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H.R. 1121, the Responsible Consumer Financial Protection Regulations ActPosted by on April 26, 2011
The Responsible Consumer Financial Protection Regulations Act establishes a bipartisan commission of five members at the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). H.R. 1121, introduced by Chairman Spencer Bachus facilitates robust consumer financial protection by empanelling a five-member Commission to carry out all of the duties that would otherwise fall to the Director of the CFPB. This proposed structure of the CFPB is the same structure that has worked well for nearly every other regulatory body in this country, including the FTC, FDIC and SEC.
H.R. 1121 is identical to the bipartisan approach the House took to consumer protection during debate on financial regulatory reform in the last Congress. However, that approach, which received strong bipartisan support, was later dropped by the Democratic Conferees to the Dodd-Frank Act.
Click here to view the legislation.
The opinions expressed below are those of their respective authors and do not necessarily represent those of this office.
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Monday, April 21, 2014
Sunday Brunch at Hotel Fouquet Barriere
21 comments:
How much cost this brunch?ReplyDeleteReplies
please tell us!!! we want to know!!!Delete
Sunday brunch looks devine, but I am afraid that so many choices & temptations would totally overwhelm me and as a result I would experience that unpleasant Thanksgiving feeling where I swear I will never eat like that again (Is that just an American feeling?). Having only one trip to Paris under my novice French-made belt, at this point, I still yearn for that small cafe meal & atmosphere with the fixed price that's in my budget (that brunch is not).ReplyDelete
- cyndid from SD10:07 AM
Looks fabulous.I just returned from Paris,and not only did I not have full access to the internet,I did not want to take the time.There was too much going on,that crazy color run,Giverny,etc.But Carol, I too was so disappointed that you did not get your Visa.When the time comes up again,we will all rally around with positive thoughts.ReplyDelete
I did get my Easter chocolates,so good with fillings you talked about.
keep bringing us joy every day.You are good at that.
When we are in Paris on Sundays we visit the Bastille market and get the taboulah and hummus too - and my husband insists on visiting the Chicken Lady - and of course we have to have some cheese and bread. Our hotel allows us to have our picnic in their breakfast room - some of our favorite meals that way!ReplyDeleteReplies
I have yet to discover the Chicken Lady ;(Delete
But we are eating the very same Tabouleh I bet. One row over is the Hereng guy who has the best 'new' pickles in town and slaw also. He is Polish fyi...
I love tabouleh, hummus and tarama from the market. The Lebanese traiteur is my favourite stall. I want to buy some guimauves Puyricard before I leave Paris.ReplyDelete
Oh, my! All that food! Happy Easter!ReplyDelete
- Barbara Lillian12:05 PM
Oh wow! I can't find enough adjectives to describe all that... what a delightful lunch you must have had. Just the surroundings never mind the choice to choose from.and all those chefs standing waiting to grill your lunch.. and you never let a sweet morsel touch your lips.... What a wonderful place for brunch.ReplyDelete
You must enjoy yourselves so much the 3 of you:)ReplyDelete
For some reason I now follow Coco and Janice..but their posts don't come to me:(
I feel like I was at an all day buffet w/ Easter yesterday..
The sun was out ..but like a typical April day..sun..but brown grass..no leaves.. no blooms..Indoor blooms though..
It's the Boston marathon today..
Only French can make this great looking and tasting foods! American brunches are not the same...Canada is not too bad when we go to a Fully French restaurant for brunch (:ReplyDelete
You must have had a great time, it looks lovely ...the garden and all.
ciao Z
Carol, that brunch display really does stretch way beyond pancakes. I think that your plate looked wonderfully appetizing...all those colors and textures artfully arranged.ReplyDelete
Sorry that I never found time to photograph chocolate bunnies in NYC, but at least I managed to acquire a couple, milk and dark. They now grace a shelf like Staffordshire dog figurines.
There's a reason I hate buffets: I know no restraint. Seriously, I must try it all no matter the damage.ReplyDelete
Please keep an eye out for les Barbets...a French water retriever...no, I mean a retriever that works in water. They don't bring you water.... :-) I met one at the dog show and am totally smitten.

subset: commoncrawl


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Mark Matza
|Southbury, CT
|High School:
|Choate Rosemary Hall
2006-07: Competed in all ten tournaments for the Bulldogs with a round average of 75.3... Had four top 10 finishes... Had his best performances when he took third place at the CCSU Invitational and second place at the George Washington Invitational... Academic All-Ivy. 2005-06: Matza's best performance of the 2005-06 season came at the Dartmouth Invitational, where he finished in fourth place... He also tied for fifth at the Yale Spring Opener... At the end of the season, he was named team captain for the 2006-07 season. 2004-05: Matza competed in 10 tournaments for the Bulldogs in 2004-2005 and had a 77.3 average... In the fall, he tied for seventh place at the Lonnie Barton Intercollegiate... In the spring, he tied for 19th at the Yale Spring Opener and tied for 29th at the New England Championships... He was Yale's top finisher at the NCAA East Regional in 2004 with a three-round total of 231 (T 99th). 2003-04: In the fall, he shot a 160 at the Macdonald Cup. In the spring, he shot a 154 at the Yale Spring Opener. Personal: A graduate of Choate Rosemary Hall, he is in Jonathan Edwards College and is majoring in Biology.


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NH man breaks world-record number of boards
November 18. 2017 9:38PM
Johnny Burgess, the owner of Team Burgess MMA, set a world record for most one-inch pine boards broken by hand in one hour at the Downtown Radisson Hotel in Manchester on Friday night.
Burgess broke 3,676 boards according to the official early tally, and will now be entered into the Guinness Book of World Records. The karate expert accomplished one of his lifetime goals prior to the start of the Combat Zone 64 card of pro and amateur MMA and amateur kickboxing action.
"The previous record was set in September and we just passed it by more than 400 boards," said Burgess, 49, afterward while soaking his bloodied and swollen hands in ice water. "Mentally, I never had any doubt that I could do this. The only question was if my hands could hold up, and luckily they did. When they finish all of the counting, I think the final official tally will be more than 3,700 boards."
The entire amount of the money raised through sponsorships and cash contributions, which will still be accepted, will be donated to the Aflac Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta.
"This took a lot of planning and it was a lot of work. Hopefully, we raise a lot of money to help the kids," said Burgess, who heads up the Aflac Insurance agencies in New Hampshire.


text: Messitte v. Liberty Mutual Fire Ins. [8/30/01] 2001 MTWCC 51 Claimant suffering from muscle ailment beginning with lifting heavy items during waitressing work ten years prior was not entitled to massage and health club membership under treating physician's recommendations. Under treating physician's testimony, the massage and exercise would constitute maintenance which is not compensable under the regulations. ARM 24.29.2003 and .2004.


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Petco Park to host Mexican Baseball League game this summer
SAN DIEGO â Mexican League baseball action is coming to San Diego's Petco Park this summer. The Tijuana Toros will host the Mexico City Diablos Rojos for a regular-season game on Sunday, August 3, approximately 30 minutes following the conclusion of the 1:10 p.m. Padres game against the Atlanta Braves. Admittance to the Mexican League game will be included with a ticket to that day's Padres game. Representatives from the Padres and Toros were joined by Toros players Eduardo Arredondo, Abel Martinez and Hector Hernandez for the announcement today on the field at Petco Park.
"We are proud to bring Mexican League baseball back to Petco Park for all of the passionate baseball fans in the San Diego/Baja California region," said Tom Seidler of the Padres ownership group. "We look forward to building a significant regional partnership, and creating cross-border initiatives that make a positive community impact."
"On behalf of the Toros of Tijuana, we would like to extend a special thanks to the San Diego Padres for opening the doors of Petco Park to us all," said Blanca Uribe of the Toros ownership group. "We hope this game is seen as a symbol of union between our communities, San Diego and Tijuana."
"All of us at the Diablos Rojos are very happy to return to play at Petco Park, now in an official game of the Mexican Baseball League and closer to the Padres with the addition of our president, Alfredo Harp, to the Padres ownership group," said Diablos Rojos General Manager Jorge Alum. "It will be a great event for all baseball fans, especially for the Mexican fans living on both sides of the border, and we are hopeful that this will be the beginning of many games that Diablos will play at Petco Park."
The Padres wrap up a six-game homestand featuring series against the St. Louis Cardinals and Atlanta Braves on August 3. The second game of the Sunday doubleheader will be the final game of a weekend series between the Toros and the Diablos Rojos, with the first two scheduled to be played Friday and Saturday at Estadio Gasmart in Tijuana, home of the Toros. This marks the second time Petco Park has hosted a Mexican Baseball League regular-season game. On June 11, 2006, the Tijuana Potros defeated the Mexico City Diablos Rojos 4–0 following an afternoon Padres game against the then-Florida Marlins.
2014 is the Tijuana Toros' first season in the Mexican Baseball League. Managed by Matias Carrillo, who played for the Milwaukee Brewers (1991) and Florida Marlins (1993-94), the Toros' roster includes former Major League Baseball players Russell Branyan and Jose Contreras. The Toros are owned by Alberto Uribe, owner of the Gasmart chain in Baja California.
With 15 Mexican Baseball League championships, the Mexico City Diablos Rojos is the most successful team in League history. Owned by Alfredo Harp Helu, a member of the Padres ownership group, the Diablos are managed by former Padres catcher Miguel Ojeda.


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Is the Obama administration taking North Korea's threat to launch a long-range missile seriously enough?
With North Korea poised to launch as early as this weekend, you would think we would have deployed our SBX radar. You'd be wrong.
The ship-borne Sea-Based X Band Radar (SBX) is one of the best missile tracking radars in the U.S. inventory. It was used most recently in the successful Dec. 5, 2008, missile-defense test. In that test, we directed an interceptor missile from California right into a missile fired from Kodiak Island, Alaska. That test was designed specifically to simulate an attack from North Korea.
It seems like a no-brainer to deploy the SBX in light of North Korea's scheduled launch. It cost the taxpayers almost a billion dollars to build this stuff. Why not put it in position to do the job it was built to do?
But the Pentagon seems to have no intention of deploying this powerful radar—even though there are reports that the most senior military leaders in the Asia-Pacific theater asked to have the radar on station. Instead, when North Korea defies U.N. sanctions and launches its long-range missiles, SBX will be docked at Pearl Harbor. The ship is supposedly undergoing "repairs," but there are reports that these repairs are not "mission critical" and SBX could have put to sea if it were so ordered.
North Korea certainly wants us to take their launch seriously. It's a big part of why they conduct these tests. More importantly, our allies want us to take it seriously. No one wants to see North Korea plunge the region into war. Most importantly, Americans want Washington to take missile defense seriously. They want to go to bed at night knowing they are protected from ballistic missile threats.
These days, that seems to leave the administration as the odd man out.


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Some of Sweden's finest heavy metal musicians gathered to pay tribute to Ronnie James Dio during this fall's edition of the Sweden Rock Cruise, which sailed on October 7, 2010 from Stockholm, Sweden for Åbo, Finland and returned the following day. There was a long tribute concert with a number of guest musicians performing classic songs from Dio's career with a main band consisting of members of Lion's Share.
The following artists were scheduled to perform with LION'S SHARE at the event:
Björn Gelotte and Peter Iwers (IN FLAMES), Joacim Cans (HAMMERFALL), Ian Haugland (EUROPE), Mikael Åkerfeldt (OPETH), Jens Johansson (STRATOVARIUS, ex-DIO), Messiah Marcolin (ex-CANDLEMASS), Johan Edlund (TIAMAT), Joakim Berg and Magnus "Adde" Andreasson (HARDCORE SUPERSTAR), Johan Hegg (AMON AMARTH), Mike Wead (BIBLEBLACK, KING DIAMOND, MERCYFUL FATE). The show ended with all artists performing Hear 'N Aid's "Stars".
Fan-filmed video footage of the event can be viewed below.


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Slacking GPS receivers with bad co-ordinates
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Lynda. L.
Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 18
Posted: Mar 19, 2012 2:31 am
Post subject: Slacking GPS receivers with bad co-ordinates
In the last little while alot of us have been updating our co-ordinates so I was wondering if the satilites are doing the same thing they did to the CB radios in the late 70's .Things got so bad with skip ( jumbled radio waves ) that had us hearing places like Mexico and far off places that came in waves (clear to a fade )so you had to squelch it out ,but even that didn't help much .Could something like that be happening to our GPS receivers ?
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Joined: 16 Aug 2010
Posts: 55
Location: Winnipeg
Posted: Mar 19, 2012 4:35 am
Post subject:
I doubt it.
- Don't use an iPhone to take coordinate readings.
- Take readings on different days. Multiple readings several minutes apart on the same day aren't much better than a single reading.
- Use the average function if you have one, it tends to work really well.
- Take a look on Google Maps satellite view before publishing, if the green arrow does not look close to where the cache was hidden, the coords are probably wrong.
Just my two cents...
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Joined: 31 Jul 2005
Posts: 687
Location: Ste Genevieve
Posted: Mar 19, 2012 12:51 pm
Post subject:
With the ever growing army of attributes I really think there should be one for
Hidden with a Smartphone
Accuracy took a funny turn. For a while there, each new generation of GPS had newer and better receivers, antennas and processors until sub 3m accuracy was getting common. Complaints of poor coordinates were becoming unusual. Then the iPhone came along. Suddenly coordinates got *way* worse but it seemed acceptable because you could blame your Smartphone. People have an emotional attachment to their iPhone and pointing out its limitations would be like mocking someones poor dumb dog. The rest of the community just rolled their eyes and accepted the iPhone people into their midst. The emergence of the Smartphone probably got a number of new people caching that might not have otherwise, and thats a *very* good thing!
I hijacked this thread and if memory serves me, Lynda. L. has a proper GPS. If you are using an iPhone dont take this as me making fun of you I was making fun of *all* iPhone people
If you think your GPS is getting worse, batteries may come into it because a weak battery can impact performance. Its also possible (but not all that probable) that your GPS is aging and not performing as well as it once did. Certainly all the things ruylopez said are true. I find just averaging a waypoint for a couple of minutes until the numbers dont change and the accuracy gets to <5 m is often sufficient. If your GPS doesnt average then tell you family you want a new one for your next birthday
I came for the caches, but I stayed for the people!
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Lynda. L.
Joined: 03 Aug 2008
Posts: 18
Posted: Mar 19, 2012 10:35 pm
Post subject:
Thanks ruylopez for the different days readings I always did the several minute thing . I always try to wait for a cloudless day to make my hides .The only thing I use my BB phone for is looking up the cache page when I get stumped at GZ.
TurtleEggs your right I have a proper GPSr which is about a good 2 years old .About the batteries I noticed that weak one are horrible to hide and find ,it makes searching harder. Found the smartphone comments amusing.Thanks for the info you guys .
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Joined: 25 Apr 2005
Posts: 556
Location: Winnipeg
Posted: Mar 20, 2012 12:15 am
Post subject:
I think its pretty much all user error and not equipment error. I've noticed my iPhone is as accurate as my Garmin, but you have to know how to use them properly to get accurate co-ordinates out of either.
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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — The judge presiding over the Sept. 11 war crimes tribunal is allowing defense lawyers their first chance to see the secret section of the Guantanamo Bay prison where the accused are held.
Army Col. James Pohl granted the defense teams less access to Camp 7 than requested. Lawyers for the five prisoners facing a military tribunal for their roles in the Sept. 11 attacks wanted to spend 48 hours inside the camp. They also wanted multiple visits.
Pohl ruled that three members of each team can visit once, for no more than 12 continuous hours.
He barred them from interviewing guards.
Attorney James Connell called Wednesday's ruling a good start. Camp 7 is so shrouded in secrecy that even its location on the U.S. base in Cuba is classified.


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May 24. 2014 9:08PM
New Hampshire Business Newsreel
Broderick to head Rudman Center
- Former state Supreme Court Chief Justice John T. Broderick Jr. will step down as dean of the University of New Hampshire Law School to serve as the executive director of the Warren B. Rudman Center for Justice, Leadership and Public Policy, the school said Friday in a release.
Broderick, who took over as dean three years ago and guided the former Franklin Pierce Law School through its new affiliation with the University of New Hampshire, will change jobs on June 30, the release said.
"We've achieved what I set out to accomplish as dean - leading the integration of the law school with the university and enhancing its national reputation and ranking - and now I am excited to focus my energies on continuing to build the Rudman Center as a lasting legacy to the principles of bipartisanship and democracy that were so important to Senator Rudman," Broderick said in a statement.
The center, named after former New Hampshire Sen. Warren Rudman, "provides scholarship, training and opportunity for a new generation of leaders who cherish public service," according to the law school.
NHES sets job fair
- New Hampshire Employment Security is hosting the Nashua Job Fair from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Thursday at Mount Washington College, 410 Amherst St., Suite 100.
The fair is for job-seekers seeking entry-level to skilled or professional jobs.
NHES Commissioner George Copadis said it's an opportunity for area employers to connect with "a local ready and willing workforce.""Having employees from the communities that you serve strengthens your business and makes our communities stronger," Copadis said. Gov. Maggie Hassan said, "By sponsoring this job fair, New Hampshire Employment Security is helping to support a strong middle class and a stronger, more innovative New Hampshire."
For more information, email email@example.com or go to nhes.nh.gov. Employers interested in the fair can complete a registration form on the NHES website under Media Center by clicking on Job Fairs.


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ICIS price reports provide independent, objective and trusted intelligence for the global petrochemical, energy and fertilizer markets. Available through the ICIS Dashboard, our price reports cover more than 180 commodities, and focus on pricing trends in all major trading regions. Put simply, ICIS provides the information need to make better-informed business decisions.
We provide access to the latest:
- Spot and contract assessments
- Market commentary on trends and business developments
- Transactions reported and confirmed
- Plant and production news
Trusted intelligence underpinning business decisions
Because we speak directly to market participants, ICIS price reports are trusted by both buyers and sellers. The pricing information, trends and market commentary in our reports are considered to be the most important market reference published today. This is why a significant volume of global business is concluded using ICIS pricing price assessments.


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Roger Ebert debuts new 'voice' on 'Oprah'
On Tuesday's "Oprah Winfrey Show," film critic Roger Ebert's voice was finally heard again.
A high-tech program created by a company in Scotland used Ebert's DVD commentaries to create a synthetic version of his voice, which Ebert used for the first time on Oprah to "talk" via his computer.
Ebert has been battling cancer for eight years, and for the last few years, he hasn't been able to eat, drink or speak.
But he certainly hasn't lost the ability communicate -- far from it. As discussed in this fine Esquire profile, via his blog, Twitter and his prodigious review output, he's once again proved himself to be one of the most productive critics around. And he's also one of the most beloved -- when he walked out on Oprah's stage, he got a standing ovation.
For the Tuesday interview, Ebert and his wife Chaz joined Winfrey in her Chicago studio, but the part of the interview in which he unveiled his new voice was shot in the couple's Chicago town house.
"It still needs improvement but at least it sounds like me," Ebert's computer said when it "spoke." "[I]n first grade, they said I talked too much. And now I still can."
As Ebert "talked" for the first time since July 1, 2006 (the date of the surgery that destroyed his ability to speak), Chaz wiped away tears.
"I actually think it's incredible, it's incredible that that's your voice," Chaz said. "Roger, what do you think?"
"Uncanny. A good feeling," he answered. (You can find video of Ebert unveiling his computerized first words here.)
Though the new voice did sound a lot like the Ebert familiar from "At the Movies," for much of the interview, Ebert used a more standard computer voice, which sounded a bit like Hal from "2001: A Space Odyssey."
Ebert said he couldn't recall his last words.
"I probably spoke them to Chaz as they wheeled me out to the operating room," he said. "They were probably, 'I love you.' At least I hope those were my last words. On the other hand they may have been, 'Good morning, doctor.'"
He said he often dreamed of frosty root beers shared with his father.
"In my dreams I'm talking all the time," he said.
Ebert and Winfrey, who are old friends, discussed his day-to-day life since his cancer diagnosis, and the show chronicled a typical day for the Eberts, which involved three film screenings, a meeting about a possible new TV project and a lot of writing for Roger.
These days, Ebert is cancer-free, and he has ruled out any future surgeries.
"This is the way I look and my life is happy and productive, so why have any more surgery?" Ebert said, before moving on to this year's Oscar race.
A note: Here's another piece on Ebert, a great one by Will Leitch.
Photo courtesy of Harpo Productions, George Burns.
Related:Photos: Roger Ebert through the years


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Drug for RA which may help MS - but in early phase.
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5CRE/Greater Pennsylvania
Create. Build. Serve.
These are the words we live by. They are a statement of purpose. These are the things we intend to help you do. 5CRE is dedicated to helping you land at the perfect location for your business.
More than just a broker; 5CRE can help you navigate the process of finding and securing the exact space your business needs to grow allowing you to get back to doing what you are most passionate about.
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Finally! Warmer weather! Time to fire up the grill and cook some meat! Omaha Steaks The Great American Grilling Book is just the book to get you started (and salivating!) The emphasis here is on – duh – beef, but there are also loads of recipes for pork, chicken, lamb, fish and seafood. A whole chapter is devoted to gourmet burgers and kabobs. Vegies also get their share of attention as well as starters, rubs, sauces and marinades; there's even a section on desserts.
No more excuses for the same old burgers and chicken – try something new!


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Spring for the year 2004 starts on Friday, March 19th for the Northern Hemisphere* and on Thursday, September 23rd for Southern Hemisphere*.
Spring is often associated with new growth, plants flowering, snow melting or melted and a new warmth in the air with plants/ animals coming out from the long winter of cold temperatures. In the Northern Hemisphere spring comes in the March, April and June months and in the Southern Hemisphere it comes in the September, October and December months. Spring comes about by the Earth increasing its axis tilt relative to the sun increasing the temperatures (more direct sunlight) and the length of the days.
More information on Spring.
(Details on Northern and Southern Hemisphere for Spring)
|Spring, Spring Equinox
|March 20th thru 23rd (N. Hemishpere), September 21st to 24th (S. Hemishpere)
How many days to Spring 2004?
Friday, March 19th is the 78 day of the 2004 calendar year with -14 years, -7 months, -4 days until the start of Spring 2004 in Northern Hemisphere (*Denver, USA).
Thursday, September 23rd is the 266 day of the 2004 calendar year with -14 years, -1 month, -0 days until the start of Spring 2004 in Southern Hemisphere (*Sydney, Australia).


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The Car Wash Show™ keynote speaker for 2013 is…
LAS VEGAS — The International Carwash Association® announced that the keynote speaker for The Car Wash Show™ 2013 is Earvin "Magic" Johnson.
A Jan. 16 website posting stated that attendees of the show here on April 22-24 will be able to hear Johnson speak about his successes both in business and sports.
During his 13-year NBA career, he won five NBA national championships, played in 12 NBA All-Star Games and won a gold medal as part of the 1992 Olympic basketball team. After his playing career, Johnson became a business success.
Currently, Johnson's business portfolio includes a variety of industries such as professional baseball, a multicultural media company, real estate and a television network.
The Car Wash Show attendees will have the chance to ask Johnson questions during his presentation.
Carwash owner appointed to the state House of Representatives
KAHULUI, HI ― Gov. Neil Abercrombie has appointed Justin Howard Woodson, who owns Woodson's Eco Auto Wash, to the state House of Representatives seat for District 9, according to a report from the governor's office.
The Jan. 16 report said Woodson will take over the position left vacant by state Sen. Gilbert S.C. Keith-Agaran.
Woodson previously served as a special assistant to state chairman of Hawaii's Democratic Party, and also performed clerical duties for state representatives Tom Bower, Mele Carroll and Sen. Carol Fukunaga. He also served as president of the Young Democrats of Hawaii and was a sub-committee member for the Maui Economic Opportunity Head Start program.
"Justin's experience as a small business owner and his familiarity with the state Legislature will ensure continued and strong representation for the residents of Maui," Gov. Abercrombie said in the report.
NJ carwash helps out officer's family
WAYNE, NJ — Jack and Sherrie Saldon, proprietors of Lincoln-Wayne Car Wash, had read about a local teen's efforts to raise money for the family of injured Officer Bob Franco, and decided to also help out and raise money.
Officer Franco was injured during Hurricane Sandy when a tree fell on his police car.
The owners said they saw the story on the news and wanted to help out.
For every $25 carwash gift card purchased, $5 will be donated to Hughes' fundraising efforts. Teenager Hughes had been selling candy canes for $1 each at Wayne Valley High School. He ended up raising over $900.
Hughes said that the fact that Jack and Sherrie are taking out a portion of their profits to support someone close to him is extremely humbling.
Business makes a $500 contribution to local charity
POULSBO, WA — Mike's Car Wash and Detail contributed a portion of their December carwash proceeds to a local charity here.
Mike's is a regular contributor to the Poulsbo Lions/Raab Foundation Bellringer Fund. The wash contributed $500 pushing the charity's campaign total to $29,346.
The charity helps local residents with medical co-pays, gas vouchers, emergency housing, eviction prevention and utility assistance. In addition, the group supplies Christmas food baskets to 100 local families.
The charity was founded in the 1940s as a way for neighbors to help each other during emergencies. The fund helps 300 families a year.
Dirty Harry's will detail emergency vehicles damaged by hurricane
UNION BEACH, NJ ― Former Jersey City Police Officer Harry Sandwith of Dirty Harry's Detailing will detail 11 emergency vehicles and fire station equipment that was damaged when Hurricane Sandy struck areas of the east coast back in October, a press release reported.
The Jan. 17 press release said Sandwith will be helped by other detailers such as Bob Wiener of Finer Details in West Long Branch, NJ; Darryl Kimmis of Mirror Image Detailing in Rowlett, TX; Michael Pena of Mobile Auto Detail in Houston; and Andrew Swenson of Wolfeboro Carwash and Detailing of New Hampshire.
Cash donations have come in from Renny Doyle of Attention to Details; Bill Quinn of Bill the Buff Man Washington State Detailing; the Long Branch Police Department PBA and SOA; Robert Eichelberg of Flex North America; and Dave Bayless and Doug Parfitt. Detailing materials and supplies have been donated by Jim Stavrinides of Aerolon Performance Coating's in San Francisco; Robert Regan of Towel Pros California; and Joe Sabo of DRC 1000.
Union Beach Fire Chief Rob LaBerta stated in the press release, "We have four fire stations and over sixty firefighters in Union Beach. Three of the four fire stations were completely flooded and they require reconstruction both inside and out. Furthermore, of the 6,800 Union Beach residents, over 3,300 were displaced as a result of the storm, and many of them still have not found permanent housing."
Semi-truck crashes into carwash
WEST JORDAN, UT ― A semi-truck crashed into a carwash here, breaking a natural gas line, and forcing the carwash to be evacuated.
The truck swerved to avoid a car that turned into its path and jack-knifed while at an intersection. The incident occurred around 7:30 p.m. on a Monday night.
The driver of the truck, which was hauling building materials, suffered minor injuries.
The carwash is attached to a gas station and c-store. Those businesses, as well as others surrounding the carwash, were also evacuated and the gas was shut off.
Car cleaner uses Twitter to demand payment
NEWCASTLE, ENGLAND — A car cleaner took to Twitter to urge soccer player Demba Ba to pay his carwash bill.
Lee Donnelly, who is part of LJD Valet, alleged Ba had his car cleaned before signing a new agreement to play for the Chelsea soccer team. When Ba headed to London, Donnelly claims he was never paid the 40 pounds for the cleaning.
Taking advantage of the hashtag #AskBa Twitter chat, Donnelly tweeted, "are you ever gonna pay me the £40 for valeting ur car? take it as a no as u moved away."
Ba's move to the new soccer team will reportedly make him 7 million pounds. In his second tweet, Donnelly said, "the money u owe me is 0.0001% of ur daily wage sort it out ba."
Criminal complaint filed against CA carwash
SANTA MONICA, CA ― A wage theft charge has been made against the Wilshire West Car Wash LLC and its parent company Maxxam Enterprises III, LLC. by the California Labor Commissioner and the Santa Monica City Consumer Protection Unit, a press release reported.
The Jan. 23 press release stated that the Labor Commission started investing the carwash and Owner Mehdi Soroudi, General Manager Gary Pendleton, and supervisors Rigoberto Torres and Remberto Viramonte, last June.
"Wage theft hurts workers, honest employers, and the honest tax payer," Department of Industrial Relations Director Christine Baker stated in the press release. "California's Division of Labor Standards Enforcement plays a critical role in enforcing labor laws and preventing wage theft. Employers who deny the workers their pay will be held accountable."
California Labor Commissioner Julie A. Su said the criminal charges filed send a strong message to employers who engage in wage theft. "Our office initially investigated Wilshire West Car Wash and saw the myriad ways workers were being cheated out of the pay they were entitled to, and the schemes utilized to cover up the wage theft such as off-the-clock work and falsified records. I am proud that we were able to bring these abuses to light and now to work with the Santa Monica City Attorney's office to prosecute them," Su stated in the press release.
Those charged are accused of altering employee time records and creating false time records; failing to give the workers a paid rest period or meal break; and then forcing workers to sign statements stating they had received paid breaks. Those charged are also accused of "threatening, harassing and punishing those workers who questioned the illegal actions," according to the press release.
Carwash chain receives "Beyond Green" certification
NASHVILLE, TN ― All 10 Super Speed Wash locations have received "Beyond Green" certification and only use environmentally-friendly chemicals which are free of phosphates, butyls, NPEs and hydrofluoric acid, according to a press release.
The Jan. 24 press release said the chemicals are by Blue Coral Beyond Green.
The exterior express carwash chain "is taking conscious steps toward minimizing the company's impact on the environment. With the help of Blue Coral, the company is able to safeguard the environment while still delivering clean and shiny vehicles, the press release stated.
The chain also was recognized by the WaterSavers initiative for using less than 40 gallons of water per carwash, and locations use reverse osmosis, VFDs and LED lighting fixtures in the tunnels.
Thieves target metal grates at carwashes
GREENEVILLE, TN — Five metal grates were stolen from Blue Springs Car Wash here.
The square metal grates were between 2 feet and 3 feet wide. The grates are worth about $1,000 in total.
A coin-operated vending machine in a Blue Springs' wash bay was broken into as well. About $100 damage was done to the stainless steel door of the machine.
Two grates worth about $400 were also stolen from Parkway Car Wash earlier in the week, according to a sheriff's deputy.
Cactus location wins beautification award
DOUGLASVILLE, GA — Keep Douglasville Beautiful gave Cactus Car Wash the Business Beautification award for the first quarter of 2013.
Keep Douglasville Beautiful's Executive Director, Chan Weeks, said to the press, "We are excited about the transformation of this site from an eye-sore to a beautiful, interesting landscape and thriving business that is also being kept litter-free."
Weeks said the exterior as well as the interior aesthetics of Cactus Car Wash are a priority to its owners, Nate and Stephanie Smith, and is a welcomed addition to their community.


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SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico (AP) — Authorities in Puerto Rico said Friday that a young tourist was burned after she picked up an old shell containing white phosphorous dropped by the U.S. Navy when it used the island of Culebra for bombing practice.
The accident occurred as the girl's family waited to board the ferry in Culebra to return to the main island of Puerto Rico on Thursday, police officer Mario Alvarez told The Associated Press.
"She was carrying it in her hand," he said. "It dropped on the floor and activated itself."
The girl was burned, although the extent of her injury was unclear, Alvarez said. Authorities said they believe the girl was 7 years old, but her name and exact age were unknown because her family initially refused medical treatment for her in Culebra.
She was later taken to a hospital after arriving at the northeast coastal town of Fajardo in Puerto Rico, Alvarez said.
The shell was found on the hugely popular beach of Flamenco, which attracts thousands of tourists every year. Alvarez said the girl picked up the shell near a rusty military tank that sits along the beach's western point and has long served as a backdrop for photographs.
He said FBI agents and police arrived in Culebra Friday to detonate the shell, as well as six other live bombs found near where the girl picked up the shell.
The accident and discovery of additional bombs came as thousands of Puerto Ricans and tourists headed to Culebra for Easter week vacations. Alvarez said police have not issued any warnings and that it is up to the municipality to warn people about what happened.
Government officials had not issued any statements as of late Friday afternoon.
An official who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to talk about the case said he saw the incendiary munition after people at the scene called him for help on Thursday. He said he ordered them to drop the artifact into water so it would stop burning and blowing smoke.
White phosphorus is an incendiary agent commonly used in war to create smoke screens. It can also cause severe burns.
The latest discovery of live munitions have outraged environmental activists and Puerto Ricans who have long demanded a thorough clean-up by the Navy. The Navy used the island for military activity from 1939-1975, later moving operations to the nearby island of Vieques.


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Name: Marcus
Gender: Male
Age: 20
Location: New Jersey
I have a problem that is really fucking with my head, causing all sorts of performance anxiety and, long story short; I'm still a virgin at age 20. And because of it, a few failed sexual encounters. I can get a raging boner when I'm wacking off alone, but I feel humiliated by my dick whenever I get the chance to show it off. I have what's known as a "skin bridge." I've asked a doctor about plastic surgery to correct it, and he told me it originated when my circumcision didn't heal correctly. (And the statute of limitations to sue the bastard expired long before I knew he was at fault.) Anyway, now I'm looking at a choice between this freakish tunnel of skin that goes halfway around my cock and a different, who-knows-what-kind-of-hideous scar might result from a second surgery. The situation is ruining my life. Maybe it's the root of some psychological complex driving me toward homosexuality too, but don't worry about that. If I still can't get it up for a girl after I find some peace of mind on this issue, then I'll drop the bi attitude and come out as gay no problem. What's your two cents on the surgery? I realize this might be one of your toughest questions to date.
This isn't a particularly tough question at all. And you want my two cents? Here it is: get over it! I mean, pup, really? Skin bridges from botched circumcisions are not particularly uncommon. In fact, I know two guys right here in Seattle who have the very same thing and one is a former porn star. Trust me, his skin bridge did not get in the way of him waving his thang all over the place, don't cha know.
Here's a tip: stay away from the surgeon. More cutting on your willie ain't the answer.
Here's the thing, if, when you drop trou, and your audience, male or female, gets a gander at your johnson; and they point and shriek, "OMG, that thing is hideous! Please, please, please put it away;" then I think you've got a legitimate problem. However, if no one does that, ever, then your shame and humiliation is all in your head. You've probably created a mountain out of a molehill. But, if by chance, you think I'm being unfair, or cavalier about your concern, then take a photo of your hideously deformed wiener and send it to me for my evaluation.
Now there are two ways to go in this instance. The first option is to grow up and realize that your "condition," if you can call it that, falls within the natural variance of dick size and shape. The second option is to capitalize on the very thing that makes you different. Ya know how some guys have their dick pierced and then put a ring or rod through the piercing, just to doll things up a bit? Well, you already have a natural piercing. Why not take your cock down to your local piercing parlor and get it fitted for a nice piece of genital jewelry. Then you can say with pride that you adorned what you once though as a defect and made your cock even more beautiful than it was before.
Finally I have to ask; what's up with the…if I don't get this fixed; I'm gonna go all queer. You think gay guys are less self-conscious about their equipment than straight men? If ya do, you are living in a dream world, darling.
Good luck


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Southern Baptist Leader to Speak at CIU Commencement
Jerry Rankin, the president emeritus of the International Mission Board of the Southern Baptist Convention will deliver the commencement addresses at Columbia International University (CIU) on Saturday, May 14.
The commencement exercises for CIU Seminary & School of Missions, and the CIU Graduate Programs will begin at 8:30 a.m. and exercises for the CIU Undergraduate School begin at 11:00 a.m. Both events take place in Shortess Chapel on the campus of CIU.
CIU President Dr. Bill Jones will present diplomas to 234 graduates for degrees ranging from Bible Certificate to Doctor of Ministry. The graduates will join the 17,000 other CIU alumni serving in nearly 150 countries.
Rankin recently retired after 40 years of missionary service with the International Mission Board. He and his wife, Bobbye, served in South and Southeast Asia for 23 years, including tenure as area director for the region; they lived in Thailand, Singapore, Indonesia and India. For the last 17 years Rankin has served as president of the IMB, an organization sending and supporting more than 5,000 missionaries serving in 190 countries around the world.
Rankin is from Mississippi where he attended Mississippi College and later earned the M. Div. from Southwestern Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. He holds honorary doctorate degrees from Mississippi College and California Baptist University. He is the author of eight books on missions, spiritual warfare and devotional topics
The public is invited to attend the commencements. Columbia International University is located at 7435 Monticello Road, two miles north of Interstate 20 in Columbia.


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Support a firm, simple declaration against ACTA
(For the background behind this statement, see "Why the Firm, Simple Declaration Against ACTA".)
ACTA must respect sharing and cooperation: it must do nothing that would hinder the unremunerated noncommercial making, copying, giving, lending, owning, using, transporting, importing or exporting of any objects or works.
ACTA must not weasel about what is commercial: no labeling of any noncommercial activities as somehow commercial-like or treating them as if they were commercial.
ACTA must not tighten digital handcuffs: it must not hinder any activity in regard to any product on account of its capacity to circumvent technical measures that restrict use of copies of works of authorship.
ACTA must not interfere with individuals' noncommercial use of the Internet (whether or not carried out using commmercial Internet services) or undermine individuals' right or ability to connect to the Internet.
ACTA must not require anyone to collect or release any data about individuals' use of the Internet. It must not harm privacy rights or other human rights.
ACTA must not hold the companies that implement the Internet responsible for the substance of their customers' communications. (For example, no punishment by disconnection, neither explicitly required or indirectly compelled.)
ACTA must not require copyright or patents, or any law similar to one of those, to attach to any particular sort of thing or idea.
ACTA must not make any requirements about what acts constitute civil infringement, or what acts constitute criminal infringement, of copyright law, or patent law, or any law similar to one of those.
ACTA must not use the propaganda term "intellectual property" or try to treat copyright law and patent law as a single issue.
ACTA must not stretch the term "counterfeiting" to apply to copyright or patent infringement.
If ACTA includes a mechanism for amendment, it must apply these requirements to all future amendments of ACTA.
Or, as a simpler alternative,
- Cancel ACTA entirely. Although parts of it are not objectionable, they are secondary to ACTA's threat to our freedom. Unless we are sure that the repressive aspects of ACTA are blocked, the main significance of ACTA is as a threat to society. Killing ACTA would be a fine way to get rid of this threat.
This declaration does not conflict with the Wellington Declaration. If you agree with both, you can sign both.
You can also see a list of all verified signatures for this petition.
The declaration is a public show of support, so your name will be public once you click the link in the verification e-mail, but we will not publish or share your e-mail address with any party outside the FSF. See our privacy policy for more information.


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Pantherine felids ('big cats') include the largest living cats, apex predators in their respective ecosystems. They are also the earliest diverging living cat lineage, and thus are important for understanding the evolution of all subsequent felid groups. Although the oldest pantherine fossils occur in Africa, molecular phylogenies point to Asia as their region of origin. This paradox cannot be reconciled using current knowledge, mainly because early big cat fossils are exceedingly rare and fragmentary. Here, we report the discovery of a fossil pantherine from the Tibetan Himalaya, with an age of Late Miocene–Early Pliocene, replacing African records as the oldest pantherine. A 'total evidence' phylogenetic analysis of pantherines indicates that the new cat is closely related to the snow leopard and exhibits intermediate characteristics on the evolutionary line to the largest cats. Historical biogeographic models provide robust support for the Asian origin of pantherines. The combined analyses indicate that 75% of the divergence events in the pantherine lineage extended back to the Miocene, up to 7 Myr earlier than previously estimated. The deeper evolutionary origin of big cats revealed by the new fossils and analyses indicate a close association between Tibetan Plateau uplift and diversification of the earliest living cats.
1. Introduction
At top of the food chain, living big cats, or the pantherines (including clouded leopard, Sunda clouded leopard, snow leopard, tiger, jaguar, leopard and lion), are apex predators in each of the continents/regions where they reside. Despite their important roles in modern ecosystems and the critically endangered status of several species, our knowledge of their evolutionary history is extremely poor, and based almost exclusively on molecular phylogenies. Accumulation of new fossil records is painstakingly slow, and when such records do become available, they often contradict relationships suggested by molecular phylogenies that indicate long ghost lineages or long 'fuses' leading to recent explosive diversification [1,2]. The elusive fossil records, in turn, cause much confusion regarding the geographical centre of origins for the big cats and their subsequent intercontinental emigrations.
The great uncertainty in understanding the context of pantherine evolution is partly exacerbated by exclusion of fossil taxa in phylogenetic reconstruction [1,2]. In particular, a 40–50% difference in divergence times of big cat species can be created by an approximately 3.8 Myr old, phylogenetically uncertain fossil calibration for the origin of Panthera, based on fragmentary remains in Africa [2–4]. There is potential for fossil pantherines to inform phylogenetic and divergence time analyses, but a combined approach has never been attempted. Furthermore, putative early Panthera fossils from Pliocene deposits of Asia are either too fragmentary to be useful in phylogenetic analyses [5], or were collected from uncertain localities and thus have no reliable age estimates associated with them [6,7]. All these issues compounded to the existing approximately 4 m.y. time gap between adequately described Panthera species being restricted exclusively to the interval from the Pleistocene to Present on the one hand, and estimated molecular divergence time of pantherines in the Miocene on the other hand. This current state of knowledge has not changed with increased molecular sampling [1,2], thus the resolution of incongruent results hinges on improvement in the pantherine fossil record.
In this report, we describe new fossils of a pantherine cat from the Zanda Basin of the northwestern Himalaya Range, extending the pantherine record back by 2 Myr. We perform a phylogenetic analysis of four fossil and six living pantherine species using the first combined morphological and molecular dataset for this group. Our analysis includes DNA sequences previously used in molecular studies of felid evolution [1,2], plus ancient mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) previously published for extinct 'cave lions' Panthera spelaea and 'American lions' Panthera atrox [8]. Time-calibrated trees of 10 pantherines and two out-group feline species are generated from Bayesian and parsimony analyses of the combined dataset, treating fossil pantherine species as terminal taxa. A new set of divergence time estimates is produced based on this complete dataset, and character transitions mapped. We then conduct a historical biogeographic analysis using a maximum-likelihood framework to reconstruct the likely ancestral range of the hypothetical pantherine ancestor, with consideration of multiple scenarios of origination.
2. Systematic palaeontology
The new fossil pantherine is described as follows: Carnivora Bowdich, 1821; Felidae Fischer, 1817; Pantherinae Pocock, 1917; Panthera Oken, 1816. Panthera blytheae sp. nov. Holotype. A partial cranium preserving the first left incisor, canines, and the third and fourth premolars, representing a full adult individual, Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP), Beijing, China, specimen number V18788.1 (figure 1; electronic supplementary material, S3 and table S1); discovered by J.L. on 7 August 2010 and excavated by a field team under the direction of G.T.T. Referred material. IVPP V18788.2, ramus fragment (IVPP locality ZD1001). IVPP V18788.3, partial premaxilla–maxilla fragment with left canine (IVPP locality ZD1001). IVPP V18789.1–3, isolated fourth premolar, partial maxillary and dentary fragments (IVPP locality ZD1208). IVPP V18790, partial right dentary with third and fourth premolars and the first molar (IVPP locality ZD1223) (see electronic supplementary material, figures S3 and S4). Etymology. The specific name, blytheae, is made in honour of the daughter of avid supporters of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County, Paul and Heather Haaga. Type locality and horizon. IVPP locality ZD1001 (31°39'58″ N, 79°44'57″ E, elevation 4114 m) is adjacent to the Zanda Canyon trail approximately 15 km north of the Zanda county seat, Ngari District, Tibet Autonomous Region, China [9] (see electronic supplementary material, figures S1 and S2). IVPP V18788.1–3 were collected from a small bone bed in the middle part of the Zanda Formation, within a lens of greenish, coarse-grained sandstone (see the electronic supplementary material for details). Age. The type locality IVPP ZD1001 is stratigraphically correlated to chron C3n.1r with an estimated age of 4.42 Ma [9]. The stratigraphic range of occurrence of the species based on all available material is from 5.95 Ma (IVPP locality ZD1223, correlated to chron C3r) to 4.10 Ma (IVPP locality ZD1208, correlated to chron C2Ar), or from the end of the Late Miocene to the Early Pliocene [9] (figure 3).
3. Diagnosis
Panthera blytheae possesses characteristics shared with other species of the genus, including frontoparietal suture located at the postorbital constriction, the absence of an anterior bulge overhanging the infraorbital canal, truncated and tapered dorsal maxilla, tip of parasagittal crest perpendicular to the sagittal crest, and an angular connection between the maxillary flange and the palatal bone at the posterior edge of the palate [10,11] (see electronic supplementary material). Panthera blytheae shares with the snow leopard Panthera uncia in having an almost round canine cross section, a weakly inclined mandibular symphysis, a smooth transition between mandibular ramus and symphysis, the presence of fronto-nasal depression, narrow distance between anterior edge of bulla and glenoid ridge, a sharp-turning ventral premaxilla–maxilla border at the canines, and straight and symmetrical p4 cusp alignment (see electronic supplementary material, figure S3 and S4). Panthera blytheae is unique in possessing a small labial cusp on the posterior cingulum of the upper third premolars, and the presence of converging ridges on the labial surface of the upper fourth premolars (see electronic supplementary material for additional discussion).
4. Description and comparison
The holotype specimen is diagenetically compressed in the dorsoventral direction; therefore, the morphology of each bone in the face was reconstructed using high-resolution X-ray computer tomography (figure 1 and electronic supplementary material). The cranium of P. blytheae is around the size of a clouded leopard (Neofelis nebulosa), about 10% smaller than the living snow leopard (figure 2). The digital reconstruction shows a well-developed frontal sinus area in the posterior postorbital region, a shared feature of the living pantherines [10,11]. The incisors and canines are heavily worn, and in comparison the premolars are sharp and unworn. The presence of highly reduced second upper premolars and relatively large first upper molars is evident from their alveoli, and their relative sizes are more similar to the condition in the clouded leopard than to other pantherines. Lower premolars are similar in size to those in small felines such as the ocelot, but the lower first molar is relatively enlarged. The width of the muzzle relative to the rest of the cranium is intermediate between the narrow morphology seen in the clouded leopard, and the widened appearance present in all other pantherines. Mandible depth, P3 parastyle and lingual expansion, and frontal sinus expansion in P. blytheae are more similar to the large extant pantherines than to the snow leopard. Undulating Hunter–Schreger Band enamel microstructure is present throughout the cheek teeth of P. blytheae.
5. Phylogeny
We conducted a series of phylogenetic analyses based on a combined dataset of 81 soft tissue, behavioural and skeletal morphological characters and nearly 43 000 base pairs (bp) of nDNA and mtDNA sequences (see electronic supplementary material, tables S2 and S3; matrix available in MorphoBank). Six living pantherine species (excluding Neofelis diardi), four fossil pantherine species and two living feline out-group species were included in our analyses. Parsimony analysis of the combined dataset returned four most parsimonious trees (MPT). The strict consensus MPT is largely consistent with previous results based only on the molecular dataset [1,2] and shows two major clades within Pantherinae: at the base are the clouded leopard N. nebulosa and the fossil Panthera palaeosinensis, this is followed by a clade that includes the living tiger P. tigris and snow leopard P. uncia, plus P. blytheae. The final clade includes the living jaguar, leopard, lion and two fossil species P. atrox and P. spelaea (see electronic supplementary material, figure S5). The monophyly of Pantherinae received high support in all parsimony analyses of data partitions (Bremer support = 4+, jackknife support = 89–100%, bootstrap support = 85–100%; see electronic supplementary material), but within this clade only the grouping of P. uncia and P. blytheae received robust support (Bremer = 2–4, jackknife = 61–85%, bootstrap = 58–87%). Relationships among other groups of pantherines received moderate to low support in the parsimony analyses, but the topology among extant species are recovered with high support in Bayesian analyses of molecular and morphological data in both combined and partitioned analyses [1,2,10] (see electronic supplementary material, table S4).
6. Divergence times
We used the topology of living pantherines recovered in both parsimony and Bayesian analyses as a partial scaffold in Bayesian estimations of divergence times based on the combined dataset, using all four fossil species as terminal nodes. Different relaxed molecular clock models (IGR, CPP, TK02) were tested [12] (see electronic supplementary material, table S5). The resulting divergence time estimates are consistently older than previous estimates done using molecular datasets with fossil ages as calibrated nodal constraints [1,2] (figures 2 and 3; table 1; see electronic supplementary material, S5 and S6). In our estimates, a maximum of six out of eight pantherine divergence events occurred within the Miocene, with the two remaining events (i) divergence of the African lion and fossil 'lions' and (ii) divergence between the Eurasian and American 'lions', both occurring in the Pliocene (figures 2 and 3; electronic supplementary material, S6). The 95% highest posterior density (HPD) is wide and overlapping for all divergence time estimates, indicating high levels of uncertainty tha is at least partially caused by the rapid diversification of modern felids during Mio-Pliocene times [1] (table 1).
7. Historical biogeography
We used the time-calibrated tree from the IGR relaxed-clock model in maximum-likelihood analyses of historical biogeography under the dispersal–extinction–cladogenesis (DEC) model [17], and compared the results with ancestral range reconstructions obtained from parsimony and Bayesian approaches [18] (see electronic supplementary material, tables S6 and S7). In addition, we tested different models of pantherine ancestral geographical range by limiting the ancestral distribution to only one of seven possible geographical regions (figure 4; see electronic supplementary material, table S8). DEC analyses permitting multiple area reconstructions indicate the mostly likely geographical origin of pantherines is in the Central/northern Asia or the Holarctic region. This ancestral distribution was followed by separate dispersals during the Miocene in Southeast Asia by the clouded leopard and the tiger–snow leopard lineages, respectively [1]. This is then followed by later Miocene dispersal of the lion–leopard–jaguar lineage and then Pliocene dispersal of the fossil 'lions'. According to the DEC models, the last two dispersals probably occurred from Africa-Palearctic or Holarctic ancestral geographical ranges. Out of all single-area origin models, Central-northern Asia had the highest likelihood of being the ancestral geographical region of pantherines (–ln likelihood = 40.56, compared with 41.01–49.03 for all other models; figure 2 and electronic supplementary material, table S8), corroborating interpretations based solely on molecular data [1].
8. Implications
The region within which P. blytheae was found was both a tectonically active and faunally diverse area during the later Cenozoic [25,26]. The presence of both widespread and endemic fossil mammal species points to the southwestern Tibetan Plateau as an important area for understanding biotic connections to the uplift of the Himalaya Range. Unlike previously described fossil mammals from the Zanda Basin [25,26], which represent elements of extinct faunas, the close relationship between P. blytheae and the living snow leopard based on our data indicates the existence of an endemic Central Asian pantherine lineage that is intimately associated with the Himalayan region and the mountains of Central Asia in general (figure 4) [13]. Combined with fossil evidence of horses Equus, pikas Ochotona, foxes Alopex and blue sheep Pseudois from the Zanda Basin, a picture of persistent faunal components that accompanied the last 6 Myr of uplift on the 'Roof of the World' is emerging. The ancient predator–prey association between Tibetan pantherines (P. blytheae and then P. uncia), blue sheep, and Tibetan antelopes and a paleoenvironment dominated by open, arid areas accentuated with steep cliffs formed by protruding basement rocks like those observed there today [25,27], both indicate that the present day ecology of cold-adapted snow leopards and their prey has roots that can be traced back for several million years. This evidence indicates that Tibet was not only a 'training ground' for Ice Age megaherbivores [26], but perhaps also a refugium for other mammalian lineages that have maintained a faunal association in this part of the world from the Mio-Pliocene to the present.
9. Conclusion
The new pantherine fossils from the Zanda Basin fill in the approximately 4 m.y. time gap between previously known species records and estimated molecular divergence time for pantherines (figure 3). The new specimens permit a robust time-calibrated cladistic analysis of the most comprehensive combined morphological and molecular dataset for this lineage to date (figures 2 and 3). The exact timing of divergence events within the big cat lineage awaits additional data to provide narrower confidence intervals, especially for the early cladogenetic timing in the Middle and Late Miocene (figure 2). However, the evolutionary and biogeographic scenarios offered by concurrent examination of morphological and molecular data, in addition to robust age constraints from our new fossil discovery, partially reconcile traditionally dichotomized paleontological/morphological and molecular frameworks of big cat evolution. The incorporation of historical biogeographic analysis tools with the combined dataset indicates that molecular and fossil evidence are now in agreement regarding the Asian origin of big cats, and further pinpointing a geographical region still occupied today by the earliest branching species in the lineage (figure 4). Evidence of similar environmental conditions and long-term associations between cold-adapted predator and prey species found in the Zanda Basin suggests that future studies of its fossil fauna will provide important data not only on the evolutionary stability of endemic lineages, but also how their eventual dispersal outside the plateau is linked to tectonic, climatic and biotic events. The new fossils also lend support to the prediction that much remains to be found in the geologic record of Central and Southeast Asia. Finally, the ancient age of the big cat lineage and their origin in Central Asia indicate that the dramatic tectonic events on and around the Tibetan Plateau set a backdrop, if not an impetus, to the rise of some of the most dominant predators in today's ecosystems.
Data accessibility
Phylogenetic data: MorphoBank (http://morphobank.org/permalink/?P898). Final supermatrix assembly uploaded to MorphoBank database (http://morphobank.org/permalink/?P898).
Funding statement
Funding was provided by National Basic Research Program of China (973 program; 2012CB821904) and Chinese Academy of Sciences (XDB03020104); NSF GRF, DDIG and AMNH Frick Post-Doctoral Fellowship to Z.J.T., NSF EAR-0446699, 0444073, 0958704, 1227212 to X.W., NMNH Peter Buck Post-Doctoral Fellowship to G.J.S., and an NGS Waitt Grant (W22-08) to Q.L.
The authors thank H. Thomas for preparing, and G. Kung for CT scanning, the holotype specimen. S. Goldberg assisted with MorphoBank; W. Johnson provided the concatenated mtDNA sequence file; J. Flynn provided research equipment and space for Z.J.T.; J. Chen provided discussion of historical biogeographic methods; Z. Luo, L. Werdelin and an anonymous reviewer provided constructive comments that improved the manuscript. E. Westig and N. Duncan provided access to the AMNH mammal collection; J.-O. Ebbestad and V. Berg-Madsen provided access to the PMU paleontology collection.
- Received October 15, 2013.
- Accepted October 18, 2013.
- © 2013 The Author(s) Published by the Royal Society. All rights reserved.


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On Super Bowl Sunday the game won't be the only exciting thing to do.
On Super Bowl Sunday the game won't be the only exciting thing to do.
The Sleepy Eye Sportsman's Club will host their 31st annual fishing derby on Sunday, Feb. 3 from noon to 3 p.m. on Sleepy Eye Lake.
Unlike last year when warm winter temps created thin ice problems, the derby will be held in the same location as previous years on the southeast corner of the lake by the swimming beach. Vehicles are allowed to drive on the ice this year and all types of fish houses will be welcome for the event.
"Ice conditions seem very good, probably better than we've seen in other years," said Lynn Krenz, director of the fishing derby. "People can drive on the lake to drop off a house. We ask that people park along the shore edge to keep the congestion down."
Registration is $5 and every registered person is entered into door prize drawings for a Power Ice auger or a Buddy Heater. Every child who enters a fish will receive a door prize of a backpack until they are gone.
Cash and trophy prizes will be given for the four largest fish in the game fish and pan fish categories.
Game fish include northerns, bass, catfish and walleyes. Pan fish include sunfish, perch, crappie and bluegills.
Several people already have their fish houses on the lake and have been practicing for the big day. On Wednesday, Jan. 16, 11-year-old Kyle Christensen pulled out an eight-pound 25 inch walley.
"It took my bobber down so I set the hook," Kyle said of the catch. "I was reeling it in and when it got to the top, the head was too big to fit through the hole."
With help from his grandpa, who netted it and brought it out of the hole, Kyle took the hook out, posed for a picture and released it.
"That is the biggest fish I've ever caught!" Kyle added.
Like Kyle, the Sportsman's Club advocates catch and release, although Krenz added it is not mandatory. For those who would like to follow this practice, holes will be drilled by the registration booth so after fish are measured and weighed they can be released.
In addition, the club will be on hand to drill holes for fishermen and also will offer a shuttle service to bring people on and off the lake, a service the club recommends to keep congestion of vehicles on the lake down.
"We are expecting a big crowd since ice conditions are good," said Joe Windschitl, club treasurer. "We are asking people to set up houses before the derby or even the day before to avoid congestion."
There are many raffles occurring throughout the day, including the biggest raffle of an $8,000 ATV four wheeler and trailer along with many other large cash prizes. Winner need not be present to win. Other prizes being raffled include a Vexilar Fish Locator, Power ice auger, Pheasants Forever print and many more large prizes. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket booth the day of the event or at local businesses before the event.
The derby is the Sportsman's Club's largest fundraiser of the year. Each year the club pays for electricity for the aeration on Sleepy Eye. Their main project is the Let's Go Fishing chapter, which the club has donated over $15,000 to since its inception. Last year over 900 trips on the pontoon were taken on Sleepy Eye Lake. In addition, the club helps finance the gun training program each year, has bought guns that the youth train with and finance a field trip planning day that takes place at the trap range that the club runs.
The Sportsman's Club promotes a safe and fun family day for the derby. Food and refreshments will be available at the food stand.


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Pihak pengurusan firma dengan kerjasama SRC akan mengadakan SALIHIN FIT RUN'17 seperti butiran yang berikut:-
Tarikh: 18 November 2017
Hari : Sabtu
Tempat : Taman Botani (KBG), FRIM Kepong
Come join us at the SALIHIN SST Seminar: SST Reborn! Transition from GST to SST.
LIMITED to 200 participants ONLY!! GRAB YOUR SEAT NOW!!!
|31st JULY 2018
Session 2: Transitional Preparation- GST Post Implementation Compliance. - with YBhg Dato' Ahmad Maher Abd Jalil, GST Director, The Royal Malaysian Customs Department (RMCD)
Session 3: Snapshots of SST Implementation- Its Changes and Impact to Business. - with YBhg Dato Sri Subromaniam Tholasy, Director General of The Royal Malaysian Customs Department and 2 other panelists.
For any queries, please do not hesitate to contact:
Kosyala/Halina at 603-61859970/ Careline 1300 88 5678 or email to firstname.lastname@example.com
KUALA LUMPUR, Aug 25 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) has appointed Salihin Abang as President and Datuk Narendra Kumar Jasani as Vice-President, effective today.
"Salihin Abang succeeded Datuk Mohammad Faiz Azmi, whose term ended on July 26, 2017, while Narendra succeeded Datuk Zaiton Mohd Hassan, whose term ended on July 15, 2017," said MIA in a statement today.
Salihin, who is the Founder and Managing Partner of SALIHIN, was elected as MIA Council member on Sept 19, 2015.
He is also the president of the Malaysian Accounting Firms Association, a member of the Association of Malay Chartered Accountants Firms committee, a member of Malaysian Association of Tax Accountants, a fellow member of Chartered Tax Institute of Malaysia and an associate member of Certified Practicing Accountant (Australia).
Salihin received his Bachelor of Accounting from International Islamic University Malaysia in 1997 and obtained his Masters of Science in Accounting from the same university in 2008.
Source : http://www.bernama.com/bernama/v8/newsindex.php?id=1385525
If we take a cut in income tax, it could also have an effect on the supply side of the economy.
There is much debate about the extent to which tax cuts increase productivity and economic growth. If marginal tax rates are very high e.g. 80%, cutting tax rates is likely to have some increase in labour supply and productivity. But, with tax rates of 20 or 30%, cutting income tax rates is no guarantee of increasing productivity and growth.
Kerajaan tidak gagal dalam menangani kejatuhan nilai ringgit bahkan lebih bijak serta berhemah dan memahami erti sebenar tentang penyusutan nilai ringgit ini apabila kejadian sebegini berlaku di setiap 10 atau 20 tahun sekali.
Apabila nilai ringgit jatuh secara mendadak maka kerajaan mungkin akan menyekat beberapa aktiviti berat seperti pembelian barangan dari negara asing dan dari luar negara untuk mengekang sedikit prasarana asing supaya dapat membuat sejumlah pembelian berkos tinggi secara perlahan dan berhemah sehingga nilai ringgit kembali pulih.
Kerajaan tidak berhasrat untuk menyangga nilai ringgit walaupun perangkaan menunjukkan jelas bahawa ringgit mulai menyusut secara drastik ke paras yang kritikal atau ke paras terendah kerana inilah waktunya yang dapat memberi sedikit peluang bagi pengurup wang negara atau mereka yang berurus niaga hadapan wang dapat meraih keuntungan.
Para pelancong asing terutamanya yang datang dari negara-negara Eropah dan negara-negara di blok barat dapat menikmati pertukaran wang mereka yang lebih baik apabila mereka datang untuk melancong ke Malaysia.
Begitu juga kepada penduduk dalam negara sendiri dapat menikmati keuntungan yang berlipat ganda dari hasil perniagaan matawang bersama negara-negara jiran seperti Thailand, Indonesia yang sememangnya boleh menjadikan satu tarikan terhadap ekonomi apabila mereka melancong ke negara tersebut dengan dapatan penambahan dari nilaian Rupiah atau Bath yang jauh lebih menguntungkan apabila berlakunya penyusutan nilai matawang tersebut.
Sewaktu berlakunya era penyusutan nilai ringgit ini penulis lebih kepada memberi cadangan kepada kerajaan Malaysia supaya dapat mengandakan untuk lagi usaha untuk membina 'satu empayar pelancongan negara' ke tahap yang lebih tinggi ertinya kerajaan Malaysia perlu membuat berbagai 'promosi pelancongan ' yang hebat terhadap seluruh warga Barat dan Eropah untuk datang melawat Malaysia sebagai 'Tahun Melawat Malaysia sepanjang Tahun ' .
Apabila berlakunya penyusutan nilai ringgit sebegini maka 'promosi pelancongan Eropah ' menjadi satu agenda tahunan negara untuk memperkenalkan secara drastik promosi sebagai ' Malaysia Indah ' di mata dunia dan sekali gus menarik pelancong untuk datang ke Malaysia.
Pelancong dari Eropah tentu tertarik dari pakej tawaran yang kerajaan berikan dan akan bertambah gembira apabila pertukarn wang mereka lebih menguntungkan apabila mereka datang ke Malaysia.Sebagai contoh satu pinggan nasi lemak berharga 5 ringgit Malaysia namun bagi pelancong yang datang dari 'Great Britain mereka akan berkata ' wow! Ini nasi lemak cuma 1 URO, oh! very cheap!'.
Begitu juga sesakali bagi rakyat Malaysia yang pergi melancong ke Bali Indonesia dan harga makanan di sana amat murah berbanding dengan tukaran wang ringgit Malaysia.Sebab pernah berlaku di suatu ketika nilaian pertukaran ringgit berbanding dengan nilai rupiah mencecah sehingga 5000 kali ganda .Contohnya 200 ringgit Malaysia bersamaan dengan satu juta rupiah Indonesia.
Sebenarnya berlakunya penyusutan nilai ringgit ini adalah juga sebagai satu ' Rahmat ' bukanya satu bentuk. ' Alamat Kiamat' terhadap ekonomi di sesebuah negara.
Oleh itu belajarlah dengan erti 'kesabaran' .Seluruh para pemimpin negara perlu bersikap positif terhadap apa yang berlaku untuk berdepan dengan unjuran dari penyusutan nilai ringgit ini ke arah satu bentuk pendekatan yang lebih realistik dan boleh membawa kepada sesuatu yang lebih menguntungkan.
Bagi seluruh badan perusahaan dan perniaga besar , natijah dari keadaan penyusutan nilai ringgit ini mungkin akan membawa sedikit kerugian namun kerugian ini bersifat sementara bahkan akan dapat sesuatu yang lebih menguntungkan secara keadaah yang dapat mengatasi permasalaan dengan membuat suatu 'post mortem ' semula dengan suatu cara perniagaan yang akan mendapat lebihan keuntungan mungkin yang berlipat kali ganda dalam jangka masa pendek atau panjang apabila keadaan nilai ringgit kembali stabil.
Bersediakah anda untuk cabaran ekonomi 2017 ?
kredit : Cabaran ekonomi 2017
Sustainability: Why does it matter?
The dynamism of business environment has resulted in challenges along social, environmental, ethical, and economic atmospheres. Specifically, World Economic Forum reported in 2016 that about 60% of global risks profile of major business organisations emanated from environmental and societal issues such as energy prices and availability, supply chain reach and resilience, regulation, and public sentiment.
No immunity
No business organization is immune to these systemic challenges and societal responses. Changing these threats to opportunities is possible through sustainability reporting as this would ensure the continual improvement of business operations that guarantee long-term resource availability through environmental, socially sensitive, and transparent performance.
Sustainability is about developing solid, all-inclusive growth based on a foundation of economic, social, and environmental commitment
"Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."
Sustainability service offerings
At SALIHIN, we aspire to leverage our deep expertise in sustainability reporting to bring significant insights that are most valuable to your business.
Our competences and capabilities
Expertise and thought leadership
External engagement and collaboration
Inter-functional synergies
Tools and methodologies
Speak To Us Today!
Risk within an enterprise can come from various sources. By implementing an enterprise risk management (ERM) framework, organization can reduce the likelihood of unexpected disruptive business events in their environment. By focusing resources on critical areas of your operations, we at SALIHIN will help you to identify control deficiencies and other threats to your business goals and remediate the problems.
Risk Management Process
Our offering covers:
The economy is facing a new value paradigm. These changes, however, are not reflected in the way we measure or report value. Traditional corporate reporting models have failed to adapt to an uncertain economy and account for the increase in intangible assets. Traditional metrics for measuring value and economic progress no longer provide a complete picture.
Responding to these challenges, through integrated reporting (IR) in which financial statements serve as concise communication about how an organization's strategy, governance, performance and prospects, in the context of its external environment, lead to the creation of value over the short, medium and long term, become paramount.
An integrated report benefits all stakeholders interested in an organization's ability to create value over time, including employees, customers, suppliers, business partners, local communities, legislators, regulators and policy-makers.
So, where do you begin?
To begin with companies need to generate relevant and reliable financial and non-financial information with an objective way of measuring their progress towards more integrated reporting and integrate the business activities with value creation processes.
Important questions...
How can SALIHIN be of help?
As Malaysian firms have been slow to adopt integrated reporting, Salihin consulting aspires to leverage our great expertise in integrated reporting to bring significant insights that are most valuable to your business.
Services offering
Our specialists can help you at each step of your integrated reporting journey. Specifically, we can service in all the six areas of integrated as follows:
Organisational overview and the external environment
Opportunities and risks
Strategy and resource allocation
Business model
Future outlook
Our competences and capabilities
Expertise and thought leadership
External engagement and collaboration
Inter-functional synergies
Tools and methodologies
Speak to us today
The sphere of economy has been characterised by capitalism where the soul aim of business is"business".
The feature of this phase of economy as be the of use of labour has machinery, little or no consideration for immediate environment as business believe that the only responsibility it has is to pay taxes and government is responsible with the "rest". Hence, the financial reports are prepared based on a set of guidelines and rules (GAAP) to showcase the financial performance and return to the owners.
Growing by the understanding that corporate organisations are responsible to wide range of stakeholders, especially the general public, the concept of sustainability was coined. As defined by the World Commission on Environment and Development (1992), it is "a development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs." In essence sustainable development is about five key principles: quality of life; fairness and equity; participation and partnership; care for our environment and respect for ecological constraints - recognising there are 'environmental limits'; and thought for the future and the precautionary principle".
|Sustainability was basically built on three pillars namely economic, social and environments.
Environmental Sustainability
|Economic Sustainability
Human communities across the globe are able to maintain their independence and have access to the resources that they require, financial and other, to meet their needs. Economic systems are intact and activities are available to everyone, such as secure sources of livelihood.
|Universal human rights and basic necessities are attainable by all people, who have access to enough resources in order to keep their families and communities healthy and secure. Healthy communities have just leaders who ensure personal, labour and cultural rights
|are respected and all people are protected from discrimination. The concept was well accepted by the organisations from global north and south, especially the ethical once. It cut across all the disciplines such as engineering, economic, finance, human resource, and accounting
"We cannot just add sustainable development to our current list of things to do but must learn to integrate the concepts into everything that we do." [i]
|From accounting point of view, the incorporation of sustainable effort of corporate entities in the financial statements is the main concern. In order to achieve this, a new format of account, sustainability report, was developed. A sustainability report is a report published by a company or organization about the economic, environmental and social impacts caused by its everyday activities. A sustainability report also presents the organization's values and governance model, and demonstrates the link between its strategy and its commitment to a sustainable global economy.
|Sustainability reporting is a systematic presentation of financial and non-financial data in order to compare the present with past and progress concerning the predetermined yardsticks. While financial information is majorly drawn on the firm's financial accounting system in line the enabling financial reporting standards and framework, non-financial information means that it is not presented in monetary terms and is not based on an accounting standard. Though, non-financial information can be both quantitative, such as tons (or units) of greenhouse gas, or qualitative, such as governance processes, the reputation of an organization or the organization's impact on the state of biodiversity.
|"The importance of sustainability now goes far beyond environmental issues, as the need to behave responsibly becomes a key aspect of strategy and operations." [ii]
|As a result, for sustainability to be measurable and reportable, performance indicators need to be developed and consistently adhered to by the respected organisations. For sustainability reporting to be meaningful, it needs to be connected to the strategy of an organization. Therefore, the indicators need to be relevant for the organization. Few of the important elements of sustainability reporting compared with financial reporting are presented in Table 1
|Financial reporting viewpoint
|Sustainability reporting viewpoint
|Backward looking
|Forward looking
|Accounting Standards
|No Standard
|Issues that organization directly controls
|Wider sustainability impacts
|Economic View
|Financial importance
|All relevant information to readers
|Shareholders and investors
|Known and unknown Stakeholders
Sustainability reporting has taken many different forms. There are stand-alone reports that can be published annually or biannually. Alternatively, sustainability reporting can happen via a suite of reports that are also published online. Although currently it is most common for organizations to publish environmental or social information in separate reports, there are also approaches that combine them with the annual financial report . Sustainability reporting can be considered as synonymous with other terms for non-financial reporting; triple bottom line reporting, corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting, and more. It is also an intrinsic element of integrated reporting; a more recent development that combines the analysis of financial and non-financial performance.
Significance of Sustainability Reporting
There are benefits corporate organisation would have by practising sustainability reporting. These are not limited to the following:
Financial performance
The advocators of sustainability reporting contended that disclosure offers reporting companies a wide spectrum of intangible benefits, such as employee loyalty and consumer reputation which could improve the financial performance of firms directly or indirectly.
Building trust
Transparency about non-financial performance can help to reduce reputational risks, open up dialogue with stakeholders such as customers, communities and investors, and demonstrate leadership, openness and accountability.
Improved processes and systems
Internal management and decision-making processes can be examined and improved, leading to cost reductions by measuring and monitoring such issues as energy consumption, materials use, and waste.
Progressing vision and strategy
Comprehensive analysis of strengths and weaknesses, and the engagement with stakeholders that is necessary for sustainability reporting, can lead to more robust and wide-ranging organizational visions and strategies. Importantly, companies can make sustainability an integral part of their strategies.
Reducing compliance costs
Measuring sustainability performance can help companies to meet regulatory requirements effectively, avoid costly breaches, and gather necessary data in a more efficient and cost-effective way.
Competitive advantage
Companies seen as leaders and innovators can be in a stronger bargaining position when it comes to attracting investment, initiating new activities, entering new markets, and negotiating contracts.
[i] Bruntland Report for the World Commission on Environment and Development (1992)
[ii] The Dorset Education for Sustainability Network
[iii] PWC
[iv] Eccles & Krzus (2010).
The globalisation of capital markets and quest for improved foreign direct investments have enhanced harmonisation of financial reporting standards across the world. Hence, on 1 August 2008, the FRF and MASB announced their plan to bring Malaysia to full convergence with International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRSs) by 1 January 2012 as the changeover from Financial Reporting Standards (FRSs) to Malaysian Financial Reporting Standards (MFRSs), equivalent to IFRSs will help place Malaysian businesses on a level playing field with its international counterparts.
The challenge is to keep updated with the changes and new standards that are being released on a regular basis as successful MFRS compliance requires efficient systems and hands-on advisory. Responding to these challenges will take productive time and efforts to be utilised in your core business activities.
How can SALIHIN be of help?
SALIHIN's dedicated professionals leverage on years of experience of IFRSs to provide standardized reporting services, as well as the industry's highest levels of insight and technical knowledge.
Services offering
Our IFRS specialists can assist you navigate the complexity of the Standards so you can focus your time and effort on running your business. SALIHIN provides services in the following areas:
Reporting and Compliance
Designing financial reporting system based on MFRSs
Advising on accounting polices based on MFRSs framework
Conducting staff training on MFRSs at your convenience
Our competences and capabilities
Expertise and thought leadership
Our practitioners are recognised expertise in the industry with requisite experience in financial and non-financial reporting skill in areas such as financial capital, human capital, social capital, intellectual capital.
External engagement and collaboration
SALIHIN demonstrate her commitment to integrating reporting through active participation in various initiatives with various national regulatory authorities and professional association like Bursa Malaysia Securities, MIA, MAFA, ACCA, and CPA Australia.
SALIHIN has extensive technical expertise and experience in both Advisory and Assurance delivering engagements across our portfolio of integrated reporting offerings.
Inter-functional synergies
SALIHIN has dynamic model that enables leveraging of synergies across our functions of risk advisory services, tax, audit, IT consulting, Sharia and financial advisory services to bring most value to clients
Tools and methodologies
SALIHIN possesses dynamic set of methodologies and tools that are deployed to deliver successful outcomes on client projects.
In this new era of globalization and technology, software savvy is now among the most marketable job skills a professional accountant can possess. As what has been said by Sarah Perrin in AB Magazine, "technology will support more real-time reporting and analysis, as well as a transition from retrospective to predictive analysis". Thus, from that connotation, it can be predicted that by time, software is changing the role of tomorrow's accountants. To keep up with the changes, there are number of things every future accountant should know about how software is affecting their profession.
Therefore, SALIHIN-UMT Teaching Accountancy Firm (TAF) has conducted training on accounting software namely SALIHIN Premier Solutions (SPS). This training is aimed to produce highly qualified students with vast knowledge in accounting software targeting accounting students of Faculty of Business and Management in Universiti Malaysia Terengganu (UMT) and also Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin (UniSZA).
Beyond core accounting modules such as the general ledger, accounts payable, and accounts receivable, SPS functionality exists for bank reconciliations, cash management, financial statement compilation, asset depreciation, and beyond. With experienced consultants in area of accounting, taxation and IT, the students are equipped with necessary skills in exploring how accountants work and experience real data with real assessment. Upon completion of this training with passing marks in the assessment given, a certificate of completion is given to the students.The two-days training has yield a professional student that is industry-ready and efficient in accounting skills.


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We're sharing another personal adventure with you today. This one comes from Kendra (our Sales and Marketing Director) and also ties right back in to life here at Dauphine Press so we hope you enjoy these visuals as much as we do!
Just over a year ago my husband and I welcomed a little girl into this world and our family. Chelsea Grace is now a year old and we recently celebrated with a little lunch at home with family. Pulling the details together was tons of fun — especially with the help of the Dauphine Press design team.
First, I must explain that everything in Chelsea's world that involves color has been all about one specific palette since before she was born. I was actually inspired by an early proof our our Marinwood trifold save the date. The final design is shown in our Custom Wedding Portfolio II album in our Sunshine and Charcoal letterpress inks, but one of the earlier versions was in a lighter, softer palette. I was about 7 months pregnant at the time and knew we were expecting a girl. I didn't share this with anyone until after Chelsea was born, but I had my eyes on that version of Marinwood for the perfect baby announcement from the second I saw it.
That same inspiration found its way into her nursery as well. Falling in love with two double faced ribbon swatches here at the office in Bisque and French Vanilla and pairing that with a brighter buttercup yellow and deeper coral, the color palete of Chelsea's first year was set in stone.
Of course we needed to finish out the year by also using that same color palette for her first birthday party.
My first attempt at a (rustic looking!) layer cake, surrounded by a few homemade organic cupcakes that I topped with flags leftover from the baby shower the girls at the office here threw me last year. Of course they were on board with the color palette from the start! The sugar cookies were made by Chelsea's super creative Auntie (my sister).
Using fabric remnants from Chelsea's nursery I created a flag bunting and the Dauphine Press design team created the greeting for me to finish it off.
A close-up of the bunting showing my favorite fabric and one of the letters using our Perla font and secured with a tiny clothes pin.
Just a few more details of Chelsea's little outfit with a maize bow added, her perfectly precious shoes and a homemade party hat.
Here's that sweet dress (and our sweet girl) in action on her special day.
Thanks so much for letting me share. It's such a wonderful gift to be surrounded by the beauty that is Dauphine Press every single day and I feel so lucky that it spills over in to the rest of my life. Or maybe it's the otherway around, but either way, I feel especially lucky!
Next up, we will share with you Chelsea's birth announcement and you can see how simple it was to turn one of our wedding designs into the perfect announcement with just a few customizations.


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Reading the forum on your cell phone? There's an easier way. We've enabled a Tapatalk app that makes browsing the forum a whole lot easier. Check it out in the iPhone or Android store if you don't own it already.
Sometimes I think LL is a creation of Al's to keep the clicks up. He didn't quite get the algorithm correct and now it is stuck in a feedback loop.
Feedback or infinite loop?
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A book is a product of an author's imagination, research, or muse. A book is also made possible by the efforts of the editor, proofreader, publisher, printer, and often countless other individuals.
Transfer the same concept of an array of contributions to the impressive community facility on State Street: the "new" Hood River County Library. The $4 million expansion project is all but complete, and on Sunday the community will celebrate a great accomplishment.
The library's new era started with The Millennium Project, a five-year effort to expand and remodel the County Library. The works and contributions of a wide variety of people — from the community members who donated money to the builders who put up the bricks, pipes, wire, and shelving — are all described in the special section that is part of this edition of the Hood River News.
The "Project Millennium" section, named for the fundraising project that started in 1998, details the way the old Carnegie Building was melded with the new construction in a way that preserves the historic 1913 building yet gives the public a modern library for its changing needs.
The story behind the project is one of community pride and determination, and the building itself is functional and welcoming to diverse users. Kids have flocked to the expanded basement children's section, and adults are enjoying the relaxed and well-lighted upstairs rooms for reading, computer use, and research.
The words of State Librarian Jim Scheppke perhaps say it best. The first group to meet in the new building's Community Room was the State Library Board, prompting Scheppke to write to County Library Director June Knudson the following letter:
"On behalf of the Oregon State Library Board of Trustees, I want to thank you for hosting our Board meeting ... The building is fabulous! If there was an award for 'best views' of any library in Oregon, yours would win it hands down. Everyone associated with your project is to be commended for the obvious care and commitment that went into meeting your goal to transform a treasured old library into a beautiful and fully-functional library for the 21st century. I am glad that you were pleased with the work of (architects) FFA. Your library continues their winning streak of outstanding historic library renovation projects, ours included. Again, my congratulations to you and to your Library Foundation and County officials for the successful completion of an outstanding library building project."
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