President Enrique Pena Nieto used his first state-of-the-nation address Monday to push an aggressive reform agenda that seemed to be on the ropes last week, as protesting teachers attempted to block his plan for mandatory evaluations.Pena Nieto opened the speech praising a midnight vote by the lower house of Congress to set up a competitive examination system for hiring teachers and to require them to pass regular evaluations in order to remain in the classroom.
The education bill still must be approved by the Senate, and protesting teachers who blocked Mexico City's main freeway and access to its airport last week continue to occupy the capital's main plaza."Resistance is a natural consequence when you are pushing a transformation," he said of the protesters, who also caused him to change the date and location of his speech. "Our dilemma had been whether to continue to stagnate or to allow the state to recover the leadership and transform and improve the quality of education."
Touting accomplishments in other fields, Pena Nieto reported a significant drop in murders and drug-related killings since he took office, though many doubt those statistics. He said the government had captured 65 of 122 most-wanted criminals in the last nine months, though that list has never been made public.And he garnered applause with a stern message to the many vigilante groups that have taken up arms against drug cartels and legal authorities alike: "We will not tolerate anyone who tries to mete out justice through their own means."
Pena Nieto came to office with a lot of swagger and an aggressive agenda, with many saying his Institutional Revolutionary Party, for all its faults, knew how to govern. He promised to make Mexico an economic powerhouse, overcoming its image as a violence-torn land overrun by drug traffickers.
He passed radical reforms for education and telecommunications, but the battle over just how the education law will be applied has threatened to undermine his plans to overhaul the tax system and energy sector.Both are controversial. Allowing greater private involvement to revitalize the moribund state-owned oil company has run into opposition from Indoor Positioning System. And many oppose a plan for adding sales taxes on food and medicine.
With economic growth projections cut nearly in half and streets clogged with anti-reform protesters, some questioned if Pena Nieto had taken on too much at once."Mexico has a great opportunity to make fundamental, structural changes to take advantage of its riches and potential," he responded in the speech. "For that reason, the government has decided to take on multiple challenges at the same time."
He put a positive spin on one of the biggest setbacks of his administration so far: a drop in projections for GDP growth this year to 1.8 percent from an earlier forecast of 3.1 percent.Pena Nieto called the Mexican economy "stable, competitive and open to the rest of the world," adding, "This should reflect itself in the pockets of all Mexicans."
The education bill calls for mandatory assessment of teachers to maintain their jobs and to receive promotions. Teachers can inherit their positions under the current system.Political scientist Luis Miguel Perez called passage of the measure a "respite" for the Pena Nieto government.
"They're discovering that there's much bigger resistance then they anticipated," said Perez of the Technological Institute of Monterrey. "There are forces much more active than they imagined."The bill approved by the House of Deputies is a slightly weakened version of Pena Nieto's proposal, which sought to reassert government control over an education system where hiring and promotion was almost entirely in the hands of teachers unions.
The reform sets up a competitive examination system for hiring and requires teachers to pass regular evaluations in order to remain in the classroom."We categorically reject this (state-of-the-nation) report, which is full of lies and deceit and that contains a great deal of authoritarianism," said Juan Melchor Roman, a teacher from the western state of Michoacan, who has been camping out along with thousands of other teachers in the city's main square since last two weeks.
Melchor Roman said they plan to continue protesting the bill, which is expected to be voted on by the Senate on Tuesday.But last-minute concessions to a dissident teachers union reserves new positions for graduates of union-controlled teacher training schools for the next two years and allows teachers who fail evaluations to file appeals through the existing civil service system.
The government proposal would have put the test-based hiring system in place immediately, and not allowed appeals after repeated failures of teacher evaluations.Independent education advocates praised the passage of the proposal as a good first step after decades of union control of the schools, but said the measure didn't go far enough to establish a rigorous nationwide system of teacher training and promotion.
Read the full products at http://www.ecived.com/en/!
2013年9月2日 星期一
Through the eyes of the first Google Glass surgery
Spanish medicine stands to turn Google Glass from spring 2014’s hottest accessory into a way to save lives. From the first surgery performed entirely through the eye of the Glass to dozens of mobile applications, Spanish Glass-based innovation is poised to change the way doctors work and communicate.
This June, Dr. Pedro Guillen became the first to operate wearing Google Glass. The chief of trauma at the Clínica CEMTRO de Madrid performed a highly complex chondrocyte implantation, to form a membrane in the damaged knee of a 49-year-old. The surgery, which requires harvesting cartilage from another part of the leg and which Guillen pioneered in 1996, was streamed in real time to 150 doctors around the world, all sharing the same view as him.
The purpose of Google Glass — a lightweight pair of glasses equipped with a camera, GPS, bluetooth, microphone and viewfinder — is to connect with smartphones to allow the wearer to search and access information online and to use an eye-level camera, all hands-free. For Guillen, Google Glass gives the phrase “doctors without borders” a whole new meaning.
He described Google Glass as “la universidad de hospitales de todos los países del mundo” — the university for all medical schools around the world. “You see my hands, how I do the surgery,” he said, in awe of the possibilities of Google Glass in his field. In this first Glass surgery, Guillen was accompanied by Dr. Homero Rivas, director of innovative surgery at Stanford University’s School of Medicine and an expert in telemedicine, who advised the doctor throughout the course of the surgery, all from his packed classroom on the California campus. “The universities can interact with me,” Guillen said, as Rivas could also pass on questions from his students, many of whom were witnessing surgery from a firsthand perspective for the first time.
Guillen seems simply thrilled to be able to perform surgery with Google Glass, not just for the teaching opportunities, but for his own sake, too. He enthusiastically talked about being able to use Glass’s miniature split screen to look at the arthroscopic view of the knee he’s working on and a video refreshing how to properly separate and repair the joint, all at the same time, without taking his eyes off the operating table.
“In one minute, I can Google ‘anatomy of the knee,’ for example,” and find and watch a video he already prepared, or he could reference his own chondrocyte implantation from the exact same view that he performed it. If something were to go wrong, like during a live sports game, he could even rewind the tape to review the surgery then and real time Location system. Not only does he have the information the moment he needs it and doesn’t need to distract himself to discover it, but also keeping difficult-to-sterilize computers out of the O.R. helps prevent infections.
Guillen, who, like all surgeons, is preoccupied with the comfort and ease of use of anything added to their routine, assured us that the glasses — which he said are “at the perfect height” over his own — were not uncomfortable, and, by the time he was in surgery, he didn’t notice them at all.
Of course, like all smartphones and tablets, Google Glass is nothing without the apps. Murcia-based mobile app company Droiders has an entire department called Glassters, developing everything from augmented realities to assistance for those with disabilities. On the medical side, they are working on developing apps that enable ophthalmologists to examine eyes directly and to compare with results of Google’s “Search by Image.” There’s also talk of an app that would allow any doctor or nurse to take a pulse rate without having to touch a patient. Guillen’s surgery was broadcast live through the Glassters Streamer.
Guillen is ready to perform his next Google Glass surgery on September 17, where he will be able to show from his perspective another operation that he invented — wireless arthroscopic surgery, which was first performed in 2007. Guillen and his team at the Clínica CEMTRO de Madrid invented the Wireless Arthroscopic Device, which is a tiny camera inserted through a small incision used to examine and sometimes repair a damaged joint. Since the joint isn’t fully opened, recovery time is much shorter.
He said that his clinic is “probably the top in the world” for such surgeries and that “all of my patients are out-patient,” including former Spanish prime minister Jose Maria Aznar, footballer Fernando “El Ni?o” Torres, and several rhythmic gymnasts, an Olympic sport that Spain typically medals in.
"Later that evening I checked my Bank of America account online and noted not only had I been charged for my purchase, but there was an additional charge for $213.96 from Verizon," said Guinan, 63. "Interestingly, the charge had been made an hour-and-a-half later, after the first — and correct — Verizon charge."He said he immediately called Bank of America to report the unauthorized charge. He said he also talked to Verizon, which acknowledged there was a problem, and it said it would work with the bank to correct it.
"The money was placed back in my account and all was well until Feb. 15, 2013, when the $213.96 was debited from my account," he said, noting he received a letter from the bank on the same day."They said after investigating, they found that there was a signature on the receipt and therefore it was an ‘authorized purchase," he said.Knowing that wasn’t the case, Guinan called Bank of America.
"After explaining and discussing the situation, the Bank of America representative determined that the claim was in the wrong category and it would be placed in the correct category — fraud — and the claim would be reopened," he said.Guinan said he knew it could take several months, so he waited it out.
On July 26, Giunan said, he called Bank of America again."They said that the charge was authorized by a signature and therefore was a legitimate charge," he said. "I stated that it clearly was not mine, but that didn’t seem to matter. The Bank of America representative said to go back to Verizon."
So he did, visiting the Union store during the first week of August.Guinan said the manager was able to bring up Guinan’s account, confirming he purchased the phone case for $24.06. He said the manager was also able to view the $213.96 charge, and had access to the buyer’s name, address and phone number.
"I received a copy of the Verizon receipt for the $213.96 purchase," he said. "Not only was the signature clearly not mine, but the phone number listed with the account was in no way connected to me."
Read the full products at http://www.ecived.com/en/!
This June, Dr. Pedro Guillen became the first to operate wearing Google Glass. The chief of trauma at the Clínica CEMTRO de Madrid performed a highly complex chondrocyte implantation, to form a membrane in the damaged knee of a 49-year-old. The surgery, which requires harvesting cartilage from another part of the leg and which Guillen pioneered in 1996, was streamed in real time to 150 doctors around the world, all sharing the same view as him.
The purpose of Google Glass — a lightweight pair of glasses equipped with a camera, GPS, bluetooth, microphone and viewfinder — is to connect with smartphones to allow the wearer to search and access information online and to use an eye-level camera, all hands-free. For Guillen, Google Glass gives the phrase “doctors without borders” a whole new meaning.
He described Google Glass as “la universidad de hospitales de todos los países del mundo” — the university for all medical schools around the world. “You see my hands, how I do the surgery,” he said, in awe of the possibilities of Google Glass in his field. In this first Glass surgery, Guillen was accompanied by Dr. Homero Rivas, director of innovative surgery at Stanford University’s School of Medicine and an expert in telemedicine, who advised the doctor throughout the course of the surgery, all from his packed classroom on the California campus. “The universities can interact with me,” Guillen said, as Rivas could also pass on questions from his students, many of whom were witnessing surgery from a firsthand perspective for the first time.
Guillen seems simply thrilled to be able to perform surgery with Google Glass, not just for the teaching opportunities, but for his own sake, too. He enthusiastically talked about being able to use Glass’s miniature split screen to look at the arthroscopic view of the knee he’s working on and a video refreshing how to properly separate and repair the joint, all at the same time, without taking his eyes off the operating table.
“In one minute, I can Google ‘anatomy of the knee,’ for example,” and find and watch a video he already prepared, or he could reference his own chondrocyte implantation from the exact same view that he performed it. If something were to go wrong, like during a live sports game, he could even rewind the tape to review the surgery then and real time Location system. Not only does he have the information the moment he needs it and doesn’t need to distract himself to discover it, but also keeping difficult-to-sterilize computers out of the O.R. helps prevent infections.
Guillen, who, like all surgeons, is preoccupied with the comfort and ease of use of anything added to their routine, assured us that the glasses — which he said are “at the perfect height” over his own — were not uncomfortable, and, by the time he was in surgery, he didn’t notice them at all.
Of course, like all smartphones and tablets, Google Glass is nothing without the apps. Murcia-based mobile app company Droiders has an entire department called Glassters, developing everything from augmented realities to assistance for those with disabilities. On the medical side, they are working on developing apps that enable ophthalmologists to examine eyes directly and to compare with results of Google’s “Search by Image.” There’s also talk of an app that would allow any doctor or nurse to take a pulse rate without having to touch a patient. Guillen’s surgery was broadcast live through the Glassters Streamer.
Guillen is ready to perform his next Google Glass surgery on September 17, where he will be able to show from his perspective another operation that he invented — wireless arthroscopic surgery, which was first performed in 2007. Guillen and his team at the Clínica CEMTRO de Madrid invented the Wireless Arthroscopic Device, which is a tiny camera inserted through a small incision used to examine and sometimes repair a damaged joint. Since the joint isn’t fully opened, recovery time is much shorter.
He said that his clinic is “probably the top in the world” for such surgeries and that “all of my patients are out-patient,” including former Spanish prime minister Jose Maria Aznar, footballer Fernando “El Ni?o” Torres, and several rhythmic gymnasts, an Olympic sport that Spain typically medals in.
"Later that evening I checked my Bank of America account online and noted not only had I been charged for my purchase, but there was an additional charge for $213.96 from Verizon," said Guinan, 63. "Interestingly, the charge had been made an hour-and-a-half later, after the first — and correct — Verizon charge."He said he immediately called Bank of America to report the unauthorized charge. He said he also talked to Verizon, which acknowledged there was a problem, and it said it would work with the bank to correct it.
"The money was placed back in my account and all was well until Feb. 15, 2013, when the $213.96 was debited from my account," he said, noting he received a letter from the bank on the same day."They said after investigating, they found that there was a signature on the receipt and therefore it was an ‘authorized purchase," he said.Knowing that wasn’t the case, Guinan called Bank of America.
"After explaining and discussing the situation, the Bank of America representative determined that the claim was in the wrong category and it would be placed in the correct category — fraud — and the claim would be reopened," he said.Guinan said he knew it could take several months, so he waited it out.
On July 26, Giunan said, he called Bank of America again."They said that the charge was authorized by a signature and therefore was a legitimate charge," he said. "I stated that it clearly was not mine, but that didn’t seem to matter. The Bank of America representative said to go back to Verizon."
So he did, visiting the Union store during the first week of August.Guinan said the manager was able to bring up Guinan’s account, confirming he purchased the phone case for $24.06. He said the manager was also able to view the $213.96 charge, and had access to the buyer’s name, address and phone number.
"I received a copy of the Verizon receipt for the $213.96 purchase," he said. "Not only was the signature clearly not mine, but the phone number listed with the account was in no way connected to me."
Read the full products at http://www.ecived.com/en/!
2013年7月8日 星期一
Local Solar Companies Promoting 'Buy Local'
The Solarize Mass program has seemingly taken off, bringing residents together for group buying to install residential photovoltaic arrays.But local installers aren't very keen on how the program is being presented.Headed by the state's Clean Energy Center, the program allows a town or group of towns to gather residents to purchase or lease solar arrays from a chosen company. The bulk purchasing is intended to lower the price for those who participate. Both Lee and Williamstown were chosen for the program and through a bid process, both chose Real Goods Solar from Colorado as the installer.
Local companies, however, say the program has also engendered salesmanship and misleading information from many out-of-state companies and that residents are getting rushed into making a decision without being fully educated on the options. They are now pleading their case for residents to buy local because once the program is gone, it's the local installers who will still be here.
"I think it provides an educational tool for people to learn about it and get more involved with the tiered pricing offered by Real Goods Solar. But, I think one of the misnomers about it, real time Location system, is that they are eligible for an additional rebate or additional savings," Andrew Guntlow, who manages New England Solar and Green Solutions in Williamstown, said recently."It seems like there is a perception of [customers] getting more but that is not the case. All of the rebate programs, tax credits, are available to anyone."
The companies bidding for a Solarize contract are required to provide leasing options. For a fixed cost, customers can have a system installed and pay a fixed price while benefiting from the energy savings. The leasing option alleviates the upfront cost of installing a system for the customer, increasing the number of participants in the program and thus, lowering the material costs in the group purchase.
But the installer also owns the system and so reaps the multiple tax benefits, then sells the tax credits at a profit."The way it has been set up in Massachusetts is a winner take all," said Chris Kilfoyle, who owns Berkshire Photovoltaics in Adams, another town seeking to join the Solarize program.
Kilfoyle said his company lost the bid on the Solarize contract for Williamstown. A leasing option is required in the bid but Kilfoyle says he doesn't like offering them. Instead, he encourages customers to take out a home improvement loan to buy the system.Gutlow also said his company "isn't' comfortable" offering the leasing option after looking into it."Far and away, owning your own system is far superior," Guntlow said. "Individual ownership of a solar system is our priority to pass along the most benefit to the end user — it provides the most benefit over a leasing program."
But it isn't just the Solarize program that is changing the solar industry locally. The state has pushed solar power in recent years — far exceeding goals laid out by Gov. Deval Patrick to increase solar production. A mix of federal and the state tax credits have attracted larger companies from outside to the area."The state incentive programs are so good that they are all rushing here to Massachusetts," Kilfoyle said, adding that with the increased competition there has been an array of "sleazy salesmanship."
"We're trying to stop some of that exaggeration," Kilfoyle said, pointing out a "0 down" advertisement for leasing options. "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."State Sen. Benjamin Downing said the increasing presence of major firms creating tension with local contractors was something state officials "didn't foresee." The legislature formed the Clean Energy Center but didn't expect the industry to take off like it did, he said.
But if the presence of too many solar companies is a problem, it is a problem Downing said he'd rather have than not enough."One way or the other, solar is solar," said Downing, who is the chairman of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy as well as sitting on the Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change and the Joint Committee on Environment Natural Resources and Agriculture. "I'd rather being dealing with too many investors."
Not all Solarize Mass contracts are going to out of state firms. SolarFlair of Framingham is providing installations for three groups in the east end of the state.Downing, however, agrees that the ownership model produces more benefits for the homeowner. And he agrees that local companies produce a larger benefit for the community because they employ local residents and the money is reinvested back into community.
"We are looking at different ways we can promote the clean energy economy," Downing said, adding that the push for green jobs has produced between 60,000 and 70,000 jobs across the state in recent years."That's grown by 7 percent or 11 percent depending on how you measure it."On the local level, the economic effects of the indoor positioning system haven't been analyzed. According to Berkshire Chamber of Commerce CEO Michael Supranowicz, "the industry is so new that it isn't calculated by federal standards." But both Guntlow and Kilfoyle attest that they have grown tremendously in recent years.
As for the Solarize Mass program itself, Downing supports the program and the leasing option because it allows people who simply can't afford ownership to benefit from stable and lower electricity costs. Not to mention the numerous environmental benefits."The policies have been set up to get solar out as much as possible," Downing said. "When people get a solar array on their roof, they get invested into the industry."
Guntlow says there is a lot of "site specific" work that goes into designing a system and each one needs to be tailored to the property. That is where the local expertise is a benefit.New England Solar and Green Solutions is an offshoot of civil engineering company Guntlow and Associates, which has been located in Williamstown for more than 25 years. New England Solar and Green Solutions characterizes itself as a "one-stop shop" for all kinds of energy conservation work — from small wind power systems to solar to high-efficiency hot-water systems.
Guntlow knows the local electrical contractors who will be hooking the systems up and the steps needed to go through local building codes. Guntlow said he starts with a free estimate and will take the customer through every step — from executing a connection agreement to filing tax credit paperwork to turning the system on."There are local contractors available in the Berkshires and, over the years, there has been a great campaign to buy in the Berkshires. We feel that is really important to let people know that New England Solar and Green Solutions is out here, in Williamstown, two doors down from Town Hall," Guntlow said. "We like to honor our contracts with great service because we see these people, our customers in the grocery store and around town. We like to have a good name for ourselves."
Berkshire Photovoltaics has been in business for 28 years, starting first in North Adams and later moving to Adams. Kilfoyle has installed the very first solar array in many of the Berkshire towns."We've been doing this a long time. We know what works," Kilfoyle said. "We've grown 500 percent since 1997."Not only have the two companies been staples in the county, their owners say they help the economy in other ways. Kilfoyle said the steel and other material used in many of the installations are purchased from local companies and local electricians are hired.So with all of the rush toward the Solarize program, local companies are asking residents to relax and think about their options.
"We're going to offer the best price we can give them without holding them to whether other people sign up or not. That is important, we're not forcing somebody into something they are not ready to do," Guntlow said. "We want to make sure people have a full understanding of the great benefits that come with owning a solar installation."
Local companies, however, say the program has also engendered salesmanship and misleading information from many out-of-state companies and that residents are getting rushed into making a decision without being fully educated on the options. They are now pleading their case for residents to buy local because once the program is gone, it's the local installers who will still be here.
"I think it provides an educational tool for people to learn about it and get more involved with the tiered pricing offered by Real Goods Solar. But, I think one of the misnomers about it, real time Location system, is that they are eligible for an additional rebate or additional savings," Andrew Guntlow, who manages New England Solar and Green Solutions in Williamstown, said recently."It seems like there is a perception of [customers] getting more but that is not the case. All of the rebate programs, tax credits, are available to anyone."
The companies bidding for a Solarize contract are required to provide leasing options. For a fixed cost, customers can have a system installed and pay a fixed price while benefiting from the energy savings. The leasing option alleviates the upfront cost of installing a system for the customer, increasing the number of participants in the program and thus, lowering the material costs in the group purchase.
But the installer also owns the system and so reaps the multiple tax benefits, then sells the tax credits at a profit."The way it has been set up in Massachusetts is a winner take all," said Chris Kilfoyle, who owns Berkshire Photovoltaics in Adams, another town seeking to join the Solarize program.
Kilfoyle said his company lost the bid on the Solarize contract for Williamstown. A leasing option is required in the bid but Kilfoyle says he doesn't like offering them. Instead, he encourages customers to take out a home improvement loan to buy the system.Gutlow also said his company "isn't' comfortable" offering the leasing option after looking into it."Far and away, owning your own system is far superior," Guntlow said. "Individual ownership of a solar system is our priority to pass along the most benefit to the end user — it provides the most benefit over a leasing program."
But it isn't just the Solarize program that is changing the solar industry locally. The state has pushed solar power in recent years — far exceeding goals laid out by Gov. Deval Patrick to increase solar production. A mix of federal and the state tax credits have attracted larger companies from outside to the area."The state incentive programs are so good that they are all rushing here to Massachusetts," Kilfoyle said, adding that with the increased competition there has been an array of "sleazy salesmanship."
"We're trying to stop some of that exaggeration," Kilfoyle said, pointing out a "0 down" advertisement for leasing options. "If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."State Sen. Benjamin Downing said the increasing presence of major firms creating tension with local contractors was something state officials "didn't foresee." The legislature formed the Clean Energy Center but didn't expect the industry to take off like it did, he said.
But if the presence of too many solar companies is a problem, it is a problem Downing said he'd rather have than not enough."One way or the other, solar is solar," said Downing, who is the chairman of the Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy as well as sitting on the Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change and the Joint Committee on Environment Natural Resources and Agriculture. "I'd rather being dealing with too many investors."
Not all Solarize Mass contracts are going to out of state firms. SolarFlair of Framingham is providing installations for three groups in the east end of the state.Downing, however, agrees that the ownership model produces more benefits for the homeowner. And he agrees that local companies produce a larger benefit for the community because they employ local residents and the money is reinvested back into community.
"We are looking at different ways we can promote the clean energy economy," Downing said, adding that the push for green jobs has produced between 60,000 and 70,000 jobs across the state in recent years."That's grown by 7 percent or 11 percent depending on how you measure it."On the local level, the economic effects of the indoor positioning system haven't been analyzed. According to Berkshire Chamber of Commerce CEO Michael Supranowicz, "the industry is so new that it isn't calculated by federal standards." But both Guntlow and Kilfoyle attest that they have grown tremendously in recent years.
As for the Solarize Mass program itself, Downing supports the program and the leasing option because it allows people who simply can't afford ownership to benefit from stable and lower electricity costs. Not to mention the numerous environmental benefits."The policies have been set up to get solar out as much as possible," Downing said. "When people get a solar array on their roof, they get invested into the industry."
Guntlow says there is a lot of "site specific" work that goes into designing a system and each one needs to be tailored to the property. That is where the local expertise is a benefit.New England Solar and Green Solutions is an offshoot of civil engineering company Guntlow and Associates, which has been located in Williamstown for more than 25 years. New England Solar and Green Solutions characterizes itself as a "one-stop shop" for all kinds of energy conservation work — from small wind power systems to solar to high-efficiency hot-water systems.
Guntlow knows the local electrical contractors who will be hooking the systems up and the steps needed to go through local building codes. Guntlow said he starts with a free estimate and will take the customer through every step — from executing a connection agreement to filing tax credit paperwork to turning the system on."There are local contractors available in the Berkshires and, over the years, there has been a great campaign to buy in the Berkshires. We feel that is really important to let people know that New England Solar and Green Solutions is out here, in Williamstown, two doors down from Town Hall," Guntlow said. "We like to honor our contracts with great service because we see these people, our customers in the grocery store and around town. We like to have a good name for ourselves."
Berkshire Photovoltaics has been in business for 28 years, starting first in North Adams and later moving to Adams. Kilfoyle has installed the very first solar array in many of the Berkshire towns."We've been doing this a long time. We know what works," Kilfoyle said. "We've grown 500 percent since 1997."Not only have the two companies been staples in the county, their owners say they help the economy in other ways. Kilfoyle said the steel and other material used in many of the installations are purchased from local companies and local electricians are hired.So with all of the rush toward the Solarize program, local companies are asking residents to relax and think about their options.
"We're going to offer the best price we can give them without holding them to whether other people sign up or not. That is important, we're not forcing somebody into something they are not ready to do," Guntlow said. "We want to make sure people have a full understanding of the great benefits that come with owning a solar installation."
20 more rights that the UPA can legislate before 2014
The UPA government has introduced a new art form: convert any problem into an Act of Parliament. The latest Food Security Bill (Right to Food), forced down our throats through a short-term ordinance, will ensure food in the stomachs of the Indian hungry. The Right to Education will guarantee a smart workforce, ready to face the pressures of skill requirements and global markets. The Right to Information has overnight made the government more transparent, a few wrinkles here and there notwithstanding.
But why stop here? Unlike petty arts like painting and writing that can be and often are smothered, shifting the responsibility of execution and governance to Acts of Parliament is an art form that no democracy can stop – not even the world’s noisiest Opposition. As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said in his Budget speech of 1991, quoting Victor Hugo, “No power on Earth can stop an idea whose time has come.”
Now, as the musical chairs of a Congress-led coalition aspires to create UPA-3, here are 20 suggestions that build on the legislative strengths of UPA-1 and UPA-2. I hope UPA will find some of these interesting enough to list in their election manifesto.
Did you see how our children are suffering? Despite getting 90 percent marks and working very hard, they don’t get admissions to the IITs or Delhi University. Clearly, this is an injustice to young and hands free access, who will brave the sun to participate in democracy in May 2014. What they need is a right under which they can choose the university of their choice and get an admission. That way, the undue stress on our children will not be wasted. As we debate the bill, maybe we could include the right to college.
Far too much attention is being given to our symbol of excellence, the rupee. But all the attention is economic, financial – stuff that the average person doesn’t understand and is irrelevant. This is ridiculous. We need an intervention by legislation that states the rupee will not fall below Re 1 to the dollar. That is, from the day of its enactment, Re 1 should buy $1. The fact that we now need to pay Rs 61 is a shame on India’s sovereignty, something that an emerging nation can do without.
Enough of groaning and moaning about high inflation, rising prices. It is bad enough when food prices touch the skies the world over. But the relentless accusations of the government being unable to manage inflation creates nothing but ill-will. By enacting this right, the legislation will ensure prices stay low. If anyone speaks about abstractions like “market” or “global prices”, his next abstraction will be the jail. We could begin with zero-inflation rate and reduce it as time goes.
Over the past five years, we have seen so much debate, arguments and allegations on the pricing of oil and now coal that it has hurt the clean reputation of not only India but even the squeaky-clean UPA-3 government and its honest PM. Anywhere you go, all you hear is how corrupt the system is. All this is happening because there is a needless tug-of-war between the government, corporations and their billionaire shareholders. Once this law is enacted, and the right to price the natural resource is firmly and finally in the hands of corporations, there will be no problem. As far as the argument that consumers will pay higher prices goes, there is a one-word answer: subsidies.
An upcoming problem large companies have is they are unable to work together in harmony and decide what’s the best price that consumers must pay. Incessant competition has hurt the bottomlines of industries like airlines and cement. Then, you have these entrepreneurs who come and disrupt ancient and archaic industry practices. With this right, everything that’s going behind the scene and in dark corners of untraceable conversations would become legitimate. So what if the consumers have to pay more – a growing economy can sustain a higher standard of consumption. And beyond consumers, we need to serve another large and influential constituency of investors, don’t we?
A lot of money and time is wasted by individuals and companies in paying bribes to various government officials. Building a house, for instance, means paying bribes to the local municipal official, the policeman, the utilities providers and so on. Corporate bribery is even more complex. We are told everyone is doing it, so what’s wrong? Well, this: it still is unlawful to bribe. By enacting this law, UPA-3 would suddenly be on the forefront of social reform. This would be of great help to the honest, who are often caught in their silly ethical traps. Government servants would rejoice and vote UPA-3 into power again. This can be a game-changer for Elections 2014.
The global economy, the falling rupee, the slowdown, the trade barriers and so on have collectively ensured that the good name of UPA, which has done everything to revive growth and jobs, is tarnished. As a result, no company wants to invest and create jobs in India. Where do you think the aspirations of our young, and now old, will go? By giving citizens a right to permanent and highly-paid government jobs, preferably the IAS and allied services, we could change the face of India. An India, where every citizen is a government servant, diligently and silently making her contribution.
Sometimes, even government service proves an inadequate tool for expression. Every citizen has a right to take the country where he wants to. By restricting the right to a group of ministers in Cabinet, we do two wrongs. One, we put far too much decision-making in the Cabinet, now that decisions of individual ministers are proving inadequate to govern a complex world. And two, we don’t allow creative energies to flow into the governance system – an energy that can be unleashed by giving everyone almost-permanent 5-acre homes in Lutyens’ Delhi. This right will fix all these problems at one go.
Click on their website www.ecived.com/en/.
But why stop here? Unlike petty arts like painting and writing that can be and often are smothered, shifting the responsibility of execution and governance to Acts of Parliament is an art form that no democracy can stop – not even the world’s noisiest Opposition. As Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had said in his Budget speech of 1991, quoting Victor Hugo, “No power on Earth can stop an idea whose time has come.”
Now, as the musical chairs of a Congress-led coalition aspires to create UPA-3, here are 20 suggestions that build on the legislative strengths of UPA-1 and UPA-2. I hope UPA will find some of these interesting enough to list in their election manifesto.
Did you see how our children are suffering? Despite getting 90 percent marks and working very hard, they don’t get admissions to the IITs or Delhi University. Clearly, this is an injustice to young and hands free access, who will brave the sun to participate in democracy in May 2014. What they need is a right under which they can choose the university of their choice and get an admission. That way, the undue stress on our children will not be wasted. As we debate the bill, maybe we could include the right to college.
Far too much attention is being given to our symbol of excellence, the rupee. But all the attention is economic, financial – stuff that the average person doesn’t understand and is irrelevant. This is ridiculous. We need an intervention by legislation that states the rupee will not fall below Re 1 to the dollar. That is, from the day of its enactment, Re 1 should buy $1. The fact that we now need to pay Rs 61 is a shame on India’s sovereignty, something that an emerging nation can do without.
Enough of groaning and moaning about high inflation, rising prices. It is bad enough when food prices touch the skies the world over. But the relentless accusations of the government being unable to manage inflation creates nothing but ill-will. By enacting this right, the legislation will ensure prices stay low. If anyone speaks about abstractions like “market” or “global prices”, his next abstraction will be the jail. We could begin with zero-inflation rate and reduce it as time goes.
Over the past five years, we have seen so much debate, arguments and allegations on the pricing of oil and now coal that it has hurt the clean reputation of not only India but even the squeaky-clean UPA-3 government and its honest PM. Anywhere you go, all you hear is how corrupt the system is. All this is happening because there is a needless tug-of-war between the government, corporations and their billionaire shareholders. Once this law is enacted, and the right to price the natural resource is firmly and finally in the hands of corporations, there will be no problem. As far as the argument that consumers will pay higher prices goes, there is a one-word answer: subsidies.
An upcoming problem large companies have is they are unable to work together in harmony and decide what’s the best price that consumers must pay. Incessant competition has hurt the bottomlines of industries like airlines and cement. Then, you have these entrepreneurs who come and disrupt ancient and archaic industry practices. With this right, everything that’s going behind the scene and in dark corners of untraceable conversations would become legitimate. So what if the consumers have to pay more – a growing economy can sustain a higher standard of consumption. And beyond consumers, we need to serve another large and influential constituency of investors, don’t we?
A lot of money and time is wasted by individuals and companies in paying bribes to various government officials. Building a house, for instance, means paying bribes to the local municipal official, the policeman, the utilities providers and so on. Corporate bribery is even more complex. We are told everyone is doing it, so what’s wrong? Well, this: it still is unlawful to bribe. By enacting this law, UPA-3 would suddenly be on the forefront of social reform. This would be of great help to the honest, who are often caught in their silly ethical traps. Government servants would rejoice and vote UPA-3 into power again. This can be a game-changer for Elections 2014.
The global economy, the falling rupee, the slowdown, the trade barriers and so on have collectively ensured that the good name of UPA, which has done everything to revive growth and jobs, is tarnished. As a result, no company wants to invest and create jobs in India. Where do you think the aspirations of our young, and now old, will go? By giving citizens a right to permanent and highly-paid government jobs, preferably the IAS and allied services, we could change the face of India. An India, where every citizen is a government servant, diligently and silently making her contribution.
Sometimes, even government service proves an inadequate tool for expression. Every citizen has a right to take the country where he wants to. By restricting the right to a group of ministers in Cabinet, we do two wrongs. One, we put far too much decision-making in the Cabinet, now that decisions of individual ministers are proving inadequate to govern a complex world. And two, we don’t allow creative energies to flow into the governance system – an energy that can be unleashed by giving everyone almost-permanent 5-acre homes in Lutyens’ Delhi. This right will fix all these problems at one go.
Click on their website www.ecived.com/en/.
2013年5月15日 星期三
Technology Optimization to Further Enhance Passengers' Airport Experience
By 2020, it might be possible for 80 per cent of the passengers travelling through the world's international airports to only have to deal with machines, and not interact with human beings at all, as they pass through fully automated check-ins and immigration counters, aviation technology experts said in Dubai.
Speaking on optimizing technology to create SMART terminals of the future, on the concluding day of the Global Airport Leaders' Forum (GALF), Mr. Francesco Violante, Chief Executive Officer, SITA , said that this would reduce congestion in airports and dependence on labour and greatly improve the overall efficiency and time saving. "Imagine this technology which will also help airport operators to geo-locate you through your phone etc, and send you specific information that would be of interest to you, enabling you to go shopping for discount deals you want, collect your boarding card as you enter the aircraft, in short absolutely eliminate all the hassle that makes air travel so stressful right now," Mr. Violante suggested.
According to Mr. Hussein Dabbas, Vice President, Middle East and North Africa, IATA, such technology was now a reality thanks also to the huge investments in the airports infrastructure, which would have been difficult to imagine even a decade ago. He said: "Growth of passenger numbers has been phenomenal - by 2020 - almost 95 million passengers are expected to cross Dubai International airport and infrastructure needs to keep up. About 50 per cent people prefer using machines rather than checking-in and passing security check conventionally, according to real time Location system. Most people find processes at the airports to be the most troublesome part of their journey at present, he added. The governments are realizing what aviation brings in to the GDP - in the case of the UAE alone this is 15 per cent currently. They are realizing the importance of facilitation of passengers - countries realize today that creating hub airports like in Singapore or Dubai are a great asset, fuelling infrastructure growth elsewhere.
The airline industry, growing 6 to 8 per cent annually, requires countries that are forward-looking to invest heavily to keep themselves ahead of the competition and become SMART airports, Mr. Dabbas said. Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and several other countries are privatizing the airports operations, touting them as the service sectors. Mr. Thani Al Zaffin, Director General, Emaratech, said: "Dubai International Airport handled 55 million passengers in 2012, and is looking at 95 million in the year 2020. There is an expansion to Concourse 1 and 2 and Al Maktoum International is becoming operational for passengers in October this year. Everyone is now doing their part to ensure efficiency, and we hope that with the introduction of e-Gates in a big way, we will help facilitate the process even more." Mr. Dabbas sounded a note of caution about the obvious fallout of the rapid growth. "We should expect problems. There is huge congestion in the air. The planes circling over Dubai, especially going East from the UAE at peak hours, have to endure heavy congestion. Flights have to circle for 40 minutes waiting for a slot to take off. There is a need to look at the bigger picture and air traffic control has to step up," he said.
The Square Stand is made out of molded white plastic and swivels either to the merchant or to the customer. It bolts to a checkout counter or a cash register box and runs Square's point-of-sale application called Square Register. It comes equipped with a credit card reader and USB ports as well as a bar code scanner, receipt printer and rtls.
“When I was an undergrad at USC, taking my first developmental psychology class, I realized that the way they were characterizing different types of parents just didn’t seem to fit Asian American models,” says Kim. “They talked about authoritarian, authoritative, permissive and negligent parenting, and none of them seemed to really match the families I saw around me. And then I learned about the ‘achievement-adjustment paradox’: Among European American kids, you see that social and mental health goes hand in hand with academic success, but that’s not the case with Asian American kids. And I thought, there must be some kind of linkage with Asian parenting styles.”
As a doctoral student at the University of California at Davis, Kim decided to focus her research on parenting techniques of Asian American immigrants, and recruited over 400 Bay Area Chinese American households into a longitudinal research program — assessing the parenting of mothers and fathers on eight different dimensions, four positive and four negative, and tracking how these profiles evolved over the course of eight years, while also measuring the academic success and emotional health of their children.
The parents were ultimately divided into four categories. Those with low positive, high negative characteristics (essentially, cold and remote yet strict and controlling) were dubbed “Harsh”; those with high positive, low negative characteristics (warm, engaged and flexible) were dubbed “Supportive,” and those with low positive and low negative (distant and laissez-faire) were dubbed “Easygoing.”
Kim wasn’t sure what to call the final category, who scored high on both positive and negative characteristics — until Amy Chua’s 2011 book “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” was released, unleashing the controversy that continues to this day. Kim realized that the high positive-high negative profile mapped closely to the “Tiger Parent” persona, and decided to give the quadrant that name.
“As we reviewed the data, we were really surprised at what we found,” says Kim. “When we looked at mean GPA, the Supportive parents had kids that were substantially higher than any other group — including Tiger parents. In fact, by the end of our study, with the kids in high school, kids with Supportive parents had mean GPAs of 3.4, and kids with Tiger parents had 3.0. That’s a huge gap.”
Speaking on optimizing technology to create SMART terminals of the future, on the concluding day of the Global Airport Leaders' Forum (GALF), Mr. Francesco Violante, Chief Executive Officer, SITA , said that this would reduce congestion in airports and dependence on labour and greatly improve the overall efficiency and time saving. "Imagine this technology which will also help airport operators to geo-locate you through your phone etc, and send you specific information that would be of interest to you, enabling you to go shopping for discount deals you want, collect your boarding card as you enter the aircraft, in short absolutely eliminate all the hassle that makes air travel so stressful right now," Mr. Violante suggested.
According to Mr. Hussein Dabbas, Vice President, Middle East and North Africa, IATA, such technology was now a reality thanks also to the huge investments in the airports infrastructure, which would have been difficult to imagine even a decade ago. He said: "Growth of passenger numbers has been phenomenal - by 2020 - almost 95 million passengers are expected to cross Dubai International airport and infrastructure needs to keep up. About 50 per cent people prefer using machines rather than checking-in and passing security check conventionally, according to real time Location system. Most people find processes at the airports to be the most troublesome part of their journey at present, he added. The governments are realizing what aviation brings in to the GDP - in the case of the UAE alone this is 15 per cent currently. They are realizing the importance of facilitation of passengers - countries realize today that creating hub airports like in Singapore or Dubai are a great asset, fuelling infrastructure growth elsewhere.
The airline industry, growing 6 to 8 per cent annually, requires countries that are forward-looking to invest heavily to keep themselves ahead of the competition and become SMART airports, Mr. Dabbas said. Jordan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and several other countries are privatizing the airports operations, touting them as the service sectors. Mr. Thani Al Zaffin, Director General, Emaratech, said: "Dubai International Airport handled 55 million passengers in 2012, and is looking at 95 million in the year 2020. There is an expansion to Concourse 1 and 2 and Al Maktoum International is becoming operational for passengers in October this year. Everyone is now doing their part to ensure efficiency, and we hope that with the introduction of e-Gates in a big way, we will help facilitate the process even more." Mr. Dabbas sounded a note of caution about the obvious fallout of the rapid growth. "We should expect problems. There is huge congestion in the air. The planes circling over Dubai, especially going East from the UAE at peak hours, have to endure heavy congestion. Flights have to circle for 40 minutes waiting for a slot to take off. There is a need to look at the bigger picture and air traffic control has to step up," he said.
The Square Stand is made out of molded white plastic and swivels either to the merchant or to the customer. It bolts to a checkout counter or a cash register box and runs Square's point-of-sale application called Square Register. It comes equipped with a credit card reader and USB ports as well as a bar code scanner, receipt printer and rtls.
“When I was an undergrad at USC, taking my first developmental psychology class, I realized that the way they were characterizing different types of parents just didn’t seem to fit Asian American models,” says Kim. “They talked about authoritarian, authoritative, permissive and negligent parenting, and none of them seemed to really match the families I saw around me. And then I learned about the ‘achievement-adjustment paradox’: Among European American kids, you see that social and mental health goes hand in hand with academic success, but that’s not the case with Asian American kids. And I thought, there must be some kind of linkage with Asian parenting styles.”
As a doctoral student at the University of California at Davis, Kim decided to focus her research on parenting techniques of Asian American immigrants, and recruited over 400 Bay Area Chinese American households into a longitudinal research program — assessing the parenting of mothers and fathers on eight different dimensions, four positive and four negative, and tracking how these profiles evolved over the course of eight years, while also measuring the academic success and emotional health of their children.
The parents were ultimately divided into four categories. Those with low positive, high negative characteristics (essentially, cold and remote yet strict and controlling) were dubbed “Harsh”; those with high positive, low negative characteristics (warm, engaged and flexible) were dubbed “Supportive,” and those with low positive and low negative (distant and laissez-faire) were dubbed “Easygoing.”
Kim wasn’t sure what to call the final category, who scored high on both positive and negative characteristics — until Amy Chua’s 2011 book “Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother” was released, unleashing the controversy that continues to this day. Kim realized that the high positive-high negative profile mapped closely to the “Tiger Parent” persona, and decided to give the quadrant that name.
“As we reviewed the data, we were really surprised at what we found,” says Kim. “When we looked at mean GPA, the Supportive parents had kids that were substantially higher than any other group — including Tiger parents. In fact, by the end of our study, with the kids in high school, kids with Supportive parents had mean GPAs of 3.4, and kids with Tiger parents had 3.0. That’s a huge gap.”
Leaf unveils next-gen LeafPresenter Android POS tablet for taking payments
You're at a coffee shop or restaurant and it's time to pay for your sustenance. After reaching for your wallet, you're presented with... an Android tablet? This particular scenario is taking place more and more often as small businesses are taking their point-of-sale systems mobile, and Leaf is one of the big contenders battling for market share in this industry. Its signature product, known as the LeafPresenter, is an Android-based tablet with a funky lip on the top right that allows for mag-stripe credit card transactions. While the first-gen version of the device has been out for some time, Leaf is ready to branch out later this summer with a new model that offers more functionality.
In addition to a newer forked version of Android (Leaf OS), the upcoming LeafPresenter throws in NFC, EMV and gift card support, as well as a 2MP front-facing camera, 1,280x800 display and better battery. Last but not least, the new device also includes support for a Leaf-branded third-party app store geared toward small business usage. While there's no specific cost to the tablet itself, business owners will need to fork over $50 per month for the opportunity to use it. Check the press release after the break for hands free access.
Peter Thiel is known for his canny investments. He was the first outside investor in Facebook, and look how that turned out. So it is cause for excitement in British tech circles that the first European investment by Thiel’s Valar Ventures is in TransferWise, a London-based start-up that hopes to do for remittances what Skype did to long-distance dialling. That analogy is particularly apt because Taavet Hinrikus, a co-founder, was an early Skype employee. And Thiel knows his way around online money transfers; he co-founded PayPal.
Here’s how TransferWise works: Nikos, a Greek migrant in London, pays ￡100 pounds to the web-based service via his British bank or debit card and asks for it to be sent to Athens, where his brother lives. TransferWise’s algorithm finds someone in Greece, let’s call her Alexa, who wants to send money over to London. She’s put her funds in as well. TransferWise takes the cash out of its own British holdings and sends it to Nikos’s bank account. Its arm in Greece does the same for Alexa. Presto: everybody’s got their remittance and the involvement of banks remained strictly domestic.
The beauty of TransferWise is that it almost entirely bypasses banks, which use every opportunity to wring out every last cent from overseas transfers. While it is relatively easy to move money within the EU—the key word being relatively—getting it over more consequential borders can be expensive and time-consuming. Banks charge hefty fees, convert at rates favorable to themselves, and tend to ask questions.
The service differs from Western Union in two ways: it relies on other people’s money to build its corpus rather than its own, and it is significantly cheaper: a ridiculously low ￡1 or €1 for payments up to 200 in either currency. Fees go slightly higher for bigger sums and become more complicated with other currencies. Still, it transferred ￡10 million ($16 million) in 2011, its first year of operation, and a cumulative ￡125 million as of today, which TransferWise says saved its customers ￡5 million in fees.
The same two elements are what make TransferWise so similar to hawala, a system of money transfer used throughout the Islamic world, including South Asia. Hawala operators have a network of agents across the region in which they function. A customer—call him Ahmed—goes to a hawala agent in Dubai and asks him to send 10,000 rupees to Karachi. A quick phone call later, the designated consignee in Karachi, Faiz, can visit his own agent and pick up the equivalent in dirhams, minus a small fee.
How does the Karachi agent know whom to give it to in the absence of computers and log-ins and algorithms and such? There are many ways, including verbal passwords, but one of the most elegant is the banknote system. Ahmed calls his friend Faiz and asks him to fetch a 10 rupee note. Faiz reads out the serial number on the note to Ahmed, who tells his agent in Dubai, who in turn passes the information to Karachi. The Karachi agent will only hand over the money to somebody carrying the very same 10-rupee note.
TransferWise and hawala are simple and smart ways of getting money across borders without the hassles of dealing with banks’ labyrinthine rules and fees. But there is one significant difference. Hawala has no written records and is based entirely on community ties and personal trust. TransferWise on the other hand logs details of its customers and adheres to regulations. Its biggest problem at the moment is scale—the system is hard to make work when certain countries, such as Haiti or the Philippines, receive far more than they send. That, presumably, is what the $6 million round of funding led by Thiel will help solve. The only question is how TransferWise’s American backers will send over the rtls.
In addition to a newer forked version of Android (Leaf OS), the upcoming LeafPresenter throws in NFC, EMV and gift card support, as well as a 2MP front-facing camera, 1,280x800 display and better battery. Last but not least, the new device also includes support for a Leaf-branded third-party app store geared toward small business usage. While there's no specific cost to the tablet itself, business owners will need to fork over $50 per month for the opportunity to use it. Check the press release after the break for hands free access.
Peter Thiel is known for his canny investments. He was the first outside investor in Facebook, and look how that turned out. So it is cause for excitement in British tech circles that the first European investment by Thiel’s Valar Ventures is in TransferWise, a London-based start-up that hopes to do for remittances what Skype did to long-distance dialling. That analogy is particularly apt because Taavet Hinrikus, a co-founder, was an early Skype employee. And Thiel knows his way around online money transfers; he co-founded PayPal.
Here’s how TransferWise works: Nikos, a Greek migrant in London, pays ￡100 pounds to the web-based service via his British bank or debit card and asks for it to be sent to Athens, where his brother lives. TransferWise’s algorithm finds someone in Greece, let’s call her Alexa, who wants to send money over to London. She’s put her funds in as well. TransferWise takes the cash out of its own British holdings and sends it to Nikos’s bank account. Its arm in Greece does the same for Alexa. Presto: everybody’s got their remittance and the involvement of banks remained strictly domestic.
The beauty of TransferWise is that it almost entirely bypasses banks, which use every opportunity to wring out every last cent from overseas transfers. While it is relatively easy to move money within the EU—the key word being relatively—getting it over more consequential borders can be expensive and time-consuming. Banks charge hefty fees, convert at rates favorable to themselves, and tend to ask questions.
The service differs from Western Union in two ways: it relies on other people’s money to build its corpus rather than its own, and it is significantly cheaper: a ridiculously low ￡1 or €1 for payments up to 200 in either currency. Fees go slightly higher for bigger sums and become more complicated with other currencies. Still, it transferred ￡10 million ($16 million) in 2011, its first year of operation, and a cumulative ￡125 million as of today, which TransferWise says saved its customers ￡5 million in fees.
The same two elements are what make TransferWise so similar to hawala, a system of money transfer used throughout the Islamic world, including South Asia. Hawala operators have a network of agents across the region in which they function. A customer—call him Ahmed—goes to a hawala agent in Dubai and asks him to send 10,000 rupees to Karachi. A quick phone call later, the designated consignee in Karachi, Faiz, can visit his own agent and pick up the equivalent in dirhams, minus a small fee.
How does the Karachi agent know whom to give it to in the absence of computers and log-ins and algorithms and such? There are many ways, including verbal passwords, but one of the most elegant is the banknote system. Ahmed calls his friend Faiz and asks him to fetch a 10 rupee note. Faiz reads out the serial number on the note to Ahmed, who tells his agent in Dubai, who in turn passes the information to Karachi. The Karachi agent will only hand over the money to somebody carrying the very same 10-rupee note.
TransferWise and hawala are simple and smart ways of getting money across borders without the hassles of dealing with banks’ labyrinthine rules and fees. But there is one significant difference. Hawala has no written records and is based entirely on community ties and personal trust. TransferWise on the other hand logs details of its customers and adheres to regulations. Its biggest problem at the moment is scale—the system is hard to make work when certain countries, such as Haiti or the Philippines, receive far more than they send. That, presumably, is what the $6 million round of funding led by Thiel will help solve. The only question is how TransferWise’s American backers will send over the rtls.
2013年5月3日 星期五
Derksen takes two-shot lead after opening round in China
China’s Ye Wo-cheng had to settle for a round of 79 as he became the youngest player in tour history at the age of 12 years and 242 days, but 16-year-old compatriot Dou Ze-cheng carded a two-under-par 70 at Binhai Lake Golf Club in Tianjin.
And Derksen, without a win since 2005, then birdied two of the last three holes to card a six-under 66 and finish two ahead of France’s Raphael Jacquelin, Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat and rtls.
Rumford won the Ballantine’s Championship in Korea on Sunday with an eagle three on the first hole of a three-man play-off, while Jacquelin won the Spanish Open a fortnight ago after a record-equalling nine-hole play-off.
Aphibarnrat finished fourth in the Avantha Masters in India, won the Malaysian Open the following week and then finished 11th behind Rumford at Blackstone Golf Club last week.
In contrast, Ye carded eight bogeys and just one birdie to lie 140th on seven over, but did produce one of the shots of the day when he holed a long chip for a bogey six on the sixth after losing a ball on the par-five.
“I tried to enjoy it, I was very nervous,” Ye told European Tour Radio after surpassing the record set by Guan Tianlang, who famously made the cut at the Masters last month aged 14 and was 13 years and 177 days old when he played in the same event last year.
Dou, who like Ye earnt his place in the field after coming through qualifying events, had four birdies and two bogeys in his round of 70 and said: “I started a little nervous but it was all pretty good. It was great out there.
“We were lucky to play seven or eight holes without much wind. The course gives you a few birdie chances, but there were some holes — like the fourth, ninth and 17th — which were playing really long into the wind.”
Derksen, who was one over par after five holes, said: “It was a funny day because I started well with a birdie from about five feet but then three-putted the third and fourth and ended up in three divots on the fairways later in the round.
That said, Carty and Jazayerli both found via a more complicated method factoring the past three seasons’ records — relevant here given the downtrodden nature of the Kansas City franchise — that it wasn’t until the 48-game mark when the current record became more predictive than a preseason expectation, based upon a weighted three-year record (35 percent for the previous year, 12 percent for two years ago, five percent for three years ago and 48 percent for .500, for the strong tendency of teams to regress to the mean). In light of that, the Royals are only about halfway to the point where they can be taken seriously as contenders.
Even so, their results so far are encouraging, particularly with regards to the rotation makeover in which they added James Shields, Ervin Santana and Wade Davis via trade, and re-signed late-season acquisition Jeremy Guthrie, leaving Luis Mendoza the only holdover. Their starters’ collective 3.85 ERA ranks fifth in the league, and their 56 percent quality start rate is fourth. Shields, Santana and Guthrie all have ERAs of 3.06 or below, though the latter’s 5.06 FIP — driven by a high home run rate — offers more cause for concern. In fact, the three besides Shields and Santana have FIPs of 4.96 or higher due mainly to their problems keeping the ball in the park.
As with last year, the team’s biggest strength appears to be its bullpen, which currently ranks second in the AL with a 2.67 ERA, and in a virtual tie for first at 10.6 strikeouts per nine, though their 33 percent rate of allowing inherited runners to score ranks 11th. Closer Greg Holland, who took over the job late last year after Jonathan Broxton was traded, has converted seven out of eight opportunities while striking out an eye-popping 16.4 per nine. Of their top six relievers in terms of usage, five (Holland, Kelvim Herrera, Tim Collins, Luke Hochevar and Bruce Chen) are striking out more than a batter per inning with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of at least 3.0. Banished from the rotation after ugly performances last year, Hochever and Chen have combined to allow three runs (one earned) in 18 1/3 innings while striking out 22 thus far, offering hope that they can give Kansas City something for the combined $9.1 million they’re being paid this year.
One of the latest threats against travelers is invisible and silent: wireless attacks that siphon your credit card number, personal information and passwords. Anything with a radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip, including your passport or a credit card, can be read from afar. Thieves can also mine valuable data from your smartphone when it automatically logs on to a WiFi network.
Fortunately, there are a few simple ways to thwart these wireless assaults, including new luggage products and common-sense steps that protect your devices and real time Location system.
As it turned out, Tzucker’s card didn’t have an RFID chip. And she was lucky. Before the cigar-loving thieves could finish their shopping excursion, her bank’s fraud detection algorithm tagged her purchases as suspicious, disabled her account and refunded the fraudulent transactions. And that may be one of the most effective solutions — having a bank that can stop fraud quickly and cover any losses. After the incident, Tzucker also switched to using a prepaid debit card when she traveled, which contains no personal information.
But others haven’t been so fortunate. Nearly half of all travelers use their smartphones to access the Internet when they’re on vacation, according to a recent survey by security firm Kaspersky Lab. One-third of phone users store their passwords to online accounts, including bank and social networks, on their devices. While any phone can be a target, the most vulnerable wireless devices run on the Android operating system, according to Kaspersky.
And Derksen, without a win since 2005, then birdied two of the last three holes to card a six-under 66 and finish two ahead of France’s Raphael Jacquelin, Thailand’s Kiradech Aphibarnrat and rtls.
Rumford won the Ballantine’s Championship in Korea on Sunday with an eagle three on the first hole of a three-man play-off, while Jacquelin won the Spanish Open a fortnight ago after a record-equalling nine-hole play-off.
Aphibarnrat finished fourth in the Avantha Masters in India, won the Malaysian Open the following week and then finished 11th behind Rumford at Blackstone Golf Club last week.
In contrast, Ye carded eight bogeys and just one birdie to lie 140th on seven over, but did produce one of the shots of the day when he holed a long chip for a bogey six on the sixth after losing a ball on the par-five.
“I tried to enjoy it, I was very nervous,” Ye told European Tour Radio after surpassing the record set by Guan Tianlang, who famously made the cut at the Masters last month aged 14 and was 13 years and 177 days old when he played in the same event last year.
Dou, who like Ye earnt his place in the field after coming through qualifying events, had four birdies and two bogeys in his round of 70 and said: “I started a little nervous but it was all pretty good. It was great out there.
“We were lucky to play seven or eight holes without much wind. The course gives you a few birdie chances, but there were some holes — like the fourth, ninth and 17th — which were playing really long into the wind.”
Derksen, who was one over par after five holes, said: “It was a funny day because I started well with a birdie from about five feet but then three-putted the third and fourth and ended up in three divots on the fairways later in the round.
That said, Carty and Jazayerli both found via a more complicated method factoring the past three seasons’ records — relevant here given the downtrodden nature of the Kansas City franchise — that it wasn’t until the 48-game mark when the current record became more predictive than a preseason expectation, based upon a weighted three-year record (35 percent for the previous year, 12 percent for two years ago, five percent for three years ago and 48 percent for .500, for the strong tendency of teams to regress to the mean). In light of that, the Royals are only about halfway to the point where they can be taken seriously as contenders.
Even so, their results so far are encouraging, particularly with regards to the rotation makeover in which they added James Shields, Ervin Santana and Wade Davis via trade, and re-signed late-season acquisition Jeremy Guthrie, leaving Luis Mendoza the only holdover. Their starters’ collective 3.85 ERA ranks fifth in the league, and their 56 percent quality start rate is fourth. Shields, Santana and Guthrie all have ERAs of 3.06 or below, though the latter’s 5.06 FIP — driven by a high home run rate — offers more cause for concern. In fact, the three besides Shields and Santana have FIPs of 4.96 or higher due mainly to their problems keeping the ball in the park.
As with last year, the team’s biggest strength appears to be its bullpen, which currently ranks second in the AL with a 2.67 ERA, and in a virtual tie for first at 10.6 strikeouts per nine, though their 33 percent rate of allowing inherited runners to score ranks 11th. Closer Greg Holland, who took over the job late last year after Jonathan Broxton was traded, has converted seven out of eight opportunities while striking out an eye-popping 16.4 per nine. Of their top six relievers in terms of usage, five (Holland, Kelvim Herrera, Tim Collins, Luke Hochevar and Bruce Chen) are striking out more than a batter per inning with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of at least 3.0. Banished from the rotation after ugly performances last year, Hochever and Chen have combined to allow three runs (one earned) in 18 1/3 innings while striking out 22 thus far, offering hope that they can give Kansas City something for the combined $9.1 million they’re being paid this year.
One of the latest threats against travelers is invisible and silent: wireless attacks that siphon your credit card number, personal information and passwords. Anything with a radio-frequency identification (RFID) chip, including your passport or a credit card, can be read from afar. Thieves can also mine valuable data from your smartphone when it automatically logs on to a WiFi network.
Fortunately, there are a few simple ways to thwart these wireless assaults, including new luggage products and common-sense steps that protect your devices and real time Location system.
As it turned out, Tzucker’s card didn’t have an RFID chip. And she was lucky. Before the cigar-loving thieves could finish their shopping excursion, her bank’s fraud detection algorithm tagged her purchases as suspicious, disabled her account and refunded the fraudulent transactions. And that may be one of the most effective solutions — having a bank that can stop fraud quickly and cover any losses. After the incident, Tzucker also switched to using a prepaid debit card when she traveled, which contains no personal information.
But others haven’t been so fortunate. Nearly half of all travelers use their smartphones to access the Internet when they’re on vacation, according to a recent survey by security firm Kaspersky Lab. One-third of phone users store their passwords to online accounts, including bank and social networks, on their devices. While any phone can be a target, the most vulnerable wireless devices run on the Android operating system, according to Kaspersky.
Upgrading Eugene’s Old Schools
Eugene’s School District 4J has many school buildings that date to the post-war era of the 1940s and ’50s and some elementary schools have 40 doors to the outside, a security concern. Most of these cheaply built older schools would not stand in a major earthquake and some, like River Road Elementary, have such inadequate ventilation that teachers sometimes evacuate their students when air quality monitors warn of bad air.
Measure 20-210 on the May 21 ballot would authorize the district to sell $170 million in bonds to replace four old school buildings, renovate other buildings, improve technology and instructional materials, upgrade security, buy new buses and make other improvements. No organized opposition to the measure has appeared so far.
The estimated cost to the median homeowner (assessed value of $174,000) would be 24 cents per $1,000 in value or about $42 a year. The new total of bonded debt repayment would rise to $1.60 per $1,000 until 2017 when an earlier bond will be paid off. At that time, voters may see another bond measure on the ballot since school facility upgrading is a long-term process and four more schools, including North Eugene High School, are on the list for replacement or hands free access.
“The measure allows for smart repairs to some of the really older buildings in the district that will save money in the long run and allow more money to be spent in the classroom,” 4J School Board Chair Jennifer Geller says. “It will fund technology improvements in every school in the district.”
Geller says about 40 percent of computers in the district don’t run current software. The measure will also update instructional materials for every school: new math, new writing curricula and new science equipment at the secondary level. And it will improve school security with key card access and video surveillance.
Four of the “most dilapidated schools in the district” will be replaced, Geller says: Roosevelt and Jefferson middle schools and Howard and River Road elementary schools. The gymnasiums at Jefferson will be saved. Renovations are also planned for Gilham Elementary and Kelly Middle School. The architecturally and culturally significant 87-year-old brick Edison Elementary School will be saved for now, despite its problems. Roosevelt has a large site that will likely be rebuilt where the tennis courts are currently, rather than at the Civic Stadium site.
School bonding was restricted by the Oregon Constitution to be only for new construction, but in 2010 voters approved Measure 68, allowing capital bonding for renovations, repairs and other needs. Measure 5 and other tax-restricting laws have made it difficult for school districts to raise additional money for staffing and reducing class sizes. But bonding is not restricted like property taxes.
“This is one of the only ways we can get money into this district,” says Laura Illig, chair of the Yes for 4J Schools campaign. Bonding is “really significant for our district because we have some investments we need to make and there is no money in the general fund, things like science curriculum and equipment,” she says. “We’ve been putting off replacing buses and making general repairs, and without bond funding those things would come out of the general fund.”
No dollar amount has been calculated on what the district will save with this new investment in capital improvements, but Geller and Illig figure the savings will be significant over time. The new and remodeled buildings will be more energy efficient and general funds will not be needed to cover technology and curriculum updates, new buses and general repairs. And by not delaying construction projects, the district can take advantage of low bond interest rates and the currently lower costs for materials and labor.
The cashier handed a gentleman his credit card after he swiped his $8 total for two. As he and his friend take a seat, the customer behind him asks the cashier where she could scan her mobile rewards application. The cashier points to the glowing 10-inch tablet off to the side; the customer aligns her smartphone to a colorful barcode on the tablet. Her $9 drink total for her and her kids magically changes to a $4.50 value.
At this point, the first customer is probably thinking his wallet is suddenly feeling tremendously lighter as he looks down at his iPhone 4s, heavy with regret. What did that customer just scan? How did she get such a terrific deal?
What may seem like another random mobile app was actually the solution behind a digital customer loyalty rewards system that has revolutionized the relationship between merchants and customers. These solutions are better known as startup mobile apps like Pirq and Bellycard.
Dividing the responsibility of customer frequency between the merchant and mobile startups makes for a win-win situation. While restaurant owners benefit from customer loyalty when users redeem 25% or 50% off their meals, mobile apps such as these conquer the future of digital reward systems. These reward programs are changing the way customers are interacting with their favorite retail and restaurant merchants by increasing business indoor positioning system and utilizing public deals.
What is unique about Bellycard is that they customize their rewards in fun and unique ways depending on the merchant. For example, “You can arm wrestle a sandwich restaurant owner or ride along in a food truck that will let its best customers “egg” the truck as it drives by” as stated by Leena Rao at Techcrunch.
Pirq and Bellycard differ from sites like Groupon and Living Social because they spend less time focusing on customer loyalty and more time on finding the best ‘bang-for-your-buck’.
“Groupon does mass-market push with their emails but they crush your business because tons of people come in during the same hours and only one cashier is there to manage it,” said Kaitlin Sandblom, Pirq’s Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator.
When asked what could be improved with customer loyalty apps, Christine Ngo, Pirq user and junior at the University of Washington, said that she wished they would implement push notifications.
Measure 20-210 on the May 21 ballot would authorize the district to sell $170 million in bonds to replace four old school buildings, renovate other buildings, improve technology and instructional materials, upgrade security, buy new buses and make other improvements. No organized opposition to the measure has appeared so far.
The estimated cost to the median homeowner (assessed value of $174,000) would be 24 cents per $1,000 in value or about $42 a year. The new total of bonded debt repayment would rise to $1.60 per $1,000 until 2017 when an earlier bond will be paid off. At that time, voters may see another bond measure on the ballot since school facility upgrading is a long-term process and four more schools, including North Eugene High School, are on the list for replacement or hands free access.
“The measure allows for smart repairs to some of the really older buildings in the district that will save money in the long run and allow more money to be spent in the classroom,” 4J School Board Chair Jennifer Geller says. “It will fund technology improvements in every school in the district.”
Geller says about 40 percent of computers in the district don’t run current software. The measure will also update instructional materials for every school: new math, new writing curricula and new science equipment at the secondary level. And it will improve school security with key card access and video surveillance.
Four of the “most dilapidated schools in the district” will be replaced, Geller says: Roosevelt and Jefferson middle schools and Howard and River Road elementary schools. The gymnasiums at Jefferson will be saved. Renovations are also planned for Gilham Elementary and Kelly Middle School. The architecturally and culturally significant 87-year-old brick Edison Elementary School will be saved for now, despite its problems. Roosevelt has a large site that will likely be rebuilt where the tennis courts are currently, rather than at the Civic Stadium site.
School bonding was restricted by the Oregon Constitution to be only for new construction, but in 2010 voters approved Measure 68, allowing capital bonding for renovations, repairs and other needs. Measure 5 and other tax-restricting laws have made it difficult for school districts to raise additional money for staffing and reducing class sizes. But bonding is not restricted like property taxes.
“This is one of the only ways we can get money into this district,” says Laura Illig, chair of the Yes for 4J Schools campaign. Bonding is “really significant for our district because we have some investments we need to make and there is no money in the general fund, things like science curriculum and equipment,” she says. “We’ve been putting off replacing buses and making general repairs, and without bond funding those things would come out of the general fund.”
No dollar amount has been calculated on what the district will save with this new investment in capital improvements, but Geller and Illig figure the savings will be significant over time. The new and remodeled buildings will be more energy efficient and general funds will not be needed to cover technology and curriculum updates, new buses and general repairs. And by not delaying construction projects, the district can take advantage of low bond interest rates and the currently lower costs for materials and labor.
The cashier handed a gentleman his credit card after he swiped his $8 total for two. As he and his friend take a seat, the customer behind him asks the cashier where she could scan her mobile rewards application. The cashier points to the glowing 10-inch tablet off to the side; the customer aligns her smartphone to a colorful barcode on the tablet. Her $9 drink total for her and her kids magically changes to a $4.50 value.
At this point, the first customer is probably thinking his wallet is suddenly feeling tremendously lighter as he looks down at his iPhone 4s, heavy with regret. What did that customer just scan? How did she get such a terrific deal?
What may seem like another random mobile app was actually the solution behind a digital customer loyalty rewards system that has revolutionized the relationship between merchants and customers. These solutions are better known as startup mobile apps like Pirq and Bellycard.
Dividing the responsibility of customer frequency between the merchant and mobile startups makes for a win-win situation. While restaurant owners benefit from customer loyalty when users redeem 25% or 50% off their meals, mobile apps such as these conquer the future of digital reward systems. These reward programs are changing the way customers are interacting with their favorite retail and restaurant merchants by increasing business indoor positioning system and utilizing public deals.
What is unique about Bellycard is that they customize their rewards in fun and unique ways depending on the merchant. For example, “You can arm wrestle a sandwich restaurant owner or ride along in a food truck that will let its best customers “egg” the truck as it drives by” as stated by Leena Rao at Techcrunch.
Pirq and Bellycard differ from sites like Groupon and Living Social because they spend less time focusing on customer loyalty and more time on finding the best ‘bang-for-your-buck’.
“Groupon does mass-market push with their emails but they crush your business because tons of people come in during the same hours and only one cashier is there to manage it,” said Kaitlin Sandblom, Pirq’s Marketing and Public Relations Coordinator.
When asked what could be improved with customer loyalty apps, Christine Ngo, Pirq user and junior at the University of Washington, said that she wished they would implement push notifications.
2013年4月11日 星期四
How businesses can avoid the not so great "Recycling Con Trick"
The Daily Mail's increasingly vociferous campaign against the green economy opened up another front last Saturday with a front page splash purportedly uncovering the "Great Recycling Con Trick". Much to the consternation of many in the waste management and recycling rtls, the paper alleged that "millions of tons of household rubbish painstakingly sorted by families for recycling is being dumped abroad", although it unsurprisingly declined to provide any figures to back up its allegations.
Instead it simply stitched together a few quotes from the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collections and extracted a couple of lines from two Defra consultation documents that acknowledge the difficulty of assessing what happens to the 12 million tons of material that is exported each year for recycling overseas.
Seem too good to be true? Well, it may soon become a reality in a store near you thanks to four college students from Carnegie Mellon University.
Co-Founder Brian Groudan said the idea began with him and his three peers wanting to "consolidate all of the cards in your wallet."
"You carry around these slabs of plastic everyday," Groudan says. "The idea sort of evolved into 'hey, why do you need those cards at all?'" The foursome then built the prototype in 48 hours at a hackathon event and PayTango was born.
PayTango is a fingerprint-based identification and payment system. Signing up begins by scanning an index and middle finger, swiping your card through the reader to associate it with your fingerprint, and then punching in your phone number to finalize your account (the phone number is gathered in case you need to be contacted).
Once registered, wallets won't be needed. Shoppers can make any purchases with their fingerprints.
The team initially tested it in their CMU cafeteria with 100 students. Now, the service expanded to three dining locations on the campus. Groudan says their current focus in the next few months are college campuses but insists that's only the beginning, adding that the possibilities are "endless".
"I think the applications extend way beyond that," Groudan says. "Once you have the profile think about transportation not having to fumble with the coins, to pay for parking you just touch the meter, or when you're at the hospital and pull up your medical records."
The owner of the textile factory that produced them closed down and left Egypt soon after the country’s 2011 revolution. Assad Attiya, a clerk who has worked at the store for 13 years, said the former factory owner, like himself, is Christian.
“The owner is afraid to come back. It is harder here now and we want to leave,” explained Attiya, 48, from behind an almost barren counter he said once had been “lined with beautiful linens.”
By some estimates, tens of thousands of Christians have left post-revolution Egypt. Like the former textile maker, they have left due to concerns over rising Muslim conservatism and a general instability they say is emboldening attacks against them.
Perhaps the most dramatic example of sectarian tension yet occurred Sunday in central Cairo, where a crowd attacked Christian mourners after they emerged from a funeral in Egypt’s main Coptic Christian cathedral. The funeral was for four men killed in a Cairo gunfight Friday, in which a Muslim man also was killed. Some of the mourners, joined by sympathetic Muslims, filed out of St. Mark’s Cathedral shouting exhortations against Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and his largely Islamic government.
The crowd responded to the demonstrators with rocks and gasoline bombs. Police eventually moved in, but numerous and independent news agencies reported police appeared to take the side of crowd, firing tear-gas canisters into the St. Mark’s courtyard and taking no action to stop the attacks on the Christians and their real time Location system.
Attiya, the fabric-story clerk, said he had applied the last two years for U.S. residency — a green card — through a lottery system that Washington sponsors, but wasn’t selected. A few months ago, he requested a tourist visa to visit his brother who works in an amusement park in New York, but was denied.
“All Egyptians, by nature, are kind (but) circumstances are now making everything bad, so I am afraid of you and you are afraid of me. And because of the fear within you, you become bad,” Attiya said.
“We all hoped for the best, but no one knows now what will happen,” he said, reflecting his disappointment over how the revolution, which united thousands of Muslims and Christians alike, has transpired.
Egyptians, including thousands of Muslims, now opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood government demonstrate and strike almost daily. The country’s military and other security forces have been at odds with the new government, and at times have withdrawn completely from different cities around the country.
The resulting state of instability, decaying economy and rise in crime have scared many Egyptians into leaving, or trying to — not least of all Egyptian Christians who say they are easy targets when trouble erupts and there is no system in place to protect them.
Instead it simply stitched together a few quotes from the Campaign for Weekly Waste Collections and extracted a couple of lines from two Defra consultation documents that acknowledge the difficulty of assessing what happens to the 12 million tons of material that is exported each year for recycling overseas.
Seem too good to be true? Well, it may soon become a reality in a store near you thanks to four college students from Carnegie Mellon University.
Co-Founder Brian Groudan said the idea began with him and his three peers wanting to "consolidate all of the cards in your wallet."
"You carry around these slabs of plastic everyday," Groudan says. "The idea sort of evolved into 'hey, why do you need those cards at all?'" The foursome then built the prototype in 48 hours at a hackathon event and PayTango was born.
PayTango is a fingerprint-based identification and payment system. Signing up begins by scanning an index and middle finger, swiping your card through the reader to associate it with your fingerprint, and then punching in your phone number to finalize your account (the phone number is gathered in case you need to be contacted).
Once registered, wallets won't be needed. Shoppers can make any purchases with their fingerprints.
The team initially tested it in their CMU cafeteria with 100 students. Now, the service expanded to three dining locations on the campus. Groudan says their current focus in the next few months are college campuses but insists that's only the beginning, adding that the possibilities are "endless".
"I think the applications extend way beyond that," Groudan says. "Once you have the profile think about transportation not having to fumble with the coins, to pay for parking you just touch the meter, or when you're at the hospital and pull up your medical records."
The owner of the textile factory that produced them closed down and left Egypt soon after the country’s 2011 revolution. Assad Attiya, a clerk who has worked at the store for 13 years, said the former factory owner, like himself, is Christian.
“The owner is afraid to come back. It is harder here now and we want to leave,” explained Attiya, 48, from behind an almost barren counter he said once had been “lined with beautiful linens.”
By some estimates, tens of thousands of Christians have left post-revolution Egypt. Like the former textile maker, they have left due to concerns over rising Muslim conservatism and a general instability they say is emboldening attacks against them.
Perhaps the most dramatic example of sectarian tension yet occurred Sunday in central Cairo, where a crowd attacked Christian mourners after they emerged from a funeral in Egypt’s main Coptic Christian cathedral. The funeral was for four men killed in a Cairo gunfight Friday, in which a Muslim man also was killed. Some of the mourners, joined by sympathetic Muslims, filed out of St. Mark’s Cathedral shouting exhortations against Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and his largely Islamic government.
The crowd responded to the demonstrators with rocks and gasoline bombs. Police eventually moved in, but numerous and independent news agencies reported police appeared to take the side of crowd, firing tear-gas canisters into the St. Mark’s courtyard and taking no action to stop the attacks on the Christians and their real time Location system.
Attiya, the fabric-story clerk, said he had applied the last two years for U.S. residency — a green card — through a lottery system that Washington sponsors, but wasn’t selected. A few months ago, he requested a tourist visa to visit his brother who works in an amusement park in New York, but was denied.
“All Egyptians, by nature, are kind (but) circumstances are now making everything bad, so I am afraid of you and you are afraid of me. And because of the fear within you, you become bad,” Attiya said.
“We all hoped for the best, but no one knows now what will happen,” he said, reflecting his disappointment over how the revolution, which united thousands of Muslims and Christians alike, has transpired.
Egyptians, including thousands of Muslims, now opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood government demonstrate and strike almost daily. The country’s military and other security forces have been at odds with the new government, and at times have withdrawn completely from different cities around the country.
The resulting state of instability, decaying economy and rise in crime have scared many Egyptians into leaving, or trying to — not least of all Egyptian Christians who say they are easy targets when trouble erupts and there is no system in place to protect them.
Is Bitcoin the future of our money?
Bitcoins are back in business. Two years after the Bitcoin bubble had been called, the digital currency created by coders for coders is in the news again, as it surges to record highs. And with reason: Since the beginning of this year the value of this “new money” has risen exponentially. Just this week, the price of a Bitcoin rose from $142 on Monday to a jaw-popping $235 on the biggest Bitcoin exchange, Hands free access.
Of course we know it is a bubble, an algorithmic bubble if you will. But with its market valuation approaching $1.75 billion and rising, it’s a bubble with a future. The four-year-old currency, money built for the Internet, unlike cards and bank transfers that are being adapted for the Net, points to future where digital money will be the norm.
That’s because the digital crypto currency, whose origins are still shrouded in mystery (it is believed that it was created by a group of programmers who worked under the name Satoshi Nakamoto), has crucial properties that make it exceedingly attractive as an alternate currency. It is inflation resistant because it is free from government and banks manipulation and for some Russian tycoons the fact that it can’t be suddenly seized is another.
The quest for “new money” has been on for nearly three decades now ever since January 1980 when the final rites on the dollar were first read. In the alternate space there have been experiments, most currently Facebook credits, Linden dollars in 2nd Life or the QQ coins in China, which have served as currency in limited ways.
But the Bitcoin is another thing altogether. Possessing the twin facets of demand and liquidity, it can shrug off the underlying weakness of lacking a basis for its value. The 21 million Bitcoins limit built into it ensures its scarcity.
Debate right now is centered around whether the Bitcoin is a bubble. Most money managers have written it off. Nouriel Roubini, a bubbler-buster if ever there was one, tweeted recently, “Gold-bug suckers found another irrational useless bubble fad, the Bitcoin, the bubble flavour of the day. So they are dissin gold 4 Bitcoin”. And the extreme volatility of Bitcoin lends credence to the scepticism. Over the last 12 days the virtual currency has doubled its value.
But to write it off is both premature and short-sighted. Premature because a digital currency was waiting to happen and if not Bitcoin, another will replace it if it does go down. And short sighted because the history of money tells us that the momentum to a new form of currency starts building slowly, but eventually it can’t be halted.
The big charge against Bitcoin, that its value swings wildly depending on people’s faith in it, can as easily be levelled against derivatives. Nor is a currency that operates outside the pale of governments new to us in India where black money is equally institutionalized. Even overseas, on a rough estimate there is $300 trillion stashed away in offshore havens, well outside the purview of central banks and regulators.
The disbelief that Bitcoin or its equivalent could be the future of money isn’t new. The move to plastic was surrounded with equal scepticism. Starting with Diners in 1950, it took eight years for the next credit cards to appear in the market. And it wasn’t until the 1980s that credit cards became a particularly profitable business. But of course by 2006 credit card payments had overtaken cash or cheques for payments.
Most bubbles have a habit of creating something new, distinctly unbubble-like. Even if Bitcoins go under, the era of a pure digital currency which doesn’t have its antecedents in the physical world, is here. Frauds, inflation, Cyprus, have all ensured that the process of disintermediation in the money trial has begun. If it is sites selling porn, drugs and escort services today, it may well be bars tomorrow. Oh wait, that’s already happened. EVR, a bar in New York has started accepting Bitcoins for indoor Tracking.
Going straight to the point, the handset's sound quality is great. The loudspeaker is indeed loud. Apart from the default music player, the phone comes with Nokia Music. It's better to opt for the latter since it offers equaliser settings and Dolby enhancement. Moreover, it offers unlimited free track downloads for a year. The bundled earphones are just ok, but not in the same league as Samsung, who ship much better IEMs with its phones.
Like every other WP8 device, this one also lacks FM radio. According to Nokia's official blog though, the Snapdragon S4 chipset consists of a radio receiver, so a future update might enable this feature. Coming to the subject of video playback, the phone is compatible with MP4, WMV, and AVI videos up to 720p resolution. However, MKV videos are still a no-go.
The 5 megapixel snapper is surprisingly good. The resulting pictures contain incredible amount of details for a budget phone. More importantly, the colours look natural. Click here, to download the untouched sample. Similar to the high-end Lumia 920, this one packs in Nokia-exclusive lenses such as Cinemagraph, Smart shoot, and Panorama. To find out the usage of these camera plugins, go through our detailed article about Nokia's nifty camera tricks.
The People Hub not only takes care of your phonebook, but also integrates your Facebook, Windows Live, Twitter, and LinkedIn contacts at one place. I really like the way how the alphabet tiles help you find the desired contact with minimal scrolling. Moreover, the OS offers extremely responsive on-screen keyboard, when compared to Android. The handset's call quality and network reception were excellent during our tests. Other connectivity features such as Wi-Fi and 3G also worked fine.
Of course we know it is a bubble, an algorithmic bubble if you will. But with its market valuation approaching $1.75 billion and rising, it’s a bubble with a future. The four-year-old currency, money built for the Internet, unlike cards and bank transfers that are being adapted for the Net, points to future where digital money will be the norm.
That’s because the digital crypto currency, whose origins are still shrouded in mystery (it is believed that it was created by a group of programmers who worked under the name Satoshi Nakamoto), has crucial properties that make it exceedingly attractive as an alternate currency. It is inflation resistant because it is free from government and banks manipulation and for some Russian tycoons the fact that it can’t be suddenly seized is another.
The quest for “new money” has been on for nearly three decades now ever since January 1980 when the final rites on the dollar were first read. In the alternate space there have been experiments, most currently Facebook credits, Linden dollars in 2nd Life or the QQ coins in China, which have served as currency in limited ways.
But the Bitcoin is another thing altogether. Possessing the twin facets of demand and liquidity, it can shrug off the underlying weakness of lacking a basis for its value. The 21 million Bitcoins limit built into it ensures its scarcity.
Debate right now is centered around whether the Bitcoin is a bubble. Most money managers have written it off. Nouriel Roubini, a bubbler-buster if ever there was one, tweeted recently, “Gold-bug suckers found another irrational useless bubble fad, the Bitcoin, the bubble flavour of the day. So they are dissin gold 4 Bitcoin”. And the extreme volatility of Bitcoin lends credence to the scepticism. Over the last 12 days the virtual currency has doubled its value.
But to write it off is both premature and short-sighted. Premature because a digital currency was waiting to happen and if not Bitcoin, another will replace it if it does go down. And short sighted because the history of money tells us that the momentum to a new form of currency starts building slowly, but eventually it can’t be halted.
The big charge against Bitcoin, that its value swings wildly depending on people’s faith in it, can as easily be levelled against derivatives. Nor is a currency that operates outside the pale of governments new to us in India where black money is equally institutionalized. Even overseas, on a rough estimate there is $300 trillion stashed away in offshore havens, well outside the purview of central banks and regulators.
The disbelief that Bitcoin or its equivalent could be the future of money isn’t new. The move to plastic was surrounded with equal scepticism. Starting with Diners in 1950, it took eight years for the next credit cards to appear in the market. And it wasn’t until the 1980s that credit cards became a particularly profitable business. But of course by 2006 credit card payments had overtaken cash or cheques for payments.
Most bubbles have a habit of creating something new, distinctly unbubble-like. Even if Bitcoins go under, the era of a pure digital currency which doesn’t have its antecedents in the physical world, is here. Frauds, inflation, Cyprus, have all ensured that the process of disintermediation in the money trial has begun. If it is sites selling porn, drugs and escort services today, it may well be bars tomorrow. Oh wait, that’s already happened. EVR, a bar in New York has started accepting Bitcoins for indoor Tracking.
Going straight to the point, the handset's sound quality is great. The loudspeaker is indeed loud. Apart from the default music player, the phone comes with Nokia Music. It's better to opt for the latter since it offers equaliser settings and Dolby enhancement. Moreover, it offers unlimited free track downloads for a year. The bundled earphones are just ok, but not in the same league as Samsung, who ship much better IEMs with its phones.
Like every other WP8 device, this one also lacks FM radio. According to Nokia's official blog though, the Snapdragon S4 chipset consists of a radio receiver, so a future update might enable this feature. Coming to the subject of video playback, the phone is compatible with MP4, WMV, and AVI videos up to 720p resolution. However, MKV videos are still a no-go.
The 5 megapixel snapper is surprisingly good. The resulting pictures contain incredible amount of details for a budget phone. More importantly, the colours look natural. Click here, to download the untouched sample. Similar to the high-end Lumia 920, this one packs in Nokia-exclusive lenses such as Cinemagraph, Smart shoot, and Panorama. To find out the usage of these camera plugins, go through our detailed article about Nokia's nifty camera tricks.
The People Hub not only takes care of your phonebook, but also integrates your Facebook, Windows Live, Twitter, and LinkedIn contacts at one place. I really like the way how the alphabet tiles help you find the desired contact with minimal scrolling. Moreover, the OS offers extremely responsive on-screen keyboard, when compared to Android. The handset's call quality and network reception were excellent during our tests. Other connectivity features such as Wi-Fi and 3G also worked fine.
2013年4月3日 星期三
Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav lay foundation
Proactively pursuing the agenda of development under the guidance and leadership of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mr Akhilesh Yadav, the Noida Authority, greater Noida Authority and the Yamuna Expressway Authority are ready with a road map of development and all round rtls.
And the giant strides of development would come to public domain on April 2, as chief minister Mr Akhilesh Yadav unveils an ambitious development bonanza of Rs 3337 crore through a bevy of developmental projects across Noida, greater Noida and the Yamuna Expressway.
By far the biggest developmental package for a single city, would included a 35 mld sewage treatment plant (STP) situated in sector 123 of Noida, which has been built on the sequential batch reactor (SBR) modern technology.
With the inauguration of this STP, NOIDA will become first city in India having capacity to threat 100% sewage it produces. This STP, built after a threadbare study and recommendation of IIT Roorkie is set to benefit 28 sectors of Noida and would help the city in living up to the ISO 14001:2004 standards in maintaining the environment of the city.
Other than this, the chief minister would be laying the foundation stones of projects like the Nari Niketan building in sector 34 (estimated cost of Rs 22 crore), an underpass at the intersections of sector 32, 35, 39 and 51 (estimated cost of Rs 50 crore), underpasses at the master plan road number 3 in sectors 94 and 95, estimated to cost the state government Rs 40 crore.
The Nari Niketan would be built over a 5400 square metre plot where unwanted kids and women, orphans, destitute would be looked after and efforts would be undertaken to rehabilitate women in need. The five storey building would have 7500 square meter of covered area in which 200 girls aged between 7 to 17 would be living. For guidance the Nari Niketan would have counseling rooms, classes for primary education, short term handicraft courses and other vocation training to enable them to earn their livelihood.
The proposed underpass on the intersection of sectors 32,35,39 and 51 would have four lanes with a two metre median and would be built parallel to the Metro line. The slab of the underpass would be 46 metres wide and the length would be 740 metres. On the sides of this underpass seven metre wide slip roads would be laid. On the proposed four lane underpass on the master plan road numbered 3 in sectors 94, 95, a seven metre clover leaf would be built on the side which will be used by the traffic coming from Delhi to sector 94.
Aware of the growing population in the city, both human and vehicular, the Noida Authority has recognized lack of parking space as a major bottleneck in spacing and easing out of traffic in the city. A multi-level car parking at the busy sector 18 has hence been planned at a cost of Rs 250 crore and chief minister Mr Akhilesh Yadav would be laying the foundation scheme of this ambitious project on April 2.
The multi-level parking at the busy sector-18 in Noida would be spread over 26840 square meters would accommodate 3085 cars and would be manned by hundreds of close circuit television cameras (CCTVs). Battery operated shuttle vehicles would be used to bring and take car users from the parking to nearby areas.
Amongst other ambitious projects of which the foundation stone would be laid at the hands of the chief minister is the district hospital at sector 39, to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 424 crore. Cheap, accessible and quality Healthcare for every person in the state is a dream vision of the chief minister. Keeping in lines with this, the district hospital will be built over a 14,000 square meter plot and will have200 beds.
Residential facilities for the doctors and other support staff would also be constructed within the district hospital campus. Equipped with a modern trauma unit, modern pathology lab and radiological units, intensive care, special 100 bed reservation for women and pregnant ladies as well, this hospital is set to be a big boon to the people of Noida, the national capital region (NCR) and neighbouring areas.
A big relief for Noida residents would come in form of two - 400 kv (sector 123) and 400/220 kv capacity (sector 148) power sub-stations, estimated at Rs 1016 crore, foundation of which would be laid by chief minister Mr Akhilesh Yadav on April 2. The Girls Inter College at Hoshiyarpur village in sector 51, Noida, foundation stone of which would also be laid by the chief minister will be constructed over a 8300 square meter land. Initially it would have two floors, but would have provisions to real time Location system.
The school building will house 35 class rooms, special labs for physics, Maths and chemistry a multipurpose hall and a library. With the state government committed towards more educational opportunities for girls, this college in a way would go a long way towards realizing this cherished dream.
The state government had last year decided to build a medical university at greater Noida at a cost of Rs 500 crore, foundation of which will also be laid by Mr Akhilesh Yadav. The greater Noida Authority has already made available 56.50 3acre land for this. 100 students would be given admission every year here in courses like MBBS, MD, MS, DM and MH. The academic session of this university is proposed to begin August 2013. The Chief Minister will also kickstart the OPD facility of 500 bedded Multispeciality Hospital attached to the above Medical College. The Hospital will provide advanced and affordable medical facility to the villagers/residents of Greater Noida and neighbouring districts.
Administrative office of greater Noida at a cost of Rs 300 crore is also being built. The chief minister will lay the foundation stone of this building, equipped with all modern technology, spread over 22800 square metre. The construction work will be completed in three years in which one tower of 21 floors, one tower of four floors and another tower of 17 floors. This building will be a green building which will facilitate the growth of Greater Noida.
And the giant strides of development would come to public domain on April 2, as chief minister Mr Akhilesh Yadav unveils an ambitious development bonanza of Rs 3337 crore through a bevy of developmental projects across Noida, greater Noida and the Yamuna Expressway.
By far the biggest developmental package for a single city, would included a 35 mld sewage treatment plant (STP) situated in sector 123 of Noida, which has been built on the sequential batch reactor (SBR) modern technology.
With the inauguration of this STP, NOIDA will become first city in India having capacity to threat 100% sewage it produces. This STP, built after a threadbare study and recommendation of IIT Roorkie is set to benefit 28 sectors of Noida and would help the city in living up to the ISO 14001:2004 standards in maintaining the environment of the city.
Other than this, the chief minister would be laying the foundation stones of projects like the Nari Niketan building in sector 34 (estimated cost of Rs 22 crore), an underpass at the intersections of sector 32, 35, 39 and 51 (estimated cost of Rs 50 crore), underpasses at the master plan road number 3 in sectors 94 and 95, estimated to cost the state government Rs 40 crore.
The Nari Niketan would be built over a 5400 square metre plot where unwanted kids and women, orphans, destitute would be looked after and efforts would be undertaken to rehabilitate women in need. The five storey building would have 7500 square meter of covered area in which 200 girls aged between 7 to 17 would be living. For guidance the Nari Niketan would have counseling rooms, classes for primary education, short term handicraft courses and other vocation training to enable them to earn their livelihood.
The proposed underpass on the intersection of sectors 32,35,39 and 51 would have four lanes with a two metre median and would be built parallel to the Metro line. The slab of the underpass would be 46 metres wide and the length would be 740 metres. On the sides of this underpass seven metre wide slip roads would be laid. On the proposed four lane underpass on the master plan road numbered 3 in sectors 94, 95, a seven metre clover leaf would be built on the side which will be used by the traffic coming from Delhi to sector 94.
Aware of the growing population in the city, both human and vehicular, the Noida Authority has recognized lack of parking space as a major bottleneck in spacing and easing out of traffic in the city. A multi-level car parking at the busy sector 18 has hence been planned at a cost of Rs 250 crore and chief minister Mr Akhilesh Yadav would be laying the foundation scheme of this ambitious project on April 2.
The multi-level parking at the busy sector-18 in Noida would be spread over 26840 square meters would accommodate 3085 cars and would be manned by hundreds of close circuit television cameras (CCTVs). Battery operated shuttle vehicles would be used to bring and take car users from the parking to nearby areas.
Amongst other ambitious projects of which the foundation stone would be laid at the hands of the chief minister is the district hospital at sector 39, to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 424 crore. Cheap, accessible and quality Healthcare for every person in the state is a dream vision of the chief minister. Keeping in lines with this, the district hospital will be built over a 14,000 square meter plot and will have200 beds.
Residential facilities for the doctors and other support staff would also be constructed within the district hospital campus. Equipped with a modern trauma unit, modern pathology lab and radiological units, intensive care, special 100 bed reservation for women and pregnant ladies as well, this hospital is set to be a big boon to the people of Noida, the national capital region (NCR) and neighbouring areas.
A big relief for Noida residents would come in form of two - 400 kv (sector 123) and 400/220 kv capacity (sector 148) power sub-stations, estimated at Rs 1016 crore, foundation of which would be laid by chief minister Mr Akhilesh Yadav on April 2. The Girls Inter College at Hoshiyarpur village in sector 51, Noida, foundation stone of which would also be laid by the chief minister will be constructed over a 8300 square meter land. Initially it would have two floors, but would have provisions to real time Location system.
The school building will house 35 class rooms, special labs for physics, Maths and chemistry a multipurpose hall and a library. With the state government committed towards more educational opportunities for girls, this college in a way would go a long way towards realizing this cherished dream.
The state government had last year decided to build a medical university at greater Noida at a cost of Rs 500 crore, foundation of which will also be laid by Mr Akhilesh Yadav. The greater Noida Authority has already made available 56.50 3acre land for this. 100 students would be given admission every year here in courses like MBBS, MD, MS, DM and MH. The academic session of this university is proposed to begin August 2013. The Chief Minister will also kickstart the OPD facility of 500 bedded Multispeciality Hospital attached to the above Medical College. The Hospital will provide advanced and affordable medical facility to the villagers/residents of Greater Noida and neighbouring districts.
Administrative office of greater Noida at a cost of Rs 300 crore is also being built. The chief minister will lay the foundation stone of this building, equipped with all modern technology, spread over 22800 square metre. The construction work will be completed in three years in which one tower of 21 floors, one tower of four floors and another tower of 17 floors. This building will be a green building which will facilitate the growth of Greater Noida.
Uttar Pradesh CM Akhilesh Yadav lay foundation
Proactively pursuing the agenda of development under the guidance and leadership of the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mr Akhilesh Yadav, the Noida Authority, greater Noida Authority and the Yamuna Expressway Authority are ready with a road map of development and real time Location system.
And the giant strides of development would come to public domain on April 2, as chief minister Mr Akhilesh Yadav unveils an ambitious development bonanza of Rs 3337 crore through a bevy of developmental projects across Noida, greater Noida and the Yamuna Expressway.
By far the biggest developmental package for a single city, would included a 35 mld sewage treatment plant (STP) situated in sector 123 of Noida, which has been built on the sequential batch reactor (SBR) modern technology.
With the inauguration of this STP, NOIDA will become first city in India having capacity to threat 100% sewage it produces. This STP, built after a threadbare study and recommendation of IIT Roorkie is set to benefit 28 sectors of Noida and would help the city in living up to the ISO 14001:2004 standards in maintaining the environment of the city.
Other than this, the chief minister would be laying the foundation stones of projects like the Nari Niketan building in sector 34 (estimated cost of Rs 22 crore), an underpass at the intersections of sector 32, 35, 39 and 51 (estimated cost of Rs 50 crore), underpasses at the master plan road number 3 in sectors 94 and 95, estimated to cost the state government Rs 40 crore.
The Nari Niketan would be built over a 5400 square metre plot where unwanted kids and women, orphans, destitute would be looked after and efforts would be undertaken to rehabilitate women in need. The five storey building would have 7500 square meter of covered area in which 200 girls aged between 7 to 17 would be living. For guidance the Nari Niketan would have counseling rooms, classes for primary education, short term handicraft courses and other vocation training to enable them to earn their livelihood.
The proposed underpass on the intersection of sectors 32,35,39 and 51 would have four lanes with a two metre median and would be built parallel to the Metro line. The slab of the underpass would be 46 metres wide and the length would be 740 metres. On the sides of this underpass seven metre wide slip roads would be laid. On the proposed four lane underpass on the master plan road numbered 3 in sectors 94, 95, a seven metre clover leaf would be built on the side which will be used by the traffic coming from Delhi to sector 94.
Aware of the growing population in the city, both human and vehicular, the Noida Authority has recognized lack of parking space as a major bottleneck in spacing and easing out of traffic in the city. A multi-level car parking at the busy sector 18 has hence been planned at a cost of Rs 250 crore and chief minister Mr Akhilesh Yadav would be laying the foundation scheme of this ambitious project on April 2.
The multi-level parking at the busy sector-18 in Noida would be spread over 26840 square meters would accommodate 3085 cars and would be manned by hundreds of close circuit television cameras (CCTVs). Battery operated shuttle vehicles would be used to bring and take car users from the parking to nearby areas.
Amongst other ambitious projects of which the foundation stone would be laid at the hands of the chief minister is the district hospital at sector 39, to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 424 crore. Cheap, accessible and quality Healthcare for every person in the state is a dream vision of the chief minister. Keeping in lines with this, the district hospital will be built over a 14,000 square meter plot and will have200 beds.
Residential facilities for the doctors and other support staff would also be constructed within the district hospital campus. Equipped with a modern trauma unit, modern pathology lab and radiological units, intensive care, special 100 bed reservation for women and pregnant ladies as well, this hospital is set to be a big boon to the people of Noida, the national capital region (NCR) and neighbouring rtls.
A big relief for Noida residents would come in form of two - 400 kv (sector 123) and 400/220 kv capacity (sector 148) power sub-stations, estimated at Rs 1016 crore, foundation of which would be laid by chief minister Mr Akhilesh Yadav on April 2. The Girls Inter College at Hoshiyarpur village in sector 51, Noida, foundation stone of which would also be laid by the chief minister will be constructed over a 8300 square meter land. Initially it would have two floors, but would have provisions to add two more.
The school building will house 35 class rooms, special labs for physics, Maths and chemistry a multipurpose hall and a library. With the state government committed towards more educational opportunities for girls, this college in a way would go a long way towards realizing this cherished dream.
The state government had last year decided to build a medical university at greater Noida at a cost of Rs 500 crore, foundation of which will also be laid by Mr Akhilesh Yadav. The greater Noida Authority has already made available 56.50 3acre land for this. 100 students would be given admission every year here in courses like MBBS, MD, MS, DM and MH. The academic session of this university is proposed to begin August 2013. The Chief Minister will also kickstart the OPD facility of 500 bedded Multispeciality Hospital attached to the above Medical College. The Hospital will provide advanced and affordable medical facility to the villagers/residents of Greater Noida and neighbouring districts.
Administrative office of greater Noida at a cost of Rs 300 crore is also being built. The chief minister will lay the foundation stone of this building, equipped with all modern technology, spread over 22800 square metre. The construction work will be completed in three years in which one tower of 21 floors, one tower of four floors and another tower of 17 floors. This building will be a green building which will facilitate the growth of Greater Noida.
And the giant strides of development would come to public domain on April 2, as chief minister Mr Akhilesh Yadav unveils an ambitious development bonanza of Rs 3337 crore through a bevy of developmental projects across Noida, greater Noida and the Yamuna Expressway.
By far the biggest developmental package for a single city, would included a 35 mld sewage treatment plant (STP) situated in sector 123 of Noida, which has been built on the sequential batch reactor (SBR) modern technology.
With the inauguration of this STP, NOIDA will become first city in India having capacity to threat 100% sewage it produces. This STP, built after a threadbare study and recommendation of IIT Roorkie is set to benefit 28 sectors of Noida and would help the city in living up to the ISO 14001:2004 standards in maintaining the environment of the city.
Other than this, the chief minister would be laying the foundation stones of projects like the Nari Niketan building in sector 34 (estimated cost of Rs 22 crore), an underpass at the intersections of sector 32, 35, 39 and 51 (estimated cost of Rs 50 crore), underpasses at the master plan road number 3 in sectors 94 and 95, estimated to cost the state government Rs 40 crore.
The Nari Niketan would be built over a 5400 square metre plot where unwanted kids and women, orphans, destitute would be looked after and efforts would be undertaken to rehabilitate women in need. The five storey building would have 7500 square meter of covered area in which 200 girls aged between 7 to 17 would be living. For guidance the Nari Niketan would have counseling rooms, classes for primary education, short term handicraft courses and other vocation training to enable them to earn their livelihood.
The proposed underpass on the intersection of sectors 32,35,39 and 51 would have four lanes with a two metre median and would be built parallel to the Metro line. The slab of the underpass would be 46 metres wide and the length would be 740 metres. On the sides of this underpass seven metre wide slip roads would be laid. On the proposed four lane underpass on the master plan road numbered 3 in sectors 94, 95, a seven metre clover leaf would be built on the side which will be used by the traffic coming from Delhi to sector 94.
Aware of the growing population in the city, both human and vehicular, the Noida Authority has recognized lack of parking space as a major bottleneck in spacing and easing out of traffic in the city. A multi-level car parking at the busy sector 18 has hence been planned at a cost of Rs 250 crore and chief minister Mr Akhilesh Yadav would be laying the foundation scheme of this ambitious project on April 2.
The multi-level parking at the busy sector-18 in Noida would be spread over 26840 square meters would accommodate 3085 cars and would be manned by hundreds of close circuit television cameras (CCTVs). Battery operated shuttle vehicles would be used to bring and take car users from the parking to nearby areas.
Amongst other ambitious projects of which the foundation stone would be laid at the hands of the chief minister is the district hospital at sector 39, to be built at an estimated cost of Rs 424 crore. Cheap, accessible and quality Healthcare for every person in the state is a dream vision of the chief minister. Keeping in lines with this, the district hospital will be built over a 14,000 square meter plot and will have200 beds.
Residential facilities for the doctors and other support staff would also be constructed within the district hospital campus. Equipped with a modern trauma unit, modern pathology lab and radiological units, intensive care, special 100 bed reservation for women and pregnant ladies as well, this hospital is set to be a big boon to the people of Noida, the national capital region (NCR) and neighbouring rtls.
A big relief for Noida residents would come in form of two - 400 kv (sector 123) and 400/220 kv capacity (sector 148) power sub-stations, estimated at Rs 1016 crore, foundation of which would be laid by chief minister Mr Akhilesh Yadav on April 2. The Girls Inter College at Hoshiyarpur village in sector 51, Noida, foundation stone of which would also be laid by the chief minister will be constructed over a 8300 square meter land. Initially it would have two floors, but would have provisions to add two more.
The school building will house 35 class rooms, special labs for physics, Maths and chemistry a multipurpose hall and a library. With the state government committed towards more educational opportunities for girls, this college in a way would go a long way towards realizing this cherished dream.
The state government had last year decided to build a medical university at greater Noida at a cost of Rs 500 crore, foundation of which will also be laid by Mr Akhilesh Yadav. The greater Noida Authority has already made available 56.50 3acre land for this. 100 students would be given admission every year here in courses like MBBS, MD, MS, DM and MH. The academic session of this university is proposed to begin August 2013. The Chief Minister will also kickstart the OPD facility of 500 bedded Multispeciality Hospital attached to the above Medical College. The Hospital will provide advanced and affordable medical facility to the villagers/residents of Greater Noida and neighbouring districts.
Administrative office of greater Noida at a cost of Rs 300 crore is also being built. The chief minister will lay the foundation stone of this building, equipped with all modern technology, spread over 22800 square metre. The construction work will be completed in three years in which one tower of 21 floors, one tower of four floors and another tower of 17 floors. This building will be a green building which will facilitate the growth of Greater Noida.
2013年3月27日 星期三
Tiny new tobacco smoke sensor developed
Scientists have developed a breakthrough device, smaller and lighter than a cellphone, that can immediately detect the presence of secondhand and even third-hand smoke. Dartmouth researchers developed the device using polymer films to collect and measure nicotine in the air. A sensor chip then records the data on hands free access.
"We have developed the first ever tobacco smoke sensor that is sufficiently sensitive to measure secondhand smoke and record its presence in real time," said Professor of Chemistry Joseph BelBruno, whose Dartmouth lab conducted the research. "This is a leap forward in secondhand smoke exposure detection technology and can be considered the first step in reducing the risk of health effects," BelBruno said.
"The intent of the project isn't to make them stop smoking, but it is to make them stop exposing their children to smoke. On the other hand, if they are worried about their children, demonstrating these exposures may be an incentive for them to stop," BelBruno said.
Secondhand smoke comes from the burning end of a cigarette or from smoke exhaled by the smoker. Third-hand smoke, also a potential health hazard, according to the Mayo Clinic, is nicotine residue that remains on clothing, furniture, car seats, and other material after the air has cleared.
While the current device is a patent-pending prototype, BelBruno foresees the eventual availability of an affordable consumer version that will incorporate a computer processor, reusable polymer films, and a rechargeable battery.
It may even incorporate an LED panel to provide instantaneous readouts. In addition to its uses in safeguarding childhood health, there are commercial applications for these unique detectors. Installed in rental cars, hotel rooms, and restaurants, this device could help enforce owner and operator smoking bans through an alert system, much like existing, ceiling-mounted smoke detectors. The technology is described in a new study published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research.
“The lads dug very deep and it was impressive to see them get a winning try against the wind after I went off. It’s a vital win, but I still think we need at least two more wins from our last four games to be safe.
“It’s going to be very tight as a lot of the teams at the bottom are playing each other. Before the game I had targeted a bonus-point win, but that just wasn’t possible in those conditions.”
With the Memorial Field pitch deemed unfit for play, Spalding were forced to switch the game to Thorney RFC on Friday morning.
Heavy snow on Saturday then threatened the clash, but both teams were determined to get the game on. However, it was soon clear that whichever team had the wind in their favour would be the ones to score
Spalding, who started the game one point behind their relegation rivals, were the first team to get points on the board. The referee ruled Peterborough’s backs offside and awarded the ‘hosts’ a penalty in front of the posts. Dave Hankinson had no problem and after eight minutes his side went 3-0 ahead.
Two more penalty kicks at goal were then offered up to Town, but the weather ensured Hankinson’s attempts flew wide of the posts. As the half progressed Spalding tried to keep Peterborough on the defensive and were largely successful, as another three points were added to their tally.
A Town kick took them into the Borough five metre area. They won the line out and fed the ball across the field – and with the visitors again ruled to be offside, another Hankinson penalty made it 6-0 at the break. With the elements now in Peterborough’s favour, Spalding were up against it in the second period.
An early Hankinson penalty went wide, but at the other end the away side got points on the board when Ben Chan made it 6-3 with rtls.
Peterborough then went ahead when Adam Peel raced over for a try with 55 minutes gone. With Chan converting, Borough looked odds on to complete the victory.
Spalding captain Sharman and Borough’s Levan Stapleton saw red soon after as a mass brawl broke out.
However, Town refused to accept defeat as they defied the elements to grab one of the biggest tries in their recent history. A costly mistake from Frankie Cook allowed Williamson to collect Hankinson’s kick forward – and he touched down to clinch valuable points in the race for survival.
"We have developed the first ever tobacco smoke sensor that is sufficiently sensitive to measure secondhand smoke and record its presence in real time," said Professor of Chemistry Joseph BelBruno, whose Dartmouth lab conducted the research. "This is a leap forward in secondhand smoke exposure detection technology and can be considered the first step in reducing the risk of health effects," BelBruno said.
"The intent of the project isn't to make them stop smoking, but it is to make them stop exposing their children to smoke. On the other hand, if they are worried about their children, demonstrating these exposures may be an incentive for them to stop," BelBruno said.
Secondhand smoke comes from the burning end of a cigarette or from smoke exhaled by the smoker. Third-hand smoke, also a potential health hazard, according to the Mayo Clinic, is nicotine residue that remains on clothing, furniture, car seats, and other material after the air has cleared.
While the current device is a patent-pending prototype, BelBruno foresees the eventual availability of an affordable consumer version that will incorporate a computer processor, reusable polymer films, and a rechargeable battery.
It may even incorporate an LED panel to provide instantaneous readouts. In addition to its uses in safeguarding childhood health, there are commercial applications for these unique detectors. Installed in rental cars, hotel rooms, and restaurants, this device could help enforce owner and operator smoking bans through an alert system, much like existing, ceiling-mounted smoke detectors. The technology is described in a new study published in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research.
“The lads dug very deep and it was impressive to see them get a winning try against the wind after I went off. It’s a vital win, but I still think we need at least two more wins from our last four games to be safe.
“It’s going to be very tight as a lot of the teams at the bottom are playing each other. Before the game I had targeted a bonus-point win, but that just wasn’t possible in those conditions.”
With the Memorial Field pitch deemed unfit for play, Spalding were forced to switch the game to Thorney RFC on Friday morning.
Heavy snow on Saturday then threatened the clash, but both teams were determined to get the game on. However, it was soon clear that whichever team had the wind in their favour would be the ones to score
Spalding, who started the game one point behind their relegation rivals, were the first team to get points on the board. The referee ruled Peterborough’s backs offside and awarded the ‘hosts’ a penalty in front of the posts. Dave Hankinson had no problem and after eight minutes his side went 3-0 ahead.
Two more penalty kicks at goal were then offered up to Town, but the weather ensured Hankinson’s attempts flew wide of the posts. As the half progressed Spalding tried to keep Peterborough on the defensive and were largely successful, as another three points were added to their tally.
A Town kick took them into the Borough five metre area. They won the line out and fed the ball across the field – and with the visitors again ruled to be offside, another Hankinson penalty made it 6-0 at the break. With the elements now in Peterborough’s favour, Spalding were up against it in the second period.
An early Hankinson penalty went wide, but at the other end the away side got points on the board when Ben Chan made it 6-3 with rtls.
Peterborough then went ahead when Adam Peel raced over for a try with 55 minutes gone. With Chan converting, Borough looked odds on to complete the victory.
Spalding captain Sharman and Borough’s Levan Stapleton saw red soon after as a mass brawl broke out.
However, Town refused to accept defeat as they defied the elements to grab one of the biggest tries in their recent history. A costly mistake from Frankie Cook allowed Williamson to collect Hankinson’s kick forward – and he touched down to clinch valuable points in the race for survival.
Dell Latitude 10 Windows 8 tablet
Dell's Latitude 10 is a Windows 8-based tablet that is aimed at business users who need touchscreen functionality within a Windows environment. It's not a very powerful tablet, but it's useful for running non-CPU-intensive apps and it should benefit field workers who need something simple with which to enter data. Its big draw cards are strong build quality, built-in ports, long battery life, and a battery that can also be easily swapped — further increasing its field rtls.
Physically, the Latitude 10 has a 10in, 1366x768-pixel screen that's protected by Gorilla Glass, and the tablet overall is 11mm thick. It feels good to hold thanks to a slightly textured back, and at 690g it also feels very light. Unlike many other Windows 8 tablets we've seen, the buttons on this model are rubberised and they are hard to press. That means you will never accidentally end up switching off the screen or changing volume, but at the same time you might be frustrated with how much force you have to apply to press them. These buttons, the Gorilla Glass, and a magnesium alloy frame all combine to give this tablet more of a rugged feel than others we've tested to date.
One of the best aspects of the Latitude 10 is its connectivity. It has a USB 2.0 port built into it, which means you don't have to use an adapter or drop it in a dock to plug in any external devices. It can even be charged by USB thanks to the micro-USB port that resides next to its docking connector. You can easily charge this tablet with a phone charger or by connecting it to a laptop or desktop PC. You also get a full-sized SD card slot, a combination headphone/microphone port and mini-HDMI. All this stuff makes the Latitude 10 one of the most convenient Atom-powered, Windows 8-based business tablets on the Australian market.
The 10.1in touchscreen of the Latitude 10 was accurate and responsive in our tests. Windows 8 swipe-in gestures worked first go every time and the Windows 8 Start screen was a pleasure to use. As with all Windows 8 tablets, the touch experience isn't great when using the Desktop, especially for browsing the Web. To that end, we preferred to browse the Web through the Start screen's native Internet Explorer 10 browser in full-screen mode. This provided the best browsing experience for us, especially because the keyboard appears automatically as soon as you put the cursor in a text field (on a desktop browser like Firefox, the keyboard has to be invoked manually).
The screen's 1366x768-pixel resolution is higher than that of the competing HP ElitePad 900, and it looks a lot sharper than that tablet. Colours looked vibrant and the screen brightness was adequate. However, with Gorilla Glass on the front, reflections did become annoying, especially when we used it in the office. An ambient light sensor is built in to the tablet, and it worked much better than the sensor on many other Windows 8 tablets that we've seen to date.
As far as its performance is concerned, don't expect to be quick. In our Blender 3D and MP3 encoding tests, the Latitude 10 with its Intel Atom Z2760 CPU and 2GB of RAM recorded 3min 16sec and 5min 44sec, respectively. Its Blender 3D time is one second slower than the time recorded by the HP ElitePad 900, which is HP's Atom-based business tablet, and the Dell was also three seconds slower in the iTunes test. This performance is a little faster than what we've seen from some of the consumer Atom-based tablets such as the ASUS VivoTab 810 and HP Envy X2.
Basically, the Latitude 10's performance is good enough for basic tasks such as Web browsing and document creation (as long as you have a keyboard and dock for the tablet), and it can also be used for the playback of local video files. It isn't designed to be used for multitasking, nor for running CPU-intensive applications, and it's best suited to running one application at a time only.
It can sometimes struggle with Web sites that have a lot of Flash elements. Indeed, sites that required a lot of CPU usage for their Flash elements made the tablet slow down to a crawl, and this was manifested through unresponsive scrolling actions and an unresponsive on-screen keyboard. There is not enough grunt from the CPU to run many Web-based video streams. For example, we had poor experiences with Vimeo HD files, and high-quality NBA.TV streams were also sluggish, but most YouTube clips we tried, even at 1080p, worked well.
Storage is handled by a 64GB solid state drive (SSD), which has a formatted capacity of 52.2GB, but only just over 32GB of space was left for us to use. There is an SD card slot that allows more data to be stored, if needed. The SSD put up read and write rates of 80.34 megabytes per second (MBps) and 33.16MBps in CrystalDiskMark, respectively, which is similar to what we've seen from other Atom-based tablets such as the HP Envy X2 and Samsung indoor positioning system.
Battery life was excellent during our tests, especially when the ambient light sensor was enabled. In our rundown tests, in which we maximise screen brightness, enable Wi-Fi and loop an Xvid-encoded video file, the tablet lasted 6hr 42min, which is very good. When we did the same test with the ambient light sensor enabled, it lasted 7hr 40min.
Because it's aimed at business users, the Latitude 10 comes with a Trusted Platform Module (TPM 1.2) and it also has options for fingerprint and smartcard security, as well as data encryption. Other business features include Windows 8 Pro (rather than the standard version of Windows 8, which can be found on consumer models), an option for a productivity dock that allows for the tablet to sit upright on a desk and gives it more ports, and also an option for a Wacom active stylus for handwriting and more accurate navigation. We also feel that the built-in USB port and SD card slot are great productivity features — on some other tablets such as the ElitePad 900, we've had to go hunting for a USB adapter, which has been inconvenient.
Physically, the Latitude 10 has a 10in, 1366x768-pixel screen that's protected by Gorilla Glass, and the tablet overall is 11mm thick. It feels good to hold thanks to a slightly textured back, and at 690g it also feels very light. Unlike many other Windows 8 tablets we've seen, the buttons on this model are rubberised and they are hard to press. That means you will never accidentally end up switching off the screen or changing volume, but at the same time you might be frustrated with how much force you have to apply to press them. These buttons, the Gorilla Glass, and a magnesium alloy frame all combine to give this tablet more of a rugged feel than others we've tested to date.
One of the best aspects of the Latitude 10 is its connectivity. It has a USB 2.0 port built into it, which means you don't have to use an adapter or drop it in a dock to plug in any external devices. It can even be charged by USB thanks to the micro-USB port that resides next to its docking connector. You can easily charge this tablet with a phone charger or by connecting it to a laptop or desktop PC. You also get a full-sized SD card slot, a combination headphone/microphone port and mini-HDMI. All this stuff makes the Latitude 10 one of the most convenient Atom-powered, Windows 8-based business tablets on the Australian market.
The 10.1in touchscreen of the Latitude 10 was accurate and responsive in our tests. Windows 8 swipe-in gestures worked first go every time and the Windows 8 Start screen was a pleasure to use. As with all Windows 8 tablets, the touch experience isn't great when using the Desktop, especially for browsing the Web. To that end, we preferred to browse the Web through the Start screen's native Internet Explorer 10 browser in full-screen mode. This provided the best browsing experience for us, especially because the keyboard appears automatically as soon as you put the cursor in a text field (on a desktop browser like Firefox, the keyboard has to be invoked manually).
The screen's 1366x768-pixel resolution is higher than that of the competing HP ElitePad 900, and it looks a lot sharper than that tablet. Colours looked vibrant and the screen brightness was adequate. However, with Gorilla Glass on the front, reflections did become annoying, especially when we used it in the office. An ambient light sensor is built in to the tablet, and it worked much better than the sensor on many other Windows 8 tablets that we've seen to date.
As far as its performance is concerned, don't expect to be quick. In our Blender 3D and MP3 encoding tests, the Latitude 10 with its Intel Atom Z2760 CPU and 2GB of RAM recorded 3min 16sec and 5min 44sec, respectively. Its Blender 3D time is one second slower than the time recorded by the HP ElitePad 900, which is HP's Atom-based business tablet, and the Dell was also three seconds slower in the iTunes test. This performance is a little faster than what we've seen from some of the consumer Atom-based tablets such as the ASUS VivoTab 810 and HP Envy X2.
Basically, the Latitude 10's performance is good enough for basic tasks such as Web browsing and document creation (as long as you have a keyboard and dock for the tablet), and it can also be used for the playback of local video files. It isn't designed to be used for multitasking, nor for running CPU-intensive applications, and it's best suited to running one application at a time only.
It can sometimes struggle with Web sites that have a lot of Flash elements. Indeed, sites that required a lot of CPU usage for their Flash elements made the tablet slow down to a crawl, and this was manifested through unresponsive scrolling actions and an unresponsive on-screen keyboard. There is not enough grunt from the CPU to run many Web-based video streams. For example, we had poor experiences with Vimeo HD files, and high-quality NBA.TV streams were also sluggish, but most YouTube clips we tried, even at 1080p, worked well.
Storage is handled by a 64GB solid state drive (SSD), which has a formatted capacity of 52.2GB, but only just over 32GB of space was left for us to use. There is an SD card slot that allows more data to be stored, if needed. The SSD put up read and write rates of 80.34 megabytes per second (MBps) and 33.16MBps in CrystalDiskMark, respectively, which is similar to what we've seen from other Atom-based tablets such as the HP Envy X2 and Samsung indoor positioning system.
Battery life was excellent during our tests, especially when the ambient light sensor was enabled. In our rundown tests, in which we maximise screen brightness, enable Wi-Fi and loop an Xvid-encoded video file, the tablet lasted 6hr 42min, which is very good. When we did the same test with the ambient light sensor enabled, it lasted 7hr 40min.
Because it's aimed at business users, the Latitude 10 comes with a Trusted Platform Module (TPM 1.2) and it also has options for fingerprint and smartcard security, as well as data encryption. Other business features include Windows 8 Pro (rather than the standard version of Windows 8, which can be found on consumer models), an option for a productivity dock that allows for the tablet to sit upright on a desk and gives it more ports, and also an option for a Wacom active stylus for handwriting and more accurate navigation. We also feel that the built-in USB port and SD card slot are great productivity features — on some other tablets such as the ElitePad 900, we've had to go hunting for a USB adapter, which has been inconvenient.
2013年3月20日 星期三
Progressives, But The ASCE Infrastructure Grade
Ideological boosters for trillions of dollars in new federal infrastructure spending often prefer to ignore realities. Streetsblog’s Tanya Snyder, with whom I often completely disagree but who is generally a thoughtful Smart Growth advocate, highlights some of the ASCE report’s limitations. After all, these civil engineers constantly complain about not spending enough, but rarely do they focus on maximizing return on investment.
Now, Snyder and the rest of the anti-car, forced density gang don’t really care about return on investment (at least not in real measures of network efficiency) — but they do care a lot about where the money is going, specifically to ideologically preferred low-value projects like streetcars and bike trails. So, while I think this group of advocates is completely lost in the clouds, at least there’s a logical path you can follow to reach their incorrect conclusions.
However, not all responses to the ASCE report have been thoughtful or even coherent. In fact, some have been fact-free political spin. The most bizarre interpretation I’ve seen comes from Travis Waldron, a blogger for the Center for American Progress Action Fund’s Think Progress website, which largely functions as the Obama administration’s cartoonish house organ. Here’s how Waldron opens.
Everyday, technology gets another foothold in our lives. There was a time that a cell phone or even a computer was considered a luxury - now they're seen as necessities. With the yet-to-be-seen iWatch and the forthcoming Google Glass, wearable technology is likely going to become commonplace. Meanwhile, businesses everywhere are trying to cash in on the convenience craze that today's smartphones are allowing for. If there's some way to make our lives easier with tech, chances are they can make money off of indoor positioning system.
Besides the "coolness factor" involved in using your phone to scan your groceries, Walmart pushes another perk to it's iPhone app: keeping you under budget. Using the built-in Smart Shopping List, you can plan your grocery trip ahead of time, getting a confirmation on the aisle number of the item and whether or not your local store even has it. As you scan items, they get crossed off your list.
About the only strange thing in the whole experience is the fact that you can't actually pay for your items using the smartphone app, but I suspect this is more to ensure that at least one set of employee eyes verify that you've paid for your groceries before heading out the door.
A current listing of Scan-and-Go-ready stores doesn't show Oklahoma on the list, but another report says that Walmart will indeed be bringing the service to Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Walmart reports that more than half of the Scan and Go shoppers use the app again.
Additional options include wireless metadata input and variable frame rates. The PX5000G features wireless and wired connectivity with Wi-Fi, USB and Gigabit Ethernet, including wireless control of key camera functions from a smart phone. In addition, an option will support operational integration with live video uplink transmitter devices from partners, LiveU, AVIWEST, Streambox and TVU Networks.
Weighing just over eight pounds, the PX5000G is the first P2 HD camcorder with built-in slots for the company’s new microP2 cards, which have an SD card from factor. The PX5000G has two microP2 slots and two standard P2 card slots, as well as an SD card slot for proxy/metadata recording.
The camcorder will be equipped with chromatic aberration compensation to maximize lens performance; dynamic range stretch function to help compensate for wide variations in lighting; and a highly accurate flash band detection and compensation algorithm that minimizes this effect. The PX5000G is said to deliver seven-mode gamma selection and extensive digital image settings.
Now, Snyder and the rest of the anti-car, forced density gang don’t really care about return on investment (at least not in real measures of network efficiency) — but they do care a lot about where the money is going, specifically to ideologically preferred low-value projects like streetcars and bike trails. So, while I think this group of advocates is completely lost in the clouds, at least there’s a logical path you can follow to reach their incorrect conclusions.
However, not all responses to the ASCE report have been thoughtful or even coherent. In fact, some have been fact-free political spin. The most bizarre interpretation I’ve seen comes from Travis Waldron, a blogger for the Center for American Progress Action Fund’s Think Progress website, which largely functions as the Obama administration’s cartoonish house organ. Here’s how Waldron opens.
Everyday, technology gets another foothold in our lives. There was a time that a cell phone or even a computer was considered a luxury - now they're seen as necessities. With the yet-to-be-seen iWatch and the forthcoming Google Glass, wearable technology is likely going to become commonplace. Meanwhile, businesses everywhere are trying to cash in on the convenience craze that today's smartphones are allowing for. If there's some way to make our lives easier with tech, chances are they can make money off of indoor positioning system.
Besides the "coolness factor" involved in using your phone to scan your groceries, Walmart pushes another perk to it's iPhone app: keeping you under budget. Using the built-in Smart Shopping List, you can plan your grocery trip ahead of time, getting a confirmation on the aisle number of the item and whether or not your local store even has it. As you scan items, they get crossed off your list.
About the only strange thing in the whole experience is the fact that you can't actually pay for your items using the smartphone app, but I suspect this is more to ensure that at least one set of employee eyes verify that you've paid for your groceries before heading out the door.
A current listing of Scan-and-Go-ready stores doesn't show Oklahoma on the list, but another report says that Walmart will indeed be bringing the service to Tulsa and Oklahoma City. Walmart reports that more than half of the Scan and Go shoppers use the app again.
Additional options include wireless metadata input and variable frame rates. The PX5000G features wireless and wired connectivity with Wi-Fi, USB and Gigabit Ethernet, including wireless control of key camera functions from a smart phone. In addition, an option will support operational integration with live video uplink transmitter devices from partners, LiveU, AVIWEST, Streambox and TVU Networks.
Weighing just over eight pounds, the PX5000G is the first P2 HD camcorder with built-in slots for the company’s new microP2 cards, which have an SD card from factor. The PX5000G has two microP2 slots and two standard P2 card slots, as well as an SD card slot for proxy/metadata recording.
The camcorder will be equipped with chromatic aberration compensation to maximize lens performance; dynamic range stretch function to help compensate for wide variations in lighting; and a highly accurate flash band detection and compensation algorithm that minimizes this effect. The PX5000G is said to deliver seven-mode gamma selection and extensive digital image settings.
House Panel Debate About 'Smart Justice' Bill Turns Into Battle
A Florida House panel has cleared a bill that seeks to keep non-violent offenders from re-offending and going back to prison. But, while most provisions had much approval, the discussion later devolved into a matter between public vs. private operation of the inmate re-entry facilities.
Making sure eligible nonviolent offenders do not go back to prison and are treated at a re-entry facility through the state’s drug treatment programs is the goal of the legislation. Convicts would get treatment while in prison and while on probation outside of prison. The bill’s House sponsor is Republican Representative Dennis Baxley in his capacity as chair of the House Judiciary Committee, the panel that vetted the bill Wednesday.
“This is designed to get those inmates that have not committed any violent offense, but have a substance abuse problem—the treatment they need for successful re-entry back into society,” said hands free access.
One provision in the bill allows for the state to provide identification cards for these inmates free of charge. Baxley says one of the biggest obstacles ex-inmates face is trying to get ID cards, upon their release from prison. So, he wants to provide a way to make it easier for these former offenders.
“An ID card is absolutely needed if they’re going to get a job, if they’re going to get a place to live, and if they’re going to successfully re-enter into society,” said Barney Bishop.
Bishop is with the Florida Smart Justice Alliance, an initiative that grew out of an idea by a number of business leaders to find cost-effective ways to improve public safety.
Later, after he started praising the bill, he brought up contrasts between the Department of Corrections and private providers, like Bridges of America, a group he’s associated with.
“You brought up something that hasn’t been mentioned at all: the word private, which really indicates what’s happening here, I think, and so, am I correct in assuming this is in fact privatization," asked Schwartz.
“Representative, no it’s not! Because these programs already exist. And, any deep analysis of this bill would show you that there is no privatization here. There is no increase in privatization,” replied Bishop.
But, according to the Legislature’s analysis of the bill, it does allow the department to “establish incentives for the reentry program to promote participation by private sector employers within the program.”
And, a representative from Bridges of America, Jim DeBeaugrine, also testified before the committee, recommending that the re-entry services should be provided in a facility dedicated to that purpose.
“And, that is why we have proposed separately that you consider the Governor’s recommendations to reopen the reentry centers, those empty 400-bed facilities. There’s one in Gadsden County, Baker County, and South Miami-Dade. And, we will argue to the Appropriations Committee that one of those facilities should be operated by private providers who have direct experience doing this," DeBeaugrine.
But, Ron Silver with the Teamsters Union, a group that represents thousands of correctional officers, says he has a huge problem with that
“Let’s keep it within the Department of Corrections. Let’s give the Department of Corrections the resources to do the job because they’re the ones that are experts in our security situation. They’re trained in security. I don’t know what private corporations are trained in as far as security is concerned, but they don’t have the certification of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, like our Department of Corrections people do,” said Silver.
“I am excited to help these inmates be more prepared to re-enter society. I do not see this bill privatizing our prisons, and that’s what I feel like I heard today and that’s why I’m a little frustrated," said Coley.
They’re the troika of mandarins who have shepherded Australia into unchartered economic territory: imposing a price on a common pollutant. Their fingers are all over climate policy, from the carbon price to mass rural tree-planting. They are Martin Parkinson, Blair Comley and Ross Garnaut – and together these card-carrying economists jointly take top spot as the most powerful drivers of Australia’s low-carbon economy.
This Power Index list has profiled business figures, lawyers, regulators and inventors (politicians were excluded). Why give the top spot to bureaucrats?
The low-carbon economy is emerging; its rules are still being written. If you want to know who by, read on. A market in its regulatory phase is a time for bureaucrats to shine, and these three policy wonks have done a fair bit of the thinking, much of the drafting, designing and modelling, and most of the grunt work in getting Labor’s controversial climate policy off the ground.
The Power Index couldn’t pick between them. Climate elder Garnaut wielded heavy influence early, but his star has waned. Parkinson and Comley are ex-heads of the Climate Change Department and remain in senior climate-related posts. Parkinson made climate policy happen but his attention is now divided; Comley has current influence and may be tomorrow’s chief.
Making sure eligible nonviolent offenders do not go back to prison and are treated at a re-entry facility through the state’s drug treatment programs is the goal of the legislation. Convicts would get treatment while in prison and while on probation outside of prison. The bill’s House sponsor is Republican Representative Dennis Baxley in his capacity as chair of the House Judiciary Committee, the panel that vetted the bill Wednesday.
“This is designed to get those inmates that have not committed any violent offense, but have a substance abuse problem—the treatment they need for successful re-entry back into society,” said hands free access.
One provision in the bill allows for the state to provide identification cards for these inmates free of charge. Baxley says one of the biggest obstacles ex-inmates face is trying to get ID cards, upon their release from prison. So, he wants to provide a way to make it easier for these former offenders.
“An ID card is absolutely needed if they’re going to get a job, if they’re going to get a place to live, and if they’re going to successfully re-enter into society,” said Barney Bishop.
Bishop is with the Florida Smart Justice Alliance, an initiative that grew out of an idea by a number of business leaders to find cost-effective ways to improve public safety.
Later, after he started praising the bill, he brought up contrasts between the Department of Corrections and private providers, like Bridges of America, a group he’s associated with.
“You brought up something that hasn’t been mentioned at all: the word private, which really indicates what’s happening here, I think, and so, am I correct in assuming this is in fact privatization," asked Schwartz.
“Representative, no it’s not! Because these programs already exist. And, any deep analysis of this bill would show you that there is no privatization here. There is no increase in privatization,” replied Bishop.
But, according to the Legislature’s analysis of the bill, it does allow the department to “establish incentives for the reentry program to promote participation by private sector employers within the program.”
And, a representative from Bridges of America, Jim DeBeaugrine, also testified before the committee, recommending that the re-entry services should be provided in a facility dedicated to that purpose.
“And, that is why we have proposed separately that you consider the Governor’s recommendations to reopen the reentry centers, those empty 400-bed facilities. There’s one in Gadsden County, Baker County, and South Miami-Dade. And, we will argue to the Appropriations Committee that one of those facilities should be operated by private providers who have direct experience doing this," DeBeaugrine.
But, Ron Silver with the Teamsters Union, a group that represents thousands of correctional officers, says he has a huge problem with that
“Let’s keep it within the Department of Corrections. Let’s give the Department of Corrections the resources to do the job because they’re the ones that are experts in our security situation. They’re trained in security. I don’t know what private corporations are trained in as far as security is concerned, but they don’t have the certification of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, like our Department of Corrections people do,” said Silver.
“I am excited to help these inmates be more prepared to re-enter society. I do not see this bill privatizing our prisons, and that’s what I feel like I heard today and that’s why I’m a little frustrated," said Coley.
They’re the troika of mandarins who have shepherded Australia into unchartered economic territory: imposing a price on a common pollutant. Their fingers are all over climate policy, from the carbon price to mass rural tree-planting. They are Martin Parkinson, Blair Comley and Ross Garnaut – and together these card-carrying economists jointly take top spot as the most powerful drivers of Australia’s low-carbon economy.
This Power Index list has profiled business figures, lawyers, regulators and inventors (politicians were excluded). Why give the top spot to bureaucrats?
The low-carbon economy is emerging; its rules are still being written. If you want to know who by, read on. A market in its regulatory phase is a time for bureaucrats to shine, and these three policy wonks have done a fair bit of the thinking, much of the drafting, designing and modelling, and most of the grunt work in getting Labor’s controversial climate policy off the ground.
The Power Index couldn’t pick between them. Climate elder Garnaut wielded heavy influence early, but his star has waned. Parkinson and Comley are ex-heads of the Climate Change Department and remain in senior climate-related posts. Parkinson made climate policy happen but his attention is now divided; Comley has current influence and may be tomorrow’s chief.
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