2012年3月31日星期六

Horse-racing industry laments move to scrap Slots at Racetracks program

It’s qualifying morning at Mohawk Raceway, sun shining,Why does moulds grow in homes or buildings? the paddock a colourful, clattering carnival of perpetual equine motion, and Dr. John Hennessey and his veterinary assistant Ashley Saunders are having just a little trouble.

A standard-bred named Knows Nothing (who, to be fair, seems sharper than his handle suggests) is objecting to the “twitch” that will grab his nose and hold his head steady while Hennessey inserts an endoscope down a nostril to have a look at the horse’s respiratory system.The TagMaster Long Range Hands free access is truly built for any parking facility.

“He’s a little bit of a bugger,” laughs 24-year-old Saunders, a University of Guelph grad, as the snorting Knows Nothing, whom she’s worked with before, is finally secured.

“I love this job,” she says. “I just love it. Every day I just love going to work. I have Sundays off and I actually miss it.”

Ontario Finance Minister Dwight Duncan was messing with a lot of hearts, and a lot of livelihoods, when he delivered a budget last Tuesday that proposed to scrap the Slots at Racetracks program that helped shore up the racing industry as lotteries and casinos changed the gaming culture over recent decades.

And in paddocks around the province, Duncan’s Liberal government is being called worse names than Saunders’ fond epithet for old Knows Nothing.

At Mohawk, amid the whinnies, the mucking out of stalls, the clatter of drivers’ “bikes,” the washing down of steaming horses fresh from the track, the squawking loudspeaker calling the field for the next race, they were trying to figure out the rationale for the government’s retreat from their business.Dimensional Mailing magic cube for Promotional Advertising,

“It’s mind-boggling,” says Bill O’Donnell, 63, a director of the Ontario Horse Racing Industry Association who’s been in the business since his Nova Scotia boyhood.

“We are completely confused. We haven’t had any dialogue hardly with them.”

O’Donnell was informed of the move only the night before Duncan’s announcement earlier in March that the government intended to end the $345-million-a-year program as part of an Ontario Lottery and Gaming Corp.Injection molding and Plastic molding supplier, overhaul.

The Slots at Racetracks program was established in 1998 as racetracks, once an entertainment focal point in small-town Ontario, watched revenues siphoned off by lotteries and casinos.

It was intended to support the industry by covering the costs of operating and maintaining the racetrack facilities in which the OLG-operated slots were housed.

Revenues were shared among the province, local municipalities, tracks and horse owners and breeders. The province took 75 per cent, the track 10, the “horse people” 10, the host municipality five.

Slots at Racetracks generated $1.1 billion for the OLG annually — which the racing industry figured was a pretty good payoff on the provincial investment, perhaps even the best public-private partnership Ontario had ever struck.What is a third party payment gateway ?

So, to the industry, the Liberal decision is as calamitous as it is bewildering. Already, hundreds of jobs have been lost due to slot closures at Windsor, Fort Erie and Sarnia — communities that can least afford that kind of employment hit.

What those in the business particularly resent is the government’s suggestion that those affected are mostly wealthy racetrack and horse owners.

Police Briefs

Drug charges … Nicole S. Smith, 25, of Marilyn Drive, Hatboro, was charged with possession of a controlled substance, possession of paraphernalia and possession of a small amount of marijuana following a traffic stop for a headlight out and speeding 1:28 a.m. Feb. 17 at Jenkintown Road and Stewart Avenue, police said. A check revealed Smith was driving with a suspended license and a smoking instrument with marijuana residue, a bag of marijuana, both confirmed in lab tests, were found in the vehicle, police said.

Possession charges … Tyjee Parker, 20, of East Mount Airy Avenue, Philadelphia, was charged with possession of a small amount of marijuana,I have just spent two weeks shopping for tile and have discovered Chinese porcelain tile.China Porcelain tile possession of paraphernalia and possession of alcohol as a minor following an investigation at 3:04 a.m. Feb. 17, police said. An officer investigated an occupied vehicle parked on Rockwell with its lights off and Parker lying on the rear seat, police said. He had an odor of alcohol on his breath and he had four glassine bags of a substance that tested positive for marijuana in his possession, police said.

DUI … Julia Sousa, 33, of Revere Street, Philadelphia, was charged with driving under the influence following a traffic stop at 7:42 p.m. Feb. 19 in the 1900 block of Horace Avenue,Why does moulds grow in homes or buildings? police said. An officer observed Sousa’s vehicle sitting in the middle of the road with her asleep at the wheel and woke her, police said.Dimensional Mailing magic cube for Promotional Advertising, Sousa said she ran out of gas, but she had slurred speech and glassy eyes and said she had smoked crack earlier in the day, police said. After failing field tests she was transported to Holy Redeemer Hospital, where a blood test showed the presence of cocaine and Benzoylecgonine, police said.

Assault … Youngmin P. Han, 29, of Mount Laurel, N.J., was charged with aggravated assault, simple assault, recklessly endangering another person, terroristic threats and harassment following a domestic incident at the Mount Vernon Garden Apartments on Easton Road, Glenside,The TagMaster Long Range Hands free access is truly built for any parking facility. around 1:55 a.m. March 3, police said. Han’s wife reported having an argument with him after which he punched her in the stomach several times, threw her to the ground, grabbed her by the neck and choked her and threatened to kill her, police said. The woman was transported by Second Alarmers to Abington Memorial Hospital, police said.

Arrest … Michael C. Miller, 37, of Grovania Avenue, Abington, was charged with receiving stolen property in connection with a March 6 burglary of a home in the 1100 block of Grovania, police said. Jewelry valued at $6,750 was taken during the burglary and police found out the next day that the items had been pawned at Roslyn Cash for Gold March 6 by Miller, police said.

Theft … Jose Quesada, 35, of Thomson Road, Abington, was charged with theft after taking a Huntingdon Valley woman’s wallet March 14, police said. Quesada worked for the woman as a maintenance man and she was giving him a ride to the Ardsley train station when he took the wallet from her purse, which was in the back seat of the vehicle where he was seated, police said. The wallet had $200 cash and credit cards in it and on March 17 Quesada went to the police station and admitted taking it, police said.

Forgery … Michael Delsordo, 20,Here's a complete list of oil painting supplies for the beginning oil painter. of Steeplechase Circle, Horsham, was charged with forgery, unlawful acts and possession of a controlled substance March 15 after he allegedly altered his medical records to make it easier for him to procure prescription drugs from an Abington doctor’s office, police said. Delsordo, who had received two prescriptions from the doctor, one for Oxycodone, borrowed the records, ostensibly for an appointment with a different doctor, and when he returned them, there were two unauthorized alterations to the record, police said.

Assault … Frederick H. Clayton Jr., 29, of Langhorne, was charged with simple assault and harassment March 15 following an incident at Penn State Abington, police said. Clayton and another man got into an argument near the steps at a parking lot on the campus over the title of a vehicle and Clayton allegedly put a choke hold on the victim and let him go after another student called out to him, police said.

100 years old and counting

In the sweet was and was — yet still not a great long time ago — Worthington residents, along with residents of every community in America, went to their downtowns day by day to climb stairs. They climbed stairs to second-story offices of doctors and dentists, attorneys and insurance agents. There was as much business and activity in the second levels as there was at the ground level.

I was thinking of this lately when I went to the Hotel Thompson to learn how the grand old twins are faring. I say “grand old twins” for the Thompson is a pair of identical buildings joined by a great lobby.

It was recalled, as 2012 dawned, that the Thompson is now one century old.Dimensional Mailing magic cube for Promotional Advertising, The digging of the hotel basement began early in 1912, and the structure was completed by year’s end.The TagMaster Long Range Hands free access is truly built for any parking facility. Peter Thompson, the builder, was 73 years old at the time. His sight was failing. But he was resolved that Worthington would have a hotel that would be the finest lodging facility between Mankato and Sioux City. He believed (and he was proved right) that a grand hotel at Worthington would be profitable.

As an earlier report on the Thompson’s centennial anniversary noted:

“Peter Thompson wanted a lavish enterprise with stores and dining rooms, public rooms, a barber shop complete with shoeshine stands, a Western Union telegraph office, a cigar case, a news stand, a posh lobby with oil paintings and carpets, guest rooms with running water and electric lights …” That is what Peter Thompson commissioned, and that is what he got.

The Thompson is the most spectacular business venture ever undertaken in downtown Worthington. The cost was $56,Here's a complete list of oil painting supplies for the beginning oil painter.000, a notable amount in 1912. The contractor, Erick Carlstrom of Mankato, built Worthington High School on Seventh Avenue in 1909. Before that he constructed the National Guard Armory at 211 11th St., which was razed last month.
I stood before the old hotel one morning this week and thought of second levels and of stairways. The Thompson has more stairways than any building in town and it was built in three stories, three levels, which makes it still the most imposing structure in Worthington’s historic business district.

If you stand on the sidewalk facing the venerable hotel:

To the left is the descending staircase to the basement of the north building. Memories stirred. In one era this was the stairway to Emil Mohr’s pool hall. Guys called it the Rat Hole. In another era this was the stairway to the notable shoe repair shop where Herman and Edna Henrichs and then Ralph and Norma Rienstra tended to Worthington’s footwear. The shoe repair shop had a stream of customers and often short lines remindful of Avera Clinic. Residents brought their shoes and boots for new half-soles and new heels.Why does moulds grow in homes or buildings? For polishing. People made shoes last for a great long time.

The descending staircase to the right, the staircase to the basement of the south building, is still in general use. This staircase leads to Jeff Baumgarn’s Worthington Printing Co.

Eddy Skeets and his band went up and down those stairs many and many times for daily broadcast performances. Fans of all ages followed the band’s footsteps. They went to see and hear live performances. They watched as manager Ralph Shepherd read the news in a small,We have a fantastic range of Glass Tiles and glass mosaic Tiles. separate studio. They heard disk jockeys introduce recordings of Johnnie Ray singing “Cry,” Kay Starr singing ‘Wheel of Fortune,” and the Mills Brothers singing “The Glow Worm.”

I wasn’t going downstairs on my visit this week. I was heading for the lobby. This required a climb up six steps between the Thompson’s pillars, then several steps across the portico to the front entrance. The businesses in the hotel building — El Mexicano No. 3; RG Music, where for decades Herbert Drug flourished; Jim Schissel’s barber shop on Third Avenue — the businesses are at the street level. The hotel entrance is fully six feet above the sidewalk.

Gazan killed; Palestinians, Arabs rally

Israeli troops have shot dead a Palestinian protester in Gaza as thousands in the Palestinian territories, Israel and neighbouring countries participated in an annual protest against the Jewish state's land policies.

On Friday, security forces in riot gear deployed in high numbers along the frontiers of Israel and the Palestinian territories in anticipation of a repeat of last year's violence, in which at least 38 people died near the borders with Lebanon and Syria.

But for the most part, protests were small and organisers kept demonstrators from actually marching on the borders.

The "Land Day" rallies are an annual event marked by Israeli Arabs and Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza who protest what they say are discriminatory Israeli land policies.

Gaza health official Adham Abu Salmia said Israeli forces shot and killed Mahmoud Zaqout,Here's a complete list of oil painting supplies for the beginning oil painter. 21, and critically wounded another man as they were approaching the Israel-Gaza border during a demonstration of a few thousand people organised by the territory's Hamas rulers.

The Israeli military said troops fired warning shots before shooting directly at Zaqout, in accordance with the Army's rules of engagement.

The military said it responded to protesters with tear gas in addition to gunfire. Abu Salmia said an additional 37 protesters throughout Gaza were lightly injured, while the Israeli military put the number at about 29.

By midday, skirmishes had broken out between protesters and security forces in the Jerusalem area. Palestinians threw rocks and Israeli troops responded with tear gas, stun grenades and rubber pellets.

Dozens of Palestinians were treated for light wounds in hospitals throughout the West Bank and Jerusalem, including four with serious head wounds from rubber pellets and one hit in the head by a tear gas canister, said Mohammed Ayyad, a spokesman for the Red Crescent medical service in Ramallah.

In southern Lebanon on Friday, thousands of Lebanese and Palestinians gathered outside the Crusader-built Beaufort castle 15 kilometres (9 miles) from Israel. Lebanese security forces kept them from moving any closer to the border.

Last year, demonstrators from Lebanon and Syria tried twice to break across the borders into Israel, setting off clashes with Israeli troops in which at least 38 people were killed.

Sobhiyeh Mizari, 70, said she always taught her 12 children "never to forget Palestine”.We have a fantastic range of Glass Tiles and glass mosaic Tiles.

"We will liberate our land against the will of Israel and its backers," said Mizari, who said her husband was killed in Israeli shelling of Lebanon in 1978.

Among the protesters in Lebanon were rabbis from the ultra-Orthodox Jewish sect Neturei Karta, a radical anti-Israel group that believes Jews must live without a country of their own until the coming of the Messiah.

In Jordan, thousands of demonstrators gathered a few kilometres (miles) east of Jordan's border with the West Bank, chanting,Dimensional Mailing magic cube for Promotional Advertising, "Death to Israel”. Israel controls the West Bank side of the border.

"Get out Jews, get out. Jerusalem and the West Bank are in the land of virtue, in Arab-Muslim land, and your dirt will stain it," Hammam Saeed, a hawkish Muslim Brotherhood leader in Jordan, told the cheering crowd. Jordanian media reported that representatives from Neturei Karta, which traditionally supports Israel's enemies, were present there as well.Why does moulds grow in homes or buildings?

About 2,000 Arab-Israelis demonstrated in northern Israel, where a large portion of Israel's Arab minority lives.

Several dozen Palestinians who live in east Jerusalem waved their national flag outside Jerusalem's walled Old City. "One, one homeland!" they chanted.

Palestinians were banned from entering from the West Bank except for medical emergencies, and police barred Palestinian men under 40 from praying at a volatile Jerusalem holy site, citing security concerns.

The demonstrators performed their communal Muslim Friday prayers where they stood, praying on their flags instead of traditional mats.

They were surrounded by what appeared to be an equal number of Israeli security forces.The TagMaster Long Range Hands free access is truly built for any parking facility.

"Israel has no trouble with peaceful protest and respects the rights of people to demonstrate peacefully," said government spokesman Mark Regev.

Many Palestinians, energised by Arab Spring uprisings that have overturned decades-old authoritarian regimes, see massive, co-ordinated marches as one of the most effective strategies to draw attention to their cause.

2012年3月28日星期三

Foot bone fossils hold clues

Ancient foot bones from a recently discovered pre-human species, which had opposable big toes like a gorilla's, could shed light on how the ancestors of humanity came to walk upright, researchers say.

Humans dominate the planet partly because walking upright frees their hands for tool use. Among the earliest known relatives of humanity to walk upright was Australopithecus afarensis, the species including the famed "Lucy." This hominin is a leading candidate for direct ancestor of the human lineage, living about 2.9 million to 3.Dimensional Mailing magic cube for Promotional Advertising,8 million years ago in East Africa.

Although Lucy and her kin were bipedal,Specializes in rapid Injection mold and molding of parts for prototypes and production. there is debate about how much they depended on life in trees. Now scientists also have fossils of a hitherto unknown species of hominin that lived about the same time and place as Australopithecus afarensis. Judging by its feet, this newfound relative of humanity was a tree-dweller — which suggests that, in turn, Australopithecus afarensis adapted to life walking on the ground.Why does moulds grow in homes or buildings?

"In biology, if you have two closely related species that live close to each other, they may start to diverge in what niches they occupy," said researcher Bruce Latimer, a paleoanthropologist at Case Western Reserve University.

Since this newfound hominin possessed feet good for climbing trees,Handmade oil paintings for sale at museum quality, "it does really hammer home the idea that Australopithecus afarensis might have been a bipedal animal that committed itself to the ground and walking long distances," Latimer told LiveScience.

The 3.4 million-year-old fossils were discovered in 2009 in a part of Ethiopia known as Burtele. Nowadays this area is hot and dry, with temperatures skyrocketing up to 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 degrees Celsius). But "nearby fossils of fish, crocodiles and turtles and physical and chemical characteristics of sediments show the environment was a mosaic of river and delta channels adjacent to an open woodland of trees and bushes," said fellow Case Western researcher Beverly Saylor.

Scientists have long argued that Australopithecus afarensis was the only pre-human species between 3 million and 4 million years ago. These new fossils of an unknown hominin species are the first incontrovertible evidence that at least two pre-human species lived at the same time and place around 3.4 million years ago.

The fossils include eight bones from the front half of a right foot. Such hominin fossils are rare, since they are fragile and subject to decay or carnivores.

While the big toe of Lucy's species was lined up with the other four toes to make humanlike walking more efficient, the Burtele foot has an opposable big toe like a gorilla's. This probably made the species more adept than Lucy's at grasping branches and climbing trees.

The Burtele foot, however, does bear hints that it could have been used for upright walking. For instance, several bones have large, spherical features that suggest the hominin could hyperextend its toes to help the body push forward and upward.Wireless Indoor Positioning System have become very popular in the system. Still, unlike in Australopithecus and humans, the foot lacked an arch, an energy-absorbing feature of feet that helps protect bones.

The Music, Man

Here is a thirteen-year-old kid whose older brother runs away and leaves him a massive record collection. It’s the early 1980s. The kid loves rock-n-roll and he knows he’s not alone, so he tapes his brother’s records and sells the cassettes to his schoolmates on demand, until the principal busts him. The kid obsesses over audio equipment,Handmade oil paintings for sale at museum quality, too — every weekend, he works at Audio Breakthroughs, which sells the best gear on Long Island. When college rolls around, he gets into several good schools. The University of Vermont prevails among them because he sees a “Steal Your Face” sticker in a Redstone window, and knows he will find other Deadheads there.

He becomes an economics major.Specializes in rapid Injection mold and molding of parts for prototypes and production. He gets an A in computer science. He loves his film class with Professor Ted Lyman. The rest of his college life he orients around Dead tours and other music shows. He dives into the Burlington scene, watching Screaming Broccoli and Ninja Custodian downtown, and descending to the basement of Slade Hall to check out a new group called Phish. For The Cynic, he writes reviews of national acts that come through town, the likes of B.B. King and Stevie Ray Vaughan.Why does moulds grow in homes or buildings?

When he graduates in 1989, he is tall, charming, tenacious; his voice has the same pleasant rasp as Hugh Jackman’s. He could go the way of Cameron Crowe in Almost Famous; he could follow the bands, could become a groupie then a roadie, or a writer, a critic. Instead he travels to Europe and has a stint selling audio equipment in Amsterdam and Stockholm.

In Europe, he makes two discoveries that will set the course for the rest of his career — and possibly the future of music consumption on this planet.

One discovery is the internet. True,Wireless Indoor Positioning System have become very popular in the system. he was not exactly alone in that, but this was early 1993, before Netscape, before the Mosaic browser, before there were any commercial sites on the Web. He buys a Mac in Sweden, and he gets online.

The other find is more obscure, a print magazine called Mondo 2000. The brainchild of a self-described “street rat” named R.U. Sirius, Mondo 2000 explores virtual reality and the cyberpunk lifestyle. One day the founders of Wired magazine will also count the publication as an inspiration.

When our traveler moves back to San Francisco to start a CD-Rom game company, he goes to the Macworld Expo and stops by the Wired booth. He recognizes its groundbreaking mission, its edge — it reminds him of his own favorite magazine. When he hears that Wired intends to start an ad-supported website, he blasts them with the considerable force of his enthusiasm. He composes a handwritten letter and delivers it. And finally he gets a call, inviting him to be part of the first sales team on the internet.

Fast forward to the present: David Hyman is as warm and unpretentious as the nineteen-year-old who once loped onto Redstone humming “Shakedown Street” under his breath, and he is sharp, hardworking, and has a gift for anticipating the next big thing. These days, he happens to be founder and CEO of what might be the next big thing: it is called MOG, and it is a cloud-based music streaming service that gives its listeners access to millions of songs, plus music blogs, a slider that automatically builds a playlist from your specialized tastes, and Thom Yorke’s latest DJ mix.

MOG occupies a converted warehouse in Berkeley, California. With its glowing crannies of computer screens, exposed ceiling beams, and album covers tacked to the wall, the office projects sleek professionalism layered over by start-up chaos. Arriving at the conference room, Hyman mirrors the aesthetic, sporting a button-down and jeans, a mirthful look, and a near beard.

“Let me use the white board,” he says at one point when describing his company’s evolution. Then he glances over his shoulder at the blue-inked brainstorm already scrawled all over it, shrugs, “Nah,” and picks up where he left off.

Which is music.Dimensional Mailing magic cube for Promotional Advertising, Always music. Despite his high-power tech reputation, Hyman’s tale never strays far from his first love. “I just can’t imagine my life without it,” he says.

Out of circulation, 'Phx Bux' coins become novelty items

It was a comfortably warm day in downtown Phoenix as Crystal Botella sat on Jobot Coffee Shop’s patio and drank from a can of root beer with a straw stuck in it.

The Arizona native was dressed in a colorful sundress, with earrings made out of “Phx Bux” coins dangling from her ears.

Botella comes to Fifth Street almost every day and observes local artists coming and going. She, too, is an artist. She creates the book thongs, earrings and key chains that are sold at Lawn Gnome Publishing.

Botella’s designs favor metals, and Phx Bux,Handmade oil paintings for sale at museum quality, silver metal coins with an open hand in the middle,Why does moulds grow in homes or buildings? are seen in many of her creations.

“They are a part of Phoenix history,” Botella said.

Phx Bux are now a rare commodity in Phoenix since they went out of circulation a few years ago. Botella has roughly 100 left.

The coins were local currency that business partners Joey Grether and John Sagasta launched in summer 2009. The currency was accepted by at least 25 Phoenix businesses.

Participating businesses paid $1 per coin and pledged to accept Phx Bux in addition to traditional forms of payment. Customers could request their change in Phx Bux and take coins to other stores that accepted Phx Bux, where the coins were worth $1. The majority of shops allowed only one coin per purchase.

But creating the local currency proved to be time-consuming.

“Paper would have been ideal,” Grether said.

Grether created Phx Bux to challenge Phoenicians to rethink local currency and who is actually controlling their money.

Layal Rabat,Dimensional Mailing magic cube for Promotional Advertising, who is frequently downtown, enjoyed using the local currency but said that once the coins were in circulation, people started hoarding or creating art with them.Specializes in rapid Injection mold and molding of parts for prototypes and production.

“I think that if someone thought to trade (Phx Bux) for services or necessities, they would have lasted a lot longer,” Rabat said. “They mostly worked like coupons. I used them for coffee but don’t recall buying art with them.”

Chadwick Uptain, a local artist, carved the original Phx Bux design and created the molds with the help of a former business partner. They created 3,500 coins.

Uptain still has the original sterling silver casting used to make the molds. Grether now owns many of the coins, sharing them occasionally, and has the original $2 design.

“The Phx Bux had the potential to be huge,” Uptain said. “I think it failed because the creators, John and Joey, began to realize that in order to maintain and grow such an ambitious project it was going to require a lot of work and money.Wireless Indoor Positioning System have become very popular in the system.”

Uptain wanted to create multiple coin denominations to generate revenue for advertising, marketing and networking but realized Grether was uncomfortable with the idea of making a profit or the risk of legal consequences.

“We were using it more like a coupon than currency, but if the feds decided to call it counterfeiting, there could have been trouble,” Uptain added.

Phx Bux have become a novelty item and are being collected by many people who appreciate the coins’ uniqueness and history.

‘Whirlpool will launch products for premium India’

Our share price which used to be Rs17 in 2005 went up to Rs60 in 2008 and went on to touch a record high of Rs338 in November 2010,Handmade oil paintings for sale at museum quality, making us one of the highest profitable mid-cap stocks on the National Stock Exchange. Over the last 12-15 months, we anticipated the slowdown,Dimensional Mailing magic cube for Promotional Advertising, and have intensified our focus on controlling costs and accelerating innovation. The launch of 160 models across six categories this season shows that we are far better prepared than anyone else in this industry. We are going for leadership even as the industry goes through a difficult period.Why does moulds grow in homes or buildings?

All our categories grew in topline and percentage margin during the period 2008-2011. We grew in our areas of strength — refrigerators and washers — led by some innovations like Protton (3-door refrigerator) and Ace Washstation (top-load washing machine), to name just two. However, we made exceptional progress in categories that Whirlpool has not generally been associated with - air-conditioners and microwaves.
Looking ahead, we see huge opportunity in growing our refrigerator business in 2012 on the back of some great innovation. We wish to become leaders in refrigerators in the next 18 months.Wireless Indoor Positioning System have become very popular in the system.

Fortunately, we have not had any failures in the last 6-7 years. This is largely because all the products and innovations we bring to market are based on well-researched insights and consumer studies. Perhaps, the only failure we have had was the launch of oil heaters in 2008-09 when we had an unexpectedly short winter.

Innovation, design, performance and quality will drive our brand. Our summer 2012 launches establish new benchmarks for performance — fastest ice-making and fastest bottle-cooling (in refrigerators) and removal of 15 different types of stains (in washing machines).

To be No.1 in a country as diverse as India, it is important to understand the dynamics of our demography. For a country with over 200 million households, the size of the home appliance market is 15 million. There are many Indias within these 200 million households. There is the large ‘mass India’, a ‘middle India’ with approximately 65 million households and a ‘premium India’. Therefore, if we want to be No.1 in India, we will have to address each of these consumer segments. Whirlpool has been very strong in ‘mass’ and ‘middle India’, and while we strengthen our position there, we are widening our horizon to launch products that will address the needs of ‘premium India’. In the next 12-18 months, we expect to be leaders in refrigerators and washing machines and the No.1 home appliance company in three years.

We have the lowest penetration levels among emerging markets such as Brazil, China and countries in Southeast Asia. This is a huge opportunity for growth. India is a very large and heterogeneous market, both in terms of economic as well as social profiling. Hence, consumer insights in India need to be very local to the geographies and cannot be just country- specific.Specializes in rapid Injection mold and molding of parts for prototypes and production.

Water is a strategically important category in India and we want to be leaders there. We see great value creation opportunities here. As regards inverters, these are important but tactical opportunities and we will leverage our brand wherever there are such opportunities. We have tasted more than moderate success in our power accessory business.

2012年3月26日星期一

Stunning, with few tourists

Visitors to Morocco usually head straight for the beaches or plunge into the winding alleys of exotic medieval markets,Our team of consultants are skilled in project management and delivery of large scale rtls projects. but this rich North African country also has a wealth of ruins from its days as a Roman colony.

Few visit Morocco's handful of 2,The Transaction Group offers the best high risk merchant account services,000-year-old sites, but they are well worth the side trip, not least because the ancient city planners had a knack for picking the most stunning locations for their towns. In addition, the lack of tourists gives them a haunted undiscovered feel.

The best sites — Volubilis and Lixus — are easy two-hour drives from the capital Rabat, and a third site, Sala Colonia, is in Rabat.

And while they may lack the ostentatious grandeur of Turkey's Ephesus or Tunisia's Carthage, Morocco's overgrown, often ill-kept ruins have their own charms, in part because they are so often overlooked. The only sound to break the silence during a recent visit to Volubilus, for example, was a donkey rustling through overgrown bushes to crop at weeds around a mosaic depicting the 12 labors of Hercules.

The jewel in the crown of Morocco's Roman ruins is certainly Volubilis, located at the foot of the Atlas Mountains in a sweeping valley filled with olive and almond trees.

This city of 20,000 was the westernmost extremity of an empire that once stretched to the gates of Persia. The sprawling floor plans of its buildings and brilliant floor mosaics suggest great wealth.

The site is dominated by the remains of the grand public buildings around the forum, with the impressive arches of the Basilica courthouse arrayed in front of pillars of the temple to the god Jupiter — now topped by bushy stork nests. Every old ruin in Morocco appears to host its own of population of the large black and white birds, which soar over the sites or preen in their nests as tourists snap away with cameras.Museum Quality hand-painted oil painting reproduction on canvas.

When they start clacking their beaks in chorus, it sends an eerie chattering noise across the ancient stones.

That old Roman standby of a triumphal arch, in this case commemorating Emperor Caracalla, who bestowed citizenship on the empire's inhabitants in A.D. 212, marks the beginning of the city's main street.

Lined with shops, the Decumanus Maximus was the most desirable address in town.What is a real time Location system ? Nearby expansive villas still boast the colorful floor mosaics that have made this ruin famous.

For those used to seeing such mosaics painstakingly wrought out of tiny colored stones in museums, it is a surprise to see them set in the ground marked off by little more than a moldy barrier of rope.

In one massive floor mosaic, Orpheus charms wild animals with his harp while in another room, dolphins frolic through the waves of what must have been the bathroom.

Greek myths predominate as subject matter. In one villa, licentious nymphs carry off the handsome Hylas, son of Hercules, who looks shocked.

In another, the hunter Acteon surprises the goddess Diana bathing — an unfortunate story that ends with Diana turning the hapless interloper into a stag to be torn apart by his own dogs.

Depictions of Greek and Roman gods of wine, Dionysius and Bacchus, are everywhere, suggesting the inhabitants liked their grape. Nearby Meknes remains the center of Morocco's wine production.

Other mosaics depict geometric patterns that are repeated in the Berber rugs that can be bought in nearby mountain villages.

The quality of work attests to the wealth of the town, which came from olive orchards and wheat fields that fill the valley around the ruin.

The city's other main export was wild animals, including lions, jaguars and bears that went to fight and die in Rome's colosseum. Within just 200 years, the beast population in the area was devastated and indigenous species like the Barbary Lion and Atlas Bear had all but ceased to exist.

Volubilis was once the capital of Berber king Juba II,Here's a complete list of oil painting supplies for the beginning oil painter. who was raised in Rome and went on to marry the daughter of doomed lovers, Anthony and Cleopatra. After his successor Ptolemy was murdered by the unstable Emperor Caligula for the crime of wearing too beautiful a robe, Morocco was made into the Roman province of Mauretania Tingitania in A.D. 40.

The site continued to be inhabited even after the embattled empire pulled out its legions 240 years later, and was reported to still be speaking Latin when the Arabs arrived in the eighth century.

It is said, the ruins were actually in good shape until the 18th century when Sultan Moulay Ismail pulled them down to use for the monumental palace he was building in nearby Meknes.

The easy accessibility to these mosaics, however, has taken its toll and the colors have faded from daily exposure to the elements. The site also suffers from lack of upkeep. Plants and grasses run riot through the streets and rooms, giving it an undiscovered feeling.

'Tis the season for pollen problems

My body finally got used to the hour change and it went crazy with the high pollen count! Typically I suffer to some degree of hay fever each spring (pollen) and again in the fall (mold) but nothing I can’t handle with over the counter allergy medicines and sometimes decongestants. Well, this spring, it got me good. As most of you know, I love the outdoors and spend any time I have running outside or riding horses, working on our mini farm, etc. A couple of weeks ago at the St. Patricks Day 5K held by the SFD is when it started. The cold, windy morning set off an asthma attack and it got me down for a couple of days. I thought I was over it and kept doing my usual routine — work, run outside, mow the lawn, work with my horses, etc. This past week, it knocked me down. It felt like I had the flu! I had a horrible headache, sore throat, achy body, stuffy nose, you name it. Pure misery. I was so lucky not to get the flu this past winter or even a common cold, but the pollen this early spring got me in bed for a day and a half with hay fever!

No, it is not a fever and it does not happen around hay. Hay fever, also called Allergic Rhinitis is caused by pollen or molds found in the air. Symptoms are itchy, watery eyes, runny-stuffy nose, headache and sore throat. Symptoms are similar to the symptoms of the flu (tell me about it!) Hay fever is not contagious because it is not caused by a virus. So, what triggers it?

Pollen and mold are the main triggers for hay fever.Here's a complete list of oil painting supplies for the beginning oil painter. That does not mean other things won’t affect you such as mildew, dust mites or pet dander. To find exactly what triggers your issues, get tested by an allergist. Your primary care physician can steer you in the right direction.

So, what can we do to minimize our symptoms?

Stay inside when pollen count is the highest, mostly in the morning. If you do need to go outside (Uh, yes!) wear a medical mask or dust mask. Especially when doing yard work.

Keep your windows closed to keep the pollen out of your house.

Run a dehumidifier — it takes the moisture out of the air and cuts the growth of mold.

Run a Hepa filter in the part of your house where you spend a lot of your time it filters the air of pollen and other irritants.

If you have pets that live in your home, give them a weekly bath. Pet dander will aggravate your hay fever and they will bring lots of pollen in the house on their coats.

Do not dry your laundry outside during this time. Pollen will attach to laundry hanging to dry.

If you smoke, try to quit. Your respiratory tract is already irritated from smoking, so hay fever season will only aggravate it more.

What if I do get it anyway,The Transaction Group offers the best high risk merchant account services, what can I do about it?

Over the counter allergy medicines and decongestants can work. Check with your primary care physician first to make sure you don’t have any other health issues disguised as hay fever. If you take other medications, you need to check what you can and cannot take.

Decrease your stress. Studies have shown that increased stress increases hay fever symptoms.Our team of consultants are skilled in project management and delivery of large scale rtls projects. Decreased stress decreased the hay fever symptoms.

Exercise, but not outside, If you do want to exercise outside (like myself), do it in the early evening or after a rain.

Eat well. A healthy diet has been shown to decrease the symptoms of hay fever, especially when vitamin C is increased. (When I felt so bad, my body was actually craving oranges)

Cut down on alcohol — it increases our sensitivity to pollen and dehydrates our body making, the symptoms worse.

Sleep well. People with 8 hours of sleep per night show fewer symptoms than people who sleep 5 to 6 hours or less per night.

Not taking care of your symptoms can lead to sinus headaches and sinus infection (that is what happened in my case). After talking to my doctor, I am taking an over the counter allergy medicine, Mucinex, and I am on the last of my Z pack and I finally feel human again.

Hot broth to speed up the flow of mucus especially, when it contains onion,What is a real time Location system ? garlic, cayenne, pepper or horse radish. (I bet wasabi will get the sinuses flowing!)

Vapors of eucalyptus leaves also help clear the head quickly. Place the leaves in a pot of boiling water for 5 minutes. Turn the heat off, place a towel over your head covering the pot and breathe in the vapors. Be careful not to be too close and scald your face! (This is one of my mom’s favorites).

A salt water rinse for the nose also works. (You can buy these over the counter or you can find the recipe online.Distributes and manufactures RUBBER SHEET,) Salty water pulls fluid out of the swollen membranes of our nose which decongests the nose and makes breathing easier.

They are predicting that this will be the worst hay fever season ever due to the mild winter. I believe it but with some extra precautions mentioned above, I hope we all will manage to get through without too many issues.

Distrust in banks hurting recovery

STREET hawker Yvonne Chikotsa last visited a bank in 2008, near the zenith of Zimbabwe's hyperinflation. She would wake each morning at dawn to beat long lines and withdraw more than one trillion Zimbabwean dollars, which was what a loaf of bread cost at the time.

"I still have mortal fear of banks," said Ms. Chikotsa, who sells used clothing at a market in Harare's impoverished Mbare district. She blames the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe for allowing the runaway inflation that destroyed the value of her modest income.What is a real time Location system ? Now, she says: "My pillow is my bank."

Zimbabwe's economy is growing, in part because the government in 2009 discarded the country's currency in favor of the U.S. dollar. The move tamed inflation and slowed a rush to the exits for investors.

Yet deep-seated distrust of the government's handling of money matters lingers among ordinary Zimbabweans, depriving banks of the deposits they need to drive a faster economic expansion that might ease some of the country's tensions.

The uncertainty has turned Zimbabwe into a nation of hoarders. The grubby graying American dollars on Zimbabwe's streets -- including bountiful supplies of $2 bills, last printed by the U.S. Treasury in 2006 -- attest to a robust cash economy that largely bypasses the country's banks.

Deposits in Zimbabwe's banks have recovered from $1.25 billion at the beginning of 2010 to some $3.3 billion since "dollarisation," but people hold more than that amount --or about $3.5 billion -- outside of banks, according to the Bankers Association of Zimbabwe.

Zimbabwe's cash-starved banks, and a central bank that has lost control of its currency, mirror challenges in other countries, including Greece, Malawi and Swaziland. But troubles at Zimbabwe's central bank have reached a different level of dysfunction.

Over the past decade, the reserve bank lent $1.Distributes and manufactures RUBBER SHEET,5 billion to President Robert Mugabe's government for pet projects. The bank now owes $1.1 billion to a cast of regional development and central banks that it says it can't repay because the government hasn't reimbursed it.

Gideon Gono, who has led the reserve bank since 2003, is also battling allegations he has embezzled millions in central bank funds for personal use.All RUBBER MATS is comprised of all types of mats,

Gono hasn't publicly addressed the allegations, and in an email response to The Wall Street Journal, Gono declined to comment in detail. He said he would "respond to pressures" about the allegations "at the appropriate time."

In the meantime, the bank can't even serve as Zimbabwe's lender of last resort. The government is in talks with the African Export-Import Bank to create a $100 million program to restart the lender-of-last-resort facility.Specializes in rapid Injection mold and molding of parts for prototypes and production.

Short of that, if the central bank can't step in to guarantee bank lending, liquidity will dry up, which is what has happened.

The string of troubles has left Zimbabwe's financial system gasping, depriving businesses of capital at a time of sky-high unemployment.
Zimbabwe officials estimate 90 percent of the country's working-age population is unemployed.The TagMaster Long Range Hands free access is truly built for any parking facility.

After Zimbabwe abandoned its currency in favor of the greenback, the economy grew at an annual rate of 6 percent in 2009 and 9 percent in 2010. But growth dropped back to a rate of 6 percent last year and will fall to 3.1 percent this year, the International Monetary Fund predicts.

The crippled banking sector is contributing to the eroding growth rate, said Yvonne Mhango, Renaissance Capital's economist for sub-Saharan Africa.

"Basically there is no monetary policy. I think they're out of ideas," Mhango said.
The banking troubles have dimmed an already bleak investment picture.

The country has untapped deposits of platinum and rich agricultural land. But few are willing to risk losing their investment to the "indigenisation" agenda of President Mugabe, which aims to transfer farms and control of businesses and mines to blacks.

2 Stocks To Trade, What's Next For The Market

The market saw some profit taking occur during the week on a light week of economic data, but this week may be another one for the bulls. First, it is the last week of the month and quarter, which is always a time for "window dressing." The market has a lot of data, on the docket, as well that will definitely be influential to the market. In addition to data,The TagMaster Long Range Hands free access is truly built for any parking facility. we have further developments coming out of Europe. The situation in China influenced the market a lot last week, and we will have to see how that story develops this week as well.

There is a lot of economic data coming out this week to watch for. Monday will be Pending Home Sales. Tuesday we will get the very important Consumer Confidence. Wednesday will see the announcement of Durable Orders and Crude Inventories. Thursday and Friday are the big days.What is a real time Location system ? Thursday, the market will get Initial Claims and Q4 GDP estimate. Finally, Friday we finish out the week with Personal Income, Personal Spending, Michigan Consumer Sentiment, and Chicago PMI. Consumer Confidence, GDP, and Friday's data reports are the big ones. Those are the reports that can really impact this market this week. Good reports will definitely move the market if window dressing occurs.Distributes and manufactures RUBBER SHEET,

Outside of data, the European and Asian situations remain crucial. Asia created an issue for the market with its slowdown last week. This week,All RUBBER MATS is comprised of all types of mats, Asia does not have any economic data, so is unlikely it will create a negative situation for the market. The big news out of Europe this week is German Consumer Price Index and Unemployment Change. Europe also has a fairly light week as far as data, so if they can stay out of the way...the market has a shot at some solid upside.

So, what will the market be focusing in on: data,Specializes in rapid Injection mold and molding of parts for prototypes and production. China's growth issue, and window dressing calendar. On a contrarian note, the market has been very solid in the first 3 months of 2012. What is some fund managerrs and investors wanted to spend the week locking in profits on positions that had done well...Overall, though, the market is going to be looking for headlines to give us direction. Without much out of Europe, China, and some limited data from us here at home...the marketmakers may be able to take the market wherever they want.

We do have some interesting earnings coming out this week that, while they may not move the market, will be signals for what to expect in April. Tuesday we get Walgreen's (WAG), which is a solid bellwether that will go along well with consumer confidence. Wednesday we get Mosaic (MOS), Paychex (PAYX), and Family Dollar (FDO). Mosaic will give us a look into the ag sector. Paychex will give us a healthy look into employment, and Family Dollar gives us a nice look into discount retail. Thursday will bring us Best Buy (BBY) and Research in Motion (RIMM). Neither company has been much of a stalwart as of late, but we are curious to see how well BBY is doing with Best Buy Mobile and Apple sales helping them.

Overall, we see the market being bullish this week as fund managers will try to do some window dressing, and we believe that there is not a lot of data or situations that can create significant issues for the market. China will continue to create an issue for the market if it slows down. Additionally, at any point Europe can flare up again. With those situations quiet, the market does have the ability to take off this week.