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#GivingTuesday was created as a day to celebrate and encourage people to give to charities on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving, Black Friday and Cyber Monday. But how does the campaign, in its second year, share its message and influence the public?
“We used Twitter to spread the word, encourage conversation and help establish the concept of #GivingTuesday,” said Henry Timms, interim executive director of New York’s 92nd Street Y (@92Y), the nonprofit cultural and community center that established the #GivingTuesday campaign (@GivingTues) through its partnership with nonprofits such as the United Nations Foundation (@unfoundation) as well as philanthropic organizations.
It’s 12am EST, which means … it’s officially #GivingTuesday! Get ready for an exciting day of GIVING!— #GivingTuesday ( @GivingTues) December 3, 2013
Blackbaud, a software company that provides data and analytics to nonprofits, reports that the December 3 #GivingTuesday produced a 90% increase in online giving compared to last year’s event.
Here’s how Twitter’s involvement in the campaign helped it accomplish that feat.
Building around a hashtag
Going with the hashtagged campaign name was never a given. The organizers actually debated whether to include the hashtag or have it just be “GivingTuesday.” Timms said featuring the hashtag might have been the best decision they made.
“A hashtag isn’t just a classification; it’s a symbol of community, a sign that we share a cause with one another,” Timms said. “That sense of connectedness fueled #GivingTuesday from the start.”
People tweeted different stories about giving with the same hashtag, producing a community for giving on Twitter that was distinctive and powerful. Timms said there were 269,000 Tweets with the hashtag on December 3 — an average of 186 times per minute. The hashtag has been used more than 835,000 times since November 1, according to Topsy.
Promoting a cause
What started with the event organizers was quickly picked up by the nonprofits and advocates, who in turn promoted and branded #GivingTuesday to their constituents.
“We found a virality on Twitter that was really powerful,” Timms said. “Social media is the key to continuing the conversation, making #GivingTuesday more than just a moment.”
In the months leading up to #GivingTuesday, campaign leaders gave tips and resources on Twitter to help partners with their planning. They also created and shared a social media kit, featuring sample Tweets along with facts and figures from the previous year’s campaign. It was available for anyone to download on the #GivingTuesday website. This was critical to their success, as organizers at @92Y and elsewhere could not have reached the more than 10,000 partners worldwide all on their own.
Organizations tweeted to bring awareness for their charity.
“The goal of #GivingTuesday wasn’t to tell people what to do, but to create the context in which hundreds of thousands of people could tell their stories about giving,” Timms said. “Social media is creating an increasingly large appetite for participation and we all need to work out how to harness that for good.”
Enlisting Twitter influencers
Another huge reason word spread about #GivingTuesday was promotion from influencers. Jonathan Greenblatt at the @WhiteHouse, for instance, has been supportive of the cause for over a year, according to Timms. The @WhiteHouse encouraged people to give in a blog post it tweeted out along with the hashtag.
However, lots of celebrities and influencers joined the movement organically, even on the day of. Celebrities and well-known people from Ellen DeGeneres (@TheEllenShow) to Kourtney Kardashian (@KourtneyKardash) to Bill Gates (@BillGates) tweeted about #GivingTuesday, providing additional reach and increased awareness to supplement the efforts of @92Y and @unfoundation.
Organizers kept a running list of influencers who added their support, Timms said. This photo was taken at the end of the day:
Posing for an #UNselfie
One last aspect of the #GivingTuesday campaign was the idea of the #UNselfie, an unselfish “selfie” photo, as a way for people to share their reasons for giving and the causes to which they give. More than 7,000 Tweets with the #UNselfie hashtag were sent out over Twitter and other platforms.
Here are some more numbers summing up #GivingTuesday.
Do you know of other innovative uses of Twitter? Write to [email protected].
Did someone say … cookies?


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For instance, you might crave popcorn at the movies, or may want candy in the afternoon at work. To deal with the temptation, you could replace the snack you crave with something that’s a better fit for your diet. For instance, you might bring a bag of plain popcorn to the movies, which is a healthy alternative. Similarly, you could eat a single square of dark chocolate each afternoon instead of your typical candy selection.
Open up a big bag of baby carrots and dip them into your freshly made no-oil-added, no-salt-added hummus. Simply whip up in your food processor a can of no-salt-added chickpeas/garbanzo beans, fresh tomatoes, lemon juice, garlic, a jalapeno pepper (if you like your hummus hot and spicy), and fresh herbs like cilantro and dill. Add a little water, if necessary, until the desired consistency is achieved.
All these in just 7 days! It is a miracle diet plan! At the beginning it may sounds a bit impossible to follow it, but just 7 days of dedication will bring you a healthy body. If you successfully complete these 7 days, you will definitely love the results. You would never want to break the diet regime, because you know the worth of it. Just to make sure that you are healthy enough to practice this diet, consult your doctor before you begin.
Many people struggle with weight loss issues. Losing belly fat in particular is about more than just aesthetics: visceral fat, the kind of fat that tends to settle around the midsection, can cause an increase in your body's production of stress hormones that can affect your body's insulin production. As a result, excess belly fat can lead to serious complications like type 2 diabetes and heart disease. There is no way to target belly fat, but diet and exercise will eventually burn off belly fat. Knowing how to take the first step can help you feel better and get you on the road to a healthier, more active lifestyle.
I am on day four and I am very discouraged. I don't feel as if I am losing any weight at all. I encourage you to complete the seven days. Don't be too disappointed if you don't lose all ten pounds. Everybody and metabolism is different. Do be careful, however, to follow the diet exactly. Don't eat less food than is recommended in your effort to lose weight as that will throw off the diet's chemistry.
Do high intensity interval training (HIIT). HIIT is an exercise program that alternates intense exercises with short intervals of recovery or rest. This type of exercise will help you burn fat fast. High intensity exercises force your body to use the sugars in your body and allows you to burn fat faster than low intensity workouts. You will also use stored body fat during the recovery phase, which will reduce your stored body fat. You can perform HIIT exercises with gym equipment, or an exercise mat and a few free weights. There are several popular HIIT programs, including:
Get enough calcium. Adults typically need around 1,000 milligrams of calcium every day to help maintain muscle and nerve function, and it's necessary for healthy bones and teeth. But calcium may also help prevent the body from storing visceral fat in the abdomen. Though studies have not shown a drastic change in weight due to increased calcium intake, researchers suggest that it may have a small effect in some people. Calcium requires vitamin D to be absorbed into the body; therefore, be sure to get enough vitamin D as well. Sources of calcium include:
Those trans fats on your menu are hiding out in plain sight and sabotaging your lean belly plans every time you eat them. If a food product says it contains partially hydrogenated oils, you're eating trans fat, which can increase your risk of heart disease, high cholesterol, and obesity with every bite. In fact, research conducted at Wake Forest University reveals that monkeys whose diets contained eight percent trans fat upped their body fat by 7.2 percent over a six-year study, while those who ate monounsaturated fat gained just a fraction of that amount. Instead of letting harmful trans fat take up space on your menu, fill up with these healthy fats.
Add a cup of low-fat milk, a part-skim mozzarella stick, or a half cup of low-sodium cottage cheese to breakfast, and you may have a belly-busting win. While lots of research links calcium with lower body weights, results from a 2014 study suggest that calcium-containing foods may reduce waist circumference in those genetically predisposed to carrying weight in their midsection.
This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and does not substitute for diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, prescription, and/or dietary advice from a licensed health professional. Drugs, supplements, and natural remedies may have dangerous side effects. If pregnant or nursing, consult with a qualified provider on an individual basis. Seek immediate help if you are experiencing a medical emergency.
How much fiber should I eat per day? Most Americans eat less fiber than the USDA daily recommendations suggest. This article looks at the guidelines for fiber intake in men, women, and children. We also talk about how fiber can help with weight loss, and discuss how much fiber is too much. Learn about good sources of dietary fiber and a handy meal plan. Read now
Habits and cravings are the devil when it comes to dieting. Let's first deal with habits. Juge explains that it takes a good week or two to ease into dieting. "Fast food is so easy and there's a McDonald's on every corner. The hardest thing is to develop the new habit of preparing your meals and taking them with you." The first week is the most difficult, so prepare yourself for some challenges as you abandon your usual routine. For example, you might usually go out for a sub sandwich or burger at lunch. You'll now have to bring your food with you and resist the temptation of spicing up your meal with the Doritos in the vending machine or your usual can of Coke. It can be a real mental battle to stick to your food plan.
Avoid going down grocery aisles that tempt you with high calorie foods. It’s best to stay along the perimeter of the grocery store, which is where the fresh foods are typically located. However, when you need to go down the aisles to get something, try to stay away from areas where foods you crave are stocked, such as the candy or soda aisle. If you don’t see them, you’re less likely to be tempted.
Multitasking has a stellar reputation in the office, but when it comes to eating, it's just not smart. When you eat while doing other things—like driving or playing Words With Friends—you're less likely to notice how much you're eating or how full you're feeling, because your attention is divided. So work on being single-minded about your food; even if it feels strange at first, try doing nothing else while eating. The purpose is to increase your consciousness about what and how much you eat. (Try these simple tips to curb distracted eating for good.)
Directions: Rinse 1 cup of quinoa in cold water. In a medium saucepan, combine quinoa with 1 tablespoon curry powder and 1 teaspoon turmeric. Add 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until the water is absorbed—about 15 minutes. Stir in 1 cup shredded carrots and 1 cup cubed firm tofu. Makes about 4 one-cup servings. Refrigerate remaining servings for an easy, healthy snack or meal later in the week.
Consider liposuction. Liposuction is a surgical option for fast, targeted weight loss, generally only recommended for people with 1-2 specific areas of highly fatty tissue but an otherwise relatively healthy body weight. Because it is a surgical procedure, it carries significant health risks and should only be performed by a licensed professional.
Going long periods of time without food does double-duty harm on our healthy eating efforts by both slowing down your metabolism, and priming you for another binge later in the day. (Think: You've skipped breakfast and lunch, so you're ready to takedown a whole turkey by dinner!) Make it your mission to eat three meals and two snacks every day, and don't wait longer than three to four hours without eating. Set a "snack alarm" on your phone if needed.

domain: food


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The Workers Union has hit out at local authorities and NHS chiefs, telling them to ‘abolish the car parking tax on working people.’
In a statement released this morning, a spokesperson for the organisation said: ‘We have been inundated with messages from workers concerned about the effects that excessive parking charges and penalty notices are having on their wellbeing. These situations are often a result of poor parking provision around places of work, and over zealous private parking companies slapping tickets on vehicles after workers have been forced to park in privately managed areas. If we’re as serious about levelling up as we say we are, then we must abandon the idea that working people are fair game for what can only be described as an additional tax on their livelihoods.’
The union’s statement came as some news reports highlighted proposals to introduce a city-wide parking levy in Leicester. The levy could see firms with more than 10 parking spaces being charged up to £550 a space, which could then be passed on to workers.
At the same time, NHS staff continue to experience issues with parking capacity and penalty charge notices. Exhausted workers at hospitals in York and Sheffield have been hit by fines for parking in “unapproved” areas, after either giving up the fight to find a “legitimate” parking space or confusion over what their permit entitles them to.
The Workers Union Says…
For many people that live away from their places of work, a car is an unavoidable expense. But what kind of dissonant thinking demands that people work to pay taxes (the price we all pay for a civilised society), then taxes them again for doing what society wants?
We need to get on top of this issue, fast. Yes, some city centre hospitals suffer from limited parking, yes some companies need to do better in terms of their car parking spaces and yes there are environmental issues to consider. But in the absence of a cheap, integrated transport network, what are working people supposed to do? They have to park somewhere to get into work on time.
The recent announcement that the government has capped the amount that private parking companies can charge for penalty notices is a welcome step in the right direction; yet there remains much to be done in terms of infrastructure, capacity and alternative forms of transport before this issue is finally consigned to the dustbin of history.

domain: news


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He appeared in a Florida courtroom today to testify regarding what will happen to Smith‘s remains.
Stern explained, “She talked of death really from the time that I met her.”
He said they also looked at burial plots in Burbank, California, and later, after her son Daniel died, the issue of burial “went back and forth for some time.”
Stern said he suggested that Daniel be buried in Los Angeles, but Smith insisted he be buried in the Bahamas, where he died in September.
He added, “She died emotionally when Daniel died. It was the reason why she didn’t want to bury him earlier than she did. It was the most difficult thing that I’ve ever seen anyone go through.”
Larry Birkhead, who claims he is the father of Smith‘s baby, is also in court, along with her estranged mother Virgie Arthur.
Smith‘s father, Don Hogan, also made a surprise appearance in court.
COPYRIGHT 2007 WORLD ENTERTAINMENT NEWS NETWORK LTD. All Global Rights Reserved.

domain: celebrity


This contribution presents a Time-Division Simultaneous Wireless Information and Power Transfer (SWIPT) system operating at 13.56 MHz, specifically developed for IoT nodes that require low data rates. The system periodically alternates between Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) and Near Field Communication (NFC), charging the supercapacitors of the node and retrieving data from the sensor. The system is firstly presented in its two subsystems: NFC and WPT with their own couple of coils. Also, the TDD (Time-Division Duplexing) concept is explained, and applied to the system, with a square wave at a frequency of 0.1 Hz, and an 80 percent duty cycle is used to alternate between NFC and WPT. Then, experimental results are shown using the developed prototype: the NFC system shows a 0.8 Kbit/s data rate, and the ability to transfer data multiple times per cycle drawing 50 mA of current at 5 V on the tag's side; the WPT system is able to charge the supercapacitors with a steady 130-150 mA current, well above the 50mA requirement of the NFC tag.
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The Alphabet Workers Union saw massive growth since the public announcement of its formation last week in a New York Times Op-Ed. The union, which started with 230 workers across just Google when it launched last week, has grown to over 700 employees across Google, a product of Alphabet. In the wake of last week’s violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, AWU is pressuring YouTube to act in banning Donald Trump from its platform as other social media companies have done in recent days.
Member numbers within the Alphabet Workers Union have grown to more than 700 workers within the company. In a statement published to the Union’s Twitter account on Thursday urging YouTube to expand its ban on harmful misinformation, including a ban on President Trump. The company has not said yet whether it would do so, but removed one of Trumps videos in the wake of the violent insurrection that killed five.
“We know that social media has emboldened the fascist movement growing in the United States and we are particularly cognizant that YouTube, an Alphabet product, has played a key role in this growing threat, which has received an insufficient response by YouTube executives,” wrote the Union in a statement. “We warned our executives about this danger, only to be ignored or given token concessions, and the results have been suicides, mass murders, violence around the world, and now an attempted coup at the Capitol of the United States. Once again, YouTube’s response yesterday was lackluster, demonstrating a continued policy of selective and insufficient enforcement of its guidelines against the use of the platform to spread hatred and extremism. For example, YouTube refuses to hold Donald Trump accountable to the platform’s own rules by choosing only to remove one video instead of removing him from the platform entirely,” said the statement.
The statement continues to urge YouTube to act in response to the violence at the U.S. Capitol, and the Union clarifies that workers within the company feel that YouTube is contributing to the rise of fascism in the United States by not enacting sweeping change. “The battle against fascism will require constant vigilance on many fronts, and AWU stands in solidarity with all workers fighting for justice and liberation, in the workplace and the world. We must begin with our own company,” the statement reads.
With just days left in Trump’s Presidency, social media companies have acted swiftly in removing political misinformation and conspiracy theories from their platforms. Twitter, which played a major role in organizing efforts to gather at the U.S. Capitol on January 6th, banned hundreds of thousands of accounts in the wake of the unrest, along with Donald Trump. Facebook announced it would ban the President at least until his terms ends on January 20th when Biden is sworn in at the inauguration. Other social networks like Reddit have also acted in removing politically charged content that could incite unrest as well.
YouTube, which played a role in the spread of harmful conspiracy theories, is typically slower to act in removing content or users that aim to incite fear or spread misinformation. However, it was one of the first websites to act in removing conspiracy theories from its suggested content algorithm in previous years. The company was one of the first to recognize the threat of harmful conspiracy theories, but did not specify whether the content was not allowed on the platform at all. Because of that, harmful misinformation continued to circulate into 2020 and beyond.
Even today, supporters of the QAnon conspiracy theory continue to upload calls to action on the website—many of which are claiming that the United States is in a civil war after last week’s unrest. Widespread crackdowns on social media sites like Twitter have only fueled the fire, but now that Trump has been de-platformed things could settle down.

domain: politics


Press Releases and Story Ideas
Upload your latest press release or suggest a story idea to our editorial team.
Research | Jan 5, 2021
The prospect of large shares of some economies’ populations being vaccinated in first half 2021, supporting a return to some degree of normalcy, has stoked renewed concerns that inflation could pick up sharply this year, according to Oxford Economics.
Transactions | Jan 4, 2021
Blox Ventures, a Silicon Valley–based investor and real estate operator, and global alternative investment firm Angelo Gordon announced the sale of 2100 El Camino, College Terrace’s First Republic Center in Palo Alto, Calif.


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Two more well-informed articles in the current issue of TextileForum (Jan '09) but this time on our event -- the 7th International Shibori Symposium - France, Nov '08 (ISS08)
click here to read scans of both reports
The ISS conference report, written by Veronika Moos-Brochhagen, is a great summary of all the events and presentations comprising the ISS'08 held in 3 locations: Provence, Lyon and Paris. As an attendee, the author was able to surmise the strengths of the program, its shortcomings, as well as contextualize what the experience offered her as a European artist.
"[A] lively exchange with the local textile cultural scene occurred when the programme moved to Lyon, with exhibitions and talks at the Lumiere university."Karina van Vught contributed the article summarizing the ISS tour offerings from Nimes to Paris. As her piece illustrates, it was a packed program. She concludes,
"For me, the tour was an unforgettable experience in a very special environment: the food, the wine.... We enjoyed it all and were thoroughly pampered. Moreover, all the visits and lectures were highly informative."
Our thanks to Veronika (www.shibori.eu) and Karina van Vught (Zijdelings) for their insightful articles on the ISS tour programme. We appreciate your active involvement and leadership in the shibori community of Europe.
We value the viewpoints offered in the article, especially those that critiqued -- from space planning for the bazaar to insufficient time for follow-up. These are all good things we will consider for the next symposium. Thank you.

domain: library


San Antonio youngsters will sing and dance in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day ParadeNovember 16, 2017
Renee Acevedo’s favorite part of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade is the annual appearance by the Rockettes.
This year, the 11-year-old San Antonian and her 13-year-old sister Rosa will be performing in the same spot as those famous hoofers. They will be among 128 youngsters from across the country — 11 from the San Antonio area — who will make up the Camp Broadway Kids Ensemble in the parade.
“We’ll be part of it now,” said Renee, who is in the sixth grade at Hobby Middle School.
The youngsters will dance to and sing Irving Berlin’s song “This Is a Great Country” in a production number created to honor military families. Everyone in the ensemble has at least one family member who is or was in the armed forces. The Acevedo sisters’ uncle and grandfather served, Renee said.
The cast members have been rehearsing the song and the choreography on their own. In addition, after they arrive in New York, they’ll spend about 30 hours over four days rehearsing for their big moment.
That’s good news for the singers and dancers, since that’s what they love to do.
“I’ve been performing since I was in the first grade,” said Rosa, who plans to study musical theater at the North East School of the Arts next year. “It’s just my favorite thing.”
Camp Broadway is a national theater enrichment program. Among other things, it offers workshops across the country during which young performers get a chance to work with professional actors. In San Antonio, that workshop is presented by the Las Casas Foundation.
Las Casas recruited area youngsters for the parade auditions. The organization also took part in the official announcement of the project in a press conference at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston.
“We’re just so excited to support our local military families,” said Doren Fein, director of operations for Las Casas.
Las Casas is raising $12,000 to help cover participating families’ expenses, including travel and lodging.
In addition to the Acevedos, the San Antonio contingent includes Jamie Butikofer, Carl (Ben) Greene, Tyler Greene, Graelen Killian, Amelia Kluckhohn and Jaya Kosaraju. Youth from the surrounding area are Sydney Anthony and Justine Koester from Universal City and Shaelly Holcomb from Boerne.
Jaya Kosaraju, whose father is stationed at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, has been to the parade in person, and she is eager to be a part of it.
“It’s really cool,” said Jaya, 12, who is in the seventh grade at Barbara Bush Middle School. “It kind of seems overwhelming from the sidelines.”
Jaya’s mom, Sagarika Kosaraju, is delighted by the opportunity.
“It’s an experience she’ll always remember,” she said.
email@example.com | @DeborahMartinEN


Topics in Cryptology – CT-RSA 2020
The Cryptographers’ Track at the RSA Conference 2020, San Francisco, CA, USA, February 24–28, 2020, Proceedings
- (view affiliations)
This book constitutes the refereed proceedings of the Cryptographer's Track at the RSA Conference 2020, CT-RSA 2020, held in San Francisco, CA, USA, in February 2020.
The 28 papers presented in this volume were carefully reviewed and selected from 95 submissions.
CT-RSA is the track devoted to scientific papers on cryptography, public-key to symmetric-key cryptography and from crypto-graphic protocols to primitives and their implementation security.


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Just as there are plenty of different types of lamps available, there are also a wide selection of table lamp choices whenever you a furniture or lighting store. You happen to be stuck with the differences of these lamps starting from tiffany, nautical, lighthouse or glass art lamps. Many people unique style and wonder, you may uncover not being aware of which one would definitely be the best for your forms of room, table size and room theme.
Table lamps developed for different functions. The additional well known lamps are used either for task lighting or ambient lighting. Course of action lighting lamps can be used as the reason for conducting tasks like reading, cooking, sewing an additional activities. Ambient lighting lamps, on the other hand, are widely-used to create a mood inside room - a consequence that makes you relax and stay not made of a stressful day. Those two purposes require unique variations of lamps. When you buy your lamp, you should clearly define objective of your purpose in buying such.
Special table lamp styles include Victorian, rustic, iron, antique, and modern lamps. An individual can select one that may be consistent in to the theme of your home.
The key differences of Victorian homes feature marble flooring, stained glass, floral wallpapers, and parquet and pottery tiles. When your room features a Victorian motif, you will discover table lamps which can be consistent with this theme. A Victorian template projects an impact of a jampacked room with many different decorative and colorful items. Because of this a lamp with no shortage of decorative and artistic accents can fit Victorian room motif.
Wrought Iron and Rustic Table Lamps
These kind of lamps may be put anywhere. They are affixed to top of almost any table, no matter if an end table or a night stand. As well as being a source of lighting, wrought iron lamps perform decorative portions on any type of table or shelf. Likewise, rustic lamps get the decor element of them especially over antique wooden tables. By using these categories of lamps around, stress about impression of attractiveness, style and class which really can be easily created. Most are kinds of lamps which do not match modern room motif. They are correct for the slightly older and traditional templates that highlight high-priced equipment and room decorations.
Table lamps are necessary pieces of adornment in a home. The combined reason for lighting and decor generate a home more desirable and livable. It is very important to always choose one that creates the thing you'd like to have to produce. Regardless of whether it will be for task or ambient lighting effects, you will always locate one that is best for your taste and also your qualities.
Green Tiffany Shell 3 1/2″H Turtle LED Accent Lamp
Price : $ 49 99

domain: artistic


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Only a few days after our perfectly amazing wedding this past June, we were on our way to Rome to start our Honeymoon.
Andrew and I have never traveled to Europe together, so you could imagine the excitement! We just wanted to see/taste/smell everything! We definitely got our fill in gelato (sometimes twice a day!), as well as red wine. We would try to walk everywhere, because the walk was usually just as beautiful as wherever we were heading.
During our quick two and a half day stay in Rome we visited the Colosseum, the Roman Forum, St Peters Basilica, and The Vatican. Our biggest words of advice: buy all of the tickets in advance online, we skipped hours of lines.
Rome was such a beautiful and romantic city... the perfect way to start our honeymoon.

domain: geography


text:
Been here? Rate It!
El Prado Museum, Palacio Real,...
El Prado Museum, Palacio Real, Museo de arte Reina Sofia, the Plaza Mayor, the Rastro on a Sunday morning, the Plaza Mayor
Paseo de Prado
This is a wide beautiful boulevard running roughly parallel to El Retiro. You should not miss the grand Neptune fountain and the famous Prado art museum.
- Museum Visits
- Arts and Culture
If you have ever studied art, for sure you have seen many of the art works in this museum! Its amazing to see them in person.
- Save up to 50% off Hotels Everyday
- Expedia.com Photos, Reviews and the Guaranteed Lowest Prices
- Save money, Book now!
- Booking.com Excellent choice, Low rates
Explore the World
- Fort Ticonderoga Hotels
- Virginia Beach
- Guilin Hotels
- Guatemala City Hotels
- Amlan Hotels
- Boracay Island

domain: travel


text:
Last Sunday was my last Hash run, but this Sunday I still had a special “farewell” run planned with fellow hasher Susan. Susan is possibly the fastest female in the East, and I’d originally suggested us running together more as a joke than anything else. But she was game, and after running up to the top of Taipei 101 this morning (with a time qualifying her for Elite) I hoped she would be sufficiently fatigued to appreciate my gentle pace. We had SUCH a fun time — nearly 2½ hours of thrills, including snakes and plenty of spiders.
We started at Liuzhangli station and headed uphill towards the graveyard, along Chongde Road. It was so hot and we were glad to convert our t-shirts to headbands as soon as we were out of the city… it turned out to be a stretch of road that I was quite familiar with, as several hash runs have gone through it, and we decided to go look for a trail of our own, even there wasn’t actually one there. Equipped with sticks to fend off the spiderwebs (which we promptly renamed our wands, as progression involved waving them in front of us in the hopes of preventing us from walking straight into a spider), we basically stumbled into the forest and made up our own way out.
Susan bravely marching on ahead
We would occasionally stop to check my GPS to make sure we weren’t going round in circles, and to
fend off spiders admire the wildlife. We were both enchanted by this tiny frog, who blends so perfectly into the reddish-brown earth around him:
Can you spot him?
So engrossed were we with the frog that when I stood up and turned around, I was not expecting to be standing right next to a human-sized web, complete with human-sized spider (who was probably not expecting us either). The first time I saw one of these gigantic black-and-yellow guys was on my first Hash, and I am a little less scared of them now, but they are pretty horrendous things to come face to face with unexpectedly.
There’s little to give a sense of scale. Let’s just say he was as big as both my hands put together and leave it at that.
Eventually we battled our way out of the forest, into a bamboo grove that in turn led to an actual path. Delighted with ourselves for finding a trail, we both started running again in earnest. Susan was just ahead of me when she turned a sharp bend, gasped and froze. I crashed into her and then saw what she was staring at — the HUGEST snake I have ever seen, even in zoos or snake exhibits. It wasn’t quite boa- or python-sized, but it was easily 6 feet long and pretty chunky. I am afraid to say I screamed — and probably set off Susan by doing so. We turned tail and ran back a few metres — I turned to make sure it wasn’t going to come after us (I’ve seen too many stupid films, sorry!) in time to see it speed away down the mountain-side.
I checked the handy Field Guide to Taiwanese Snakes,
and by deduction I am thinking it may have been the Chinese cobra. It was way too big to be most of the other snakes on there, and whilst cobras are very distinct with their hooded heads, apparently when they are not on the defensive the hood lays flat. I hear it was probably a Brown Rat Snake! Just like when Mummy and I ran into a Brown snake in Tasmania, I am really glad that I was ignorant of its potentially nasty bite at the time!
Updated picture of our friend…
Anyway, we checked ourselves before I hyperventilated us both into complete terror, laughed it off and kept running. Eventually the path turned into a stream, which led to houses, which led to a dark passageway.
We weren’t afraid, between the spiders and the snakes, what worse could be in there? We had our wands to protect us anyway…
We clambered past a building site and were suddenly back to civilisation — muddy, soaked in sweat and brandishing our sticks and t-shirts like we’d just escaped a prison camp. So of course I tapped a passer-by on the shoulder and asked her to take our picture.
I’m disappointed with how normal we look! We certainly felt like warriors.
But it wasn’t over yet — we weren’t even halfway done with our run.
We paused at first a temple to wash off and to check Susan’s 5,000,000 mosquito bites.
…and I didn’t get bitten once. They all just threw themselves at her!
…and then a 7-11 to
scare the cashier re-hydrate, before we set off towards Elephant Mountain. This was very easy going compared to what we had just been through (hello, there was an actual path) but of course steps are not my knees’ favourite thing in the world (and Susan DID race up 91 flights of steps this morning). So we took every opportunity we could to follow any trails we saw leading off from the hiking path. This led us first to a temple…
…and then to some awesome rocky paths without a soul on them. We spotted a sort of crazy tree house above the path, connecting this hut on a huge boulder to the mountain by the means of some kind of home-made suspension bridge. We scrambled up to explore and were promptly confronted by a man naked from the waist down who seemed to be appreciative of our company… back down to the path we went!
Next we discovered a gigantic statue, hidden in the middle of nowhere. A few people were making devotions whilst children ran around and screamed. We took a picture, then pushed onwards to a temple further down the mountain.
Note the realistic hair and beard.
Misty atmosphere courtesy of me sweating all over my phone.
This kind of statuary is quite unusual in the Taiwanese temples I’ve seen… there must be a particular story involving this guy and his horse, he looks pretty pissed off and the horse doesn’t look too happy either.
Looking back, the view of the Horsey-temple and the big statue
Shortly after we left the temple, these statues started popping up around us. We really loved some of them! I wouldn’t know how to identify them but I’m guessing they are all kinds of special sages.
“I’m just chilling out, reading with my friend the psychedelic deer”
Loo-loo-loo, I got some apples, Loo-loo-loo, you’ve got some — dude’s head coming out your chest?
This man has eyebrows that are EVEN BIGGER THAN JAMES’! Also, some little friends to carry him around. Susan pointed out how the eyebrows look very snake-like…
I just love love LOVE the excitement in the eyes of this guy’s little dog-lion. You can see he is SO THRILLED to be with his owner!
Then we noticed a break in the trail, with these fairly implausible stairs that seemed, Escher-like, to go nowhere. So of course we took them.
Emboldened by our previous success at Liuzhangli, when the trail petered out into nothing, we attempted to fight our way through the brush towards home. Then I think both of us suddenly realised how much effort it would involve compared to, say, simply following pre-established trails. So we turned back, only to encounter another snake. Again, I didn’t have time to take a picture, but this time he was easy to identify, a Greater Green Snake. Very cute!
The rest of our run was fairly uneventful in comparison, and we found ourselves on my street as if by magic — couldn’t have planned it better myself. We ran to the Family Mart to make it a complete 8km (I am slightly obsessive about round numbers when I run), and picked up adorable Hello Kitty-shaped water bottles which are perfect for running because you can squeeze HK’s neck and it won’t slip! Too lazy to go take a picture of mine so you will have to trust me on it.

domain: hobby


text:
Up to 100,000 patients with cancer and rare diseases are to have their DNA fully mapped as part of a drive to revolutionise NHS treatment.
The Government has earmarked £100 million for the project in England over the next three to five years in a bid to develop new tests and better care that could save thousands of lives.
More top news
A newly promoted police officer caused a sensation with local women on Facebook
Ex-London mayor Ken Livingstone says he is sorry for the "disruption" caused by his comments that Adolf Hitler was a supporter of Zionism.
Kickstarter group asks for public donations to fund replacing Tube ads with pictures of cats

domain: medical


text:
14+ Cheese And Onion Pie With Ready Made Pastry Pics. Many recipes contain lancashire cheese, indicating parentage of north west england. All ready in 40 minutes.
500g ready to roll shortcrust pastry. Creamy, cheesy potato pie great served with chunky bread soldiers, suitable from 10 months. Cheese and onion pie is an english comfort food dish.
Remove the pastry from the fridge.
For the cheese and onion pie. Onion tart made with beer and cheese so easy and tasty if you like the video subscribe and share! Add the butter and vegetable fat and rub them in lightly with 3. Divide the pastry into two balls, keeping one a little larger than the.


Battery degradation is an inevitable part of your smartwatch's lifespan. Extend it with this new replacement battery compatible with 42 mm Cellular model Series 3 Apple Watch.
- Apple Watch 42 mm Series 3 Cellular Models
- Models A1892, A1861, A1891, and A1892
|Apple Watch - Series 3||


text:
Smoking this drug, however, will produce extra rapid effects that last 5 to 10 minutes. Addicts may seek out more medicine to prevent a “crash.” Cocaine use over time can easily lead to higher tolerance and even habit. It is noteworthy that private elements similar to age, weight, frequency of use, and metabolism may all impression how long cocaine stays in your system and shows up on tests. One of the most notable ways cocaine affects us is by altering our mind features. Extended use of this drug can permanently change how our mind operates, affecting problem-solving, decision-making, memory, consideration, and movement.
Compared with many other drugs, LSD is eradicated from the physique relatively shortly. As with other medicine, cocaine concentrations in hair are seen for a minimum of ninety days after dosing. However, cocaine doesn’t leave its marks at the root of the hair, however to particular areas. That signifies that it is there until the hair falls out or is reduce off. Since 1998, we now have produced compelling and informative content material for numerous publications, establishing ourselves as a trusted resource for health and wellness information.
Cocaine is a fast-acting drug that normally leaves the physique rapidly. Even if it’s current in the body for a number of hours, the high will solely final 5–30 minutes after the final dosage as a result of the body adjusts in a brief time to the modifications that cocaine causes. Cocaine can keep in the breast milk for as much as 36 hours after the most recent use.
At FHE, we are dedicated to helping you in making progress in the path of a model new life free from the grips of addiction. Some folks attempt to alter their take a look at outcomes as a end result of they know they’ve used the drug. However, it’s very exhausting to eliminate all trace parts of cocaine from the body. Also, some substances can create a false optimistic, including coca tea, some chilly medicines and second-hand smoke from marijuana.
Other elements apart from ingestion determine how long codeine stays in your urine. Likewise, a selection of elements influence the timeframe that codeine remains in your system. It takes an extremely large dosage for a urine check to detect codeine after 24 hours. As beforehand talked about, it does not take long for the body to eliminate codeine. Therefore, the query of “how long does codeine stay in your urine” is simple to answer with this understanding. Some of the substances can keep in your urine for up to two days.
A drug’s half-life refers back to the time it takes for half of the drug to be eradicated from the body. Cocaine is a particularly addictive stimulant drug that could be consumed in several different ways. The powder could be snorted by way of the nostril or rubbed on the gums. Some customers dissolve the powder and inject it directly into the vein or muscle.
While drug exams are often not carried out on breast milk, it is nonetheless necessary to know whether medication will show up in your breast milk when you breastfeed or are planning on breastfeeding. If you’re taking a drug — whether or not prescribed or illicit — and are pregnant or breastfeeding, you want to inform your doctor so they can let you realize if it is protected in your baby. Instead, hair drug checks remove a 1.5-inch part of hair closest to the scalp.
And clearly, a scientist shall be suspicious of bubbling piss. Any such irregularities in a pattern would require further exams. “We had a particular check to see if there were any surfactants (such as dish detergent) in a sample,” Dobie says. Marijuana will stay in your system the longest and would require the longest period of detoxification. While random checks are frequent at some employers, particularly in safety-sensitive industries like transportation, you’ll more than likely get enough advanced warning about a drug detox and rehab check.
The commonest reaction is intense pleasure, elevated power and application, decreased urge for food, and increased focus. However, adverse health effects can happen, together with elevated coronary heart fee, blood stress, and seizure danger. Chronic abuse can result in addiction and extreme psychological disorders. How long does methamphetamines keep in your system, significantly in urine? Meth can usually be detected in urine three to five days after use. This window may be longer or shorter relying on the dosage, frequency of use, and other individual elements.
An applicant is notified that pre-employment drug testing will need to happen as part of the appliance course of. They might have to present to the laboratory inside a specified time-frame, for example inside 24 hours, to lessen the prospect that medicine of their system shall be excreted and undetectable. Applicants are directed to a particular laboratory to submit a pattern for drug screening (usually for urine check results). Hair testing may be used to discover out drug use over the long term, normally over a 90-day time frame. Hair can be tested for cocaine, marijuana and THC, cocaine, opiates, amphetamine and methamphetamine, ecstasy, phencyclidine, and alcohol. In basic, hair testing allows the longest time-frame to detect drugs of abuse.


MEMPHIS - The University of Tennessee Board of Trustees Thursday approved a
major reorganization of UT and endorsed a plan to improve quality in all
areas of the institution over the next seven years.
The board approved a resolution that reduces the number of campuses from
four to three by combining the main campus at Knoxville with the medical
center at Memphis and the Space Institute in Tullahoma. Several
administrative positions, including those of chancellor at Knoxville and
Memphis, were eliminated.
The flagship institution will have the name University of Tennessee. Other
UT campuses are at Chattanooga and Martin. The resolution creates for the
Chattanooga and Martin campuses liaison committees of trustees, community
representatives, the UT president and the board's vice chairman.
Thursday's action affirms UT President Wade Gilley's first phase of
reorganizing the university's administration, announced in December. The
board's resolution also gives the administration authority to proceed with
the next phase of streamlining.
A report from the Streamlining Committee estimates administrative costs can
be cut by $40 million in five years.
Gilley told the board that UT should move into the top 25 in graduation
rates, increase to 300 the number of National Merit Scholars enrolled and
improve faculty salaries.
He outlined his Tennessee Plan for Academic Excellence that would provide
$150 million in private funds, administrative cost savings and private
dollars to enhance academic and research programs. Money from the fund
would also be used to attract the state's top students and retain and
recruit outstanding faculty.
UT's national profile will be higher as it strives to become one of the top
25 public research universities in America, he said.
Douglas Olesen, chief executive officer of Battelle Memorial Institute who
chaired the Committee on the Future of UT, told the board a top-tier public
research university is vital to a state's economy. The Committee on the
Future report said UT must reinvigorate its research program.
The streamlining group recommended and the board approved changes not
previously announced by Gilley. Jack Williams, vice president for alumni
affairs and development, will become vice president for advancement and
assume responsibility for the Office of University Relations as well as
development and alumni.
Sammie Lynn Puett's title changes from vice president for public service,
continuing education and university relations to vice president for public
service. Continuing education moves to the campus academic affairs
It was announced in December that John Peters, provost at Knoxville, would
become senior vice president for academic affairs and chief operating
officer as well as provost in Knoxville. Dwayne McCay, former vice
president of the UT Space Institute, became vice president for research and
Bill Rice, Memphis chancellor and vice president for health affairs,
retains his vice president's title as head of Memphis units.
Board endorses streamlining plan
Published: Fri Feb 04, 2000 | Modified: Sat Aug 06, 2005 02:06 p.m.


text:
Consider this: You made all the required mock ups for commissioned layout, got all the approvals, built a tested code base or had them built, you decided on a content management system, got a license for it
Cupcake ipsum dolor sit amet carrot cake. Chocolate pudding chocolate marzipan sweet roll toffee sweet. Liquorice gummi bears liquorice. Muffin halvah marshmallow halvah powder. Toffee liquorice chocolate cake bear claw. Marzipan tiramisu gingerbread. Carrot cake cupcake muffin sweet halvah chocolate bar.


text:
Hellin Black Line Porcelain Tile
0Enquire About This Product
- An Italian made porcelain wall tile, Hellin Black Line is available in a versatile 300 x 600mm size.
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- Porcelain tiles are a famously low maintenance solution for the home, being resistant to staining and scratching as well as water and heat.
Please note: A variation of colours, shade and grain are inherent in all kiln fired products and natural stone. Image is an indication only.
Shipping from $70 for Melbourne Metro 0-200kg

domain: design


text:
Recoleta is one of the communes of Chile, where most of the migrants live. This is indicated by the 2017 Census, according to which 17% of the foreign population resides in that municipality, occupying the 9th place in the ranking.
It is for this reason that the municipality decided to take a single action on the eve of Christmas: to install a manger without Jesus.
"If Mary, Joseph and Jesus had not migrated, today we would have nothing to celebrate", is the message that the municipality tries to send, according to the slogan The dynamo.
The goal is to educate residents about the benefits of migration, a topic that was at the center of the discussion in 2018, with its most recent episode in the controversy over the Migration Pact, which Chile decided to subtract.
Read too: Pact of Migration: O & # 39; NO & # 39; from Chile
"We think of the families of every migrant in the country, it's a difficult situation to be far away." Many arrive alone, and that date is even worse, which is why we make a reminder about the importance of immigrants, their value in our society, their contribution to diversity, in the way of doing things. The idea is to empathize with every migrant, since most of the migrations are forced by violence, crisis or persecution, "they said of the community.
For this, they will make use of the manger, an icon of the Christian religion, "so that Even those who are reluctant to understand the importance and value of this topic participate in the reflection"
The action will be located in the Market Tirso de Molina.


text:
Now that is really creative. How did you do that ?
This has a great fairytale quality!
Really nice art work.
I like this a LOT! It has a "Once-upon-a-time" feel. ;-)
What a cool image Gattina I was gone all week and I am just getting here now sorry. There will be no Creative Photography this week or ever I am afraid that it is over for Creative Photography. I would like to thank you for your loyalty to CP and your friendship. Without CP I would have never met you and of that I am glad.
Post a Comment


text:
Madonna © 2010 Marjorie Mikasen
From Self Directions Solo Show 2010
Read the Lincoln Journal Star Review here
Marjorie Mikasen, Artist
Marjorie Mikasen is an abstract, geometric, hard-edge acrylic painter working in Lincoln, Nebraska. She received an Individual Artist Fellowship Award from the Nebraska Arts Council in 2007. Her work has been featured in solo exhibitions in Nebraska and in over 100 group exhibitions in 21 states, Canada, the UK, and Hungary. Originally from Chicago, Mikasen is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of the University of Minnesota, earning a B.A. degree in Studio Arts in 1981. She has worked as an artist in the Twin Cities and Denver before relocating to Lincoln in 1990.
Marjorie Mikasen is co-author of the nonfiction book ReAction! Chemistry in the Movies with Mark Griep published in July 2009 by Oxford University Press USA. It gives the perspectives of a scientist and artist on the dark and bright sides of chemistry found in 140 films. The authors were awarded an Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Officer Grant in the area of Public Understanding of Science to research and write the book.
Marjorie Mikasen and Mark Griep
Fascinating and engrossing...The book leaves the reader with plenty of ideas for films to see and some excellent stories about chemists and chemistry. But more than that it presents a fascinating view of chemistry, the movies and chemistry in the movies, which gives the reader plenty of food for thought next time a bit of chemistry appears on the silver screen; and this is perhaps far more than one might expect from a book about chemistry in the movies.
Press Coverage for
Chemical Heritage Magazine March 2010 review
Entrepreneur March 2010 review
Read the Education in Chemistry March 2010 review here
Read the Nature Chemistry February 2010 review here
Read the ScriptPhD January 2010 review
and author interview here
Read the October 2009 chemical review of The Informant on the OUP blog here
Motive Force ©2007 Marjorie Mikasen
Mikasen has work in Private and Public Collections Including:
Mauer Center for Public Health


text:
Today; August 12, 2003, two suicide explosions rocked Israel causing death and destruction to Jews. Hamas claimed responsibility for at least one of the murderous attacks.
But not to fear. This doesn’t end the “Hudna” (cease-fire), according to Hamas. It was just a little tit for tat.
The other day, Hezbollah murdered a sixteen year old Israeli boy, and wounded others with a rocket attack upon Northern Israel, launched from the Arab side of the border where Syria and Lebanon meet.
The diplomatic world led by Colin Powell has asked “ALL” sides to show restraint, so as not to destroy the Road Map.
Did Colin Powell and the Americans show restraint when they were attacked on 9/11?
Did any country in the world ask the Americans to show restraint after 9/11?
To the contrary. The world communities came together in a common show of outrage and support for the USA; however the Americans were going to respond.
But somehow this is different. These are Israelis. More specifically: they are Jewish Israelis. And when Israeli Jews bleed and die, there is a different standard.
Powell is calling upon the Syrians to rein-in Hezbollah. It is like asking Charles Manson to rein-in his cadre of murderers.
Syria IS Hezbollah, as IS Lebanon and as IS Iran. And then there are the Saudis and the rest of the Moslem world. And Colin Powell knows it.
Ariel Sharon knows with whom he is dealing.
He knows all about Syria, Lebanon and Iran. He also knows all about Arafat and Abu Mazen. And more than anything, he knows all about President George W Bush and his Cabinet.
Sharon knows who in the US government is with Israel. And who is not.
Especially Colin Powell.
Sharon will continue to show restraint as long as it is in Israel’s BEST interest. And the moment it no longer is: watch out.
The Middle Eastern Arabs are going to be receiving a truckload of hurt from Israel, regardless of what Colin Powell asks of Israel in his two faced and double standard way.
Sooner, rather than later, this Road Map to Peace is going to blow up into a million pieces that will bring the Middle East back to where it was in 1967, just AFTER the 6 Day War.
And then the world will dump anew all over Israel with a fresh litany of charges.
And as a result of appeasement, nothing will have changed, other then the avoidable deaths of many hundreds of innocent Israeli Jews, including the maiming and wounding of thousands of others, in the West’s two faced attempts to make “peace” between a democracy and a host of Islamic Thugocracies.
All of this started with Oslo in 1993, when the world “conveniently” forgot that Arafat was a purveyor of TERROR and murder. And that the Middle Eastern Arab countries are run by nothing more than savages covered in a thin veneer of civil humanity.
We are also unable to measure the untold physical and psychological destruction heaped upon tiny Israel’s shoulders, simply because these “uppity” Jews refuse to march lock-step into a 21st century Holocaust in the making, at the hands of Islamists, thugs, murderers, thieves and Western APPEASERS.
Israel: Build The Wall!


|Publication number||US7132969 B2|
|Application number||US 10/525,083|
|Publication date||Nov 7, 2006|
|Filing date||Jul 28, 2003|
|Priority date||Aug 19, 2002|
|Also published as||DE10237856A1, DE10237856B4, DE50304973D1, EP1391992A1, US20060164275, WO2004023658A1|
|Publication number||10525083, 525083, PCT/2003/8323, PCT/EP/2003/008323, PCT/EP/2003/08323, PCT/EP/3/008323, PCT/EP/3/08323, PCT/EP2003/008323, PCT/EP2003/08323, PCT/EP2003008323, PCT/EP200308323, PCT/EP3/008323, PCT/EP3/08323, PCT/EP3008323, PCT/EP308323, US 7132969 B2, US 7132969B2, US-B2-7132969, US7132969 B2, US7132969B2|
|Inventors||Armin Fuchs, Björn Jelonnek, Gunter Wolff|
|Original Assignee||Siemens Aktiengesellschaft|
|Export Citation||BiBTeX, EndNote, RefMan|
|Patent Citations (7), Non-Patent Citations (2), Referenced by (2), Classifications (14), Legal Events (5)|
|External Links: USPTO, USPTO Assignment, Espacenet|
This application is a 371 of PCT/EP03/08323 filed Jul. 28, 2003.
This application is based on and hereby claims priority to German Application No. 102 27 856.8 filed on 19 Aug. 2002 and European Application No. 02018602.9 filed on 19 Aug. 2002, the contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a configuration for the digital-analog conversion of a high-frequency digital input signal into a carrier-frequency analog output signal.
2. Description of the Related Art
Architectures for the generation of a broadband, carrier-frequency output signal are known in which, in a low frequency range, a digital input signal is converted into an analog signal using a digital-analog converter, and then reconverted into the carrier-frequency output signal using one or more mixing stages.
Furthermore, digital-analog converter architectures are known in which a carrier-frequency output signal is generated from a high-frequency digital input signal without further frequency conversion. The carrier-frequency analog output signal in this case also has unwanted carrier frequencies in addition to a desired carrier frequency. These unwanted carrier frequencies can be caused, for example, by a less than perfect digital input signal or by various unwanted modulation mechanisms.
In the described architectures, cost-intensive filters with high quality or mixers with high linearity, which are always configured on the output end and which must be adjusted to a required carrier frequency range in each case, are necessary. These must be replaced, at great expense, if a change in carrier frequency range is required.
An object of this invention is therefore to design a configuration for digital-analog conversion in such a way that it can be adjusted to various carrier frequency ranges without great cost.
A configuration for digital-analog conversion according to one aspect of the invention has an integrated filter characteristic, thus eliminating the need for cost-intensive mixers or filters at the output end. D/A converters are connected parallel to one another and specific coefficients are assigned to each of the individual D/A converters. This enables the configuration to be ideally adjusted to a required carrier frequency range.
A configuration according to the invention can be adjusted to different carrier frequency ranges by modifying the clock frequency of the D/A converters accordingly.
According to the invention, it is particularly preferable for a Finite Impulse Response (FIR) filter characteristic to be realized and/or integrated into the configuration through the selection of the coefficients that are specifically assigned to the D/A converters and of the delay times that are specifically assigned to the delay elements. The consecutive coefficients correspond to a sampling of an impulse response from a filter that has a required filter characteristic. In this way the carrier-frequency output signal has a higher spectral purity compared to a form implemented without filter characteristic.
The FIR filter characteristic integrated according to the invention is scalable using a clock frequency of a clock signal. This may be derived from or identical to the clock frequency of the A/D converters. Since the clock frequency usually varies in proportion to the carrier frequency, the filter characteristic is automatically adjusted in this invention.
If there is a change in the required carrier frequency range, the FIR filter characteristic is reset accordingly via the clock frequency. There is no replacement of hardware components.
If the accuracy and the number of the FIR filter coefficients correspond to the requirements of a new mobile radio standard, then it is possible to switch frequency range directly via the clock frequency, in which case software might be used to implement the switch.
A configuration according to the invention enables expenditure on filters to be considerably reduced, for any carrier frequency range, by prefiltering. Together with a corresponding power output stage, the elimination of the need for frequency-specific filtering at the transmitter end makes for high quality.
In particular, quantization noise formed by ΣΔ converters on the input signal can easily be suppressed by using a configuration according to the invention.
The filter function of a configuration according to the invention can be influenced by the signal form emitted by each D/A converter per datum or bit. By using a suitable signal form, such as—for example—multiple pulses, which consist of several pulses for each datum, the filter function can be improved selectively.
These and other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent and more readily appreciated from the following description of an exemplary embodiment, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:
Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
A high-frequency digital input signal DE arrives at a delay device VZ and at a converter device WD.
The delay device VZ has n delay elements VG1, VG2, VG3, . . . , VGn, which are connected in a serially consecutive manner, and with a specific delay time τl, τ2, 96 3, . . . , τn being assigned to each of them. Each individual delay element VG1 to VGn is connected on the output side to an output VA1, VA2, VA3, . . . , VAn of the delay device VZ. Via each of these outputs VA1 to VAn, a delay signal VS1, VS2, VS3, . . . , VSn, assigned thereto in each case and formed by the corresponding delay element VG1 to VGn, reaches an input WE1, WE2, WE3, . . . , WEn on the conversion device WD.
The conversion device WD has a total of n+1 D/A converters W0, WI, . . . , Wn, which are arranged in parallel to one another. A first D/A converter W0 receives the digital input signal DE, as the input signal, via an input WE0 on the conversion device WD. The other n D/A converters receive the delay signals VS1 to VSn, as input signals, via correspondingly assigned inputs WE1 to WEn.
A specific coefficient k0, kl, . . . , kn is assigned to each of the individual n+1 D/A converters WE0 to WEn of the conversion device WD.
The individual D/A converters W0 to Wn are combined on the output side, for example using n adding devices AE1, AE2, . . . , AEn. Using the adding devices AE1 to AEn, n+1 output signals AS0, AS1, . . . , ASn of the n+1 D/A converters are added together to form a carrier-frequency analog output signal AA.
It should be noted that the digital input signals DE and VS1 to VSn are weighted, during the D/A conversion in the corresponding D/A converters W0 to Wn, with the respectively assigned coefficients k0 to kn.
These coefficients k0 to kn of the D/A converters W0 to Wn and the delay times τ1 to τn of the delay elements VG1 to VGn are defined such that a configuration for digital-analog conversion according to the invention has a required FIR filter characteristic.
The individual D/A converters W0 to Wn are implemented as I-bit D/A converters and the delay elements VG1 to VGn as D latches. Both the D/A converters W0 to Wn and the delay elements VG1 to VGn are timed with a clock signal CLK.
The digital input signal DE is connected to the D input of a first D latch or of a first delay element VG1. On the output side, the first delay element VG1 is connected via its Q output to a D input of the next delay element VG2, etc.
Because of the clock signal CLK, the specific delay times τ1 to τn assigned to the individual delay elements VG1 to VGn correspond, as illustrated here, to half of a clock period of the clock signal CLK, which is likewise applied to the D/A converters W0 to Wn. Each individual delay element or D latch effects a delay of half of a clock period.
However, smaller sections of the clock period of the clock signal CLK may be used for the delay elements VG1 to VGn. This facilitates a more precise adjustment to an impulse response of a required filter characteristic. This in turn multiplies the Nyquist frequency of the filter characteristic and suppresses the alias effect.
The coefficients k0 to kn assigned to the individual D/A converters W0 to Wn are set with the help of reference current sources ki*lref (in which i=0 to n), which determine the amplitude of the output signals AS0 to ASn.
If negative factors are required in the coefficients k0 to kn in order to realize the FIR filter characteristic, then corresponding outputs are exchanged in the D/A converters affected.
This is shown, by way of example, for the coefficients k2 and kn. The connections for the outputs are exchanged in the corresponding D/A converters W2 and Wn compared to the D/A converter WI (see detail D).
The output signals AS0 to ASn in the D/A converters W0 to Wn are added together at the same time and form the analog output signal AA.
The high-frequency digital input signal DE can also be in the form of a broadband signal in this invention.
The invention has been described in detail with particular reference to preferred embodiments thereof and examples, but it will be understood that variations and modifications can be effected within the spirit and scope of the invention covered by the claims which may include the phrase “at least one of A, B and C” as an alternative expression that means one or more of A, B and C may be used, contrary to the holding in Superguide v. DIRECTV, 69 USPQ2d 1865 (Fed. Cir. 2004).
|Cited Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US4626803 *||Dec 30, 1985||Dec 2, 1986||General Electric Company||Apparatus for providing a carrier signal with two digital data streams I-Q modulated thereon|
|US5008674 *||Jun 8, 1989||Apr 16, 1991||British Telecommunications||Digital-to-analog converter using switched capacitor and transverse filter|
|US5323157||Jan 15, 1993||Jun 21, 1994||Motorola, Inc.||Sigma-delta digital-to-analog converter with reduced noise|
|US5521946 *||Jan 7, 1994||May 28, 1996||The 3Do Company||Multi-phase filter/DAC|
|US5625360||Sep 5, 1995||Apr 29, 1997||Motorola, Inc.||Current source for reducing noise glitches generated in a digital to analog converter and method therefor|
|US6816097 *||Mar 6, 2003||Nov 9, 2004||Broadcom Corporation||System and method for performing digital-to-analog conversion using a sigma-delta modulator|
|EP0344998A1||May 26, 1989||Dec 6, 1989||BRITISH TELECOMMUNICATIONS public limited company||Digital-to-analogue conversion|
|1||C. Jansson et al., "A 1-MHZ and 16-Bit SigmaDelta DAC with a 224th-Order Reconstruction FIR-Filter Using only 9 Nonzero Taps", ASIC Conference and Exhibit, Sep. 19, 1994, pp. 29-32.|
|2||English Abstract for Japanese Published Patent Application 5-145423 published Jun. 11, 1993.|
|Citing Patent||Filing date||Publication date||Applicant||Title|
|US7812751 *||Sep 26, 2007||Oct 12, 2010||Nokia Corporation||Method and device for digital-to-analog conversion with filtering|
|US20090195425 *||Sep 26, 2007||Aug 6, 2009||Nokia Corporation||Method and device for digital-to-analog conversion with filtering|
|International Classification||H03M1/06, H03M1/66, H03M1/74, H03M3/02|
|Cooperative Classification||H03M3/396, H03M3/504, H03M3/41, H03M1/74, H03M1/0626, H03M1/66|
|European Classification||H03M3/30, H03M1/74, H03M1/06M5|
|Feb 18, 2005||AS||Assignment|
Owner name: SIEMENS AKTIENGESELLSCHAFT, GERMANY
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:FUCHS, ARMIN;JELONNEK, BJORN;WOLFF, GUNTER;REEL/FRAME:016919/0878
Effective date: 20050114
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MINEOLA, N.Y. (CBSNewYork) — There will be some relief for homeowners in Nassau County this year.
The county says it will pause its property value assessments, meaning the 2022-2023 assessments will remain at their current values.READ MORE: United Nations General Assembly Returns To NYC, With COVID-19 And Climate Front And Center
The coronavirus pandemic has led to a spike in county real estate prices, as people move from the city to the suburbs.UN General Assembly Brings Road Closures, Gridlock To NYC
County Executive Laura Curran said that would unfairly skew property assessments.
Published reports say the plan is to wait for the market to settle before making changes to home values.MORE NEWS: De Blasio: Isaabdul Karim, Parolee Who Died Sunday At Rikers, Not Among 191 Set For Release
MORE FROM CBS NEW YORK


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A new internal medicine physician opportunity is now available in Minnesota at a quality of life practice that is big on quality of care. The incoming physician will see 10 to 14 patients per day on average. You Monday through Friday with 26 patient contact hours, 4 clinic days and1 administrative day. Round on your own patients, typically before your shift. Work weekends once every 7 weeks. There will be no call at night. Candidates can be board certified or board eligible. H-1B visas are welcomed.
This position offers a $250K salary with a strong RVU model. You will also receive a $50K sign-on bonus, retention bonus, malpractice insurance, medical benefits, life insurance/disability, vacation/holidays, CME time and stipend, a retirement plan, and relocation assistance.
Come live and practice in a pleasant Minnesota city. It is located on the coast of Lake Superior, and the waterfront downtown is clean, interesting, and attractive. Outdoor recreational opportunities abound at the forests and lakes to the north of the city. This is an excellent place to call home.
At CompHealth, we are experts at matching you with the right job. Every step of the way, you will be supported by specialty teams comprised of tenured professionals. Our goal is to make a difference in the lives of our physicians and the healthcare communities they serve.
For inquiries about this opportunity, please contact Mauro Piroli at 800-365-8900 or email your CV and references to CompHealth.
Quick Facts: Salary starting at $250K plus a great RVU model
$50K sign-on bonus, a retention bonus, and relocation assistance
4 weeks of vacation and 2 weeks of CME with a $6.5K stipend
Outpatient, but round on your own patients before your shift
4 clinic days and 1 day for administration, work weekends once every 7 weeks
Join 3 family medicine physicians and 2 mid-levels
Office is located across the street from the hospital
Looking for a physician with a good bedside manner
Benefits: Our services are free for you
We help negotiate your salary and contract
We coordinate interviews and help with licenses
Specialized recruiters match your career preferences
Experienced support teams take care of every detail


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Whitewater’s difference is clear: she mostly depends on a (relatively large for the city’s size) public university campus, along with few light manufacturing concerns in her industrial park. It’s the public university – one that depends on public funds – that sustains Whitewater at her present size.
UW-Whitewater now seeks a new, permanent chancellor after the last two presided over a campus with a high number of sexual assaults, administrative concealment of harassment, and multiple published accounts of failure to process complainants’ claims properly under federal law. See, a category at FREEWHITEWATER addressing the circumstances that brought this campus, and this community, to search for a new chancellor.
Mentioning this does not make Whitewater weaker – it is the necessary path to making Whitewater stronger (by being safer). The path to fewer controversies – where controversy means tragedy — runs through a place of candid discussion.

domain: sociology


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Buy My House for Cash in Augusta – 2 Questions… Freedom Home Buyers
- Author Blake Giesbrecht
- Published June 8, 2019
- Word count 1,033
If your Augusta, house is facing a foreclosure, and you wish to avoid it… or if you just need to sell your Augusta house fast for another reason (you inherited a house, relocating and need to sell, lost your job, agent can’t sell your house, etc.)… then one of the best options that you can consider is thinking about finding someone to buy your Augusta house for cash.
By doing this, you will not only profit by improving your credit rating but also get extra money into your account. Your credit score, which is an important aspect of your financial life, will remain untainted since you will settle your debt in time, and you can use the extra cash from your sale in other projects. However, you have to study the prevailing market conditions. That is, find out factors that are likely to influence the value of your home… before getting ready to sell it. Remember, when your house is foreclosed, you will lose your property as well as your credit rating.
Buy My House for Cash in Augusta, : The Plan
The first step that you need to take in order to sell your Augusta house fast to someone else with a "buy my Augusta house for cash" mentality, is to come up with a game plan.
Your real estate agent should help you come up with this. Be sure to negotiate with your lender as you contact an agent who is well informed regarding the sale of such properties in your area. The agent should have the latest report on property values in order to help you quote the right price for your house.
- How fast do you need to sell?
This is one of the most important first decisions you need to make… because this really dictates what options you really have. If you have more time… you have more options open to you.
If you have less time… your options are a bit fewer… but you still have great options out there.
If you need to sell in less than 2 months (or even less time than that), you likely don’t have the time to list your house with an agent. You’ll likely have to try to sell the house yourself (if you know how to) or sell your house to a local professional house buyer like Freedom Home Buyers (or you can call us at (706) 798-7901 and we can make you a fast-fair all-cash offer on your Augusta area house).
- How much do you need to sell your Augusta house for?
Note that above it says "how much do you need" to sell for. If you’d like to sell your house for full retail… but you have to sell your house fast and can’t afford to list it with a real estate agent… determine what you need to get out of your house sale.
That’ll help guide you to your true options for selling.
If the price you "need" to get doesn’t leave room for a real estate agents commission… you may need to look at selling the house FSBO or getting an offer from a local real estate house buying company like us… to see if that gets you closer to where you need to end up.
On the flip side… if you need near full-retail value and you can wait it out for a retail buyer to come along who can pay that price… list your house on the MLS. If you don’t have the time… consider talking to us for a fast cash offer on your house (we can make you an offer in less than 24 hours and close in as little as 7 days if you need to, with all cash).
- Look into your options and take action!
Like I mentioned above, if you’re looking for someone who can say "yes"! when you ask them to "buy my Augusta house for cash"… the main things you need to determine yourself are:
How fast you NEED to sell
How much you NEED to get out of the sale
Once you know those… look at your options below as a quick guide to help you decide which options may work for you with your local Augusta house sale.
Real Estate Agent: If you can wait 3-6 months to sell and can afford the 3-6% in commissions on the sale. If so, going with an agent will likely get you your highest price on your property.
Local Real Estate Investor / House Buyer: If you need to sell fast, we can buy your Augusta house in as little as 7 days. We won’t be able to pay full-retail on your house… but we don’t charge any fees at all. What we offer you is what we pay you. If you value your time and a quick sale more than making a few extra bucks 6 months from now… call us today at (706) 798-7901 or click the link below to fill out our online fast offer form.
For Sale By Owner: If you can wait 3-6 months to sell but can’t afford the 3-6% in commissions to an agent, you may want to try to sell it yourself.
Talk To Your Bank: If your mortgage is "underwater" or you’re in or nearing foreclosure… your first step may be to talk to your bank to see if they have any mortgage relief programs. Some banks offer assistance or can at least guide you in a direction to lessen the burden.
We can help you strategize how to sell your Augusta house fast. Give us a call at (706) 798-7901 for help selling your house fast, or fill out our form to see if your property qualifies for a fast, fair all-cash offer.
There are several reasons why you may be thinking "buy my Augusta house for cash – please let it be that simple" (and it can be). Regardless of your reasons, you need to prepare your house for sale just as you would any other product. A thoughtful preparation WILL turn your home into an attractive option for buyers. Doing it this way, you can sell your house fast and get top dollars.
We are a real estate solutions and investment firm that specializes in helping homeowners get rid of burdensome houses fast. We are not realtors, we are investors and problem solvers who can buy your house fast with a fair all cash offer.http://articlebiz.com
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domain: finance


R | | Drama
The drug-induced utopias of four Coney Island people are shattered when their addictions run deep.
While Tappy Tibbons mentions several times that there are three steps to his program, only two steps are ever mentioned in the film; Tappy tells his audience to avoid red meat and to avoid sugar, but Sara is always prevented from hearing the third step. Director Darren Aronofsky had intended the third step to be the removal of pharmaceuticals from the equation. The film's producers asked Aronofsky to change the third step because they were concerned that pharmaceutical companies would feel that the film's message was targeting them or encouraging people to avoid taking medication. Instead of coming up with a new third step, Aronofsky edited the footage so that Sara would either start to daydream or feel the effects of the drugs and be unable to hear the third step. In supplementary material for the film, the third thing that drives most people crazy was changed to "no orgasms."
Are you sure this is the right Walbaum's?
When the characters take Heroin, either injected or snorted, the sequence showing their eyes dilating is inaccurate. Opiates produce a constricting of the pupil. However, the dilating is correct when the characters are using Ecstasy and Cocaine.
The man on the train who says "You're whacked" to Sara when she tells him that she's going to be on TV is credited as "You're Whacked".
The edited version replaces the shot of Marion and another woman having sex with two men with a shot of Marion partially clothed climbing on top of a man. Also, all the shots of the double-ended dildo and the shots of Marion and the woman having sex on it have been replaced with alternate camera angles and shots that hide any indication that the two are having anal sex on it. Some shots were also re-used to hide the close-ups of the two butts slamming together.
$64,770 (USA) (8 October 2000)
Check out our guide to the Academy Awards, our coverage of the 2019 awards season, and more.


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Full of classic 909 flavour and modern texture design, it's the perfect brew of style and substance we think is timeless...
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The main hook soon shows itself with a grinding, dirty synth that tears out the speakers with absolute ferocity...
DT:Premiere | Rhythm Assembler - Köln [Methodical]
Using spacey drones and wonky modular stabs to create a moving and morphing sonic masterclass of exceptional analogue beauty...
DT:Premiere | M.R.E.U.X - Deep Space (Joel Mull Remix) [Blumoog Music]
A trippy and hypnotic take, it's deep and functional sound will captivate and satisfy as it explores electronic emotion and exactness at the same time...
DT:Premiere | Pfirter - Endless [ODD / EVEN]
Detroit inspired, stuttering chords are met with ghostly, machine-like textures of weird and wonderful electronic noise...
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A signature take on techno, it's dripping in electronic energy, pulses and glitches to teleport you into a dystopian world of abstract creativity...
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Raw and heavy, the focus is all about tough percussion with a locked in groove made by whirling textures, pumping bass and an adept industrial flair...
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Its throbbing bassline and metallic hits create a subsonic groove and incrementing tension...
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Industrialist Sunil Mittal has made an offer for London-based satellite firm OneWeb, according to a report by Bloomberg.
A unit of Bharti Enterprises has submitted a bid for bankrupt OneWeb with the backing of the UK government, the report says.
Moneycontrol could not independently verify the story.
A representative for Bharti could not immediately comment when contacted by Bloomberg, and a spokesperson for OneWeb declined to comment.
Bharti Enterprises is the holding company for telecom player Bharti Airtel.
Other investors have also expressed interest in OneWeb, and there is no certainty that Bharti Enterprises' deal will go through, the report said.
OneWeb's shareholders include Japanese conglomerate SoftBank, aircraft manufacturer Airbus and chipmaker Qualcomm.
The UK government plans to inject around $500 million into OneWeb along with other investors. The final date to submit bids is July 3.
OneWeb, which filed for bankruptcy on March 27, is working on a national satellite navigation system. The company competes with SpaceX's Starlink project and Amazon-linked Project Kuiper.
OneWeb said the COVID-19 crisis had made it extremely difficult to secure funding.
A representative for the UK’s Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy also declined to comment when contacted by Bloomberg.


The 20-year-old suffered fatal injuries in the Tuesday evening crash.
President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19 a day after attending a rally and fundraiser in Minnesota.
President Donald Trump tested positive for COVID-19 a day after visiting with Republicans in Minnesota.
Four Shorewood residents put a dock on a undeveloped property they own, and the city said it violated city code. They disagreed.
The driver says the man punched him and told him to "go back to where you came from."
Erick Barbieri-Astorga's body was recovered on Sunday morning.


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We have put a Step by Step of our Red Angel 2017 so that you can enjoy doing it without coming to class!
It’s not Patchwork, it’s Creative Sewing
It is very easy and you can make many for friends over Christmas. They will thank you very much.
If you want you can buy the materials in our Online Shop and we send it for very little price.


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Little Girl Lost movie is currently in Development
September 28, 2010 • Story selection and rights acquired; idea being crafted into usable script; financing and casting attachments sought; aiming for 'greenlight'.
Little Girl Lost Plot: What's the story?
A couple in highschool separate after graduation with John becoming a private investigator in New York City and Miranda settling in the midwest as an optometrist. That illusion is shattered, however, when John reads that Miranda was murdered while working as a stripper.
Poll: Will you see Little Girl Lost?
Crew and Production Credits: Who's making Little Girl Lost?
A look at the Little Girl Lost behind-the-scenes crew and production team. The film's director Jonathan Levine last directed Long Shot and Snatched. The film's writer Michael Bacall last wrote 22 Jump Street and Project X.
Little Girl Lost Trailers & Videos
Production Timeline: When did the Little Girl Lost come together?
On or about September 28, 2010 • The film was in Development status.
Little Girl Lost Release Date: When is it coming out?Little Girl Lost is coming out To Be Announced (TBA).
- United States

domain: entertainment


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* Gulf still seen as partially immune to global volatility
* Q3 earnings likely to be positive
* But low turnover would probably halt any extended rally
* Qatar banks still attracting interest
* Egypt hit by political uncertainty
By Nadia Saleem and Yasmine Saleh
DUBAI/CAIRO, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Middle East stock markets were hit early this week by a fall in oil prices and concern about a slump in the global economy, but many investors continue to think the Gulf region will escape the worst of the slowdown, limiting downside for markets.
“If between now and Q4, it becomes clear that the global economy is slowing down and problems in Europe and the U.S. are not resolved, chances are that prices will continue to see downward pressure,” said Haissam Arabi, chief executive and fund manager at Gulfmena Investments in Dubai. “Ultimately demand for oil will slow down and prices will catch up.”
For now, however, many funds believe governments’ fiscal spending programmes in the Gulf, and the fact that valuations are already quite low, will prevent regional equities from falling as much as other global markets in the event of a further slide.
Companies will start announcing third-quarter earnings results in about two weeks, and funds positioning for this might give stocks a minor boost, although thin turnover is likely to pevent any extended rally.
“I have a feeling that we are still going to see a positive continuation in Q3 numbers as we had in Q2,” said Arabi. “The idea of a global growth slowdown is exaggerated -- China still has domestic growth.”
Tarek Lotfy, Arqaam Capital’s head of equities for the Middle East and North Africa in Dubai, said: “Banks in Qatar are generally strong -- announcements like increasing salaries in the public sector will have a positive impact on banks.”
“The sector has a strong macro driver as banks are benefiting from the activity in infrastructure. We are seeing some rotation in some names but are generally going strong.”
Qatar National Bank is up about 7 percent so far this year, and stayed almost flat in the past week despite the global volatility.
Valuations have convinced some long-term investors to hang on to many stocks in the region regardless of short-term swings.
“We’re still overweight in petrochemicals -- valuations are still great in Saudi. I’ve never seen SABIC trade this ridiculously low, while it is posting a record growth rate,” Arabi said.
Saudi Basic Industries Corp (SABIC), the world’s biggest petrochemical firm by market value, posted a 61 percent rise in second-quarter net profit due to increases in output and prices, beating analysts’ forecasts.
But its stock is down 12 percent on the year, and its trailing price/earnings ratio is 10.3, compared to levels near 20 during more normal times.
“We are opting to hold on to these positions with a long-term conviction in place that markets will adjust to reflect true fundamentals. It all depends on the global macro situation,” Arabi said.
Egypt’s military rulers, who came to power after the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak in February, announced on Tuesday that parliamentary elections would start on Nov. 28, launching the process of handing back power to civilian rule.
Egypt’s benchmark stock index has dropped nearly 5 percent in the past week, weighed down by political uncertainty and a slide in Orascom Construction , which hit its lowest level since March. Orascom was apparently sold because it is a liquid blue chip, not for any fundamental reason; Deutsche Bank raised its rating of the stock to “buy” from “hold” and lifted its price target to 270 Egyptian pounds from 250, compared to a price of 213 late on Wednesday.
However, some funds believe the approach of the elections could boost Egypt’s market as it becomes clear the transition to civilian government, which will be able to focus more on economic policies and reforms, will go ahead soon.
“We were expecting disturbance and uncertainty. But now we see hope and a road map after the military set a date for a parliamentary vote,” said Mohamed Seddiek, head of research in Prime.
“The main thing for foreign investors and financial institutions is that there will be a parliament as this means that the transition process is moving on smoothly. The setting of elections date is good news.”
An unresolved dispute over the election laws may open the door for further tension between political groups and the military. But Seddiek said that for most investors, how the dispute would eventually be resolved would be irrelevant. The important thing, he said, is that “everyone now knows there will be elections and a start of a new era.” (Editing by Andrew Torchia)


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Sept. 13 (Bloomberg) -- The rand snapped three days of declines, rebounding from the weakest level in more than a month, after German Chancellor Angela Merkel said she’s confident Europe can solve Greece’s debt problems.
The currency of Africa’s biggest economy advanced as much as 1.8 percent to 7.3222 per dollar and traded 1.2 percent stronger at 7.3651 at 3:26 p.m. in Johannesburg. Against the euro, the rand climbed 0.8 percent to 10.0641 per euro.
Merkel said she won’t let Greece go into an “uncontrolled insolvency” because of the risk of contagion for other countries. Italian officials have held talks in the past few weeks with Chinese counterparts about potential investments in the country, an Italian government official said yesterday, helping ease concern that the region’s debt crisis will worsen. South Africa’s benchmark stock index rose for the first day in three as commodity prices rallied.
Merkel’s statement “certainly helped” support the rand, Ian Cruickshanks, head of treasury strategic research at Johannesburg-based Nedbank Capital, a unit of South Africa’s fourth-biggest bank, said by phone. “The market is hanging onto any thread. There is some hope they’ll pull a rabbit out of the hat.”
The rand will likely trade in a range between 7.30 and 7.50 per dollar in coming days, and may weaken to 7.90 per dollar by the end of the year after breaching 7.30, a significant support level where traders clustered orders to buy the currency yesterday, Cruickshanks said.
Rand purchases by South Africa exporters helped drive the rand’s recovery today, Cruickshanks said. Exporters benefit from a weaker rand when they convert their dollar earnings into local currency.
“Exporters can’t stay permanently uncovered,” he said. “They need rand to keep the wheels of their businesses turning, and at these levels some of them were saying, ‘Let’s sell those dollars’.”
The euro, the currency that pays for 45 percent of South Africa’s exports, erased a decline versus the dollar, helping support the rand. South Africa’s currency often trades in tandem with the euro, with a statistical correlation of 0.69 over the past month. A value of 1 would mean they moved in lock step.
The news out of Europe “has seen sentiment turn mildly positive,” Tradition Analytics strategists led by Johannesburg- based Quinten Bertenshaw wrote in a research note today. “Whether such improvement in investment sentiment will be sustained is up for debate, but for now, it has helped put the brakes on further persistent dollar strength.”
The rand maintained its advance after the central bank reported South Africa’s current-account deficit widened to 3.3 percent of gross domestic product in the second quarter, less than the 3.4 percent median estimate of 13 economists polled by Bloomberg. The shortfall was 3.1 percent in the first quarter.
--Editors: Ana Monteiro, Vernon Wessels
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