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Daily arrivals on quality wholesale clothing and accessories

2012-02-13T21:57:00.001-08:00

For almost a decade, Apparel Showroom has been providing daily arrivals on quality wholesale clothing and accessories. As one of the pioneers in online wholesale, we offer 30% to 80% below regular wholesale prices, making our products affordable to our customers. All of our apparel, handbags, shoes, and accessories are handpicked, stored, and shipped directly from our warehouse, so we can guarantee a great selection at a quick turn around time. While we strive to serve our wholesale buyers, we also take good care of our retail buyers who are browsing the web for affordable fashion and styles. Our goal is to provide exceptional customer service and an excellent online shopping experience.

Ink and toner online sales

2012-02-13T21:56:00.001-08:00

Inkfarm.com is a leader in ink and toner online sales. We have 10 years of online sales history, annual sales in the millions, regular promotions that include pricing discounts, and free shipping offers. Customers save 40-50% off of the major office supply stores. Our commissions are 7% higher than competing ink and toner affiliate sites.

Stylish invitations and cards

2012-02-13T21:55:00.001-08:00

Mark life's major milestones with stylish invitations and cards from InvitationBox.com! With over 13,000 invitations and thousands of exclusive designs to choose from, customers can select personalized, unique invitations for parties, birthdays, weddings, baby showers, holidays, corporate events, and more. With over 30 designers creating on-trend designs and top brands like Paper so Pretty, William Arthur, Checkerboard, Noteworthy Collections, Stacy Claire Boyd, Odd Balls, Doc Milo, Bonnie Marcus, and more, InvitationBox.com helps customers find the perfect card for every occasion. What's more, customers can easily personalize and preview their invitations and cards online without ever leaving the comfort of home. And with a quick turnaround, sensational "green" products, and gift items like self-inking stamps, collegiate notepads, and baby gift items, InvitationBox.com has every important event covered!

Redefining the way coffee lovers around the world experience coffee

2012-02-13T21:54:00.003-08:00

Nespresso is redefining the way coffee lovers around the world experience coffee. Through a unique combination of the finest premium coffee available anywhere, state-of-the-art coffee machines and exceptional customer service, Nespresso is the only choice for consumers who expect the very best.

The Nespresso affiliate program offers generous commissions, a unique product offering, and a team to support your organization with all the resources it needs. If you compare the revenue you earn from other coffee affiliate programs, you'll likely find that the Nespresso program is a top performer.

Stylexchange offers an impressive array of denim

2012-02-13T21:54:00.001-08:00

Stylexchange offers an impressive array of denim from the specialists in LA and Italy, including J Brand, Rock & Republic, True Religion and, of course, the ultimate jean maker, Diesel. We offer collections from Europe's strongest fashion houses including Miss Sixty and Energie, J.Lindeberg and Scotch & Soda, as well as a presence from some of the most admired designers today (Canada Goose, Parajumpers, Dom Rebel, Mackage), and a vast selection of exclusive fashion styles from many different brands. We invite you to experience shopping at Stylexchange.com that have become known as the...ONLINE FASHION PLAYGROUND!

Budgeting Tip: How to Manage Your Money

2012-02-12T00:13:00.001-08:00

A carpenter uses a set of house plans to build a house. If he didn't the bathroom might get overlooked altogether.

Rocket Scientists would never begin construction on a new booster rocket without a detailed set of design specifications. Yet most of us go blindly out into the world without an inkling of an idea about finances and without any plan at all.

Not very smart of us, is it?

A money plan is called a budget and it is crucial to get us to our desired financial goals.

Without a plan we will drift without direction and end up marooned on a distant financial reef.

If you have a spouse or a significant other, you should make this budget together. Sit down and figure out what your joint financial goals are…long term and short term.

Then plan your route to get to those goals. Every journey begins with one step and the first step to attaining your goals is to make a realistic budget that both of you can live with.

A budget should never be a financial starvation diet. That won't work for the long haul. Make reasonable allocations for food, clothing, shelter, utilities and insurance and set aside a reasonable amount for entertainment and the occasional luxury item. Savings should always come first before any spending.

Even a small amount saved will help you reach your long term and short term financial goals. You can find many budget forms on the internet. Just use any search engine you choose and type in "free budget forms".

You'll get lots of hits. Print one out and work on it with your spouse or significant other. Both of you will need to be happy with the final result and feel like it's something you can stick to.

Benefits of Making a Budget

2012-02-12T00:04:00.001-08:00

You say you know where your money goes and you don't need it all written down to keep up with it? I issue you this challenge. Keep track of every penny you spend for one month and I do mean every penny.

You will be shocked at what the itty-bitty expenses add up to. Take the total you spent on just one unnecessary item for the month, multiply it by 12 for months in a year and multiply the result by 5 to represent 5 years.

That is how much you could have saved AND drawn interest on in just five years. That, my friend, is the very reason all of us need a budget.

If we can get control of the small expenses that really don't matter to the overall scheme of our lives, we can enjoy financial success.

The little things really do count. Cutting what you spend on lunch from five dollars a day to three dollars a day on every work day in a five day work week saves $10 a week… $40 a month… $480 a year… $2400 in five years….plus interest.

See what I mean… it really IS the little things and you still eat lunch everyday AND that was only one place to save money in your daily living without doing without one thing you really need. There are a lot of places to cut expenses if you look for them.

Set some specific long term and short term goals. There are no wrong answers here. If it's important to you, then it's important period.

If you want to be able to make a down payment on a house, start a college fund for your kids, buy a sports car, take a vacation to Aruba… anything… then that is your goal and your reason to get a handle on your financial situation now.

Search for a luxury gift of high quality

2012-01-11T17:30:00.003-08:00

Groomstars was founded by brothers who each wanted to give a gift to family and friends on their wedding day as a measure of genuine gratitude. But the search for a luxury gift of high quality proved to be a challenge. After successfully finding the perfect gifts for their Groomstars, the brothers started helping their friends do the same. And thus, Groomstars.com was born.

Our goal at Groomstars is to provide the most unique and robust selection of men's luxury gifts in the world. With strong roots in the jewelry, fashion and luxury industries, Groomstars foundation began with a high quality selection of diamond, platinum, gold, and sterling silver accessories. The selection expanded by adding unique high quality gifts and brands that maintain the highest quality level and represent the Groomstars lifestyle.

Offering fresh-baked gifts perfect for any occasion

2012-01-11T17:30:00.001-08:00

Mrs. Fields Catalog, offering fresh-baked gifts perfect for any occasion, including birthdays, anniversaries, Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Christmas and Hanukkah; as well as any sentiment you wish to express - Thank You, Get Well, Best Wishes, and Thinking of You.

Each cookie is baked fresh and each gift basket is packaged with personal attention to detail, right down to each hand-tied bow. In fact, we guarantee the quality, freshness, and presentation of our gifts. If you're not 100% satisfied, we'll do what it takes to make it right.

Fastest growing fashion mall

2012-01-11T17:29:00.003-08:00

OneStopPlus is one of the fastest growing fashion mall for plus size. Over 10,000 products in as many as 70 sizes, all from the leaders in American and European plus size fashion.

Lifestyle brand that promotes a sense of responsibility

2012-01-11T17:29:00.001-08:00

Threads 4 Thought is a lifestyle brand that promotes a sense of responsibility for those who share this world with us. Our products use sustainable materials and are manufactured in the most sustainable manner possible. We work closely with the International Rescue Committee and the Natural Resources Defense Council and support the excellent work that they do in the areas of humanitarian and environmental response. We are committed to providing products at reasonable prices in fashions you cannot resist!

The Power of a Child's Imagination

2012-01-11T17:28:00.001-08:00

We believe in the power of a child's imagination. Our toys and products encourage kids to be imaginative, creative and to explore the world around them. We create quality toys and gifts that are safe, durable, innovative and most importantly, lots of fun! We respect our customers and only offer them products that we would be proud to give to others. We make innovative products that appeal to both parents and kids. Our products spark the imagination and provide positive experiences. We treat both girls and boys with respect.

Perfect Sample of a Sales Letter Copy

2012-01-07T05:54:00.001-08:00

Perfect Sample of a Sales Letter Copy

Dear Name,

We just finished making the greatest graphics bundle of them all: more than 1100 of the sweetest graphics in one gigantic Graphics Pack!

This weekend only we're selling them for less than a nickel each—get them now!

Yup, 4 cents a piece is what it comes down to. We're only telling existing customers and the deal only lasts this weekend.

The pack contains a ton of great graphics: labels, arrows, credit cards, pencils, light bulbs, sale tickets, leaves, globes… way too many to list!

To pair this offer, we've cut the price of Web Image Studio (by more than half) to $19. It's the ultimate software to edit those graphics and put your personal touch on them. Again, this weekend only!

These graphics are a tremendous help to any site. They give a text-heavy page life, or stand on their own for quick links or info. They can pretty much be used for anything!

If you're still reading you might already be too late. Hurry now, the prices will only be this low for a few more hours!

Diet Benefits and Importance of Eating Fish

2012-01-07T05:41:00.001-08:00

Diet Benefits and Importance of Eating Fish

FISH provides another class of high-protein or tissue-building food. As this term is generally understood, it includes both vertebrate fish that is, fish having a backbone such as salmon, cod, shad etc. and many other water animals such as lobsters, crabs, shrimp, oysters and clams. Fish can usually be purchased at a lower price than many other food items and for this reason possesses an economic advantage over them. Some varieties of fish are sought more than others, the popularity of certain kinds depending on the individual taste or the preference of the people in a particular locality.

As is well known, fish is an extremely perishable food. Therefore, when it is caught in quantities too great to be used at one time, it is preserved in various ways. The preservation methods that have proved to be the most satisfactory are canning, salting and drying, smoking and

preserving in various kinds of brine and pickle. As such methods are usually carried out in the locality where the fish is caught, many varieties of fish can be conveniently stored for long periods of time and so distributed as to meet the requirements of the consumer. This plan enables persons far removed from the Source of supply to procure fish frequently.

Stratfor Data of Customers Credit Cards Update

2012-01-06T17:37:00.001-08:00

Dear Stratfor Reader,

While addressing matters related to the breach of Stratfor's data systems, the company has been made aware of false and misleading communications that have circulated within recent days. Specifically, there is a fraudulent email that appears to come from George.Friedman[at]Stratfor.com.

I want to assure everyone that this is not my email address and that any communication from this address is not from me. I also want to assure everyone that Stratfor would never ask customers and friends to provide personal information through the type of attachment that was part of the email at issue. This email, and all similar ones, are false and attempt to prey on the privacy concerns of customers and friends. We strongly discourage you from opening such attachments. We deeply regret the inconvenience this latest development has created.

While Stratfor works to reestablish its data systems and web presence, we ask everyone to please look for official communications, such as this one, and to monitor the Stratfor Facebook page and Twitter feed for company-approved communications.

Thank you for your patience.

Please direct any questions and concerns to feedback@stratfor.com.

Sincerely,

George Friedman

Your Credit Card Hacked at Stratfor Website?

2011-12-28T20:50:00.001-08:00

Dear Free Intelligence Report Subscriber,

As we alerted you over the weekend, an unauthorized party illegally obtained and disclosed personally identifiable information and related credit card data of some of our paying subscribers.

We deeply regret that this event has occurred, and we are working to prevent it from happening again.

Our highest concern is the impact that this has had on our members and in your confidence in us as a potential member and Free Intelligence Report subscriber.

As a result and at our expense, we have taken measures to provide our members whose credit card information may have been compromised with access to CSID, a leading provider of global identity protection and fraud detection solutions and technologies.

We have arranged to provide one year of CSID's coverage to such members at no cost.

As part of our ongoing investigation, we have also decided to delay the launching of our website until a thorough review and adjustment by outside experts can be completed.

We expect this to take approximately a week, but it might take longer – please bear with us as we recover from this unfortunate event.

In the meantime, we will not be deterred from doing what we do best: providing our members with top-notch geopolitical analysis.

Therefore, while our website is being tested we will be sending our free Geopolitical Weekly and Security Weekly to you via email as we have always done.

In the meantime, we want to hear from you about this situation and have set up a special email address at feedback@stratfor.com to get your thoughts on this event.

To say we wish this hadn't happened is a massive understatement.

As I have stated in prior emails to you, I sincerely apologize for these unfortunate events. Our investigation and coordination with law enforcement is ongoing, and we will continue to update you as more details become available.

Sincerely,

George Friedman

Stratfor Website Was Hacked - Who Hacked Stratfor?

2011-12-24T21:06:00.001-08:00

Dear Stratfor Member,

We have learned that Stratfor's web site was hacked by an unauthorized party. As a result of this incident the operation of Stratfor's servers and email have been suspended.

We have reason to believe that the names of our corporate subscribers have been posed on other web sites. We are diligently investigating the extent to which subscriber information may have been obtained.

Stratfor and I take this incident very seriously. Stratfor's relationship with its members and, in particular, the confidentiality of their subscriber information, are very important to Stratfor and me. We are working closely with law enforcement in their investigation and will assist them with the identification of the individual(s) who are responsible.

Although we are still learning more and the law enforcement investigation is active and ongoing, we wanted to provide you with notice of this incident as quickly as possible. We will keep you updated regarding these matters.

Sincerely,

George Friedman

Child Malnutrition in the Davao Region

2011-12-21T04:22:00.001-08:00

by Noel Baguio/PIO-DavNor

The Province of Davao del Norte regained its lead in overcoming child malnutrition in the Davao region.

National Nutrition Council Executive Director Assistant Secretary Maria-Bernardita T. Flores handed over to Governor Rodolfo P. del Rosario the Regional Green Banner award of the province during the regional nutrition awarding rites held in Davao City last December 19.

The province earned the green banner award this year for its exemplary performance in managing the nutrition program that "contributed to the improvement of the nutritional status of its constituents."

Del Rosario said that through the green banner award, the province demonstrated its bias to health and nutrition, as it resolves to help the country attain its over-all commitment to the millennium development goals.

The governor was satisfied that despite its modest income, the province has attained a 2.3 percentage reduction of its malnutrition rate last year, from 8.7 percent in 2009.

"This has made Davao del Norte far, far ahead of the national MDG target of 17.3 percent in 2015," he beamed.

As he puts it, "sufficient and good quality nutrition is the cornerstone for development, health and survival of current and succeeding generations."

Davao del Norte could have won the highly-coveted Consistent Regional Outstanding Winner in Nutrition (CROWN) maintenance level if it was able to keep the green banner award last year.

Iran's capabilities and intentions

2011-12-15T17:34:00.001-08:00

By Stratfor

Editor's Note: Though this article was originally published in October 2009, the ongoing debate over Iran's capabilities and intentions gives lasting relevance to the analysis within. Media reports continue to focus on efforts to disrupt Tehran's efforts to construct nuclear weapons, but the international community has a much greater strategic interest in ensuring the flow of oil through the Iranian-controlled Strait of Hormuz.

It has often been said that Iran's "real nuclear option" is its ability to close — or at least try to close — the Strait of Hormuz, which facilitates the movement of 90 percent of the Persian Gulf's oil exports (40 percent of the global seaborne oil trade) as well as all of the gulf's liquefied natural gas exports. At a time when the world is crawling back from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, this is a serious threat and warrants close examination.

Iran actually has a broad range of military options for lashing out at energy exports in the strait, and this is not a new development. Almost since the founding days of the Islamic republic, Iran has been exercising military force in the Persian Gulf, starting with attacks against Iraqi tankers (and Kuwaiti tankers carrying Iraqi oil) during the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s. But in all this time, Iran has never exercised the full measure of its capability to close the Strait of Hormuz to maritime commerce — if indeed it has that capability. Although Iran has an array of options for limited strikes, our interests here are the dynamics of an all-out effort.

Deterrence and the Potential for Conflict

Tehran has long been aware of the geostrategic significance of its proximity to the Strait of Hormuz. The threat of mining the strait or targeting tankers with anti-ship missiles is a central component of Iran's defensive strategy. By holding the strait at risk, Tehran expands the consequences of any military action against it to include playing havoc with global oil prices. Insofar as Iran has avoided military action to date, this strategy of deterrence to this point can be deemed a success.

Yet the strategy has several weaknesses. For one, it can only discourage an attack, not directly prevent one. By the time an attack against Iran begins, Tehran's military strategy has failed. Trying to close the strait after military strikes have begun cannot stop those strikes — it can only serve as a punitive measure. At best, an Iranian concession to stop its actions in the strait could serve as a card on the table in negotiating a cease-fire. But creating trouble in the strait is a hard sell internationally as a "defensive" measure. With the world just starting to recover from the global economic crisis, a move by Iran to close the strait could unite the world against Iran — perhaps more strongly than was the case against Iraq following Desert Storm in 1991.

Another weakness has to do with one of the classic problems of nuclear deterrence — the military incentive to strike first. In this case, the United States would very much want to leverage the element of surprise, catching and hitting as many targets as possible — not just the nuclear program but also Iran's offensive and defensive military capabilities — where it expects those targets to be. The flip side, of course, is that Iran also needs the element of surprise. Because high-priority targets in any U.S. airstrike would include Iran's capabilities to retaliate directly — its anti-ship missile sites, its mine warfare facilities, its ballistic missile arsenal — any retaliation by Iran after an American strike begins would be degraded, perhaps considerably, depending on the effectiveness of U.S. intelligence (Iran presents considerable intelligence problems for the United States).

As a result, while Iran's deterrence strategy has thus far delayed conflict, a line can be crossed that puts everything on its head. Instead of delaying matters further, each side will have more incentive to act aggressively in order to pre-empt the other. And the problem is not simply that this line exists. The line is defined for each side by its subjective, fallible perceptions of the other's intentions, leaving considerable room for miscalculation.

So, despite the considerable disincentives for Iran to try and close the strait, it can hardly be ruled out. Indeed, at the moment, with so much in motion politically, not just between Washington and Tehran but also between Washington and Moscow — and factoring in the Israeli wild card — the risks of miscalculation on all sides are very high.

The Strait of Hormuz

Connecting the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea and the world's oceans, the navigable waters of the Strait of Hormuz are roughly 20 miles wide at their narrowest point. Commercial and naval maritime traffic, which includes 16 or 17 million barrels of crude oil aboard some 15 tankers per day, transits two designated shipping lanes inside Omani waters. Each lane (one into the Gulf, one out) is two miles wide and is separated by a two mile-wide buffer. (Almost the entire strait south of Qeshm and Larak islands is deep enough to support tanker traffic, so there is certainly room to shift the traffic further from the Iranian coast.) The importance of this waterway to both American military and economic interests is difficult to overstate. Considering Washington's more general — and fundamental — interest in securing freedom of the seas, the U.S. Navy would almost be forced to respond aggressively to any attempt to close the Strait of Hormuz.

Map of the Strait of Hormuz

Tehran appreciates not only its strategic proximity to the strait but also the asymmetric military options related to it. A conventional interdiction in the strait by Iranian surface warships and submarines is perhaps the least likely scenario. Larger corvettes and frigates are few in number and would be easily targeted by U.S. naval and air power that is constantly within striking distance of the strait. While up to two of Iran's three Russian-built Kilo-class submarines could probably be sortied on short notice, the cramped and shallow waters of the strait make submarine operations there particularly challenging.

The challenges mean that the proficiency of Iranian submarine crews (questionable at best) would likely be severely tested in a genuine operational scenario. The United States also recognizes Iran's Kilos as an important Iranian asset and would make every effort to quickly neutralize them (whether at sea or in port) in any attack scenario. In any event, the Iranian navy does not have enough Kilos to have any confidence in its ability to sustain submarine operations for any meaningful period after hostilities began.

Well aware of its qualitative weaknesses vis-a-vis the U.S. Navy, Iran has a number of more asymmetric options. The most "conventional" of these are its fast attack missile boats, particularly 10 French-built Kaman guided missile patrol craft (Iran has begun to build copies domestically, though the first three appear to have been built in the Caspian). Smaller than a corvette, each of these boats has a medium-caliber naval gun and two to four anti-ship missiles. These very vessels comprised some of the most active Iranian naval units in the Iran-Iraq War. Although the U.S.-built Harpoon anti-ship missiles with which they were originally equipped appear to have all been expended during that conflict, the missile boats have reportedly been equipped with Chinese-built C-802 anti-ship missiles, which are based on the U.S. Harpoon and French Exocet designs. Employed in a surprise strike, these missile boats could score some early hits on traffic in the strait.

Even with the fast missile boats, however, there is still the issue of port dependence and vulnerability. Iran's conventional navy, of which the fast attack missile boats are a part, would have to leave port immediately to avoid destruction alongside the pier — particularly challenging if the U.S. struck first. Of course, due to superior American naval and air power, Iran's ships and subs — including the fast missile boats — wouldn't be much safer at sea. Even if the missile boats succeeded in surviving long enough to expend their ordnance, they wouldn't have a port to return to capable of rearming them.

Iran, however, has other asymmetrical tricks up its sleeve.

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2011-12-15T17:27:00.001-08:00

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Unbeatable Gifts For Your Loved Ones this Holiday

2011-12-15T17:26:00.001-08:00

Unbeatable Gifts For Your Loved Ones this Holiday!

$94.10 Sony Cyber-shot W560 14.1MP Digital Camera, $17.99 Cobra Electronics 16 Mile microTALK CX105 2-Way Radios

Weekend Picks

$35.99 Kodak Easyshare SV710 Digital Picture Frame,$39.99 Sandisk Sansa Fuze+ 8GB MP3 Player

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$21.99 MR Coffee Mr. Coffee Espresso Machine, $529.99 Vizio 47" 240Hz

Best Sellers Electronics

$75.30 JVC iPod/iPhone Audio System, $68.99 ViewSonic VFD1027w-11 Digital Photo Frame

Desktops & Notebooks

$99.99 Dell Optiplex GX280 3.0Ghz Intel Pentium 4, $659.99 HP ENVY 14-2020NR Intel Core i5 2.30GHz

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Unrest, violence and security crackdowns in Syria

2011-12-15T17:23:00.001-08:00

The Syria Crisis: Assessing Foreign Intervention

By Scott Stewart | December 15, 2011

The ongoing unrest, violence and security crackdowns in Syria have been the subject of major international attention since February. Our current assessment is that the government and opposition forces have reached a stalemate in which the government cannot quell the unrest and the opposition cannot bring down the regime without outside intervention.

In the Dec. 8 Security Weekly, we discussed the covert intelligence war being waged by the United States, Israel and other U.S. allies against Iran. Their efforts are directed not only against Tehran's nuclear program but also against Iran's ability to establish an arc of influence that stretches through Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. To that end, the United States and its allies are trying to limit Iran's influence in Iraq and to constrain Hezbollah in Lebanon. But apparently they are also exploring ways to overthrow Syrian President Bashar al Assad, a longtime ally of Iran whose position is in danger due to the current unrest in the country. In fact, a U.S. State Department official recently characterized the al Assad regime as a "dead man walking."

Best selection of retro candy online

2011-12-15T17:22:00.003-08:00

Discover the best selection of retro candy online. OldTimeCandy offers unique gifts for any special occasion, including holidays, birthdays, anniversaries and corporate events. Do you remember Candy you ate as a kid®, such as Wax Lips, Ice Cube Chocolates, Bonomo's Turkish Taffy, Candy Buttons on paper tape, Wax Syrup Bottles, Sky Bars, Zagnut, Necco Wafers, Teaberry Gum, or Chick-o-Sticks? OldTimeCandy.com has tracked them down: old-fashioned candy from the 1950s, 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s is still available after all these years! At OldTimeCandy.com, customers have fun choices: whether buying in bulk, packing their own retro candy assortment in a Pack-a-Bag, or choosing a Decade Box stuffed with candy from their favorite era. What's more, OldTimeCandy.com carries party favors, gift boxes and jars, and even Toys you played with as a kid™ like slinkies, balsa airplanes, magic slates, pick-up sticks, and many more retro toys and games.. While we ship candy what we really sell are memories.

Buy Mounts - Innovative Mounting Solutions

2011-12-15T17:22:00.001-08:00

Buymounts, the leader in the plasma and LCD TV mounting industry, provides innovative mounting solutions that focus on quality, ease of installation and functionality while providing a pleasing look and ultimately the best value. For almost 6 years, Buymounts has honed its skills as a pioneer and leader in the field of wall mounts. Committed to responding to industry needs in the Residential and Industry markets, Buymounts offers a complete line of mounts, and cables for plasma, LCD flat panel screens and projectors.

Amazing Grass offers the most powerful vegetable on earth

2011-12-15T17:20:00.001-08:00

Amazing Grass offers the most powerful vegetable on earth, consumable in a convenient way that aligns with our hectic lifestyles. Grown and harvested in the United States of America on a family-run farm in the great state of Kansas, Amazing Grass is dedicated to creating the best Organic Green SuperFoods made exclusively from the finest ingredients on the face of the earth! For over 60 years, the family farm in Kansas has perfected the growing, harvesting, dehydration and storage of organic alfalfa and cereal grasses - ensuring optimal nutrition in some of the world's most nutrient dense Green SuperFoods. Eat Grass! Get Healthy!

Abe's of Maine Promo Code Discount Sale

2011-12-15T14:45:00.000-08:00

Canon VIXIA HF-R20 Flash Memory HD Camcorder - Black For $309, Use Code LOYALTY10, Includes Free Shipping, FREE 8GB SDHC Memory Card, and $30 Instant Rebate

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Share of Apple in South East Asia

2011-12-13T18:23:00.001-08:00

11.8 million Internet users, attributing to 53.1 percent of the SEA e-mobile population, used leading Apple mobile devices such as iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch, in the month ending October 2011. Apple has the greatest market share in Thailand and Singapore, used by over 70 percent of the local e-mobile population. Apart from Singapore, where iPhone emerged as the most used Apple device with 37.51 percent share, iPad has the highest usage compared to other mobile devices in all other SEA countries.

Buy Surveillance, GPS Tracking, Spy Gear, Security Cameras

2011-12-13T13:25:00.001-08:00

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2011-12-13T13:22:00.001-08:00

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Cheap Celestron Astromaster 114 EQ

2011-12-13T13:19:00.001-08:00

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Card Store Sale on Christmas

2011-12-13T13:18:00.001-08:00

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2011-12-13T13:16:00.001-08:00

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2011-12-13T13:15:00.001-08:00

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2011-12-13T13:14:00.001-08:00

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2011-12-13T13:13:00.001-08:00

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2011-12-13T13:11:00.001-08:00

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Heart Attacks During Christmas Holiday

2011-12-13T12:46:00.001-08:00

The frequent parties during the Christmas season can very well trigger heart attacks, according to an advisory from the Department of Health (DOH).

Statistics show that Filipinos overindulge in food and alcohol during this season while others get the stress in thinking, buying and spending for gifts to give during Christmas.

A study in the United States showed the peak of heart diseases occur during Christmas season, particularly four to six days after Christmas Day. While there are no similar studies yet in the country, the same trend is observed, according to the DOH advisory.

Instead of looking after the usual Christmas staples like lechon and ham, Filipinos should start preparing food served consisting of vegetables and fruits. Some healthy food for the holiday season would be steamed fish and various vegetable garden salad.

Health authorities warn the public not to neglect the need for healthy lifestyle by controlling their intake on food and alcohol. Attending parties should not excite one on what's at the buffet table, but instead get more contented on the bonding and fellowship among friends and relatives during Christmas gatherings.

The health advisory warned people with common diseases like cardiovascular diseases, cancers, and diabetes. The risk becomes higher when one smokes and take much alcohol. There is also a need to maintain a healthy diet this Christmas while everyone is urged to avoid successive night outs and late sleep. A "morning recovery sleep" will never be enough to replace a sleepless night.

Compulsory drug abuse treatment is adopted in Russia

2011-11-26T14:47:00.001-08:00

The number of patients of addiction treatment clinics may grow 2-3 times after the law on compulsory drug abuse treatment is adopted in Russia, Russian Ministry of Health's chief alcohol and drug abuse specialist Yevgeny Bryun said on Saturday.

Russia's Federal Drug Control Service head Viktor Ivanov earlier said that a law on criminal liability for drug abuse in the places of public resort might be adopted in the spring of 2012. Drug addicts will have to choose either to face criminal penalty or drug abuse treatment.

"I don't think it will be a very large increase, the number of patients will rise 2-3 times," Bryun said.

Bryun added that the Russian drug addiction service had enough resources, to cope with an increase in the number of patients of addiction treatment clinics.

"I don't see any problem here," Bryun said. "We have enough psychologists, doctors and social workers in each of the federal subjects, but these resources are currently not fully used," he said.

When asked about the exact amount of court rulings on compulsory drug abuse treatment in Russia, Bryun said he could not name the figure.

Agriculture in China

2011-11-26T14:31:00.000-08:00

Central China's Henan Province, a leading agricultural base, has penalized 113 people, including 77 government employees, over a chemical tainted pork scandal reported in March.

Their punishments varied from jail terms to reprieved death penalty, the provincial higher people's court said in a press release Friday night.

The main culprit, Liu Xiang, was sentenced to death with two years' reprieve on conviction of harming public safety, it said.

Liu's clandestine workshop producing clenbuterol, a carcinogenic chemical added to pig feed to produce leaner pork, was seized in Henan's Xiangyang city on March 25, 10 days after he was prosecuted, the court said.

Liu's collaborator, Xi Zhongjie, was sentenced to life, it said.

Liu and Xi invested 50,000 yuan (7,845 U.S. dollars) each in clenbuterol production in 2007 and sold the chemical to pig dealers for huge profits.

By March this year, they had sold more than 2,700 kg of the chemical that spread to eight provinces including Henan, Shandong and Jiangsu provinces, and made 6.4 million yuan in revenue.

The court statement said all the government employees involved in the scandal, including animal health inspectors and food safety officials, received tougher penalties for negligence of duty and power abuse. Their average jail term is three to nine years.

Punishments for the 36 pig farmers involved were more lenient, ranging from probation to jail terms under a year, it said.

In March, China Central Television (CCTV) reported that clenbuterol was detected in pigs purchased by a subsidiary company of Shuanghui Group, China's largest meat processor.

The report was followed by a nationwide boycott of the Shuanghui brand and a food safety overhaul.

Pinnacle Black Friday Discount Sale

2011-11-17T17:24:00.001-08:00

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The Philippines aims to advance technologically

2011-11-05T23:51:00.001-07:00

The dwindling number of farmers in the country is indeed worrisome,
and it is strongly felt at the Technical Education and Skills
Development Authority's (TESDA) Agricultural Extension Program which
is being bypassed by majority of young Filipinos, contributing to a
low enrollment percentage nationwide.

TESDA Director General Joel Villanueva, who was here Thursday, made
the grim disclosure amidst a growing population which has become
harder to feed, saying that unless the government comes up with more
incentives to prod more Filipinos, particularly the younger generation
to take up farming, farmlands would suffer and hinder any economic
growth. The Philippines aims to advance technologically, but it has
largely remained agricultural.

Villanueva said the current crop of farmers is ageing, with an average
age of 50-55 years old and a dearth of farm workers a few years from
now would aggravate the existing food situation.

The TESDA chief also said that his agency, in a joint effort with the
Department of Agriculture (DA) has been training agricultural workers
to assist farmers to make farming more profitable and attractive.

In a related development, Villanueva bared that numerous TESDA
vocational graduates have found lucrative employment overseas, earning
many times over than finishers of four-year college courses,
reiterating that the global thrust in employment lies in gaining
technical skills through short, vocational courses.

Protect lives and property of people in the state

2011-11-05T23:33:00.001-07:00

Nigeria's police in northeast Adamawa State have intensified security
measures to protect lives and property of people in the state,
following series of bombings in neighboring Yobe and Borno.

State police spokesperson Altine Daniel told reporters in Yola, the
state capital on Saturday that the command had taken some
precautionary measures since the beginning of the Boko Haram crisis.

"Since the beginning of the crisis, we have considered ourselves as
one of the states that is very close to these crisis prone states,"
she added. "And following the recent happening, we put in measures to
make sure that the spillover did not affect us," she said.

Altine told reporters that the command had introduced more patrols
across the state, especially in the border towns. "Patrols have been
intensified. Stop and search increased within the state capital and
major roads that link the state to others to ensure that lives and
property of people in the state are protected," she said.

She said the command has so far not received any report about security threat.

"But as the saying goes, when your neighbor's house is on fire, you
have to take precaution," the spokesperson added.

Documents of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on its missile program

2011-11-05T23:17:00.001-07:00

Iran's Foreign Minister Ali-Akbar Salehi said Saturday the documents
of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on its missile
program are "unfounded and baseless," the semi-official Mehr news
agency reported.

"The alleged documents claimed by the IAEA are baseless," Salehi said
during a joint press conference with his visiting Burundian
counterpart in Tehran, referring to reports that the IAEA will release
some documents about Iran's missile program in the future.

The United Nations nuclear supervision agency is expected to release a
report on Iran's nuclear program next week, which is likely to hint at
Iran's engagement in nuclear weapons work despite UN sanctions.

Yukiya Amano, the IAEA Director General, had said at the UN General
Assembly that while its too early to make conclusions just yet, the
report may possibly exacerbate Middle East tensions.

Greece's ruling socialist party

2011-11-05T23:14:00.001-07:00

Greece's ruling socialist party led by Prime Minister George
Papandreou continued negotiations late Saturday with opposition
conservatives for a coalition government to save the nation from
bankruptcy, but the talks have been difficult as the opposition party
flatly rejected the idea.

The conservative New Democracy party headed by Antonis Samaras wants a
snap election and is demanding Papandreou's resignation.

President Karolos Papoulias is expected to meet Samaras at the
presidential residence on Sunday. He will urge Samaras to compromise
in order to overcome the current national crisis, but it remains
uncertain whether the opposition leader will give in.

South Korea's participation in the Eurasian nation's nuclear power

2011-11-05T23:05:00.001-07:00

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday asked for South
Korea's participation in the Eurasian nation's nuclear power plant
construction project, an official said, a request expected to revive
suspended negotiations between the two sides.

Erdogan made the offer in summit talks with South Korean President Lee
Myung-bak held on the sidelines of the G-20 summit meeting in the
French city of Cannes, senior presidential press secretary Choe
Guem-nak said.

Lee welcomed the request and proposed to hold "substantive
negotiations," Choe said.

Last year, South Korea and Turkey held intense negotiations on the US$
20 billion project to build four nuclear reactors on Turkey's Black
Sea coast. But the negotiations were suspended after the sides failed
to work out key differences.

Japan had been expected to win the project. But Turkey's talks with
Japan have reportedly been halted since March's nuclear power plant
accident in Japan in the wake of an earthquake and tsunami.

South Korea is a global atomic energy leader that relies on nuclear
plants for about 40 percent of its electricity needs. The country has
also been trying to export nuclear power plants since Korean firms won
a massive contract in late 2009 to build four atomic power plants in
the United Arab Emirates.

During Friday's meeting, Lee and Erdogan also agreed to make joint
efforts to conclude ongoing negotiations on a free trade agreement
before the end of the year, Choe said. They also agreed to increase
cooperation in the defense industry, he said.

Syria's Reaction on US Comment

2011-11-05T17:05:00.001-07:00

A Syrian foreign ministry source on Saturday branded as
"irresponsible" a statement made by the U.S. State Department advising
Syrians not to surrender themselves after Damascus announced an
amnesty for those who gave up their weapons.

With its statement the U.S. administration has proved once again its
flagrant intervention in the Syrian affairs and revealed its policy
that supports killing, as well as its funding of "terrorist groups,"
the source was quoted by the state news agency as saying.

The Syrian interior ministry on Friday called on those who carried,
sold or distributed weapons but didn't commit homicides to turn
themselves in within a week to receive amnesty.

In a statement carried by the state TV, the ministry pledged to
release those who turned themselves in between Nov. 5 and 12, saying
that "this will be considered as an amnesty to those who surrender
themselves and hand over their weapons."

After the issue of the Syrian statement, the U.S. State Department
spokesman Victoria Nuland told reporters that "I wouldn't advise
anybody to turn themselves in to the (Syrian) authorities at the
moment."

"This would be about the fourth amnesty that they've offered since I
took this job about five months ago," she said, "So we'll see if it
has any more traction than it's had."

The Syrian government "condemns this irresponsible statement that
couldn't be interpreted but as aiming to foment sedition and support
killing and terrorism practiced by armed groups against Syrian
citizens," the foreign ministry source said.

Syria Accuses U.S.A

2011-11-05T17:04:00.001-07:00

Syrian authorities accused the United States on Saturday of financing
terrorist groups in Syria and interfering with the country's domestic
affairs, diplomats said.

In its statement, the Syrian Foreign Ministry referred to State
Department spokesperson Victoria Nuland who "recommended that
terrorists do not surrender to Syrian authorities" on Friday.

The Foreign Ministry called on the international community "to come
out against such a policy that contradicts the international law and
UN Security Council resolutions on the fight against terrorism and its
funding."

On Friday, the Syrian Interior Ministry announced an amnesty for the
rioters if they give up weapons within a week. The protests against
the regime of President Bashar al-Assad have been continuing for eight
months.

At least 20 civilians have been killed in clashes with government
troops in Syria on Thursday, a day after Damascus pledged to withdraw
its forces from protest centers under a deal with the Arab League to
end months of bloody massacre.

Occupy Wall Street Protesters

2011-11-05T17:02:00.001-07:00

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said on Saturday that the city
authorities would not allow the violence that swept Oakland to be
repeated in New York, The New York Post said.

Oakland police had to use tear gas on Thursday to stop hundreds of
agitated Occupy Wall Street protesters who were destroying shop
windows and setting fire in the streets and engaging in other acts of
vandalism.

Bloomberg said Friday on his weekly WOR radio appearance that the city
would not tolerate some of the behavior at Zuccotti Park, but
officials also must "understand the laws and the implications."

The mayor said that anybody who thought the city was doing nothing was wrong.

He said some Occupy Wall Street protesters were trying to destroy the
neighborhood around their camp site but most were not.

Bloomberg earlier promised to take measures against some protesters
after city residents complained about noise, disturbances and social
misbehavior.

Boeing Delivers First 747-8 Freighter

2011-11-05T17:00:00.001-07:00

Boeing celebrated the delivery flight Thursday of the first 747-8
Freighter for Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings Inc.

The delivery is the first of nine 747-8 Freighters Atlas Air has on order.

Atlas Air's 49 percent subsidiary, Global Supply Systems (GSS), will
operate the new freighter for British Airways World Cargo through a
five-year wet-lease agreement, Boeing said in a statement.

"We have been looking forward to the delivery of our first 747-8F for
a long time, and we are delighted that it is going into service with
our valued, long-standing customer, British Airways World Cargo,"
President and Chief Executive Officer of Atlas Air, William J. Flynn
said.

As part of the lease agreement for three 747-8 Freighters with GSS,
British Airways World Cargo will utilize the airplanes on long-haul
routes to cargo hubs in Asia, Africa, India and the United States.

"The addition of the 747-8 Freighter to the fleet is an important step
in our overall long-haul business strategy," Senior Vice President for
IAG Cargo, comprised of BA World Cargo and Iberia Cargo, Jude
Winstanley said.

"The 747-8 Freighter provides us market-leading performance in terms
of payload, fuel efficiency, low ton-kilometer cost and environmental
compliance."

Vice President of North America and Leasing Sales, Kevin Schemm,
congratulated both Atlas Air and British Airways World Cargo on their
new freighter.

"The 747-8 Freighter will enable Atlas and British Airways World Cargo
to build on their success in the air cargo market," Schemm said.

"This airplane will deliver unparalleled efficiency and low operating
costs, including double-digit improvements in fuel burn and lower
emissions over the 747-400 it will be replacing."

The new 747-8 Freighter is 250 feet, 2 inches (76.3 m) long, which is
18 feet and 4 inches (5.6 m) longer than its predecessor, the 747-400
Freighter. The stretch provides customers with 16 percent more revenue
cargo volume, which translates to four additional main-deck pallets
and three additional lower-hold pallets.

Greek Economy Fallout

2011-11-05T16:57:00.001-07:00

Cyprus has taken measures to cooperate with the Central Bank for
shielding the island's banking system against possible Greek economic
fallout, the Finance Ministry said on Saturday.

The ministry's statement came after Moody's rating agency downgraded
Cyprus's government bonds ratings by two notches to Baa3 from Baa1 on
Friday.

The rating agency has also downgraded Cyprus's short-term rating to
Prime-3 from Prime-2 and placed it on review for further possible
downgrade.

The ministry cited two bills pending in parliament providing for the
creation of a Financial Stability Fund and empowering the government
to intervene in bank recapitalization in case of a bank being unable
to cope on its own.

The European Banking Authority had estimated that the Cypriot banks
exposed to Greek sovereign debt will require a capital buffer worth of
3.6 billion euros (4.9 billion U.S. dollars), in order to increase
their core tier 1 ratio to 9 percent.

Cyprus's two largest lenders, the Cyprus Bank and the Marfin Popular
Bank, have announced that they could recapitalize by their own means.

The Finance Ministry statement renewed a call to political parties "to
approve the 2012 state budget along with the proposed fiscal measures
as a necessary step towards fiscal consolidation."

In putting the Cypriot sovereign credit to just one notch above
non-investment speculative grade and keeping a watch for further
downgrade, Moody's said its move was driven by the high likelihood
that the Cypriot banking system will require state support in 2012 as
a result of the large expected write-downs on its exposures to Greek
government bonds.

"This state support will have a significant negative impact on the
government's debt metrics," Moody's said.

Housing Programs in the Philippines

2011-10-15T06:05:00.001-07:00

Key shelter agencies, in particular Pag-Ibig Fund, the National Housing Authority and the Social Housing Finance Corp., have committed to provide 1.5 million homes by 2016.

"This figure was not plucked out of thin air, but was reached after a careful review of targets, capabilities and resources," Vice President Jejomar Binay said in a speech at SHDA-HUDCC National Developers Convention held at the Dusit Thani Manila.

Binay said the target figure of houses to be built by 2016 did not include the units that would be built using funds from private banks, non-government organizations, local government units, and private developers.

The Vice President also assured developers that tax incentives are available for private companies engaged in socialized housing and said that this is guaranteed under section 20 of the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA).

"HUDCC is currently evaluating the issue of non-availment and will hold a dialog with the Bureau of Internal Revenue for a uniform application of such incentives," he said.

However, Binay appealed to the developers for their faithful compliance with the 20 percent balanced housing requirement under the UDHA. Section 18 of RA 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 requires every developer of subdivision projects to develop an area for socialized housing equivalent to at least 20 percent of the total subdivision area within the same city or municipality. The developer can also opt to shell out 20 percent of the total subdivision project cost if he chooses.

Binay said members of HUDCC were in the process of amending the implementing guidelines of section 18 and emphasized that the UDHA was not there to make housing development difficult for developers.

Source of high radiation detected in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward

2011-10-15T05:27:00.001-07:00

Several dozen bottles deemed the source of high radiation detected in Tokyo's Setagaya Ward were removed Friday afternoon from under the floor of a house there by government officials.

The bottles, with up to 600 microsieverts per hour of radiation at the surface, were found Thursday in a wooden container beneath the house after the ward detected abnormal levels of airborne radiation in the area.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology is almost certain the powder inside the bottles is radium, easing public anxiety that the contamination could have been related to the nuclear crisis at the crippled, radioactive cesium-leaking Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant over 200 kilometers away.

Shindigz Free Shipping on orders UNDER $49

2011-10-13T16:47:00.001-07:00

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2011-10-13T16:44:00.001-07:00

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LED TV Sale on Halloween

2011-10-13T16:43:00.001-07:00

It has an old school 8-bit design, LEDs in the eyes and mouth, and won't ever rot. You can't bake it into a pie, but buying it will at least free up your other pumpkins for that purpose. You get all of this convenience at a discounted (44% off) price of $9.99.

So go forth and introduce your audience to the future of Halloween. They'll thank you for it. Well, maybe not. It's the thought that counts.

Travelocity featured destination is Salt Lake City, Utah

2011-10-13T16:40:00.001-07:00

As the holidays draw near, don't get caught waiting until the last minute to plan your winter vacations. We've got great fall and winter savings to help you get the most out of your getaway trip!

This week's featured destination is Salt Lake City, UT. Nowhere else in North America can skiers and snowboarders combine world-class resorts with the amenities of a metropolitan setting, including exceptional dining, culture, arts, shopping, and an eclectic nightlife. Salt Lake offers an ideal and accessible winter vacation for die-hard skiers and families alike.

NEW PROMOTIONS:
Book a 3-night Stay at Select Las Vegas Resorts and Get 2 Tickets to a Participating Vegas Show with Travelocity! Ends 10/20.

Marquez Wants 3rd Rematch with Pacquiao

2010-08-03T18:11:00.001-07:00

Juan Manuel Marquez is eager to get back in the ring against Juan Diaz, and not just because he has been away from boxing for nearly a year.

It's just about the only place he can get away from the nagging dissatisfaction of chasing Manny Pacquiao.

Marquez and Diaz will meet Saturday night in a lightweight rematch of their acclaimed February 2009 bout. Diaz was beating Mexico's top fighter until Marquez rallied for a ninth-round stoppage, saving his career and propelling him into a big-money fight with Floyd Mayweather Jr.

"It's going to be a great fight," Marquez said. "If not the same, even better than the first fight. We have styles that make for a great fight, because we don't back down. We go in and fight, and we don't stop."

But Pacquiao still looms in the back of Marquez's mind as he prepares for the final stop before a likely move to the star-studded 140-pound (63.5-kilogram) division.

Best Way to Spend Time

2010-07-29T23:11:00.001-07:00

Spending time searching for something that we've lost is very common in this modern age. However, there is an important item that we can lose very easily and, search as we might, we will never find again. That item is time. Benjamin Franklin said, "Lost time is never found again." Our life is made up of time. We must rest, work, play and live in balance. It is the wasted time spent in mindless endeavors that threaten us the most.

The Bible tells us there is a time for everything under the sun (Ecclesiastes 3:1). It also tells us to put all of our might and effort into doing the things our hands find to do (Ecclesiastes 9:10). When we are good stewards of this wonderful gift of time, we will have fewer regrets and many more moments of pleasure. Use your time wisely.

Manny Pacquiao vs Margarito Fight

2010-07-27T19:18:00.001-07:00

Manny Pacquiao will fight Antonio Margarito on Nov. 13 for a vacant super welterweight championship, either in Las Vegas if Margarito can get licensed or in Monterrey, Mexico, if he can't, promoter Bob Arum said.

Manny Pacquiao's fight vs. Antonio Margarito will likely take place in either Las Vegas or Monterrey, Mexico.
Reed Saxon, AP

That ends any possibility of a match between Pacquiao and Floyd Mayweather Jr., the top two boxers in the world, for 2010.

Arum said he decided to choose Margarito instead of Miguel Cotto, whom Pacquiao stopped in the 12th round in November, because it would be perceived as a more competitive bout. The bout will be offered on HBO Pay-Per-View.

"Cotto was beaten and even with [Hall of Fame trainer] Emanuel Steward now with him, I don't think people believe that it's enough to make a difference and I'm not sure they would buy it as competitive," Arum said by telephone from his vacation home in Los Angeles. "But putting aside the controversy about the wraps, the one thing you know for sure with a Margarito fight is that it will be a hell of a fight for however long it lasts.

"Margarito knows only one way to fight and that's coming forward. They're going to get in there and fight. That's what people want to see."

Margarito's hand-wrap controversy is no minor matter, however. He was caught with a hardened substance in his knuckle pad prior to a Jan. 24, 2009, fight in California against Shane Mosley.

Online Business in the Internet

2010-07-20T16:30:00.001-07:00

No, I'm not talking about THAT kind of hooking up…this is a business article, for goodness sakes! I'm talking about building mutually beneficial relationships with other online business owners. That's the kind of hooking up that will propel your business to long-term success.

Many people get online and think that the more people they meet online, the bigger customer base they can get. To some degree that is true, but in this marketing mama's humble opinion, it's not where you should focus your efforts.

Nearly, four years ago, I started my online business. I was just a mom who desperately didn't want to return to work after maternity leave. I had NO CLUE what I was doing. None at all, but one thing I did do is meet people, but I didn't try to make these people my customers.

What, you may ask? Didn't I want to get any customers?

Sure I did, but I realized something much more valuable. The other online business owners that I met online weren't necessarily my target market and they had something much more valuable to offer me than a few dollars in my pocket from an Internet sale. They had knowledge, experience and ideas…and I had my own to share too. So, this is what I did…

I made friends and now I run a 6-figure per year business.

Yup, good old-fashioned friends with a common interest in online business. I share my experience and knowledge and they shared theirs. We discovered where we could collaborate on projects and build lifetime partnerships together. In other words, I gained a lifetime of value from these friends…not just another "Notification of Payment Received" email from PayPal.

Through these relationships, I have found:

- A number of partners on numerous profitable projects that we continue to produce and promote.
- Marketing advice from:

- A copywriter who has written million-dollar sales copy for numerous clients

- A guy who works from Florida and makes millions yearly from his online business ventures; and a bunch more. These are people that have made VITAL differences to the future of my online business.

- Someone who has orchestrated 6 and 7-figure product launches for his friends and clients.

- And a bunch of others too numerous to mention, but I am so grateful for every day of my life.

- Indispensable and trustworthy assistants that keep me inline when my mind wanders or I just can't get all the little things done in my business.

…and a whole bunch more. It doesn't really matter, what I gained. It's time to ask yourself what you want to gain…and if you're in it for the long haul. If you decide you are indeed in it for the long haul, it's time to start building those relationships.

How to Attract The Right People to Your Network

If you are already networking online, through message boards or other means, you're already on the way. Here's some tips on how to make the right kind of friends through your network.

- Scrutinize your networking list. If you belong to a bunch of email groups and even more message boards, it's time to start cutting out the fat. Your time is valuable, so choose just a few quality groups and boards where people are serious about online business. Forget about the ones where people are out to get rich quick or where you simply post for "Ad Mondays".

- Don't be too eager. Don't start out by telling the world, you want to "partner" on a project or anything like that. Take it slow, get to know people and give your input where you can. I emphasize the "where you can" because if you don't have any experience on a subject, just keep quiet. But don't worry, if you feel you really don't have a lot of experience, you can still be a valuable community member by giving support and encouragement to your fellow online business owners. The experience will come with time.

- Share your experiences. Expanding on the previous point, do share on the subjects in which you have some experience. The more freely you share your information, the more willing people will be to share with you. We all have our own experience and expertise. We can cut our learning curves tremendously by learning from others.

- Make personal connections. If you have something you'd like to discuss privately with a member, contact them. It may be to discuss a particular idea you have for their business or you may want to interview them for your newsletter. When you do make these connections, always keep in mind what value it has for your networking partner.

Maintaining A Good Website

2010-07-20T16:28:00.001-07:00

With more than 77% of all American adults now online, and more than 175 million Americans using the Internet regularly, the argument that a website is an essential business tool is resolved before the debate begins. If your company isn't taking steps and making a continuing effort to maximize its website it is leaving customers and revenue behind (for competitors to pick up).
Some of the hesitancy in developing and maintaining a good website is derived from misunderstandings of what it takes to make a website productive. This article shares 8 things you can do with relative ease to enable your website to deliver better results. They are:

1. Make Sure Your Website is User Friendly

Whether in an offline or online environment, your target market can't be expected to buy your product if you do not make it easy to find and purchase. Your website can enhance the ease with which information and specs about your products/services can be found, thereby making the decision to buy them easier. Your website needs to (a) open quickly, (b) be easy to navigate and find information, and (c) provide a painless checkout process. If you can meet these three criteria, visitors will enjoy being on your site, and your sales through the site will increase.

2. Give in to Speed

According to some sources, you have about 30 seconds to convince a visitor to your website to stay there and look for what they came to purchase. If your website takes these same 30 seconds to upload, or you have a 30 second flash that is well prepared but devoid of any message (loved by the graphic design folks and marketing people for its creativity and hated by visitors because it takes time and says nothing), then you will lose visitors even before you have a chance to present your benefits and offer. The key to speed is a well designed site hosted on servers that deliver high speed.

3. Know Who Your Site is Targeting

The better you understand your target market the better your website will perform. Keeping in mind that the website is a marketing tool, and that knowing your market is a fundamental of good marketing, it makes sense that your website should be developed with your market in mind. You need to understand how you market behaves not only in terms of buying habits and spending patterns, but also, in the case of effective web development, online. The online behavior of your market will help you construct the site to meet their expectations, needs and preferences. In most cases the market will demand (a) that your site be updates and provide the latest relevant information, (b) that the site enable their inquiries through the latest online technologies, and (c) that the website be convenient to navigate.

4. Know Your Goals

Just as with offline business, "getting more sales" is not a useful goal in that it is vague, overly apparent, and devoid of any market based elements. You need to approach your website with goals and objectives in mind, not only so that the site can be constructed consistent with them, but also so that the maintenance of the site can be executed to support them. For example, the goals of your website could be "present products in an attractive manner that allows prospective buyers to visual their use and benefits". Another legitimate objective could be "to present information on products and the company so as to educate consumers and broaden our customer base". In both instances, the goals are clearly defined, and the websites constructed around them will be designed in architecture and appearance to maximize the success of the stated objectives.

5. Develop a Smart Web Architecture

When it comes to the architecture of your website - where the information is placed and the paths visitors take to get to it - the most critical tool you can deploy is common sense. Most people will look for information in the place where it is most logical for it to be. If you get creative, or want to make a point with your navigation (or the names you give to the information links you have) you will find that most people will leave your site rather than try to unravel the brilliance you are showing through your very clever structure. In other words, people are on your site to get to something, the easier you make it for them to get there, the better your website is. Period.

6. Operate According to a Plan

Like any marketing tool, your website needs to be tied into your overall marketing strategy and needs to be reflective of your company, its products, and the message and image it seeks to communicate to the market. Your website needs to have a plan of operation that detail, through a process and in accordance with steps, timelines, and accountability elements, the milestones for measuring performance and success. The plan needs to include (a) processes and timetables for updates and announcements, (b) your web marketing campaign, and (c) how your site will compete against similar sites.

7. Market Your Website

Like every other aspect of your business, if you do not market what you are doing nobody will know about it or why what you are selling is something they should buy. There are many ways to market a website and, as with Tudog's approach to traditional marketing, we recommend a basket of tactics. These include (a) organic embedding of metatags and other keywords into the content of your website so as to secure a higher natural listing on the search engines, (b) the purchase of select keywords to ensure high search results when these words are punched in, (c) affiliate sites and appearances on other sites, and (d) targeted web ads. These marketing tactics will assist you in driving traffic to your site, as well as serve to raise general awareness for your company.

8. Monitor Your Activities
The Internet offers excellent opportunities to monitor and analyze your activities so that you can be certain that what you are doing is not only working, but maximizing your potential. The web can help you determine how many people are coming to your site, where they are going inside the site, where they came from into your site, and whether or not they made a purchase.

Branding Your Business in the Internet

2010-07-20T16:24:00.001-07:00

The Internet is a ubiquitous Corporate communications and sales channel, however many companies are still not utilizing much of its power. That could be because of loyalties to comfortable old channels or that there aren't enough Internet marketing experts to take their brands into the digital realm.

Regardless of the hold-ups in leveraging internal or external Internet communications options, consumer and B2B channels are growing their share of the market. Resistance is futile and with this change in how consumers and B2B buyers are reached, is a change in the symbolism, voice, and style of promoting brands. That doesn't necessarily mean the Internet can't play a supporting role for your offline or TV advertising. For many campaigns, the Internet is just another conduit for sales videos and corporate brochures. Some are satisfied with this, however the Internet's own power to communicate and generate business shouldn't be underestimated.

The Internet, whether through public Web sites, search engines, Internet radio broadcasts, and e-mail are very targeted. It is shown to reach the right target at the right time with the right message. It doesn't matter whether you use a Web friendly, or search engine friendly approach to your online advertising and promotion. You need to be there anyway you can. It's too important to let it slide.

Internet branding is a term in increasing usage because branding can be adapted to be effective on the Internet. That's different from broadcasting your TV video ad or showing your marketing brochure on your Web site. With Internet branding, you're taking into consideration that viewers have searched around and seen many other products similar to yours. They may have reviewed many more product or service features than they would think about while watching television or casually reading a magazine.

Your customer's context then is different. The splashy video display generally isn't there and surprisingly, few people are interested in seeing it. They're pressured for time and want to find what they're looking for. If you understand their quest for knowledge, you can better shape your value proposition and even your sales pitch.

Active Internet Positioning

The Internet appears to be a passive marketing environment, but it's actually very active. To stay one step ahead of the elusive customer, you have to continually position your products and Web site to meet their needs ahead of time. An Internet marketing expert helps to tell you where people are going ahead of time. You may even position your brand better with this knowledge. You have returning customers whose loyalty you want to build and you have new prospects coming in searching and enquiring about different things. It's not easy to position a brand to meet all those needs. There are experts in the field who can help you understand Web visitors and help you build powerful Corporate Internet Branding strategies.

It's easy to say you'll advertise to reach all the same prospects you did with your TV campaigns, but Internet audiences are different. And, advertising, such as search engine advertising can be expensive. You may not be able to afford to reach those same people. That means you may have to plan a way to reach particular segments of that audience with more specific features and benefits. Only after you bring them to your Web site and established credibility with respect to the product they're inquiring about, will you be able to present your corporate brand. Corporate branding is powerful today and Corporate Internet Branding even more so. You can introduce products more quickly and even reposition them more effectively. People see corporate brands all the time though and are not necessarily impressed that your corporate brand will make this particular product relevant to them. For instance, just because Nike makes golf equipment doesn't mean their "big mammoth driver" is the right one. The corporate logo won't be enough and forcing the brand on them isn't going to make them buy it.

Search Marketing

Instead, Internet branding strategies, particularly those that deliver targeted visitors to your Web site, ensure your establish credibility and relevance. Remember that Web visitors are in an intense state of consciousness. They're very often looking for something specific. If you want to get anywhere on the Web as a user, you have to have an idea of what you want, or you'll sit frustrated in front of your computer. Television and magazines are very different. The channels and pages in these mediums are limited and the prospect is captured. Not on the Internet. There are billions of web pages and hundreds of millions of Web sites.

With search engines, consumers can get help finding what they're looking for. High ranking sites get first crack at these motivated/directed consumers. Your corporate Internet marketing strategy should be heavily involved in search engine visibility. It is an opportunity to present your site many different ways to many different types of consumers. The potential reach is further enhanced because you have International reach and the cost of entry is so minimal.

Searchers are looking for quick solutions too. They're not looking for fancy graphics and complicated menus that fly out all over the place. They're looking for specific things about your products and services. Here, you have a low cost of adapting your brand imagery and communications to suit each group of visitors. Generally, it just takes another Web page designed and written for that group of consumers. You can fashion your homepage to let current customers get to what they're looking for as well.

After these searchers have found your products and services relevant to their search, your corporate brand will then have the power to make the sale and establish brand loyalty.

Intelligent corporate Internet Branding adapts to the consumer.

Sustaining Government Help

2010-07-03T00:49:00.001-07:00

"We are up to the challenge", says Mayor Thomas Louis Gonzaga, committing to the huge task of sustaining the government help to facilitate easy social reintegration for former rebels.

Gonzaga, heads the host town allowing 50 hectares of agricultural and residential lands for the construction of KR Kalayaan Resettlement Center (KKRC) also helped the government screen the ten families who shall live in the new community with 15 rebel returnees.

KKRC is implemented in line with the government's Social Integration Program for rebel returnees and by putting up the resettlement program, former governor Erico Aumentado hopes he could continue convincing rebels to lay down their arms and go back to the mainstream working for peace.

Danao has greatly reaped from the benefits of the project, he told media covering the turn over of the 18 units initially built by the government for the resettlement site.

But former guerilla and legendary fighter, Epitacio Ramirez, or Kumander Vargas, who represents the 15 rebel returnee beneficiaries of the KKRC has earlier aired his fear that government may discontinue support after the project turn-over.

Funded by the President's Social Fund and in collaboration with the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process and the Provincial Government of Bohol, the P6 Million KKRC includes electrification, water system installation and the putting up of a multi-purpose pavement and community Center.

Government funds, specifically the P1.5M form OPAPP could not be downloaded as fast that only 18 of the original 25 houses were completed during the turn-over, says retired Provincial Social Welfare Officer Constancia Tunacao.

The incomplete development of the area has concerned Ramirez who wanted the assurance that the government would still be true to its promise.

Over this, Mayor Gonzaga, who easily reclaimed his town's to seat when he was uncontested in the last elections assured he will keep the local government working for its completion in as much as he also has 10 civilian beneficiaries living in the center.

8th Division Commander Maj. Gen. Arthur Tabaquero, who turned over the project from the government o the beneficiaries also wished that the KKRC sustain and continue to be the symbol of unity and cooperation among the people of Bohol, and among the people in the region.

In his turn-over message, Gov. Aumentado vowed to continue and sustain the project by monitoring its full implementation, as Danao is under his district.

Philippine Print Media

2010-06-26T15:49:00.001-07:00

by Jose Carillo: With the Philippine print media now admirably keeping a much tighter watch over their English grammar and usage, there are obviously fewer opportunities for Jose Carillo's English Forum to do instructive critiques of their grammar errors. This is why for the past several weeks, the Forum has been gradually shifting to new areas of focus in English grammar and usage improvement. It opened a Students' Sounding Board section last January to provide college and high school students with their own online forum for improving English proficiency. It expanded its "Use and Misuse" section last June 4 to more strongly encourage Forum members to discuss any aspect of English that baffles them, and to share interesting experiences about English use and misuse at work, in school, or in the mass media. Then, last June 11, it relaunched its "Pour Out Your Mind" section as "My Thoughts Exactly," which features expositions by Forum members in a more attractive format to better promote the felicitous use of English in self-expression.

These changes have definitely made the Forum's grammar lessons less dependent on the Philippine print media's misuse of English; instead, as you will see below in the Forum's offerings for this week, we now have a Forum that's more attuned to—and one that directly addresses—the English-usage problems and questions encountered from day to day by professionals, employees, teachers, students, and the general public.

Ban Smoking in Public Schools

2010-06-22T17:35:00.001-07:00

The Department of Education (DepEd) asserts, schools are no smoking zones and anyone caught violating the order would be suspended.

And the ban holds true, even to teachers and non-teaching staff.

DepEd official and spokesperson Jonathan Malaya said anyone caught violating the no smoking rule will be brought to the principal's office, or if a teacher or non-teaching staff is caught, he will be prosecuted and suspended.

"There have been existing DepEd orders on smoking ban but with this, we want to affirm that the schools – including the students, teachers, and non-teaching staff – are covered," Secretary Mona Valisno said in reports.

Over the announcement, DepEd has accordingly instructed all principals and school heads to ban smoking inside the campus, even in open or covered spaces around school buildings and instructed regional and division officials to oversee the implementation of the order.

Secretary Valisno said the DepEd order No. 73 or the "Smoking Ban in Public Schools" released June 4, ordered public schools to ban smoking in public schools effective immediately.

She also stressed that DepEd would be strict in implementing the smoking ban in all school premises "to protect our school children from inhaling second hand smoke."

Since 2003, DepEd has declared school premises as "Zones of Health" and "No Smoking Areas."

DepEd Order No. 33 prohibited smoking and sale of cigarettes and other tobacco products inside public and private campuses, buildings, offices, including the premises and buildings of the division, regional and national offices.

Some time ago, the agency also ordered through DECS Order No. 63, s. 1998 and DECS Order No. 2, s. 1991 a prohibition on smoking in all offices under the Education Department.

According to health experts, carbon monoxide absorbed in the blood can affect one's health including the disrupting brain processes.

Doctor Specializing in Weight Loss Diet

2010-06-21T22:49:00.001-07:00

In what is perhaps the most shocking announcement made in some time regarding the diet and health industry, a lady doctor has just released what some authorities are calling the world's "Top Secret Fat Loss Secret!"

The woman doctor, whose name is Dr Suzanne Gudakunst, has really upset the major food & drug industries, as well as weight loss manufactured food companies.

In the past 6 years she has worked largely in secret developing what may be the "cure" for obesity -- and testing this first on herself, and then on a select group of volunteer patients who anxiously awaited salvation from the harmful effects of suffering "the battle of bulge."

So valuable her SHOCKING findings and PROVEN results are, that she's now just released her simple and easy-to-do system under the aptly titled: "Top Secret Fat Loss Secret!"

And her timing couldn't be better! ...

- Since recent studies reveal obesity has now reached epidemic
proportions, her secret may well prove a major life-saver to the
now more than 40% of Americans alone who are labeled
"obese!"

- Children are now considered "fatter than ever" by most experts,
and Dr Suzanne's remedy may prove a preventative in the fight
against later-in-life developed diabetes when these same
children grow into adults!

And what may be the BIGGEST "Shock" of all is this horrifying fact:

=> Dr Suzanne has received death threats for simply making
her secret fat loss solution available to the general public -
and from what law enforcement investigators believe may
be insiders in the weight-loss/diet food manufacturing and
weight-loss drug treatment industries!

One federal law enforcement official (who insists on remaining nameless) said in confidence:

"It's no shock to us at the [agency name withheld for security
purposes] that this lady doc has received so many threats on
her life as food and drug companies stand to lose potentially
billions of dollars by the release of her new breakthrough
secret for losing weight."

But now with the release of this breakthrough weight and fat loss revelation, people who previously struggled so very hard with little or any success in the fight against the "extra pounds" now have a VAST & POWERFUL WEAPON on their side for a well-deserved change!

When asked if she feared retaliation from pharmaceutical and weight-loss food manufacturers, she said almost too hopefully...

"I wish they would do so especially in public because to get
fired upon for this would demonstrate more than ever that I
must have done something very, very right ... as anyone
with common sense would see that the only reason they are
in business in the first place is because being overweight as
a population only serves to make them even richer ... and
what I've done is going to free masses of people from being
slaves to them for good! - even many millions."

So despite the continued threats, Dr Suzanne is more on the ball and out to ruffle as many feathers as she can with her New "TOP SECRET Fat Loss Secret!"

To be sure the good gal-doctor isn't going this alone! Nope. She's got some very BIG heavy-hitters on her side!

Joined in unison by some of the biggest names in modern medicine from the likes of Johns Hopkins, Harvard Medical, and a good number of the other leading world-recognized hospitals and higher-learning institutions, Dr Suzanne moves rapidly forward in her personal "war" on ugly, unwanted fat and for the pursuit of better and eventually optimal health for all!

Additionally, you should know that nothing about her secret fat loss cure is difficult or hard to do.

What you may even find strangely surprising about her secret is the fact that it can by done by anyone effortlessly! (You'll have to see it for yourself to understand how this is actually possible!)

What is the main ingredient of WD-40?

2010-06-05T16:56:00.001-07:00

What is the main ingredient of WD-40?

Before you read to the end, does anybody know what the main ingredient of WD-40 is? Don't lie and don't cheat. WD-40. Who knew; I had a neighbor who bought a new pickup. I got up very early one Sunday morning and saw that someone had spray painted red all around the sides of this beige truck (for some unknown reason). I went over, woke him up, and told him the bad news. He was very upset and was trying to figure out what to do.... Probably nothing until Monday morning, since nothing was open. Another neighbor came out and told him to get his WD-40 and clean it off. It removed the unwanted paint beautifully and did not harm his paint job that was on the truck. I'm impressed! WD-40 who knew? 'Water Displacement #40'. The product began from a search for a rust preventative solvent and degreaser to protect missile parts. WD-40 was created in 1953 by three technicians at the San Diego Rocket Chemical Company. Its name comes from the project that was to find a 'water displacement' compound.. They were successful with the fortieth formulation, thus WD-40. The Convair Company bought it in bulk to protect their atlas missile parts. Ken East (one of the original founders) says there is nothing in WD-40 that would hurt you... When you read the 'shower door' part, try it. It's the first thing that has ever cleaned that spotty shower door. If yours is plastic, it works just as well as glass. It's a miracle! Then try it on your stove top ... Viola! It's now shinier than it's ever been. You'll be amazed.

WD-40 uses:

1. Protects silver from tarnishing.

2. Removes road tar and grime from cars.

3. Cleans and lubricates guitar strings.

4. Gives floors that 'just-waxed' sheen without making them slippery.

5.. Keeps flies off cows.

6. Restores and cleans chalkboards.

7. Removes lipstick stains.

8.. Loosens stubborn zippers.

9. Untangles jewelry chains.

10. Removes stains from stainless steel sinks.

11. Removes dirt and grime from the barbecue grill.

12. Keeps ceramic/terra cotta garden pots from oxidizing.

13. Removes tomato stains from clothing.

14. Keeps glass shower doors free of water spots.

15. Camouflages scratches in ceramic and marble floors.

16. Keeps scissors working smoothly..

17. Lubricates noisy door hinges on vehicles and doors in homes.

18. It removes black scuff marks from the kitchen floor! Use WD-40 for those nasty tar and scuff marks on flooring. It doesn't seem to harm the finish and you won't have to scrub nearly as hard to get them off. Just remember to open some windows if you have a lot of marks.

19. Bug guts will eat away the finish on your car if not removed quickly! Use WD-40!

20. Gives a children's playground gym slide a shine for a super fast slide.

21. Lubricates gear shift and mower deck lever for ease of handling on riding mowers... 22.. Rids kids rocking chairs and swings of squeaky noises.

23. Lubricates tracks in sticking home windows and makes them easier to open..

24. Spraying an umbrella stem makes it easier to open and close.

25. Restores and cleans padded leather dashboards in vehicles, as well as vinyl bumpers. 26. Restores and cleans roof racks on vehicles.

27. Lubricates and stops squeaks in electric fans

28. Lubricates wheel sprockets on tricycles, wagons, and bicycles for easy handling.

29. Lubricates fan belts on washers and dryers and keeps them running smoothly.

30. Keeps rust from forming on saws and saw blades, and other tools.

31. Removes splattered grease on stove.

32. Keeps bathroom mirror from fogging.

33. Lubricates prosthetic limbs.

34. Keeps pigeons off the balcony (they hate the smell).

35. Removes all traces of duct tape.

36. Folks even spray it on their arms, hands, and knees to relieve arthritis pain.

37. Florida 's favorite use is: 'cleans and removes love bugs from grills and bumpers.'

38. The favorite use in the state of New York , WD-40 protects the Statue of Liberty from the elements.

39. WD-40 attracts fish. Spray a little on live bait or lures and you will be catching the big one in no time. Also, it's a lot cheaper than the chemical attractants that are made for just that purpose. Keep in mind though, using some chemical laced baits or lures for fishing are not allowed in some states.

40. Use it for fire ant bites.. It takes the sting away immediately and stops the itch.

41. WD-40 is great for removing crayon from walls. Spray on the mark and wipe with a clean rag.

42. Also, if you've discovered that your teenage daughter has washed and dried a tube of lipstick with a load of laundry, satur ate the lipstick spots with WD-40 and rewash. Presto! The lipstick is gone!

43. If you sprayed WD-40 on the distributor cap, it would displace the moisture and allow the car to start.

No Revamp of Government Workers

2010-05-29T06:18:00.000-07:00

Civil Service Commission (CSC) chairman Dr. Francisco Duque III on Wednesday assured rank-and-file government employees that there will be no major revamp when President-elect Benigno "Noynoy" C. Aquino III assumes office on July 1, 2010.

Duque also said state workers in government controlled corporations (GOCCs) won't be affected.

"All assistant secretaries and directors with Career Executive Service Officer (CESO) rank as well as civil service eligibles and board passers employed in all government agencies won't be affected in the transition period," Duque told reporters in Quezon City.

He said only the Presidential appointees or co-terminus with incumbent President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo such as the Cabinet Secretaries, Undersecretaries, confidential rank-and-file employees including appointed directors and commissioners will have to end their term on June 30, 2010.

Also affected are contractual employees and those working as co-terminus consultants.

"On the status of the contractuals, they are subject for further evaluation. If they are civil service eligibles or board passers, they have a good chance of being absorbed as regular employees," Duque said.

Duque was at the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) main office in Quezon City to sign an agreement with BIR Commissioner Joel Tan-Torres for putting up a BIR-CSC Public Call Center starting July 1, 2010 ending on June 30, 2011.

For his part, Tan-Torres said the BIR-CSC Citizen's Helpline is a 24/7 contact center facility for providing a venue to address the concerns of the general public via voice call, short messaging system (SMS), fax, email or internet.

Negative effects of all forms of media

2010-05-29T06:13:00.001-07:00

The Department of Education (DepEd) is set to introduce a media literacy education curriculum that seeks to protect children from the negative effects of all forms of media.

"We believe that our young learners need to be protected from adverse media which they encounter everyday while in the process of acquiring information and entertainment," said Education Secretary Mona Valisno.

For this, DepEd has created the Media Literacy Task Force (MLTF) which was given the green light to develop a National Media Literacy Education (NMLE) curriculum that would help children understand and handle media.

"Our children need help in developing their skill to distinguish good news from bad news and good programs from bad ones," explained Valisno.

According to Valisno, recent studies (Cartoon Network New Generations Philippines (2009), the 2008 AC Nielsen kids study and the 2002 PCTVF Media violence Study) showed the prevalence of TV viewing among children and youth. It was also reflected in the 2009 study that 26 percent of Filipino children go online everyday, 50 percent of which use the internet for their homework.

The NMLE is set to be integrated in the Basic Education Curriculum under Social Studies for the elementary level and under English/Communication Arts/Values for the high school level.

Teachers, school administrators, and peer educators will soon undergo trainings in preparation for the integration. Media learning resources will also be developed for use in public schools.

Highest, freshest quality foods & snacks

2010-05-17T18:35:00.001-07:00

GourmetNut.com brings you the highest, freshest quality foods & snacks the world has to offer. You can be sure that everything we carry on our site is extremely fresh & gourmet quality. But we don't just say it, we mean it, and we stand behind anything & everything we sell. So if you are a Gourmet Nut like us, and are looking for a great place to get quality, healthy, & delicious gourmet foods snacks & treats then you've found the right place!

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Illustrator & animator Sivan Ben-Yosef was born in 1973, in Petah Tiqwa, Israel

2010-05-17T16:55:00.005-07:00

Illustrator & animator Sivan Ben-Yosef was born in 1973, in Petah Tiqwa, Israel. As a daughter of two acclaimed Israeli artists, she has been involved and immersed in the arts from very early childhood. Ms. Ben Yosef started her artistic endeavors attending "Thelma Yellin School of the Arts", in Givataim, Israel, where as part of the Visual Arts department, she studied painting, drawing and sculpture.

DOX, born Amin Fleary hails from the Crown Heights

2010-05-17T16:55:00.003-07:00

DOX, born Amin Fleary hails from the Crown Heights neighborhood of Brooklyn, NY. His early years were defined by a stepmother addicted to crack-cocaine, and a father, who spent most of his time working odd jobs to support the family. DOX often acted as the man of the house, which at the time was an abandoned building. It was there that he learned at an early age that nothing would be given to him.

CGM is a full service entertainment management company

2010-05-17T16:55:00.001-07:00

CGM is a full service entertainment management company, from individual client management to full-scale event coordination. Our goal is to put the Personal back into Personal Manager. Our tight knit family of clients each benefits from our undivided attention to all facets of their careers. We've built a solid reputation on attention to detail and the welfare of each of our clients.

Blurb Premium Upgrade: Publish Your Books Online

2010-05-06T19:48:00.001-07:00

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Passion for Business

2010-05-06T04:14:00.001-07:00

by John Hagel III, John Seely Brown and Lang Davison

"We all have passions.

Some of us have been fortunate enough to pursue our passions as our professions. Most of us have not.

But all too often those who are passionate about their work are frustrated with their employers and bosses. They are not satisfied. Far from it. They want to do more, but they feel held back.

This manifesto is for them—the "passionate creatives" of the world. Together passionate creatives have more power than they realize.

But that power comes from a surprising place."

Open Driven Objectives

2010-05-06T04:13:00.001-07:00

by Charlene Li

"What's often missing when leaders try to decide how open they should be is a coherent open strategy, something I call 'open-driven objectives.' With an open strategy, decision shifts from if you should be open—because social technology demands a certain amount of openness—to how open you need to be to accomplish your overall strategic goals. In today's world, organizations and their leaders must be open or suffer the consequences—distrust, leaks, resentment, and institutional sclerosis."

Nigeria's President Passes Away

2010-05-05T19:18:00.001-07:00

Agence France-Presse

Nigeria president Umaru Yar'Adua has died, an official at his office confirmed late Wednesday.

"It is true that the president is dead," an official at the office said.

Yar Adua died between 9:30 and 10:30 p.m. (2030 and 2130 GMT) Wednesday, according to a report on the website of Nigerian newspaper This Day.

The president, whose failing health had forced him to relinquish power to his deputy Goodluck Jonathan in February, spent three months being treated in a hospital in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia for an acute heart condition.

Since his return to Nigeria in February, Adua, 58, had not been seen in public, but there was constant tension between his supporters and those of Acting President Jonathan.

Download DirectFTP Software: New Features

2010-05-05T18:33:00.001-07:00

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Review of The Back-up Plan Movie

2010-05-05T06:09:00.002-07:00

By ROWENA JOY A. SANCHEZ, Manila Bulletin

"The Back-up Plan"

No hubby? Have a(n inseminated) baby!

That was Zoe's (Jennifer Lopez) back-up plan for herself when things didn't work well on the love front. But as Fate always and never fails to play around hopeful and even not-so-hopeful hearts, she meets Stan (Alex O'Loughlin), a cheese maker whose name kind of rhymes with "The One."

That, in a nutshell, is the premise of "The Back-up Plan," which is the singer-actress formerly known as J. Lo's comeback film.

It may not be that gigantic of a comeback film for Lopez (whose last film was released three years ago), but "Back-up Plan" has got heart. Directed by Alan Poul and written by Kate Angelo, the rom-com, in spite of its simplicity and predictability, has a lot of "haha" and "aww" moments that proved to be quite appealing to female audiences.

Motherhood must have served J.Lo well, as she portrayed her character with sincerity. Though it should be said that there isn't anything mind-blowing about her performance.

Meanwhile, Alex, who has risen to leading man status thanks to this film, is convincing and lovable as he is "too good to be true."

With a decent supporting cast and a fresh, low-key pop soundtrack, overall, "Back-up Plan" is a sweet, little, contemporary fairy tale story hinged on the notion of "trust and commitment" being key to a relationship's eternal happiness.

After watching the movie, the hopeless romantics will probably wish someone will "steal their cab" and turn out to be "the one." Hopefully, with the baby coming right after.

Review of The Losers Movie

2010-05-05T06:09:00.001-07:00

By ROWENA JOY A. SANCHEZ

"The Losers"

As they say, don't mess with the losers, 'coz they've got nothing to lose.

"The Losers" is another one of those comic book-to-big screen projects that seem to be a favorite in Hollywood productions these days. Though action-packed to the core, director Sylvain White surely didn't run out of ways to tickle the funny bones.

Based on Andy Diggle's 32-issue comic book of the same name, the story looks into the lives of five US Special Forces soldiers (Clay, Jensen, Roque, Cougar and Pooch) who were assigned to a search-and-destroy-mission at a Bolivian jungle. However, they discover that the "destroy" part is actually for them, instigated by war-hungry man Max.

Enter Aisha, a hot, mysteriously generous woman with a proposition: Help the Losers take revenge, get Max for her.

Fast-paced shots and a thumping musical score fit the action-packed scenes perfectly. But it's the injection of fun in those scenes that makes the viewing experience all the more exciting and gripping. Imagine singing Journey's "Don't Stop Believing" in falsetto, getting caught in the elevator half-naked, stealing confidential data, then using "telekinetic powers" --and in dramatic fashion at that--to gun down the baddies all in one scene. Applause, applause to Chris Evans for this.

The film may not have an A-list type of cast, but Jeffrey Dean Morgan, Idris Elba, Chris Evans, Columbus Short and Oscar Jaenada sure have rapport.

"Losers" also finds their own version of Angelina Jolie in Zoe Saldana, the downright bad-ass chick Aisha who is as sweet as a rose but sharp as a thorn.

Jason Patric provides a different kind of villain in Max, who instead of being an in-your-face gritty, angry baddie is more of an annoyingly vain prima donna who wants to own the world.

The movie may be titled such, but it's actually the opposite.

Boxing in Mandaue City Cebu

2010-05-03T02:29:00.001-07:00

Local boxers continued their dominance by outshining their rivals last week in Mandaue City.

Other fighters in the winning bracket included Hipolito Banal, who was reported to be the son the late Hipolito Sr., and brother of AJ "Bazooka" Banal of Corella, Bohol. the younger Banal is raised in Barangay Ermita, Cebu City.

Tagbilaran City boxers outclassed local pugs in the Mayor Jonas Cortes Boxing at the Park-Amateur Boxing Series at the Mandaue Plaza Square.

The visiting boxers bagged four wins in the 36kg, 39kg, 46kg, and 48kg divisions to rule the event.

Winners for Tagbilaran were Orville King Olaivar, Kenneth Gentallan, Jessel Magsayo and Bernard Torres.

How to Write a Letter to a Bank

2010-05-02T02:13:00.001-07:00

For all who have ever had any dealings with the banks..... This is an

actual letter sent to a Bank in the US. The Bank thought it amusing

enough to publish it in the New York Times.

Dear Bank Manager,

I am writing to thank you for bouncing the cheque with which I

endeavoured to pay my plumber last month. By my calculations some

three nanoseconds must have elapsed between his presenting the cheque,

and the arrival in my account of the funds needed to honour it. I

refer, of course, to the automatic monthly deposit of my entire

salary, an arrangement which, I admit, has only been in place for eight

years.

You are to be commended for seizing that brief window of opportunity,

and also for debiting my account with $50 by way of penalty for the

inconvenience I caused your bank. My thankfulness springs from the

manner in which this incident has caused me to re-think my errant

financial ways.

You have set me on the path of fiscal righteousness. No more will our

relationship be blighted by these unpleasant incidents, for I am

restructuring my affairs in 2000, taking as my model the procedures,

attitudes and conduct of your very own bank. I can think of no greater

compliment, and I know you will be excited and proud to hear it. To

this end, please be advised about the following:

First, I have noticed that whereas I personally attend to your telephone

calls and letters, when I try to contact you I am confronted by the

impersonal, ever-changing, pre-recorded, faceless entity which your bank

has become. From now on I, like you, choose only to deal with a flesh and

blood person. My mortgage and loan repayments will, therefore and

hereafter, no longer be automatic, but will arrive at your bank, by

cheque, addressed personally and confidentially to an employee of your

branch, whom you must nominate.

You will be aware that it is an offence under the Postal Act for any

other person to open such an envelope. Please find attached an

Application Contact Status which I require your chosen employee to

complete. I am sorry it runs to eight pages, but in order that I know

as much about him or her as your bank knows about me, there is no

alternative. Please note that all copies of his or her medical history

must be countersigned by a Justice of the Peace, and that the mandatory

details of his/her financial situation (income, debts, assets and

liabilities) must be accompanied by documented proof.

In due course I will issue your employee with a PIN number which he/she

must quote in all dealings with me. I regret that it cannot be shorter

than 28 digits but, again, I have modelled it on the number of button

presses required to access my account balance on your phone bank

service. As they say, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.

Let me level the playing field even further by introducing you to my

new telephone system, which you will notice, is very much like yours.

My Authorised Contact at your bank, the only person with whom I will

have any dealings, may call me at any time and will be answered by an

automated voice. By pressing Buttons on the phone, he/she will be

guided through an extensive set of menus:

1. To make an appointment to see me.

2. To query a missing repayment.

3. To make a general complaint or inquiry.

4. To transfer the call to my living room in case I am there;

Extension of living room to be communicated at the time the

call is received.

5. To transfer the call to my bedroom in case I am sleeping;

Extension of bedroom to be communicated at the time the call

is received.

6. To transfer the call to my toilet in case I am attending to

nature; Extension of toilet to be communicated at the time the

call is received.

7. To transfer the call to my mobile phone in case I am not at home.

8. To leave a message on my computer. To leave a message a password

to access my computer is required. Password will be communicated

at a later date to the contact.

9. To return to the main menu and listen carefully to options 1

through 9.

The contact will then be put on hold, pending the attention of my

automated answering service. While this may on occasion involve a

lengthy wait, uplifting music will play for the duration. This month

I've chosen a refrain from The Best Of Woody Guthrie:

......."Oh, the banks are made of marble

With a guard at every door

And the vaults are filled with silver

That the miners sweated for"

After twenty minutes of that, our mutual contact will probably know it

off by heart.

On a more serious note, we come to the matter of cost. As your bank has

often pointed out, the ongoing drive for greater efficiency comes at a

cost - a cost which you have always been quick to pass on to me. Let me

repay your kindness by passing some costs back.

First, there is the matter of advertising material you send me. This I

will read for a fee of $20/page. Enquiries from your nominated contact

will be billed at $5 per minute of my time spent in response. Any debits

to my account, as, for example, in the matter of the penalty for the

dishonoured cheque, will be passed back to you. My new phone service runs

at 75 cents a minute (even Woody Guthrie doesn't come free), so you would

be well advised to keep your enquiries brief and to the point.

Regrettably, but again following your example, I must also levy an

establishment fee to cover the setting up of this new arrangement.

May I wish you a happy, if ever-so-slightly less prosperous New Year.

<name>

Your humble client.

This is not an answering machine -- this is a telepathic thought-recording device

2010-05-02T01:38:00.001-07:00

This is not an answering machine -- this is a telepathic

thought-recording device. After the tone, think about your

name, your reason for calling, and a number where I can reach

you, and I'll think about returning your call.

Thank you for calling Soviet Embassy. No KG... Er, no

diplomats are able to answer phone, so at sound of capitalist

tone, leave name, telephone number, and short description of

secrets you wish to sell.

(In a bored voice:) Heaven, God speaking...

Lucifer speaking. Who in hell do you want?

Greetings, you have reached the Sixth Sense Detective Agency.

We know how you are and what you want, so at the sound of the

tone, please hang up.

Sherwood Forest. Which dear do you want?

Hello, this is the Brown residence. We're in the middle of a

family fight right now. Leave your name and number at the beep

and whoever wins will call you right back.

My wife and I can't come to the phone right now, but if you'll

leave your name and number, we'll get back to you as soon as

we're finished.

Please leave your name, phone number, the time you called, and

your favorite color of underwear. We'll get back to you if we

like the color.

Hello. I'm home right now but cannot find the phone. Please

leave a message and I will call you up as soon as I find it.

You have reached 843-4734. Please hold while I process your

call. (Pause.) Our extremely sophisticated computer system

performed a trace on your number and was able to match it with

our list of important callers. None of our staff is authorized

to speak with you except for Fred, who is not here right now.

Please leave your name phone number and a brief message at the

tone. Thank you for calling and have a nice day.

I can't come to the phone now because I have amnesia and I feel

stupid talking to people I don't remember. I'd appreciate it if

you could help me out by leaving my name and telling me

something about myself. Thanks.

(Thug voice:) Uh, hello, Mike and Brian aren't here right now.

They've been kidnapped! So at the beep, leave your name, your

number, your message, and ten thousand dollars in a brown paper

bag.

(Italian Mafia-style voice:) I can't come to the phone right

now. Me and Guido are trying to stuff a body in the trunk. I

think we're going to have to size it a little... (Aside:) HEY

GUIDO! GET THE CHAINSAW! Anyways, leave your name and a

message. If I like it, you'll hear from me. If not, you'll

hear from Guido! (Laughter.)

Leave a message or I'll send 30,000 volts through your phone.

I am an electrical engineer. I can do that.

My time is billed at $125 per hour. Please begin your message

with your MasterCard or Visa number, card type, and date of

expiration. I'll get back to you pending credit approval.

(A busy signal.) -- Steven Wright

(Recorded directly from AT&T:) We're sorry, but the number you

dialed is disconnected or no longer in service.

We're sorry. You have reached an imaginary number. Please

rotate your phone 90 degrees and try again.

You have reached the number you have dialed. Please leave a

message after the beep.

Hello. (Pause.) Hello? (Pause.)

Hello! (Pause.) No, it doesn't look as if I'm in right now.

Maybe you should leave a message or call me back later.

You have reached 555-6238. Why?

Florida Election Scandal

2010-05-02T01:36:00.001-07:00

A Zimbabwe politician has been quoted as saying that children should

study this year's U.S. presidential election closely, because it shows

that election fraud is not only a third world phenomena. In that spirit,

consider the recent proceedings from a slightly different perspective:

1. Imagine that we read of an election occurring anywhere in the

third world in which the self-declared winner was the son of the former

prime minister and that former prime minister was himself the former

head of that nation's secret police (CIA).

2. Imagine that the self-declared winner lost the popular vote but

won based on some colonial holdover (Electoral College) from the

nation's past.

3. Imagine that the self-declared winner's 'victory' turned on

disputed votes cast in a province governed by his brother.

4. Imagine that the poorly drafted ballots of one district, a

district heavily favoring the self-declared winner's opponent, led

thousands of voters to vote for the wrong candidate.

5. Imagine that members of that nation's most despised caste,

fearing for their lives/livelihoods, turned out in record numbers to

vote in near-universal opposition to the self-declared winner's

candidacy.

6. Imagine that hundreds of members of that most-despised caste

were intercepted on their way to the polls by state police operating

under the authority of the self-declared winner's brother.

7. Imagine that six million people voted in the disputed province

and that the self-declared winner's 'lead' was only 300 votes. Fewer,

certainly, than the vote counting machines' margin of error.

8. Imagine that the self-declared winner and his political party

opposed a more careful by-hand inspection and re-counting of the ballots

in the disputed province or in its most hotly disputed district.

9. Imagine that the self-declared winner was himself the governor

of a major province, which had the worst human rights record of any

province in his nation and which actually led the nation in executions.

10. Imagine that a major campaign promise of the self-declared

winner was to appoint like-minded human rights violators to lifetime

positions on the high court of that nation.

Few of us would deem such an election to be representative of anything

other than the self-declared winner's will-to-power. All of us, I

imagine, would wearily turn the page thinking that it was another sad

tale of pitiful pre- or anti-democracy peoples in some strange

elsewhere.

THIS REMINDS ME OF GANDHI'S REPUTED RESPONSE TO A QUESTION POSED BY A

BRITISH JOURNALIST AFTER GANDHI RETURNED FROM A TOUR OF EUROPEAN

CAPITALS.

"What," he was asked, "do you think about Western Civilization?"

"I think," he replied, "it would be a very good idea."

5 Toughest Questions Women Ask - and the Answers

2010-04-30T13:49:00.001-07:00

Here are answers to 5 of the toughest questions women ask........

There are five things that women should never, ever ask a guy,

according to an article in last April's issue of Sassy magazine.

The five questions are:

1 - "What are you thinking?"

2 - "Do you love me?"

3 - "Do I look fat?"

4 - "Do you think she is prettier than me?"

5 - "What would you do if I died?"

What makes these questions so bad is that every one is guaranteed to

explode into a major argument and/or divorce if the man does not answer

properly, which is to say dishonestly. For example:

1 - "What are you thinking?" The proper answer to this question, of

course is, "I'm sorry if I've been pensive, dear. I was just

reflecting on what a warm, wonderful, caring, thoughtful, intelligent,

beautiful woman you are and what a lucky guy I am to have met you."

Obviously, this statement bears no resemblance whatsoever to what the guy

was really thinking at the time, which was most likely one of five

things:

a - Baseball

b - Football

c - How fat you are.

d - How much prettier she is than you.

e - How he would spend the insurance money if you died.

According to the Sassy article, the best answer to this stupid question

came from Al Bundy, of Married With Children, who was asked it by his

wife, Peg.

"If I wanted you to know," Al said, "I'd be talking instead of thinking."

The other questions also have only one right answer but many wrong

answers:

2 - "Do you love me?" The correct answer to this question is, "Yes."

For those guys who feel the need to be more elaborate, you may answer,

"Yes, dear. Wrong answers include:

a - I suppose so.

b - Would it make you feel better if I said yes.

c - That depends on what you mean by "love".

d - Does it matter?

e - Who, me?

3 - "Do I look fat?" The correct male response to this question is to

confidently and emphatically state, "No, of course not" and then

quickly leave the room. Wrong answers include:

a - I wouldn't call you fat, but I wouldn't call you thin either.

b - Compared to what?

c - A little extra weight looks good on you.

d - I've seen fatter.

e - Could you repeat the question? I was thinking about your insurance

policy.

4 - "Do you think she's prettier than me?" The "she" in the question

could be an ex-girlfriend, a passer-by you were starring at so hard

thay you almost cause a traffic accident or an actress in a movie you

just saw. In any case, the correct response is, "No, you are much

prettier." Wrong answers include:

a - Not prettier, just pretty in a different way.

b - I don't know how one goes about rating such things.

c - Yes, but I bet you have a better personality.

d - Only in the sense that she's younger and thinner.

e - Could you repeat the question? I was thinking about your insurance

policy.

5 - "What would you do if I died?" Correct answer: "Dearest love, in

the event of your untimely demise, life would cease to have meaning for

me and I would perforce hurl myself under the front tires of the first

Domino's Pizza truck that came my way."

Apology from Park Resorts

2010-04-30T11:46:00.001-07:00

After the launch of the new and improved Park Resorts website the client has experienced a tracking issue. Since 11p.m on Wednesday 28th April any sales generated have not been tracked by Commission Junction therefore sales have not been logged in your affiliate account. Unfortunately this problem will not be fixed until early week commencing 3rd May.

We sincerely apologise for this error and can guarantee you will not lose money as a result. We will ensure that any 'lost' commission will be credited back to your account.

We strongly recommend you continue to promote Park Resorts and do not remove any banners or links as we guarantee you will be recompensed for any missing commission.

Hotels in Bangkok Thailand Closed

2010-04-19T21:54:00.001-07:00

The managements of hotels located around Ratchaprasong interection and nearby areas this morning announced that for safety reason they will close from noon on Tuesday to April 25, reports said.

The hotels include Grand Hyatt Erawan, Holiday Inn, Intercontinental and Centara Grand.

"We have asked our guests to check out at noon as our hotel will stop providing services at that time," a staff member at the Intercontinental hotel said on Tuesday morning.

The red-shirts have started gathering at Ratchaprasong intersection rally site.

Weng Tochirakarn, a core leader of the United front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD), took to the rally stage to tell the red-shirts to await orders from UDD leaders on where they will travel to today.

Another UDD leader, Natthawut Saikua, on Monday announced the UDD will hold a mass mobile rally in Bangkok today, but did not reveal the targeted locations. - Bangkok Post

What is the economy of Taiwan

2010-04-12T19:45:00.001-07:00

Budget (2006). Revenue: NT$2,172,436,000,000

(tax revenue 71.7%; income from public enterprises

14.3%). Expenditures: NT$2,261,958,000,000 (ed-

ucation, science, and culture 21.6%; economic de-

velopment 17.0%; general administration 15.3%;

social welfare 13.6%; defense 10.5%). Population

economically active (2006): total 10,522,000; ac-

tivity rate of total population 46.3% (participation

rates: ages 15–64, 57.9%; female 42.4%; unem-

ployed [2007] 3.9%). Production (metric tons ex-

cept as noted). Agriculture and fishing (2007): rice

1,363,458, pineapples 476,811, bamboo shoots

291,709, betel nuts 134,497, tea 17,502; live-

stock (number of live animals; 2006) 7,068,621

pigs, 134,793 cattle; fisheries production 1,498,-

197 (from aquaculture 22%). Mining and quarrying

(2006): marble 25,493,000. Manufacturing (value

added in NT$'000,000,000; 2006): electronic parts

and components 610; base metals 288; base

chemicals 230; refined petroleum products and

coal products 206; computers, telecommunications,

video electronics 191; nonelectrical machinery and

apparatus 164. Energy production (consumption):

electricity (kW-hr; 2005) 210,300,000,000

(201,580,000,000); coal (metric tons; 2006) none

(66,000,000); crude petroleum (barrels; 2007)

292,000 ([2006] 347,000,000); natural gas (cu m;

2007) 396,000,000 (11,298,000,000). Gross na-

tional income (2007): US$393,200,000,000

(US$17,169 per capita). Selected balance of pay-

ments data. Receipts from (US$'000,000): tourism

(2006) 5,136; remittances (2006) 355; foreign di-

rect investment (FDI) (2004–06 avg.) 3,649. Dis-

bursements for (US$'000,000): tourism (2006)

8,746; remittances (2006) 1,370; FDI (2004–06

avg.) 6,857.

Thailand Red Shirts

2010-04-12T09:23:00.001-07:00

Red-shirt leader Arisman Pongruengrong led red-shirt protesters to the head office of CAT Telecom on Monday, demanding to know if caused the disruptions to the broadcast signal of the red-shirts' People Channel, according to news reports.

He met with CAT's CEO Jirayuth Rungsrithong, who denied any CAT involvement in the transmission or disruption of the pro-Thaksin PTV signal.

Mr Jirayuth accompanied the red-shirts to the CAT's telecom network centre in Nonthaburi to prove that CAT did not do anything to disrupt the signal.

He denied reports that he was abducted by the protesters and said he was not taken to their rally stage at Phan Fa Bridge. - Bangkok Post

Starting today save 60% on Oneida's Famous 10 piece Aluminum Red Cookware set

2010-04-12T09:06:00.001-07:00

Oneida Affiliates :: Starting today save 60% on Oneida's Famous 10 piece Aluminum Red Cookware set while supplies last! *Plus get an additional 10% off + $1.99 Flat Rate Shipping by entering promo code: RCK at checkout! Below is a link to help promote this Amazing Deal that won't last forever!

Looking forward to a rewarding Spring

2010-04-10T21:19:00.001-07:00

Readers have been asking what happened to the February issue of The Spearhead? Well, it's a long story...but the short answer is, it's right here, merged with the March issue. Since February was a short month, and everyone at Superb was immersed in the launch of new enterprises, we decided to pool forces and topics and put out a powerhouse double issue. Thanks for your patience, and here's looking forward to a rewarding Spring!

NPA Rebels in Iloilo Philippines Surrender

2010-03-23T08:23:00.001-07:00

By Perla G. Lena

Around 25 members of the New People's Army (NPA) decided to return to the fold of the law and avail of the Social Integration Program (SIP) which is being implemented by the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP).

M/Gen Vicente Porto of the 3rd Infantry (Spearhead) Division of the Philippine Army (PA) said that the 25 rebels decided to give up their armed struggle in the mountainous portions of Panay and avail of the benefits that go with the SIP.

Porto said that on Wednesday, the returnees will receive their initial benefit at the Municipality of Calinog, Iloilo.

They are entitled to P20,000 financial aid and an additional P50,000 if they surrender their firearms. They can also avail of additional P50,000 worth of livelihood assistance if they intend to establish a project.

"They will undergo a training first before they will be provided with the support," he added.

Meanwhile, Brigadier General Gerardo T. Layug of the 301st Infantry Brigade based in Camp Hernandez in Dingle, Iloilo said that two of the 25 returnees are women rebels from Calinog and Jamindan, Capiz.

Earthquake and Tsunami

2010-03-11T01:05:00.001-08:00

By Joe Espiritu

In the past weeks an earthquake of great magnitude hit Haiti a Caribbean country. Then later, another tremor just as devastating hit Chile, a South American country facing the Pacific. Recently some shocks had been felt in Taiwan and the Philippines. Somehow, those quakes are not related to one another as some religious adherents want to depict. They are just a part of geological activities that is continuously occurring since the formation of the earth.

The earth began as a mass of stellar matter blown away from the sun. For several billion years it cooled and solidified into a planet 8,000 miles in diameter. Today, the very center of the earth a core of iron and nickel 4,400 miles in diameter has a temperature of 5,400 degrees Fahrenheit, slightly cooler than the sun. It is surrounded by a mantle of molten rock nearly 1,800 miles thick.

The crust, which floats around the mantle, is proportionately thinner than an eggshell. Under the ocean, it is some five miles thick and elsewhere is around thirty miles. Though we think that the surface or crust is relatively stable, the forces in the mantle stretch wrinkles, shoves around or breaks through the crust. And this causes earthquakes. Crust disturbances are classified into tectonic or volcanic.

When liquid rock forces up the mantle through one or more fissures in the crust, volcanism occurs. Thus tremors accompany volcanic explosions. If the crusts shift because of some disturbance in the mantle, then the tremor is tectonic. The latter is most devastating. Mt Pinatubo erupted but fortunately the eruption only covered the surroundings with lahar. No lives were reported lost.

The crust maybe disturbed several ways. It may crack open if they are of the same level or a slippage may occur if they are of different levels. The crust layers may be forced together. One layer my slip over the other or they may be forced upwards forming mountains. In the past tectonic activity threw up mountains such as the Himalayas and the Andes. It also formed the deep sea trenches like the Mariana and Puerto Rico deep.

Subterranean activities are frequent where the crust is weak. If the disturbance is under the sea, the waters will be roiled to form great waves. When a huge chunk of earth fell down a deep sea abyss off Alaska, a tsunami swept Hawaii causing much damage to property and lives lost. When a layer of the continental shelf slipped over the other off Indian Ocean great waves washed over the Indonesian province of Acer, Thai sea resort of Phuket, as far north to Bangladesh and west to Madagascar.

Tsunami warning was issued in the eastern provinces of the Philippines when Chile was hit by an earthquake of high intensity. However, it is highly unlikely that great waves from South America can hit our eastern seaboard without warning. Nor it would hit us at all. Chile is too far, the tsunami forces will be dissipated by the time it reaches us. It cannot just sneak up on us; it has to pass South Pacific Islands. However authorities have to take precautions.

Rice Production in the Philippines

2010-03-11T00:55:00.001-08:00

Eye Opener Column

A group of mayors have decided to throw out in the open their real colors. They expressed disenchantment for the Lakas-Kampi Party leadership both local and national. Well, at least, they have displayed their real colors. The candidate for governor Ed Chatto was probably prepared for this eventuality and has already selected their opponents in the coming elections.

Still on the political news, Noynoy Aquino has regained his lead again against his closest rival Manny Villar. You see, this only indicates that in the presidential campaign, issues will decide the elections. Since Manny has all the money in the world to buy everything actors, actresses, politicians and media, despite all of these things, Aquino is still leading.

It is also sickening for vice-presidential candidate to promise food and education for the hungry and poor if elected. If his promises are followed, we will have a socialistic state in our country.

Food and education can only be solved by providing more educational opportunities for our people, handouts for food to poor people will not help. This is only a drop in the bucket. Let us be too realistic in what we promise to the people. Para lang tayong niloko, di man matupad yan pag manalo sila.

Earth Hour 2010 in the Philippines

2010-03-11T00:52:00.001-08:00

It is been a year since Earth Hour 2009, a historical event where over a billion people switched off lights in homes, offices, schools and monuments across 88 countries worldwide.

Last year, the Philippines placed first in terms of town and city participation, with over 10 million switching off in 647 towns and cities nationwide.

For 2010, Earth Hour returns in full force.

Earth Hour 2010 takes place on Saturday, March 27 at 8:30 p.m. (local time) and is a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community throughout the world.

It is a call to stand up, to take responsibility, to get involved and lead the way towards a sustainable future. Iconic buildings and landmarks from Europe to Asia to the Americas will stand in darkness.

Earth Hour Philippines National Director Yeb Saño calls on private corporations, local groups, schools and the entire nation to participate in this momentous event by switching off lights from 8:30–9:30 p.m. on 27 March 2010.

"Climate change is the biggest threat to the Philippines. We could lose 2000 isles to sea level rise alone –a scenario which could be made worse by dwindling natural resources," Saño said.

"Luckily, Filipinos have a unique Bayanihan spirit – a brotherhood of kinship that unites people. Through the message of Earth Hour – that it's time to think of solutions now – we stand a good chance of adapting to climate change," Saño adding in its third year in the country and envisioned as a celebration of climate change solutions.

Earth Hour Philippines aims to inspire 15 million Filipinos in 1,000 towns, cities and municipalities to switch off and join in the revelry in an environmentally-conscious manner.

Many of the nation's most iconic landmarks are expected to dim their lights in the largest call for action on climate change.

Cities from around the world, from Europe to Africa, are expected to join in.

Crafted to take a stand against the greatest threat the planet has ever faced, Earth Hour uses the simple action of turning off lights for an hour to deliver a powerful message on the need for climate change solutions.

"This simple act has captured the hearts and minds of people all over the world, becoming a worldwide phenomenon in 2008 and 2009 –where the Philippines placed first globally in terms of town and city participation," Saño added.

Since Earth Hour 2009, each of the Earth Hour allies has advocated for the adoption of renewable energy technologies and energy-efficient practices.

Earth Hour 2009 inspired over 10 million Filipinos in 647 cities and municipalities to switch off, saving an estimated 611 MWh of electricity –equivalent to shutting down a dozen coal-fired power-plants for an hour.

Earth Hour Philippines is a yearly effort of WWF-Philippines, the Department of Energy (DoE), Green Army Network and SWITCH Movement.

This year's partners include Ipanema, Century Tuna, Sustagen, Philips, Motolite, Meralco, SM Malls, Ayala Malls, GMA-7, ABS-CBN, Infinit-1 Communications, ECC International, Dig It All, Friendster and Discovery Channel.

The Earth Hour Philippines roadshow, led by Energy Secretary Angelo T. Reyes, is set to visit Iloilo, Baguio, Ilocos Norte, Laguna, Bicol, Puerto Princesa, Palawan, Tuguegarao and Clark.

"Earth Hour is a simple act that emphasizes the importance of adopting energy efficient practices and lifestyles," said Reyes.

"Given ever-increasing energy demands, we must be mindful of the need to control human-induced global warming and adopting more responsible energy practices. This will allow us to bestow upon future generations a world that they deserve," he added.

Sectoral consultations have yielded strong commitments for more sustained efforts on climate change.

Among the groups that have pledged commitments are the Archdiocese of Manila, University of the Philippines, Technological University of the Philippines, Manila Doctors College, REACT, Philippine Business for Social Progress, Ortigas Foundation, Girl Scouts of the Philippines, Manila Jaycees, Hotel and Restaurant Association of the Philippines, Philippine Science Centrum, World Youth Alliance, Habitat for Humanity and Gawad Kalinga.

Bill and Melinda Gates and the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD)

2010-03-11T00:31:00.001-08:00

Bill and Melinda Gates and the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) have won this year's UN Population Award, the UN Population Fund announced here on Tuesday.

"Through direct financing and by providing 'seed money' to elicit the participation of other donors," Bill and Melinda Gates, co-founders and co-chairs of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, "have galvanized private involvement in philanthropic enterprises, " the Fund said in a press release.

"Mr. and Mrs. Gates have long focused on problems of maternal health and family planning in developing countries, and on identifying the root causes of these problems in order to find innovative solutions. In its advocacy role, their foundation has championed the Millennium Development Goals," it said.

The AFPPD, created in 1981, comprises 25 national parliamentarian committees and has offices in 13 countries.

"Some successful examples that illustrate AFPPD's efforts include: Cambodia, Indonesia, the Philippines and Sri Lanka adopted new laws on HIV and AIDS; Indonesia approved the Domestic Violence Law and amended those on health and population; and the Philippines and Thailand adopted bills to eliminate violence against women," the Fund said.

The award is given annually to individuals and institutions for outstanding work in population and in improving the health of individuals.

Philippine troops killed six Islamic militants

2010-02-20T22:31:00.001-08:00

Philippine troops killed six Islamic militants in an assault on a rebel camp in the south, the military says.

It says marines raided the camp of the Abu Sayyaf group on Jolo island.

Officials are trying to verify reports that a senior Abu Sayyaf commander was among those killed, Gen Benjamin Dolorfino told AP news agency.

Abu Sayyaf has been blamed for bombings, beheadings and kidnappings of Filipinos and foreigners. It has been accused of links with al-Qaeda.

Gen Dolorfino said Sunday's raid was carried out after intelligence reports that two Abu Sayyaf leaders were there, AP reported.

One marine was killed and three were wounded during the assault.

Abu Sayyaf is the smallest and most radical of the Islamic separatist groups in the southern Philippines.

Its stated goal is an independent Islamic state in Mindanao and the Sulu islands. The government refuses to hold any form of talks with the rebels.

Philippine officials said in December 2009 that they had arrested an Abu Sayyaf founder - Abdul Basir Latip - who has allegedly been involved in kidnapping foreigners and Christians.-BBC

Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, HALF THE SKY Live

2010-02-19T19:48:00.001-08:00

Inspired by moving stories from the critically-acclaimed book "Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide" by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn, HALF THE SKY Live will be an evening of uplifting songs, celebrity discussion and the world premiere of "Woinshet," a powerful short film directed by Academy Award®-winner Marisa Tomei and Lisa Leone that chronicles the struggles of an Ethiopian woman who triumphs over violence and discrimination.

Much more than a night at the movies, the evening also will feature appearances by India.Arie; Maria Bello; Diane Birch; Michael Franti; Angelique Kidjo; Nicholas Kristof; Sally Lee; Marisa Tomei; Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York; Sheryl WuDunn and a surprise guest.

The one-night-only event will be held in nearly 500 theatres in the United States and Canada on Thursday, March 4 at 7:30 p.m. in all time zones. It's sure to be one of the most visible International Women's Day celebrations on the planet!

My Impression on Colombia

2010-02-18T19:21:00.001-08:00

By Romy Teruel

I had two impressions of Colombia in South America – cocaine and beautiful women of the Miss Universe caliber. Last week these impressions have changed. Cocaine and beautiful women are still there but a few more have been added. As the say in Colombia, "the only risk in visiting Colombia is wanting to stay".

Last week I had the rare opportunity to see Colombia upon the invitation of the Colombian government to participate in the 2nd Technical Cooperation Tour of Peace Building in Colombia: DDR Development and Experience (DDR here means Disarmament, Demobilization and Reintegration) that was held in Bogota, (Colombia's capital), with trips to the demobilized rebel communities in Armenia, Department of Quindio; Santuario, Department of Risaralda; and Cali City, Department of Valle del Cauca.

It was an opportunity that I could not let pass. First it was an opportunity to learn how they have successfully implemented DDR in Colombia and second, it was practically for free as I was one of the only two invitees from the Philippines whose airfare was at the expense of the Government of Colombia through the Alto Consejero para Reintegracion or High Counselor for Reintegration. Airfare expenses of the five others from the Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process (OPAPP) had to be shouldered by OPAPP.

I felt honored and proud to represent Bohol as I was the only one invited from the local government in the Philippines

. There were 60 participants coming from Angola, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, U.S.A., Ethiopia, France, India, Italy, Liberia, Mexico, Mozambique, Nigeria, Congo, Rwanda, Sri Lanka, Sweden and of course, Colombia.

The technical cooperation tour is an offshoot of the 1st International Congress on DDR held in Cartagena, Colombia early last year where the Philippines signed with the Colombian government a technical cooperation agreement on DDR. That agreement brought to the Philippines and to Bohol last November a delegation from Colombia that looked at our reintegration program for rebel returnees. They were introduced to the Bohol brand of reintegration that had factors of success they would like to replicate in Colombia.

It was a very tiring trip to a destination half the world away but reflecting on it now, it was a trip worth the future of our own direction at DDR (that would hopefully bring permanent peace) and the nosebleed I had in the early days of stay at the high altitude city of Bogota.

For common understanding of DDR let me quote the definitions of the terms as cited by the United Nations.

Disarmament is the collection, documentation, control and disposal of small arms, ammunition, explosives and light and heavy weapons of combatants and often also of the civilian population. It includes the development of responsible arms management programs.

Demobilization is the formal and controlled discharge of active combatants from armed forces or other armed groups. There are two stages of demobilization. The first being the processing of individual combatants in temporary centers and the second is the support package provided to the demobilized which is called reinsertion.

Reintegration is the process by which ex-combatants acquire civilian status and gain sustainable employment and income. It is essentially a social and economic process with an open time-frame, primarily taking place in communities at the local level. As it is part of the general development of the country and a national responsibility, it often necessitates long-term external assistance.

Colombia has the biggest demobilization processes in the history of Latin America. There are over 50,000 who have demobilized, collectively and individually, and have returned to civilian life from its rebel groups – the FARC, ELN, ERG, M-19 and ACU.

What brought the Colombian government to pursue DDR, what it is and how they implemented it will be discussed in the next series. An analysis of how the same can work or not work in Philippine context and setting will also be attempted.