InfoAccess

What is steroid…is it Good or Bad

2011-02-09T12:02:00.001-08:00

“Steroids” after hearing this term one thinks about crime and illegality, but that isn’t the case. You should remember that there are always two sides of a coin, everything in this world has their own “good” and “bad” factors and it also depends upon which one you choose. We all believe that steroids are mostly used by athletes and sport personalities in order to enhance their stamina levels which is illegal in sporting world and that is the reason why we refrain to buy steroids. Yes it’s true that steroids are banned by sporting authorities because it enhances athlete’s stamina levels unnaturally and thus it fades out the spirit of the game.

Steroids which are prescribed by doctors for medical purposes are known as legal steroids, whereas steroids used by athletes or bodybuilders to enhance their body performance are called illegal steroids. You need to first understand steroids before you consider it “good” or “bad”. Steroids are basically type of hormones which are also found in plants and some fruits. It is vastly used in medical practices in order to cope up with the irregularities of body hormone.

Steroids are not always dangerous, it is produced to help people, but if you take overdose then it’s sure that it will lead to critical conditions. Steroid used for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) is a blessing for mankind. The side effects of steroids are mostly over-hyped by the media. In some cases side effects of steroids may be very serious; it can also lead to fatal situations. Thus, it is always recommended that you should take steroids only if your doctor prescribes and under their medical supervision as some of the steroids have side effects.

Things You Should Know About Anxiety

2011-02-09T11:57:00.000-08:00

There is a difference between normal anxiety and rigorous anxiety. People find it hard to differentiate between these two types of anxieties. The first type of anxiety which is normal anxiety is nothing but a human nature however the second type of anxiety is very dreadful. It can be very dangerous for that person who is suffering from rigorous anxiety. In this case a person want that all his matters should be liked by everyone at any cost and if someone opposes it then the situation is hazardous. There are almost 85% of people who are suffering from depression due to rigorous anxiety. It is important to note that anxiety and depression are two separate diseases but they go side by side. Depression occurs because of anxiety. Moreover it can also give heart attack. A person suffering from this disease generally feels succinctness of breath, body pain and extra sweating. These people do not live a normal life. They always sense a particular type of fear. Furthermore they do not feel safe in any condition. This problem can give various types of other health related problems. However, it becomes tough to figure it out that a particular disease has been occurred only because of rigorous anxiety. The only way to know is by assumption.

If somebody is already suffering from depression then the other disease could be the outcome of it. There are some symptoms of depression. These people always pay attention to the negative side of their life. Generally, we find so many people in our surroundings who like to talk negative. This sense of negativity comes to our mind and stays there. This gives depression and later on it can take the shape of anxiety. It would be better if you stay away from those types of people who always talk negative in one sense or other.

What Is Healthy Diet?

2011-02-09T11:53:00.001-08:00

Healthy and nutritious foods are considered as the general medicines of human beings. If people can rely on nutritious healthy food always, then they need not fear about any unhealthy conditions in their life. Unhealthy food deposits impurities in our blood whereas nutritious and healthy food clears blood to a greater extend. An individual’s health foundation starts from his embryonic stage. That is why women are advised to take high grade nutritious food during their pregnancy stages. In addition to healthy food pregnant women should take milk and fruits daily. Milk and fruits are capable to provide essential vitamins and minerals to pregnant women. As far as these pregnant women are concerned folic acid is very important. Folic acid is one among the important vitamins and is an inevitable factor for the development of embryonic nervous system. Since brain is the first part which usually develops in a fetus the presence of folic acid in the blood of pregnant lady ensures well developed brain and nervous system to the respective embryo. Hence, the presence of folic acid in the diet of pregnant women can avoid the birth of mentally retarded children to a greater extend.

Human body needs healthy food for the proper functioning of hormonal and metabolic activities taking place. The scarcity of essential boosters to the above mentioned body functions, makes hormone deficiencies and poor metabolic growth in the body. On account of hormone deficiency and poor metabolism men usually suffer hair falling and infertility. People suffering from hair falling are advised to take egg, milk and fruits to makeup the hormone deficiency. Similarly dry fruits like Dates and Badam are advised for people suffering from infertility in addition to milk and egg. Hence to make people free from various health problems they are advised to take milk and egg in addition regular nutritious food.

A Diet To Lower Cholesterol

2011-02-09T11:49:00.001-08:00

A Diet To Lower Cholesterol That Has Been Proven To Work & The Diet To Lower Cholesterol That May Save Your Life!

A diet to lower cholesterol that's effective, safe and easy. This type of cholesterol diet is needed because many people have the misconception that the amount of cholesterol that's in your bloodstream is directly related to your diet.

While a diet to lower cholesterol is one of the factors in influencing cholesterol, a lot of your blood cholesterol is manufactured by your liver.

Your liver produces cholesterol then it's carried throughout your body to your cells. The excess cholesterol is then carried back to the liver. If the excess cholesterol isn't used up, it can begin to stick to artery walls, which leads to cardiovascular disease.

Even though high cholesterol can cause serious health problems, your body still needs it to perform many different functions. It's needed to help build membranes, manufacture bile, and produce hormones. But again, too much is bad.

Since cholesterol produces fatty deposits in the arteries, it is one of the main causes of heart disease. High levels are also linked to mental impairment, high blood pressure and gall stones.

A lot of people don't fully appreciate how essential cholesterol is for good health. It is a non-soluble waxy substance which your body needs for making hormones, cell walls and nerve sheaths.along with information on the dangerous effects of cholesterol drugs & Much More, has just been made available to the public.

"A Specific Diet To Lower Cholesterol

Can Indeed Help You In Lowering Cholesterol Naturally"

When recommendations are given for a diet to lower your cholesterol the 'official line' is to emphasize the importance of reducing dietary fats and foods high in cholesterol in order for a diet to lower cholesterol to be effective.

This has been the approach to use with a diet to lower your cholesterol for the last couple of decades and as recent research clearly shows...it is totally the wrong one for a diet to lower cholesterol. In fact, for as long as this has been the official stance heart disease has steadily increased.

While it is possible to reduce your cholesterol levels with a good a diet to lower your cholesterol, just eliminating fats and cholesterol will not do it! This is the reason that a diet to lower cholesterol that has been proven with long-time research, must be used.

Cutting eggs and butter out of a diet to lower cholesterol will have minimal impact on cholesterol levels. What is more important is that you stop eating margarine.

Also reduce your intake of refined and processed foods in a diet to lower your cholesterol, which are full of hydrogenated fats and oils as well as trans fats. These are MUCH more dangerous than the saturated fats in butter and eggs which your body can handle and indeed needs.

In fact, studies have clearly established that the low fat, low cholesterol diet for high cholesterol approach is a very dangerous one because it can lower HDL, the good cholesterol but only have minimal impact on LDL, the 'bad' cholesterol.

Cholesterol is transported around your body in two different forms.

One form is called LDL (low density) or the 'bad' or 'oxidized' cholesterol, and the other is HDL (high density) or the 'good' cholesterol.

LDL attaches itself to your artery wall and creates 'plaque' which can ultimately accumulate and create a blockage in your arteries resulting in a heart attack, or a stroke if some of the capillaries in your brain become blocked and parts of your brain are starved for blood.

Your LDL needs to be as low as possible.HDL travels around in your bloodstream picking up excess cholesterol including LDL and taking it back to your liver for reprocessing. Sort of like a garbage collector!

Your HDL must be as high as possible to ensure superior health.

As a result of any general low cholesterol diet that may be available - your cholesterol situation can get worse. If you are not already doing so start adding natural cholesterol lowering nutrients to your diet to lower cholesterol.

The lack of essential fatty acids in your diet to lower cholesterol is also a major factor in heart problems.

You can supplement your diet to lower cholesterol with a tablespoon of organic flax seed oil every day which is an excellent source of Omega 3 essential fatty acids.

Note: These essential fatty acids will NOT make you fat, but rather will help you lose weight.

For cooking use only 'Extra Virgin Olive Oil'. Studies have shown that this version can help lower LDL cholesterol and raise HDL but it MUST be the 'Extra Virgin' olive oil.

Ordinary virgin olive oil does not lower LDL cholesterol. Also, use as much garlic as you can in your cooking. This has been shown to help lower cholesterol.

In addition take a quality natural cholesterol lowering supplement that contains genuine Policosanol which is an extract from sugar cane, (does not increase blood sugar levels) plus guggulipid which is a natural herb from India.

These substances alone have proven to be highly effective in numerous double blind, placebo clinical trials in lowering LDL and raising HDL.They will outperform the cholesterol lowering statin drugs with no side effects, other than assisting in the normalization of weight.

"The Bottom Line On

Any Diet To Reduce Cholesterol"

Every one over the age of 20 should be concerned about their cholesterol levels and start doing everything they can to lower their "bad" cholesterol by using the proper and proven low cholesterol diet.

But it's even more important to note that in addition to a good low cholesterol diet you should be taking a cholesterol formula that uses ingredients that have been proven conclusively to assist in lowering blood cholesterol.

A cholesterol formula to assist your diet to reduce cholesterol that uses ingredients that has been proven conclusively to help in lowering blood cholesterol should also contain substances that have been shown to assist in lowering both triglycerides and homocysteine.

Also included in your low cholesterol diet should be nutrients that help strengthen the heart muscles such as CoQ10.

To date only one company has an excellent formula that meets all of the requirements and more for cholesterol problems and to assist your your diet to lower cholesterol.

They have one of the strictest regulatory environments in the world for the manufacture of cholesterol dietary supplements, far exceeding U.S. FDA standards.

We've come to have faith in this brand of nutritional supplements and can confidently vouch for this product as being an excellent choice for your diet to lower cholesterol.

Make sure you take a high quality, daily vitamin mineral supplement. Vitamin E will help to improve your circulation, while vitamin C and vitamin B3 will help to lower your high levels.

It's widely accepted that this particular cholesterol product to add to your over-all diet to lower cholesterol, any low cholesterol recipe, etc. reflects the best possible blend for your high cholesterol and health concerns.

We've received only very positive feedback from the individuals who have already used it as part of their diet to lower cholesterol.

Major banks agree to increase SME lending by £10bn

2011-02-09T06:17:00.000-08:00

Major banks agree to increase SME lending by £10bn

Chancellor of the exchequer George Osborne has reached a deal with major banks to raise business lending by £10bn this year.

Osborne says Project Merlin, which involved discussions with Santander, HSBC, Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group, will mean £76bn of small and medium sized enterprise lending.

That represents an increase from £66bn in 2010 and Osborne says this is higher than banks were planning on their own.

He also says it is anyone could who has been following discussions would have expected.

Osborne says “anger and retribution will not bring an iota of economic growth” and the country must “move from retribution to recovery”.

Total business lending will increase from £179bn in 2010 to £190bn in 2011.

The Bank of England will publish updates on the lending quotas and SME lending will be linked to chief executives’ pay.

Shadow chancellor Ed Balls says the outcome is pitiful and embarrassing for the government.

He says: “For a chancellor who talked so tough in opposition this is a pitiful outcome and embarrassing climbdown.

“A damp squib is something which has the potential to be explosive but gets wet and that is exactly what has happened with this chancellor.”

Yesterday Osborne revealed that the banking levy will increase from 0.05% to 0.075% on balance sheets.

This represents an increase from the original tax of £1.7bn to £2.5bn.

Statement on banking by the Chancellor of the Exchequer

Check against delivery

Mr Speaker, I would like to make a statement.

The near-collapse of the British banking system more than two years ago still generates today deep feelings of anger and cries for retribution.

I completely understand that.

For the link between risk and reward that underpins our free market was completely broken.

Bankers who had made the most catastrophic mistakes walked away with huge payouts and pensions.

Those entrusted by us to regulate those bankers and run our economy washed their hands.

Meanwhile the rest of the country is left paying every day for their failures.

The government has to pick up the pieces.

Let me set out how we will do that.

First, we will make sure we learn every lesson that needs to be learnt – so that this never happens again.

We are entirely replacing the tripartite system of regulation that was introduced in 1997, and completely failed.

Next week we will publish the detailed proposals to give the Bank of England responsibility for prudential regulation, and to create a new Consumer Protection and Markets Authority that will protect the interests of bank customers.

We will then undertake pre-legislative scrutiny, as requested by this House, before introducing the Bill. I hope it will command support from all sides.

Later this year we will also receive the interim and final reports of the Independent Banking Commission that this Government established, and which I asked Sir John Vickers to chair.

Sir John and his fellow Commissioners are asking the difficult questions that need to be asked, about how we protect the British taxpayer from future bank failures so that never again is a bank too big to fail, and we look forward to receiving their recommendations.

I should make it very clear that nothing I will say today about the settlement we have reached with Britain’s banks, including references to a level playing field, in any way pre-judges the outcome of the Commission.

That includes both the Commission’s recommendations and the Government’s response.

The second task facing this Government is to make sure that we get the maximum sustainable tax revenues from the financial sector.

HM Revenue and Customs confirms that the one-off bank payroll tax introduced in the dying months of the previous government raised £2.3billion net, but as my predecessor as Chancellor has pointed out, it could not be repeated without massive tax avoidance.

I agree with him and we will not repeat the bank payroll tax.

Instead we have implemented a new and permanent bank levy and that is why yesterday I announced an increase in that levy so it raises £2.5billion this year.

This will bring the total raised by the new bank levy to £10billion over the Parliament.

And it means that in each and every year of this Government we will raise more in bank taxes than the previous government raised in any year.

We have also required all the major banks operating in the UK comply in spirit and by the letter with the Code of Practice on taxation.

This Code was announced with a fanfare but I discovered that only two banks had signed up to it. Today all the major banks have signed.

The third task facing the new Government was to reach a new settlement with the banks so that they contribute to Britain’s economic recovery.

Mr Speaker, some prominent people in this House were predicting just twenty four hours ago that my tax announcement meant that our discussions with the banks on lending were falling apart.

The House will be pleased to know this prediction was wrong.

This morning the heads of the major British banks – Barclays, RBS, Lloyds and HSBC – reached a new settlement with the British Government.

I want to thank John Varley, the former chief executive of Barclays, for the huge amount of time and personal commitment he has given to this project.

The essentials of this new settlement are exactly as I set out last month, and I am today publishing an exchange of letters between John Varley and myself.

The banks will:

* lend more money, especially to small business;

* pay more taxes;

* pay less bonuses;

* be more transparent about the bonuses they do pay;

* and make a greater contribution to our regional economy and society.

In return the Government commits to the success of a strong, resilient, stable and globally competitive financial services sector in which UK banks can compete with the best banks in the world on a level playing field – and in which London is a world centre for finance.

That is good for jobs and growth in our country.

Let me go through each part in detail.

Starting with pay and bonuses.

Most of us of find the levels of pay in financial services to be completely out of kilter with what the rest of society would regard as fair or reasonable.

We are determined to bring responsibility and constraint – and make sure that pay is properly taxed.

Four years ago, at the height of the banking boom, the City paid £11.5 billion in banking bonuses – most of which was in cash, most of which could not be recovered when the banks collapsed, and too much of which went untaxed.

The new remuneration code introduced last month and the tax avoidance measures we are taking will change that.

Today I can tell the House that the four major British banks have also agreed that total bonuses for their UK-based staff will be lower than last year - and lower than they would have been without today’s settlement.

The independent non-executive director that chairs each bank’s Remuneration Committee will have to confirm personally in writing to the FSA that their pay accord conforms with today’s commitments.

And for the first time, the banks have agreed to seek explicit approval from their board’s remuneration committee for the pay of the ten highest paid employees in each of their main business units.

This did not happen in banks like RBS before the crisis, where the board was ignorant of what was going on.

We have also insisted that the banks be far more transparent about who and how they pay.

From this year onwards, the four major banks have committed to disclose the pay details not just of their executive board members, but also of the top five highest paid executives not on the board.

This will mean that the salary details of at least seven executives at each bank will be published this year.

That compares with five individuals in the US and Hong Kong, and only board executives in Germany and Japan.

And by disclosing individual pay levels it goes further than the Walker disclosure recommendations, which we are seeking international agreement on.

And we will consult on whether to make it a mandatory requirement from 2012 on all large UK banks to publish the pay of both the board plus the eight highest paid senior executive officers.

This would mean Britain has the toughest and most transparent pay regime of any major financial centre in the world.

Mr Speaker, let me also provide an update on the situation at RBS and Lloyds.

In 2009 the government signed an agreement with RBS that explicitly said would “enable pay arrangements in line with the market” this year.

Despite that constraint we have inherited, UKFI, the arm’s length body which manages the Government’s stake in these two banks, has agreed the following:

For all staff at RBS and Lloyds, the maximum upfront cash bonuses will be limited to a maximum of £2,000 this year;

All Executive Directors, including the Chief Executives, have agreed to receive this year’s bonuses entirely in the form of shares;

Directors will have to wait until 2013 to convert these shares into cash.

As the Prime Minister made clear last month, the bonuses at RBS and Lloyds will in total be smaller than they were last year – and so, crucially, will the compensation ratios.

They will backmarkers in the industry instead of the frontrunners they once were.

Let me turn from pay to the additional support the British banks have committed to provide to the regional economy.

At the end of last year the industry pledged £1.5 billion to a new Business Growth Fund, that will invest in the kinds of expanding small businesses that hold the key to Britain’s more balanced economic future.

Today they commit to make an additional £1.2billion contribution to society.

The four major banks commit to an additional £1billion for the Fund and an additional £200million to capitalise the Big Society Bank.

The Business Growth Fund contribution will be front-loaded over the next couple of years, so that more help can be given to businesses sooner.

This money will be additional to the lending commitments and additional to any funding already allocated from dormant bank accounts.

Finally, at the heart of today’s settlement is a commitment from the four major banks, as well as Santander, to make much more money available for lending to small and medium sized business.

Last year these banks lent £66billion to such businesses.

Today the banks commit to lend £76billion this year.

£10 billion more gross new lending to small and medium businesses.

That is a massive 15% increase, materially higher than they had been planning to lend this year and materially higher than anyone who followed these discussions would have expected.

It comes alongside a very welcome commitment from the banks to improve greatly their customer service to small businesses, with a free mentoring service, published lending principles, transparent appeals and improved access to trade finance.

Overall gross new lending to all businesses, large and small, will increase from £179billion to £190billion – and they make a commitment to lend even more if demand materializes.

Absent this accord, the banks were actually expecting lending to fall this year.

In order to ensure that progress against these lending commitments can be monitored, the Bank of England has agreed to collect the relevant data and publish it on a quarterly basis.

To help ensure today’s agreement is honoured, for the first time the pay of the Chief Executives of each bank, as well as the relevant business area leaders, will be linked to performance against the SME lending targets.

Of course, if even then the banks fail to live up to their promises – then the Government reserves the right to return to the issue and take further measures.

But I sincerely hope that is not necessary

Mr Speaker.

The anger at the terrible mistakes of the banking industry, and the failure of those who regulated it, will long remain – and rightly so.

But let us as a country confront this hard truth.

Anger and retribution will not bring one percentage point of economic growth or create one single new job.

The anger will remain. And we must never make the same mistakes again.

But Britain needs to move from retribution to recovery.

Today we get the banks to commit, with:

More for lending - £10billion more for small businesses;

More for our regional economies and society;

£10billion more in taxes;

And lower bonuses and the most transparent pay regime in the world.

In return let us build a banking industry that creates jobs for hundreds of thousands of our citizens and competes in the world.

Above all let us make sure the economic catastrophe that befell this country can never be repeated.

That is how this Government will clean up the mistakes of the past.

And I commend this statement to the House.

Banking Sector

2011-02-09T06:09:00.000-08:00

Several developing countries are not reaching sustainable development targets fast enough despite numerous international agreements, says a report, launched here amidst criticism that World Bank energy and mining projects were not doing enough to protect the environment and improve the plight of the poor.

The Sustainability Watch 2006 Report, launched by civil service organisations at the annual meetings of the Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) stressed that sustainable development was crucial as about three billion people -- almost 50 percent of the world population -- now live on less than two dollars a day. This figure was expected to rise by 100 million by 2015 unless implementation of internationally agreed commitments was substantially improved.

The most critical factor is the market-oriented development frameworks, which promote trade liberalisation and privatisation, said Roy Cabonegro, regional facilitator for Asia of Sustainability Watch, a civil society network in 15 southern countries monitoring promises to improve sustainability. These frameworks do not pay serious attention to environmental constraints, especially in the case of planning for land and natural resource use.

The report also identified four other key barriers to sustainable development. Weak governance failed to produce sufficient economic development and social services to catch up with population growth and led to a reluctance to challenge unfair trade liberalisation regimes.

Institutional constraints led to failures in strategies, in proper monitoring of the interaction between poverty, environment and governance, and in civil society participation.

Inconsistent policies, on the other hand, meant that sustainable development principles were often contradicted by other policies that harm the environment.

Many governments also put in inadequate resources to improve sustainable development while loan conditionalities and unsustainable debt further restricted their ability to achieve targets.

"All our environmental indices are going down while economic growth is steadily going up," Cabonegro told IPS.

Reacting to the report, the Bank's chief scientist, Robert Watson, said he largely agreed with the findings but implementing the recommendations to overcome the barriers would be difficult. Finance and other ministers needed to be convinced, he said, adding that it was also a major job to convince the private sector.

"We really have to develop the importance of the poverty-environment-economy link," he stressed, adding that it was crucial to reduce the factors that drive biodiversity loss.

"I am not convinced we can meet the (United Nations prescribed) Millennium Development Goals even with political will," he warned.

One observer at the launch of the report sharply criticised growth-oriented economic development models. "We are so fixated on growth, growth, growth, when it is precisely that growth which harms the environment," she said.

In a communiqué on Monday, the Bank's Development Committee welcomed its own progress in developing a Clean Energy Investment Framework, a response to the mandate from the G8 summit in Gleneagles last year. The framework proposes raising 10 billion U.S. dollars for conventional energy technologies.

The Committee said it had found broad support for promoting energy for development, access to affordable energy for the poor, the transition to a low carbon economy and the provision of assistance to developing countries to adapt to climate change.

But instead of combating climate change, the framework promotes coal-fired power, nuclear power and large hydroelectric projects, complained nine civil society groups in a statement to mark the release of their report. The report, 'How the World Bank's Energy Framework sells the climate and poor people short', was released here on Sunday.

"In continuing to lend for fossil fuel and dam projects, the Bank has consistently missed the social and environment double dividend that renewable energy technologies could bring," said Peter Bosshard of the International Rivers Network, which works to protect rivers and defend the rights of communities that depend on them.

If the Bank was serious about fighting climate change, it has to first stop subsidising the expansion of the oil industry, said Graham Saul of the Washington-based Oil Change International, which works to expose the true costs of oil and promote cleaner sources of energy.

"You can't actively subsidise fossil fuels and effectively fight climate change at the same time," he said. "It's a disgrace that public institutions like the World Bank are using aid money to prop up oil companies that are already the most profitable companies in the world."

Other civil society groups have challenged the Bank to prove that its mining projects are reducing poverty and improving people's lives. It called on the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the private sector arm of the Bank, to report on poverty reduction and development impacts on a project-by-project basis and to invest in other areas if such projects were found not to be benefiting the poor.

Currently, the IFC reports the impact of the projects it finances on an aggregate, institution or sector-wide basis.

What this kind of reporting ignores is that, unlike profits and losses in a financial portfolio, poverty reduction, environmental damage and impacts on individuals and communities cannot be averaged across the IFC's portfolio, said Nikki Reisch, Africa Programme Manager of the Washington-based Bank Information Centre, which is pushing for public accountability of the Bank's operations. "A farmer who loses his land near a mine in Peru does not benefit when a small business owner in central Europe gets a catering contract with a mining company."

Meanwhile, a couple of activists privately complained that the small and closely supervised designated protest area at the foyer of the official venue was a joke. As the annual meetings drew to a close, Bank group president Paul Wolfowitz paid a courtesy call on activists in the civil society room near the protest area.

One of those who had protested in the area earlier, Sandy Krawitz of ActionAid International, took the opportunity to let Wolfowitz know how she felt.

"I told him how deeply upset we were that our economist, Maria Clara Soares, was detained by Singapore for about 30 hours in a room...treated like a criminal and then deported back to Brazil," Krawitz told IPS. "This is a woman who is a brilliant economist who had been a consultant to Brazil and her treatment was absolutely unacceptable."

Wolfowitz, listening intently, expressed deep regret and said he did not have much of a say over the choice of Singapore as the venue. But he did give an assurance that things would be different in Turkey in three years' time, said Krawitz. "We will have to wait and see," she said.

Clegg wants banks to be overhauled

Deputy Prime Minister, Nick Clegg has shown his views towards Britain's banks and has called for their drastic overhaul. He said that the country already had enough and that it could no longer tolerate the oversized banking system that has developed in the country.

He criticized the banks to the fullest and only stopped at a point from where break-up of universal banks seemed to be the only possibility. He also said that there are numerous examples that make it a necessity to make the banks more insulated and less-risk taking. They also need to over leverage the banking activities.

Clegg was speaking infront of a committee where he along with ir John Vickers, chairman of the government-appointed Commission on Banking, were delivering speeches about redrawing the rules for the banks.

They agreed to the point that some kind of regulation is needed because this time it is the taxpayers' money that is being infested in the banks.

But on the other hand, Sir John also reiterated the point banks like HSBC, RBS and Standard Chartered should be rest assured that radical forms of narrowing down activities of bank is not going to happen.

The Differentiating Factor That Makes You Stand Out From The Crowd Online Is Personal Branding

2011-02-08T12:48:00.001-08:00

Personal branding start up can be extremely daunting at first when faced with the task of creating a vision for your brand when you have not generated any leads or customers for your business yet. In fact the very thought of creating a personal vision for your business is a task that can leave you in a state of perpetual getting ready to get ready.

The most important factor to think about in the new economy is that it is the most transparent way of doing business you can think of, there is no hiding from your customers or hoping someone will serve them your personal branding start up is like a trial by fire at first.

Credibility online will set your business and your brand apart from everyone else it is ultimately what makes you a real person. Buying of any kind is an emotional decision and buyers resonate and take action more readily with businesses that express what they believe in clearly and that should be implemented as a vital component part of your personal branding start up strategy.

During your personal branding start up phase you should spend time thinking clearly about the long term vision for your business and what your core values are. Your goals will form part of your mission statement and you will need to have a very clear idea of who your buyers are what you want them to believe at every stage of the buying process.

The Internet is constantly changing it is still in its evolution phase and will dominate the way in which we do business in the future. One of the biggest changes within the last 18 months has been the rise of Social Media. This needs to be incorporated in your personal branding start up strategy from day one.

When you brand yourself in the right way you will start to attract the right type of people to you. Your buyers experience is based on belief and when you incorporate powerful personal branding strategies into your marketing you will start to build a fan base. A common mistake to avoid is to just make a brand for the sake of making it. Your personal branding power comes through the strongest when you base your brand around who you are and what your core beliefs are.

A great idea to start building your personal brand online in the right way is to seek out education platforms that offer generic branding training.

Corruption Perceptions Index (CPI) 2009

2011-02-07T15:31:00.000-08:00

Corruption Perceptions Index 2009 Bangladesh ranked 139th among 180, among a few countries whose score has improved most

2011-02-07T15:11:00.000-08:00

Dhaka/Berlin, 17 November 2009 – The Berlin-based international anti-corruption organization, Transparency International (TI) has today released its annual Corruption Perception Index (CPI) for 2009. The index provides international ranking of countries in terms of perceived degree of prevalence of political and administrative corruption.

The results show that Bangladesh, having scored 2.4 compared to 2.1 in 2008 in a scale of 0-10, is among nine countries that have improved most. However, with the score remaining below the threshold of 3 the country, continues to be in the league of those where corruption continued to be pervasive. Bangladesh has been ranked 13th from below, which is 139th among 180 countries included in the index this year. In 2008 Bangladesh was 10th from below and 147th among 180. In the same position with the same score with Bangladesh this year are Belarus, Pakistan and Philippines.

In 2008 Pakistan and Philippines had scored 2.5 and 2.3 respectively, while Belarus 2.0.

It may be recalled that Bangladesh was earlier placed at the very bottom of the list for the fifth successive year from 2001-2005. In 2006 Bangladesh was ranked in no 3, in 2007 in no 7 and in 2008 no 10.Bangladesh’s score of 2.4 this year represents a significant improvement over last year (2.1). As the index represents 2-years rolling data, it reflects a perception of progress as a result of the then government’s nationwide crackdown on corruption during 2007-08, which was also accompanied by important institutional and legal reforms to strengthen the capacity to fight corruption. The result also indicates a positive assessment of the fact that many of those reforms were carried forward, or so promised, by the newly elected government elected to power in December 2008 with an unprecedented public mandate achieved, thanks inter alia, to their pledge to fight corruption.

“Whether or not the improvement achieved by Bangladesh will be sustainable and whether further progress will be achieved will depend on the new government’s will and capacity to deliver, especially in ensuring integrity, independence,impartiality and effectiveness of key institutions like the Parliament, Anti-corruption Commission, Election Commission,

Information Commission, Judiciary, law enforcement agencies, the public service and the Human Rights Commission”said Dr. Iftekharuzzaman, Executive Director of Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB).

“The government’s performance in ensuring integrity in public sector management, especially transparency in public procurement will be among key factors influencing Bangladesh’s score in coming years. Equally important will be the extent of progress in enforcing the Right to Information Act and in strengthening the local government” he said.

Like previous two years Somalia has remained at the bottom of the list implying that corruption in that country is perceived to be highest, followed by Afghanistan and Myanmar in the 2nd and 3rd position and Sudan and Iraq in joint

4th. At the other end, New Zealand, Denmark and Singapore have been ranked at the top, scoring 9.4, 9.3 and 9.2 respectively, meaning that in these countries corruption is perceived to be lowest, closely followed by Sweden and Switzerland with 9.2 and 9.0 respectively. Singapore is the only Asian country that has consistently been in the league of top 10. The only other Asian country to be among the top 15 countries is Hong Kong at number 12, performing better

than such highly developed countries as Germany, Ireland, UK, Japan and USA. Countries other than Bangladesh that have this year shown notable improvement are Belarus, Guatemala, Lithuania,Moldova, Montenegro, Poland, Syria and Tonga. On the other hand, significant declines in score have been seen in the scores of Bahrain, Greece, Iran, Malaysia, Malta and Slovakia. As the world economy begins to register a tentative recovery from the Global Financial Crisis and some nations continue to wrestle with ongoing conflict and insecurity, it is clear from the CPI 2009 that no country or region of the world is immune to the perils of corruption.

“At a time when massive stimulus packages, fast-track disbursements of public funds and attempts to secure peace are being implemented around the world, it is essential to identify where corruption blocks good governance and accountability, in order to break its corrosive cycle” said Huguette Labelle, Chair of Transparency International (TI). The vast majority of the 180 countries included in the 2009 index score below five on a scale from 0 (perceived to be

highly corrupt) to 10 (perceived to have low levels of corruption). The CPI measures the perceived levels of public sector 3 corruption in a given country and is a composite index, drawing on 13 different expert and business surveys. The 2009 edition scores 180 countries, the same number as the 2008 CPI. Fragile, unstable states that are scarred by war and ongoing conflict linger at the bottom of the index. These are: Somalia, with a score of 1.1, Afghanistan at 1.3, Myanmar at 1.4 and Sudan tied with Iraq at 1.5. These results demonstrate that countries which are perceived as the most corrupt are also those plagued by long-standing conflicts, which have torn apart their governance infrastructure.

When essential institutions are weak or non-existent, corruption spirals out of control and the plundering of public resources feeds insecurity and impunity. Corruption also makes normal a seeping loss of trust in the very institutions and nascent governments charged with ensuring survival and stability. Countries at the bottom of the index cannot be shut out from development efforts and international assistance. Instead, what the index points to is the need to strengthen their institutions. Investors and donors should be equally vigilant of their operations and as accountable for their own actions as they are in demanding transparency and accountability from beneficiary countries. Highest scorers in the 2009 CPI are New Zealand at 9.4, Denmark at 9.3, Singapore and Sweden tied at 9.2 and Switzerland at 9.0. These scores reflect political stability, long-established conflict of interest regulations and solid,functioning public institutions. Overall results in the 2009 index are of great concern because corruption continues to lurk where secrecy rules, where institutions still need strengthening and where governments have not implemented anti-corruption legal frameworks. Even industrialised countries cannot be complacent: the supply of bribery and the facilitation of corruption often involve

businesses based in their countries. Financial secrecy jurisdictions, linked to many countries that top the CPI, severely undermine efforts to tackle corruption and recover stolen assets.

Globally and nationally, institutions of oversight and legal frameworks that are actually enforced, coupled with smarter, more effective regulation, will ensure lower levels of corruption. This will lead to a much needed increase of trust in public institutions, sustained economic growth and more effective development assistance. Most importantly, it will alleviate the

enormous scale of human suffering in the countries that perform most poorly in the Corruption Perceptions Index.

Janet Jackson opens up about body issues, relationship with father

2011-02-07T14:32:00.000-08:00

In an exclusive interview with TODAY's Meredith Viera, Janet Jackson reveals that her struggles with her body image were once so severe, "I would literally bang my head up against the wall because I didn't feel attractive. ... There was a lot of pain in my life. But I did. I felt very unattractive," Jackson said.

The singer/actress writes about the incident in her new book "True You: A Journey to Finding and Loving Yourself," saying that she's better off now than when she was in her 20s, and "Rhythm Nation" was topping the charts. "I still have issues with it. I don't bang my head up against the wall, but I still have those moments. And I think it'll probably continue but at least I know how to deal with it now. And I'm in a much better space," she told Viera.

The issues Jackson had might stem back to how she was treated by her brothers, including Michael, who had nicknames for her like "Horse, pig, cow, slaughter-hog," she said."

"It makes you laugh, it really does. It makes you laugh. I guess some people could say, 'Oh that's, you know, brothers and sisters joking, it's all affection, it's all, you know, it's in a loving way.' But not everybody can brush it off, and I was one of those," she said.

In the interview, Jackson also opens up about her father Joe, saying she wasn't to ever call him dad.

"He said, 'I'm Joseph to you. You do not call me dad.' That affects you as a kid ... I know my father loves me. He just has a very, very different way of showing it."

7 Effective Ways To Start Increasing Your Height

2011-02-06T13:44:00.000-08:00

Do you want to Increase Your Height? Any people who were born short will have a goal that involves on how they can grow taller because this can really have a large difference to their current life.

And people who were lucky enough to be born tall do not understand what these short people really feel. It is a fact that everyone being tall is like a social status and anyone who has this are more respected and more adored by other people.

Problem like this can be solved easily by having a surgery done to oneself. But this kind of surgeries is really expensive that not anyone can just have surgeries, and this is not really a good alternative because there are a lot of side effects and pain involved. Maybe you are asking yourself now if there are ways on how increase your height naturally. Yes, there are ways on how you can do this.

1. Exercises like jump rope, hanging from a bar, and body stretching can be done very easily every day. These not only help you increase height, it is also good for your overall fitness.

2. Sprinting at high speeds helps your body release a lot of human growth hormone (HGH) which is essential for increasing height naturally.

3. Instead of eating 3 huge meals per day, try eating 5 to 6 small meals per day because this can help boost the secretion of human growth hormone.

4. Sometimes we try to speed up our growth by taking some antibiotics, drugs or other medicines that act as growth stimulus. Avoiding taking these kinds of medicines is another step towards increasing your height naturally.

5. Doing yoga exercises regularly can help you increase your height. A lot of the postures done in yoga can help to increase height naturally.

6. Another important factor to be included in increasing height is taking proper rest. Our body needs to grow and this is only possible when one is asleep. If you really want to increase your height, never miss a proper rest.

Boost Your Growth Hormones with an ‘Increase Height Naturally System’

You can grow taller by 3 to 6 inches naturally and permanently when you try using this step by step guide on how to increase height naturally system. And the results can be seen just within 6 weeks. Be one of the more respected and adored people around you, start your way on being taller and you will be one of these people.

This does not only help you physically, this can also help you emotionally by having a more confident you with the help of the new additional height you can gain with the help of this guide.

Why don’t you take a look at this step by step program? Visit: Increase My Height Naturally Program

By doing all of these tips on how to increase your height naturally, you can achieve that desired additional height in just 6 weeks and also have a healthier and stronger body. With all these benefits you can get from this guide, you will never regret on following this step by step guide on how to increase your height naturally.

Scerets behind Memories ..

2011-02-06T13:08:00.000-08:00

Scientists at UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) and the Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel have discovered the process

through which memories are made and then recalled. These scientists have recorded that How individual brain cells calls up a memory?, thus revealing where in the brain a specific memory is stored and how the brain is able to recreate it.

Dr. ITZHAK FRIED

Dr. Itzhak Fried, Senior Study Suthor and a UCLA Professor of Neurosurgery with his colleagues recorded the activity of hundreds of individual neurons making memories in the brains of 13 epilepsy patients being treated surgically at UCLA Medical Center. Their research detail has been reported in current online edition of the Journal Science.

EXPERIMENT

Surgeons at UCLA Medical Center placed electrodes in the patients' brains to locate the origin of their seizures before surgical treatment which is a standard procedure in such cases. Dr. Fried used same electrodes to record the neuron activity as memories were being formed.

During the experiment patients were shown several video clips of short duration, including such things as landmarks and people, along with other clips of Jerry Seinfeld, Tom Cruise, "Simpsons" character Homer Simpson and others. As the patients watched these clips, researchers recorded the activity of many neurons in the Hippocampus and a nearby region known the Entorhinal Cortex that responded strongly to individual clips.

Few minutes after watching these clips, the patients were asked to recall whatever clips came to mind. During this recalling process these patients were not prompted to recall any specific clips," but to use "free recall' which means, whatever popped into their heads.

At this point researchers found that the same neurons that had responded earlier to a specific clip fired strongly a second or two before the subject reported recalling that clip. These neurons did not fire, however,when other clips were recalled. By observing this researchers found that which clip a patient was recalling before the patient announced it.

During this experiment Dr. Fried noted that the single neurons that were recorded as they fired were not acting alone but were part of a much larger memory circuit of hundreds of thousands of cells caught in the act of responding to the clips.

Black Hole Mystery Solved !

2011-02-06T12:57:00.000-08:00

Black holes are an object of research and mystery for the whole scientific community from decades. Many researchers are working day and night to explore the mysteries of black holes. In this series, a recent invention by Yale University Astrophysicist revels the fact that, There is a upper limit of the mass of any black hole. This research has been also published in Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society.

WHAT ARE BLACK HOLES?

As most of you are aware BLACK HOLE is a region of space in which the gravitational field is so powerful that nothing, not even electromagnetic radiation can escape from it. Dur to this black holes can not be seen (as they absorbs light radiations) but can only be experienced by their ultra strong gravitational pull. That's why they are named as BLACK HOLE.. They continue to grow in size by absorbing any matter that comes in range of their gravitational field.

HOW MUCH THEY CAN GROW?

Till now it was not sure that what can be maximum size of a black hole. These black holes are now known to exist throughout the Universe and the largest and most massive are at the centers of the largest galaxies. These "ultra-massive" black holes have reported to have mass about One Billion Times that of our own Sun.

CONCEPT OF UPPER MASS LIMIT

According to the new research by Priyamvada Natarajan, an Associate Professor of Astronomy and Physics at Yale University and a fellow at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study, it has been proved, that even the biggest of these Black Holes can't keep growing forever. Instead, they appear to curb their own growth - once they accumulate about 10 billion times the mass of the Sun.

THEORY BEHIND THIS RESEARCH

Normally Black Holes continue to accumulate mass by absorbing matter from neighboring gas, dust and stars. But according to new research by Priyamvada Natarajan, that it is possible only to a certain limit, irrespective of the position of black hole. The reason behind this is that, "Eventually these Black Holes reach the point when they radiate so much energy as they consume their surroundings that they end up interfering with the very gas supply that feeds them, which may interrupt nearby star formation."

EXPERIMENT BY PRIYAMVADA NATARAJAN

Natarajan used existing Optical and X-ray Data of these Ultra-Massive Black Holes to show that, in order for those various observations to be consistent, the black holes must essentially stop at some point in their evolution. This helped her to prove this fact that these black holes can not grow indefinitely in mass and there is some upper mass limit of black holes.

CitiBank Updates

2011-02-04T11:17:00.000-08:00

It appears that the government is close to a deal in which they will take a larger stake in Citibank:

Citigroup Inc. and the U.S. are close to an agreement in which the government will substantially increase its stake in the bank and will demand boardroom changes in return, according to people familiar with the matter.

The deal, expected to be announced Friday morning, is designed to ease jitters about the soundness of one of the world's largest financial institutions. Under terms being finalized late Thursday, the Treasury has agreed to convert some of its current holdings of preferred Citigroup shares into common stock, a move that could better protect shareholders against future losses

As a condition, the government is demanding that the New York company overhaul its board of directors, the people said. Treasury will call for Citigroup's board to be comprised of a majority of independent directors. Chief Executive Vikram Pandit is expected to keep his job under the agreement.

The government will convert its stake only to the extent that Citigroup can persuade private investors such as sovereign wealth funds do so as well, the people said. The Treasury will match private investors' conversions dollar-for-dollar up to $25 billion.

The size of the government's new stake will hinge on how many preferred shares private investors agree to convert into common stock. The Treasury's stake is expected to rise to up to 40% of Citigroup, the people said…

The conversion will come at the most-favored price, meaning the government will get the best price of the private shares that are converted. Citigroup has already begun talking with preferred shareholders about the conversion, people familiar with the matter said.

The conditions imposed by the government were hammered out over a week of negotiations. They are designed to make up for the fact that taxpayers will bear greater risk holding common stock rather than preferred. The common shares also won't pay dividends, unlike the preferred stock.

While the government isn't injecting additional taxpayer dollars into Citigroup, the agreement will help the company by boosting a key financial metric known as tangible common equity, which essentially measures what shareholders would have left if the company were liquidated.

Live Rate

2011-02-04T10:51:00.001-08:00

U.S. Nonfarm Payrolls Rose 36K in January Amid Forecasts of 146K

2011-02-04T10:44:00.000-08:00

Nonfarm payrolls in the world’s largest economy rose a mere 36K in January after climbing a revised 121K the month prior amid economists’ expectations of 146K. Meanwhile, the unemployment rate fell to 9.0 percent to mark the lowest level since April 2009. Indeed, there was a lackluster performance in the dollar as traders digest the report and its implications for the U.S. economy.

Winter conditions in the U.S. likely dampened the labor force as approximately 916,000 workers said that they did not attend work. Taking a look at the breakdown of the release, the labor force participation rate fell to 64.2 percent, while construction payrolls dipped 30K. The 26 year low in the labor force participation rate is worrisome due to the fact that those individuals not included in the labor force surged to 86.2 million from 83.9 million. Furthermore, hourly earnings pushed 0.35 percent higher to mark the largest gain since the end of 2008. It is also worth noting that the seasonally adjusted underemployment rate came in at 16.1 percent to post the lowest level since April 2009.

EURUSD Minute Chart

U.S_Nonfarm_Payrolls_Rose_36K_in_January_Amid_Forecasts_of_146K_body_eurusd.png, U.S. Nonfarm Payrolls Rose 36K in January Amid Forecasts of 146K

Taking a look at the reaction subsequent to the dismal Nonfarm payrolls report, after the initial rally in the dollar, currency markets showed a lackluster performance. As the EURUSD holds its key support level at the 1.36 area, traders should not rule a slight reversal to the upside. Looking ahead, focus will now shift their focus to the European leaders meeting in Brussels as uncertainty surrounding the European Financial Stability Fund ability to purchase government bonds remain.

BRIndex30 up by 182.25 points

2011-02-04T10:33:00.000-08:00

BRIndex30 opened at 8,950.40 and remained positive throughout the trading session with a general rising trend. It touched an intraday high of 9,147.67 and an intraday low of 8,950.40 and closed at 9,132.65 which was 182.25 points or 2.04 percent higher than previous close.

Total volume was 89,023,224, which was 72.15 percent of KSE All share volume and 85.78 percent of KSE 100 volume. The KSE All Share volume was 123,393,232 and KSE 100 volume was 103,776,402. BR Commercial Banks Index closed at 2,580.65 with a net positive change of 35.33 points or a percentage change of 1.39 and a total turnover of 11,834,405. BR Oil and Gas Index closed at 2,797.13 with a net positive change of 29.47 points or a percentage change of 1.06 and a total turnover of 7,316,148.

BR Tech. & Comm. Index closed at 466.78 with a net positive change of 7.3 points or a percentage change of 1.59 and a total turnover of 6,887,187. BR Power Generation and Distribution Index closed at 1,705.85 with a net positive change of 30.91 points or a percentage change of 1.85 and a total turnover of 3,310,249. BR Cement Index closed at 662.53 with a net positive change of 7.08 points or a percentage change of 1.08 and a total turnover of 3,244,553.

RBS says no to 'search and rescue' service deal

2011-02-04T09:32:00.001-08:00

The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) reported that it had withdrawn from the Soteria consortium that was considered to be a favorite bidder for the £6 billion contract to privatise the service of Britain's search and rescue helicopter service.

It has been revealed that the idea of privatisation has further gone in to uncertainty with this decision of the RBS with the consortium’s bidding for the contract for accusations of misconduct.

Although the British military police are still investigating allegations of improper conduct during bidding for the contract, Soteria spokesman confirmed that the Royal Bank Project Investments Ltd had opted out as a shareholder of the consortium even before Christmas season and that the procuring authority was apprized right away.

Soteria partners including French defense group Thales, Sikorsky (part of United Technologies Corp) and Canadian helicopter services firm CHC, said that the consortium is now aware of the possible trouble with its bid after the RBS quit and as a result negotiations on the contract came to a halt late last year.

Terming the whole reason as commercially sensitive a British MoD spokeswoman told that it would not be apposite to comment on it specifically, at this point, in advance of a further announcement. Both the UK aerospace industry functionaries and government officials are upset about the bid proposals and have agreed to stall the plan.

Forex Update Euro/Pound Technical Forex Analysis for Forex Traders

2011-02-04T09:30:00.001-08:00

Forex Update

Euro/Pound Technical Forex Analysis for Forex Traders

Euro:

The euro continues in measured moves long. The ruo bounced off its next measured move long at 1.36392, with a target at 1.37396, with coincides with 61.8% target from longer term longs from 1.32404 and 1.3547.

Pound:

On the daily, the pound bounced off (frontrun) it next bullish setup at 1.57328, with a target at 1.2138. The 61.8% of the next short at 1.59379, is acting as resistance.

Yen:

On the daily, the 61.8% on the long at 81.971 is acting as support. The yen is within a larger short from 84.592, which has a target at 78.227, which would be an all time low. Previous lows at 80.9 and 80.2 may act as support.

Ferrari 458 Italia

2011-02-02T12:28:00.000-08:00

Engine

The engine is a dry-sump 90 degree V8 with a displacement of 4499 cc and is mid-rear mounted. It is an entirely new design engineered to reach a maximum of 9,000 rpm – a first on a road car – with a high 12.5:1 compression ratio and maximum power output of 570 CV. This equates to an outstanding power output of 127 CV/litre, a new benchmark for a naturally-aspirated production engine.

The generous torque available - 540 Nm at 6000 rpm, with over 80 per cent available from 3250 rpm – ensures rapid pick-up from all revs. The specific torque output of 120 Nm/l is another record.

The design of the engine components has been influenced by the carry-over of racing technology – F1 in particular – for maximum fluid-dynamic efficiency in order to achieve both performance and fuel consumption objectives, and meet the most stringent international emissions restrictions. The piston compression height was reduced as per racing engine practice. Similarly, thinner compression rings have been adopted to minimise friction between piston and liner. A graphite coating was applied to the piston skirt for the same reason.

To help further reduce internal friction, the cylinder block has four scavenge pumps. Two pick up oil from the cylinder heads and front and rear of the engine via dedicated oil recovery ducts outside the crankcase area, and two pick up oil from below the crank throws. The recovery ducts of the latter are interconnected in two groups of four cylinders to optimise the scavenge function and create a strong vacuum (800 mbar) around the crankshaft. This solution prevents excess oil splashing out of the sump and onto the rotating crankshaft and thus reduces power loss caused by friction. It also reduces losses due to windage caused by the pumping action of the pistons.

The engine oil pressure pump features variable displacement geometry which reduces the amount of power absorbed at high revs. Lowering the pump’s displacement actually increases the power available at the crankshaft for the same amount of fuel used.

As is traditional for Ferrari engines, the new V8 is equipped with continuously variable timing on both inlet and exhaust cams. The aluminium intake manifold has been lightened by reducing the wall thickness. It has short, almost straight inlet tracts to reduce losses and a system that varies the geometry of the manifold, optimising the volumetric efficiency throughout the rev range. This is achieved by incorporating three pneumatic throttle valves in the central section between the two plenums. The engine mapping provides four different configurations of the valves for optimum torque values at all revs.

The use of GDI with Split Injection improves engine performance by modulating the injection in two phases, increasing combustion efficiency and the torque at low revs (by up to 5 per cent). A high injection pressure (200 bar) guarantees adequate pulverisation of the petrol and an optimal air/fuel mix right up to 9000 rpm. This feature again results in better performance and lower fuel consumption. The exhaust system was designed to provide the kind of thrilling soundtrack owners of Ferrari’s V8s are used to whilst also guaranteeing high levels of acoustic comfort. One of the main objectives with the exhaust was to reduce weight. The catalytic converter is attached to the central section of the exhaust by a flexible element to reduce the amount of vibration transmitted and to thus allow thinner metal to be used. Similarly the pre-catalytic converter has been eliminated, lowering overall weight and reducing back pressure whilst still respecting strict Euro 5 and LEV2 emissions.

Gearbox

One of the important novelties on the 458 Italia is the introduction of the 7-speed F1 dual-clutch gearbox which guarantees faster yet smoother changes. The technology is based on the independent management of even and odd gears which are pre-selected using two separate input shafts. The gear shifting time (the overlap between the opening and closing phases of the two clutches) is zero and thus there is no interruption of engine torque to the driven wheels. Compared to the California gearbox, response times have been reduced and the 458 Italia has specific, sportier gear ratios to match the power and torque curves of the new V8, guaranteeing high torque even at lower revs. The E-Diff 3 electronic differential has also been integrated into the gearbox, resulting in a more compact and lighter unit.

Suspension and steering

The 458 Italia's front suspension employs a novel new double wishbone set-up which features an L-shape design for the lower wishbone, with the rearward facing arm longer than the one in line with the wheel axis to provide greater longitudinal flexibility. This in turn improves the car's ability to absorb bumps and it also reduces suspension noise.

Another benefit is in terms of greater transverse rigidity which improves handling. The same characteristics are shared by the new rear multi-link suspension and, combined with specific tyre development, overall vertical rigidity has thus been improved (+35 per cent with respect to the F430) for less body roll, and the engineers were able to introduce a more direct steering ratio (11.9° compared to the F430's 16.9°, a reduction of 30 per cent) which makes for quicker and more responsive steering on both road and track.

The 458 Italia also features the latest, second-generation Magnetorheological Suspension Control shock absorber system. Compared to the system first introduced on the 599 GTB Fiorano, SCM2 boasts an evolved ECU (-50 per cent input time) and a damper force generation time of 8 ms compared to the 599's 15 ms. There is also a new piston rod bushing in the damper which reduces internal friction (-35 per cent) for more precise small-bump control and improved ride comfort.

Vehicle dynamics and electronics

On the 458 Italia the E-Diff and F1-Trac control software are integrated in the same ECU. This minimises communication times between the two systems and, at the same time, the individual logics were evolved to improve vehicle performance.

A new Power On strategy has been developed for the E-DIff governing traction out of corners and is integrated with the F1-Trac logic, an evolution in the combined action of both systems which is also connected with the high-performance ABS control logic, which is specially set up for high-grip surfaces.

The electronic differential continuously distributes torque to the rear wheels, both in Power Off (turning in for the corner) and Power On (accelerating out of the corner), guaranteeing excellent vehicle stability and control in all driving conditions and on all surfaces. The E-Diff 3 now works in a more integrated manner with the F1-Trac, using a series of F1-Trac parameters and evaluations (such as estimates of grip) both in manettino positions in which the F1-Trac is inserted (Sport – Race) and those in which it is deactivated (CT Off and CST Off). Compared to previous versions, E-Diff 3 delivers improved torque distribution coming out of corners (in Sport, Race, CT Off and CST Off), which translates into improved grip, better roadholding and more progressive handling on the limit. The result is an improvement of 32 percent in longitudinal acceleration out of corners compared to previous models and a lap time at Fiorano of just 1" 25 seconds.

Chassis

The modular chassis is an all-new design. New alloys join the traditional aluminium, along with high-resistance aluminium extrusions, developed by the aviation industry, and innovative manufacturing processes, such as heat-forming. The aim was to keep weight down to the benefit of performance and handling. The result is a chassis with improved structural rigidity, with torsional rigidity up 15 per cent compared to the F430, and beam stiffness up 5 per cent.

Aerodynamics

Every Ferrari is the result of an uncompromising design approach that integrates styling and aerodynamic requirements. The Pininfarina design features compact, aerodynamic lines, underscoring the concepts of performance-oriented efficiency that inspired the project.

The nose features a single opening for the front grille and side air intakes, with aerodynamic sections and profiles designed to direct air to the coolant radiators and the new flat underbody. The nose also sports small aeroelastic winglets which generate downforce and, as speed rises, deform to reduce the section of the radiator intake and cut drag.

The oil radiators for the F1 gearbox and the dual-clutch are situated in the tail and air is fed from two intakes on the top of the rear wings. This solution provides a base bleed effect, an aerodynamic function that was developed by Ferrari for the FXX and which reduces drag by feeding the hot air out of the radiators under the nolder and into the slip stream. Using experience gained in aerodynamic development on the Ferrari F430 GT2, the flat underbody now incorporates the air intakes for engine bay cooling. These are positioned ahead of the rear wheelarches where they use pressure differences to efficiently channel air flow to the engine bay, at the same time generating more rear downforce.

The car's sills are characterised by two keel forms that act as fairings to the rear wheels, while the rear bodywork between the rear diffusers acts as the surround to the novel triple exhaust tail pipes, a styling cue that recalls the legendary F40 and gives the 458 Italia's tail an aggressive sporty stance. The engine, in mid-rear V8 Ferrari tradition, is visible below the engine cover.

Technical development of the car's shaped started using CFD (Computational Fluid- Dynamic) techniques which helped optimise the management and interaction of the internal flows prior to wind tunnel testing. The latter was carried out on Ferrari's rolling road facility using modular 1:3 scale models. The final solution chosen ensured adequate cooling to the running gear, while, at the same time, achieving a high level of aerodynamic efficiency (1.09) through excellent drag and downforce figures (Cd 0.33 and Cl 0.36 respectively) with 140 kg of downforce at 200 km/h and no less than 360 kg at top speed.

The front-mounted coolant radiators are trapezoidal in shape and positioned to minimise the impact of the internal cooling flows on drag and downforce. The oil radiators for the gearbox and clutch are are situated in the tail with air fed from two intakes on the top of the rear wings. The hot air from the radiators creates a base bleed effect, venting into the car's low-pressure trail below the nolder and reducing drag. The air intakes for engine bay cooling are situated on the aerodynamic underbody, where differences in pressure channel the air in the most efficient manner, and are positioned to increase rear downforce. Similarly air is channelled from the front air dam to the rear diffuser where the position and number of the fences has been developed to optimise the distribution of the vortex to improve rear downforce.

Technical specifications

Dimensions and Weight

Overall length

4527 mm (178.2 in.)

Overall width

1937 mm (76.3 in.)

Height

1213 mm (47.8 in.)

Wheelbase

2650 mm (104.3 in.)

Dry weight

1380 kg (3042 lbs)*

Weight/power ratio

2,42 kg/CV (7.16 lbs/kW)

Weight distribution fr/r

42%/58%

Engine

Type

V8 – 90°

Total displacement

4499 cc (274.5 cu in.)

Maximum power

570 CV (425 kW)** @ 9000 rpm

Maximum torque

540 Nm (398 lbs/ft) @ 6000 rpm

Specific power output

127 CV/l

Compression ratio

12.5:1

Tyres

Front

235/35 ZR20 8.5”

Rear

295/35 ZR20 10.5”

Performance

Maximum speed

>325 km/h (>202 mph)

0-100 km/h

<3.4 s

Fuel Consumption + Emissions

Fuel consumption***

13.3/100 km

Emissions***

307 g CO2/km

Gearbox

Dual-clutch, 7-speed F1

Electronics

E-Diff3, F1-Trac, high-performance ABS

Note

With forged wheels and Racing seats

Including 5 CV of ram effect

***

Combined cycle (ECE+EUDC)

Iran could have nuclear weapon by 2012: Britain

2011-01-31T12:45:00.000-08:00

LONDON: Western powers should work on the assumption that Iran could have a nuclear weapon by next year and an Israeli intelligence assessment of 2015 could be over-optimistic, British Defence Secretary Liam Fox said on Monday.

Meir Dagan, outgoing director of Israeli intelligence agency Mossad, said this month that Israel believed Iran would not be able to produce a nuclear bomb before 2015.

But Fox, answering questions in parliament, said Dagan was “wrong to insinuate that we should always look at the more optimistic end of the spectrum” of estimates of Iran’s nuclear capability.

“We know from previous experience, not least what happened in North Korea, that the international community can be caught out assuming that things are more rosy than they actually are,” he said.

“We should therefore be very clear that it is entirely possible that Iran may be on the 2012 end of that spectrum and act in accordance with that warning,” he said.

He did not say whether his statement was based on any intelligence assessment available to Britain, a close US ally and one of six powers that made no progress in talks with Iran this month on its nuclear programme.

“Iran does not yet have nuclear weapons, as assessed, however it does continue to pursue uranium enrichment and the construction of a heavy water reactor, both of which have military potential,” Fox said.

The UN Security Council has approved four rounds of sanctions against Tehran for refusing to freeze its uranium enrichment programme, which Western powers suspect is aimed at producing a nuclear weapon. Iran says its programme is for peaceful energy needs.

Dagan’s assessment was in line with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s caution about resorting to force against Iran, which has vowed to retaliate against Israel and US interests for any attack on its nuclear installations.

Dagan was contradicted last week by Israel’s chief of military intelligence, Major-General Aviv Kochavi, who said sanctions had not held up Iran’s nuclear programme and it could produce bombs within two years.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said Dagan’s assessment should not undercut international determination to keep pressure on Iran through sanctions. – Reuters

Exclusive Interview With Famous: Celine Dion

2011-01-31T12:29:00.000-08:00

She’s the biggest selling female artist of all time (seriously. This shit’s undisputed. Yes, more than Mariah), she’s mad as a box of hair, and we j’adore her like you wouldn’t believe. Or maybe you would. And we interviewed her in her suite in Vegas (and when we say suite, this place was bigger than an entire Barratt housing estate). These are the real life words – on drinks, drugs and the gays - from Celine Dion’s very own mouth…

Loving the whole new look with the huge hair and everything…

Thank you. You know, it’s not really risqué, because… maybe for me, because people are used to seeing me pretty much simpler, maybe, not as forward; I would have a shirt under my jacket. But I feel like I want to play, I want to have a good time. That hair is to play, that make-up is to play, and those songs are to play, and those things that we try on the album, and pictures, it’s just pictures. I’m doing it for fun, because I love doing it.

Do you mind that people say ‘she’s a bit geeky’?

What does that mean?

It means sort of like ‘a good girl’.

But I am a good girl. I’m such a good girl.

Have you got a naughty side?

I don’t think so. I’m that good. I’m a good girl. I’m not a troublemaker. I party when it’s time. I don’t do drugs. I don’t drink.

Have you ever done drugs?

Never.

Not even one little puff?

The only time I did one puff was in Holland, where it’s legal. And I went to a cafeteria with some girls, with the little boats and the canals and we stopped and I tried.

And…?

Nothing. No. But I didn’t choke. I took one puff and I said, ‘Ok, nothing happened!’ It was funny. It was for us like cheating. ’Oooh!’ You know, there might be paparazzi!

And you don’t drink at all?

Occasionally. Champagne, a glass of wine…

When were you last squiffy?

What is squiffy?

A little bit drunk.

The last time a little bit was at Pure [a Vegas nightclub], the last party we had at Pure and I think I had three tequilas, double tequilas.

Under the table!

[Laughs] Don’t start any trouble now!

The bad side of Celine Dion…

Yeah, she had three double tequilas! It was with Rene and we were both of us, ‘Woo, we should go home, so glad to have a chauffeur.’

Before you come out of the loo with your dress tucked in your knickers…!

No, I have a lot of people in my entourage, they do a good job! Of course. I was not drunk but I was a little bit like you said – squiffy. I like that word - I’ll try to remember it!

Have you ever seen a drag queen doing Celine Dion?

Actually, yes. A few. And I work with a lot of gay people as well. And I have to say that we do work pretty well together. I’m somebody who has a strong personality and I’m strong in my gestures and I think they like that from me.

Did you learn anything about yourself from the drag queen?

I’m not trying to really say ‘Oh my God, do I do that?’ No. I do look at what they do. Actually sometimes they make me laugh backstage, they put my stuff on and they do my gestures, and they try to make me laugh. It works!

Fire them!

You know what, I think gay people know how to have fun! And if you can’t have a good time and just play, it’s not worth it. You have to have a good time.

And what if your little boy turns out to be one of the boys?

I want him to be successful as a human being. I want my son to be able to talk to me. I’m with him, I wanted that son. If he’s a gay person, he’s not any less of my son, or any less happy for that.

Celine’s new single, ‘Eyes On Me’, is out today. Yey!

2011 ICC World Cup groups and schedule

2011-01-30T18:18:00.000-08:00

Group A: Australia, Pakistan, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe, Canada, Kenya

Group B: India, South Africa, England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Ireland, Netherlands

Saturday 19 Feb – Bangladesh v India, Dhaka

Sunday 20 Feb – New Zealand v Kenya, Chennai

Sunday 20 Feb – Sri Lanka v Canada, Hambantota

Monday 21 Feb – Australia v Zimbabwe, Ahmedabad

Tuesday 22 Feb – England v Netherlands, Nagpur

Wednesday 23 Feb – Pakistan v Kenya, Hambantota

Thursday 24 Feb – South Africa v West Indies, New Delhi

Friday 25 Feb – Australia v New Zealand, Nagpur

Friday 25 Feb – Bangladesh v Ireland, Dhaka

Saturday 26 Feb – Sri Lanka v Pakistan, Colombo

Sunday 27 Feb – India v England, Kolkata

Monday 28 Feb – West Indies v Netherlands, New Delhi

Monday 28 Feb – Zimbabwe v Canada, Nagpur

Tuesday 1 Mar – Sri Lanka v Kenya, Colombo

Wednesday 2 Mar – England v Ireland, Bangalore

Thursday 3 Mar – South Africa v Netherlands, Mohali

Thursday 3 Mar – Pakistan v Canada, Colombo

Friday 4 Mar – New Zealand v Zimbabwe, Ahmedabad

Friday 4 Mar – Bangladesh v West Indies, Dhaka

Saturday 5 Mar – Sri Lanka v Australia, Colombo

Sunday 6 Mar – India v Ireland, Bangalore

Sunday 6 Mar – England v South Africa, Chennai

Monday 7 Mar – Kenya v Canada, New Delhi

Tuesday 8 Mar – Pakistan v New Zealand, Pallekele

Wednesday 9 Mar – India v Netherlands, New Delhi

Thursday 10 Mar – Sri Lanka v Zimbabwe, Pallekele

Friday 11 Mar – West Indies v Ireland, Mohali

Friday 11 Mar – Bangladesh v England, Chittagong

Saturday 12 Mar – India v South Africa, Nagpur

Sunday 13 Mar – New Zealand v Canada, Mumbai

Sunday 13 Mar – Australia v Kenya, Bangalore

Monday 14 Mar – Pakistan v Zimbabwe, Pallekele

Monday 14 Mar – Bangladesh v Netherlands, Chittagong

Tuesday 15 Mar – South Africa v Ireland, Kolkata

Wednesday 16 Mar – Australia v Canada, Bangalore

Thursday 17 Mar – England v West Indies, Chennai

Friday 18 Mar – Sri Lanka v New Zealand, Mumbai

Friday 18 Mar – Ireland v Netherlands, Kolkata

Saturday 19 Mar – Australia v Pakistan, Colombo

Saturday 19 Mar – Bangladesh v South Africa, Dhaka

Sunday 20 Mar – Zimbabwe v Kenya, Kolkata

Sunday 20 Mar – India v West Indies, Chennai

Wednesday 23 Mar – First quarter-final, Dhaka

Thursday 24 Mar – Second quarter-final, Colombo

Friday 25 Mar – Third quarter-final, Dhaka

Saturday 26 Mar – Fourth quarter-final, Ahmedabad

Tuesday 29 Mar – First semi-final, Colombo

Wednesday 30 Mar – Second semi-final, Mohali

Saturday 2 April – Final, Mumbai

iPhone and iPad Application Development: Applications and Designs Suiting the Modern Business

2011-01-30T17:28:00.000-08:00

Nowadays, mobile sets are not a medium of telecommunication, but have become one of the potential tools having additional functionalities. Customized iPhone Applications can be developed using iPhone SDK platform. This has greatly improved the performance of iPhones. iPhone OS is the most powerful & advanced mobile operating system for developing powerful iPhone applications.

There are many firms which are involved in making iPhone Applications to make them customized iPhones. Advanced mobile applications provide the users with a number of friendly applications suiting the modern business requirements and satisfying them to the optimum extent. With leveraging technology, the expert developers make innovative iPhone applications that connect the idea to business. With sophisticated iPhone Application Development tools we can create world-class applications and design optimized web sites for iPhone. iPhone Mobile Application Development include iPhone Web Application Development, iPhone Business Development, iPhone Games Development, iPhone SDK Development, iPhone Social Networking Development and iPhone CMS Development. They successfully completed the industry projects within the defined time limits with their proven efficiency.

They tend to build the world's most innovative mobile operating system with easy user-interface design and develop scalable iPhone applications. iPhone Application Development that proves to be a big success to the users with a fine set of feasible solutions & latest applications.

iPad has proved as a revolutionary device which has launched in the mobile market. It is re-named as the larger version of iPhone as it has a wide look of the multi-touch screen. This screen gives its users, huge display of the features and applications turning it to an exclusive new device. The in-built apps of iPad give to users. iPad Application Development has been a brilliant invention. It supports a lot many new applications and works just the same as a modern desktop computer. The users get the wide touch screen while it takes the concept of computer to next level.

Different applications are made using the distinctive features of iPad are:

• iPad Games Applications Development

• iPad Multimedia Applications Development

• iPad Travel Applications Development

• iPad Utility Applications Development

• iPad Entertainment Applications Development

• iPad E-Books Application Development

• iPad Social Networking Application Development

iPad's talented developers extend it's application architecture and built a complete user-friendly application for the ease of users. It comes with simple and quick business applications with huge number of technical apps. As iPad is a target for apps starting from desktop applications to iPhone applications, the developers design highly creative iPad applications with the changing needs of audience. iPad Application developers have profound experience in making apps related to various fields such as business, entertainment, games, web connectivity, email, ebooks, publishing videos, etc.

Along with iPhone Application & iPad Application Development, the application development companies also make BlackBerry Application Development, Symbain Application Development, Windows Mobile Application Development, J2ME based Mobile Application Development and Andriod Application Development. All these mobile are also built with new applications from simple application level to complex application levels. By receiving the best and topmost quality apps, users get excellent applications to explore through various devices.

ACCA Brings Finance Employers and Trainees Together through Talent Gymanisum

2011-01-30T17:23:00.001-08:00

ACCA Pakistan today organised Talent Gymnasium, an exciting event that served as a unique platform for dual objectives of honing professional skills of finance and accounting trainees and bringing together ACCA’s key employers and talented trainees in Islamabad.

The Talent Gymnasium featured a perfect mix of professional skills workshops on interpersonal skills and team skills led by Sohail Zindani and Shireen Naqvi respectively. The workshops served as a tool for ACCA trainees to realise their potential to excel in their professional careers.

The workshops were followed by an intriguing discussion forum on ‘Talent Management for Generation Y’ moderated by Fasi Zaka and led by experts from private and public sectors including ICI Pakistan, Lakson Tobacco Company Limited, Coca Cola Beverages Pakistan Limited, KPMG Taseer Hadi & Co. Chartered, Packages Limited, Ernst & Young Ford Rhodes Sidat Hyder & Co. Chartered Accountants, Telenor Pakistan Pvt Limited, Auditor General of Pakistan and Askari Commercial Bank Limited. The discussion presented a wake-up call for employers of finance professionals to embrace the career aspirations of the youngest generation and offer dynamic career routes that capitalise on their finance skills, or risk losing future talent.

Speaking on the occasion Haroon A Jan, Head of Business Development ACCA Pakistan said, “The general perception about accountants is that they are skilled individuals, focused and perhaps the best in technical skills. Recent trends show that particularly in the accounting and finance function, instead of mere number crunchers, employers look for individuals with an overall understanding of the business, analytical capabilities and awareness about all dimensions of business risks. The ACCA qualification incorporates and gives equal importance to technical and professional skills as we seek to develop professionals who excel at all levels of the corporate ladder.”