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WaveRider hypersonic jet targets Mach 6

2012-08-14T17:17:00.001-07:00

WaveRider hypersonic jet targets Mach 6

Hypersonic jet WaveRider is to undergo another test flight above the Pacific Ocean aiming to reach Mach 6.

At this speed - more than 4,300mph (6,900km/h) - it could travel from London to New York in about an hour.

The project is funded by the Pentagon and Nasa, and is part of plans to develop faster missiles.

During a test in June 2011, WaveRider travelled at Mach 5, but failed to reach the target speed.

It is one of several projects currently under way to create a hypersonic aircraft.

The research could also be used to build a commercial plane, able to reach much higher speeds than today's jets, after Concorde was decommissioned in 2003.

Five-minute flight

A B-52 bomber will lift the wingless unmanned jet from US Edwards Air Force Base in California to 50,000 feet (15,250m).

The craft will then be dropped, and after a free fall of about four seconds, its engine is supposed to ignite.

Analysis

Jonathan MarcusBBC defence correspondent

While it's the prospect of rapid transatlantic flight that has caught the headlines, the technology in the X-51A WaveRider could have a potent military application too.

If it works, then this engine technology could power the world's first hypersonic cruise missile.

The Pentagon's ambitious Prompt Global Strike programme has the goal of enabling the US military to strike a target anywhere on Earth within an hour. The WaveRider could make such a goal a reality.

X-51A WaveRider should then climb to 70,000ft (21,300m) and eventually reach Mach 6.

The Mach number is the ratio of the speed of an object to the speed of sound. Mach 1 is the speed of sound - approximately 768mph, depending on various factors including temperature and altitude.

So Mach 6 is six times the speed of sound. Concorde's cruising speed was Mach 2 - it flew from London to New York in just over three hours.

The WaveRider test flight is expected to last for about five minutes. At the end of it, the aircraft will break into pieces and fall into the Pacific.

The test is essentially a repeat of last summer's attempt, when the hypersonic aircraft reached Mach 5, but the engine failed to attain full power.

Concorde's legacy?

European aerospace and defence giant EADS believes that hypersonic passenger flights are likely to appear in the near future. In 2011, EADS presented its own concept of a commercial high-speed aircraft designed to fly at Mach 4.

The Filton Concorde was the last of the fleet to fly when the jet was withdrawn from service

"The business community who wanted to be in New York in three hours made Concorde highly viable, and now there's interest on both sides of the Atlantic to jump a generation and go from supersonic flight to hypersonic flight," EADS' vice-president of business development, Peter Robbie, told the BBC.

"Such an aircraft will be very expensive, of course, because of the enormous amounts of energy that is required to get to such speeds.

"But the idea of going from Tokyo to Paris in two-and-a-half hours is very attractive for the business and political community - and I think that by about 2050, there may be a viable commercial aircraft."

In August 2011, US military scientists attempted to get another unmanned hypersonic experimental aircraft to reach Mach 20 - 20 times the speed of sound.

However, they lost contact with the Falcon Hypersonic Test Vehicle 2 (HTV-2) after it had separated from its rocket.

Surfthechannel owner sentenced after piracy conviction

2012-08-14T12:44:00.004-07:00

Surfthechannel owner sentenced after piracy conviction

The owner of Surfthechannel.com - a site that provided links to illegally copied TV shows and films - has been sentenced to four years in jail.

It used to be one of the UK's most popular sources of pirated content.

Anton Vickerman, from Gateshead, had designed the service's pages, hiring others to source material and carry out other back-end functions.

The 38-year-old was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud in June for "facilitating" copyright infringement.

The maximum sentence that could have been given at Newcastle Crown Court would have been 10 years.

Surfthechannel.com had acted as an index of professionally made online videos - both legal and illegal - encouraging its users to send in new links and check that they worked.

However, it did not host the video files itself, but instead pointed visitors to other sites including Megavideo and China's Tudou.

The Federation Against Copyright Theft (Fact) said that at its height in 2009 the site attracted more than 400,000 visitors a day, generating more than £35,000 in advertising revenue a month.

Private investigator

Mr Vickerman ran the site through a limited company, called Scopelight, which sent earnings to a bank account in Latvia.

He was arrested after Fact and the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America) hired a private investigator who took photographs of Mr Vickerman's home and computer equipment in July 2008 after pretending to be interested in buying the property.

Police raided the house a month later, arresting Mr Vickerman and his wife.

Kelly Vickerman was found not guilty by the jury.

Despite the arrests Surfthechannel continued to operate and only went offline in May, coinciding with the start of the trial.

Fact welcomed the case's outcome.

"Mr Vickerman knew what he was doing from the outset, having been involved in the pirate community for some time," said the organisation's director general, Kieron Sharp.

"This was not a passive search engine. Surfthechannel was created specifically to make money from criminal activity and it became the biggest site of its kind on the internet within two years.

"The sentencing indicates the severity of the offences committed and the sophistication of his criminal enterprise and should send a very strong message to those running similar sites that they can be found, arrested and end up in prison."

But others have expressed concern that Mr Vickerman was found guilty of conspiracy to defraud rather than being prosecuted for copyright infringement.

The Techdirt blog has described the law as being "vague" and noted that the charge had previously been unsuccessfully levelled against the owners of Oink and tv-links.co.uk - sites which had also offered indexes of links to pirated material.

Conrad Black ordered back to prison

2011-06-25T11:32:00.000-07:00

Conrad Black ordered back to prison

Black's empire once included the Daily Telegraph and the Chicago Sun-Times

A US judge has resentenced former media tycoon Conrad Black to 42 months in prison for fraud and obstruction.

The Canadian-born British peer is likely to serve just 13 months because of time already served.
He was convicted in 2007 of defrauding shareholders in media holding company Hollinger of $6.1m (£3.8m) but freed in 2010 after the US Supreme Court court found an anti-corruption law unconstitutional.
The court let two other charges stand.
In Chicago on Friday, US District Court Judge Amy St Eve ruled that when Black was released in July, more than two years into a six-and-a-half year term, he had not yet served enough time in prison to remain at liberty.
'Greed and lies' But she rejected prosecutors' request to sentence him to the same term once again. Imposing that sentence again would have left Black with about four-and-a-half more years to serve.
"He fails to acknowledge his central role in destroying Hollinger International through greed and lies, instead blaming the government and others for what he describes as an unjust persecution," prosecutors said recently.
Black, 66, once controlled a media empire that included the Daily Telegraph in the UK, the Chicago Sun-Times and other newspapers in the US and Canada.
But in 2007, he and three other Hollinger International executives were convicted of defrauding shareholders of $6.1m.
Prosecutors said Black defrauded investors by paying himself a tax-free bonus from the sale of newspaper assets without the approval of the company's board.
Black's convictions rested partly on the idea that he had deprived Hollinger of his honest services as a corporate officer.
In June 2010, the US Supreme Court found that "honest services" law unconstitutionally vague, ruling the law could apply only to cases where bribes and kickbacks had changed hands.

Saudi Shi'ite activist arrested - rights group

2011-06-25T11:28:00.000-07:00

Saudi Shi'ite activist arrested - rights group

Fadhil Makki al-Manasif

Saudi Arabia has detained a Shi'ite activist in the oil - producing eastern province for taking part in demonstrations، Human Rights Watch said on Tuesday.
It said Fadhil al - Manasif was arrested on May 1 in Awwamiyya، where minority Shi'ite Muslims staged small protests in March to complain of discrimination - - a charge the government denies - - and the detention those critical of the government.
"The latest arrests of peaceful dissidents brings the climate for reform in Saudi Arabia to freezing point، " Christoph Wilcke، senior Middle East researcher at Human Rights Watch، said in a statement.
"The Saudi ruling family has shown no signs that it might ease its iron grip on the right to express political opinions. "
The Sunni Muslim monarchy of Saudi Arabia، the world's top oil exporter and major U. S. ally، does not tolerate any form of dissent.
Interior Ministry spokesman Mansour al - Turki said: "Joining or calling for demonstrations is banned and those in violation of the ban are dealt with in accordance to Saudi Arabia's regulations. "
The Gulf Arab country has not seen the kind of mass uprisings other countries in the region have over the past few months، and a planned day of protest on March 11 failed to draw any significant numbers to the streets in Riyadh amid a heavy security presence.
Al - Manasif had documented، in writing and pictures، the demonstrations in the eastern province calling for more human rights and demanding the release of jailed relatives who protesters say have been held for years without a trial.
An earlier report by the rights group said Saudi authorities had arrested more than 160 activists between February and April and activists say that arrests continue to be made.

Sony suspends SOE gaming following PlayStation hack

2011-05-02T13:36:00.000-07:00

Sony suspends SOE gaming following PlayStation hack

Sony Online Entertainment's Fortune League is a Facebook-based multiplayer game

Sony has suspended another of its online gaming systems, following the recent PlayStation Network hack.

The company took the Sony Online Entertainment (SOE) service offline as part of its wider investigation into security breaches.
Multiplayer games including DC Universe and Facebook-based Fortune League were unavailable as a result.
Sony admitted last week that the personal details of 77m PlayStation users may have been stolen by hackers.
The suspension of SOE was announced in brief statement on its website, Station.com.
"We have had to take the SOE service down temporarily.
"In the course of our investigation into the intrusion into our systems we have discovered an issue that warrants enough concern for us to take the service down effective immediately. We will provide an update later today (Monday)," it said.
Last week, Sony said that it did not believe SOE users had been affected by the PlayStation Network hack.
A community relations spokesperson wrote on one of Sony's support forums at the time: "We have been conducting a thorough investigation and, to the best of our knowledge, no customer personal information got out to any unauthorized person or persons.
"We are continuing that investigation and monitoring the situation carefully; should the situation change, we will - of course - promptly notify you."
Sony Online Entertainment designs and publishes online multiplayer games for the PC, PlayStation 3 and, in the case of Fortune League, Facebook.
PlayStation Network As Sony's investigation continued, the company promised that it would get the PlayStation network up-and-running again this week.
It said users would see a phased re-introduction of gaming, movie and music download services.
PlayStation Network has been unavailable since 20 April.
Sony revealed last week that hackers may have stolen users' personal information, including e-mail addresses, passwords and dates of birth.
It warned that credit card details could also have been taken, but said that particular data was encrypted.

Shares lose gains that followed Bin Laden's death

2011-05-02T13:29:00.000-07:00

Shares lose gains that followed Bin Laden's death

Click to play

Stock markets have been volatile in past weeks

Shares in New York have reversed their early gains, which followed US President Barack Obama's announcement that Osama Bin Laden had been killed.

Half way through the trading day, the the Dow Jones was barely changed.
The benchmark US oil contract earlier fell by more than 2.5% before recovering as investors questioned whether Bin Laden's death would ease political tensions.
Gold prices also initially fell, before rebounding towards another record high.
Silver prices bucked the trend, falling by as much as 11%.
Analysts said that Bin Laden's death could reduce security risks and would help lift consumer sentiment in the US.
But they warned that it would do little to ease the longer-term risks hanging over the US and global economies.
"There is some feel-good value and the market will like that," said Chip Hanlon of Delta Global Advisors.
But he added: "It doesn't change much about the energy situation and doesn't change much about the ongoing battle with radical Islamists."
In Asia, Japan's Nikkei 225 index gained 1.6%, closing above the 10,000 level for the first time since mid-March, when the country was struck by a deadly earthquake and tsunami.
In Europe, London's FTSE 100 was closed for a public holiday, but in Paris the Cac40 closed up 1.9 points at 4,108.8 which in Frankfurt the Dax closed up 13.2 points at 7,527.6.
Several stock markets in Asia, including in China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia and Thailand, were also closed for a public holiday on Monday.
Cheaper crude
Oil prices fell in early trading in Europe, but rallied after they opened in New York.
They have been pushed to near record levels in recent weeks by the fighting in Libya, and political instability in the Middle East.

“Start Quote

Any easing we might see in oil or gold markets, in my view, will be short-lived”

David Lennox Fat Prophets

At the same time, producer countries such as Saudi Arabia have increased their output in an effort to ease fears of a supply squeeze.

Analysts said the earlier rise in markets reflected a willingness by investors to put money into riskier assets, in the belief that Bin Laden's death had removed some of the uncertainties hanging over world events.
"There is always a reaction in commodities to news of this nature," said David Lennox of Fat Prophets.
"The markets will always react quickly, and in this case it is someone who has been held out as the father of all terrorism.
But any easing we might see in oil or gold markets, in my view, will be short-lived. The longer-term impact will not be substantial."
Greater threat? But some analysts said Bin Laden's death might actually incite more violence around the world.
"The immediate thing is how it will affect US assets: its embassies, personnel and physical installations," said Arjuna Mahendran, chief strategist at HSBC Private Bank.
"Does it raise the threat level? That's the key thing. I think it does."
The US state department has cautioned its embassies and citizens against the possibility of reprisals from al-Qaeda, the organisation that Bin Laden started and led.
The department has also issued a worldwide travel alert warning of greater potential for anti-American violence.

Where Did That Book Go?

2011-05-01T10:18:00.000-07:00

Where Did That Book Go?

Samuel was back at the thrift shop. He had walked into The shop with only one goal in mind to find a book that he had NOT bought yesterday.

The book was one of seven that he had piled up yesterday. He was changed his mind. He put all seven back on the shelf.

Samuel had a personal library at home that exceeded 1,000 books-almost all unread. He subscribed to seven magazines and one daily newspaper. Samuel had more reading material in his small apartment than he could finish in two lifetimes, yet his urge to buy more books raged on.

He finally put his foot down. Not onw more book, he told himself, unless it was really special. Yesterday's book fit the bill. It was a biography of one of his favorite authors Stephen King. King is one of America's most popular fiction authors. But it wasn't easy for King; early in his career, he got hundreds of rejection slips. Samuel wanted to be a great writer. King was his role model.

Samuel immediately found one of the books he had piled up yesterday, and then another one. All right, he thought. This was going to be easy. In minutes, he found all the books that he had held in his hands yesterday, except one the Stephen King book. Gee, what a surprise, he thought. The one book that I want to find is the one book that I can't find.

Samuel took a walk throughout the store, knowing that people often pick up merchandise in one place and then leave it in another place. The book was a thick paperback with a red cover. But it was nowhere to be found.

So for Samuel, the Big Hunt was on. He was now a man on a mission. Every thrift shop he went to would involve a search for the King book. This new search added purpose to his thrift shop life.

Samuel had geld something special in his hands. But only when he let it go did he realize its value. When he found it again, he would place the King book prominently on his bookshelf. It would almost certainly be his favorite book that he never got around to reading.

Bakery Products and Supplies

2011-04-01T04:52:00.000-07:00

Bakery Products and Supplies


Bakery Products

Sourcing the right bakery products and supplies is indispensable for the proper functioning of your bakery.

The right bakery accessories go a long way in easing baking tasks and turning out delicious treats.

The Right Kind if Baking Containers
Bakery products like cakes,biscuits, pastry, bread, crackers and so on are popular the world over. Baking is impossible without the right kind of containers. These come in the form of trays, baking boxes and waxed baking cups. Cake circles, both corrugated and plain, are durable bases for bakery goods and pizza. Baking supplies can be found in a range of designs and features. Dry waxed fluted baking cups are useful for their non-stick propety which eliminates the need for greasing. Heavyweight release treated bakery pan liners come in handy when non-waxed cups are used. Lining baking pans with thest pan liners releases baked goods without sticking. The liner can be reused so that the cost per bake is liwer and there is less wastage.

Packaging Bakery Products
Baked foodstuff has to be stored safely to retain its flavor and freshness. There are different kinds of packaging available for bakery products. For indtance, Deli patty paper provides the solution for interleving fresh meats and cheeses and can also serve as a pick up sheet. The dry waxed deli patty paper sheets are a healthy solution as they absorb grease and moisture and yet stay together. They also come off easily from fresh food. High Density Deli Sheets ands Deli Wrap Sheets are some of the other options to meet the safe food storage needs of your bakeries.

Different kinds of tissues are also an integral part of the bakery business. Most bkeries have a ready stock of lightweight, dry waxed tissue interfolded for pop-up convenience. It is used to handle all goods without touching the product and comes with a clear over-coat to safeguard against dirt and grease. It can also serve as a hot dog wrapper, basket liner, food interleaver, box liner or light duty sandwich wrapper.

Plan Your Purchase
If you are in the bakery business, the best way to go about purchasing bakery products and supplies is to draw up a list of all that you need, including sizes and specifications. Placfing wholesale orders from online dealers is ideal as you can avail of quantity discounts.

Japan's new vehicle sales plunge in aftermath of quake

2011-04-01T00:08:00.001-07:00

Japan's auto sector has been one of the hardest hit by the earthquake and tsunami

Sales of new vehicles in Japan have plunged in the aftermath of the earthquake and tsunami that hit the country's north-east coast.

Automobile sales in March fell by 37% compared with the same month a year ago.

Japan's auto sector has been hit hard by the quake, with production at biggest auto manufacturers halted due to a shortage of parts and power cuts.

Toyota led the falls with its sales down 46%.

Nissan's sales slumped 38% while Honda's fell 28%.

The earthquake and tsunami on 11 March caused widespread damage to Japan's infrastructure.

There have been concerns that the breakdown of supply chain and shortfall of parts will dent profits at Japan's carmakers.

The latest numbers are the first indications of the extent of damage to the sector.

Earlier on Friday, Toyota president Akio Toyoda warned that the suspension of production at its factories would hurt the company's profits

What's Corporate Funding Really About?

2011-03-31T23:42:00.001-07:00

What's Corporate Funding Really About?

Many have seen the overwhelming marketing ploys around the internet, especially on Craigslist. With the downturn in the economy, businesses are struggling to stay afloat. Capoital has been king in thid volatile environment and this is no where near the end. As a business oowner or entrepreneur , you are finding ways to make ends meet. Many have liquidated assets to keep employees, some have "trimmed the fat" and laid employees off.

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Over the last 10 years, the market hasn't been the best friend of business owners. Everything from healthcare to taxes, it has become a challenge to run a business . well, this was my goal, to tell the average business owner that "everything's going to be all right" as Bob Marley once extremely affordable. I was in the same shoed many years
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WinRAR 4.00 Beta 4 software , Download

2011-02-10T00:44:00.000-08:00

WinRAR 4.00 Beta 4 software , Download

Size : 3.1 mb

Program Description

WinRAR - one of the most popular archivers. The fact that he supports the backup format RAR, it probably explains not. In addition, the program can work with archives ZIP, CAB, ARJ, LZH, TAR, GZ, ACE 2.0, BZIP, JAR, UUE, GZIP, BZIP2 and 7-Zip, while it has many very useful features - encryption, support of continuous (solid) archives, in which the compression ratio can be 10 - 50% more than the usual methods of special compression algorithm compresses multimedia files, support of multivolume archives, and many others

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Fundamentals of English Grammar Interactive

2011-02-09T11:56:00.000-08:00

Fundamentals of English Grammar Interactive , Download

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Learner Support – Easy access to information through pop-up notes and grammar charts with clear examples and explanations of key points.
Ongoing Assessment – Students can monitor their progress through immediate feedback on practice exercises chapter tests, and score reports.

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Understanding and Using English Grammar Interactive , download

2011-02-09T11:50:00.000-08:00

Understanding and Using English Grammar Interactive , download

Betty Azar and Rachel Spack Koch
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program LANGMaster The Heinemann TOEFL - Exam Preparation Cour to get Tofel

2011-02-07T02:20:00.000-08:00

program LANGMaster The Heinemann TOEFL - Exam Preparation Cour to get Tofel

size : 650 MB

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Japan and Australia to talk trade amid farm sector row

2011-02-06T22:53:00.000-08:00

Japan and Australia to talk trade amid farm sector row

Japan is hoping trade deals will help boost its growth rate and create jobs

Japan and Australia will hold talks in Tokyo on Monday aimed at securing Japan's first free-trade agreement with a major agricultural exporter.

Negotiations fell apart last April over calls to open up Japan's farming sector.
For years Japan has protected its inefficient farming industry, and has put high tariffs on imports.
But Japan's sluggish economy could be causing a shift in policy and thinking, analysts said.
"There has been some change in attitude, even in the strong farmer lobby groups," said Akio Okawara of the Sumito Research Institute.
"There is a realisation that they have to be a little accommodating. Japan needs to change."
Cultural traditions Japan cites food security and cultural reasons for its protection of the farming sector.

It has placed heavy tariffs on imported products such as grains. On rice the import levy is 800%, while on wheat it is 250%.

According to the BBC's Phil Mercer in Sydney, one Australian farming representative said the position taken by Japan's Ministry of Agriculture during previous rounds of talks had reflected the sensibilities of many Japanese farmers.
The representative said Japan's farmers were "old and very conservative".
Estimates put about half of Japan's farmers at more than 65 years of age.
Stalled talks Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan has said he wants to prioritise trade to boost Japan's economy.
Bilateral trade between Australia and Japan is worth about $60bn (£37bn) annually.
Some analysts say that while Japan is still keen to protect its domestic markets, it has other needs that may prompt it to make compromises at the negotiating table.
Roland Buerk, the BBC's correspondent in Tokyo, says Japan would welcome greater access to Australia's vast supply of raw materials, particularly uranium for nuclear power generation.
Japan is also heavily dependent on other imports to meet its energy needs.
"If the talks don't result in an agreement it might not hurt Japan's economy in the short term but in the long run Japan needs to open up its markets," said Mr Okawara of the Sumito Research Institute.
Trade Landscape

Japan's protectionist measures on the farming industry caused talks to break down in April

Analysts say the bilateral trade talks with Australia are a test-case for Japan.
In June, Prime Minister Kan will have to decide whether or not to take part in a trans-Pacific free-trade agreement.
The US has taken the lead on this pact and it involves eight other countries.
But for Japan to take part, the government would have to agree to open up many more of its barriers to trade.
Left behind?
Many of Japan's trade rivals in the region have been marching ahead with deals aimed at boosting sales and economic growth.
Last year South Korea inked free-trade deals with the US and the European Union giving its electronics and car companies better access to those markets.
Analysts said that this put further pressure on Japanese companies and had amplified the threat of them being left behind in a competitive global marketplace.
Not least because China has also signed trade deals with the US and is expected to overtake Japan as the world's second-largest economy later this year.

Egypt protesters unmoved by talks

2011-02-06T22:49:00.000-08:00

Egypt protesters unmoved by talks

Hundreds of people are resisting attempts by the army to restore order to Tahrir Square

Talks between the Egyptian government and opposition groups on tackling the country's political crisis have failed to end protests in central Cairo.

Crowds of protesters, who have occupied the city's Tahrir Square for two weeks, say they will only leave when President Hosni Mubarak stands down.
The government offered a series of concessions at Sunday's talks, but the opposition said they were not enough.
US President Obama has said Egypt will not "go back to what it was".
Opposition groups met members of the government on Sunday to discuss how to resolve the stand-off which has paralysed the country and left some 300 people dead.
Vice-President Omar Suleiman hosted the talks. Six groups were represented, including a coalition of youth organisations, a group of "wise men" and the banned Muslim Brotherhood in its first ever meeting with the government.

Egyptian state TV said the participants had agreed to form a joint committee of judicial and political figures tasked with suggesting constitutional amendments.

But opposition leaders said they were sceptical of the government's motives and that the measures did not go far enough.
The Muslim Brotherhood said it would only take part in future talks if the government made progress on meeting its demands that Mr Mubarak resign, parliament be resolved, emergency laws lifted and all political prisoners released.
Senior Brotherhood figure Essam el-Erian told reporters the authorities had responded to some of the demands but only in "a superficial way."
'Grapple with reality' Leading opposition figure Mohamed ElBaradei - who was not at the talks but sent a representative to meet Vice-President Suleiman separately - described the process as "opaque".
He said he was proposing a one-year transitional period where Egypt would be run by a three-member presidential council as it prepared for elections.
President Mubarak has so far refused to resign, saying that to do so would cause chaos. He has instead said he will not stand for re-election in September.
But US President Barack Obama has insisted that an "orderly transition" must begin immediately.
In an interview with Fox news on Sunday, he said: "The Egyptian people want freedom, they want free and fair elections, they want a representative government, and so what we've said is, you have to start a transition now."

He added that the US could not dictate to Mr Mubarak what he should do, but that it could advise him "the time is now for you to start making a change in that country".

Later on Sunday, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton appeared to caution Egypt against a rush to replace its leader of 30 years.
"As I understand the constitution, if the president were to resign, he would be succeeded by the speaker of the house, and presidential elections would have to be held in 60 days," she said.
"Now the Egyptians are going to have to grapple with the reality of what they must do."
Mrs Clinton also praised Mr Mubarak for the compromises he had already put in place, including his pledge that neither he nor his son, Gamal, would run for office in the next elections.

Muslim Brotherhood

Egypt's oldest and largest Islamist organisation
Founded by Hassan al-Banna in 1928
Has influenced Islamist movements worldwide
Mixes political activism with charity work
Banned from open political activity
Rejects use of violence and supports democratic principles
Wants to create a state governed by Islamic law
Slogan: "Islam is the Solution"

It was widely believed that Gamal Mubarak was being groomed to take over the leadership from his father.

"They have to be viewed as an important set of steps that he has taken," the AFP news agency quoted Mrs Clinton as saying.
Tens of thousands again joined demonstrations in Cairo and other cities on Sunday, although the authorities have been attempting to restore a sense of normality to the capital.
The government is seeking to revive an economy said to be losing at least $310m (£192m) a day.
Many shops, factories and the stock exchange have been closed, and basic goods have been running short.
On Sunday banks in Cairo opened for the first time in a week, drawing long queues as people waited to withdraw money.
Correspondents say many Egyptians have been wondering how quickly daily life will return to normal regardless of the outcome of the struggle for power.

Rules and examples to help you make simple sentences

2011-02-06T10:24:00.000-08:00

Rules and examples to help you make simple sentences

To make a sentence you need three things:

1. A sentence is a group of words that makes sense on its own.

Cheese, car, house, table on Tuesday.
This isn't a sentence - it doesn't make sense.

I parked my car next to my house.
This is a sentence. You can understand what it means. It makes sense on its own.

2. When you are writing you need to use the right sentence punctuation.
Using punctuation will show the person who is reading your writing where the sentences begin and end.

A sentence must begin with a capital letter.
A sentence must end with a full-stop (.), a question mark (?), or an exclamation mark (!).

BEWARE! Sometimes people confuse the punctuation to use at the end of a sentence. You can use commas (,), colons (:) or semicolons (;) in your writing, but they should never be used instead of a full-stop.

3. A sentence also needs two kinds of words in it:

A sentence must have a VERB (a doing word).
e.g. like, is, cooking, walked, need.
A sentence must also have a SUBJECT. This is the person, or the thing, that is doing the verb.
e.g. I, Beppe, Tuesday, dog, you, table, the weather,.

Here are some examples of sentences that show you the verbs and the subjects:
Last week Peggy redecorated the pub.
Are you hungry yet?
Martin , be quiet.
Tuesday was very rainy and cold.

Other things to know about sentences:
Sentences can be very short, or very long. There is no correct number of words that should be in a sentence. The length of the sentence depends on what you want to say and the effect you want to get.
BEWARE! If your sentences go on for many lines, make sure that you haven't really put several sentences together as one sentence.

It's important to remember that you don't always need to write in sentences. For example, a shopping list doesn't need sentences, but a job application does.

When to use commas

2011-02-06T10:15:00.000-08:00

When to use commas

We use commas in two main ways:

Commas separate the items in a list.
Sometimes these items are real things.
E.g. I need some pens, pencils, paper and a calculator before I start my class.
I must buy some eggs, milk, sugar and tea.

Sometimes these items are things you do, or places you go.
E.g. Yesterday I went to work, played badminton, went to the pub and then went to bed.
I'm going to spend my holiday walking on the beach, sleeping in the sun and reading my book.

BEWARE!
Always make sure you use and to separate the last two items in your list.
Make sure that you don't use a comma before the word and at the end of your list.

Don't use commas where you should use a full-stop. If the words could stand alone as a proper sentence then you need to put a full-stop or a joining word ('and', 'but' etc) in and not a comma.
'Yesterday I went to work, I walked the dog, I went shopping and I washed the car.'
This doesn't work as these could all stand alone as proper short sentences. If you want to write them as a list (for example, to show you were in a hurry, or that you had a lot to do) take out the 'I'.
'Yesterday I went to work, walked the dog, went shopping and washed the car.'

Commas mark out the less important part of a sentence.
This is a useful way to make your sentences more interesting by adding extra information.
E.g. The car, which was parked by the light, had a dog in the back seat.
This sentence is about the car and the dog, it's not about where the car was parked.

Tony, his mum's favourite, was given chocolate cake for tea.
This sentence is about Tony eating chocolate cake. We don't need 'his mum's favourite' for the sentence to make sense, it's extra information.

Rajinda, the youngest in the family, is about to get married.
This sentence is about Rajinda getting married, it's not about her position in the family.

HOW CAN I CHECK?
A quick way to check this second use of commas is to see if the sentence makes sense without the words between the commas.
The first sentence -
'The car, which was parked by the light, had a dog in the back seat.'
would become
'The car ____ had a dog in the back seat.'
This sentence makes sense so the commas are in the right places.

What are adjectives?

2011-02-06T10:11:00.000-08:00

What are adjectives?

Adjectives are describing words - they tell you more about nouns.
Nouns are 'naming' words, they are a person, place or thing.

Adjectives tell you more about the noun. Using adjectives makes your sentences more interesting.

The pretty girls laughed.
In this sentence:
'girls' is the noun (it says who's laughing).
'pretty' is the adjective (it says more about the noun).

Here are some more sentences with nouns and adjectives.

The fat captain ate dinner.
Sam is blonde and gorgeous.
Old Hani and I drove up the big hill.

Remember that adjectives tell you about the noun, they describe the noun. Don't confuse adjectives with adverbs. Adverbs describe the verb, they tell you more about an action - eg: 'he laughed loudly'.

Remember that adjectives usually come before the noun.
You can use more than one adjective if you need to. Eg:
The tall, bright, beautiful waitress picked up the dark, dirty coffee.

There are rules about the order that you should put adjectives in when you use more than one, but the best way to know is to say the sentence to yourself. Does it sound right?

Organizational Culture and Its Importance

2011-02-06T01:21:00.000-08:00

Organizational Culture and Its Importance

The contemporary definition of Organizational Culture includes what is valued; the leadership style, the language and symbols, the procedures and routines, and the definitions of success that characterizes an

organization. It is a specific collection of values and norms that are shared by people and groups in an organization and that control the way they interact with each other and with stakeholders outside the organization.
Here, organizational values are beliefs and ideas, about, what kinds of goals members of an organization should pursue and the appropriate kinds or standards of behavior organizational members should use to achieve these goals. From organizational values develops organizational norms, guidelines or expectations that prescribe appropriate kinds of behavior by employees in particular situations and control the behavior of organizational members towards one another.
In the past 25 years, the concept of organizational culture has gained wide acceptance as a way to understand human systems. From an open system perspective, each aspect of organizational culture can be seen as an important environmental condition affecting the system and its subsystem. Increased competition, globalization, mergers, acquisitions, alliances, and various workforce departments have created a greater need for organizational culture. Thus, it has become an important pattern for the organization's development.
Below are important key ingredients of Organizational Culture:
It focuses attention on the human side of organizational life, and finds significance and learning in even its most ordinary aspects.
It clarifies the importance of creating appropriate systems of shared meaning to help people work together toward desired outcomes.
It requires members especially leaders, to acknowledge the impact of their behavior on the organization's culture.
It encourages the view that the perceived relationship between an organization and its environment is also affected by the organization's basic assumptions.
Organizational culture is possibly the most critical factor determining an organization's capacity, effectiveness, and longevity. It also contributes significantly to the organization's brand image and brand promise.
Organizational Culture creates energy and momentum. The energy will permeate the organization and create a new momentum for success.
The above-mentioned relevance of organizational culture supports the proposition that, in this competitive and globalized corporate scenario, there is huge need of organizational development strategy at various workforce departments, as this can improve the company's culture. Thus, to fulfill organizations development needs, Organizational Culture Center is the better option! With its outstanding services, OCC provides meaningful responses to the company's wants, needs and values. Its services range from Workshop, Speaking to Consulting and Coaching.
OCC, Workshop and Speaking service teach cultural enhancement programs to the attendees to improve their cultural effectiveness. It educates current and emerging leaders on issues related to organizational culture. Besides, its associates work parallel with leaders at every level of the organization by engaging and training them to understand workplace culture and to assume their responsibilities as the cultural leaders of their own individual subcultures.
Organizational Culture Center's thirty years of experience of building culture, combined with VisionLink process, provides a complete guideline of six critical elements of workplace cultural effectiveness with the power of strategic mapping and the balanced scorecard. This proven and highly effective leadership concept brings about a direct linkage between the activities and measurements of every associate at every level of the organization with the vision and strategy of the enterprise as a whole.

Meanings and Sample Sentences for Vocabulary Workshop Answers Level F Unit 2

2011-02-06T01:13:00.001-08:00

Meanings and Sample Sentences for Vocabulary Workshop Answers Level F Unit 2

Vocabulary workshop answers level f unit 2 involves words that we seldom use in our day to day

conversation making it difficult to comprehend. It is best to know their meanings and use it in the simplest statement possible for easier learning.
The following words are just some of the answers found on vocabulary workshop answers level f unit 2. You can use the following meanings and examples so that you may be guided as well to create your own sentences using the same words.
The first answer is the word, ameliorate which means to make better or become better. As a national athlete, he has to ameliorate to grab the gold medal.
Second word is aplomb which means poise or self-possession. If you are a professional model, you should always display aplomb wherever you may be.
Third word is bombastic, an adjective which means pretentious or boastful language. Many government officials speak in bombastic manner to cover up their shortcomings.
Fourth answer is the word, callow which is an adjective referring to inexperienced or undeveloped. We should never vote for a callow candidate because he might just turn into a follower of overpowering and erring officials rather than lead the nation.
Fifth word is the noun drivel which means nonsense. The audience did not agree with the speaker because everything he said is drivel.
Sixth word is epitome which means a typical example or a paradigm. Mother Theresa is an epitome of a Good Samaritan.
Seventh answer is exhort is a verb which means to urge or advise strongly. Parents should exhort their children the values of good education.
Eighth word is ex officio which means by virtue of holding a certain office. The governor is the ex officio member of the committee.
Ninth answer is infringed which is a verb that means to break or violate. To avoid any legal action, do not infringe any patent.
Last word is ingratiated which means to bring oneself to another's favor. The politician gave money to the charity and had it published in order to ingratiate himself with admiration.
Vocabulary workshop answers level f unit 2 is indeed words that we don't come across everyday but it pays to know and understand them well. Building your vocabulary skills will improve your communication skills as well.

Learning Hindi Online Today

2011-02-06T01:12:00.000-08:00

Learning Hindi Online Today

Have you been struggling to learn hindi through the normal methods? Maybe you have taken a course at a

local school or you ordered some tapes and have tried to learn while driving to work. The problem is that the classroom environment isn't for everyone because you can't set your own pace. Some people don't have schools near them that teach hindi. And trying to learn from audio tapes usually provides no interactive element to reinforce what you are learning.
Maybe it is time you think about a different method. That's right, why not learn hindi online. If you are not after the credit that a college course provides towards your degree, then there is no point to sit in a class and listen to a teacher drone on and on. By learning though an online program you can set your own pace. You make your own class schedule.
Learning hindi online is a great way if you need to pick up the language for business or travel purposes. You can quickly use these interactive and fun courses to learn conversational hindi. Of course you don't have to stop at that level, but in less than 30 days you will be able to carry on a conversation with a native speaker.
So you may be asking, how to learn hindi through an online course? There are many interactive programs available that provide online lessons in virtually any language you are looking for. The lessons are meant to be fun and interactive, meaning you have a better chance at retaining what you have just learned. They often have games which make learning easier and feel a lot less like learning as you are used to it.
The best programs also have a downloadable component to the course that you can take with you. These are often in the form of an MP3 and can be played on almost any of the popular mp3 players on the market.
So don't delay any longer. Do a search now and find the best online hindi course for you!

Social Media Marketing Tips

2011-02-06T01:10:00.000-08:00

Social Media Marketing Tips

GETTING STARTED IN SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING

Make wise choices from the beginning and move forward with a "plan of action"!

Prior to getting started in social media marketing, you need to nip the urge to join every single social site on Google. It does not hurt to have a presence everywhere on the Internet, though there is no advantage in wasting time setting up a social account that is not used. The site owner may delete it - OR - it will get outdated and look unprofessional. Plus, there is no way that you can "work" them all unless you have a team to help you. You will still want to be discerning and make a "plan of action". You need this to properly brand your business through social media marketing. You also need this "plan of action" in order to "position" your company correctly from the beginning. This concept holds true in Internet marketing in general.

PROPER SET UP

Meet your social market where they work and play on the Internet!

You need to learn how to "set up" and "position" your company with the "best" social networks and websites. Some initial positioning details to consider: (a) determining which are the "best social sites" for your niche and interests, (d) choosing the right user name for your individual profile links, (c) choosing the most attractive profile information and media to share, (d) developing a knack for filtering activity according to what is appropriate at a particular social site, (e) establishing a time schedule that permits working as many networks as possible, (f) choosing the best initial connections ... and so on.

Keep in mind that "Account Settings", network protocol, niche and viral marketing all go hand in hand throughout time.

Additionally, some social sites have a more playful environment than others; even those with a professional focus. You need to select websites that not only fit your company's focus, but also the personal interests of the individual(s) that will "work" the social media marketing process for you. Note: Don't let the "playful" networks defer you. One of the goals of social media marketing is to reach your target markets where they work and "play" on the Internet.

IMPLEMENTATION: WHAT TO DO & WHAT NOT TO DO

Don't just "wing it"; move prepared to market effectively for your business.

Your activity should include a predefined social media optimization (SMO) strategy. This SMO is a combination of search engine optimization (SEO) and social media marketing (SMM). It expedites the professional results that you require for your business. It is easy to assume that SMM is simply setting up social networks and marketing. Although this is part of the process, social networking is not all that is involved in social media marketing. It is suggested that you have a website and a blog. You need to search engine optimize any personal resources prior to SMM. You need a second set of keywords that do not conflict with your personal virtual properties, though compliment your efforts.
Content is key to this offsite marketing process, therefore blogs, articles, comments, discussions, images, videos, link ... everything SMM needs to correspond with the SEO.

There is a fine line to what is considered advertising and marketing; spam or valid content. Some social sites are flexible and others are not. You need to move into a virtual realm with a professional plan of action and work the network according to the infrastructure provided, though with intent to produce rapid conversions.

TESTING, TRACKING & REFINING

You will need to test, tread, track and refine before you can run with a strategy.

As with an offline business plan, your online branding strategy will need "tweaked" and updated for the following reasons:

(a) The Internet is constantly changing, you will need to update accordingly.

(b) Search engine rankings, blog / website traffic and subscribers mean absolutely nothing if you are not able to convert this activity into sales.

You cannot move forward if your plan of action is not working for you.

PRIORITIZING TASKS: MONEY & TIME MANAGEMENT

As the old saying goes, "time is money" ...

If you get one major point from this article, prioritizing "time" and "money" is what you should remember. Internet marketing is not easy for most; especially when you are merging into unfamiliar arenas. Time and money are the "double edge sword". Handling your own online branding is only time and cost effective if it is making you money. The reality is that you will not drive conversions nor make money at first because it takes time to learn Internet Marketing. This is time that busy professionals do not have, therefore you either have to put in the extra hours or hire an expert to do the work for you. If you choose to do your own search engine optimization and social media marketing, then you need to prioritize whether the bulk of your activity is on the Learning, Researching or the Implementation (Content, SEO, SMM) at any given time. The advantage is that you can adjust this as needed.
Regardless, a proper online branding strategy will include both the technical and social, therefore they are all one in the same, time consuming, process.

Online business branding and social networking appear to be easy, on the surface, though not a simple process. There are defined strategies that should include both search engine optimization (SEO) and social media marketing (SMM) in order to create a process called social media optimization (SMO). This SMO is actually the online marketing that you want to do for your business. When done correctly, the SMO will produce immediate responses that are easy to track, increase sales and creates a popularity that contributes to fast branding success. You can change the sales / marketing conversions for your business within a few days or gradually "divide and conquer" your competitive online business arena. In other words, your business can market as aggressively or conservatively as needed. This is based on how your company is equipped to handle growth.

In this generation of Social Media Marketing and Search Engine Optimization, it is to your benefit to learn how to properly brand your business online or find someone that knows how to do this for you.

BBC offers apology for Top Gear comments on Mexico

2011-02-06T01:01:00.000-08:00

BBC offers apology for Top Gear comments on Mexico

Top Gear is broadcast in more than 100 countries

The BBC has apologised for remarks made on the television programme, Top Gear, that caused outrage in Mexico.

Top Gear presenters characterised Mexicans as lazy and feckless.
In a letter to Mexico's ambassador in London, the BBC said it was sorry if it had offended some people, but said jokes based on national stereotyping were part of British national humour.
The ambassador had demanded an apology, calling the remarks "offensive, xenophobic and humiliating".
Hundreds of Mexicans contacted the BBC Spanish-language website BBC Mundo to protest about the remarks made by presenters Richard Hammond, Jeremy Clarkson and James May.
'Racist' Many more expressed outrage in e-mails to Mexican newspapers and websites, where the Top Gear jibes have received huge coverage.

The matter was also raised in the Mexican senate, where lawmakers were considering a motion of censure.
On Thursday an all-party group of British MPs also urged the BBC to apologise, calling the remarks "ignorant, derogatory and racist".
In a statement, the BBC said the comments may have been "rude" and "mischievous," but there was no "vindictiveness" behind them.
"Our own comedians make jokes about the British being terrible cooks and terrible romantics, and we in turn make jokes about the Italians being disorganised and over dramatic, the French being arrogant and the Germans being over-organised," the BBC said.
It added that stereotype-based comedy was allowed within BBC guidelines in programmes where the audience knew they could expect it, as was the case with Top Gear.
"Whilst it may appear offensive to those who have not watched the programme or who are unfamiliar with its humour, the executive producer has made it clear to the ambassador that that was absolutely not the show's intention," the BBC added.
'Refried sick'

The executive producer of Top Gear also apologised to ambassador Eduardo Medina Mora personally for remarks made about him.

Jeremy Clarkson had said he was confident he would not receive any complaints about their comments because the Mexican ambassador would be asleep.
The Top Gear team's comments about Mexicans were made when they were discussing a Mexican sports car.
Richard Hammond said vehicles reflected national characteristics so "Mexican cars are just going to be lazy".
Reviewing the Mastretta on Sunday's show, Hammond said: "Mexican cars are just going to be lazy, feckless, flatulent, overweight, leaning against a fence asleep looking at a cactus with a blanket with a hole in the middle on as a coat."
The presenters, known for their edgy jibes, then described Mexican food as "refried sick".
It is not the first time the driving programme has caused controversy.
Hundreds of viewers complained in 2008 after Clarkson made a joke about lorry drivers murdering prostitutes.
Last week, the programme was named most popular factual show at the British National TV Awards.

Egypt's Brotherhood to enter crisis talks

2011-02-06T00:50:00.000-08:00

Egypt's Brotherhood to enter crisis talks

Egypt's most influential opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, says it will enter talks with officials on ending the country's political crisis.

The group said Sunday's talks would assess how far the government was ready to "accept the demands of the people".
The negotiations would be the first ever to be held between the government and the officially banned Brotherhood.
Meanwhile banks are opening for the first time in a week, amid fears many Egyptians want to withdraw savings.
Divided? President Hosni Mubarak has rejected protesters' demands that he quit now, as he says it would cause chaos.

At the scene

Ian Pannell BBC News, Cairo

The night has been pretty calm - there has been noise at the edge of Tahrir Square but that's mainly the sound of Cairo getting back to business this morning. We have been told the banks will reopen and business will be back - there's a great deal of concern about the impact of all this on the economy and there's an attempt by the government to try to present business as usual and see what impact that has on the protesters.
The talks with the Muslim Brotherhood will undoubtedly be seen as significant - there are many in the square who are, if not members, then supporters of the Brotherhood. The government has never before sat down and talked with the Muslim Brotherhood - over the past three decades it marginalised them, imprisoned them and harried them.
The talks are tentative - the Brotherhood wants to see if the government will accept the demands of the people that President Mubarak go - the question is, is there any middle ground that will be acceptable?

But Mr Mubarak - who has been in office since 1981 and has tolerated little dissent - has said he will not stand in elections due in September.

Huge crowds have been on the streets of Cairo and other cities in the past two weeks demanding his immediate resignation and calling for democratic reforms.
The Muslim Brotherhood had previously said it would not take part in negotiations between the government and opposition groups.
But a spokesman told Reuters: "We have decided to engage in a round of dialogue to ascertain the seriousness of officials towards the demands of the people and their willingness to respond to them."
A spokesman told the AFP news agency the dialogue was also aimed at ending "foreign or regional interference" in the situation.
The Islamist group is Egypt's most influential and well-organised opposition but it remains officially banned and its members and leaders have been subject to frequent repression.
Mr Mubarak has blamed it for the unrest and said that if he leaves, the group will exploit the ensuing political chaos.
The Muslim Brotherhood denies accusations that it is seeking to create an Islamist state in Egypt.
The BBC's Jon Leyne, in Cairo, says the Brotherhood is undoubtedly a force in Egypt but it is itself divided and unclear in its intentions. After an election it may be part of a coalition.
He says that although the Brotherhood has indicated it will only talk about Mr Mubarak's departure, the talks are still a gamble - its prestige has been damaged by its slowness to endorse the past two weeks of demonstrations and there is deep scepticism about the talks in the ranks of the protesters.
Our correspondent says the government would like to see the protesters isolated by those who simply want to get back to work, but with what the demonstrators have been subjected to, there is no sign of them giving up.
Economic woes The opposition demonstrators continue to occupy Cairo's Tahrir Square, with the protests entering their 13th day, although the numbers have fallen from Friday's huge rally.

Protesters are remaining in Tahrir Square day and night

One protester told the BBC by telephone that people in the capital were returning to work and there was transport around, but the square was still occupied by the protesters and the government was not happy with that. The army tried to take back part of the square but were rebuffed by protesters.
Some 341 bank branches, including 152 in Cairo, were opening at 1000 local time (0800 GMT), with long queues forming.
The central bank is releasing some if its $36bn in official foreign reserves to cover withdrawals, amid fears Egyptians will be panicked into taking out their savings.
Deputy central bank governor Hisham Ramez has said he is confident all transactions will be honoured.
The government is seeking to revive an economy said to be losing at least $310m (£192m) a day.
Many shops, factories and the stock exchange have been closed for days, and basic goods have been running short.
Correspondents say many Egyptians have been wondering how quickly daily life will return to normal regardless of the outcome of the struggle for power.
On Saturday, the president met the prime minister, finance minister, oil minister and trade and industry minister, along with the central bank governor to discuss the economic situation.
Resignations The US - a key ally of the Mubarak government - has called for a swift transition of power, although it has not explicitly told Mr Mubarak to leave.
It has also encouraged all parties to fully engage in talks with opposition groups.
But there was confusion on Saturday after US special envoy Frank Wisner, who was sent by President Barack Obama to Cairo apparently to urge Mr Mubarak to announce his departure, said he thought Mr Mubarak "must stay in office" to oversee the transition, saying his "continued leadership is critical".
The US state department later distanced itself from the comments, saying they were Mr Wisner's own and were not co-ordinated with the US government.
The leadership of the ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) resigned en masse on Friday, apparently in response to the protests.
Two of Mr Mubarak's allies, including his son Gamal, lost their posts while Hossam Badrawi was appointed secretary general.