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Retailer Will Use Global Network to Improve Visibility and Collaboration [Sep. 26th, 2006|10:23 pm] Retailer Will Use Global Network to Improve Visibility and Collaboration LONDON -- (MARKET WIRE) -- September 26, 2006 -- One Network Enterprises and Argos, one of Europe's largest retailers, announced the successful deployment of the second phase of a key project, expanding the automation of Argos' fast growing Direct Import (DI) department. As announced earlier this year, the DI container management project provides Argos and its freight forwarders visibility into the import containers at the ports, providing a better system to make decisions on which containers to prioritize and pull forward into the network based on latest store sales and critical supply chain constraints. One Network delivers advanced sense-and-respond capability that automates the decision-making process of container prioritization using its patented Intelligent eXecution Manager, an innovative process optimization framework that allows planning and decision making to be executed in real-time, using the latest available data. "Agile systems are vital to ensuring that Argos gains a competitive edge through its supply chain processes," says Argos' Direct Import Stock Manager. "The One Network tool gives us the ability to automate the container scheduling process to ensure that the most important lines are prioritized as quickly as possible, ultimately ensuring the highest possible service levels for our customers." "We are excited about the expansion of the Direct Import project with Argos," says Vice President, International, Peer Steffensen. "This solution is part of our Global Trade network, which spans all continents and is providing solutions for manufacturers, distributors, freight forwarders and retailers on a daily basis. This is a highly scalable solution that encompasses complex and diverse sourcing challenges easily implemented on our network. One Network is a web service, which allows Argos' legacy systems to communicate with those of its partners, without costly investment in a software solution." About One Network Enterprises, Inc. One Network Enterprises is a technology innovator and pioneer of the Business Process Network market. The company delivers a network-centric, process-driven solution, including powerful software architecture for managing multi-enterprise operation processes; robust replenishment, supply and service templates; and leading-edge mobile/RFID devices. The solution is delivered via an on-demand network to over 1200 customers and manages over $100 billion a year in annual retail trade. One Network is based in Dallas, Texas and has offices in the United States and Europe. For more information, please call +1 972-385-8630 in the US, +44 20 7255 7789 in the UK or visit www.onenetwork.com. About Argos Argos is a unique catalogue retailer recognized for choice, value and convenience. It sells general merchandise and products for the home from 670 stores throughout the UK and Republic of Ireland, online and over the telephone. In the last financial year, Argos sales topped £3.8 billion. Argos serves over 130 million customers a year through its stores and takes four million customer orders either online or over the phone. On average, 17 million UK households, or around two thirds of the population, have an Argos catalogue at home at any time. Argos expects to add around 30 stores per annum with the chain expected to exceed 800 over time. Its internet site, www.argos.co.uk, is the second most visited internet retail site in the UK. Argos is Retail Week's 2006 Online Retailer of the Year and winner of the Customer Service Initiative Award. USB pc camera Consumer Electronics Buy Electronics cd Cassette Player Cassette tape Player portable Cassette Players Video Cassette Player Car Cassette Player Audio Cassette Player Digital camera wholesale Digital cameras Cheap Digital cameras Buy Digital cameras link post comment

Guilty pleasures: shoe trends for fall [Sep. 26th, 2006|10:23 pm] Guilty pleasures: shoe trends for fall So many shoes, so little time. When a new fashion season kicks off and it's time to slip into a new pair of boots - or two or three, shopping for shoes becomes a major obsession. All of a sudden those flip-flops we've worn all summer seem a little bare and it's time to do the big shopping trip. And what is usually at the top of our list? Shoes, of course. We all know shoes can make or break an outfit, even if it's jeans and a T-shirt. And most of us don't really care what we spend on that "perfect" pair of shoes - or do we? "Buying new shoes can be fun and even therapeutic," says Shari Shakun, vice president and general merchandise manager for online store SmartBargains.com, who has recently launched an extensive shoe division. "It's not surprising that so many women can't get enough of them." In a recent survey commissioned by Shakun's company and conducted by Harris Interactive, many women would gladly sacrifice a few of life's simple pleasures - chocolate (36 percent) or dinner out (37 percent) - for a really great pair of shoes, and 25 percent of the almost 1,400 women surveyed said they have felt guilty about the money they've spent on shoes. "For women who see shoe shopping as an indulgence, there can often be a guilt factor as well," says Shakun. But most of us who love to browse shoe Web sites for a bargain on a pair of pony-hair peep toe pumps or stroll the aisles of the shoe department in our favorite stores during a great sale know the power of wearing a new pair of shoes that transforms our flip-flop world into a velvety underground, especially at this time of year, when the jeweled holiday T-straps and the fur ballet flats slip into view. "Shoes can be a great form of expression; the more original the choice, the more a woman's individual personality can shine through," Shakun adds. So girls, get your lunch money out and let's go shopping for shoes. Here are a few of fall's best fashion footwear trends to splurge on: Boots, boots, boots. From shoe boots to ankle boots to knee-highs, there's a boot for every occasion. Pick out a great everyday boot first, preferably a flat, then go for the more glamorous high-heeled ones for evening soirees. Metallics. In silver, coppery bronze or brilliant gold, the metallics are still shining, and will really spark up a fall-into-holiday wardrobe. A pair of shimmery Mary Janes is a great choice. Animal instincts. The exotic reptile looks and animal prints such as leopard or zebra are a big hit this fall. Fur trims are an added bonus. In pumps or flats, boots or mules, these are the new classic basics that go with everything from jeans to party dresses. Wedgies. The platform is taking us higher for fall in pumps and boots - a great look with the long, lean skinny jeans for even more height. A pair of peep-toe platform pumps channels Marilyn Monroe and her Hollywood pin-up pals. Girly frills. Ruffles and bows, jewels and buckles - a little embellishment goes a long way in these new shoes that are often works of art and deserve their own special place in the closet. Patent leather. Black leads the way, but the shine continues in high-gloss color - red, in particular, is another high-voltage way to shoe in the fall. Ballet flats. Dance the night away - and the day, too, for that matter - in these comfortable slip-ons that come in tweed, plaid and metallic versions.Go for simple chic in unadorned styles or more dressed up with ribbons and a jewel or two. Toe-to-toe. Can't decide which way to go? Pointed, round or squared off? This fall, shoe designers give you all of the above, so take your pick and let comfort be your guide. Sharon Mosley is a former fashion editor of the Arkansas Gazette in Little Rock and executive director of the Fashion Editors and Reporters Association. discount Digital cameras Bluetooth Headsets Wireless Headset Bluetooth Headphones Wireless Headphones USB Headset Foldable multimedia speakers pc multimedia speakers PDA phones palm PDA Cheap PDA TV Sets Digital TV Set top box LCD TV Sets link post comment

law enforcers. [Sep. 25th, 2006|08:18 pm] In his downtown office, where a side table is spread with baseball hats from other lawmen's offices, Sheriff Leo Samaniego looks like a courtly grandfather, tall, 70-ish, smiling, at ease with his reputation as master of one of the best-regarded departments in the country. A civil-rights lawyer who has sparred with him legally says, "His roadblocks were a bad call, but this guy's a great sheriff." Samaniego is unrepentant about his "traffic stops" and insists they "will start again." He halted them only temporarily, he says, to "cool off" the rights groups and citizens like Camaron, who had begun receiving attention with their complaining. The fact is that 9/11 has "definitely" changed his job, the sheriff says, and there's no going back. "I'd rather be accused of overstepping my authority than sitting on my butt and doing nothing while we're in war," he says. Sherriff Leo Samaniego If the lines between local and federal authorities are blurring, so are lines between civilian and military operations. This landscape looks like Iraq. Units have arrived to assist the Border Patrol before going to the Middle East. "You can bet it can be beneficial to them," says Mosier. "They're getting used to a desert environment you can't get at a base in the East or the Midwest." Troops bring advanced military technology, different and better than what the Border Patrol has, and which only the military has the training to run. "Equipment such as that tried and tested in the Middle East can be beneficial in this kind of topography," Mosier says. "If that technology is applicable and feasible (there is) no reason to think it won't be considered for future use." For Mosier, having soldiers on the border is not militarization, but "homeland security in support of a very real and vital mission." From the Border Patrol to the National Guard, the word is consistent: Soldiers in Operation Jump Start, President Bush's initiative, have no direct law enforcement duties. They are here to provide force protection, free up Border Patrol agents until more can be trained, bring technology, to be "more eyes and ears." But the reality is that soldiers are trained to kill and deal with an "enemy." Local residents understand this. When the nearby city of Sunland Park, New Mexico, received a request from the Border Patrol's El Paso sector to station National Guard soldiers on the city's hill of Cristo Rey, a pilgrimage site topped by a monumental white cross visible from Mexico and frequented mostly by faithful from Texas, residents rebelled. The City Council voted to deny the right-of-entry permit. "Militarily trained is not Border Patrol trained," says a 35-year-old El Paso native who picnics on the hill. "The Border Patrol doesn't walk up to you with a weapon pulled-people are afraid of others running around there with M-16s." Nighttime is the busiest time for agents, photo by Jana Birchum There is another reason more military personnel will be coming to El Paso: Fort Bliss is set to receive 20,000 new soldiers in the next five years (present number: 13,000). Spokesmen say the influx is not part of a strategy to strengthen military presence on the border, but due instead to re-stationing of units from overseas and from installations closed in the armed forces' Base Realignment and Closure process. Did the strategic border location of Fort Bliss affect the BRAC decision not to close it, when the process eliminated so many others? "Not to my knowledge," says Public Affairs Officer Jean Offut. Furthermore, the base "has nothing to do" with National Guard stationed in and around El Paso, or with their assignments. No matter what the reason for supersizing Fort Bliss, the effect is a sensation of further militarization of the community, says Timothy Dunn, a border scholar (The Militarization of the U.S.-Mexico Border 1978-1992) and sociologist at Salisbury University in Maryland. "Also, that means there's a much bigger pool to draw upon for border duty by JTF North." Originally called JTF-6, in 1997 Marines in the anti-drug joint task force, supporting the Border Patrol, shot and killed an 18-year-old American named Esequiel Hernandez as he tended family goats in rural Redford, Texas. The Marines were never charged. JTF-6 morphed into JTF North, based at Fort Bliss, now charged with supporting law enforcers such as the Border Patrol with "interdiction of suspected transnational threats." That's fence and road building, but it's also training, and that's "not innocuous," says Dunn. "It's militaristic stuff including interrogation techniques, booby traps and weapons. A large part of low-intensity conflict doctrine always has been U.S. military units training local forces. What happens is that military thinking comes to have a role in civilian enforcement." Nearly half the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the United States entered legally and overstayed visas. Most illegal drugs enter in otherwise legitimate cargo and traffic. Operations Jump Start and Linebacker don't affect them. Meanwhile, the poor of Mexico and Central America continue to regard work in the United States as a lifeline, even if they must come illegally to grab it. Absent coherent domestic and multilateral policy, the war on the border, like the war on terror, is endless, and increasingly dangerous. "It's like two tsunamis, one coming up from the south, and increased militarization coming from the north, set to clash at the border," says University of Texas at El Paso political scientist and border researcher Tony Payan. "There is a need for a way to accommodate the flow." In a new study, The Three U.S.-Mexico Border Wars: Drugs, Immigration, and Homeland Security, Payan suggests that the "real failure" of 9/11 was the lack of intelligence coordination to detect and apprehend potential terrorists entering anywhere. Mexican border security became a special focus, with law enforcement redefined as a matter of national security. The focus carries hostility not only to crossers but those who live in the area, "an escalation that has not paid off" because workers and drugs are coming at the same rate as five years ago. What has changed toward undocumented workers since 9/11, as Payan puts it, is "the perception of intentionality," that "this is not someone coming to take a job, but someone who will harm America." Under a midday sun, the skeleton of a big river crab lies intact on the flat, baked earth. Which of the twigs coming out of the ground are motion sensors? Which are bare plants? A green and white Border Patrol car appears out of nowhere. The agent asks a few questions and seems in no hurry to drive away. He's been on the job 16 years, he says. Sure, it's fine that the Guard are here, but he doesn't figure it will change his job much, endlessly patrolling this line. Has he ever been in danger? Well, the drug runners have taken to throwing big rocks at the patrol cars, which is dangerous if one hits while he's driving fast. Sometimes the rocks smash right through the windshield, which cuts off the chase because it's all you can do to keep the car from flipping. He wants to make sure I'm not confused, not thinking it's the migrants trying to sneak into the country who throw the stones. "It's the drug ones, you know, not the ones coming to work." Later, on another part of the line where bushes grow, where it's possible to climb down to the cool river, where a Mexican family on the other side has spread its cloth to eat lunch, another agent drives up, this one brusque. "Be careful around here, like if you go down to the river, because if we see you coming up, we don't know who you are," he says. On another day, as light fades in the August sky, Texas National Guardsmen inside a windowless camera room are intent on a bank of full-light screens and pink-toned night vision screens, working joysticks to pan the views, watching "bodies," as they call them, figures on the Mexican side of the river. "I was doing basically the same thing in Iraq, entry points, vehicles, looking for suspicious activity," says a 33-year-old from El Paso back from Tikrit. "There they were penetrating the wall around our base. This is like they're penetrating our home. We don't want terrorists to come in." Another soldier watches for "massing," a gathering of several figures who might come across in a group and overwhelm a single agent. But El Paso has been flooded with rains, and the same river that was low just a few days before runs full and treacherous now. "You'd have to be crazy to try that river tonight," says a 20-year-old Specialist 4. "Or desperate." A soldier in a secure observation outpost at night, photo by Jana Birchum Nevertheless, hours after sunset Senior Border Patrol Agent Rogelio Garcia is driving the levee roads, amid tumbleweeds that blow up in the dark, catching jackrabbits in the headlight beams, his radio crackling with traffic from soldiers in the camera room and agents on the borderline who are spotting the crazy, or desperate, crossers. Visual on six to eight subjects... Changing clothes... Bodies up on the levee now... Those bodies are running back now... Garcia throws the SUV into four-wheel drive, driving expertly, ready for sinkholes on flats near the marsh. Another radio voice. Five to six subjects. Goin' up. Running north from Duty exit. "Well, night is the busiest time," says Garcia, who joined the Border Patrol six years ago. Two spotters... Four guys crouching... Agents respond. Outside San Elizario, Garcia rolls to a stop. From the levee an agent in a patrol car is "cutting" north across the sand with his flashlight beam, looking for tracks. Dogs are barking; other agents search a yard with flashlights. Garcia peers into a ditch. For now, they get away. Watching these agents, it's clear that they are well trained, ready for anything. Some have specialized degrees, many served in the armed forces themselves. Deterrence through ubiquity and obvious surveillance is the policy, but if someone breaches the line, they know the pathways. It seems tonight that only the sheer number of those who try to cross the border illegally means some get through. Garcia drives more miles along the borderline, until he pulls up alongside a white pickup. Inside, an agent is behind the wheel, watching a small, green screen divided into quadrants mounted on his dashboard. Standing high in the truck bed is a FLIR, or forward looking infrared camera, trained south. Only days before, a lone patroller nearby captured a group of 10 migrants, and two drug runners with 90 pounds of marijuana in duffels. Without the FLIR, says the agent at the dashboard screen, that lone patroller would have caught the escaping drug runners, but missed the drugs they jettisoned, which the FLIR's eye saw. Garcia is thoughtful. "Every day what we're doing out here is a war against terror-after 9/11 that became number one," he says. And "you can't say it's militarizing the border" to have the soldiers here. "You don't see military vehicles running up and down the line, and again, the Guard has no direct power to arrest." The desert is silent except for the cry of cicadas. The FLIR agent never takes his eyes off the screen, and suddenly he is sending a message. One spotter trying to get on the river... Should pop out any minute... 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law enforcers. [Sep. 25th, 2006|08:17 pm] law enforcers. One day Carrillo, a U.S. Navy veteran, stood in his welding yard, amid machinery and tankers under repair and barking dogs. He pulled out his cell phone and called the Spanish language TV station in El Paso as neighbors and his workmen were being picked off at the roadblocks. It was a cry for help, or at least for some attention from the wider world. "I've lived here 24 years, and there's been nothing like this before," says Carrillo, a 36-year-old father of two. "That's the Torres house, that's Martinez, that's Garcia-he's in the service-and that's Telles, the one they named the street over there for," says Carrillo on a ride through town. He waves at the driver of a passing truck. "And there goes my brother." This part of San Elizario began as a rough colonia, unimproved lots where families have seen water come to houses only in the last few years, although many, like Carrillo's mother, don't have gas yet, and sewage systems are still a dream. That means part of Camaron's business is modifying the trucks that go around cleaning septic tanks. He sweeps an arm to take in concrete brick houses rising among the nopales and pink tunas, and a developer's sign that announces: Coming Soon - Mission Style, 31 Lots. Progress in making colonias a decent place to live has come hard, but now people are scared. Households have always been a mix of citizens, legal residents, and undocumented relatives, but the war on terror is changing lives. Take a ride around other colonias east of El Paso -- Agua Dulce, Sparks, around Horizon and Montana Vista -- and you hear more. For weeks during the Linebacker stops, neighbors brought food and diapers to houses where fathers had been taken by authorities and mothers didn't dare go into the streets. Priests reported churches vacant. A clinic usually bursting with the uninsured stood empty of families, the sick unattended. Today those who are undocumented, and relatives, remain uneasy. Around San Elizario the occasional Lazy Boy or old sofa in a yard sits empty. "People used to walk around more, used to walk down along the edge of the cotton field over there along the river for exercise, late in the day," says mechanic Jessie Rubio, 46, a friend of Camaron's. Skybox rises above backyards in San Elizario, photo by Jana Birchum On a July morning, as Rubio spoke under a shade tree outside the family's trailer home, his 11-year-old son, Jose Luis, tinkered with a car engine, and a lone, white egret was the only other creature visible in the expanse between Rubio's yard and the line that marks the border. "What if a Minuteman mistakes me and shoots me?" he asks. Then there's the Guard. "They can make a mistake with somebody taking a stroll, because now there's too many guns and too many people. Somebody will say, 'I'm an American, you can't tell me what to do,' and there'll be trouble. Sometimes you get mad when you get asked so much for papers. You feel racism starting to climb. You can feel the tension." Being asked for papers to go to the store "felt like those countries you hear about where soldiers and police are taking over and can search you," says Rubio, whose parents immigrated from Chihuahua when he was six. He votes, and like other residents, is pleased when he reads the Border Patrol has busted drug runners. "They could hurt my son," he says. But Rubio feels less ownership of his neighborhood now, questions why it's feeling like a front line, and senses danger. "In a war situation you're looking at people and asking, 'Friend or foe?' Well, now you're getting people coming in from different parts, the Guard and Minutemen, and here we all look the same. In a war zone they don't know who is who." Guard spokesmen reiterate that soldiers have authority only to call in the Border Patrol, not to arrest suspicious persons. Yet on the ground, fear of running into a soldier and being challenged is far greater than running into a Border Patrol agent. Partly this is because agents are familiar, but the soldiers are not. Partly it's because residents see soldiers at war on TV every day, pictured amid explosions and in combat, then, disconcertingly, see them behind their back yards. And partly fear rises because residents know soldiers who are trained for war, or recently returned from war, may have a mind-set that doesn't belong in the neighborhood. It's not an outlandish concern: Veterans Affairs Secretary R. James Nicholson told The Washington Post in October 2005 that 12 percent of returning troops from Iraq and Afghanistan seen at Veterans Administration facilities suffered from some degree of post-traumatic stress disorder. But Suzanne Dennis, an Air Force veteran of Desert Storm who returned six months ago from Baghdad deployment as a public affairs specialist with the Texas National Guard, dismissed anxiety about stressed-out soldiers on the line. "They just switch gears," Dennis says, from the battlefield to assisting the Border Patrol. "If you can't switch, you don't belong there." Nevertheless, for those in houses near the line, living in the zone now brings a sensation of the ground shifting under their feet. For Ray Carrillo, it also comes with a hunch his role in life is changing, because what is experienced as repression demands a response. "It just clicked," says Carrillo about the moment when the Linebacker roadblocks were in full swing and the Guard was beginning to arrive. "It's illegal to ask somebody for papers without suspicion of a crime. It's not right for people to be afraid to come out of their houses." His wife wants to move a few miles east to Fabens, but now Carrillo is deciding to stick around, staying in touch with rights groups, monitoring, listening, "protecting my rights, my kids, my neighbors." "I didn't just throw a rock and run," says Camaron about the roadblocks. "I stood my ground, in the light." Texas National Guard and Border Patrol agents checking documents of those heading north, photo by Jana Birchum President Bush, the Border Patrol and the military declare the border is not militarized, but it is. Experts say it began years ago. In 1986, President Reagan issued a directive designating illegal drug traffic as a threat to U.S. "national security," which permitted the Department of Defense to enter a range of "anti-drug" activity, including on the border. Even before that, in 1981 Congress passed amendments that diluted the strength of the 100-year-old Posse Comitatus Act, which had strictly prohibited deputizing military to carry out domestic law enforcement. The Pentagon's Center for the Study of Low Intensity Conflict helped design the Border Patrol's "Strategic Plan: 1994 and Beyond," devoted almost entirely to immigration control. The rhetoric of violence has taken over in a new way since September 11, 2001, replacing the language of immigration enforcement, border policy, or even drug interdiction with the language of fighting terrorism. When Gov. Perry's Border Security Plan announced support for Operation Linebacker, its overview began with these words: "Al-Qaeda leadership plans to use criminal alien smuggling organizations to bring terrorist operatives across the border into the U.S." Douglas T. Mosier, Border Patrol spokesman in El Paso, says, "Our primary objective now is preventing terrorists and instruments of terrorism from entering." Rick Glancey, spokesman for the El Paso County Sheriff's Department, says its job is the "same as the Border Patrol, preventing terrorism." "Every day you have drugs coming in duffel bags," says Glancey, who is also interim executive director of the Texas Border Sheriff's Coalition and helped develop Linebacker. "Today narcotics, tomorrow weapons of mass destruction. Since September 11 we've seen the border is perfect for someone to take advantage of the United States. We will not let this happen on our watch, Mr. and Mrs. America, you can be sure of that." Soldiers bring experience manning Iraq entry points to the U.S. border, photo by Jana Birchum replica watch power cord replica rolex extension cord power cord China export blog wwmm njlive njcit link post comment

Variety of herbs create flavorful indoor garden [Aug. 14th, 2006|01:23 pm] Variety of herbs create flavorful indoor garden Question: I want to start an indoor herb garden. Which herbs should I try? Answer: Not all herbs do well indoors. Here are a few herbs that are known to have a consistent, compact growth habit and strong flavor. Grolau chives (Allium schoenoprasum): Strong flavor and thick, dark green leaves. Seeds germinate in 10 to 14 days at 60 to 68 degrees Fernleaf dill (Anethum graveolens): Dwarf form of dill only 18 inches tall. Ideal for dill weed indoors. Easy to grow from seeds, germinating in seven to 14 days at 60 to 68 degrees. English mint (Mentha spicata): Perhaps the best-behaved spearmint variety. Excellent for cooking and tea. Easy to propagate from cuttings. Spicy Globe basil (Ocimum basilicum minimum): Dense, compact form of basil, 8 to 10 inches tall. Good flavor. Will grow from seed; germinates in six to 12 days at 68 to 77 degrees. Greek oregano (Origanum vulgare hirtum): Has excellent flavor and white flowers, watch out for the impostor (called wild marjoram) with pink flowers and no flavor. Greek oregano grows well in pots, reaching 8 to 12 inches. Grows easily from seed in seven to 21 days at 65 to 72 degrees. Broadleaf thyme (Plectranthus amboinicus or Coleus amboinicus): Also known as Spanish thyme and Cuban oregano, this plant has broad, fleshy leaves and has a spicy thyme-oregano flavor used in many of the same recipes as ordinary thyme. Never goes dormant. Grows from cuttings only, and reaches 10 to 12 inches tall. Blue Boy rosemary (Rosmarinus officinalis): More compact than regular rosemary, reaching only 24 inches, has excellent flavor. Propagated only by cuttings. Dwarf garden sage (Salvia officinalis Compacta): Smaller leaves than regular sage, growing only 10 inches high, same flavor. Propagated only by cuttings. Q: How often should I fertilize my flowers? A: Flowering annual and perennial flowers should be fertilized every four to six weeks to keep them vigorous and blooming up a storm. A 3-1-2 ratio product will provide the needed boost in vigor. Q: What is the best way to can fruits and vegetables? A: Canning is an important, safe method of food preservation if practiced properly. There are two safe ways of canning, depending on the type of food being canned. These are the boiling water-bath method and the pressure canner method. Canning homegrown food may save you half the cost of buying commercially canned foods. For more information, please contact our office of Consumer Services to provide a mailing address. If you have questions or problems with services or products regulated by the Georgia Department of Agriculture, you may write the Office of Public Affairs, 19 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Room 226, Atlanta, GA 30334 or call (800) 282-552. The Georgia consumer column appears Sundays Wholesale Suitcases Wholesale DVD Wholesale CD Players Wholesale Mattress pads Wholesale Mats Body building supplement Ice Cream Machine Wholesale Cleaning Supplies Wholesale Beauty supplies Wholesale Party Supplies Wholesale Pet Supplies Wholesale Garden Furnitures link post comment

Winterport man in hospital after dirt bike crash [Jul. 18th, 2006|10:13 am] Winterport man in hospital after dirt bike crash BANGOR - A Winterport man remained at a Bangor hospital Wednesday, one day after he was injured while riding a dirt bike in a gravel pit in Great Pond in the Unorganized Territory. Jason L. Brasslett, 31, was taken to Eastern Maine Medical Center to be treated for what a state game warden investigating the incident called substantial injuries. Brasslett was in fair condition Wednesday night, according to a nursing supervisor. Brasslett was riding an unregistered dirt bike and wasn't wearing a helmet when he crashed after jumping a berm in the gravel pit off the 25,000 Road, Sgt. Doug Tibbetts of the Maine Warden Service said Wednesday. Brasslett suffered injuries to his head, neck, ribs and shoulders, said Tibbetts, who met family members in a car partway down the road as they were trying to drive the man to their camp on Eagle Lake. "He was in substantial pain and couldn't move at all," Tibbetts said of the Winterport man. The remoteness of the area delayed the reporting of the accident to the state police. Weather conditions, including the possibility of thunderstorms, grounded a LifeFlight helicopter. An ambulance from Old Town, about 30 miles away, was sent to transport the man to EMMC. Brasslett was with his sister Danielle McKay, 21, of Winterport and his two young sons, both under the age of 10, when the accident occurred. His sister, who was riding an unregistered ATV, rode five miles to a camp on Eagle Lake to call for help, Tibbetts said. State police were notified at 5:18 p.m. Tuesday about 40 minutes after the accident occurred. The ambulance arrived about an hour after the call, he said. McKay was summoned on a charge of operating an unregistered ATV. Tibbetts said the incident is still under investigation and that other charges likely will be filed. None of the off-road vehicles was registered and Brasslett's sons, who were riding an ATV together, were too young to be riding without an adult, Tibbetts said. Juice Extractor china import wholesale products products from china flash disk cassette player digital camera wholesale DVD computer accessory pocket bike electric bicycle dirt bike wholesale handbags wholesale hats baseball caps wholesale bags link post comment

Oshawa man seriously injured in dirt bike accident [Jul. 18th, 2006|10:05 am] Oshawa man seriously injured in dirt bike accident A 27-year-old Oshawa man was airlifted to a Toronto area hospital after he lost control of the mini bike he was riding and struck a tree. Durham Regional Police were called to a home in north Oshawa Friday night around 8 p.m. where a man had crashed a mini dirt bike into a tree. Witnesses told police the man was operating a mini dirt bike at a home on Winchester Road East in north Oshawa when he drove into a treed area and lost control of the dirt bike, striking a tree and suffering serious head injuries. He was taken by ambulance to Oshawa Airport and airlifted from there to Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto with serious, life threatening injuries. Police say he was not wearing a helmet at the time of the collision and alcohol may have been a factor. Ice Crusher Breadmaker Rice Cooker Electric Oven TV Set Electric Fan Hair Dryer Sewing Machine Coffee Maker Electric Kettle Refrigerator Washing Machine Airconditioner link post comment

All ages take to dirt at race track [Jul. 18th, 2006|10:00 am] All ages take to dirt at race track Tyler Sherrill still has his baby teeth, a shy grin for people he doesn't know and and a fearlessness that surprises even his parents. The Clarksville 5-year-old, who has been racing his Honda CRT dirt bike since he was 3, participated Saturday night in the motocross event, which drew more than 160 racers from all over Tennessee and Kentucky. ADVERTISEMENT Growling motorcycles and four-wheelers plowed through the hilly terrain, soaring through big jumps, kicking up a haze of dust and showering dirt clods across the arena at Fairgrounds Park during the second night of the Jaycees North Tennessee State Fair. The motocross featured 20 separate races in various age and engine categories. Billy Latham of Pro-Action Sports in Crofton, Ky., designed and created the course ?a continuous oval-shaped ripple of little peaks and valleys. "I just made it up in my head and started pushing dirt around," Latham said. "I wanted it to be challenging enough for the pro-class riders, but easy enough on the little guys." But little guys like Tyler Sherrill aren't asking for any easy breaks. "I think I actually get a little more scared than he does," said Tyler's father, Todd Sherrill, who has been dirt bike racing since he was his son's age. "He just gets out there and concentrates on going fast." Tyler's mother, Denise Sherrill, said she is amazed at her son's ability to maneuver his bike. "It's just amazing to me that a 5-year-old can go out and know how to maneuver bumps and turns and when to slow down and when to speed up," she said. "There's a sense of pride that comes with watching him." The Sherills agreed safety is the top consideration when enjoying what they call their family hobby. "This is all we do, because you really can't afford the time or money to do anything else," Todd Sherrill said. Before racing, Tyler suits up in his racing gear ?boots, chest guard and helmet, along with a red and black polyester race suit. The Sherrills say they're aware of the risks involved with the sport but insist they don't want their child to live in fear. "To a certain extent, you have to you kids try things for themselves and decide what they like," Todd Sherrill said. "I mean there's danger in just about everything ?playing football or just riding a regular bike. You can't let fear rule your life." The couple is expecting a daughter next month, and they're already planning to save Tyler's trusty, little Honda for her ?but "only if she wants to ride, of course." Though the Sherrill's purchased Tyler's bike used, a brand new similar model can cost as much as $17,000, Todd Sherrill said. But they insist the expense of the sport is worth the time they spend enjoying it together. "It's a very family-friendly environment," Denise Sherrill said. The sport also entertains families a little more hesitant about strapping on a helmet. Todd Morely of Clarksville brought his two sons, Cullynn, 10, and Benjamin, 6, to Saturday's motocross for some father-son bonding while his wife and daughter were out of town. Morely said the event was a first for his brood, which was clearly excited by the experience. "Dad, someday can I try those jumps?" Cullyn asked breathlessly, while watching his peers zoom over the sloping terrain. "It could be scary, but I'd do it anyway Juice Extractorchina import wholesale products products from china flash disk cassette player digital camera wholesale DVD computer accessory pocket bike electric bicycle dirt bike wholesale handbags wholesale hats baseball caps wholesale bags link post comment

New EU rules to hit home appliance exports [Jul. 11th, 2006|05:26 pm] New EU rules to hit home appliance exports     A new EU directive is expected to affect US$56 billion worth of annual exports from more than 5,000 Chinese home Wholesale Appliance companies. Small and medium-sized companies, which account for 30 per cent of China's electronic product lines and already face pressure from multinational companies and larger domestic enterprises, are expected to feel the directive's effects first, warn experts. At a forum themed on countermeasures to the EU's Restriction of Hazardous Substances (RoHS) directive held over the weekend in Qingdao in East China's Shangdong Province, Huang Jianzhong, a senior official from the Ministry of Information Industry (MII), said Chinese manufacturers needed to increase production standards to seize a bigger share of the world market. "Safe, healthy and environmentally-friendly have become key qualities in the Home Appliance market," he said. "As Chinese brands are gradually recognized on the world market, we ought to further optimize our production to take a bigger stake." Under the new EU directive, which took effect on July 1, electronic products containing six hazardous substances will not be allowed on the EU market. The regulation allows a maximum concentration of only 0.1 per cent by weight of environmentally hazardous substances such as lead and mercury, which are necessary in the production of electrical products. Guangzhou AC Panasonic recently announced that a quarter of its 208 suppliers, which provide a total of 7,268 different assembly parts, would be unable to meet the standards imposed by the EU directives. Unless they can upgrade their technologies in time, these suppliers stand to lose their market share. "Manufacturers have to both upgrade their own production equipment and ensure the new standards are met by their parts suppliers, which will bring an average rise of 10 per cent in production costs," said Liu Wanshan, an official with the State Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine. The increased costs will bring many challenges to Chinese companies, which largely owe their success on the international market to low-price strategies. "Chinese enterprises must substitute these substances with environmentally friendly materials in their exports to the EU," Liu added. "The trend towards green products is not a fashion anymore and the pressure to adhere to environmentally friendly standards is rapidly increasing and getting more and more sophisticated and complicated," said Oliver Butler, vice-president of France's Bureau Veritas, a global leader in conformity assessment for quality, health, safety, environment and social responsibility. "It will become the hot topic for all electrical and electronics manufacturers. We strongly recommend companies establish a profound RoHS management system. "With improved management and control in the whole production chain, including raw materials, design, production, packaging and even distribution, their products can meet the RoHS directive much easier," Butler added. Statistics from China's Ministry of Commerce show that joint ventures and large domestic enterprises produce 75 per cent of the country's electronics exports. Since many of these companies have already begun integrating environmental and health considerations into their operations, they will have an easier time complying. Many firms, including Sony, Haier, Hisense and TCL, are already making full preparations for the new directives. On the legislative side, China has begun participating in international standards discussions. To date, it has developed 6,500 national product standards in line with international standards, or 40 per cent of the national total. "Such regulations will have a growing effect on our export trade, and the participation will have our voices heard globally," said MII official Huang Jianzhong. Moreover, following the EU's RoHS directive, the Chinese version of RoHS, jointly regulated by seven ministries, is to take effect on March 1 next year. The regulation is likely to be broader in scope and even more comprehensive than the EU directive. It will apply to every participant in the electronics supply chain, from manufacturers and distributors to importers and retailers. The new law will require every product to be tested before it is allowed entry into China, according to Huang. "The Chinese version of RoHS will work as a barrier to foreign products that have been turned down by the EU market but manufacturers hope to dump into our country. "It will provide protection for mainland consumers' benefits as well, as it will ban companies from selling quality products to the EU, while marketing inferior ones on the domestic market," Huang continued. "Despite current costs increasing and exports decreasing, in the long-run the new EU electronics standards will play an active role in encouraging Chinese companies to pursue more sustainable product development," said Wang Ning, vice-president of Chinese Electronic Chamber of Commerce. replica watch replica rolex replica watch power cord power cordS ul power strip ul power strip power cord China Toys Wholesale Toys China Housewares Wholesale Housewares General merchandise China Furniture Dollar stores Wholesale Furniture Sporting products Sporting Goods Wholesale Electronics China Gifts China exporters China exports China exporters China exports China wholesalers China manufacturers China sources Home Appliance Wholesale Appliance Promotional Items china import wholesale products link post comment

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(UL) is notifying inspection authorities, retailers, and consumers that three -outlet power strips distributed by Enersonic bear counterfeit UL Listing Marks for the United States and Canada. These products do not meet UL safety requirements and may pose a risk of fire or electric shock. The use of the Listing Mark is not authorized by UL. Name of Product: Enersonic, YLPT-1 Units: Unknown quantity. Manufacturer: The manufacturer of these products has not been identified. Hazard: These products may pose a risk of fire and electric shock. They have features that do not comply with UL safety standards, including incorrect wiring of the receptacles and an undersized power supply cord. Identification: On the enclosure: The power strips have a plastic enclosure with "Enersonic" molded on the enclosure's front side and "YLPT-1, 125Vac, 15A, 60 Hz, 1875W" molded on the enclosure back. A counterfeit UL holographic label is attached to the back of the enclosure which identifies the products as a "relocatable power tap." On the power cord: The power supply cord is marked "16AWGX3C". On the packaging: The top of the packaging is marked "Enersonic 3 Outlet Power Strip W/3' Cord." Near the center of the packaging is marked "ITEM# 10015 3 Outlet Power Strip W/3' cord." A counterfeit cULus Listing Mark is located on the bottom front corner. The counterfeit power strips look similar to a power strip that is authorized to bear the UL Listing Mark manufactured by Ningbo Yaling Electrical Appliance Co, Ltd. The authorized power strip is marked with a date code on the back of the product. The date code consists of two circles with arrows in the middle molded into the bottom of the enclosure, one circle has two numbers representing the year and the second circle has one or two digits representing the month, the arrows point to the year and month of manufacture. The counterfeit products have no date code. The photographs below show the difference between the counterfeit power strip and the UL authorized power strip.   More about power cord: wholesale products EU power strip UK power strip ul power strip power cord power cord ul power ul cord ul power cord g power cord dd power cord dd power cord power cord power cord power cord2 power cord 4 china products export from china China Toys China Housewares General merchandise Dollar stores Wholesale Furniture Sporting products power cord link post comment

Stocks mixed after Fed lifts interest rates [Jun. 2nd, 2006|05:41 pm] Stocks mixed after Fed lifts interest rates NEW YORK - Wall Street ended an uneasy session mostly lower and bond prices tumbled Wednesday after the Federal Reserve suggested it might not be through raising interest rates if they’re needed to fight inflation caused by soaring energy and commodities prices. The Fed’s decision to boost a key short-term lending rate to 5 percent was widely anticipated. But investors were rattled by the central bank’s accompanying statement, which said more policy firming - or rate hikes - could be necessary to contain inflation. The Fed indicated it would be closely watching economic data to determine its next step. Investors had grown hopeful that recent signs of a cooling economy would prompt the Fed to stop lifting rates. However, the prospect of more increases dampened the market’s celebration and stocks briefly fell. Ken McCarthy, chief economist for vFinance Investments, said the Fed will likely not raise interest rates at its June meeting to give it more time to assess the economy, adding that the central bank’s stance is ultimately positive for equities in the long term. ‘‘The Fed realizes that the tightening they’ve already done hasn’t had its full impact,’’ McCarthy said. ‘‘The numbers we’re getting now reflect the funds rate at 4 percent. The Fed wants to see the effect of 4.5 percent or 5 percent, and we won’t see that until later this year.’’ Bonds, which have been plagued by rising interest rates, sold off their earlier gains following the Fed’s statement. The yield on the 10-year Treasury note had fallen to 5.09 percent early in the session but recently was flat at 5.13 percent. According to preliminary calculations, the Dow rose 2.88, or 0.02 percent, to 11,646.65. The Dow is less than 80 points from its best-ever close of 11,722.98, reached Jan. 14, 2000. Broader stock indicators declined. The Standard & Poor’s 500 index lost 2.29, or 0.17 percent, to 1,322.85, and the Nasdaq composite index sank 17.51, or 0.75 percent, to 2,320.74. The chance for more interest rates increases weighed on the dollar, which fell against the Japanese yen. Meanwhile, gold prices climbed past a 25-year high of $700 an ounce. Although investors have always been mindful of economic data, upcoming reports on wholesale and consumer prices, factory utilization and job growth could cause severe volatility in the coming weeks as Wall Street resumes its habit of trying to predict the Fed’s next interest rate move. ‘‘If the economy doesn’t slow as expected, or inflation becomes a bigger problem for financial markets, the Fed has stated that it won’t hesitate to start raising rates again,’’ said Michael Sheldon, chief market strategist at Spencer Clarke LLC. Crude oil futures rebounded Wednesday as worries about overseas supply cutoffs countered a weekly government report showing increased oil and gasoline reserves and greater refinery output. A barrel of light crude gained $1.44 to $72.13 on the New York Mercantile Exchange. Cisco Systems Inc. posted a slight drop in quarterly profit but still managed to top Wall Street estimates. However, the company’s conservative outlook spooked tech investors. Cisco fell 93 cents to $20.75. Disney said its earnings grew 12 percent last quarter, helped by strong television ratings and increased theme park attendance. Disney rose 53 cents to $30.11. Federated said costs from acquiring May Department Stores Co. caused it to post a slight loss for the first quarter. The Macy’s and Bloomingdale’s owner also pegged its second-quarter results below analyst targets. Federated dropped 97 cents to $77.98. Whirlpool Corp. is closing three plants and slashing 4,500 jobs following its acquisition of rival appliance maker Maytag Corp. Whirlpool lost 92 cents to $92.17. Declining issues led advancers by about 9 to 7 on the New York Stock Exchange, where volume of 1.22 billion shares leaped past the 1.14 billion shares changing hands at the same point Tuesday. The Russell 2000 index of smaller companies lost 4.78, or 0.61 percent, to 775.94. Overseas, Japan’s Nikkei stock average tumbled 1.39 percent. Britain’s FTSE 100 lost 0.36 percent, Germany’s DAX index fell 0.36 percent and France’s CAC-40 was lower by 0.64 percent. More about Wholesale Appliance: China ToysWholesale ToysChina HousewaresWholesale HousewaresGeneral merchandiseDollar storesWholesale Furniture China Furniture Sporting productsSporting GoodsWholesale Electronics power cordpower cordul power stripul power strip replica rolexreplica watch china productsproducts from Chinachina exportexport from chinaGeneral merchandisechina wholesalechina factorieschina supplierschinese supplierimport from Chinaproducts made in China link post comment

In China, lucky numbers is big money [May. 26th, 2006|05:13 pm] In China, lucky numbers is big money HONG KONG, May 21 (UPI) -- The Chinese obsession of lucky numbers has helped fuel development in some cities as people cash in on items like custom license plates. Hong Kong has been holding special auctions on license plate numbers since 1973, where people with big money to spend vie for plates with lucky numbers like eights and nines. As China's economy grows more people have that kind of disposal income to spend. Last week the Guangzhou Enterprises, Mergers and Acquisitions Service in the Pearl River Delta region held a license plate auction and raised more than $1 million. The money will go to finance social services and infrastructure. Hong Kong's Office of Telecommunications Authority is deciding whether a similar auction can be worked out for special phone numbers. China's number fixation is about luck, where auspicious numbers are used in calculating how much to spend on gifts to when is the best date to move to a new house, China Daily reports. More about China Gifts: China Toys Wholesale Toys China Housewares Wholesale Housewares General merchandise Dollar stores Wholesale Furniture China Furniture Sporting products Sporting Goods Wholesale Electronics power cord power cord ul power strip ul power strip replica rolex replica watch 　 china products products from China china export export from china General merchandise china wholesale china factories china suppliers chinese supplier import from China products made in China outdoors supplies apparel accessories< china sporting Goods china computer Products computer accessory camping supplies pet supplies headwear China exporters China Housewares China Toys link post comment

NPLs increasing due to inflation: BI [May. 9th, 2006|05:06 pm] NPLs increasing due to inflation: BI Non-performing loans (NPLs) at local banks are on the rise as high inflation and interest rates following last year's two rounds of fuel price hikes hit the ability of borrowers to repay their loans, Bank Indonesia deputy governor Siti Fadjrijah said Monday. Gross NPLs in the banking industry crept up to 9.3 percent as of February from 8.3 percent as of last December. "Many consumer finance loans, especially for the purchase of motorbikes, have turned sour," Siti told reporters on the sidelines of a banking seminar. The figure for net NPLs was 5.7 percent in February, above Bank Indonesia's target of 5 percent for this year. The gross NPL level fell steadily to 5.8 percent in 2004 from nearly 50 percent in 1998. But it has been picking up since 2005, when it rose to 8.3 percent due to higher energy prices, increasing interest rates and tighter regulations on NPLs. BI director for banking research and regulation Muliaman D. Hadad said that state-owned banks -- including Bank Mandiri, Bank Negara Indonesia and Bank Tabungan Negara -- accounted for most to the increase in NPLs. He pointed out that as of February, 72 percent, or Rp 48 trillion, in problem loans worth Rp 66 trillion were recorded by the state-owned banks. Siti said that state-owned banks had a higher level of NPLs than private sector banks because they had limited powers to restructure loans. State-owned banks, for example, could not write off loan principal or interest as Law No. 17/2003 defined the debts of state-owned banks as state assets. "If state-owned banks want to give debt reductions, they need permission from the Finance Minister. If it involves a lot of money, they must go the House of Representatives first," she said. The president of state-owned Bank Mandiri, Agus Martowardoyo, said that what the state-owned banks now needed was the establishment of a special purpose vehicle (SPV) in the form of an asset management company to handle the NPLs so that the banks could concentrate on the loans that were still performing. Siti said that if necessary, the central bank would support the establishment of an SPV. Economist and House member Dradjad Wibowo of the National Mandate Party (PAN) said that establishing an SPV or amending the law could help state-owned banks overcome the burgeoning NPL problem. However, the Finance Ministry's director general of the treasury, Mulia P. Nasution, said that establishing an SPV or amending the law would not be necessary. He said that currently the government was revising Government Regulation No. 14/2005 on procedures for the writing off of state and local administration loans and Ministerial Regulation No. 31/PMK.07/2005 on procedures for proposing, researching, and determining the writing off of state and local administration loans. He said that the amendments, expected to be completed in June, would make it easier for state-owned banks to adopt normal banking measures of the kind taken by private banks to resolve their NPL problems, such as providing debt restructuring or reductions. "In the future, NPLs, should therefore decrease," he said. (08) More about China export: china products products from China china export china export export from china china wholesale china factories china suppliers chinese supplier import from China products made in China outdoors supplies apparel accessories china sporting Goods chinese electronics china computer Products computer accessory camping supplies pet supplies headwear footwear power cord ul power strip replica rolex replica watch link post comment

Lenovo unveils ThinkPads X60 and T60 Series [Apr. 28th, 2006|11:36 am] Lenovo unveils ThinkPads X60 and T60 Series Talk Back? CRN Network, April 25, 2006 Lenovo has introduced two new ThinkPad models - X60 and T60 Series. The company says that they are designed around Intel Centrino Duo mobile technology and offers a wide range of connectivity options, allowing to operate for longer periods of time without a power cord. The ThinkPad X60 Series and T60 Series draw less power than previous X and T models for extended battery life, improving battery performance in some models by as much as 37%. Intel dual-core processors improve productivity and multitasking versus previous processors, allowing users to run multiple high-performance applications ? such as medical or engineering software, virus scan or system backups ? that might otherwise paralyze the PC. In order to help simplify the connectivity process, ThinkVantage Access Connections 4.1 helps mobile users set up and automatically switch from one available network connection to the next, helping reduce costly help desk calls for assistance in changing IP settings, defining default printers or accessing a wireless network. In addition to facilitating wireless peer-to-peer networking, Access Connections 4.1 supports wired, WLAN and WWAN connectivity. All models feature a hardware switch to manually disable the system's wireless antenna. ThinkPad X60 Series offers increased performance with 667 MHz front side bus and 667 MHz DDR2 SDRAM and allows for up to 11 hours of computing. The starting weight for it is 1.2 kg and starts at Rs. 1 lakh (taxes extra). ThinkPad T60 measures an inch (2.5 cm) thin with a travel weight of 4.8 lbs (2.2 kg). ThinkPad T60 Series is available from Rs. 93, 490 (taxes extra) onwards. Anil Philip, director, Marketing and Strategy, Lenovo (India), said, "These new ThinkPad notebooks merge one of Lenovo's hallmarks - productivity technology - in new thin and light designs to give users improved performance in whatever environment they work." power cord ul power strip replica rolex replica watch china products products from China china export china export export from china china wholesale china factories china suppliers chinese supplier import from China products made in China outdoors supplies apparel accessories china sporting Goods chinese electronics china computer Products computer accessory camping supplies pet supplies headwear footwear link post comment

Stock Exchange vital to Britain [Apr. 19th, 2006|04:56 pm] Stock Exchange vital to Britain (Daily Mail Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge)IT looks increasingly likely that a transatlantic tussle will break out for control of the London Stock Exchange. The New York Stock Exchange confirmed over the weekend that it is in talks over a possible merger, and arch-rival Nasdaq can, if it wants, stage another 'teatime' raid today following its coup last week when it cornered a near 15pc stake. An Anglo-American tieup would bring together the world's two most vibrant markets. The big fly in the ointment is regulation. London has been winning heaps of business that would otherwise have gone to the US because of 'Sarbox' - the onerous Sarbanes-Oxley rules introduced to clean up corporate America in the wake of Enron. Nasdaq is well aware of the issue and is looking at how it can satisfy shareholders and users that Sarbox will not seep into the City, increasing costs and damaging business here. City watchdogs have been making soothing noises. John Tiner, head of the Financial Services Authority, has played down the importance of regulatory issues in a US bid. But nothing is nailed down. Stockbrokers' body APCIMS is not convinced that the Americans will leave London's lightertouch regime in place and wants a watertight guarantee. Yet Nasdaq's chief executive Robert Greifeld has so far not deigned to schedule a meeting. The government's policy is one of non-interference, but it has pondered changing its takeover rules to block a possible Russian bid for gas supplier Centrica. The London Stock Exchange is a key part of the City's status as a financial centre. We need to make sure our national interests will not be harmed before waving through a US bid. DR Ros Altmann - the former fund manager who championed the cause of more than 85,000 people who lost their pensions when their company schemes were wound up - is not going to let the government wriggle out of its moral responsibility without a fight. The Parliamentary Ombudsman Ann Abraham last month slammed the government for lulling scheme members into a false sense of security and relaxing minimum funding requirements. But the government remains impervious to the tens of thousands of human tragedies and has flatly refused to accept responsibility or to pay compensation. Altmann is now marshalling her forces for a fightback. Lawyers are looking into the possibility of a judicial review and she will be appealing to the European Parliament along with Maurice Jones, a 66-year-old who lost his GBP34,000a-year pension when his employer failed in 1997. Altmann argues that putting the scandal right will cost up to GBP150m a year - a drop in the ocean compared with the GBP5bn a year Chancellor Gordon Brown has milked from funds in his GBP5bn-a-year raid on dividends. The way the government has abandoned thousands of people, whose only crime was to try to take responsibility for their own financial future, is nothing short of shameful. Restoring trust in pensions - vital if the nation is to avoid a wholesale retirement crisis down the line - will remain a pipe dream so long as ministers persist in this stance. SUGGESTIONS that the China Construction Bank is in talks with venerable US investment bank Bear Stearns over taking a stake of up to GBP2.3bn were hurriedly denied by the Chinese but will nonetheless inflame the atmosphere when president Hu Jintao meets George Bush in Washington this week. Attempts by foreigners to make inroads in the US, including Chinese oil company CNOOC's bid for Unocal, have proved politically controversial. The Americans are worried about their GBP113bn trade deficit with China and are tetchy about the yuan, which some believe is overvalued, giving an unfair advantage on cheap imports to the US. The prospect of a Chinese toehold on Wall Street will add to the unease about Beijing's growing might. aabbcc ddeeff gghhiikk iijj ll More about China wholesale: china productsproducts from Chinachina exportchina exportexport from chinachina wholesalechina factorieschina supplierschinese supplierimport from Chinaproducts made in Chinaoutdoors suppliesapparel accessorieschina sporting Goodschinese electronicschina computer Productscomputer accessorycamping suppliespet suppliesheadwearfootwearpower cordreplica rolexreplica watchul power strip link post comment

China's trade surplus hits 23.3 billion US dollars in first three months [Apr. 13th, 2006|04:06 pm] China's trade surplus hits 23.3 billion US dollars in first three months China's total trade surplus stood at 23.3 billion U.S. dollars for the first three months of this year, said sources with the General Administration of Customs (GAC) on Wednesday. According to a report released by the customs office, China's export volume grew by 26.6 percent year on year to 197.3 billion U.S. dollars in the first quarter, while imports were worth 174 billion U.S. dollars, up 24.8 percent from a year ago. China saw a record high monthly trade volume of 144.9 billion U.S. dollars in March, an increase of 24.9 percent year on year. Exports in March reached 78.04 billion U.S. dollars, growing by 28.3 percent year on year, while imports reached 66.86 billion U.S. dollars, up 21.1 percent. GAC reports that China's general trade in the first quarter reached 156.79 billion U.S. dollars, with exports growing by 24.4 percent from a year ago to nearly 82 billion U.S. dollars while imports were up 22.3 percent to 74.8 billion U.S. dollars. Exports of processed goods grew by 27.3 percent year on year to over 107 billion U.S. dollars and import processing volume was up 26.5 percent to 70.84 billion U.S. dollars. The European Union remains China's top trading partner with bilateral trade growing by 21.1 percent year on year to 57.11 billion U.S. dollars. The United States is China's second largest trading partner and Japan, the third, with the trade volume reaching 55.62 billion U.S. dollars and 45.97 billion U.S. dollars respectively. The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) remains China's fourth largest trading partner with bilateral trade growing by 25.7 percent year on year to 34.53 billion U.S. dollars. more about China Exports: china products products from China china export china export export from china china wholesale china factories china suppliers chinese supplier import from China products made in China outdoors supplies apparel accessories china sporting Goods chinese electronics china computer Products computer accessory camping supplies pet supplies headwear footwear power cord replica rolex replica watch ul power strip link post comment

Inner Mongolia enhances efforts to harness sandstorms [Mar. 21st, 2006|01:26 pm] Inner Mongolia enhances efforts to harness sandstorms Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region in North China has planted 1.47 million hectares of trees over the past six years to help reduce the threat of sandstorm to the major Chinese cities Beijing and Tianjin. The afforestation project has greatly improved local environment and slowed down the deterioration in pastures and desertification in the project areas in the Xilin Gol League, said Gao Xilin, director of the Inner Mongolia Autonomous Regional Forestry Bureau. The forest and grassland coverage rate has increased to the current 50 percent from 20 percent before 2000 in the project area,Gao said. Local farmers and herdsmen also benefited a lot from the afforestation project, with their per capita income reaching 546 yuan (about 70 U.S. dollars) annually, much higher than in the past, Gao said. The afforestation project to protect Beijing and Tianjin is one of the six state key projects to improve the ecological environment. Launched in 2000, the afforestation project covers 458,000 sq km from the Darhan Muminggan Banner in Inner Mongolia in the west to Pingquan county in North China's Hebei Province in the east, and from Dong Ujimqin Banner in Inner Mongolia in the north to Daixian county in North China's Shanxi Province in the south. The project covers 31 banners and counties in Inner Mongolia alone. The central government allocated more than 3 billion yuan (about 375 million U.S. dollars) for Inner Mongolia to harness 2.16 million hectares of sandy areas. Currently, more than 3.33 million hectares of farmland and 5.33million hectares of pasture are under protection by sheltering forests and efforts to harness 8 million hectares of land threatened by sand and wind, and 7.3 million hectares of land suffering from soil erosion have begun to pay off, Gao said. Gao said, Inner Mongolia would enhance its efforts to harness sandstorms so as to make greater contributions to Beijing's efforts to hold a green Olympic Games in 2008. power cord replica rolex ul power strip link post comment

Iran bans CNN for misquoting president [Jan. 18th, 2006|01:11 pm] Iran bans CNN for misquoting president Iran has banned activities of the U.S.-based CNN TV channel for its misinterpretation of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's remarks, the official IRNA news agency reported on Monday. Press cards of CNN reporters are being invalid and CNN reporters will not longer be granted press cards because they have violated professional ethics, a statement of the Ministry of Culture and Islamic Guidance was quoted as saying. However, the statement said any revision in the decision "depends on performance of CNN in future." Ahmadinejad told a press conference on Saturday that the peaceful use of nuclear energy is a right which Iran can not be denied, but in CNN live coverage, his remarks were interpreted into that "the use of nuclear weapons is Iran's right." IRNA said in an earlier report that CNN had officially apologized for misquoting Ahmadinejad and made clarification for the mistake. Tehran insists that the mistake be unforgivable because CNN chief correspondent to Tehran Christian Amanpour, who was present at the conference, was born in Iran and knows the Persian language well. zhongguofanyi fanyi66 fanyi888 fanyi666 shanghaifanyi htffy shanghaifanyi shanifanyishangifanyi shanaanyi shghaifanyishanghaifan link post comment

Japan divided on neighbourly ties [Jan. 11th, 2006|01:22 pm] Japan divided on neighbourly ties Three recent incidents indicate an internal angst and division within Japanese society on how best to contend with the rising perception of the "China threat." They could be significant as major trends for Japan and Sino-Japanese ties in 2006. In an interview marking his 72nd birthday on December 23, Japan's Emperor Akhito called on Japan to "accurately understand" its own history at the end of a year which has been marked by severe criticisms abroad for having failed to atone for its militaristic past. This gesture may seem strangely to be at odds with the general trend of public and governmental opinion emerging in Japan. Akhito's message to the Japanese is significant, as the Emperor recalled that "there were rarely peaceful times" in the 20 years from 1927 to 1945, when Japan eventually surrendered to Allied Forces. He continued, "I believe it is extremely important for the Japanese people to strive to accurately understand this past history along with the ensuing era...I hope that knowledge about past facts will continue to be passed in a proper manner...and will be used for future benefit." Coming at a time as Japan struggles with its legacy of its imperialistic past and its own interpretation of World War II history, which appear to be completely out of sync with its immediate neighbours, China and Republic of Korea (ROK), the Emperor's remarks seem as significant as those he had made on ROK some years ago. He had then admitted for the first time within Japan's Royal Family the possibility of its "Korean lineage," a taboo subject for the Japanese royalty and people. Is this latest interview message an indication of Akhito playing the mediator peace role with China and ROK, at a time when the Koizumi government appears to be clashing diplomatically headlong with Beijing, Seoul and even Pyongyang? Even more importantly, are his interview remarks made to signal the Royal Family's concerns with the rising nationalism in Japan and "a shift to the right" (as Chinese diplomats and academics have pointed out repeatedly), as government and public opinion shift towards a tougher line vis-a-vis China and ROK? In fact, the Cabinet Office had coincidentally published alarming opinion surveys, just as anti-Chinese and ROK "manga" have been appearing on comic shelves in Tokyo. In a poll, published over the same weekend, the number of Japanese having good feelings towards both China and ROK have fallen to a record low since 1978, when the annual survey first began. The poll of 1,756 people, conducted in October, showed a record 63.4 per cent not feeling good about China, up from 58.2 per cent; a record 71.2 per cent felt that Sino-Japanese ties were not in good shape, up 10.2 per cent. Similarly, the survey found that the number of Japanese with positive feelings about ROK has dropped 5.6 per cent to 51.1 per cent, the first drop in four years; some 50.9 per cent felt that relations between their two countries were not in good condition, an increase of 16 per cent. In contrast, it found that the "good feeling" vis-a-vis the United States rose by 1.4 per cent to 73.2 per cent; and 80.9 per cent considered ties with Washington as good, up 4.2 per cent. This confirms the clear shift of the Japanese Government and public opinion away from Asia and towards the United States, as was epitomized by Japanese foreign minister's maiden "US first, Asia second" foreign policy speech in November. It was borne out by Tokyo's dismal role at the recent East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur. The Koizumi administration's US-centric policy is thus reflecting a public opinion shift, though the media and popular culture may have also much contributed to this trend. The "China threat" has surfaced widely in the Japanese media, in parallel with Foreign Minister Taro Aso's December 22 branding of Beijing's military built-up as a threat, plunging Sino-Japanese relations downwards further. Emperoro Akhito's remarks and interview have thus come at a significant juncture as Japanese public opinion on China deteriorates, after the Yasukuni, textbooks and diplomatic (UN Security Council permanent seat debate) episodes that now plague Tokyo, Beijing and Seoul. As Koizumi seals his own political legacy in the last nine months of his premiership, would it then be Akhito's legacy to cement Tokyo's good ties with its immediate neighbours in 2006 as he attempts to turn back Japanese public opinion, like what he had done with the ROK some years back? Enditem (Source: China Daily) 01 23 45 67 89 10 12 34 56 78 90 11 12 13 link post comment

Foreign therapy for stock market reforms [Jan. 11th, 2006|01:21 pm] Foreign therapy for stock market reforms China's benchmark stock index rallied to a more than three-month high last week. The good start of 2006 was largely buoyed by the government's moves to further open the domestic stock market. Surely it is too early to claim that a turning point has finally come to the market, which has turned bearish since 2001 in spite of robust growth of the national economy. Yet, the recent gains bear out the public's increasing confidence in the stock reforms, especially with the introduction of more foreign investors. A new rule made public early last week allowed overseas investors to buy exchange-traded A shares starting from January 31, provided they acquire at least a 10 per cent stake and hold the stock for three years. This attempt to invite foreigner strategic investors may help facilitate the country's ongoing reform to address non-tradable shares mainly owned by State or legal entities. Such shares make up about two thirds of the shares listed on the domestic market, and have long threatened to glut the market while undermining the supervision of majority shareholders. After several fruitless efforts to convert them into tradable shares in recent years, the central government kicked off a new round of share-merge reforms last April with unprecedented resolve. More than 300 firms out of the country's 1,300-odd listed companies embarked on this inevitable reform last year. And it is believed that a large part of domestically listed-companies will finish the programme to convert their non-tradable stockholdings this year. Removal of a split share structure is a prerequisite to reviving the domestic stock market, which has so far failed conspicuously in assuming its fundamental role of improving capital allocation. However, to see through the share-merge reform, the securities authorities must be quick to prepare for emerging problems. Liquidity concerns following the launch of the country's non-tradable-share reform programme is one of them. Though majority shareholders all promised to float those once-non-tradable stocks after only a span of a few years, the future pressure on liquidity will weigh on public investors from now on. Allowing foreign investors to buy strategic stakes in listed companies can effectively ease liquidity concerns. Qualified foreign institutional investors have kept asking for more investment quotas regardless of the poor performance of the domestic stock market in recent years. It is clear evidence of foreign investors' rising enthusiasm to enter the domestic stock market, which, in theory, is bound to boost and benefit most from fast growth of the Chinese economy. The year-beginning rally has confirmed the public's expectations of new cash inflows. Nonetheless, more important than drawing in large overseas capital, the latest efforts to open the stock market points to improving listed companies' corporate governance. This issue will be of far-reaching significance to not only the sound development of the stock market but also the efficiency of the national economy. Foreign strategic investors are usually deemed more capable of advanced management and effective supervision than domestic shareholders. By enlisting the help of foreign strategic investors, the securities authorities can thus goad listed companies to behave in a more responsible way. The same approach was adopted by the banking authorities to accelerate market-oriented transition of major State-owned banks last year. It remains untested if the therapy will work as expected for both banking reforms and stock reforms. But at present, the determination of the authorities to leave no stone unturned in advancing stock market reforms is more than sufficient. (Source: China Daily) http://www.yszd.com Electronic commercial affairs of china. http://www.lsxz.net It means linshenxiazai use chinese. http://www.seo315.comThe ranking of which is popular in china. http://www.gm8.cnhttp://www.cn-em.com http://www.oops.net.cn water pump zhongguofanyi fanyi66 fanyi888 fanyi666 shanghaifanyi htffy link post comment

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