the FSA made under FSMA. The Placee acknowledges that the money will not be subject to the protections conferred by the client money rules; as a consequence, this money will not be segregated from Mirabaud's money in accordance with the client money rules and will be used by Mirabaud in the course of its own business; and the Placee will rank only as a general creditor of Mirabaud.
All times and dates in this Announcement may be subject to amendment. Mirabaud shall notify the Placees and any person acting on behalf of the Placees of any changes.
Past performance is no guide to future performance and persons needing advice should consult an independent financial adviser.
Appendix II
The following definitions apply throughout this Announcement unless the context otherwise requires:
admission of the Placing Shares to trading on AIM becoming effective in accordance with Rule 6 of the AIM Rules
"AIM Rules"
the AIM Rules for Companies as published by the London Stock Exchange from time to time
the market of that name operated by the London Stock Exchange
this announcement (including the Appendices)
the appendices to this Announcement
"Company" or "TRG"
Titanium Resources Group Ltd. (changing its name to Sierra Rutile Limited)
the relevant system (as defined in the Uncertificated Securities Regulations 2001) for the paperless settlement of trades and the holding of uncertificated securities operated by Euroclear UK & Ireland Limited
"Directors" or "Board"
the directors of the Company, or any duly authorised committee thereof
the Financial Services Authority in its capacity as the competent authority for the purposes of Part VI of FSMA
"FSA Rules"
the rules issued by the FSA from time to time
the Financial Services and Markets Act of 2000 (as amended)
the Company, its subsidiaries and its subsidiary undertakings
"London Stock Exchange"
London Stock Exchange plc
Mirabaud Securities LLP, the Company's Joint Broker
any person by whom or on whose behalf a commitment to subscribe for Placing Shares has been given
the placing of the Placing Shares at the Placing Price by Mirabaud as agent for and on behalf of the Company pursuant to the terms of the Placing Agreement
"Placing Agreement"
the agreement dated 23 February 2011 between (i) the Company and (ii) Mirabaud relating to the Placing, further details of which are set out in this Announcement
"Placing Price"
10 pence per Placing Share
"Placing Shares"
the 113,660,925 new ordinary shares to be issued in connection with the Placing
"Regulation S"
Regulation S made under the Securities Act
"Restricted Jurisdiction"
the United States, Canada, the Republic of South Africa, Australia or Japan
"Securities Act"
the United States Securities Act of 1933, as amended
holders of ordinary shares
"UK" or "United Kingdom"
the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland


text:
Talk to me on AIM: Monsieurxander.
I am opinionated, goofy, and sincere
Aiming to go back to school in the near future.
In the meantime, doing my best to enjoy my life as it is now, savoring the small victories as they come.
Alternately a sly smirk and a cheesy grin.
I daydream. Intensely.
Movies: In the Mood for Love; Oldboy; Carrie; Unforgiven; Fargo; Alien; Millenium Actress; The Royal Tenenbaums; Sympathy for Lady Vengeance; Once Upon a Time in the West
Television: The Wire; Rome; Angel; I, Claudius; Buffy; Game of Thrones; Serial Experiments Lain
Music: Tom Waits; Interpol; TV on the Radio; Janelle Monae; The New Pornographers; Polysics; Crowded House; Daft Punk; They Might Be Giants
Foods: All things spicy (especially Thai), "greasy spoon" diner food, and occasionally foofy vegan cuisine
I'm a simple kind of guy.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
This game was classified by the community with the following category scores - Violence=1/3, Sex=0/3, Mature Content=0/3. Fast paced strategic game where timing is imperative for a big score but being swift will increase the challenge. Prove your worth by establishing a large score in survival mode if you can last the onslaught long enough.
Buy Xbox content on Xbox.com. Your Xbox 360 console will automatically download the content next time you turn it on and connect to Xbox Live.Learn More


text:
REGARDING the report in The Press of January 16 concerning a reduction in the strength of John Smiths Extra Smooth, from 3.8 per cent to 3.6 per cent – on top of this the owners of John Smith's, Heineken, are putting Smooth up by 2.5p per pint.
How can they justify this reduction in volume, and at the same time increase the price? People are not going to afford this rise. The Government's regulator should look into this.
This is one way of customers cutting way down on their consumption of beer.
Tom Mitchell, Mendip Close, Huntington, York.
• If John Smith's continue to reduce the ABV of their Extra Smooth they will soon be able to sell it as alcohol-free.
They really would then be able to hike up the price, in line with other soft drinks sold in pubs.
S Atkinson, Hamilton Drive, York.


text:
Ennis tabs Alvarez as coach
Tye Chandler
On Tuesday night, the Ennis Independent School District's Board of Trustees voted unanimously to hire Jack Alvarez as the new head coach of Lion football.
After board members met for roughly 10 minutes, David Estes announced the board's recommendation to hire Alvarez. Board president Mack Boyd thanked the six-person group in charge of the coach search for their hard work this month, and then Alvarez uttered a spirited "Go Lions!" in his first moments as Ennis coach.
Click here for the rest of the story!


text:
Eh, I think it's pretty cool. Plus, it's probably not something I would have heard about otherwise and it's OT season.
Very OT: Norwegians to build Ship Tunnel
No football, no basketball, no hockey, early season baseball. So, I ask you, what the hell are we SUPPOSED to talk about?
Apparently not Norwegian shipping tunnels involving mountain excavation.
Go here: http://touchthebanner.blogspot.com/
It is like you made this post, unwittingly, about your own post. Maybe not the worst ever but, judging from the reception, still fairly bad.
And it makes me think of all sorts of other oddly matched things, like train canals and car landing strips and airplane tracks....
I can't tell if this guy is fucking around or not.
[Edit: He is only one guy.]
You must have missed the dog's infected ass-blisters or whatever they were.
I think the one about a dog's anal glands was worse.
I seriously broached this topic at dinner a few nights ago when our dog emitted a funky smell.
My spouse: "Where did you get this information"
Me: "MGoBlog, I think"
Lighten up, Francis. Or is your name Troll? Either way, stop being an asshole.
No, no, didn't you see his disclaimer? "Guaranteed to offend." You are all just waaaayy too sensitive, you overly PC pansies. Dude is clearly a badass, and you just can't handle how real he keeps it.
You should be tarred and feathered for that comment.
is that racist!
someone did not check the link.
It appears to have spurred a robust discussion that is well over my head*, your own comment notwithstanding
*(aquatic pun very much intended)
take a chill pill and ease of the throttle.
anal glands.
edit: Hmm. Apparently I'm very late to this party.
...of this blog as a blog for intelligent, rational people who happen to have am irrational devotion to the same university in all things, sports being the most obvious.
posts about engineering marvels that don't degrade to a stupid debate about corporate yibble yabble and government hoobalidoo are part of the reason why I like this blog.
I think it's damn great.
The displacement limit seems artificially low based on the dimensions of the tunnel itself. Certainly the overhead clearance, beam, and draft numbers cited would afford passage to a larger ship, but there's no mention of curvature that would affect ship length, or not.
I can only think of factors such as navigation outside of the tunnel itself that would limit a ship of greater than 16,000 tonnes.
Is it possible that the addition of a ship and the displaced water inside the tunnel could cause air pressure fluctuations that would be dangerous if too high?
I have no experience in these types of considerations, but certainly this is solvable problem with high-speed rail where clearances are much tighter.
being open. Maybe if the ship went through there incredibly fast it might cause a problem. But they probably have an extremely slow speed limit (less than 10 knots).
I realize displacement and draft aren't exactly correlated, but they're somewhat related. An Arleigh-Burke destroyer is roughly half that displacement (about 8,000 tons, highly dependent on fuel load) and draws about 32-ish feet. No sane ship captain with that big a ship will go where they only have seven feet between hull and bottom, and then you have to consider tides, too. Personally I'm actually surprised the tunnel could fit a 16,000 ton ship. I'm sure they're thinking mostly flat-bottomed ships, but still.
relatively narrow beams, and a lot of equipment both above and below the waterline - thus the 32 foot draft. This canal will probably be used largely for passenger ferries, barge-type craft, and the smaller coastal freighters common in Europe. So, the depth they're building it for is probably pretty safe.
I don't know what a Burke destroyer is but anything that can destroy Burke must be incredibly powerful.
The great lakes seaway has a minimum draft of 27 feet, which lakers use every inch of when full. 32 isn't enough for the largest tankers or container ships, but even the 1000-footers (with a capacity of 50,000+ tons) on the lakes here could take that tunnel without issue.
How long is this supposed to be? That would be the biggest issue, I would think.
I may just have to cruise Norwegian and check it out. Ya know, Vikings and what not..
As a Naval Architect I can say that the dimensions indicate it's meant for not the largest ocean-going ships. 148 feet high and 115 ft. wide would definitely not accomodate most cruise ships and large tankers for example. Also, with that width, they would probably need some sort of breakwaters to make sure there aren't signficant wave action coming through the tunnel that could cause the ship to hit the side by accident. I'm also assuming that there are not significant tides there that could cause the depth of the water to vary too much.
How does one "breakwater"? Is it similar to breaking wind?
I would assume that there would be a lock at each end to eliminate the tidal variations and waves.
Norway. Home to Black Metal and crazy ass construction ideas. It's pretty cool though.
Cool! I like tunnels! I like boats! Combining the two should be sweet! But I imagine it's gonna be tough to hold your breath through the entire tunnel like is required in normal tunnel transit.
So does my dog...
To make this less OT, we could point out that Michigan has a very strong Naval Architecture and Marine Engineering department.
Also, Mark Huyge, former football player, is a Naval Architect.
I'm no expert in correlation and logic but seems to me that Norweigan shipping tunnels are directly related to our offensive line production this season.
Erik Magnuson agrees
1,000 points to you sir
that has a hockey arena built inside a mountain?
If weather is the issue, they are going to need to protect the approaches to then tunnel .... And have lots of fun with pinwheels, propellers, wind chimes, and other noise makers up and down it.
According to one or two other papers, the earliest that they plan to start - if approved - is 2018 and they expect it would take about four years to complete. Interestingly, there are already a few small-scale versions of this which accommodate barges - I've seen the Canal du Midi in France, as an example, and that will accommodate small craft and river barges. This project in Norway is makes for a fascinating read though, and it would be neat to see it happen.
But what's the point? The Norwegian sea and North sea flow into each other
Yea I don't see why this is necessary to build. It would take a whole, I don't know, 20 miles to go around the peninsula. Is saving that little time worth all the money and risk to build the tunnel?
Either way, as an engineer, excited to see how it's being done.
EDIT: I guess the North Sea waters are rougher than I thought. Looks like a big reason is safety, with dozens of accidents and deaths caused near this coastline over the decades.
Somebody posts a random OT about something interesting, and like clockwork one after another regular chimes in with informed, authoritative commentary about something I didn't know anything about before. I pick up a bit about naval engineering and Norway's dangerous coastline, in addition to information about zone blocking and the difference between 3-tech and 5-tech. I should figure out a way to make this tax--deductible as an educational expense.
I hear the engineering-theme thread on Norwegian shipping tunnels over at Eleven Warriors is even more insightful and erudite.
Our country is overflowing with money and this is just the kind of crazy infrastructure project that could only really happen here. I guess it makes some kind of sense given that it could open water ways for the fishing/fish farming industry and hopefully prevent some accidents/deaths. However, I think most countries would prioritize other projects with that kind of money.
Not often Norway gets mentioned on MGoBlog, but this is two mentions in just over a week.


text:
Tiger Woods headed straight for the practice putting green at San Francisco's Olympic Club late Saturday after his hopes of ending a four-year winless drought in the majors took a knock.
The former world No.1 struggled to a five over 75 that leaves him five strokes behind joint leaders Jim Furyk and Graeme McDowell, and with 11 other players sandwiched in between.
It had been, he agreed, a frustrating day especially on the greens where he found it difficult to judge the speed as they dried out under the hot California sunshine after having been watered before the third round started.
"I struggled on the greens today, quite a bit," he said.
"They looked quick, but they putted slow. But they were firmer than they were yesterday. So it was a tough, tough feel for me to adjust to."
Woods got off to a horror start with four bogeys in eight holes before he grabbed what turned out to be his only birdie of the day at the ninth hole.
He never looked comfortable down the back nine and two more bogeys followed at the 16th and 18th, where he fluffed a chip from thick rough at the side of the green.
Woods, who jointly led the tournament overnight at one-under 139 with Furyk and David Toms, said that his game had not been that bad and that the margins had been small.
"I was just missing by just a few yards and that was enough," he said.
"Probably about three fairways I missed just probably about three or four yards. And then that makes a big difference."
Eight of Woods's 14 major titles have come when he has led or been the joint leader at the halfway stage and only once has he failed to seal the deal from that position.
On his prospects for Sunday, when he will play with fellow American Casey Wittenberg, Woods said "I'm definitely still in the ball game. I'm only five back and that's certainly doable on this golf course for sure.
"I think the course will be just as quick, I think they like it just the way it was.
"You saw that some of the guys went out early and shot some good scores, they had a little bit more moisture on the greens and it dried out certainly in the last few groups.
"No one really shot good numbers on the back. So maybe I can be one of those guys that goes out there and posts a round early." - Sapa-AFP


text:
A WIDOW is leading a team of friends on a fundraising climbing challenge up three mountains in memory of her husband.
Michelle O'Shea-Sandwith and a group of friends have been set the task of scaling Ben Nevis, Scafell and Snowdon in the space of 24 hours.
They will be raising money for the Leukaemia and Lymphoma Research charity as a tribute to Michelle's husband Karl Sandwith, who died from Acute Myeloid Leukaemia two years ago.
Five of the team, including Michelle, will be pulling on their hiking boots and climbing each of the three mountains, with another two members taking it in turns on driving duty to ferry them round the country on the way to the next peak.
Michelle said: "A month ago we went up to Snowdon one Sunday to have a go at climbing it, and that's the only bit of training we've done.
"I did my back in so I haven't been able to do any training.
"None of us have done any hillwalking. We're fairly untrained for this one in comparison to last year, when we cycled from John O'Groats to Lands End, but we're not unfit.
"We're hoping we've got some good weather and the traffic's good to us. The Commonwealth Games will be on so we hope there isn't too much traffic around.
"We've given ourselves five hours to do Ben Nevis, five hours for Scafell and four for Snowdon."
The 38-year-old air cabin crew member from Old Amersham added: "My target was £1,000, so we've exceeded that so far already. It would be nice to get up to £2,000."
The challenge will start at Ben Nevis at 5pm on July 31 and the team will finish the following day, the anniversary of Karl's death.
He and Michelle married on the Hillingdon Hospital ward where he received treatment three weeks before he died. The couple were nicknamed Team SOS after their surnames by nursing staff at the hospital.
To donate to the team go to www.justgiving.com/michelleoshea-sandwith.


text:
INNSBRUCK, Austria -- Rick Nash had two goals and an assist
to lift Canada to a 3-1 victory over the United States on Thursday
at the world hockey championships.
The 20-year-old star of the Columbus Blue Jackets snapped two
ties with his goals and led Canada to their third straight win in
the opening round. Joe Thornton had Canada's other goal, and Mike Knuble scored for the United States (2-1).
Nash has six goals in the tournament, playing on a line with
Thornton and Simon Gagne.
Canada, the defending world champion, will play Sweden -- the
runner-up the last two years -- in the qualification round on
Saturday. The Americans will play Finland on Friday.
Latvia clinched a spot in the second round with a 3-1 victory
over Slovenia.
Martins Cipulis and Atvars Tribuncovs scored in the first two
periods for Latvia, and Girts Ankipans added an empty-netter with
25 seconds left to seal it.
The Czech Republic locked up first place in Group D by beating
Kazakhstan 1-0 in Vienna on a second-period goal by Edmonton Oilers
forward Ales Hemsky. The Czechs won their third straight but
struggled offensively without injured forward Jaromir Jagr.
Jagr, a five-time NHL scoring champion, broke the little finger
on his left hand Tuesday when he was slashed by German defenseman
Stefan Schauer. Jagr was fitted with a splint and rejoined the team
on Wednesday.
Switzerland beat Germany 5-1 in the second game at Vienna on
Thursday. Switzerland (2-1) finished second in Group D while
Germany was last (0-3).
Needing only a tie to win Group B based on goal differential,
Canada took a 1-0 lead just 51 seconds into the second period on a
great effort by Nash.
Nash tried a wraparound and the puck bounced high. He knocked it
down with his left glove, skated backward away from the net and let
go a low shot that got past goalie Rick DiPietro.
The United States tied it 1-1 at 5:16 of the second when Knuble
stole the puck from defenseman Ed Jovanovski, skated in from the
blue line, and whipped a shot between Martin Brodeur's pads during
a power play.
It was the third goal of the tournament for Knuble, who played
in Sweden during this season's NHL lockout. He is tied for the team
goal lead with Mark Parrish.
Nash made it 2-1 while the teams were playing 4-on-4. Dan Boyle
broke up an American rush and sent Nash in on a partial breakaway.
Nash made a nice move to protect the puck from U.S. defenseman
Jordan Leopold, then put in a shot off the crossbar at 11:29.
Thornton gave Canada a two-goal lead with a power-play goal at
12:42 of the third period.
The Americans outshot Canada 14-4 in the opening period, but
went 0-for-3 on the power play. Brodeur was seldom tested as the
Canadians killed the penalties well.
During the final man-advantage, Brodeur made a nice double save
when the Americans applied pressure.
Canada is 34-3 against the United States at the world
Kazakhstan's Vitaly Kolesnik made 38 saves -- including some
difficult ones -- but Hemsky took a pass from Martin Rucinsky and
scored at 10:44.
Kazakhstan (1-2) had a power play in the final minutes, causing
concern for the estimated 5,000 Czech fans in attendance, but Milan
Hnilicka of the Toronto Maple Leafs stayed perfect and made 16
saves to earn the shutout in his first tournament appearance.
Kazakhstan stayed close and had several scoring opportunities
despite being whistled for eight penalties.
Jurij Golicic had the only goal for Slovenia (0-3), which was
shut out in the first two games during its world championships
debut. Slovenia was outscored 15-0 in losses to the United States
and Canada.
Latvia (1-2) finished in third place in Group B behind the North
American teams. The top three teams from each group advance to the
qualification round.
Slovenia will play in the relegation round against Denmark,
Austria and Germany. The two top teams in the relegation round will
stay in the championship next year, while the last two will be


text:
Top 10: Most Expensive Wines
There's more to wine than two-dollar Night Train. In the mid-'80s, billionaire Malcolm Forbes paid approximately $155,000 at auction for a bottle of wine. The bottle, which was believed to have come from Thomas Jefferson's own collection and dated back to 1787, was then put on display under strong lights and at the wrong angle. These conditions eventually made the cork fall into the bottle, and the wine lost its value and was thrown away.
Yes, it's true that you don't have to pay a fortune for a bottle of wine, but keep in mind that you usually get what you pay for. If you really want to impress that special lady, show her your cellar of fine wines — or at least display your knowledge of them. Read on to discover the ten most expensive wines available on the market. Note that all prices are in US dollars and were evaluated on the basis of a 750 ml bottle from a retailer.
Number 10
Chteau Lafite Rothschild Pauillac 1996 - app. $287
Talk about being at the right place at the right time. In the mid-18th century, a French politician was about to be shipped off overseas, but not before visiting a physician. The doctor prescribed him some Lafite wine as a tonic. This politician enjoyed it so much that he offered some bottles to King Louis XV, and before long this wine became the star of Versailles and was dubbed "the King's wine." Remarkably dark, it sports mineral aromas of mint and black currant. Flavorful, its texture is silky and lingers in the mouth.
Number 9
Chteau Margaux 1995 - app. $402
Its color is almost black, yet it couldn't taste farther from ink. Containing passionate fragrances of blackberry and cassis, this smooth and racy vintage is powerful but still manages to be compact in its fruit structure. This vineyard goes back a thousand years and it has definitely mastered the art. The 1995 vintage recalls the 1986 for its complexity but it's also a good reminder of the 1990 for its elegance. The 1994 version is also quite expensive.
Number 8
Chteau Haut Brion Pessac-Lognan 1982 - app. $528
What distinguishes Haut Brion is the fact that it produced the oldest Bordeaux in the world. Founded in 1550, Jean de Pontac built everything from the ground up for the sole purpose of winemaking. Soon after, he opened a tavern in London to serve his wine exclusively. It was an undeniable success. This red 1982 vintage is still youthful and quite spectacular, holding its own against the best wines in the world. It has matured well with time but isn't expected to improve in years to come. So drink it soon!
Number 7
Chteau Mouton Rothschild Pauillac 1986 - app. $592
Remember the Lafite Rothschild? The Chteau Mouton originated from the English branch of the same family in the mid-19th century. They were the first to launch special labels designed by famous artists such as Chagall, Picasso and Warhol after World War II. Selected as one of the top ten wines of 1986 by Wine Spectator magazine, this Chteau Mouton will recall memories of chocolate, raspberries and spices. This palatable vintage leaves an incredibly elongated aftertaste.
Number 6
Chteau La Mondotte Saint-Emilion 1996 - app. $608
La Mondotte was purchased by the Neipperg family at the same time that they bought Chteau Canon-La-Gaffelire and Clos de l'Oratoire. Therefore, this tiny vineyard of little more than 11 acres was condemned to play second fiddle for a number of years. But in 1996, La Mondotte reached maturity and exploded on the wine scene. Fairly fruity and exotic, this vintage is lavish and has a lengthy finish. It is often compared to Le Pin.
Wait, have another glass...


text:
An early master of the chokeslam and powerbomb, this monster first appeared in World Championship Wrestling (WCW) as Sid Vicious. Shortly after his 1991 debut in the World Wrestling Federation (WWF) as Sid Justice, he was announced as the special guest referee for the SummerSlam main event match pitting Hulk Hogan and Ultimate Warrior against Sgt. Slaughter, Colonel Mustafa and General Adnan. While he appeared to be on the side of Hogan, fans caught a glimpse of his true nature at the 1992 Royal Rumble when he eliminated "The Hulkster" in hopes of capturing the WWF Championship. They met at WrestleMania VIII as part of the double main event. Justice immediately left the WWF following the encounter and soon returned to WCW.
Sid's Mugshot After Being Arrested In 2011 On Drug Charges | Sid Competes In A Bodybuilding Contest | Sid Returns To Raw After 15 Years | Classic Sid Photos
In 1995, he resurfaced in the World Wrestling Federation as Sycho Sid, the new bodyguard for Shawn Michaels. After a mishap cost his associate the WWF Championship at WrestleMania XI, Sid attacked Michaels the following evening on Monday Night Raw when he was informed his services were no longer required. Following a brief tenure with the Million Dollar Corporation, Sid was not seen in the WWF until July 1996. He patched things up with HBK and teamed with Ahmed Johnson against against Vader, Owen Hart and The British Bulldog at In Your House: International Incident. Sid captured the WWF Championship on two different occasions, but his second reign ended at the hands of The Undertaker at WrestleMania XIII.
Sid parted ways with the World Wrestling Federation in 1997, then appeared in Extreme Championship Wrestling (ECW) in 1998 before returning to World Championship Wrestling the following year, where he held numerous championships including the World Heavyweight Championship. Although a gruesome leg injury in 2001 halted his career, he resurfaced on the independent scene in 2004.
September 15, 2015 – Nikki Bella was trending for hours on Twitter after breaking AJ Lee's record Monday night to become the longest reigning Divas Champion ever.
– Add "Mean" Gene Okerlund to the list of wrestling personalities with a podcast. The WWE Hall of Famer will be launching his podcast later this year.
– Sid Eudy, better known as Sid Vicious, Sid Justice, Psycho Sid or simply Sid, recently signed a non-wrestling 'legends' contract with WWE. A 'legends' contract enables WWE to release new merchandise in the wrestler's likeness, with the wrestler being compensated.
Last week, Mattel revealed its lineup for the WWE Elite 39 action figure line and Sid (as Sycho Sid) is included with Sting (modern day WWE attire), The Godfather, Dolph Ziggler, Damien Sandow and British Bulldog. This series will be released around Christmas or early next year.


text:
When looking through the Makeup Academy stand at Superdrug, I stumbled across a new product that I have never heard of before, the Undress Your Skin Highlighter in Iridescent Gold. Now I have never seen this on the MUA website, nor have I seen any reviews on this product so I assume this is a brand new product release. The highlighter retails for £3 and can be found at your local Superdrug or online at the MUA Website.
|Makeup Academy Undress Your Skin Highlighter - Iridescent Gold
|Makeup Academy Undress Your Skin Highlighter - Iridescent Gold
Now I previously owned the original Undress Your Skin Highlighter which is a pink iridescent shade. This highlighter is one of my all-time favourites and I wear it on an everyday basis. The only problem I have with the original pink shade is that it is slightly too 'pink' for my pale skin tone. The highlighter almost comes off as a blush so I do need to be careful on where I apply it on my cheek bones.
|Iridescent Gold vs Original
When I saw the new Iridescent Gold shade on the MUA stand I was overly joyed because I knew this shade would better fit with my pale skin tone. The pigmentation of both of these highlighters is amazing and only requires a swipe of your finger to get good pigmentation. The highlighter is indeed glittery/shimmery but if you use a light hand, it does look less harsh than if you were to apply it with a heavy hand. It can be very easy to over apply so make sure to tap off the excess on your brush or wipe some product off of your finger before applying to your cheekbones, inner eyelid, or your brow bone.
The size of these highlighters is great especially for the affordable price tag. I have used the original pink shade since it has been released on a daily basis and I have only put a small dent into it, without hitting pan. The only other negative other than being very easy to over-apply, is that the packaging does feel a little cheap. My original highlighter lid has actually broken off and no longer fits onto the packaging. To store the highlighter I just set the lid on the top and store it within my makeup drawers, but obviously when travelling this would come as an inconvenience. Apart from the packaging this highlighter is absolutely beautiful and I am so happy I stumbled across it!
You can apply this highlighter using your fingers, or using a brush (one of my favourites is an angled blush brush) and swipe it on the tops of your cheekbones. You can also apply the golden shade to the inner corners of your eyes to instantly make your eyes look more open and awake. The golden shade can also be used under the brow bone for a highlight, so as you can see the golden shade is very versatile compared to the original pink shade.
Overall this highlighter is absolutely beautiful and in my opinion much more versatile than the original pink Undress Your Skin highlighter. The pigmentation is fantastic and with such an affordable price tag it is one that you should not miss out on. I can definitely see this highlighter being my new favourite and for long to come. Head out to your local Superdrug and find this 'new' highlighter before it is sold out on the shelves because you definitely won't regret it!


text:
IBM's ILOG Builds Sophisticated Data Display Components The business rules engine division has supplied four new software tools that can be used to display complex data in a rich Internet application.
A Cloud User Switches Clouds Less than two weeks after platform-as-a-service vendor Coghead disclosed that it's going out of business, competitor Caspio has migrated one of Coghead's abandoned customers to its platform.
Salesforce CEO Benioff Claims Huge Wins Over Oracle UPDATE: Bob Evans has just posted a new column about Salesforce and Benioff's challenges and opportunities in squaring off against Oracle, Microsoft and SAP. Two months after Oracle CEO Larry Ellison told financial analysts his company was whipping Salesforce in head-to-head competition for cloud deals, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff hit back this week by releasing a list of customers h
Novell Rolls Out Manager For Virtual Environments The company's PlateSpin Orchestrate 2.0 software helps coordinate Hyper-V, Xen-based environments.
Cloud Computing Aligns Zimory With VMware A significant advantage of Zimory's management software is that it makes server resources available to cost-conscious IT shops that many would otherwise not be able to afford.
IT Search Engine Adds Netflow Startup Paglo, which offers SaaS-based IT management based on search, now collects Netflow data to help customers monitor bandwidth usage by users, applications and protocols.
Gmail Failure Breeds Status Dashboard The software provides data on the status of Google Apps applications, including Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Talk, Google Docs, Google Sites, and Google Video.
Yahoo CEO Bartz Shakes Up Management While Yahoo's CFO and mobile czar pack their bags, the executive's first blog indicates a new focus on improving relations with customers and advertisers.
Salesforce.com's Growth Shows SaaS Success In Tough Economy Revenue growth of 34% shows businesses are buying SaaS despite of, and perhaps because of, tight IT budgets. There are spots of trouble, however.
Gartner Finds Most-Common SaaS Assumptions Are False What has made it difficult for many companies to separate truth from fiction is the tremendous amount of hype around SaaS, the analyst firm says.
Google Takes Credibility Hit With Gmail Outage The company will credit some customers for 15 days of service, which would amount to almost 4% of the $50 per user per year Google charges.
Coghead Failure Highlights Risks Of Cloud Computing Cloud computing is growing, with Google now monetizing its App Engine. But no matter what the vendor, customers should have a good emergency-exit strategy.
Honda Logistics Adds SaaS Link To Supply Chain This success story highlights one of the reasons why CIOs in this rotten economy can't close their eyes to forward-looking innovation: a Honda warehousing unit says that a SaaS application from a small vendor called SmartTurn has exceeded all of its expectations and is leading to "a whole new change in how this type of business is done."
HP, Sun To Support Solaris On ProLiant Servers The deal elevates Sun to a strategic partner for HP's ProLiant servers and could also help each in its battle with a common enemy: IBM.
Survey: Fear Slows Cloud Computing Adoption A survey of 500 C-level executives and IT managers yields some interesting attitudes toward cloud computing. The bottom line is that while many business and technology managers see potential value in the cloud, fears over security and control are holding them back.
Keep Your Eye on the Prize My greatest fear as we run, not walk, in the direction of the clouds is that we won't consider how cloud computing folds into our IT strategy, but more how our IT strategy needs to fold into cloud computing. That's dangerous thinking, considering how many times we've done that over the years with less than positive results...
Cloud-Based Backup For Microsoft Exchange, SQL Server Released Open source vendor Zmanda joins the chase for Windows dollars with its product based on Amazon's Simple Storage Service.
Memo To Google: I Know 600 Students Who Depend On Your Gmail I couldn't help but take Google's Gmail outage today a bit personally. I'm in the midst of my one, big yearly contribution to my son's school: computerizing the school's heavily paper-based read-a-thon competition, using Gmail as the platform. So I'm asking you please, Google, don't mess up my PTO project. For once I look like a hero rather than the under-involved parent.
VMware Adds To Data Center Operating System vCenter Server Heartbeat and vShield, launched at VMware's user group meeting, bring the company closer to supplying the data center operating system via its virtual machine management capabilities.
Ballmer Says Microsoft Won't Ship Office 14 This Year Slow PC sales may have eased demand for a Web-based version of the Word, Excel, and PowerPoint bundle.
Google App Engine Now Ready To Take Your Money The launch of a billing system for its Web application hosting platform puts Google in competition with Amazon Web Services and Microsoft's Azure Services Platform.
Gmail Outage Prompts Apology Gmail users with Google Gears installed were able to access their in-boxes during the outage Tuesday morning. Gmail has about 113 million users worldwide.
Vertica Puts Column-Oriented Database In Virtual Machine The software runs on commodity hardware and becomes a plug-and-play addition to a data center being built out around cloud principles.
How To Get Started With Storage-As-A-Service Pay-as-you-go online storage services are a flexible way to deal with exploding data volume. For 25 cents per month, you can rent a gigabyte of storage from Nirvanix. But is that any way to buy enterprise storage?
Microsoft Offers 'Appliance-Like' Data Warehouses Microsoft has teamed with Bull, Dell, and HP to offer appliance-like data warehouses starting at $13,000 per terabyte.
'Guitar Hero' Rocks On To Android With the introduction of paid applications in the Android Market, a wave of high-profile games may be coming to Google's mobile platform.
Citrix Syncs With Microsoft Hyper-V In Virtualization Push VMware's relentless growth, reporting revenue of $1.3 billion last year, has brought the two allies even closer together.
Cloud Experts Miss The Point: Solve A Problem Upfront At the Cloud Computing Forum, InformationWeek asked a distinguished panel why it was necessary for every hypervisor vendor to launch its own virtual machine runtime format. If we can see the need to move workloads from one cloud to another, a common runtime format would simplify the process. What will it take, I asked, a user revolt?
Coghead's Collapse: Memo From The Trenches The demise of platform-as-a-service vendor Coghead is being described as a "debacle" and a "disaster" for the small and midsize companies who were using applications built on Coghead's cloud-based platform. Here's the story from the trenches.
Security, Privacy And Compliance In The Cloud One of the more interesting panel discussions at the IDC Cloud Computing Forum on Feb 18th in San Francisco was about managing the complexities of security, privacy and compliance in the Cloud. The simple answer according to panelists Carolyn Lawson, CIO of California Public Utilities Commission, and Michael Mucha, CISO of Stanford Hospital and Clinics is "it ain't easy!"
Violent Video Game Law Ruled Unconstitutional The 2005 law prohibited the sale of violent video games to anyone under 18 and imposed a fine of as much as $1,000.
Why Cloud At All? In his recent blog, Bycast CTO David Silk provides some insight on how enterprises minimize the risk associated with adopting cloud storage. At the heart of the matter is why does cloud storage or, for that matter, cloud computing, exist at all?
Is SaaS Cheaper? Depends On How Long You Have It. Gartner published a report this week on the "five most-common SaaS assumptions." I agree with all of them, but must throw in my own two cents on the first assumption: SaaS is less expensive than on-premises software.
Lessons From The Demise Of A Cloud Startup Amid the growing interest in cloud computing, Coghead's collapse provides a reality check. SAP is providing a safety net for Coghead's intellectual property and its employees, but Coghead's customers are left to fend for themselves.
Cloud Implementation To Double By 2012 The number of enterprises using cloud computing will grow to 9% in three years, says one analyst, but its impact will far exceed those modest figures.
Intel Solid-State Drive Found To Slow Under Heavy Use The problems appear to be in the sector remapping and wear-leveling algorithms that are suppose to improve performance.
SAP Buys Cloud Computing Startup Coghead Coghead's service continues through April, but SAP will shut customer obligations and relationships down after that.
A Cloud Conservative Vanguard talks about its cautious approach to public cloud services, and the steps it's taking to build an internal cloud.
Where Does Apple Go From Here? Apple's got room for future triumphs -- but it also faces threats from a battered economy, rejuvenated competitors, and a leadership crisis precipitated by Steve Jobs' illness.
What To Look For In Virtual Server Backup Products Virtual machine backup software is evolving rapidly, and there's no one best tool.
Western Digital Redesigns Consumer Back-Up Drive The device can also provide storage for Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 video-game consoles, wireless digital picture frames, or digital TVs.
Beyond AIM: Top Instant Messaging Clients For Business Instant messaging has all but replaced the phone as an office tool. We take AIM, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, Yahoo Instant Messenger, and Windows Live Messenger for a spin and give you the lowdown.
Nintendo DSi Making U.S. Debut In April Among the unique features on the DSi is two 0.3 megapixel cameras, one on the external body and the other pointing at the user when the device is flipped open.
Amazon's Cloud Is Too Cloudy Amazon senior VP Andy Jassy talks about Amazon Web Services in a recent interview with TechFlash.com. It's an interesting chat with the guy who oversees Amazon's cloud computing business. Unfortunately, Jassy, once again, refuses to answer key questions about AWS.
Berkeley Talks Cloud: Should We Listen? Far too many people out there in the emerging space of cloud computing are arguing the semantics of this model, and not what's important -- the architectural improvement opportunities and the reasons why businesses should look at cloud computing... What's important to this movement is the use of the model, the benefit to business, and what we need to do to get there.
Small College Reaps Big Benefits From Cloud Computing Having consolidated and virtualized its servers using VMware's vCloud initiative, a small college is learning how much it can get done.
Google Row Boat Oliver (Olly) Hicks set out from Tasmania last month in his rowboat to become the first person to row across the world on his own.
Hybrid Storage Service Targets Cloud Doubters Don't quite trust online storage providers with your company's files? A new service wants to lure the doubtful with a hybrid model that combines local and cloud-based storage. Startup Egnyte links your premises file server to an online service for belt-and-suspenders storage and backups.
VMware To Take Its Next Steps Into The Cloud It's been six months since VMware announced vCloud, the company's grand plan for public, private, and hybrid computing clouds. It's almost time for an update on VMware's progress.
Mozilla Labs Introduces Bespin For Collaborative Coding Future iterations of the cloud-centered software will focus on allowing programmers to work on the same code from different locations at the same time.


text:
Keanu Reeves has been billed to play humanoid alien Klaatu in the re-imagining of the 1951 sci-fi classic.
Becoming the first acting talent to board the cast, Keanu Reeves has given his commitment to topline "The Day the Earth Stood Still", 20th Century Fox's remake of its 1951 sci-fi classic of the same name.
In this new version, Reeves will fill the role of Klaatu, a humanoid alien who arrives on Earth, accompanied by an indestructible, heavily armed robot, carrying a warning to world leaders that their continued aggression will lead to annihilation by species watching from afar. Pic thereby marks the actor's return to the sci-fi realm after "The Matrix" trilogy while putting him in back-to-back films for Fox of which Fox Searchlight division is backing up his newest starring vehicle "The Night Watchman."
Shooting is expected to start either in late fall or early 2008 as a planned tentpole for the studio under the direction of "The Exorcism of Emily Rose" helmer Scott Derrickson who is set to carry out the task from David Scarpa's script. It is learned that besides using advances in visual effects, the movie will also update the original premise, which was noted to be a response to the rise of the Cold War after WWII.


text:
AG Basic Body Suit by Lisa McClure
Welcome! You are browsing as a guestWould you like to see 59 projects made from this pattern and much more? create a free account What am I missing?
© 2012
© daisyknits
by WormHerder Flickr
© debonairdesigns
© monicarose51
© birdymom
by MurielMakes Flickr
© 2012
© 2012
AG Basic Body Suit
This pattern is available as a free Ravelry download
This body suit pattern includes a spaghetti strap version and a curved neck version. Instructions for both seamed and seamless versions are included for both pattern variations.


text:
LONDON -- The heartening and unlikely run of the U.S. soccer team at the World Cup hasn't just been welcome by fans at home.
A lot of people are rooting for the U.S. -- not least the world's book-makers, who see American fans as a rich, untapped market.
"This is the single biggest betting event in history," says Jon Ivan-Duke of Britain's William Hill Bookmakers.
The World Cup is a bookie bonanza. Ivan-Duke says, "200 million pounds will be turned over this World Cup."
That's pushing 350 million dollars. And that's without the U.S., where betting is only legal in a few states.
If Americans can learn to love soccer, the bookies are betting they can learn to love putting a few bucks down on the game as well.
"If those laws were to be relaxed across the states ... then we're ready and raring to go, really," explains Ivan-Duke.
In a statistics-mad country like the U.S., the bookies think their newest fad has "America" written all over it.
Nowadays, the betting doesn't stop when the game starts. One bookmaker even offered odds on whether Uruguay's Louis Suarez would bite someone -- and paid up when he did.
The biggest bet placed on the World Cup so far was from an American. "This particular customer in our Nevada sports book shop put a bet of $320,000 on Argentina to beat Iran," says Ivan-Duke.
In that game, Argentina won on a last-minute goal.
The current odds for the U.S. to win the World Cup are 80 to 1.