Seven months after the second most costly hurricane in history, Mayor Bloomberg proposed investing $19.5 billion to make his city much more resilient to future extreme weather events. More than one-quarter of these resources will come from federal funds included in the Disaster Relief Appropriations Act, which provides aid to New York, New Jersey, and other affected states to help them recover from Superstorm Sandy. New Jersey is also investing significant portions of its Superstorm Sandy federal aid in resilience efforts, particularly along the Jersey Shore. These investments will make New York and New Jersey homes, businesses, infrastructure, and coastal areas more resistant to damage from future storms, sea-level rise, and other climate-change impacts.
Unlike New York City and New Jersey, many communities lack the financial resources to become more resilient to future extreme weather events, and the federal government woefully underfunds such resilience needs. This CAP analysis estimates that the federal government spent a total of only $22 billion on general resilience efforts from fiscal year 2011 to fiscal year 2013. The Obama administration requested an additional $13 billion for mitigation efforts in Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York after Superstorm Sandy, but it is difficult to determine the actual mitigation spending from this sum. The federal government does not have a comprehensive tally of its spending for community resilience and other pre-disaster mitigation programs.
A previous CAP analysis estimated that the federal government spent $136 billion — or nearly $400 per household annually — on disaster relief and recovery from FY 2011 through FY 2013. Based on those indoor positioning system, federal taxpayers spent nearly $6 for disaster recovery for every $1 spent to increase general community resilience over the past three years.
We must help communities enhance their ability to withstand the high winds, flood waters, scorching heat, searing wild fires, and parched earth from extreme weather. Every $1 invested in such “pre-disaster mitigation,” or resilience measures — which help communities withstand the effects of extreme weather — reduce the cost of damage from these extreme weather events by $4, according to a study for the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
The severe, extreme weather during the past two years exacted a significant human and economic toll. From the start of 2011 through the end of 2012, there were 25 extreme weather events that caused at least $1 billion each in damage, with a total tab for destruction of $188 billion and 1,100 fatalities.
Although extreme weather continues in 2013, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA, has yet to identify any $1 billion damage events this year. Insurance broker AON Benfield estimates, however, that there were three weather events that each caused at least $1 billion in economic losses thus far this year. The costliest of these events were the Oklahoma tornados, which caused 24 fatalities in mid-May and an estimated $5 billion in damages. Extreme weather will likely continue throughout 2013. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts an “active or extremely active [hurricane] season this year… [that is] well above the seasonal average.”
The New York Times additionally reports that, “just over 44 percent of the country remains in drought.” NOAA predicts a continued persistent drought this summer through most of the southwestern United States. This could lead to significant economic damage from wildfires, as well as continued harm to the farm economy.
Mitigation means adapting buildings, infrastructure, and natural systems that will allow communities to better withstand high winds and rain, ocean storm surge, unusually high temperatures, wild fires, and drought.
The technologies needed to accomplish this goal vary in cost and complexity. The St. John’s Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Missouri, for instance, was essentially destroyed by a tornado in 2011 and has been rebuilt with a tornado-proof design that includes windows that can resist winds of up to 250 miles per hour at a cost of $170 per square foot — $70 more per square foot than standard windows. The cost of including a safe room designed to protect people from tornados in the construction of a new home can cost $8,000, and it costs about $10,000 to add to an existing home.
Several coastal Texas cities that are vulnerable to hurricanes recently invested in community shelters to protect their residents. Edna, Texas, built a $2.5 million hurricane shelter large enough to shield the town’s 5,500 residents from winds up to 300 miles per hour. The shelter also doubles as a high-school gymnasium. FEMA paid for 75 percent of it, and it plans to invest $683 million in similar shelters in 18 other states.
New York and New Jersey are buying out homeowners with severely damaged homes located in flood-prone areas using federal funds provided under the Disaster Relief Act. This resilience measure is expensive and something many coastal communities cannot afford to undertake on their own.
Many communities lack the resources to invest in projects that would protect their structures and inhabitants from major storms. Superstorm Sandy, for instance, damaged two-thirds of the downtown homes and businesses in Highlands, New Jersey. Local officials there told NBC News that they had previously considered resilience measures — such as raising the height of the town — but that construction costs were prohibitively expensive.
A similar lack of financial resources prevented other communities from adequately investing in resilience. In the wake of the tornados in Moore, Oklahoma, The New York Times reported that, “only about 10 percent of homes in Moore” had storm-safe rooms or underground shelters. And The Wall St. Journal reported that efforts to build safe rooms in local schools were also limited by the lack of federal assistance. According to The Journal, “Local officials said Tuesday [May 21, 2013] that about 100 schools in the state are equipped with safe rooms that were built with federal funds. The money had dried up in past years, officials said, and many schools were on a waiting list.”
Joplin, Missouri, which was flattened in 2011 by the deadliest tornado since 1950, had previously applied for FEMA funds to build safe rooms. The New York Times reported that the “state used money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency primarily for disaster relief from flooding.”
Click on their website www.ecived.com/en/ for more information.
2013年6月27日星期四
Utilities say too soon to determine Obama plan's impact on rates
Representatives of two major Wisconsin utilities say they will not know until next year how new regulations limiting carbon emissions from existing coal-fired plants might affect electric rates. The policy was unveiled Tuesday by President Obama in a major climate change speech.
"It's just too early to tell until we see the details of the rule," said Brian Manthey, a spokesman for We Energies, which serves much of southeast Wisconsin. "But there could be an impact on customer rates. It will depend on what kind of changes and retrofitting will be required, their costs and what technology is available."
Alliant Energy spokesman Steve Schultz concurred and said it would be "only speculation" to make any estimates because the president didn't specify the level of carbon reduction that will be expected from existing power plants. Alliant serves southern and central Wisconsin.
Kurt Bauer, head of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, charged that the changes are unneeded and will hit Badger State industries disproportionately because 65 percent of the state's electricity is produced from coal-fired plants.
He predicted Obama's plan will "significantly increase electricity costs" for every Wisconsin household and business. Moreover, he said it will make Badger State manufacturers less competitive with other states and countries, ultimately costing jobs.
“This is global warming, and unilateral energy disarmament on the part of the U.S. is not the answer,” he said. “We need to have a global solution. He did indicate that he is going to try to work with other developed and emerging nations. But I don’t think they have any interest in reducing carbon emissions anywhere near what he’s talking about.”
A spokesman for the environmental group Clean Wisconsin lauded the president's action, calling it long overdue."We are pleased with how comprehensive his climate plan is," Keith Reopelle said. "It's a smart move and the highlight is the carbon pollution rules for existing power plants. That is critical because they are the largest source for emissions in this country. We're also delighted he wants to leverage this to get other countries to take similar steps."
Todd Stuart, executive director of the Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group, said the potential for tough new regulations on existing plants is a "wild card" that could potentially be very expensive, add to the cost of manufacturing in the state and cost jobs.
"We don't know for sure what the impact on Wisconsin will be," he said. "The president directed the EPA to issue proposed carbon standards for existing power plants by June 1, 2014, and a final rule by June 1, 2015."In the meantime, he said manufacturers can lobby the EPA, file lawsuits challenging the rule and possibly seek some kind of Congressional action.
Stuart said Wisconsin has been ahead of the curve in building new power plants and retrofitting the older ones."We've spent billions on new coal and natural-gas fired plants, billions on renewable generation, and billions more to retrofit older coal plants with new scrubbers. It has pushed our rates higher than the Midwest average in recent years, but others will be catching up when they start to fuel switch or retrofit their plants as well."
Alliant's Schultz said his company is on track to retire its oldest, smallest and least-efficient units."We are already been implementing a plan that supports the transition to a cleaner energy future by investing in emission controls at our newest and largest facilities. We are transitioning our generating fleet to meet customers' needs and provide flexibility to ensure that we can manage emerging environmental regulations while continuing to control costs."
Manthey warned that regulators will need to consider whether there are commercially available, cost-effective technologies to control carbon emission."Right now, there isn't one for the capture and storage of carbon," he said, noting that We Energies had worked on a small carbon capture pilot project with a company called Allstom that had positive results but has yet to be scaled up.
"We'd need to know what effect it would have on energy production and how much you might lose because you'd be running another system."He said the president's order could stimulate development of this type of technology, but "that would be something for those companies that deal with that to take further."
In the meantime, he said he hopes We Energies will get credit for the steps it has taken in the past decade."We replaced a coal-fired plant at Port Washington with natural gas and we plan to convert the Valley plant with natural gas that is currently coal," he said.
"We've also made large investments in renewables, including two largest wind farms in state and we're completing a 50-megawatt biomass plant in Wausau. So we'll hope that will be taken into account into meeting future rules."WMC's Bauer said he believes Obama wants to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy such as wind and solar power.
"This is aimed at coal, which is where we get most of our energy," he said. "But president is really going after all fossil fuels, including natural gas. They dislike coal the most, but they don't like any kind of fossil fuels."They are trying to promote wind and solar, which don't work in Wisconsin. We are not in the wind corridor and we don't have a lot of sunny days, particularly in the winter.
Click on their website www.ecived.com/en/ for more information.
"It's just too early to tell until we see the details of the rule," said Brian Manthey, a spokesman for We Energies, which serves much of southeast Wisconsin. "But there could be an impact on customer rates. It will depend on what kind of changes and retrofitting will be required, their costs and what technology is available."
Alliant Energy spokesman Steve Schultz concurred and said it would be "only speculation" to make any estimates because the president didn't specify the level of carbon reduction that will be expected from existing power plants. Alliant serves southern and central Wisconsin.
Kurt Bauer, head of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, charged that the changes are unneeded and will hit Badger State industries disproportionately because 65 percent of the state's electricity is produced from coal-fired plants.
He predicted Obama's plan will "significantly increase electricity costs" for every Wisconsin household and business. Moreover, he said it will make Badger State manufacturers less competitive with other states and countries, ultimately costing jobs.
“This is global warming, and unilateral energy disarmament on the part of the U.S. is not the answer,” he said. “We need to have a global solution. He did indicate that he is going to try to work with other developed and emerging nations. But I don’t think they have any interest in reducing carbon emissions anywhere near what he’s talking about.”
A spokesman for the environmental group Clean Wisconsin lauded the president's action, calling it long overdue."We are pleased with how comprehensive his climate plan is," Keith Reopelle said. "It's a smart move and the highlight is the carbon pollution rules for existing power plants. That is critical because they are the largest source for emissions in this country. We're also delighted he wants to leverage this to get other countries to take similar steps."
Todd Stuart, executive director of the Wisconsin Industrial Energy Group, said the potential for tough new regulations on existing plants is a "wild card" that could potentially be very expensive, add to the cost of manufacturing in the state and cost jobs.
"We don't know for sure what the impact on Wisconsin will be," he said. "The president directed the EPA to issue proposed carbon standards for existing power plants by June 1, 2014, and a final rule by June 1, 2015."In the meantime, he said manufacturers can lobby the EPA, file lawsuits challenging the rule and possibly seek some kind of Congressional action.
Stuart said Wisconsin has been ahead of the curve in building new power plants and retrofitting the older ones."We've spent billions on new coal and natural-gas fired plants, billions on renewable generation, and billions more to retrofit older coal plants with new scrubbers. It has pushed our rates higher than the Midwest average in recent years, but others will be catching up when they start to fuel switch or retrofit their plants as well."
Alliant's Schultz said his company is on track to retire its oldest, smallest and least-efficient units."We are already been implementing a plan that supports the transition to a cleaner energy future by investing in emission controls at our newest and largest facilities. We are transitioning our generating fleet to meet customers' needs and provide flexibility to ensure that we can manage emerging environmental regulations while continuing to control costs."
Manthey warned that regulators will need to consider whether there are commercially available, cost-effective technologies to control carbon emission."Right now, there isn't one for the capture and storage of carbon," he said, noting that We Energies had worked on a small carbon capture pilot project with a company called Allstom that had positive results but has yet to be scaled up.
"We'd need to know what effect it would have on energy production and how much you might lose because you'd be running another system."He said the president's order could stimulate development of this type of technology, but "that would be something for those companies that deal with that to take further."
In the meantime, he said he hopes We Energies will get credit for the steps it has taken in the past decade."We replaced a coal-fired plant at Port Washington with natural gas and we plan to convert the Valley plant with natural gas that is currently coal," he said.
"We've also made large investments in renewables, including two largest wind farms in state and we're completing a 50-megawatt biomass plant in Wausau. So we'll hope that will be taken into account into meeting future rules."WMC's Bauer said he believes Obama wants to replace fossil fuels with renewable energy such as wind and solar power.
"This is aimed at coal, which is where we get most of our energy," he said. "But president is really going after all fossil fuels, including natural gas. They dislike coal the most, but they don't like any kind of fossil fuels."They are trying to promote wind and solar, which don't work in Wisconsin. We are not in the wind corridor and we don't have a lot of sunny days, particularly in the winter.
Click on their website www.ecived.com/en/ for more information.
2013年6月25日星期二
Porter strike ends after contract ratified
The 22 members of the Canadian Office and Professional Employees Union who work for Porter Fixed Based Operations Ltd., a subsidiary of Porter Aviation Holdings Inc., were trying to negotiate a first contract when they walked off the job on Jan. 10.
The main issue was wages, though Porter spokesman Brad Cicero would not disclose any details of the settlement.“It’s not dissimilar to another contract that was reached with the cleaning and facilities group earlier this year,” he said. “It’s in line with our principle of making sure we have similar agreements with different groups of the company.”
When the strike began, the union said 11 employees earned $12 an hour and 11 other workers who have a higher qualification earned $14.50 an hour. The union says the workers’ average annual income is $28,000.According to the union’s Twitter feed, the strikers voted 85 per cent to ratify the real time Location system.
Cicero added that a transition plan for workers to return work will be implemented, but added at least two or three individuals resigned during the strike.“I don’t think anybody would have expected the strike to last as long as it did,” he said.
A $4 million defamation suit filed by Porter in April against the union and a COPE staffer Mary Stalteri for comments including ones posted to Twitter have now been dropped.The union, which hired lawyer Clayton Ruby to defend the case, called the lawsuit a diversionary tactic. “The purpose is not to get redress in the courts, but it’s to silence people,” Ruby said in a May interview.
The executive, Chip Starnes of Specialty Medical Supplies, denied the workers’ allegations of two months of unpaid wages as he endured a fifth day of captivity at the plant in the capital’s northeastern suburbs, peering out from behind the bars of his office window.
About 100 workers are demanding back pay and severance packages identical to those offered 30 workers being laid off from the Coral Springs, Fla.-based company’s plastics division. The demands followed rumors that the entire plant was being closed, despite Starnes’ assertion that the company doesn’t plan to lay off the others.
Inside one of the plant’s buildings, about 30 workers, mostly women, hung around, their arms crossed. One worker, Gao Ping, told reporters inside an administrative office that she wanted to quit because she hadn’t been paid for two months.
Dressed in blue overalls and sitting down at a desk, Gao said her division – which makes alcohol prep pads, used for cleaning skin before injections – had not been doing well and that she wanted her salary and compensation.
Workers in other divisions saw her division doing badly, thought the whole company was faring poorly and also wanted to quit and get compensation, said Gao, who had been working for the company for six years.
Chu Lixiang, a local union official representing the workers in talks with Starnes, said the workers were demanding the portion of their salaries yet to be paid and a “reasonable” level of compensation before leaving their jobs. Neither gave details on the amounts demanded.
Chu said workers believed the plant was closing and that Starnes would run away without paying severance. Starnes’ attorney arrived Tuesday afternoon. Chu later told reporters that there would be no negotiations for the rest of the day.
Starnes said that since Saturday morning, about 80 workers had blocked every exit around the clock and deprived him of sleep by shining bright lights and banging on windows of his office.
The standoff points to long-ingrained habits among Chinese workers who are sometimes left unprotected when factories close without severance or wages owed. Such incidents have been rarer as labor protections improve, although disputes still occur and local governments have at times barred foreign executives from leaving until they are resolved.
Fast forward 40 years, though, and the six-tower TD Centre complex had begun to show its age and even looked somewhat dated next to the latest crop of towers in the downtown core.
The modernist monument could have been relegated to B-class commercial property obscurity. That is, until owner Cadillac Fairview, the development and property management giant, hit upon an innovative plan to revitalize the distinctive towers – giving the original black Mies masterworks a green reimagining.
“We work in a very competitive industry where green is a given and we wanted to differentiate this property,” explains David Hoffman, Cadillac Fairview’s general manager of the Toronto-Dominion Centre. “The entire financial sector was built around the TD Centre and I think many people still believe incorrectly that TD Centre is old and not environmentally friendly, but that’s not the case.”
Beginning with 77 King St. West in 2010, Cadillac Fairview embarked on an ambitious multi-year revitalization program borne as much of altruism – saving energy, cutting waste and promoting sweeping sustainability initiatives across the complex – as pragmatism.
The latter is driven by the business need to maintain TD Centre’s tenant attractiveness, preserve its top-tier property status, and ensure strong, stable rental rates.To date, two towers – 77 King St. West and 100 Wellington St. West – have achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold and platinum certification, respectively, in the existing building operations and maintenance category.
To acknowledge these accomplishments, Cadillac Fairview was recently honoured by its peers with the REX Green Award for sustainability work at the TD Centre. It was the first time the NAIOP Greater Toronto Chapter’s accolade was awarded to an existing building instead of a new-build.
The move to retrofit aging buildings such as the TD Centre is a growing trend, explains Pierre Bergevin, the Toronto-based president and CEO of commercial property consultancy Cushman & Wakefield Ltd.
“In Montreal you’re going to see it because you have older stock … you’ll see more retrofitting across the country. These are buildings that are more than 40 years old, but they have an advantage with their location.”
As Mr. Bergevin explains, the move to reimagine aging buildings is made possible by the nature of their ownership – many fall within the portfolios of very well-capitalized institutional owners such as pension funds, who understand the cost-saving and tenant-luring value of making those improvements. And they have pockets deep enough to embark on costly renovations.
The main issue was wages, though Porter spokesman Brad Cicero would not disclose any details of the settlement.“It’s not dissimilar to another contract that was reached with the cleaning and facilities group earlier this year,” he said. “It’s in line with our principle of making sure we have similar agreements with different groups of the company.”
When the strike began, the union said 11 employees earned $12 an hour and 11 other workers who have a higher qualification earned $14.50 an hour. The union says the workers’ average annual income is $28,000.According to the union’s Twitter feed, the strikers voted 85 per cent to ratify the real time Location system.
Cicero added that a transition plan for workers to return work will be implemented, but added at least two or three individuals resigned during the strike.“I don’t think anybody would have expected the strike to last as long as it did,” he said.
A $4 million defamation suit filed by Porter in April against the union and a COPE staffer Mary Stalteri for comments including ones posted to Twitter have now been dropped.The union, which hired lawyer Clayton Ruby to defend the case, called the lawsuit a diversionary tactic. “The purpose is not to get redress in the courts, but it’s to silence people,” Ruby said in a May interview.
The executive, Chip Starnes of Specialty Medical Supplies, denied the workers’ allegations of two months of unpaid wages as he endured a fifth day of captivity at the plant in the capital’s northeastern suburbs, peering out from behind the bars of his office window.
About 100 workers are demanding back pay and severance packages identical to those offered 30 workers being laid off from the Coral Springs, Fla.-based company’s plastics division. The demands followed rumors that the entire plant was being closed, despite Starnes’ assertion that the company doesn’t plan to lay off the others.
Inside one of the plant’s buildings, about 30 workers, mostly women, hung around, their arms crossed. One worker, Gao Ping, told reporters inside an administrative office that she wanted to quit because she hadn’t been paid for two months.
Dressed in blue overalls and sitting down at a desk, Gao said her division – which makes alcohol prep pads, used for cleaning skin before injections – had not been doing well and that she wanted her salary and compensation.
Workers in other divisions saw her division doing badly, thought the whole company was faring poorly and also wanted to quit and get compensation, said Gao, who had been working for the company for six years.
Chu Lixiang, a local union official representing the workers in talks with Starnes, said the workers were demanding the portion of their salaries yet to be paid and a “reasonable” level of compensation before leaving their jobs. Neither gave details on the amounts demanded.
Chu said workers believed the plant was closing and that Starnes would run away without paying severance. Starnes’ attorney arrived Tuesday afternoon. Chu later told reporters that there would be no negotiations for the rest of the day.
Starnes said that since Saturday morning, about 80 workers had blocked every exit around the clock and deprived him of sleep by shining bright lights and banging on windows of his office.
The standoff points to long-ingrained habits among Chinese workers who are sometimes left unprotected when factories close without severance or wages owed. Such incidents have been rarer as labor protections improve, although disputes still occur and local governments have at times barred foreign executives from leaving until they are resolved.
Fast forward 40 years, though, and the six-tower TD Centre complex had begun to show its age and even looked somewhat dated next to the latest crop of towers in the downtown core.
The modernist monument could have been relegated to B-class commercial property obscurity. That is, until owner Cadillac Fairview, the development and property management giant, hit upon an innovative plan to revitalize the distinctive towers – giving the original black Mies masterworks a green reimagining.
“We work in a very competitive industry where green is a given and we wanted to differentiate this property,” explains David Hoffman, Cadillac Fairview’s general manager of the Toronto-Dominion Centre. “The entire financial sector was built around the TD Centre and I think many people still believe incorrectly that TD Centre is old and not environmentally friendly, but that’s not the case.”
Beginning with 77 King St. West in 2010, Cadillac Fairview embarked on an ambitious multi-year revitalization program borne as much of altruism – saving energy, cutting waste and promoting sweeping sustainability initiatives across the complex – as pragmatism.
The latter is driven by the business need to maintain TD Centre’s tenant attractiveness, preserve its top-tier property status, and ensure strong, stable rental rates.To date, two towers – 77 King St. West and 100 Wellington St. West – have achieved Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) gold and platinum certification, respectively, in the existing building operations and maintenance category.
To acknowledge these accomplishments, Cadillac Fairview was recently honoured by its peers with the REX Green Award for sustainability work at the TD Centre. It was the first time the NAIOP Greater Toronto Chapter’s accolade was awarded to an existing building instead of a new-build.
The move to retrofit aging buildings such as the TD Centre is a growing trend, explains Pierre Bergevin, the Toronto-based president and CEO of commercial property consultancy Cushman & Wakefield Ltd.
“In Montreal you’re going to see it because you have older stock … you’ll see more retrofitting across the country. These are buildings that are more than 40 years old, but they have an advantage with their location.”
As Mr. Bergevin explains, the move to reimagine aging buildings is made possible by the nature of their ownership – many fall within the portfolios of very well-capitalized institutional owners such as pension funds, who understand the cost-saving and tenant-luring value of making those improvements. And they have pockets deep enough to embark on costly renovations.
2013年6月23日星期日
Rogue SUV isn't small on personality
While at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit this year, several manufacturers mentioned the small crossover segment as a strong area for the U.S. market. Buyers want something easy to maneuver with ample storage while still providing a slightly elevated view of the road.
Nissan’s answer to that is the Rogue. This is the smallest of the SUVs from Nissan, just below the Murano in the lineup.
From the outside, it is easy on the eyes. Clean, rounded design with stylish wheels, a good stance and a very attractive Cayenne Red paint job on the test model.
Power is supplied by a 2.5-liter Xtronic CVT (continuously variable transmission) with 170 horsepower, 175 pound-feet of torque and placed on the pavement by an intuitive all-wheel-drive system.
The Intelligent Key option enables you to keep the key in your pocket and lock/unlock the doors via a button on the door handle. Once inside you just turn the fob where the key normally goes and the engine fires up.
You will be pleasantly surprised by how simple and uncluttered the interior and dash appear. There are some storage areas, but nothing too extravagant or confusing. In the dash is a 5-inch touch-screen navigation and Bose stereo system. The screen is a bit small, but displays the information adequately.
The seats and steering wheel are covered by leather and the SL package also provides a rear-view camera and Around View monitor, one of Nissan’s trademark parking aids. An SUV of this size is pretty easy to park and maneuver, but the options provide an extra sense of confidence.
On road, the Rogue is pretty nice. The CVT supplies ample power to zip along with traffic and the lack of “shifting” makes for smooth power delivery. On hill climbs or entry to the highway, you have to really stand on the accelerator and the engine revs pretty loudly, but once you let up the revs drop to a comfortable level.
There’s no doubt driving a vehicle with CVT is different and takes some learning, but it’s absolutely ideal for city driving where stop-and-go is the norm. Driving at night is made easy with the optional HID headlamps that provide great vision and clarity.
With the rear seats up, there is enough room for two suitcases in the back. With the seats down you can fit a good amount of cargo. Sitting in the back is a struggle if you’re over 6 feet tall and can be a little rough over bumpy roads since you’re basically sitting over the rear axle.
I found the Rogue to be a very pleasant vehicle overall. It does everything pretty well and doesn’t bog you down with unnecessary options. Other than adjusting to the CVT transmission and the keyless entry system, the Rogue is very simple to operate and live with.
After completing her morning treatment, the pair would head to their daughter’s home to play with their two toddler grandchildren before coming back at the end of the day for Evelyn to undergo a second round.
Had Evelyn been diagnosed with breast cancer a few months earlier, the couple would’ve had to travel an additional 25 miles to the hospital’s main campus in Charlotte for the treatment or opt for the traditional six-week radiation.
The targeted radiation therapy known as MammoSite has been FDA approved since 2002, but doctors at the Battle Cancer Center at CMC-Northeast just started administering it in May.
Telluride Grown is proposing to build a food-growing system on the Pearl Property that uses a technology known as aquaponics to grow produce and raise fish for consumption. The project would be comprised of several greenhouses, and its proponents say the system would allow the town to drastically cut down on carbon emissions related to importing food, produce healthy products for its denizens and serve as an example to other communities.
While town council members and residents in the audience lauded the concept, many tripped over the location. And the inclusion of the Pearl Property ultimately cost the project support of three of the five council members who considered it during a work session.
Cieciuch said he chose the 1.5-acre parcel of uplands on the north side of the property for several reasons. After researching all vacant town-owned land that would be appropriate for the project, he said this best fit the project’s objectives. The parcel is flat, it gets great sun exposure, and it would be a visible example to visitors and locals that Telluride is working toward a greener future, he said.
But the Pearl Property, which has a contentious past, poses some hurdles. The 7.3-acre parcel of marshy land that sits between Telluride and the Valley Floor has been at the center of a number of public debates and votes in the last two decades as townspeople squabbled over development rights, wetlands and whether or not to put a parking lot there. In 1998, voters approved a restriction on the Pearl to prevent a proposed parking lot, and the development restriction remains today. It’s currently zoned for public purpose.
The land is now at the center of a proposal years in the making to divide the property into two parcels — a large undeveloped open space parcel preserved by a conservation easement and a small paved parcel where the RV lot is now located that could be used for a public benefit such as a new medical center.
The decision emphasises employers’ responsibilities to provide workers with accommodation commensurate with international labour standards. Each facility operating in the country has to upgrade its workers’ accommodation conditions to comply with these standards. In implementation of this decision, Abu Dhabi has invested about Dh20 billion ($5.4 billion) in 23 workers’ “cities” which are capable of providing accommodation for 385,000 workers. These complexes have been built in line with the new manual which stipulates that all labour accommodations must include its own medical clinic equipped with full services, parking, yards, walkways, mini-market, green spaces and playgrounds.
Other innovations in the efforts to protect workers’ rights are aimed at introducing greater flexibility and freedom of movement in the labour market, and establishing a balanced contractual relationship between employer and worker.
At the same time, access to effective legal remedies in the event of a labour dispute have been vastly improved. In particular, the Ministry of Labour (MoL) has set up a collective labour disputes committee, with representatives of workers and employers in each labour office. The committees must issue a decision on a dispute within two weeks of referral. Their decisions can be challenged before an appeal court within 30 days of issuance.
Read the full story at www.ecived.com/en/!
Nissan’s answer to that is the Rogue. This is the smallest of the SUVs from Nissan, just below the Murano in the lineup.
From the outside, it is easy on the eyes. Clean, rounded design with stylish wheels, a good stance and a very attractive Cayenne Red paint job on the test model.
Power is supplied by a 2.5-liter Xtronic CVT (continuously variable transmission) with 170 horsepower, 175 pound-feet of torque and placed on the pavement by an intuitive all-wheel-drive system.
The Intelligent Key option enables you to keep the key in your pocket and lock/unlock the doors via a button on the door handle. Once inside you just turn the fob where the key normally goes and the engine fires up.
You will be pleasantly surprised by how simple and uncluttered the interior and dash appear. There are some storage areas, but nothing too extravagant or confusing. In the dash is a 5-inch touch-screen navigation and Bose stereo system. The screen is a bit small, but displays the information adequately.
The seats and steering wheel are covered by leather and the SL package also provides a rear-view camera and Around View monitor, one of Nissan’s trademark parking aids. An SUV of this size is pretty easy to park and maneuver, but the options provide an extra sense of confidence.
On road, the Rogue is pretty nice. The CVT supplies ample power to zip along with traffic and the lack of “shifting” makes for smooth power delivery. On hill climbs or entry to the highway, you have to really stand on the accelerator and the engine revs pretty loudly, but once you let up the revs drop to a comfortable level.
There’s no doubt driving a vehicle with CVT is different and takes some learning, but it’s absolutely ideal for city driving where stop-and-go is the norm. Driving at night is made easy with the optional HID headlamps that provide great vision and clarity.
With the rear seats up, there is enough room for two suitcases in the back. With the seats down you can fit a good amount of cargo. Sitting in the back is a struggle if you’re over 6 feet tall and can be a little rough over bumpy roads since you’re basically sitting over the rear axle.
I found the Rogue to be a very pleasant vehicle overall. It does everything pretty well and doesn’t bog you down with unnecessary options. Other than adjusting to the CVT transmission and the keyless entry system, the Rogue is very simple to operate and live with.
After completing her morning treatment, the pair would head to their daughter’s home to play with their two toddler grandchildren before coming back at the end of the day for Evelyn to undergo a second round.
Had Evelyn been diagnosed with breast cancer a few months earlier, the couple would’ve had to travel an additional 25 miles to the hospital’s main campus in Charlotte for the treatment or opt for the traditional six-week radiation.
The targeted radiation therapy known as MammoSite has been FDA approved since 2002, but doctors at the Battle Cancer Center at CMC-Northeast just started administering it in May.
Telluride Grown is proposing to build a food-growing system on the Pearl Property that uses a technology known as aquaponics to grow produce and raise fish for consumption. The project would be comprised of several greenhouses, and its proponents say the system would allow the town to drastically cut down on carbon emissions related to importing food, produce healthy products for its denizens and serve as an example to other communities.
While town council members and residents in the audience lauded the concept, many tripped over the location. And the inclusion of the Pearl Property ultimately cost the project support of three of the five council members who considered it during a work session.
Cieciuch said he chose the 1.5-acre parcel of uplands on the north side of the property for several reasons. After researching all vacant town-owned land that would be appropriate for the project, he said this best fit the project’s objectives. The parcel is flat, it gets great sun exposure, and it would be a visible example to visitors and locals that Telluride is working toward a greener future, he said.
But the Pearl Property, which has a contentious past, poses some hurdles. The 7.3-acre parcel of marshy land that sits between Telluride and the Valley Floor has been at the center of a number of public debates and votes in the last two decades as townspeople squabbled over development rights, wetlands and whether or not to put a parking lot there. In 1998, voters approved a restriction on the Pearl to prevent a proposed parking lot, and the development restriction remains today. It’s currently zoned for public purpose.
The land is now at the center of a proposal years in the making to divide the property into two parcels — a large undeveloped open space parcel preserved by a conservation easement and a small paved parcel where the RV lot is now located that could be used for a public benefit such as a new medical center.
The decision emphasises employers’ responsibilities to provide workers with accommodation commensurate with international labour standards. Each facility operating in the country has to upgrade its workers’ accommodation conditions to comply with these standards. In implementation of this decision, Abu Dhabi has invested about Dh20 billion ($5.4 billion) in 23 workers’ “cities” which are capable of providing accommodation for 385,000 workers. These complexes have been built in line with the new manual which stipulates that all labour accommodations must include its own medical clinic equipped with full services, parking, yards, walkways, mini-market, green spaces and playgrounds.
Other innovations in the efforts to protect workers’ rights are aimed at introducing greater flexibility and freedom of movement in the labour market, and establishing a balanced contractual relationship between employer and worker.
At the same time, access to effective legal remedies in the event of a labour dispute have been vastly improved. In particular, the Ministry of Labour (MoL) has set up a collective labour disputes committee, with representatives of workers and employers in each labour office. The committees must issue a decision on a dispute within two weeks of referral. Their decisions can be challenged before an appeal court within 30 days of issuance.
Read the full story at www.ecived.com/en/!
2013年6月20日星期四
VeriSilicon Announces ZSP G4 Architecture
A leading Custom Silicon Solutions and Semiconductor IP provider, today announced the introduction of its fourth generation ZSP architecture (ZSP G4) and the availability of the ZSP981 Digital Signal Processor (DSP), the first core in the ZSP G4 series. The ZSP G4 architecture is compatible with the previous generation architecture and extends it further by introducing vector computation capabilities, higher bandwidth interfaces and more execution resources. Designed with inputs from wireless industry experts, the ZSP981 offers a 17X performance improvement over third generation ZSP cores while providing the power efficiency needed for mobile devices. ZSP981 provides modem developers the right level of programmable signal processing capability to implement new and evolving wireless technologies such as LTE-Advanced (LTE-A), 802.11ac and more.
ZSP981 is the first of a set of cores based on the ZSP G4 architecture family. The cores range from a 4-issue, 4-MAC scalar core to a 6-issue, 260-MAC vector core. The cores differ primarily in their performance, power and area characteristics. They offer the flexibility and scalability necessary to target evolving application needs. Developers can easily select a DSP core from the ZSP G4 family that best satisfies the power, performance, area and flexibility considerations of the target platform. In addition, they can define custom instructions to exercise user defined hardware via the enhanced Z.Turbo interface. Cores based on ZSP G4 are ideally suited for multi-mode terminals, femto-cells, smart grid, M2M and mobile infrastructure.
ZSP981 is a fully synthesizable, 6-issue superscalar DSP core. Running at 1.2 GHz, a single ZSP981 can deliver 82 billion multiply accumulate operations per second. With wide, high speed interfaces to shared memory and enhanced Z.Turbo coprocessor ports to hardware accelerators, the ZSP981 enables system designers to achieve the desired balance between software and hardware in their systems. Also included in the ZSP981 subsystem are a power management module, a multi-core communication module and a multichannel Direct Memory Access (DMA), which greatly simplify system level integration and development.
"A pure Software Defined Radio (SDR) approach presents power challenges in mobile devices. User equipment system developers seek an optimal balance between performance and power, which is made possible by our ZSP981 DSP core," says Dr. Wayne Dai, President and CEO of VeriSilicon. "Based on the ZSP G4 architecture, we have created an adaptive and scalable wireless platform that can help mobile communication SoC vendors achieve the best solution in the shortest time."
The ZSP981 architecture is supported by ZView(TM) , a full-featured, easy-to-use suite of tools consisting of an Integrated Development Environment (IDE), compiler, assembler, optimizer, linker, debugger, simulators, and profiling utilities. ZView(TM) incorporates a number of significant new enhancements, including a vectorizing C compiler, and other optimization tools to accelerate software development.
To combat poor internet connectivity in Africa, founders of Ushahidi, David Kobia, Juliana Rotich, and Erik Hersman, are set to launch a modem, BRCK, that provides internet connection even without electricity.
BRCK, is a product designed by Africans, for Africans to work best in areas of the continent where internet connectivity is unpredictable. It can work even in remote areas where there are fairly unreliable internet connections.
Head at MIT Center for Civic Media Ethan Zuckerman described it as, “the equivalent of a backup generator for the net.”
BRCK connects two mains and has a battery that could work for 8 hours without power. It works much like a cell phone by gaining its connectivity through a standard SIM card and/or Ethernet or WiFi connections while intelligently and seamlessly switching between Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and 3G or 4G connections. It is extremely small, and designed to be the easiest possible networking device to set up. Once operating, it can connect up to 20 devices with a WiFi signal that can cover several rooms.
The idea to create BRCK was born out of the problem encountered in Ushahidi (“Ushahidi” means “testimony” in Swahili.), a non-profit technology company created in Africa in 2008 in response to the post-election violence in Kenya. With the use of Ushahidi, citizens can report incidence of violence and use this information to build maps illustrating where troubled spots are. Ushahidi builds open source software and digital tools to help people in the developing world use information more effectively.
“As a company full of engineers working in places with poor infrastructure, we simply cannot get connected as reliably as our peers in the developed world,” the company says.
“At Ushahidi, we face this problem all the time. We realised that what we really needed was a smart, rugged device that could connect to the internet any way it could, hop from one network to another, create a hotspot for multiple devices, while plugged in or running on battery power.”
However, when the founders devised that failure in internet connection could mar the purpose of the project Ushahidi; they launched a “KickStater” to fund it. The project started with the help of $172,107 raised on crowdfunding site for the Kickstarter.
Click on their website www.ecived.com/en/ for more information.
ZSP981 is the first of a set of cores based on the ZSP G4 architecture family. The cores range from a 4-issue, 4-MAC scalar core to a 6-issue, 260-MAC vector core. The cores differ primarily in their performance, power and area characteristics. They offer the flexibility and scalability necessary to target evolving application needs. Developers can easily select a DSP core from the ZSP G4 family that best satisfies the power, performance, area and flexibility considerations of the target platform. In addition, they can define custom instructions to exercise user defined hardware via the enhanced Z.Turbo interface. Cores based on ZSP G4 are ideally suited for multi-mode terminals, femto-cells, smart grid, M2M and mobile infrastructure.
ZSP981 is a fully synthesizable, 6-issue superscalar DSP core. Running at 1.2 GHz, a single ZSP981 can deliver 82 billion multiply accumulate operations per second. With wide, high speed interfaces to shared memory and enhanced Z.Turbo coprocessor ports to hardware accelerators, the ZSP981 enables system designers to achieve the desired balance between software and hardware in their systems. Also included in the ZSP981 subsystem are a power management module, a multi-core communication module and a multichannel Direct Memory Access (DMA), which greatly simplify system level integration and development.
"A pure Software Defined Radio (SDR) approach presents power challenges in mobile devices. User equipment system developers seek an optimal balance between performance and power, which is made possible by our ZSP981 DSP core," says Dr. Wayne Dai, President and CEO of VeriSilicon. "Based on the ZSP G4 architecture, we have created an adaptive and scalable wireless platform that can help mobile communication SoC vendors achieve the best solution in the shortest time."
The ZSP981 architecture is supported by ZView(TM) , a full-featured, easy-to-use suite of tools consisting of an Integrated Development Environment (IDE), compiler, assembler, optimizer, linker, debugger, simulators, and profiling utilities. ZView(TM) incorporates a number of significant new enhancements, including a vectorizing C compiler, and other optimization tools to accelerate software development.
To combat poor internet connectivity in Africa, founders of Ushahidi, David Kobia, Juliana Rotich, and Erik Hersman, are set to launch a modem, BRCK, that provides internet connection even without electricity.
BRCK, is a product designed by Africans, for Africans to work best in areas of the continent where internet connectivity is unpredictable. It can work even in remote areas where there are fairly unreliable internet connections.
Head at MIT Center for Civic Media Ethan Zuckerman described it as, “the equivalent of a backup generator for the net.”
BRCK connects two mains and has a battery that could work for 8 hours without power. It works much like a cell phone by gaining its connectivity through a standard SIM card and/or Ethernet or WiFi connections while intelligently and seamlessly switching between Ethernet, Wi-Fi, and 3G or 4G connections. It is extremely small, and designed to be the easiest possible networking device to set up. Once operating, it can connect up to 20 devices with a WiFi signal that can cover several rooms.
The idea to create BRCK was born out of the problem encountered in Ushahidi (“Ushahidi” means “testimony” in Swahili.), a non-profit technology company created in Africa in 2008 in response to the post-election violence in Kenya. With the use of Ushahidi, citizens can report incidence of violence and use this information to build maps illustrating where troubled spots are. Ushahidi builds open source software and digital tools to help people in the developing world use information more effectively.
“As a company full of engineers working in places with poor infrastructure, we simply cannot get connected as reliably as our peers in the developed world,” the company says.
“At Ushahidi, we face this problem all the time. We realised that what we really needed was a smart, rugged device that could connect to the internet any way it could, hop from one network to another, create a hotspot for multiple devices, while plugged in or running on battery power.”
However, when the founders devised that failure in internet connection could mar the purpose of the project Ushahidi; they launched a “KickStater” to fund it. The project started with the help of $172,107 raised on crowdfunding site for the Kickstarter.
Click on their website www.ecived.com/en/ for more information.
2013年6月18日星期二
Best Chance Of Going Worst To First
All eight teams finished with the bottom 11 records in the NFL last season, with the omissions of the New York Jets, the Tennessee Titans and Oakland Raiders. Let's assess the teams with the best chance of going from 'worst to first' which we can determine as making the post-season, as the Indianapolis Colts achieved last season.
With Mike Vick (seemingly) back under centre for the Eagles, they should be primed for a bounce-back season in the wide-open NFC East. With a new coach calling the shots in Philly in the mould of Chip Kelly, his supposed offensive structure should fit the pieces in place. Although plagued by injury, their offensive line, fitted with new offensive tackle Lane Johnson, is the most athletic in the league, and are capable of playing in an up-tempo offense. Wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin are elusive characters with speed and agility, ready for a breakout season, along with running backs LeSean McCoy and Brice Brown, they emphasis really is on speed fir the Eagles. Defensively, they continue to add bulk to their defensive line, adding Isaac Sopoaga in free agency, and drafting defensive tackle Bennie Logan give Philly a strong interior presence. Ex-Texan Connor Barwin, Trent Cole and Fletcher Cox should add pressure from the outside, and releasing veteran corner Nnamdi Asomugha and signing Cary Williams, Bradley Fletcher and Patrick Chung will give them a new-look secondary. Presuming the banged-up offensive line can protect assumed starting quarterback Michael Vick, I do expect the Eagles not only to return to competitive play, but be in contention to win their division.
After finishing 2-14 in 2012, the Chiefs enter offseason with little hope. Following the acquisition of quarterback Alex Smith from the San Francisco 49ers, they now have a viable option at the position which has been burdened with Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn. Although having such a dire season, they had six Pro Bowlers, including star running back Jamaal Charles, it's pretty clear they had some talent to work with. One of eight newly placed Head Coaches going into 2013, Andy Reid will bring his prolific offense down to Kansas City to rejuvenate the passing game. They have talented weapons also; Pro Bowl receiver Dwayne Bowe, former first-round pick Jon Baldwin, tight-end Tony Moeaki, draftee's Travis Kelce and Knile Davis, the list goes on. With a competitive quarterback, they have the offensive fire-power to compete in a less-than competitive AFC West. Defensively, the likes of Tamba Hali, Justin Houston and Dontari Poe give the Chiefs high-sack potential and an imposing front-seven. Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry is quickly becoming one of the best at his indoor Tracking, and adding Sean Smith and Dunta Robinson during free agency, in addition to Brandon Flowers give the Chiefs a very-strong secondary. Sleepers for obtaining a Wild-Card spot in a relatively open AFC, Andy Reid should manage to make the Chiefs a stronger team; reaching the .500 mark is a real possibility.
After winning seven of their last nine games in 2011 to give the Cards an 8-8 record, many thought Arizona were dark horses to sneak into the play-offs in 2012. The Cardinals experienced a catastrophic collapse in the latter half of the 2012 season, similar to their remarkable comeback in 2011. Winning just one of their final 12 games, the Cards became a laughing stock. Now, under the watchful eye of Bruce Arians in the Desert, the Cardinals are set for a competitive year in a tough division. Carson Palmer under centre give them a proven quarterback in a system heavily reliant upon a functional passing game. There's talent there, likely Hall-of-Fame wide-out Larry Fitzgerald is among the leagues best, while first-round pick Michael Floyd is set for a bigger role this term. Slot receivers Andre Roberts and Ryan Swope are talented receivers who are elusive underneath, and receiving tight-end Rob Housler is being tipped for a breakout season. Defensively, they had one of the leagues top units under Ray Horton, who has now left the team, but proven play-makers such as Calais Campbell and Darnell Dockett give the Cards one of the strongest three-man fronts in all of football. Pro Bowl players such as linebacker Daryl Washington and corner Patrick Peterson are rapidly emerging as some of the top players at their positions. However, losing Kerry Rhodes and Adrian Wilson leave them inexperienced at safety. The NFC is very strong in all divisions, most notably the West. The Cardinals face a tough ask if they wish to return to the post season.
Of all the teams mentioned, the Lions are the one team to have a steady quarterback in place in Matthew Stafford. Throwing for over 10,000 yards over the past two seasons, one of the leagues top young quarterbacks has become a proven commodity among his peers, and it doesn't hurt to be throwing to the wide-receiver the league has to offer in Calvin Johnson. Maintaining the same coaching structure, unlike the three teams mentioned previously, the Lions are poised to challenge in the NFC North. Their main issue was stopping teams defensively. A fearsome defensive front including Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley and rookie Ezekiel Ansah should provide ample pressure up front. Stephen Tulloch at linebacker is a rising star across the league, and signing safety Chris Houston and drafting Darius Slay should make their secondary much improved. Offensively, apart from Calvin, there wasn't much production on a consistent basis, but young receivers Ryan Broyles and Mike Thomas, in addition to Nate Burleson, should see increased production. The key addition of Reggie Bush should aid their flagging run-game, where Mikel Leshoure and Joique Bell should flourish in a supporting role. The real issue is the offensive line, where solid left tackle Jeff Backus retired this offseason. Drafting guard Larry Warford should provide some assistance, but there is still a gaping hole on the left side. Stafford and Johnson will give the Lions a chance to win most games and will compete in the North, but keeping Stafford upright is the key to their success.
With the aide of Everlink's EMV expertise and solutions, Cambrian will be issuing dual interface debit cards over the next 5 years with the launch of the new card product scheduled for the end of 2013.
"Canada has become a global leader in contactless card issuance and it is in no small part due to forward thinking financial institutions such as Cambrian Credit Union," says Mark Ripplinger, President and CEO of Everlink. "As this trend becomes more and more prevalent, Everlink will continue to develop the innovative card issuance solutions needed to satisfy the demands of future members and customers."
"Cambrian is very excited to be working with Everlink, especially during this rapidly changing payments landscape in Canada" says Connie Clarke, Vice-President Systems and Administration. "We are confident Everlink will best position Cambrian in offering the most innovative and secure payment systems to our members."
The Everlink CCI solution enables financial institutions to reliably and cost-effectively produce EMV Chip debit cards from a secure central facility, offering distribution options to send the cards directly to the member/customer or to the branch.
CCI leverages relationships Everlink has with card production suppliers who operate facilities certified by VISA Inc., MasterCard Worldwide and Interac , offering complementary, end-to-end solutions with proven, tried and true, in-production technology. CCI aligns perfectly with the needs of today's payment card issuers looking to maximize quality and reduce cost-per-card.
With Mike Vick (seemingly) back under centre for the Eagles, they should be primed for a bounce-back season in the wide-open NFC East. With a new coach calling the shots in Philly in the mould of Chip Kelly, his supposed offensive structure should fit the pieces in place. Although plagued by injury, their offensive line, fitted with new offensive tackle Lane Johnson, is the most athletic in the league, and are capable of playing in an up-tempo offense. Wide receivers DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin are elusive characters with speed and agility, ready for a breakout season, along with running backs LeSean McCoy and Brice Brown, they emphasis really is on speed fir the Eagles. Defensively, they continue to add bulk to their defensive line, adding Isaac Sopoaga in free agency, and drafting defensive tackle Bennie Logan give Philly a strong interior presence. Ex-Texan Connor Barwin, Trent Cole and Fletcher Cox should add pressure from the outside, and releasing veteran corner Nnamdi Asomugha and signing Cary Williams, Bradley Fletcher and Patrick Chung will give them a new-look secondary. Presuming the banged-up offensive line can protect assumed starting quarterback Michael Vick, I do expect the Eagles not only to return to competitive play, but be in contention to win their division.
After finishing 2-14 in 2012, the Chiefs enter offseason with little hope. Following the acquisition of quarterback Alex Smith from the San Francisco 49ers, they now have a viable option at the position which has been burdened with Matt Cassel and Brady Quinn. Although having such a dire season, they had six Pro Bowlers, including star running back Jamaal Charles, it's pretty clear they had some talent to work with. One of eight newly placed Head Coaches going into 2013, Andy Reid will bring his prolific offense down to Kansas City to rejuvenate the passing game. They have talented weapons also; Pro Bowl receiver Dwayne Bowe, former first-round pick Jon Baldwin, tight-end Tony Moeaki, draftee's Travis Kelce and Knile Davis, the list goes on. With a competitive quarterback, they have the offensive fire-power to compete in a less-than competitive AFC West. Defensively, the likes of Tamba Hali, Justin Houston and Dontari Poe give the Chiefs high-sack potential and an imposing front-seven. Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry is quickly becoming one of the best at his indoor Tracking, and adding Sean Smith and Dunta Robinson during free agency, in addition to Brandon Flowers give the Chiefs a very-strong secondary. Sleepers for obtaining a Wild-Card spot in a relatively open AFC, Andy Reid should manage to make the Chiefs a stronger team; reaching the .500 mark is a real possibility.
After winning seven of their last nine games in 2011 to give the Cards an 8-8 record, many thought Arizona were dark horses to sneak into the play-offs in 2012. The Cardinals experienced a catastrophic collapse in the latter half of the 2012 season, similar to their remarkable comeback in 2011. Winning just one of their final 12 games, the Cards became a laughing stock. Now, under the watchful eye of Bruce Arians in the Desert, the Cardinals are set for a competitive year in a tough division. Carson Palmer under centre give them a proven quarterback in a system heavily reliant upon a functional passing game. There's talent there, likely Hall-of-Fame wide-out Larry Fitzgerald is among the leagues best, while first-round pick Michael Floyd is set for a bigger role this term. Slot receivers Andre Roberts and Ryan Swope are talented receivers who are elusive underneath, and receiving tight-end Rob Housler is being tipped for a breakout season. Defensively, they had one of the leagues top units under Ray Horton, who has now left the team, but proven play-makers such as Calais Campbell and Darnell Dockett give the Cards one of the strongest three-man fronts in all of football. Pro Bowl players such as linebacker Daryl Washington and corner Patrick Peterson are rapidly emerging as some of the top players at their positions. However, losing Kerry Rhodes and Adrian Wilson leave them inexperienced at safety. The NFC is very strong in all divisions, most notably the West. The Cardinals face a tough ask if they wish to return to the post season.
Of all the teams mentioned, the Lions are the one team to have a steady quarterback in place in Matthew Stafford. Throwing for over 10,000 yards over the past two seasons, one of the leagues top young quarterbacks has become a proven commodity among his peers, and it doesn't hurt to be throwing to the wide-receiver the league has to offer in Calvin Johnson. Maintaining the same coaching structure, unlike the three teams mentioned previously, the Lions are poised to challenge in the NFC North. Their main issue was stopping teams defensively. A fearsome defensive front including Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley and rookie Ezekiel Ansah should provide ample pressure up front. Stephen Tulloch at linebacker is a rising star across the league, and signing safety Chris Houston and drafting Darius Slay should make their secondary much improved. Offensively, apart from Calvin, there wasn't much production on a consistent basis, but young receivers Ryan Broyles and Mike Thomas, in addition to Nate Burleson, should see increased production. The key addition of Reggie Bush should aid their flagging run-game, where Mikel Leshoure and Joique Bell should flourish in a supporting role. The real issue is the offensive line, where solid left tackle Jeff Backus retired this offseason. Drafting guard Larry Warford should provide some assistance, but there is still a gaping hole on the left side. Stafford and Johnson will give the Lions a chance to win most games and will compete in the North, but keeping Stafford upright is the key to their success.
With the aide of Everlink's EMV expertise and solutions, Cambrian will be issuing dual interface debit cards over the next 5 years with the launch of the new card product scheduled for the end of 2013.
"Canada has become a global leader in contactless card issuance and it is in no small part due to forward thinking financial institutions such as Cambrian Credit Union," says Mark Ripplinger, President and CEO of Everlink. "As this trend becomes more and more prevalent, Everlink will continue to develop the innovative card issuance solutions needed to satisfy the demands of future members and customers."
"Cambrian is very excited to be working with Everlink, especially during this rapidly changing payments landscape in Canada" says Connie Clarke, Vice-President Systems and Administration. "We are confident Everlink will best position Cambrian in offering the most innovative and secure payment systems to our members."
The Everlink CCI solution enables financial institutions to reliably and cost-effectively produce EMV Chip debit cards from a secure central facility, offering distribution options to send the cards directly to the member/customer or to the branch.
CCI leverages relationships Everlink has with card production suppliers who operate facilities certified by VISA Inc., MasterCard Worldwide and Interac , offering complementary, end-to-end solutions with proven, tried and true, in-production technology. CCI aligns perfectly with the needs of today's payment card issuers looking to maximize quality and reduce cost-per-card.
2013年6月16日星期日
How a gold fetish is killing India's economy
Investors are fleeing the yellow metal, whose price has slumped more than 10 percent over the past three months.But Indians are so gold crazy they're sacrificing their currency and their country’s economy in the bargain.
By buying up billions of dollars worth of foreign gold, they are sending Indian cash overseas, disrupting the balance money entering and leaving the country, and thus driving down the value of the rupee. That in turn makes key imports *more costly*, and makes it harder for business to pay international loans.
"If for one year there are no gold imports, it will change the current account deficit story of the country," said Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Thursday. “Indians think they are buying gold in rupees. Actually they are buying gold in dollars.”
India is the world's biggest gold importer, soaking up a third of the world's supply every year. Gold is the country's biggest foreign purchase after oil. The impact? The current account deficit (the net outflow of money) is 5.4 percent of GDP, about double what economists recommend.
"I once again appeal to everyone to resist the temptation to buy gold,” Chidambaram said. “This will show positive impact on every aspect of the Indian economy.”
While India's current account deficit is too high, the real concern is whether enough money is flowing into the country to make up the difference, Bibek Debroy, an economist affiliated with the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research, told GlobalPost. And there things get extra tricky.
“The worry for the government really is that whatever capital inflows we have are in the nature of portfolio investments” — such as stock purchases — “which tend to come and go,” Debroy said. In contrast, direct investment in factories and in other ventures tend to carry long-term benefits, and the capital remains regardless of short term market fluctuations.
“So we should really be asking, ‘Why aren't investments coming in?’ — rather than picking on people who are buying gold.”
According to Chidambaram, India's gold imports fell from an average of $135 million in the first half of May to $36 million in the second half of the month, but he neglected to mention the reason: This year the Akshaya Tritiya festival, the second-biggest holiday for buying gold, fell on May 13.
The post-holiday lull gave some relief to the central bank, which on Tuesday was forced to intervene in currency markets to bring the rupee back from its lowest level against the dollar in history (58.98 rupees to the greenback).
But the rupee resumed its fall after the finance minister's speech Thursday. And the dip in gold demand is likely only to be temporary — because for Indians gold is more than an investment.
Gold is synonymous with savings and security for many of India’s 1.24 billion people, for a variety of reasons. Only about 36,000 of India's 650,000 villages have a bank branch. And minimum balances and other requirements mean that house maids, security guards and construction workers hold much of their assets in gold coins and jewelry as a hedge against bad times, when they can be sold or used as a collateral with the local moneylender.
Moreover, the metal's cultural importance makes it essential for weddings and various other ceremonies. Even bankers and lawyers still think of buying gold jewelry as a foolproof financial strategy. And with both the capital markets and real estate losing luster lately, India's wealthy have emerged as a new class of gold buyers.
“Traditionally, there's always been a demand for gold. But what has added to that in the last four years or so is a different kind of demand. That is a demand for gold that I would call investment,” said Debroy.
Consider this: Even though gold prices have plunged from more than $1800 in November to around $1400 an ounce last month, the World Gold Council has forecast that India's gold imports for April-June would amount to almost half the total imported in 2012.
Bad investment? Probably. Experts say a rise in gold prices is unlikely without a big slump in the US stock market or in the value of the dollar, neither of which seems likely. And even long term, gold prices tend to skyrocket and plunge because there's paltry “real” business demand for the yellow metal, with investors who buy gold and sit on it as an investment accounting for more than half of the volume purchased every year.
For the Indian economy, however, the gold obsession is worse than a poor investment. Unlike buying stocks or bonds, parking money in gold slows, rather than stimulates, economic growth by sucking cash out of the system.
Meanwhile, a growing trade deficit forces the country to devalue its currency – for India, about 10 percent a year for the past two decades. Those plunging values scare people out of rupees, and foreign funds out of India. That, in turn, means less investment and slower growth, and thus a further weakening rupee.Read the full story at www.ecived.com/en!
By buying up billions of dollars worth of foreign gold, they are sending Indian cash overseas, disrupting the balance money entering and leaving the country, and thus driving down the value of the rupee. That in turn makes key imports *more costly*, and makes it harder for business to pay international loans.
"If for one year there are no gold imports, it will change the current account deficit story of the country," said Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Thursday. “Indians think they are buying gold in rupees. Actually they are buying gold in dollars.”
India is the world's biggest gold importer, soaking up a third of the world's supply every year. Gold is the country's biggest foreign purchase after oil. The impact? The current account deficit (the net outflow of money) is 5.4 percent of GDP, about double what economists recommend.
"I once again appeal to everyone to resist the temptation to buy gold,” Chidambaram said. “This will show positive impact on every aspect of the Indian economy.”
While India's current account deficit is too high, the real concern is whether enough money is flowing into the country to make up the difference, Bibek Debroy, an economist affiliated with the New Delhi-based Center for Policy Research, told GlobalPost. And there things get extra tricky.
“The worry for the government really is that whatever capital inflows we have are in the nature of portfolio investments” — such as stock purchases — “which tend to come and go,” Debroy said. In contrast, direct investment in factories and in other ventures tend to carry long-term benefits, and the capital remains regardless of short term market fluctuations.
“So we should really be asking, ‘Why aren't investments coming in?’ — rather than picking on people who are buying gold.”
According to Chidambaram, India's gold imports fell from an average of $135 million in the first half of May to $36 million in the second half of the month, but he neglected to mention the reason: This year the Akshaya Tritiya festival, the second-biggest holiday for buying gold, fell on May 13.
The post-holiday lull gave some relief to the central bank, which on Tuesday was forced to intervene in currency markets to bring the rupee back from its lowest level against the dollar in history (58.98 rupees to the greenback).
But the rupee resumed its fall after the finance minister's speech Thursday. And the dip in gold demand is likely only to be temporary — because for Indians gold is more than an investment.
Gold is synonymous with savings and security for many of India’s 1.24 billion people, for a variety of reasons. Only about 36,000 of India's 650,000 villages have a bank branch. And minimum balances and other requirements mean that house maids, security guards and construction workers hold much of their assets in gold coins and jewelry as a hedge against bad times, when they can be sold or used as a collateral with the local moneylender.
Moreover, the metal's cultural importance makes it essential for weddings and various other ceremonies. Even bankers and lawyers still think of buying gold jewelry as a foolproof financial strategy. And with both the capital markets and real estate losing luster lately, India's wealthy have emerged as a new class of gold buyers.
“Traditionally, there's always been a demand for gold. But what has added to that in the last four years or so is a different kind of demand. That is a demand for gold that I would call investment,” said Debroy.
Consider this: Even though gold prices have plunged from more than $1800 in November to around $1400 an ounce last month, the World Gold Council has forecast that India's gold imports for April-June would amount to almost half the total imported in 2012.
Bad investment? Probably. Experts say a rise in gold prices is unlikely without a big slump in the US stock market or in the value of the dollar, neither of which seems likely. And even long term, gold prices tend to skyrocket and plunge because there's paltry “real” business demand for the yellow metal, with investors who buy gold and sit on it as an investment accounting for more than half of the volume purchased every year.
For the Indian economy, however, the gold obsession is worse than a poor investment. Unlike buying stocks or bonds, parking money in gold slows, rather than stimulates, economic growth by sucking cash out of the system.
Meanwhile, a growing trade deficit forces the country to devalue its currency – for India, about 10 percent a year for the past two decades. Those plunging values scare people out of rupees, and foreign funds out of India. That, in turn, means less investment and slower growth, and thus a further weakening rupee.Read the full story at www.ecived.com/en!
2013年6月8日星期六
Fragile peace in San Salvador as youth gangs
The main square in Ilopango is bustling with noise as the sun disappears behind the distant mountains. The queue for papusas, tortillas filled with beans and melted cheese, is growing as hymns ring out from the evangelical church.
Across the square two girls – cousins aged five and six – persuade me to join in their boisterous game of football, oblivious to the young couples trying to enjoy a quiet moment. Turn the clock back a year, and this typical San Salvador twilight scene could not have existed.
The town was a battleground for the country's two biggest street gangs, Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS-13) and Calle 18, with gang graffiti marking territory street by street. Both gangs used the square to display dead bodies, so everybody knew who was responsible. This public show of violence instilled deep fear among the street vendors, shop owners and taxi drivers, who were all forced to pay into the gangs' extortion rackets. No one came out after dark. El Salvador was ranked the world's second most murderous country in 2011.
Then, in March 2012, the gangs unexpectedly announced a truce. Leaders from both sides promised to stop the killings in return for more humane prison conditions and help in reintegrating members back into society. The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) government, former leftwing guerrillas, risked the wrath of the gang-hating electorate by negotiating for peace. Within weeks the murder rate fell from 14 a day to five or six. Ilopango was one of the most dangerous municipalities of San Salvador, with 117 murders in 2011. The killings fell dramatically to 62 in 2012, and improbably it became the first area declared free from gang violence.
Marvin Gonzales, 29, a spokesman of MS-13 in Ilopango, is one of 30 gang members operating a chicken farm – a showcase truce project attracting international attention for the city's mayor. He tells me about choosing MS-13 over his family at the age of 12; this farm is his first legal job. "I served 10 years in hell for killing a boy whose name I didn't even know over territory. When my niece's father was sentenced to 136 years for triple murder, I knew this had to stop. I lost six friends to Indoor Positioning System, I can't do it any more."
It's a steep, sweltering descent from the road to the farm, which overlooks El Salvador's largest lake. Though once a chicken farm, for the past 16 years this land served as a rubbish dump. Alex Renderos, 26, screws up his face as he recalls the mountain of stinking rubbish. "That's all we did for three months, it was disgusting, the insects were huge."
He was jailed for three years when his girlfriend was pregnant for possession of a 9mm gun. "I didn't see my daughter until she was three – which hurt here," he says, patting his heart. "That's why we are motivated to make this work."
Grinning, Gonzales hands me an envelope he's been carrying in his back pocket. His girlfriend is pregnant and he wants to show off the 12-week ultrasound scan. "I spent the best years of my life in jail, 100 men in a 20-by-15-metre room. Life for us pandilleros [gang members] is short: we end up in jail or dead. I don't want that for my child."
A couple of days later we drive to the flagship Calle 18 project – a tiny bakery down a side street that is covered in gang graffiti. The ovens are full and young boys are speeding off on bicycles loaded with bread rolls, honking their horns to attract customers. The senior gangsters aren't here, delayed at another meeting at the mayor's office with government officials, MS-13, and Father To?o Rodríguez – a controversial priest who recently joined the negotiating table.
Javier García, 22, has been working in the bakery for four months, earning $5 a day. He was kicked out of school at 14 and, like many teenagers, saw the gang as a laugh, better than being at home. "When I'm in the bakery I am not on the streets, so that's good for everyone," he says while lifting from the oven trays of pan francés – salty bread rolls that Salvadoreans eat with breakfast and dinner. "Maybe I will want to leave one day, but right now I still feel very strongly in my heart for my gang, we look after each other like the three musketeers."
García says his friend Kevin was killed by MS-13 only three months ago after stepping into their territory while selling avocados. "I can never imagine MS-13 as my friends, never. If I saw one now, I would hit him, for Kevin. For this truce to work, we have to stay apart."
The mayor, Salvador Ruano, came to power in Ilopango last May, after a narrow win for the rightwing National Republican Alliance, known by the acronym Arena in Spanish, in a FMLN stronghold – with the party punished for years of infighting by a record low turnout. Despite his squat physique, Ruano cuts an imposing figure as he bellows at me as if addressing a large crowd. "I promised both groups I would help them earn an honest living, as long as they kept their side of the compromise, and now I have them around the same table talking peace and people are definitely safer."
"The problem of violence here is decades old and there is no magic formula, no manual, no perfect solution… I cannot say Ilopango is free from violence, but after one year in power we are in transition from violence to peace. Those who criticise maybe have something to lose from peace."
Ilopango's square has a bloody past. During the 12-year civil war, it was from the airbase around the corner that the feared Atlacatl Battalion, a US–trained special forces unit, was sent in helicopters to massacre civilians in "red zones" such as El Mozote and El Calabozo.
Members of the urban guerrilla movement were captured and tortured and bodies were dumped in the square, says David Munguía, the director of FMLN Ilopango, whose office is adorned with pictures of the "martyrs".
"After one year, all we have is a bakery and a chicken farm that employs a handful of people, this cannot sustain [the] truce," Munguía says. "There are no social programmes or prevention projects and, OK, there are fewer murders, but delinquency, extortion and kidnappings are up.
The fragile truce has powerful religious and political opponents. Norman Quijano, the mayor of San Salvador and Arena's 2014 presidential candidate, is pledging to get tough on crime and stop negotiating with criminals.
El Salvador has the most overcrowded prisons in the world, with 26,000 inmates kettled in prisons built for 8,400 – a direct result of the 2004 Arena Mano Duro or iron-fist policy. But Quijano's claims that murderous gangsters are now living it up with plasma-screen TVs hits a nerve, and his popularity is growing. One taxi driver tells me that he still pays $8 a week to Calle 18 – a quarter of what he earns – and wants them all locked up for life. Mauricio Funes, the president of El Salvador, promises to tackle extortion next, but the police, narcos and other organised criminals are all at it – so that is easier said than done.
Jeanne Rikkers, from the human rights and prison reform NGO Fespad, says: "Despite the US roots, the gangs were an El Salvadorean response to an El Salvadorean reality, flourishing in a perfect storm. State obligations to rehabilitate, reintegrate, improve prisons, reform education and health, need to be done transparently with access for all, not just negotiated for some. A promise to stop killing cannot solve underlying complex social problems."
Mejicanos, a suburb of San Salvador, will become the tenth area declared free from gang violence on 20 June, the third anniversary of the notorious Calle 18 arson attack in which 17 bus passengers died. Father To?o, who moved here from Madrid 14 years ago, chats over coffee while his guards – whose presence is the result of death threats from drug traffickers – loiter outside. "The gangs are the product of the unresolved causes of the civil war: huge inequalities in wealth, democracy and land ownership.
Across the square two girls – cousins aged five and six – persuade me to join in their boisterous game of football, oblivious to the young couples trying to enjoy a quiet moment. Turn the clock back a year, and this typical San Salvador twilight scene could not have existed.
The town was a battleground for the country's two biggest street gangs, Mara Salvatrucha 13 (MS-13) and Calle 18, with gang graffiti marking territory street by street. Both gangs used the square to display dead bodies, so everybody knew who was responsible. This public show of violence instilled deep fear among the street vendors, shop owners and taxi drivers, who were all forced to pay into the gangs' extortion rackets. No one came out after dark. El Salvador was ranked the world's second most murderous country in 2011.
Then, in March 2012, the gangs unexpectedly announced a truce. Leaders from both sides promised to stop the killings in return for more humane prison conditions and help in reintegrating members back into society. The Farabundo Martí National Liberation Front (FMLN) government, former leftwing guerrillas, risked the wrath of the gang-hating electorate by negotiating for peace. Within weeks the murder rate fell from 14 a day to five or six. Ilopango was one of the most dangerous municipalities of San Salvador, with 117 murders in 2011. The killings fell dramatically to 62 in 2012, and improbably it became the first area declared free from gang violence.
Marvin Gonzales, 29, a spokesman of MS-13 in Ilopango, is one of 30 gang members operating a chicken farm – a showcase truce project attracting international attention for the city's mayor. He tells me about choosing MS-13 over his family at the age of 12; this farm is his first legal job. "I served 10 years in hell for killing a boy whose name I didn't even know over territory. When my niece's father was sentenced to 136 years for triple murder, I knew this had to stop. I lost six friends to Indoor Positioning System, I can't do it any more."
It's a steep, sweltering descent from the road to the farm, which overlooks El Salvador's largest lake. Though once a chicken farm, for the past 16 years this land served as a rubbish dump. Alex Renderos, 26, screws up his face as he recalls the mountain of stinking rubbish. "That's all we did for three months, it was disgusting, the insects were huge."
He was jailed for three years when his girlfriend was pregnant for possession of a 9mm gun. "I didn't see my daughter until she was three – which hurt here," he says, patting his heart. "That's why we are motivated to make this work."
Grinning, Gonzales hands me an envelope he's been carrying in his back pocket. His girlfriend is pregnant and he wants to show off the 12-week ultrasound scan. "I spent the best years of my life in jail, 100 men in a 20-by-15-metre room. Life for us pandilleros [gang members] is short: we end up in jail or dead. I don't want that for my child."
A couple of days later we drive to the flagship Calle 18 project – a tiny bakery down a side street that is covered in gang graffiti. The ovens are full and young boys are speeding off on bicycles loaded with bread rolls, honking their horns to attract customers. The senior gangsters aren't here, delayed at another meeting at the mayor's office with government officials, MS-13, and Father To?o Rodríguez – a controversial priest who recently joined the negotiating table.
Javier García, 22, has been working in the bakery for four months, earning $5 a day. He was kicked out of school at 14 and, like many teenagers, saw the gang as a laugh, better than being at home. "When I'm in the bakery I am not on the streets, so that's good for everyone," he says while lifting from the oven trays of pan francés – salty bread rolls that Salvadoreans eat with breakfast and dinner. "Maybe I will want to leave one day, but right now I still feel very strongly in my heart for my gang, we look after each other like the three musketeers."
García says his friend Kevin was killed by MS-13 only three months ago after stepping into their territory while selling avocados. "I can never imagine MS-13 as my friends, never. If I saw one now, I would hit him, for Kevin. For this truce to work, we have to stay apart."
The mayor, Salvador Ruano, came to power in Ilopango last May, after a narrow win for the rightwing National Republican Alliance, known by the acronym Arena in Spanish, in a FMLN stronghold – with the party punished for years of infighting by a record low turnout. Despite his squat physique, Ruano cuts an imposing figure as he bellows at me as if addressing a large crowd. "I promised both groups I would help them earn an honest living, as long as they kept their side of the compromise, and now I have them around the same table talking peace and people are definitely safer."
"The problem of violence here is decades old and there is no magic formula, no manual, no perfect solution… I cannot say Ilopango is free from violence, but after one year in power we are in transition from violence to peace. Those who criticise maybe have something to lose from peace."
Ilopango's square has a bloody past. During the 12-year civil war, it was from the airbase around the corner that the feared Atlacatl Battalion, a US–trained special forces unit, was sent in helicopters to massacre civilians in "red zones" such as El Mozote and El Calabozo.
Members of the urban guerrilla movement were captured and tortured and bodies were dumped in the square, says David Munguía, the director of FMLN Ilopango, whose office is adorned with pictures of the "martyrs".
"After one year, all we have is a bakery and a chicken farm that employs a handful of people, this cannot sustain [the] truce," Munguía says. "There are no social programmes or prevention projects and, OK, there are fewer murders, but delinquency, extortion and kidnappings are up.
The fragile truce has powerful religious and political opponents. Norman Quijano, the mayor of San Salvador and Arena's 2014 presidential candidate, is pledging to get tough on crime and stop negotiating with criminals.
El Salvador has the most overcrowded prisons in the world, with 26,000 inmates kettled in prisons built for 8,400 – a direct result of the 2004 Arena Mano Duro or iron-fist policy. But Quijano's claims that murderous gangsters are now living it up with plasma-screen TVs hits a nerve, and his popularity is growing. One taxi driver tells me that he still pays $8 a week to Calle 18 – a quarter of what he earns – and wants them all locked up for life. Mauricio Funes, the president of El Salvador, promises to tackle extortion next, but the police, narcos and other organised criminals are all at it – so that is easier said than done.
Jeanne Rikkers, from the human rights and prison reform NGO Fespad, says: "Despite the US roots, the gangs were an El Salvadorean response to an El Salvadorean reality, flourishing in a perfect storm. State obligations to rehabilitate, reintegrate, improve prisons, reform education and health, need to be done transparently with access for all, not just negotiated for some. A promise to stop killing cannot solve underlying complex social problems."
Mejicanos, a suburb of San Salvador, will become the tenth area declared free from gang violence on 20 June, the third anniversary of the notorious Calle 18 arson attack in which 17 bus passengers died. Father To?o, who moved here from Madrid 14 years ago, chats over coffee while his guards – whose presence is the result of death threats from drug traffickers – loiter outside. "The gangs are the product of the unresolved causes of the civil war: huge inequalities in wealth, democracy and land ownership.
2013年6月7日星期五
“Hardcore” Holly on Respect for CM Punk
“It was a silly kind of a gimmick. And people – you know, to this day, people still make fun of it, and which that’s cool because I’d make fun of it too. But it gave me my start. And that’s what I want people to understand that laugh and joke about it, you know, and people still call me Sparky and laugh and, you know, stuff like that. But they’ve got to understand if they were in my shoes, they wouldn’t turn it down just to be in WWE. ‘Cause I guarantee they wouldn’t tell Vince, you know, whatever character they gave ‘em, silly character or whatever because back then it was – everything was cartoon characters, basically. And I guarantee to this day nobody would have ever turned them down [Laughter]. And I wasn’t about to, you know.
“And I thought, you know, this is what I’ve been working for, you know, all my life, to get in the WWE, WWF at the time, you know. And I darn sure wasn’t gonna turn it down. And I thought you know what? Just take it a step at a time. And hopefully, we can evolve to something else, in which, you know, fortunately, it did for me.
“It was Vince’s idea. See, I’m gonna back up a little bit here. When the whole ‘Sparkplug’ gimmick came along, after I had been there for about six months, between six months and a year, I actually went to Vince and asked him if we could change it. And he did not have a problem with it at all, you know. So he just – I just said, hey, do you think we could just drop, you know, the Thurman, and we’ll, you know, take baby steps and go, you know, Bob ‘Sparkplug’ Holly? And so we did that.
“And then eventually, you know, they put me in with the ‘Midnight Express’. So then they completely dropped that whole ‘Sparkplug’ gimmick. And, you know, of course, I was ‘Bombastic’ Bob. You know, and that was another thing I wasn’t too proud of, but I was still in WWE and I was still working [Laughter].
“Yeah. And so I thought you know what? Something better’s gonna come along. And then when they did the whole Brawl for All, you know, that kind of changed people’s opinions quite a bit. And so then they stopped the ‘Midnight Express’. And then the whole ‘Job Squad’ thing came along. And then I was just Bob Holly then.
“And then when they started the whole Hardcore Match, you know, and have the Hardcore Title and everything, and when I was introduced to that, that’s when Vince said, we’re gonna start calling Bob ‘Hardcore’ Holly. And so that’s how that how that whole hardcore thing evolved for me.”
“No, no… My loyalty – you know, to me, my loyalty laid with Vince. And, you know, I just felt committed to him because he’s always been so good to me. He really was. And so, you know, it didn’t matter. Money to me didn’t matter. My happiness and my comfort where I am was important to me and my loyalty. So, you know, it was never a thought to go to WCW, no matter how much money they offered me, you know. Because like I said, you know, Vince was always good to me. So that’s why I stayed loyal to him.”
“I was out with Kurt – with my broken arm, I was out eight months with that. And then with Brock, I was out thirteen months with that. And, you know, it was just a lot of – you know, it was almost like starting “I don’t think there was, you know. I just think the whole – the match was just a lead-up to as far as just blowing off the whole angle, you know. But I just – I don’t think that – honestly, in my opinion, that I was World Title material. I wasn’t ready for that, you know, because of where I was in the company and stuff like that. I just don’t think I was ready for that. So I really honestly don’t think there was any talk of, you know, putting the title on me, you know. And rightly so, you know, because honestly, you know, I wasn’t ready… I honestly don’t think I ever was. I think the time leading up to my broken arm with Kurt – because they were grooming me, you know, to work on top back then, you know. And then I just never gained the momentum back. And it was just a matter of where I was on the card and, you know, in the situations where they needed me to help – use me to get other guys over that they were bringing in.
“So I never, ever gained that momentum back, you know, because of the role that I was playing at the time as far as needing me to put guys over, you know. So I just don’t ever think there really was a period that I would have been ready, you know, unless they really had a good storyline for me and got good momentum behind me. But other than that, I just, you know – I just – in my opinion, I honestly wasn’t ready ever. I don’t think I ever was, you know. And I was cool with that because, you know, there’s only room at the top for so many, you know. And I understand how everything works. I understood how everything worked, you know. And I was cool with that.
“You know, it would have been nice to be World Champion. Don’t get me wrong. Because along with being World Champion, you carry the company and you make tons of money [laughter], you know. So it would have been really nice, you know. But it just wasn’t in the cards for me. And I was cool with that, you know.over, having to work out all over, you know, to gain your, you know, size and everything back. So that was a lot of work in itself, getting back to that, you know. But as far as getting back in the ring, you know, it was just like riding a bicycle.
“But, you know, as far as the, you know, rehab and everything, it was not that bad, you know. I never really had that, you know, many issues, you know, with the rehab end of it, coming back.”
“If you’re Vince’s pet project, you pretty much – you know, you’re a shoe-in there, you know. And all you got to do is just listen to him and do what he asks of you, and you’ll have it made, you know, because he’ll make sure that you get over. He will. Just do what he says, you know. And listen to him. And you will get over, you know. So yeah, if he’s got Vince behind him like that, that guy’s got it made.
“And another thing I love about what he [Fandango] does too is the way he gets in the ring. After he makes his entrance, watch the way he gets in the ring. He does that. Nobody’s ever done it that way. And to me, that’s different, and I like that, you know. But yeah, you know, if he’s Vince’s pet project, the guy’s got it made, you know. He just has to make sure he listens to him and doesn’t, you know, get the attitude well, I’m gonna do what I want to do, despite of what he says. Because then that’ll be the demise of him, you know. Which hopefully – I think he’s smart enough and he knows who to listen to. So, you know, I wish the guy all the best. I really do, you know. I really do.” Click on their website www.ecived.com/en for more information.
“And I thought, you know, this is what I’ve been working for, you know, all my life, to get in the WWE, WWF at the time, you know. And I darn sure wasn’t gonna turn it down. And I thought you know what? Just take it a step at a time. And hopefully, we can evolve to something else, in which, you know, fortunately, it did for me.
“It was Vince’s idea. See, I’m gonna back up a little bit here. When the whole ‘Sparkplug’ gimmick came along, after I had been there for about six months, between six months and a year, I actually went to Vince and asked him if we could change it. And he did not have a problem with it at all, you know. So he just – I just said, hey, do you think we could just drop, you know, the Thurman, and we’ll, you know, take baby steps and go, you know, Bob ‘Sparkplug’ Holly? And so we did that.
“And then eventually, you know, they put me in with the ‘Midnight Express’. So then they completely dropped that whole ‘Sparkplug’ gimmick. And, you know, of course, I was ‘Bombastic’ Bob. You know, and that was another thing I wasn’t too proud of, but I was still in WWE and I was still working [Laughter].
“Yeah. And so I thought you know what? Something better’s gonna come along. And then when they did the whole Brawl for All, you know, that kind of changed people’s opinions quite a bit. And so then they stopped the ‘Midnight Express’. And then the whole ‘Job Squad’ thing came along. And then I was just Bob Holly then.
“And then when they started the whole Hardcore Match, you know, and have the Hardcore Title and everything, and when I was introduced to that, that’s when Vince said, we’re gonna start calling Bob ‘Hardcore’ Holly. And so that’s how that how that whole hardcore thing evolved for me.”
“No, no… My loyalty – you know, to me, my loyalty laid with Vince. And, you know, I just felt committed to him because he’s always been so good to me. He really was. And so, you know, it didn’t matter. Money to me didn’t matter. My happiness and my comfort where I am was important to me and my loyalty. So, you know, it was never a thought to go to WCW, no matter how much money they offered me, you know. Because like I said, you know, Vince was always good to me. So that’s why I stayed loyal to him.”
“I was out with Kurt – with my broken arm, I was out eight months with that. And then with Brock, I was out thirteen months with that. And, you know, it was just a lot of – you know, it was almost like starting “I don’t think there was, you know. I just think the whole – the match was just a lead-up to as far as just blowing off the whole angle, you know. But I just – I don’t think that – honestly, in my opinion, that I was World Title material. I wasn’t ready for that, you know, because of where I was in the company and stuff like that. I just don’t think I was ready for that. So I really honestly don’t think there was any talk of, you know, putting the title on me, you know. And rightly so, you know, because honestly, you know, I wasn’t ready… I honestly don’t think I ever was. I think the time leading up to my broken arm with Kurt – because they were grooming me, you know, to work on top back then, you know. And then I just never gained the momentum back. And it was just a matter of where I was on the card and, you know, in the situations where they needed me to help – use me to get other guys over that they were bringing in.
“So I never, ever gained that momentum back, you know, because of the role that I was playing at the time as far as needing me to put guys over, you know. So I just don’t ever think there really was a period that I would have been ready, you know, unless they really had a good storyline for me and got good momentum behind me. But other than that, I just, you know – I just – in my opinion, I honestly wasn’t ready ever. I don’t think I ever was, you know. And I was cool with that because, you know, there’s only room at the top for so many, you know. And I understand how everything works. I understood how everything worked, you know. And I was cool with that.
“You know, it would have been nice to be World Champion. Don’t get me wrong. Because along with being World Champion, you carry the company and you make tons of money [laughter], you know. So it would have been really nice, you know. But it just wasn’t in the cards for me. And I was cool with that, you know.over, having to work out all over, you know, to gain your, you know, size and everything back. So that was a lot of work in itself, getting back to that, you know. But as far as getting back in the ring, you know, it was just like riding a bicycle.
“But, you know, as far as the, you know, rehab and everything, it was not that bad, you know. I never really had that, you know, many issues, you know, with the rehab end of it, coming back.”
“If you’re Vince’s pet project, you pretty much – you know, you’re a shoe-in there, you know. And all you got to do is just listen to him and do what he asks of you, and you’ll have it made, you know, because he’ll make sure that you get over. He will. Just do what he says, you know. And listen to him. And you will get over, you know. So yeah, if he’s got Vince behind him like that, that guy’s got it made.
“And another thing I love about what he [Fandango] does too is the way he gets in the ring. After he makes his entrance, watch the way he gets in the ring. He does that. Nobody’s ever done it that way. And to me, that’s different, and I like that, you know. But yeah, you know, if he’s Vince’s pet project, the guy’s got it made, you know. He just has to make sure he listens to him and doesn’t, you know, get the attitude well, I’m gonna do what I want to do, despite of what he says. Because then that’ll be the demise of him, you know. Which hopefully – I think he’s smart enough and he knows who to listen to. So, you know, I wish the guy all the best. I really do, you know. I really do.” Click on their website www.ecived.com/en for more information.
2013年6月5日星期三
Sandisk's Flash Memory Cards Business Supports $65 Value
SanDisk is one of the leading designers and manufacturers of NAND flash storage solutions. NAND products are re-writeable, non-volatile semiconductor memory devices that retain content even when the power is turned off. NAND is ideal for mass-storage devices due to its fast erase and write times, high density, and low cost per bit relative to other solid-state memory. SanDisk’s flash memory cards segment, which primarily sells flash storage for smartphones and feature phones, is the company’s biggest division and makes up approximately 25% of its value.
We think that much of SanDisk’s unit sales growth over the next few years will come from the robust sales growth of smartphones, which is a key driver within the flash memory card division. We however forecast the average selling price for NAND Flash per Gigabit to continue declining, albeit at a slower pace, for the rest of our forecast period. Below we take a look at key trends affecting this division, and we have a $65 price estimate for Indoor Positioning System.
Since the launch of Apple’s iPhone in 2007 followed by the introduction of Android, the smartphone market has seen rapid growth. In addition to communication, smartphones have enabled people to perform more tasks comfortably anytime, anywhere. With a huge number of apps being designed for every small task imaginable, smartphones have truly changed the way of life.
The number of smartphones sold globally increased from 120 million in 2007 to nearly 660 million in 2012, witnessing 40% yearly growth in units sold. The share of smartphones in the global mobile market (around 1.8 billion devices each year) has increased to 40% in 2012 from sub-10% in 2007.
The trend is expected to continue going forward with demand coming from low penetration in emerging markets including China, Brazil and India. Worldwide smartphone sales are projected to cross 900 million units this year to surpass feature-phone sales. By the end of 2017, over 1.5 billion smartphones are expected to be shipped worldwide or about two-third of the global mobile market. The rapid rise in global shipments for smartphones will be the key growth driver in the flash storage industry.
We are seeing strong NAND content growth in smartphones. As the quality of media content improves with higher resolution pictures and high definition videos, the demand for more local storage capacity will grow. Further, the growing use of applications (especially for productivity) in smartphones is increasing the need for greater local storage on devices. We therefore expect the average capacity of flash memory in smartphones to grow by almost 20-25%, a bit slower than the historical growth. This is due to the growing threat from cloud storage services like iCloud, Dropbox, etc., that takes some of the load off of local memory storage for accessing data.
Reacting to the rapid rise in sales of smartphones and tablets coupled with the anticipated shift towards ultrabooks and SSDs, many chip manufactures ramped up their production capacities. However, the growth in ultrabooks and SSDs did not meet initial expectations which led to a supply glut in the NAND memory market. The excess supply coupled with the current macroeconomic headwinds further drove down NAND prices that were continuously declining on account of intense competition among chipmakers. We estimate that average selling prices per gigabyte for flash memory declined from around $3 in 2008 to around $0.50 in 2012.
As technology improvements lower costs, we expect this trend to continue and forecast ASPs to decline to around $0.05 per GB by 2019. The 3-bits-per-cell (or X3) technology results in lower costs and increases capacity of memory chips by allowing higher density of data to be stored on the same amount of silicon. On its investor day meet held earlier this month, SanDisk announced its next-generation process technology which is expected to further reduce costs.
However, the pace of price declines should be slower than that witnessed over the last couple of years. The demand-supply gap is closing with many suppliers cutting their capacities. Toshiba Corp, Japan’s leading chipmaker and a SanDisk partner, has cut its production of flash memory chips by as high as 30% on account of industry oversupply. The company has a share of close to 30% of the global NAND flash market. Additionally, the current scenario in the memory industry has forced many small players to shut down, leading to the much-needed market consolidation. This has taken some excess capacity off the market.
If you have replaced your ATM card over the past few months, you may have been given one of the new contactless Visa debit cards that are being rolled out by Irish banks. Designed to encourage the use of cards instead of cash, the contactless payments are intended to be quicker and more convenient for smaller transaction values, removing the barrier of chip and pin but still remaining secure.
But contactless cards are just the first in a new wave of payment options that Irish consumers may encounter in the near future. With mobile phones becoming ever more advanced, and near field communications becoming a standard technology in smartphone handsets, the day when your mobile phone will function as a digital wallet is coming ever closer.
Sage Pay Ireland MD Sean Wilson believes the mobile phone will be the next great innovation in the coming years for payments. “At the moment, the next major innovation is going to be driven by the consumer, and the greatest enabler is the smartphone, because we now have essentially a supercomputer in our hand. Customer expectation is [that] they want it easy, they want it accessible, convenient and secure as well,” he said.
We think that much of SanDisk’s unit sales growth over the next few years will come from the robust sales growth of smartphones, which is a key driver within the flash memory card division. We however forecast the average selling price for NAND Flash per Gigabit to continue declining, albeit at a slower pace, for the rest of our forecast period. Below we take a look at key trends affecting this division, and we have a $65 price estimate for Indoor Positioning System.
Since the launch of Apple’s iPhone in 2007 followed by the introduction of Android, the smartphone market has seen rapid growth. In addition to communication, smartphones have enabled people to perform more tasks comfortably anytime, anywhere. With a huge number of apps being designed for every small task imaginable, smartphones have truly changed the way of life.
The number of smartphones sold globally increased from 120 million in 2007 to nearly 660 million in 2012, witnessing 40% yearly growth in units sold. The share of smartphones in the global mobile market (around 1.8 billion devices each year) has increased to 40% in 2012 from sub-10% in 2007.
The trend is expected to continue going forward with demand coming from low penetration in emerging markets including China, Brazil and India. Worldwide smartphone sales are projected to cross 900 million units this year to surpass feature-phone sales. By the end of 2017, over 1.5 billion smartphones are expected to be shipped worldwide or about two-third of the global mobile market. The rapid rise in global shipments for smartphones will be the key growth driver in the flash storage industry.
We are seeing strong NAND content growth in smartphones. As the quality of media content improves with higher resolution pictures and high definition videos, the demand for more local storage capacity will grow. Further, the growing use of applications (especially for productivity) in smartphones is increasing the need for greater local storage on devices. We therefore expect the average capacity of flash memory in smartphones to grow by almost 20-25%, a bit slower than the historical growth. This is due to the growing threat from cloud storage services like iCloud, Dropbox, etc., that takes some of the load off of local memory storage for accessing data.
Reacting to the rapid rise in sales of smartphones and tablets coupled with the anticipated shift towards ultrabooks and SSDs, many chip manufactures ramped up their production capacities. However, the growth in ultrabooks and SSDs did not meet initial expectations which led to a supply glut in the NAND memory market. The excess supply coupled with the current macroeconomic headwinds further drove down NAND prices that were continuously declining on account of intense competition among chipmakers. We estimate that average selling prices per gigabyte for flash memory declined from around $3 in 2008 to around $0.50 in 2012.
As technology improvements lower costs, we expect this trend to continue and forecast ASPs to decline to around $0.05 per GB by 2019. The 3-bits-per-cell (or X3) technology results in lower costs and increases capacity of memory chips by allowing higher density of data to be stored on the same amount of silicon. On its investor day meet held earlier this month, SanDisk announced its next-generation process technology which is expected to further reduce costs.
However, the pace of price declines should be slower than that witnessed over the last couple of years. The demand-supply gap is closing with many suppliers cutting their capacities. Toshiba Corp, Japan’s leading chipmaker and a SanDisk partner, has cut its production of flash memory chips by as high as 30% on account of industry oversupply. The company has a share of close to 30% of the global NAND flash market. Additionally, the current scenario in the memory industry has forced many small players to shut down, leading to the much-needed market consolidation. This has taken some excess capacity off the market.
If you have replaced your ATM card over the past few months, you may have been given one of the new contactless Visa debit cards that are being rolled out by Irish banks. Designed to encourage the use of cards instead of cash, the contactless payments are intended to be quicker and more convenient for smaller transaction values, removing the barrier of chip and pin but still remaining secure.
But contactless cards are just the first in a new wave of payment options that Irish consumers may encounter in the near future. With mobile phones becoming ever more advanced, and near field communications becoming a standard technology in smartphone handsets, the day when your mobile phone will function as a digital wallet is coming ever closer.
Sage Pay Ireland MD Sean Wilson believes the mobile phone will be the next great innovation in the coming years for payments. “At the moment, the next major innovation is going to be driven by the consumer, and the greatest enabler is the smartphone, because we now have essentially a supercomputer in our hand. Customer expectation is [that] they want it easy, they want it accessible, convenient and secure as well,” he said.
2013年6月4日星期二
Egypt ministers caught on live TV discussing sabotage
Politicians meeting with Egypt's president on Monday proposed hostile acts against Ethiopia, including backing rebels and carrying out sabotage, to stop it from building a massive dam on the Nile River upstream.
Some of the politicians appeared unaware the meeting with President Mohammed Morsi was being carried live on TV. Morsi did not directly react to the suggestions, but said in concluding remarks that Egypt respects Ethiopia and its people and will not engage in any aggressive acts against the East African nation.
Morsi called the meeting to review the impact of Ethiopia's $4.2 billion hydroelectric dam, which would be Africa's largest. Egypt in the past has threatened to go to war over its "historic rights" to Nile River water.
Morsi's office later said he had directed his foreign and irrigation ministers to maintain contact with the Ethiopian government to obtain more information on the dam and its likely impact on Egypt's share of the Nile water.
His office's statement included an ominous-sounding note, saying: "Egypt will never surrender its right to Nile water and all options (to safeguard it) are being considered."
Ethiopia last week started diverting the flow of the Nile to make way for its hydroelectric plant dubbed the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. On completion, it is expected to produce 6,000 megawatts, and its reservoir is scheduled to start filling next year.
An independent panel of experts has concluded that the dam will not significantly affect downstream Sudan and Egypt, which are highly dependent on the water of the world's longest river, said an Ethiopian official, who spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the topic.
But in Cairo on Monday, Younis Makhyoun, leader of an ultraconservative Islamist party, said Egypt should back rebels in Ethiopia or, as a last resort, destroy the dam. He said Egypt made a "strategic error" when it did not object to the dam's construction.
Makhyoun said Ethiopia is "fragile" because of rebel movements inside the country. "We can communicate with them and use them as a bargaining chip against the Ethiopian government," he said.
"If all this fails, then there is no choice left for Egypt but to play the final card, which is using the intelligence service to destroy the dam," said Makhyoun, whose Nour party won about 25 percent of parliament's seats in elections in late 2011 and early 2012.
Another politician, liberal Ayman Nour, proposed spreading rumors about Egypt obtaining refueling aircraft to create the impression that it plans an airstrike to destroy the dam.
Abu al-Ila Madi, leader of the pro-Morsi Islamist Wasat party, suggested that a rumor that Egypt planned to destroy the dam could scare the Ethiopians into cooperating with Egypt on the project.
Magdy Hussein, another Islamist politician, warned that talk of military action against Ethiopia is "very dangerous" and will only turn Ethiopians into enemies. He suggested soft diplomacy in dealing with the crisis, including organizing a film festival in Ethiopia and dispatching researchers and translation missions.
Ethiopia's decision to construct the dam challenges a colonial-era agreement that had given Egypt and Sudan rights to the Nile water, with Egypt taking 55.5 billion cubic meters and Sudan 18.5 billion cubic meters of 84 billion cubic meters, with 10 billion lost to evaporation.
That agreement, first signed in 1929, took no account of the eight other nations along the 6,700-kilometer (4,160-mile) river and its basin, which have been agitating for a decade for a more equitable accord.
Ethiopian Minister of Water and Energy Alemayehu Tegenu has said Egypt should not worry about a diminished water share.
"We don't have any irrigation projects around the dam. The dam is solely intended for electricity production ... So there should not be any concerns about a diminished water flow," Alemayehu told The Associated Press on Saturday.
The conclusion of the 8th meeting of Russia-Pakistan Consultative Group on Strategic Stability, held in Islamabad in April 20131, marks the culmination of a series of high profile engagements between the two countries. In the last one and a half years alone, the two sides have witnessed a flurry of high profile bilateral visits that has included Russia’s Chief of Ground Forces, Chief of Air Force, Special Envoy to Afghanistan and the Foreign Minister visiting Islamabad. Similarly, from the Pakistani side, Air Force Chief Tahir Rafique Butt, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Chief of Army Gen. Kayani have all visited Moscow.
For Russia, which has a ‘privileged’ and ‘special’ relationship with India, the increased engagement does raise a few questions. First, what are the driving factors behind Russia current engagement strategy with Pakistan? Second, what are the prospects of this new growing equation? And third, should India be concerned?
Developments in Afghanistan are a key objective of Russia’s increased engagement with Pakistan. There exists tremendous uncertainty in the event of a post-2014 withdrawal of US and NATO troops. The fact that there will be a new government in Kabul coupled with Hamid Karzai’s political overtures to Taliban has raised the spectre of uncertainty ahead. Emergence of a power vacuum and a protracted civil war is a distinct possibility. There also exists serious apprehensions about the capabilities of Afghan armed forces in tackling crime while opium production and drug trafficking continues to go on unabated.3 Russia has been concerned of any turmoil spreading to its ‘near abroad’. More importantly, terrorism emanating from Pakistan and Afghanistan has the potential of inspiring radical Islamists and flaming violence in Russia’s own restive northern Caucasian territories. There is a growing realization that Pakistan holds one of the key levers of bringing stability to the region and it will thus be unwise to ignore it.4 With a new government in power in Islamabad, it becomes imperative to open new lines of communication. Therefore, Russia’s cautious yet steady engagement with Pakistan can be seen in the context of finding a common ground on issues which have ramifications for the whole Eurasian region.
So concerned is Russia about the evolving Afghan situation that President Putin has declared it to be a ‘matter of direct concern for our national security’.5 Russia’s Afghan policy had drawn President Karzai to visit Moscow in 2011, which was seen as a watershed event. The two countries have a technical-military agreement and Russia has continued to train and provide weapons to Afghan civilian, military and police specialists, apart from upgrading Soviet era infrastructure.6 It has also rendered an alternative supply route (Northern Distribution Network) to NATO forces while President Putin has time and again called for greater coordination between CSTO and NATO. He also signed on the law which will extend Russia’s military base in Tajikistan. This will see Russia’s 201st division continue with its deployment on the Tajik border with Afghanistan. Tajikistan shares an approximately 1,300 kilometre long border with the war ravaged country. Read the full story at www.ecived.com/en!
Some of the politicians appeared unaware the meeting with President Mohammed Morsi was being carried live on TV. Morsi did not directly react to the suggestions, but said in concluding remarks that Egypt respects Ethiopia and its people and will not engage in any aggressive acts against the East African nation.
Morsi called the meeting to review the impact of Ethiopia's $4.2 billion hydroelectric dam, which would be Africa's largest. Egypt in the past has threatened to go to war over its "historic rights" to Nile River water.
Morsi's office later said he had directed his foreign and irrigation ministers to maintain contact with the Ethiopian government to obtain more information on the dam and its likely impact on Egypt's share of the Nile water.
His office's statement included an ominous-sounding note, saying: "Egypt will never surrender its right to Nile water and all options (to safeguard it) are being considered."
Ethiopia last week started diverting the flow of the Nile to make way for its hydroelectric plant dubbed the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam. On completion, it is expected to produce 6,000 megawatts, and its reservoir is scheduled to start filling next year.
An independent panel of experts has concluded that the dam will not significantly affect downstream Sudan and Egypt, which are highly dependent on the water of the world's longest river, said an Ethiopian official, who spoke Saturday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak publicly on the topic.
But in Cairo on Monday, Younis Makhyoun, leader of an ultraconservative Islamist party, said Egypt should back rebels in Ethiopia or, as a last resort, destroy the dam. He said Egypt made a "strategic error" when it did not object to the dam's construction.
Makhyoun said Ethiopia is "fragile" because of rebel movements inside the country. "We can communicate with them and use them as a bargaining chip against the Ethiopian government," he said.
"If all this fails, then there is no choice left for Egypt but to play the final card, which is using the intelligence service to destroy the dam," said Makhyoun, whose Nour party won about 25 percent of parliament's seats in elections in late 2011 and early 2012.
Another politician, liberal Ayman Nour, proposed spreading rumors about Egypt obtaining refueling aircraft to create the impression that it plans an airstrike to destroy the dam.
Abu al-Ila Madi, leader of the pro-Morsi Islamist Wasat party, suggested that a rumor that Egypt planned to destroy the dam could scare the Ethiopians into cooperating with Egypt on the project.
Magdy Hussein, another Islamist politician, warned that talk of military action against Ethiopia is "very dangerous" and will only turn Ethiopians into enemies. He suggested soft diplomacy in dealing with the crisis, including organizing a film festival in Ethiopia and dispatching researchers and translation missions.
Ethiopia's decision to construct the dam challenges a colonial-era agreement that had given Egypt and Sudan rights to the Nile water, with Egypt taking 55.5 billion cubic meters and Sudan 18.5 billion cubic meters of 84 billion cubic meters, with 10 billion lost to evaporation.
That agreement, first signed in 1929, took no account of the eight other nations along the 6,700-kilometer (4,160-mile) river and its basin, which have been agitating for a decade for a more equitable accord.
Ethiopian Minister of Water and Energy Alemayehu Tegenu has said Egypt should not worry about a diminished water share.
"We don't have any irrigation projects around the dam. The dam is solely intended for electricity production ... So there should not be any concerns about a diminished water flow," Alemayehu told The Associated Press on Saturday.
The conclusion of the 8th meeting of Russia-Pakistan Consultative Group on Strategic Stability, held in Islamabad in April 20131, marks the culmination of a series of high profile engagements between the two countries. In the last one and a half years alone, the two sides have witnessed a flurry of high profile bilateral visits that has included Russia’s Chief of Ground Forces, Chief of Air Force, Special Envoy to Afghanistan and the Foreign Minister visiting Islamabad. Similarly, from the Pakistani side, Air Force Chief Tahir Rafique Butt, Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar and Chief of Army Gen. Kayani have all visited Moscow.
For Russia, which has a ‘privileged’ and ‘special’ relationship with India, the increased engagement does raise a few questions. First, what are the driving factors behind Russia current engagement strategy with Pakistan? Second, what are the prospects of this new growing equation? And third, should India be concerned?
Developments in Afghanistan are a key objective of Russia’s increased engagement with Pakistan. There exists tremendous uncertainty in the event of a post-2014 withdrawal of US and NATO troops. The fact that there will be a new government in Kabul coupled with Hamid Karzai’s political overtures to Taliban has raised the spectre of uncertainty ahead. Emergence of a power vacuum and a protracted civil war is a distinct possibility. There also exists serious apprehensions about the capabilities of Afghan armed forces in tackling crime while opium production and drug trafficking continues to go on unabated.3 Russia has been concerned of any turmoil spreading to its ‘near abroad’. More importantly, terrorism emanating from Pakistan and Afghanistan has the potential of inspiring radical Islamists and flaming violence in Russia’s own restive northern Caucasian territories. There is a growing realization that Pakistan holds one of the key levers of bringing stability to the region and it will thus be unwise to ignore it.4 With a new government in power in Islamabad, it becomes imperative to open new lines of communication. Therefore, Russia’s cautious yet steady engagement with Pakistan can be seen in the context of finding a common ground on issues which have ramifications for the whole Eurasian region.
So concerned is Russia about the evolving Afghan situation that President Putin has declared it to be a ‘matter of direct concern for our national security’.5 Russia’s Afghan policy had drawn President Karzai to visit Moscow in 2011, which was seen as a watershed event. The two countries have a technical-military agreement and Russia has continued to train and provide weapons to Afghan civilian, military and police specialists, apart from upgrading Soviet era infrastructure.6 It has also rendered an alternative supply route (Northern Distribution Network) to NATO forces while President Putin has time and again called for greater coordination between CSTO and NATO. He also signed on the law which will extend Russia’s military base in Tajikistan. This will see Russia’s 201st division continue with its deployment on the Tajik border with Afghanistan. Tajikistan shares an approximately 1,300 kilometre long border with the war ravaged country. Read the full story at www.ecived.com/en!
2013年6月2日星期日
Getting in the Flow
When it comes to surfaces, I’m a player in exile. I grew up on the often-cracked hard courts of Central Pennsylvania, where the ball tends to get to you in a hurry, and sliding more than a few centimeters will earn you a quick ticket to the emergency room. Those are the courts where I developed my game. I worked hard on my return-of-serve reflexes, tried to take the ball on the rise with my two-handed backhand whenever I could, and made the most of my lefty slice into the ad court. Anything to keep from getting pushed off the court. It was the meat-and-potatoes, serve-and-forehand American game, straight from the heartland.
For the last decade, though, I’ve played my tennis on that most un-patriotic of surfaces: clay. In truth, it’s the green version, also known as Har-Tru, which is native to the South here. Oddly, green clay is also the surface of choice in the city where I live, New York. Many older private clubs in the Northeast replaced or supplemented their grass courts with clay, and in New York City the fashion even extends to the public sector. Here the urban unwashed get to slide across dusty public facilities in Central Park in Manhattan and Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Over in Riverside Park, a dozen European style red-clay courts are situated a few feet from the Hudson River. New York is known for the hard asphalt of Flushing Meadows; but it is, in many places, a dirt-baller’s paradise.
Ten years ago I joined a small club in Brooklyn whose five clay courts were first laid down in 1889. The more I've played on them, the dirtier my style has become: I put more topspin on the ball, and I expect it come back a lot more often. My game has also become more forehand-dominated, because I have time to run around and hit it. That’s one of the counterintuitive things about clay; rallies are longer, but you need to hit heavier, more penetrating shots to control them.
Playing on dirt is a good workout, and a good lesson in how to construct points. But it still doesn’t seem to be the ideal surface for me. Last summer I went to a tennis camp in upstate New York with a few regular partners of mine. It rained that weekend, so we moved to the camp’s quick indoor courts. I was, to my surprise, back in my element; the fast surface and the controlled conditions gave me a jolt of confidence. I was suddenly hitting the ball harder than I had in years. By the end of the weekend, one of my friends put up his hands and said, “We need to get you back on the clay, man.”
This morning I was back on the clay at my Brooklyn club, playing another regular in my rotation. Our match came, of course, in the middle of an intensive two weeks of tracking the pros at Roland Garros. Taking my racquet out today, the first question that came to mind was: Is this little rectangle in front of me really the same size as the center court in Paris? That one looks like a football field by comparison—or a tennis court fit for the Gods. This one in Brooklyn was definitely made for mortals.
So did all of that watching help? For the first 45 minutes or so, I would say yes. I made my first serves, and occasionally hit my targets with them. I slid into my slice backhand without rolling my ankle—I can glide for a couple of feet, but can’t create the extended skid marks that the pros do. I also found the range on my drop shot. Watching the best players seems to improve that stroke the most; they remind me that the first rule of the dropper is to get the ball over the net. I managed that today.
I went up 3-0 in the first set. It felt good to get off the couch and away from the laptop, felt good to run, felt good to sweat in New York humidity again. The wind chimes in the apartment window next to my court even reminded me of the opening bells in a favorite song of mine, the Velvet Underground’s great early-day lullaby, “Sunday Morning.” What wasn’t there to love about clay-court tennis?
There was one thing, it turned out: My opponent loves it more than I do. He’s played on NYC dirt for decades. He knows that if you can track down an extra ball, throw up an extra lob, hit a demoralizing passing shot on the run, and never give a point away, you can eventually claw your way into a match, or drive your opponent over the edge, whichever comes first. His game is based on making you win a rally more than once. That’s tough to pull off on hard courts, but tailor-made for clay.
As often happens against him, the pressure of having to hit two winners to finish off one point took its toll. I sprayed a few shots, took a couple mental vacations, cursed the sun that blinded me on my serve, and grumbled as he threw up defensive lobs that touched down within inches of the baseline. When I gave back a break of serve in the second set, I started to think those chimes in the window were actually pretty irritating.
I also began to get tired, which made me think about the pros again. The physical aspect of the professional game on clay is, for lack of a better word, amazing. Hours of long rallies, heavy ground strokes, looping topspin swings, sprints from one corner to the other, retrievals from their shoetops—and after all that, they can still reach up and rain down a 125-m.p.h. ace late in the fifth set. This morning, while giving up on a gettable ball after less than two sets, I had a renewed appreciation for what it takes to win on clay at the pro level.
Still, I don't mind playing in exile. I’ve never had knee problems—knock on dirt—and while clay has a reputation for monotony, it actually gives you more strategic options, more ways to win points. And whether you’re a player or a spectator, sliding gives the game more flow than it has anywhere else.
On Sunday, I came off the little court at my club and—what else?—watched the French Open on that court fit for the Gods in Paris. Roger Federer and Gilles Simon, who flowed to the far ends of Chatrier for five sets, confirmed again that I have no idea how the pros do what they do on clay. It's the most physical form of tennis, yet at the same time the most artistic. They do it on their court, but I'm happy for the chance to try it on mine.Click on their website www.ecived.com/en for more information.
For the last decade, though, I’ve played my tennis on that most un-patriotic of surfaces: clay. In truth, it’s the green version, also known as Har-Tru, which is native to the South here. Oddly, green clay is also the surface of choice in the city where I live, New York. Many older private clubs in the Northeast replaced or supplemented their grass courts with clay, and in New York City the fashion even extends to the public sector. Here the urban unwashed get to slide across dusty public facilities in Central Park in Manhattan and Prospect Park in Brooklyn. Over in Riverside Park, a dozen European style red-clay courts are situated a few feet from the Hudson River. New York is known for the hard asphalt of Flushing Meadows; but it is, in many places, a dirt-baller’s paradise.
Ten years ago I joined a small club in Brooklyn whose five clay courts were first laid down in 1889. The more I've played on them, the dirtier my style has become: I put more topspin on the ball, and I expect it come back a lot more often. My game has also become more forehand-dominated, because I have time to run around and hit it. That’s one of the counterintuitive things about clay; rallies are longer, but you need to hit heavier, more penetrating shots to control them.
Playing on dirt is a good workout, and a good lesson in how to construct points. But it still doesn’t seem to be the ideal surface for me. Last summer I went to a tennis camp in upstate New York with a few regular partners of mine. It rained that weekend, so we moved to the camp’s quick indoor courts. I was, to my surprise, back in my element; the fast surface and the controlled conditions gave me a jolt of confidence. I was suddenly hitting the ball harder than I had in years. By the end of the weekend, one of my friends put up his hands and said, “We need to get you back on the clay, man.”
This morning I was back on the clay at my Brooklyn club, playing another regular in my rotation. Our match came, of course, in the middle of an intensive two weeks of tracking the pros at Roland Garros. Taking my racquet out today, the first question that came to mind was: Is this little rectangle in front of me really the same size as the center court in Paris? That one looks like a football field by comparison—or a tennis court fit for the Gods. This one in Brooklyn was definitely made for mortals.
So did all of that watching help? For the first 45 minutes or so, I would say yes. I made my first serves, and occasionally hit my targets with them. I slid into my slice backhand without rolling my ankle—I can glide for a couple of feet, but can’t create the extended skid marks that the pros do. I also found the range on my drop shot. Watching the best players seems to improve that stroke the most; they remind me that the first rule of the dropper is to get the ball over the net. I managed that today.
I went up 3-0 in the first set. It felt good to get off the couch and away from the laptop, felt good to run, felt good to sweat in New York humidity again. The wind chimes in the apartment window next to my court even reminded me of the opening bells in a favorite song of mine, the Velvet Underground’s great early-day lullaby, “Sunday Morning.” What wasn’t there to love about clay-court tennis?
There was one thing, it turned out: My opponent loves it more than I do. He’s played on NYC dirt for decades. He knows that if you can track down an extra ball, throw up an extra lob, hit a demoralizing passing shot on the run, and never give a point away, you can eventually claw your way into a match, or drive your opponent over the edge, whichever comes first. His game is based on making you win a rally more than once. That’s tough to pull off on hard courts, but tailor-made for clay.
As often happens against him, the pressure of having to hit two winners to finish off one point took its toll. I sprayed a few shots, took a couple mental vacations, cursed the sun that blinded me on my serve, and grumbled as he threw up defensive lobs that touched down within inches of the baseline. When I gave back a break of serve in the second set, I started to think those chimes in the window were actually pretty irritating.
I also began to get tired, which made me think about the pros again. The physical aspect of the professional game on clay is, for lack of a better word, amazing. Hours of long rallies, heavy ground strokes, looping topspin swings, sprints from one corner to the other, retrievals from their shoetops—and after all that, they can still reach up and rain down a 125-m.p.h. ace late in the fifth set. This morning, while giving up on a gettable ball after less than two sets, I had a renewed appreciation for what it takes to win on clay at the pro level.
Still, I don't mind playing in exile. I’ve never had knee problems—knock on dirt—and while clay has a reputation for monotony, it actually gives you more strategic options, more ways to win points. And whether you’re a player or a spectator, sliding gives the game more flow than it has anywhere else.
On Sunday, I came off the little court at my club and—what else?—watched the French Open on that court fit for the Gods in Paris. Roger Federer and Gilles Simon, who flowed to the far ends of Chatrier for five sets, confirmed again that I have no idea how the pros do what they do on clay. It's the most physical form of tennis, yet at the same time the most artistic. They do it on their court, but I'm happy for the chance to try it on mine.Click on their website www.ecived.com/en for more information.
订阅：
博文 (Atom)