A Time to Heal (2011) is an inspirational novel set in Historical Africa of the early 60?s.

The story borders on the tale of two young lovers, Tori and Chidi, bond by the covenant of marriage but separated by the realities of ethnic differences. A Time to Heal is a bold story written by Seye Oke that sets out to show the healing power of forgiveness and love. Embracing the multi-cultural nature of the African society to appreciate its diversity and re-evaluate its glitches, A Time to Heal casts a flood light on the debris that weakens the development of our societies starting with the smallest and most significant unit, the family.

This creative work takes readers through a journey of uncertainties and excitement as it narrows in on the triumphs and failure experienced by Toriola and Chidi in the face of a civil war. In A Time to Heal, Chidi finds the very essence of his existence tested when he is called on to fulfill a family obligation that exists beyond his nuclear family. He finds himself on a journey of self-discovery as his close companions, Dozie, Azuka and Jude, lure him to fight for a course he has no faith in. Chidi?s decision excludes Tori from his plans and ultimately from his life. In search for consolation, companionship and support, Tori rekindles her soured relationship with her parents, and clutches to the warmth offered by a stranger.

The individual paths chosen by this young couple widens as time pass by, as each struggle to understand and uphold their new found ?self?. Chidi gives in to the clarion call of his kindred to join in the fight for their recognition and respect against superior forces, leaving Tori to re-discover the true meaning of family, loyalty and love. Consumed by the heart ache of loneliness, Tori question every value she had ever upheld as she finds herself torn between loving another and waiting for the one that betrayed her love. A Time to Heal tells a compelling truth simplified to inspire the average reader in an enchanting yet revolutionary way.

Seye Oke is an inspirational writer and published author of Love?s Lie and Debbie?s Diary. Her creative works are usually based on biblical principles told in a contemporary African style. Seye lives in Nigeria with her husband and son and enjoys quiet moments with family and friends. Follow her on twitter @seyeoke or www.facebook.com/splendourbooks or www.seyeoke.com.

A Time to Heal is published by Westbow Press (USA). To order the book in Soft back, Hard back or eBook format, email orders@westbowpress.com or call +1-866-928-1240 ext 5098. Also available on Amazon and other online retailers and major bookstores.

An international conference aimed at the empowerment of women has caused a stir in the host country?s capital Monrovia after slums were bulldozed to give delegates world-class views from their hotels.

Hundreds of men, women and children who live on beaches in the war-torn West-African country have been told to move out of their homes of over 30 years with only minutes to remove their belongings before bulldozers flattened them.

The International Colloquium on Women?s Empowerment, Leadership Development, International Peace and Security has seen over 800 domestic and international participants descend on Monrovia this week to participate in discussions on Saturday and Sunday, presented by Liberia?s premier and Africa?s first female President, Madam Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

The conference?s international delegates include female leaders; heads of state and government; ministers; CEOs, presidents and executive directors and is co-chaired by President Tarja Halonen of Finland.

The Colloquium seeks to realise the aims of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security to ensure that women are protected from the worst abuses in times of conflict and ?to empower them to play their rightful and vital role in helping their countries prevent, end and recover from conflict?.

Slum resident Jasper Tuweh, 40, said a man from the Mayor?s office at the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) came at 10am one morning last week, accompanied by police officers, and ordered him to vacate his concrete-walled home of some 30 years.

Minutes later it was reduced to rubble, along with a mass of other slum sea-front property in the area.

Sitting on the rubble where her kitchen used to stand, his neighbour explained how she was trying to use what the bulldozers had left to cook a meal for her six children.

The following day, the police returned to seize her pots, pans, food and clothes, leaving her destitute.

?No-one came to inform us previously,? Jasper added.

?We just took our belongings outside, and our children, women and hotel guests just looked on as City Hall destroyed our homes. They did it because the President is coming.?

The President he is referring to is not his own, but the President of Finland, whose entourage has booked out the newly-constructed Cape Hotel which stands directly behind.

The Finish team appeared to know about the clearances, and even to condone them.

Elisabeth Rehn, the former UN Under-secretary General, defence minister and now Minister of State for Finland said anyone who was having guests to their country would want to ?clear up? in preparation.

?The President of Liberia has paid for those who have been moved,? she said.

?There is very strong work on cleaning Monrovia to get people working. The President feels very strongly about lifting Liberia. She has paid for new houses for them.?

But neither those who have already been left homeless, or those who will be made homeless next appear to know where to go.

Princess Tiabe, a 23-year old girl who lives in a near-by slum house has a yellow cross marked on her door with the words, ?Remove MCC? spray painted beside it.

Both her and her seven-month old son will be made homeless when the authorities return to destroy it at a time of their choosing.

?I don?t know when it will happen, I don?t know where we will go. All I know is I have no power to do anything about it,? she said.

?I?ll be standing here on the day they come for my house. We will have to live in the open.?

Pamela White, Mission Director for USAID in Liberia said the women?s conference ?certainly is probably part of it?.

?They cleared slums on the port-side a couple of weeks ago, and I understood residents were supposed to be given two months? notice. I thought the deal was not to take down anything even semi-permanent, just houses made of wood.

?It?s a good question: where do they go??

Some residents have found make-shift accommodation in nearby Westpoint, a sprawling crime-addled slum that is home to thousands of some of the poorest people on the planet.

There are many sea-front slums in Monrovia, the capital of a country that is struggling to introduce reforms to rebuild itself after being decimated by 14 years of civil war.

Initiatives include resuming trade in lumber and diamonds after the UN introduced an embargo on exporting its most valuable assets in 2003, and tidying the capital up in a bid to one day attract tourism.

Brian Cohen, of the US Economic Growth Office in Liberia confirmed he had witnessed a similar operation of flash slum clearances conducted outside his embassy residence two weeks ago.

?Certainly the new mayor is taking a very aggressive stance towards them,? he said.

The Monrovian mayor?s assistant was contacted for comment but refused to grant an interview on the telephone.

It seems the slum-dwelling women of Monrovia will have little to celebrate on International Women?s Day today, while their diplomatic visitors take in the breathtaking sea views they were up until last week allowed to enjoy themselves.

Anti-corruption campaigns are increasingly geared towards silencing leaders' political opponents, say accused?

Cases in countries such as South Africa, Malawi, Zambia and Nigeria show that in the course of removing the rot from the public service and instilling fiscal discipline instilling fiscal discipline, African leaders will apply all sorts of deception ? be it politics or petty jealousies.

In June 2005, South African President Thabo Mbeki sacked his deputy of six years Jacob Zuma after his former financial adviser, Schabir Shaik was convicted on fraud and corruption charges.

Zuma has since been charged with graft himself.

Apart from the graft case, the African National Congress (ANC) deputy president was saved by the courts when he was accused of raping an HIV-positive family friend.

The verdict saved Zuma who was once seen as Mbeki?s successor in 2009 from political oblivion.

He remains a widely popular figure but despite this broad appeal the rape case and the pending graft charges, will make it almost impossible for Zuma to recover his former prominence.

?I think the judicial proceedings have been beyond reproach, but whether this means that Zuma political future is still intact is still in question,? said Ebrahim Fakir, senior researcher at the Centre for Policy Studies at the time.

Zuma an ethnic Zulu from Kwazulu-Natal province has been instrumental in mediating for peace between the ANC and the Zulu-dominated Inkatha Freedom Party at the height of violence in the 1990s.

His position in the ANC strikes a tribal balance in an organization dominated by leaders from the Xhosa tribe of freedom icon Nelson Mandela and Mbeki.

Further north in Malawi, President Bingu wa Mutharika has been touted as an economic engineer who is poised to transform the economy of the tiny southern Africa nation.

The IMF and the World Bank, which act as catalysts for donors to release funds for development are pleased with Mutharika?s economic programme.

He has made headlines the world over for his tough stance on corruption and he describes it as a cancer that is affecting prospects for economic growth.

?It is appalling that some Malawians engage in corrupt practices as a way of promoting their personal selfish economic and financial gains at the expense of national goals and aspirations,? explains Mutharika.

Determined to fight corruption in all its forms, Mutharika has pounced on former president Bakili Muluzi who he accuses of plundering public resources in the 10 years he was in office from 1994 to 2004.

Vice President Cassim Chilumpha too has not been spared the rod. He is currently under house arrest for plotting to assassinate Mutharika.

Government has also shown interest to pursue ?the education scam case? in which millions of dollars went down the drain through dubious contracts when Chilumpha was Minister of Education in the Muluzi administration.

While both Chilumpha and Muluzi acknowledge that corruption hinders economic growth because it increases the cost of economic transactions including investment processes they deny any wrongdoing and feel they are victims of a political witch hunt disguised as a fight against corruption.

Just next door in Zambia, former president Frederick Chiluba accused of siphoning $488,000 while in office.

As soon as he assumed the high office, his handpicked successor Levy Mwanawasa launched an anti graft campaign which has seen the ex-president and his associates answering charges on corruption.

Just last week, a British judge found Chiluba and his associates guilty of siphoning $46m from the treasury.

Chiluba, whose wife will also be tried in July for buying properties with money stolen from state coffers, says the court order ?bordered on racism?.

Following the ruling Chiluba is personally expected to return $41m.

Information and broadcasting minister, Mike Mlongoti says Chiluba must return the money or his property will be seized.

?The attorney general would file papers to issue a seizure notice for the funds which were frozen in 2006 in Britain, Belgium and other parts of the world,? he said.

In West Africa, outgoing Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has had a sour relationship with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar all in the name of fighting corruption.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) accused Abubakar of diverting public funds and that he should be indicted for corruption.

Obasanjo wanted the Senate to exploit a clause in the Constitution which says that a person cannot qualify for elections as president if indicted for fraud.

Apparently, it was a calculated move to block Abubakar from contesting the presidential poll, recently won by ruling People?s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Yar?Adua.

The accusations were part of a long running battle for supremacy in the PDP. Abubakar, who was saved by the courts, accused Obasanjo of wishing to hold on to power beyond his constitutional mandate.

Obasanjo steps down after failing to successfully stay for a third term. He wanted another term of office fearing his policy of economic reform could be reversed after he retires.

Such is the state of affairs in African democracies and it remains to be seen if leaders will rise above politics in their quest to root out corruption in all its forms.

Only animals had not written off Lake Ngami, an inland lake in north-west Botswana famous for the birds that breed on its shores...

For residents of Sehithwa, 80 kilometres south of Botswana?s resort town of Maun, the fate of the once popular bird sanctuary had been written and sealed.

The area that was once Lake Ngami had been turned into fields.

But an occasional horse or donkey carcass during the 20 years the lake had been dry showed that animals still had hopes that it would refill again.

The lake, named by Livingstone in 1890, the first European to visit the area, would however turn into a dustbowl of loose black clay soil in dry seasons.

The north-west District Council had already constructed a road through the lake to access small villages scattered around the lake, a development that showed that even the forum of legislators had given up hope of the lake ever flowing again.

In May last year high volumes of water that poured into the Okavango River from the Angolan highlands since early January managed to find their way into the lake breathing a new lease of life.

The lake has turned into an enormous oasis in Sehithwa's arid environmental condition giving a new lease of life not only to animals but to people also.

Maun and the surrounding villages, including Sehitwa are fed water by the perennial flooding of the Okavango Delta, an inland oasis that is Botswana?s main tourism drawcard.

The delta also provides a source of employment for many in the many safari camps and hunting lodges.

"I no longer have to travel to the delta to fish as the inflow also brought with it fish," said Galerone Moremi, who runs a small fishing business in Sehithwa.

"My children who were born after 1984 are seeing so much water for the first time," said Moremi.

The lake has covered over 10 square kilometres and it is hoped that the new lease of life would last forever. The papyrus that used to block all tributaries that entered Lake Ngami has dried up signifying that it can now cover a vast area.

Piotr Wolski, a hydrologist at the University of Botswana?s Harry Opeinheimer Okavango Research Station in Maun could only describe the resurrection of Lake Ngami as "amazing".

"One of the interesting facts is that the water that reached the lake didn't come through Maun's Thamalakane River, but through a new route that comes straight from the Okavango River into Toteng and finally into the lake," said Wolski.

"The channel that brought water into the lake is not known. It is a channel that also dried up a long time ago.?

According to environmentalists, Lake Ngami provides the richest breeding conditions for waterfowls that exist in sub-Saharan Africa. And millions of birds have started migrating back following the flooding of the lake.

Birdlife Botswana identify the species of birds that have so far been spotted at the lake as red billed ducks, pochards, Fulvous tree ducks, Painted Snipe, red knotted coot, moorhens and pratincoles.

In October last year the country?s Department of Wildlife and National Parks announced a blanket ban on hunting in the vicinity of the lake saying this was an important breeding area for most bird species.

This followed concerned raised by bird enthusiasts that gunshot sounds were disturbing birds that were breeding. The ban is yet to be published in the Government Gazette.

Nevertheless, the 1984 incident was not the first time the lake dried up. In 1890, Livingstone wrote that Lake Ngami dried up and shrunk significantly.

Questions remain as to why the lake dried up in the first place. Most Sehithwa residents suspect that it was a result of the activities of the Anglo American company that diverted water to the diamond mining town of Orapa.

Anglo America is the former owner of most diamond mines in the country before the advent of Debswana, a 50?50 partnership between the Botswana government and diamond mining giant De Beers.

Britain's Highest Court Rules on Case of 6 Iraqis Killed by British Troops

Trouble sticking to past New Year?s resolutions? A unique new online tool hopes to change all that by letting you track your progress and keep yourself motivated with your 2012 goals.

Called meTracker?, the site lets users input their own mini self-surveys, or ?tracks?, composed of short questions and answers that they login to answer each day.

?No matter what sort of objective you?ve set for yourself, meTracker is the best and most flexible way to chart your progress,? commented site founder and CEO Anthony Philbin. ?Tracking is a proven and recommended tool for keeping people motivated and our site is unmatched at letting the user define their own personal goals to track, as well as the paths they choose to realize them.?

Setting up your meTracker account and inputting your 2012 resolution is simple and straightforward. The site suggests users create new anonymous emails for account setup to help better ensure their privacy.

Users login to meTracker to record their daily inputs and the site shows them their progress over time on easy-to-read charts. A smoker might ask themselves how many cigarettes they smoked. Someone looking to find better balance between their work and family commitments could track how they spend their time each day.

?Around this time of year, meTracker is basically like having your very own New Year?s resolution machine,? noted Philbin, ?but the site is more about helping people understand themselves and their lives in a more general and long-term way. An arthritis sufferer might track their pain, an athlete or gambler could track their streaks and slumps, a wife or girlfriend could track how often their significant other says ?I love you?. The possibilities of a customizable tracking tool on a motivational level are really endless.?

meTracker charts are simple and easy-to-understand. The site has plenty of explanations that help users with how to structure their questions and answers or suggest other tracks for other meTracker categories.

You can check meTracker out at www.metracker.com. Trying it out is free for your first month and just a dollar a month after that if you decide you want to track yourself, your loved ones or anything else you might want over the longer-term.

A meTracker app is available for iPhones and iPads. The introductory version only allows for inputting track answers for now, while later versions will include the full site experience?including account setup, track editing and chart views.

There?s also a meTracker app available for your iPhone or iPad that lets you input your track answers on the fly, but for now you?ll still need to create your account and view your chart results on the site itself.

Existing media links/online interviews:

?All of us are influenced by cycles and patterns in our behaviour, our bodies, our relationships and the world around us,? commented meTracker founder, Anthony Philbin. ?For instance research clearly shows that men have a hormonally-driven monthly mood cycle yet virtually none of us are aware of it and manage our lives accordingly.?

Science webnote reference:

Male monthly mood cycles:

http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=53725

Lavazza?s latest innovation in the world of espresso based beverage technology, the LB 4712, offers the perfect blend of convenience and high quality to satisfy all professional preparation needs.

The LB 4712 features a high power automatic milk frother, two brewing group heads, an additional steam wand, and a hot water dispenser. Versatile, attractive, and compact, it is perfect for high volumes (up to 4 drinks at a time) and multiple types/blends of drinks such as single or double espresso, cappuccino, macchiato, and many more.

The LB 4712 works exclusively with Lavazza?s BLUE single serve capsules. The BLUE system is operator-friendly and hassle-free alternative to traditional and super automatic espresso machines that are often expensive, cumbersome, costly to service, and inconsistent in performance. The quality afforded by a Lavazza BLUE capsule is unparalleled cup after cup, with no coffee waste. The BLUE system is reliable, the coffee always fresh in the capsule, and very little training is required for the staff to operate the entire system efficiently.

Restaurant & food service chains such as The Palms & Atlanta Bread have already adopted the Lavazza BLUE system and are advocates of the quality of coffee they produce as well as their ease of use.

Lavazza, founded in Turin, Italy, in 1895, has been family-owned and managed since its inception. Today, Lavazza is Italy?s favorite coffee, one of the leading brands in Europe, the sixth largest roaster in the world and a global provider of espresso, coffee and single-serve systems for the Home and Out-of-Home markets. Its North-American HQs are based in New York City.

Ayesha Vardag, of Vardags, named Britain's top divorce lawyer, commented on the couple's split which was announced yesterday.

The lawyer underlined that "there is a lot of "I told you so" type cattiness about Demi and the two-decade age gap. The fact is this is a couple of beautiful people who clearly loved and were very attracted to each other. Marriage is just hard, for all of us, and whatever works is a gift. It worked for them for a long time. If they can achieve an amicable settlement and part friends like Demi and Bruce Willis that will be a job well done and time together well-spent".

Vardags has acted for many high profile individuals and it therefore came as no surprise when Demi Moore announced her decision yesterday to divorce Ashton Kutcher following the allegations of infidelity that have rocked their relationship over the last year.
 
When acting for individuals in celebrity marriages, the key objective when the relationship breaks down should always be to keep matters as private and as amicable as possible with a goal to resolve issues as quickly as possible. 
 
There are a number of factors that a Court is likely to consider in relation to their divorce.  
 
The couple individually have considerable wealth both having enjoyed successful Hollywood careers. It is reported that they are jointly worth approximately $290 million.  It appears that Demi may have taken more of a backseat in her own acting pursuits so as to support Ashton in his professional endeavours and if so, this may be taken into account.
 
It is not known whether they signed a pre-nuptial agreement, however, Demi may have initiated this in order to protect her personal wealth at the time of marriage and the reportedly $90 million financial settlement she received from Bruce Willis following their divorce.

Demi and Ashton did not have children together but have for the last 6 years raised Demi?s 3 children (from her previous marriage to Bruce Willis) as children of the family. The court may consider whether Ashton should a play a role in their financial support. 
 
Vargads emphasise that if they were to act for Demi, they would certainly be pushing for the court to consider Ashton?s reportedly high pay-out contract with CBS for his new role in the hit sitcom Two and a Half Men.

They come out under cover of darkness, experts of stealth, resilient to toxic pesticides, and they have come to suck your blood.

By day, bed bugs retreat into cracks and crevasses around the bed, leaving their victims itching. True, their bites may be similar to those of the mosquitoes we already put up with, but when the bugs start to get in bed with you, they have gone a step too far! On the bright side, Montreal entomologists believe that their new anti-bedbug bed can help people reclaim their sleeping places.

These reddish brown creatures, no bigger than an apple seed, feed exclusively on blood. Trends show that they are on the rise, and can be found anywhere there are people, especially in places of high turnover such as hotels, dormitories, apartments and offices. Bed bug reports in Toronto are up 38% in the last year. And New York City, according to the health department, had over half a million bed bug infestations!

Travelers are becoming more bed bug conscious, checking the internet for bed bug reports, and inspecting their mattresses before checking in to hotels. Bed bug reports on sites such as tripadvisor.com warn travelers off from staying at hotels where they might pick up unwanted guests. Even with the highest standards of cleanliness, the most reputable hotels are vulnerable to bed bug infestations because they are the crossroads for travelers from all over the world. It is not a matter of ?if? a hotel will get bed bugs, but when. The threat of bed bugs is real: a single female can lay up to 400 eggs in her lifetime of about one year. So you can imagine how a few undetected bed bugs can rapidly evolve into a serious outbreak.

While they may seem invincible, just like vampires and werewolves, bed bugs also have a weakness. They are not very tolerant to heat, which is the main ingredient in the anti-bedbug bed, known as the ?Good Knight?, designed by Paul Maloney and his children Laurel and Tim. Also, there is one thing they absolutely cannot live without?you! They need blood to survive, and will feed every 6 days if there are people around. Exploiting these weaknesses, Montreal inventors designed a bed that fights back.

?By day, the ?Good Knight? bed heats up, destroying any bed bugs inside of it. In an infestation, generally 90% of bed bugs will be within 5 meters of the bed.? says Maloney, ?As for the bed bugs lurking around the room? the ones that are not getting baked, they get caught in the trapping system that is built into the bed. With the trials we have run, we saw that the ?Good Knight? can single-handedly wipe out a long-standing infestation.?

Having undergone a series of trials in bed bug infested homes, the ?Good Knight? proved its ability to get rid of bed bugs and prevent re-infestation, without the use of pesticides or any other control techniques. The bed is equipped with a hidden cover that can be pulled over the bed, to prepare it for baking. Pushing the little green button, the bed emits a gentle mechanical whirr as it begins to heat up. For hotels, the Good Knight beds could be used to prevent bed bug infestations. Treatment could take place between room changes, providing guests with heat sterilized beds.  Maloney affirms, ?The invention can stop bed bugs before they become a problem, which would be great for easing the panic over bed bugs, and the fear of picking them up when travelling.?

The North American subsidiary of Lavazza, Italy?s #1 coffee, has appointed Tonia Mancino as Director of Marketing, reporting to the CEO of the Company, Mr. Ennio Ranaboldo.

Ms. Mancino is an accomplished marketing executive with many years of experience matured in Pfizer, Nestle Waters North America and Unilever (in the U.S. and in Italy), in positions of increasing seniority.

At Lavazza, Ms. Mancino will direct some of the key brand and product development-related initiatives as well as support the growing business in both the Home and the Out-of-Home markets.

Ms. Mancino achieved a B.S. degree in Business Administration at St. John University, and an MBA in General Management at the NYU Stern School of Business in New York City. She speaks perfect Italian.

Lavazza, founded in Turin, Italy, in 1895, has been family-owned and managed since its inception. Today, Lavazza is Italy?s favorite coffee, one of the leading brands in Europe, the sixth largest roaster in the world and a global provider of espresso, coffee and single-serve systems for the Home and Out-of-Home markets. Its North-American HQs are based in New York City.

Contrary to some reports released in the last couple of years, not to mention major cases of large-scale corporate fraud, India remains a great place for Western and Asian companies to do business, says a key player in the business investigations world...

Paying attention to recent goings on, it seems you would need to tread carefully if you are going to do business in India; with a requirement to check everything thoroughly to eliminate the risk of later discovering fraud or other illegal activity in an Indian company's financial records.

KPMG India's latest bi-annual fraud survey indicated that almost half of respondents, including Chairmen and MDs, CFOs and other senior management personnel across various industry segments had experienced fraud in the last two years.

Their report stated that 'India has had its share of frauds and their incidence has often significantly impacted investor confidence... In an atmosphere of doubt and disbelief financial statements are often viewed with scepticism. This has also led to erosion of confidence and reduced trust among participants in the financial system.'

However, Adrian Ashurst of the Swiss-based business background and investigations company Worldbox Business Intelligence (http://www.worldbox.co.uk) believes such statements are exaggerated.

?We do business with quite a few companies in India and I would say a lot of them are pretty solid. I think you could say that there?s a degree of risk there, but I don?t see it as being extremely high,? he says.

Cause for concern

One of the biggest cases of corporate fraud in India's recent history is the case of Satyam Computer Services, who during their 2008 audit provided PricewaterhouseCoopers with figures that showed they held $176 million in fixed deposits. Another division of Satyam, in Hyderabad, later told PWC the company had no fixed deposits. The conflicting reports were not investigated...

Satyam's management was later found to have often used a ?super user? function in the company's billing software to create fake invoices, which amounted to $1 billion during the entire period - an accounts receivable fraud that PwC as auditors could not detect, according to US markets regulator Securities and Exchange Commission.

Through its background-checking service, Worldbox has identified similar types of financial irregularities or worse, on behalf of international businesses who were about to sign deals with Indian companies...

In one, the director of an Indian company was found to have been arrested by the Central Bureau of Investigation in the 2G Spectrum Scam (involving under-pricing and spectrum allocation to favour select companies); another company was found to have been involved in illegal mining where its directors had been charged; one company was found to be diverting its funds to an external firm where directors had interests; another Indian business was using a company name that had been struck off; corporate financial records were found to contain window dressing for loan purposes; another company and its officials were found to have been involved in the Commonwealth Games scam; other companies were found to have connections to politically exposed persons on their boards and individuals were found to be using PAN Numbers which belonged to others.

Joining the dots

A PAN (Permanent Account Number) can be a useful identifier when doing business in India. It is a unique 10-digit alphanumeric identifier, issued by the Indian Income Tax Department to individuals and firms alike.

Ashok Paranjape, Worldbox's manager in Mumbai, explains: "Based upon a PAN, we can ascertain the validity of a person or company: whether they are legitimate or whether their organisation has been closed down. Through our contacts on the ground we can obtain scanned copies of PAN certificates and verify whether they're legitimate copies too. We?ve had cases in the past where they have been forged.?

Adrian explains what to look out for broadly, when doing due diligence on a company in India...

"One sure way to check a company initially is if people have been in business for a long period of time. The age of the company can indicate the stability of the company," he says. "And there are quite a few companies in India that have been around a long time and have grown progressively over the years and have built a solid organisation.?

Even so, the KMPG report claims 75% of respondents - from new and old companies alike - thought fraud in corporate India was on the rise.

Regulatory activities, the economic downturn of 2009 and recent corporate frauds have all combined to impact the perceptions of fraud levels in India, it says.

Supply chain fraud (procurement, distribution and revenue leakage) was found to be the single most exposed area. Weak internal control systems, eroding ethical values and a reluctance on the part of the line managers to take decisive action against the perpetrators are cited as the most vital underlying reasons for fraud increasing.

Some 81% of respondents to KPMG?s survey stated financial statement fraud is a major issue, with a desire to achieve or exceed targets, and earnings of senior executives linked to financial performance, being the main reasons for senior management's involvement in fraud.

Adrian says those figures are ?overblown? and over-generalise the real situation, and that of the 3,500 reports Worldbox has generated on Indian firms - comprising anything from a name check to a short profile, to a full credit report - only around 15% of those reports raised a result that implied something was wrong with business or its accounts, that they would advise caution in dealing with as a consequence.

Due diligence

So, how can a domestic or international company protect itself from dealing with a company that either has or is likely to commit some sort of wrongdoing in India?

Adrian says most of his work involves business-checking on behalf of clients wishing to do cross-border business or of foreign subsidiaries of foregoing corporations doing business in India. He cites an example of one of his partners in Hong Kong who has a contract with a large Asian firm doing business in India.

"They're one of the more developed such services thanks to the way in which they check out the people who apply to trade over their platform. They initially experienced a lot of fraud problems in India, where people were passing themselves off as things they weren't. Today, their staff in Hong Kong have to verify whether a user's company exists, whether the user works for that company or not, and whether is it a legitimate business... In all of these, they come to us for verification of companies in India. And in India you either have a registered company or a limited company, which you can check the company register against. You can get their annual returns and ascertain whether they are legitimately doing business or not. Or they may be a proprietary company or partnership, which also have to be registered."

He notes it is more difficult getting access to those proprietary and partnership company records because they are not available publicly. "In this respect we ask for a PAN certificate,? he adds. "Firms can also verify a company's credentials by obtaining a copy of their Export/Import certificate."

Then there are the company records, which must be filed annually by all companies incorporated in India, including: subsidiaries of foreign companies, joint venture companies and others, and include: a Balance-Sheet, Profit and Loss Account, Annual Return and Compliance Certificate.

However, Ashok explains that sometimes, even if they can access these records, (80,000 companies in North India have not filed annual returns for the past five years, according to the Ministry of Corporate Affairs) the records could be wrong in the first place.

?Then you come down to sole traders," he adds. "They can also have a PAN number and be in business... so if we can't verify their registry data, we verify their PAN certificates or import/export licences.?

Outside demand

The US Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) is also something Worldbox checks companies against. It is becoming increasingly applicable to many companies in India as more Indian companies expand into foreign markets, and must consequently gain a good understanding of the regulatory environment in these markets, specifically involving bribery and corruption.

These spectres are viewed as an inevitable aspect of doing business in India. They are most rampant in seeking routine regulatory approvals and to win new business from prospective clients.

Despite the presence of anti-corruption laws, weak regulatory enforcement has contributed to the current impasse. With Indian companies going global, KPMG has reported an increasing trend of Indian companies pro-actively taking measures to adhere to international anti-bribery laws/ regulations and strengthening their code of business ethics at the board and senior management levels to regulate dealings with external stakeholders.

Adrian says: "There are several databases we can cross reference to ascertain whether they confirm to money laundering or drugs trafficking checks. We also have people on the ground in India to check for compliance with regard to big initial purchase agreements at large factories.?

In India, by comparison to other emerging economies, their records system is becoming quite good, he add.

?The Indian authorities keep proper government databases of companies and tax records, which our agents on the ground can go and physically source, deriving paper documents from local government archives, if need be. The access to documents is better in India than the rather patchy access we continue to see in neighbouring Pakistan. And although we do business in Sri Lanka, we find their records situation quite hard to work with too?.

India is growing and expanding exponentially. Many international companies are keen to embrace the offers of business from firms looking to come out of India to expand their marketplaces and do business with companies for direct group sales.

"For this reason, we've seen huge growth in the number of firms using us to perform background checks and derive company profiles,? Adrian adds. ?So they know who they're really doing business with, and we expect to be doing even more in the region next year".

A grand opening of Richard Mille?s recently relocated boutique was held on April 18th, 2011 at the Lippo Plaza in Shanghai, organized by its area distributor Sparkle Roll Group Ltd.

Proud and distinguished guests included the Hollywood superstar Jackie Chan and Ferrari F1 driver Felipe Massa.

The new home of Richard Mille is located at the Lippo Plaza on Huai Hai Road, this area has been occupied by the World?s most luxurious brands in Shanghai China. This boutique has a space of 50 sq meters the mix of  leather walls and the white resin floors creates a very modern feel. Like all the other Richard Mille boutiques worldwide, there are two animation windows at the entrance, conveying the three-dimensional aspect of the watches.

The cocktail was a star-studded occasion with Mr. Jackie Chan, Mr. Felipe Massa, Sparkle Roll Group?s CFO Mr. Patrick Zhao, Richard Mille Asia?s CEO Mr. Dave Tan, Chinese actress Ms. Ren Chen, and Ms. Tao Liu & Mr. Ke Wang attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

At this occasion, it was also the first time for Richard Mille to showcase the 2011 models such as the RM 016 DLC, RM 029 big date, RM 030 with declutchable rotor, RM 033 extra flat with its 6.33mm thickness, RM 032 diver?s chronograph automatic and RM 035 Rafael Nadal, Chronofiable® Certified watch.

The opening was during the Shanghai Formula One Grand Prix weekend and it was the perfect occasion to exhibit the new collection at the boutique enhancing the original concept for Richard Mille watches of creating  ?a racing machine on the wrist?.

The dinner reception was held at Three on the Bund. Guests were flying in from all over Greater China for this celebration. There was a surprise in the end with Jackie Chan and Felipe Massa on stage to draw two lucky winners to receive their autographed posters.

As China rises on the global business stage, more people want to learn the language. The question is, which version?

The debate over which method to adopt-traditional or simplified Chinese-has become a matter of national identity and ideology.

When P.S. 163 in the Flushing section of Queens, N.Y., pioneered a fully bilingual Chinese-English immersion program for its 49 kindergarten students this fall, the school?s principal, Lucius Young, faced a dilemma: Which writing system should the school use for its Chinese curriculum?

While the school?s students shuttle between classrooms painted red (for instruction in Chinese) and blue (for instruction in English), the debate over using simplified or traditional Chinese is more complicated than just switching the color schemes of the walls.

Young studied various models used in California bilingual schools and held many meetings with the school board, teachers and parents. Finally, they reached a consensus: The school will teach traditional Chinese during the first year and begin to introduce simplified Chinese from the second year on, thus exposing students to both systems.

The predicament P.S. 163 encountered has played out in many schools around the country.

Currently, two writing systems-traditional and simplified Chinese-are widely used in various parts of the world. Traditional Chinese, which has existed for more than 2,000 years, is written in Taiwan and Hong Kong.

Simplified Chinese, popularized by Mao Tse-tung after he came to power in 1949, is the gold standard in mainland China. Simplified Chinese uses fewer strokes and groups similar-sounding words into common characters.

Supporters of the traditional script have criticized Mao?s language reform as arbitrary, and linguists have lamented that the beauty of the original ideograms was lost in the new shorthand version.

The furor over which method to adopt is also a matter of national identity and ideological debate, and the Chinese and Taiwanese governments are competing to mainstream their versions in the international arena.

?If you study traditional, you can learn Chinese culture of 2,000 years,? said Ethan C.Y. Kuo, director of the cultural division of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in New York. ?However, if you study simplified, you only have access to 50 years of Chinese history.?

Some educators believe that studying the traditional form adds depth to students? learning. ?It is a very graphic and fun way to help children master Chinese,? said Jerry Huang, Region 6 coordinator of the Association of Chinese Schools.

?They can see how the characters evolved from pictures such as the mountain, sun and water. It will help them memorize the words.?

Other educators argue that starting with simplified Chinese makes learning the language less arduous, especially for foreigners.

Elizabeth Irwin High School, a private school in New York City, started offering Chinese classes two years ago. Because writing the characters has been difficult for the mostly white, black and Hispanic students, Zhang Guoqing, the school?s Chinese teacher, opted to teach simplified Chinese.

?I don?t expect all my students to grow up to be China experts,? she said. ?If they continue to study Chinese, they can choose whatever system they want at college.?

Some educators cater to the needs of students of both versions. Bai Jianhua, a professor of Chinese at Ohio?s Kenyon College, lets his students pick their preference.

He uses hybrid textbooks, which are printed in both simplified and traditional characters. Students can choose which half of the book to use after they master the basics.

At Columbia University in New York City, students study traditional Chinese during the first two years of the bachelor?s degree program in East Asian studies and then simplified Chinese during the second two years, said Columbia professor Liu Leling. ?We want students to be able to use or recognize both,? he said.

This year, for the first time, the College Board offered a new Advanced Placement test in Chinese language and culture. The 2,460 students who took the exam were able to view questions and type answers in either simplified or traditional Chinese, said Thomas Matts, director of AP Course Audit.

The AP test was sponsored in part by both mainland China and Taiwan. Mainland China funded half of the $1.37 million budget. The Taiwanese government kicked in $300,000.

Both governments have provided other assistance to foster the teaching of Chinese in the U.S.

Taiwan organizes workshops and sends linguists to the U.S. to work with Chinese teachers. The government has also set up an e-learning site that allows teachers in the U.S. to access the latest teaching materials.

For its part, mainland China has sent 150 teachers to the U.S. since last year to help address a shortage of qualified Chinese instructors.

In 2004, the mainland government also set up the Confucius Institute, a rapidly expanding franchise that provides Chinese teachers and textbooks to educational institutions around the world.

The institute, which teaches only simplified Chinese, has opened 210 centers in 64 countries. Thirty-eight are located in the U.S.

In November, the University of Rhode Island signed a five-year contract with the Chinese government to open a Confucius Institute there.

For a less affluent state university like URI, the program serves as a quick solution to the growing demand for Chinese-language courses, said John Grandin, professor of German and director of the university?s international-engineering program. ?It was a pragmatic choice,? Grandin said.

The university, which offers a dual-degree program in engineering and a foreign language had only one temporary instructor for its Chinese courses before its Confucius Institute opened. Now it has one permanent Chinese teacher and expects to add two more next year.

Some critics of Confucius Institutes claim that they allow China to exert power and culturally invade other nations. Chinese authorities dismiss such allegations.

?We do not force other institutions to open Confucius Institutes,? said Fanglin Ai, consul of the education division of the Chinese consulate in New York.

?It?s a voluntary process. We don?t question them about their teaching methods or inquire about their curriculum.?

Some linguists believe that the rising popularity of simplified Chinese is part of the natural evolution of the language. Others see it as a human-inspired push that should be slowed down.

?What if in 10 or 100 years, the traditional Chinese has been wiped out and the simplified Chinese continues to morph into another language, like Korean or Japanese?? asked James Ching-nan Chang, director of a cultural center in Queens, N.Y., that offers classes in traditional Chinese.

?We should take action now before it is too late.?

More than 50 years after the French, the tranquil capital Vientiane boasts refurbished colonial buildings, formerly the playgrounds of the elite...

After decades of neglect and deterioration under a communist regime, efforts to restore and preserve these witnesses of a bygone era have only started in recent times.

Together with Phnom Penh and Ho Chi Minh City (formerly Saigon), Laos' capital Vientiane once comprised the three classical cities of French Indochina.

The former colonial power developed its administrative seat on the bank of the sluggishly-flowing Mekong River in strict adherence to French city planning rules.

Along wide avenues lined by casuarinas trees, government offices and the mansions of the French and Laotian elite were erected.

It was in those villas where the privileged few enjoyed an elegant European lifestyle with garden parties and festive receptions.

What is left of this colonial idyll? After all, Laos suffered a decades-long civil war after the departure of the French that culminated in a communist takeover and a socialist experiment that took the country to the brink of economic collapse.

But a visit to present-day Vientiane quickly reveals that the slow and relaxed lifestyle of colonial times still prevails.

Even baguettes, the renowned French bread, can be bought all over the city. Fresh and crusty, and stuffed with Laotian pate, this delicacy continues to remind of the colonial era even today. The flair of old French Indochina is alive and kicking.

Bicycles and motorbikes still dominate road traffic, although the number of cars has increased steadily since the government introduced a more market-oriented policy that allows private enterprise.

In the oldest part of town along the river where the majority of the former colonial masters' villas are located, the charm of Vientiane, which can be translated as "City of the Moon", is most evident.

Occasionally half hidden behind dense tropical greenery, many of the elegant edifices lie in a sort of "Sleeping Beauty" slumber.

Expropriated from their former owners by the communists and transformed into government property, the once proud residences often fell into a pitiful state of neglect and decay.

The government lacked the financial means - and perhaps will - to upkeep the historical architecture.

New residents generally balked at the monetary effort to maintain their dwellings, which they didn't own but were merely allocated by the state.

Luckily, the government has become more conscious of its historical heritage in recent years. Comprehensive restorations, primarily of buildings accommodating government agencies, have returned the former glory of many edifices.

The National Library, for years an eyesore, was subjected to a complete renovation. Private efforts, mostly of foreign origin, have additionally contributed to the preservation of Vientiane's cityscape.

Since the government announced its "New Economic Mechanism" in 1989, foreigners have been allowed to invest in the country.

In fact, they are even encouraged, as reported by Carol Cassidy, a former UN employee and textile expert who in 1990 founded her company, Lao Textiles, in Vientiane.

"When I established my business, I naturally had to look out for a suitable building," she recalled her pioneer act.

"I leased the former residence of a Laotian prince from the government and renovated it, paying for the work from my own pocket. I would like to claim that it is nowadays one of the most stunning old buildings in Vientiane," she said.

It is, indeed. Located amidst a generously laid-out garden on Rue Nokeo Khoumane, in the vicinity of the river, the two-storey house appears extraordinarily attractive with its gleaming white facade.

Carmine red roof tiles contrast eye-pleasingly with the whitewashed walls, and the Lao-style gables further emphasize the magical character of the building.

Built around 1925, the mansion was luckily in a relatively well-preserved state when Cassidy took it over. At least it was spared the sad fate of a neighbouring villa, which also belonged to a Laotian aristocrat.

"After the forced disownment, the communist converted the ground floor into a pigsty," Cassidy explained.

The French Embassy is situated in a quiet side street off Rue Setthathirat near Wat Sisaket, the city's oldest Buddhist monastery.

The complex may be concealed from all too inquisitive eyes by high walls, but the ambassador is nevertheless stylishly residing in a chalet from the Indochina epoch. Within the confinement of the encircling walls, time seems to have come to a standstill and the mythical air of French Indochina lingers on.

The cathedral of 1928 close-by, an architectural masterpiece, used to be the Sunday meeting point of Vientiane's catholic community. It needs a little imagination to revive these scenes. Close your eyes and listen to the beckoning of the bronze bell that silenced a long time ago.

Today, the cathedral attracts a small gathering of Laotian Catholics to its regular masses, a practice that was banned in the not too distant past but is nowadays permitted again under a less hard-line leadership.

The "Champs Elysees" of Vientiane, Avenue Lane Xang, bisects the inner city on a north-to-south axis. On its northern end visitors are even confronted by the local counterpart of Paris' "Arc de Triomphe".

But "Pratu Xai" (victory arch), built in 1958 with concrete originally donated by the US government to upgrade Vientiane airport's runway, turns out rather disappointing when viewed close up, an ugly concrete monster brandishing uninspired frescoes depicting scenes from Laotian mythology and history.

The avenue's southern end meets the former palace of the French governor, today the residence of Laos' president. This miniature Versailles lies amidst an ample, landscaped garden.

Alas, a row of marble fountains gracing the front square have relinquished their bubbly life long ago. High above, Laos' national flag flutters in the tropical breeze and reminds brazenly that the colonial era has departed forever.

Despite newly found consciousness and consolidated efforts to save and maintain Vientiane's colonial building substance, modern development occasionally exacts its toll.

The dilapidated carcass of a villa near the presidential palace was demolished in the late 1990s to make way for the posh branch of a bank from neighbouring Thailand. Vientiane was deprived of yet another historical building.

It is sheer luck coupled with the Laotian government's constant lack of budget that such "demolition crimes" are far and between and not more old buildings have vanished.

It has to be hoped that restoration efforts will persist. In the meantime, many of the architectural witnesses of times bygone continue to sleep towards their awakening all over the city.

Tired and ruined, their windows broken, their walls exposing brick masonry, they patiently wait behind unsightly walls or thickets of tropical shrubbery.

Who knows, someone with sufficient funds and a sense of historical appreciation may find their dream house here in Vientiane. In the process, they might just also discover the greatest love of their lives: the love for the architectural heritage of old French Indochina.

Fiji union leader arrested as mass civil service strike looms..

Half of Fiji?s civil service will begin a near-general strike on Thursday morning (Fiji Time), despite the arrest of a union leader by the military early on Wednesday.

The strike by more than 10,000 civil servants, including teachers, will add to an already week-long strike by about 1200 nurses over a five percent pay cut and other issues.

The government of the South Pacific island nation employs about 20,000 civil servants, although a recent estimate put that number at 30,000 including casual and non-permanent government employees.

As matters came to a head today, the military-led regime refused to concede to the unions? demands saying it could sustain the strike. Police refused permits to picket in public places, while the military warned that striking workers would not be allowed to picket at workplaces.

Taniela Tabu, the general secretary of the Viti National Union of Taukei Workers (Fiji National Union of Indigenous Workers) was arrested at about 6am (Fiji Time) on Wednesday by soldiers after comments he made on national television the night before.

Tabu had called on the military-led regime to remove interim Finance Minister Mahendra Chaudhry saying he was a stumbling block to resolving the industrial dispute between the government and affiliate unions of the Fiji Islands Council of Trade Unions (FICTU).

He declared the strike would go ahead from Thursday morning after the interim cabinet rejected an amended proposal from FICTU unions, saying the state could not afford it.

The Fiji military has not released details of Tabu?s detention, only confirming he had been taken to Queen Elizabeth Barracks (QEB), the main military establishment outside Suva, before being handed over to police in the afternoon.

The president of VNUTW, Aseri Manulevu told Legend FM Tabu was taken from his home at 6am on Wednesday. By 6pm Tabu was still in police custody and no official reason could be obtained for his arrest.

Army spokesman Major Neumi Leweni said Tabu had been arrested in a joint military-police operation.

Military commander and interim Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama told reporters today the decision to arrest people is made by officers in the ?operations room up at the camp (QEB) ? if they think (a comment) is incitement.?

FICTU general secretary Attar Singh condemned the move saying: ?To arrest him on the eve of the strike does not look good at all. It sends the wrong signal.?

Tabu?s continued detention has not dampened the unions? spirits with the three remaining affiliates of FICTU launching their strike action from the beginning of the workday tomorrow.

VNUTW president Manulevu said: ?This withdrawal of labour will continue until our demands are met.?

The walkout tomorrow will lend momentum to the strike by the Fiji Nursing Association (FNA), also a FICTU affiliate, which entered its eighth day today.

FNA general secretary Kuini Lutua said today they were considering asking trainee nurses who are union members to join the strike to protect them from liability claims.

Some 10,369 workers are members of the three unions striking tomorrow. The Public Employees Union has 5500 members; Fiji Teachers Association has 4269 members, while the VNUTW has 600.

Students in their final year of primary education were scheduled to sit the Fiji Eighth Year Examination in mid-August, just before the second term school holiday begins. But the minister responsible for the civil service, Poseci Bune, said if the strike continues the Education Ministry may consider bringing the school holiday forward.

The interim government played down the possible effects of the mass strike with Bainimarama saying that according to official assessments ?the bulk of the civil service will be at work?, adding that there were contingency plans ready across the entire service.

His remarks were echoed by Public Service Minister Bune who said: ?It?s not a concern to us if we have contingency plans in place. We are confident that we can continue.?

Under Fiji?s industrial dispute laws, the Labour Minister can order striking unions to compulsory arbitration. But Bernadette Rounds-Ganilau, the interim Labour Minister, said today she had been directed by Bainimarama to hold off on ordering the FNA to arbitration.

?I know I have let a lot of people down with the order that I am to invoke? but she said Bainimarama had told her to wait while the ?sustainability of the strike? is assessed.

In a press conference Bainimarama said: ?As long as (government) services are being provided, there will be no arbitration.?

He also labelled the unions? action as politically motivated. ?I think they want to disrupt services to a point that the government gives in. But that?s not going to happen.?

This is the first time strikes have occurred while a post-coup regime was in place. Fiji?s fourth coup in December 2000, led by Bainimarama, saw the ousting of the Laisenia Qarase government.

In March, the regime imposed a five percent across-the-board pay cut on civil servants, reduced the retirement age to 55 and cancelled an agreement with public sector unions made by Qarase?s government last year.

L?argentin Pablo Mac Donough, partenaire de la marque Richard Mille et vainqueur du World Polo Tour en 2010 et 2011 a participé à la première édition du Seddiqi Polo Challenge au cours duquel se sont affrontées deux équipes de polo : le Richard Mille Polo Team et le Dubai Polo Team d?Ali Al Bawardi.

Organisé par le prestigieux détaillant Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, le Seddiqi Polo Challenge qui se déroulait au Desert Palm Resort a été remporté par le Richard Mille Polo Team, avec un score final de 5 contre 3.

Aux côtés de Pablo Mac Donough, le Richard Mille Polo Team réunissait le n° 3 Juan Marin Nero, Tariq, le fils d?Ali Al Bawardi et H.E Bahar Jefri. Le Dubai Polo Team était, lui, composé des joueurs professionnels Martin Valent et Ramiro Guinazu, du n° 2 du World Polo Tour, Adolfo Cambiaso et du patron du team Ali Al Bawardi.

Cette première édition du Seddiqi Polo Challenge a été exceptionnelle et a permis de rendre hommage aux trois meilleurs joueurs de polo du monde.

Richard Mille et M. Abdul Hamied Seddiqi (Vice-président d?Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons) ont remis les trophées aux vainqueurs et ont vivement félicité les deux équipes pour leurs très belles performances. Commentant la rencontre, M. Seddiqi a déclaré : « ce match a prouvé une nouvelle fois le talent de ces très grands joueurs. Nous ne pouvons qu?apprécier l?extrême précision et l?immense force que requiert ce sport qui reste d?une élégance intemporelle. C?est un privilège pour nous d?être associés à quelques-uns des plus grands noms du polo et d?avoir organisé le premier Seddiqi Polo Challenge à Dubai. »

Lors de cette rencontre, les joueurs du Richard Mille Polo Team portaient une édition limitée RM 010, dont le boîtier en titane DLC noir et le réhaut rouge rappellent les couleurs officielles de l?équipe. A l?occasion de la nouvelle saison de polo 2012, Richard Mille a par ailleurs dévoilé lors du Salon International de la Haute Horlogerie, la nouvelle montre RM 053 Tourbillon Pablo Mac Donough, possédant un tout nouveau boîtier « cuirassé » en carbure de titane pensé pour supporter les chocs extrêmes susceptibles de se produire lors d?un match de polo. Inspiré de l?emblématique forme tonneau, le boîtier se caractérise par un double bosselage possédant deux fenêtres de lecture qui laissent apparaitre un mouvement tourbillon incliné à 30°, un angle de vue idéal pour le cavalier. L?aiguille des secondes tourne avec la cage tourbillon sur le disque d?affichage de gauche et les minutes et les heures sont visibles à droite.

Le polo est l?un des sports les plus exigeants pour un calibre tourbillon. Virages brusques, balancements sauvages, chocs violents entre chevaux et cavaliers : autant de forces qui vont bien au-delà des normes habituellement rencontrées dans d?autres disciplines sportives. Le polo, « roi des sports », est un jeu à la fois très élégant mais également très physique.

Le Richard Mille Polo Team

Les débuts du Richard Mille Polo Team ont eu lieu en mai 2011. Et cette première saison fut couronnée de succès lors des tournois les plus prestigieux du Royaume-Uni comme la Queen?s Cup et la Gold Cup ou encore la Silver Cup à Sotogrande.

Pablo Mac Donough

Pablo Mac Donough débute le polo à l?âge de 6 ans seulement au Nueva Escocia Polo Ranch à Buenos Aires, l?exploitation où son père élève ses propres chevaux. À 23 ans, il devient membre de La Irenita où se tient le programme d?élevage de chevaux de polo. Sa carrière décolle en 2001 lorsqu?il remporte la Camara de Diputados Cup à Buenos Aires. En 2003, il commence à jouer pour Ellerstina, l?une des meilleures équipes argentines de polo de la dernière décennie, où il joue huit saisons et remporte l?Argentinian Triple Crown en 2010, devenant ainsi Numéro 1 du classement World Polo Tour. En mai 2011, il rejoint avec H.E. Bahar Jefri le Richard Mille Polo Team et décroche la première victoire de l?équipe avec la Sliver Cup à Sotogrande. En décembre dernier, Pablo Mac Donough remporte l?Open de polo d?Argentine, confortant une fois encore sa position de Numéro 1 Mondial.

Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons

Fondée en 1950, Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons est une entreprise familiale qui rime avec montres d?exception. Après des débuts modestes avec une seule boutique au Souk de Bur Dubai, l?entreprise se développe et Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons devient alors le plus grand distributeur de montres suisses au Moyen-Orient, avec un portefeuille de plus de 50 marques prestigieuses réparties sur 52 points de vente dans les Émirats Arabes Unis. La passion pour les montres suisses de luxe est profondément ancrée dans la famille Seddiqi. Les deuxièmes, troisièmes et quatrièmes générations de cette famille siègent au conseil d?administration et au comité de direction.

The Argentinean Pablo Mac Donough, Richard Mille?s Ambassador and World Polo Tour no.1 in 2010 and 2011, participated to the first edition of the ?Seddiqi Polo Challenge? which saw the Richard Mille Polo Team compete with Ali Al Bawardi?s Dubai Polo Team.

Hosted by the UAE?s leading timepiece retailer Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons, the ?Seddiqi Polo Challenge? was held at the luxurious Desert Palm Resort and saw Richard Mille emerging victorious with a 5 - 3 win over Ali Al Bawardi?s Team.

Led by Pablo Mac Donough, the Richard Mille Team included World No. 3 Juan Martin Nero, Ali Bawardi?s son Tariq, and Richard Mille?s team patron, H.E. Bahar Jefri. The Dubai Polo Team, included professional players Martin Valent, Ramiro Guinazu, and the World Polo Tour no. 2 Adolfo Cambiaso, along with Patron Ali Al Bawardi.

It was an exceptional first edition of the ?Seddiqi Polo Challenge? which paid homage to the three best polo players in the world. Richard Mille and Mr. Abdul Hamied Seddiqi, (Vice Chairman of Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons) presented the winning players with their trophy and applauded the efforts of both teams for putting on a world class performance. Commenting on the game, Mr. Seddiqi stated ?Today?s match was a testament to the skill of these great players and one cannot help but appreciate that polo is a sport that requires great precision and strength, yet has a timeless elegance to it. It is a privilege for us to be associated with some of the finest names in polo and to have conducted the first Seddiqi Polo Challenge in Dubai?.

Whilst competing on the field the Richard Mille players wore specially crafted RM 010 limited edition timepieces, featuring an ?all black? DLC-treated case and red dial, which is in line with the team?s official colours. And for the 2012 polo season Richard Mille unveiled at the Salon International de la Haute Horologerie the new RM 053 Pablo Mac Donough Polo Tourbillon featuring a totally new ?armored? case in titanium carbide engineered to tolerate the extreme shocks likely to occur during a polo match. Inspired by the iconic tonneau shape the case has two raised arcs leading to two viewing windows unveiling a tourbillon movement tilted at a 30° angle. The seconds run with the tourbillon cage on the left viewing window and on the right the hours and minutes are shown.

Polo is possibly one of the toughest sports for any tourbillon watch to have to deal with; sudden turns, wild swings, the clash of horses and riders, these are forces far greater than the norms found in other sports. Known as the ?king of sports? polo is uniquely elegant and highly physical.

The Richard Mille Polo Team

The Richard Mille Team made its debut in polo in May 2011 completing a successful first season in UK?s most prestigious tournaments such as the Queen?s Cup and the Gold Cup, and culminating with the victory of Silver Cup in Sotogrande, Spain.

Pablo Mac Donough

Pablo Mac Donough began playing polo at only 6 years old in the Nueva Escocia Polo Ranch, Buenos Aires, where his father breeds his own horses. At 23 Pablo Mac Donough became part of La Irenita where the breeding program for polo horses is held. His career kicked off in 2001 when he won the Camara de Diputados Cup in Buenos Aires. In 2003, he began playing for Ellerstina, one of the best Argentinean Polo teams of the last decade, where he played eight seasons and won the 2010 Argentinean Triple Crown to become Number One of the World Polo Tour Ranking. In May 2011, he joined the elite crowd of the Richard Mille Polo Team alongside H.E Bahar Jefri and secured the team?s first victory in with the Silver Cup in Sotogrande. Last December, Pablo Mac Donough won the Argentinian Open confirming yet again his position as World Number One.

Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons

Established in 1950, Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons is a family owned and run business synonymous with exquisitely designed watches. From its humble beginnings as a single store in Souk Bur Dubai, Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons has thrived to become the largest retailer of Swiss Brand watches in the Middle East, boasting a portfolio of over 50 prestigious brands across 52 locations in the UAE. The passion for luxury Swiss watches is deeply embedded in Ahmed Seddiqi & Sons family. The Board of Directors and Executive Committee is comprised of the second, third and fourth generation of the Seddiqi family.

Dr Steve Weiss (87) a London based, highly decorated World War Two (WWII) veteran launches his book SECOND CHANCE at Mappin & Webb (132 Regent Street, London) today.

The book tells the harrowing story of his experiences during the war and his subsequent undiagnosed Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which could have crippled his life.

In his book Dr Weiss recounts his enlistment at age 18 to fight the Germans on the front lines in Europe during WWII. Private Steve Weiss of the 36th Texas Infantry,US Army served as a first scout in an American infantry rifle squad in Italy, France and Germany. He landed on the beaches of Southern France in 1944.

He and seven others became separated from their company during a ferocious battle in central France. Caught behind enemy lines and on the run from the Germans, they managed to evade capture and escape with the help of the French Resistance. Listed as 'Missing In Action' in France, he served with the French Resistance and an OSS Operational Group behind enemy lines.

For these exploits, he was awarded the French Resistance Medal (the only American ever so honoured), two Croix de Guerre, and the American Bronze Star. President Jacques Chirac presented him with the Legion d' Honneur in 1999. On 22 June 2007, he was elevated in rank to Officier de la Leigon d' Honneur.

Dr Weiss, who fought alongside the recently deceased Nancy Wake (known as The White Mouse) while he was in the French Resistance said; ?I wanted to share the story of my generation with the next one, which had no direct experience of the magnitude and trauma of total war, the consequences of defeat and the price of victory.?

Noted author Charles Glass, who wrote Americans in Paris, said of SECOND CHANCE; ?This is an exciting, astounding story of a young man who came of age through the crucible of battle and, more importantly, in coming to understand and know himself. This is the war that has, until now, been left out of history".

Dr Weiss confessed; ?In coming to terms with my ordeals endured during the war, I became my own battlefield ? but I achieved something that at times seemed impossible ? I survived!?

SECOND CHANCE is not just a challenge to conventional military history but is a richly human story.
Published by Military History Publishing, SECOND CHANCE is available to buy on Amazon
Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Second-Chance-Resistance-Liberation-1943-1946/dp/178039232X

Dr Stephen J Weiss speaks extremely well, looks great and although he is 87 he still conducts lectures, travels extensively, gives historical tours in France. He is fun, personable and does a great deal to help combat soldiers suffering from PTSD. As he was tragically so young during the war (18) he is one of very few WWII veterans still alive today).

• The launch of this book coincides with Holocaust Memorial Day (which takes place on the 27th of January).
• Steven Spielberg, who most recently directed the film adaptation of War Horse has first option on the film rights for Second Chance)
• Steve recently completed a military training programme called TRIM (which ensures effective assessment of combat soldiers who may be at risk of suffering from PTSD)
• Steve was 76 he achieved his PHD, 86 when he published his book and is looking forward to the future!
• He is well informed about all subjects war related and can speak eloquently on WWI and WWII, PTSD etc.
• He has a masters and a doctorate in War Studies from Kings College London and a Masters Degree in Clinical Psychology

He conducts tours and lectures on the subject of the French Resistance, PTSD and the psychology of soldiers.

Website owners, business journalists and investors wishing to provide commentary on financial markets, can embed professional-quality charts on any site, forum, or blog, thanks to TradingView.

It?s easy to insert a chart into a website, just like a YouTube video.

Thousands of investors have already signed up and started using TradingView since it went live at the end of 2011, and now your website can use it too, adding value to your commentary and a platform your users will jump to engage with.

The social media offshoot of trading software company MultiCharts is offering financial website owners, reporters and users alike the opportunity to embed its proprietary charts on news sites, forums, blogs and mobile platforms for free.

TradingView COO Stan Bokov says: "TradingView is a place to get trading ideas, do research on free stock charts and forex charts, and get feedback from other investors. The main goal of the site is to let anyone become a better investor by learning from ideas given by others and practice making predictions."

Investors use TradingView to present and share ideas about where the market is going and trading strategies with other users, who can then provide their own feedback.

The editable desktop-quality charts illustrate trends, targets, support and resistance in real-time with the website automatically grouping together related and similar ideas by ticker symbol, timeframe, applied studies and line tools.

Users can also apply indicators, including the MACD, Elliott Wave and Moving Averages and comment on their own and other people's charts, offering their take on market movements or engage in group debates with other investors.

TradingView offers instant login and one-button sharing via Google Accounts, Facebook, Yahoo!, Twitter and LinkedIn accounts, among others.

Thereafter, any published chart can be embedded into any web resource (forum, blog or website) through the IFRAME script, which is available when you click the 'Share' button.

Currently, TradingView supplies free stock and index charts using data from the BATS exchange plus FOREX, with stock fundamental data and futures on its way.

TradingView is a social project created by MultiCharts, makers of an award-winning trading platform which has won prestigious industry awards including ?Best Professional Trading Platform? and 'Best Software for US Intra-Day Traders'.

Richard Mille presents six new watches for the 2012 season.

Pushing the boundaries of conventional dating websites, FilmJuiceDating not only match-makes single film lovers, but they team up with the likes of the British Film Institute to offer its users free film tickets, daily celebrity dating gossip, film features and dating tips.

FilmJuiceDating is affiliated with the popular film fanzine website www.filmjuice.com, which has approximately 100,000 visitors a month and a cult following.

FilmJuiceDating do their best to scout out the best places to meet dates, offer frank and valuable dating advice and give members feedback on dating events so they don?t waste their time.

To encourage new members to take advantage of all they have to offer they currently have an offer whereby one man and women can win a month?s membership for a £1 every week for the next five weeks.

FilmJuiceDating?s promises to be the one-stop-shop for any discerning film fan looking to find love, romance, friendship or their soul mate by matching people with this common interest.

The American Film Market is being held from November 2 - 9, 2011 Santa Monica, California. The event will showcase Thailand as a premiere destination for Filmmakers.

Many major Hollywood studios consider Thailand a key location for shooting films to make the country become a regional center for the entertainment business because it offers high-quality products and services at relatively low cost.

Thai Night will be held on November 3rd, 2011 and be presided by Her Royal Highness Princess Ubolratana Rajakanya Sirivadhana Barnavadi and attended by Senior Thai Government Ministers, business leaders and members of the film and entertainment industry.

454 movies were filmed in Thailand in 2011 (January - August). Japanese productions topped the list filming in Thailand (86 productions), with Europe a close second (80) and India coming in third (76). Now Thailand is seeking to raise awareness of Thailand?s uniqueness and diversity in terms of its vast array of film locations and to promote Thailand as a user-friendly environment for filmmakers from the Industry?s leading location, Hollywood.

Each year, Her Royal Highness Princess Ubolratana has emphasized the strength of the Thai film industry. Thailand, a perfect location for shooting movies because of its natural beauty, cost benefits and high quality support services.

Thailand boasts highly qualified, skilled professionals able to assist and collaborate with filmmakers in all stages of movie production.

Thai Night at the AFM provides unique setting for people involved in the film and entertainment industry to come together and to find networking avenues through which to negotiate investment at the country level, corporate and individual level.

Besides the expectations to create international investment partnerships in the film and entertainment industry, the most important outcome of the Thai Night event is that it will lead to a continuing cultural exchange between Thailand and the international community.

Founded in 1981, the American Film Market (AFM) quickly became the premiere global marketplace where Hollywood?s decision-makers and trendsetters all gather under one roof. Unlike a film festival, the AFM is a marketplace where production and distribution deals are closed. In just eight days, more than $800 million in deals will be sealed ? on both completed films and those in every stage of development and production ? making AFM the must-attend industry event.

The Department of Export Promotion joins American Film Market to organize Thai Night AFM 2011 to foster the development of the Thai Film Industry.

Two of Bollywood?s biggest stars, Katrina Kaif and Salman Khan, commenced filming in the University of Dublin, Trinity College (www.tcd.ie) this month (September) for the first Bollywood blockbuster to be made in Ireland.

Filming of Ek Tha Tiger, a spy-thriller featuring the usual Bollywood elements of music and dance, has been taking place in the University and around Dublin city centre and will conclude on October 15th next.

The filming of the Ek Tha Tiger at Trinity College Dublin

The film?s storyline involves a world renowned scientist working at the University of Dublin, Trinity College, who is suspected of selling missile technology secrets to Pakistan. The Indian Government sends an Indian secret agent to find out about the Professor?s activities. The agent, codenamed Tiger, falls in love with the Professor?s caretaker Zoya, who is studying at a fictional dance academy located at the University and together they embark on a rollercoaster journey that takes them from Dublin to Istanbul, Kazakhstan and Chile.

Numerous locations on the University of Dublin, Trinity College?s historic and picturesque campus will be used as a backdrop during the filming, which includes a large open-air dance sequence in Parliament Square.

Speaking about the upcoming filming of the Bollywood production, Vice Provost for Global Relations at TCD, Professor Jane Ohlmeyer said: ?The University of Dublin, Trinity College, has longstanding links with India. The filming of Ek Tha Tiger at Trinity College is a great opportunity for us to increase our understanding of modern Indian culture and live the Bollywood experience here at Trinity. The University currently boasts a wide array of teaching and research relating to India along with growing numbers of students from South Asia. Ek Tha Tiger not only gives Trinity a chance to showcase our magnificent campus to a huge Bollywood audience but also gives our Indian students a chance to catch a glimpse of two of India?s biggest stars in action here at Trinity College.?

Produced by one of India?s most prominent film companies, Yash Raj Films, Ek Tha Tiger will be directed by award-winning Indian director Kabir Kahn. The film is set to bring about ?1.5m to the Irish economy and create over 1,000 short term jobs. The film will be co-produced by Oscar-winning Irish company Fantastic Film and is expected to be released in June 2012.

The University of Dublin, Trinity College was established in 1592, and is recognised globally as Ireland?s premier university. It is currently ranked 65th in the top 100 world universities by the QS World University Rankings 2011. In the Times Higher Education World University Rankings for 2010, TCD is ranked 76th in the top world universities and 15th in the top European universities.

The University has 16,800 students, of which 5,330 are postgraduate Masters and Doctorate students. Some 16% of students are from outside of Ireland. The university employs some 820 academic teaching staff, of which 43% are international. Many of its alumni have helped shape history and include two Nobel prize winners ? Ernest Walton for physics and Samuel Beckett for literature. The President of Ireland Mary McAleese is a former Law professor in the University.

As Ireland?s premier university, the pursuit of excellence through research and scholarship is at the heart of a Trinity education at the University of Dublin, Trinity College. It has an outstanding record of publications in high-impact journals and leading academic publishers, and a track record in winning research funding which is among the best in the country. Interdisciplinarity forms a key element in the university strategy in increasing Trinity?s international standing as a research-led university. It has developed significant international strength in its research in eight major themes which include globalisation; digital arts and humanities; telecommunications; nanoscience; neuroscience; ageing and independent living; immunology and molecular medicine/ cancer.

There are currently over 100 students from India studying at the University of Dublin, Trinity College. Students are studying at the undergraduate as well as at the postgraduate level in taught and research programmes. The popular areas of study include business, engineering, computer science, and health sciences. There is also a growing interest in studies in the arts, humanities and social sciences.

The Trinity Indian Society was launched in 2009 by the Provost of Trinity College Dublin and the Indian Ambassador to Ireland, His Excellency, P.S. Raghavan. Its aim is to provide a ?home away from home? for Indian students studying in Trinity College.

The University is building on its links with India as part of globally networked cooperation in education and science. It is also strengthening Irish-Indian innovation through research and business opportunities. A number of high-profile cooperation projects already exist in the sciences with top Indian institutions such as the National Centre for Biological Sciences (NCBS) in Bangalore.

The University of Dublin, Trinity College, founded the South Asia Initiative two years ago, which brings together teaching and research across a range of disciplines in the humanities and social sciences and gives fresh impetus to engagement with India in particular. It also seeks to raise awareness of Indian history, culture and society within Ireland and for this purpose has developed strong ties with the Indian community in Ireland. A newly appointed post in Indian history and culture is supported by over 20 Indian organisations. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations is also sponsoring visiting Professorships at Trinity College Dublin.

FilmJuice.com is proud to announce that it is one of the sponsors of the third The London Screenwriters? Festival.

FilmJuice.com is proud to announce that it is one of the sponsors of the third The London Screenwriters? Festival. The London Screenwriters? Festival is an annual writers? and filmmakers? festival, held each October and is the biggest gathering in Europe of screenwriters, filmmakers, actors and agents. For more information: www.londonscreenwritersfestival.com

FilmJuice.com, an online publication, is the resource centre for both filmmakers and movie fans. It provides the latest film reviews, upcoming releases ? plus news, events, interviews, features and the best film competitions on the web!

Exclusive competition prizes have included DVDs & Blu-ray Giveaway Bundles, Film Festival Passes, Film Courses, Film Screenings, Electrical Goods, Trip Of A Life-time, £1K Celebrity Makeover ? and even Free Alcohol (tenuously linked to a film event)! Literally, new competitions are posted every day. See: http://www.filmjuice.com/competitions.html

Recently relaunched with BFI, FilmJuice.com has a remit to provide a high quality, up-to-date easily accessible wealth of information for the film fan. Located in London, FilmJuice was founded by Publisher & Editor-In-Chief Marcia Degia and is published by BurntCork Media Ltd.

Follow Filmjuice

Facebook http://www.facebook.com/pages/FilmJuice/152863791447598

Twitter http://twitter.com/#!/FilmJuice

With over a year in gestation since FilmJuice came online in Feb 2010, FilmJuice relaunches this week and celebrates by teaming up with the British Film Institute, to give away no less than 18 prizes for 18 lucky winners.

FilmJuice (www.filmjuice.com) is an online publication, providing the latest film reviews, upcoming releases ? plus news, interviews, features, competitions and shopping guides. Located in London, FilmJuice was founded by Marcia Degia and is published by BurntCork Media Ltd, a resource centre for both filmmakers and movie fans.

FillmJuice relaunches with new sections to the website which includes Daily Film News, Shopping Guide and more Competitions than ever before. FilmJuice has a remit to provide high quality, up-to-date easily accessible film news, although the fundamental design remains the same. The website has undergone some improvements in layout and design with more space on the category homepages highlighting the wealth of information we provide for the film fan.

FilmJuice, relaunches with new Editor, Alex Moss, at its helm.
Marcia Degia will continue at FilmJuice as Publisher/ Editor In Chief.
David Watson recently joined the FilmJuice team as Cinema Editor.
Heidi Vella continues as Features Editor.
Beth Webb continues as Events Editor.

At its meeting in Paris on 12-13 December, the UNITAID Executive Board demonstrated its continued commitment to scaling up access for HIV/AIDS and malaria by allocating an extra US$ 138 million to the two diseases.

UNITAID will provide funding support over the next four years for the Medicines Patent Pool to negotiate voluntary licences from brand companies to generic manufacturers to facilitate affordable access to HIV/AIDS medicines in developing countries.

"Precisely because funding for AIDS is threatened by the economic crisis, we need to leverage all the tools at our disposal to ensure staunch commitment to increase treatment coverage," said Philippe Douste-Blazy, Chairman of the UNITAID Executive Board.  "Innovative mechanisms that can increase treatment availability and decrease prices, such as the Pool, are critical components of UNITAID's strategy to address the funding gap".

The Board resolution on this issue reiterates UNITAID's position that the Pool should seek a broad geographical scope to include low- and middle-income countries as potential beneficiaries of the licenses.

"Because the Pool is a voluntary mechanism, its ultimate success depends on the willingness of patent holders to share their technology in ways that allow as many people in developing countries as possible to benefit," added Philippe Douste-Blazy.  "The Pool has achieved promising results in its first year and we urge all pharmaceutical companies to enter into licensing agreements to breach the gap of 15 million people who need treatment."

The UNITAID Board also committed US$ 62 million to continue supporting the scale-up of HIV/AIDS treatment for children in partnership with the Clinton Health Access Initiative. The partnership, which covers about 85% of paediatric AIDS treatment, has been successful in promoting child-friendly medicines by ensuring long-term, high-volume drug purchases which have reduced the cost of the medicines by as much as 80%.

An additional US$ 50 million were committed to the Global Fund to increase access to artemisinin-based combination therapy (the best known treatment for malaria today) in the eight African countries that bear the largest malaria burden.

UNITAID is committed to building on 10 years of historic progress in the fight against AIDS and keep the agenda moving forward to the next level of cost-effective quality care. 

Moreover, UNITAID will continue to advocate for markets that work better to meet public health needs and where trade interests do not hamper medicines access.

"While it is understandable that in the face of economic restrictions the immediate reaction is to contain, we need to keep our eye on the prize," said Philippe Douste-Blazy, Chair of UNITAID.  "Ten years of efforts have brought us to an historic turning point in treating AIDS in the developing world.  We need to keep that momentum - traditional aid is vital, but we can also implement innovative ways of raising additional funds.  For instance, UNITAID has raised $ 1.3 billion in five years, but there are other possible mechanisms such as a financial transaction tax, which could be used to fund HIV/AIDS and other public health priorities."

Funding, political will, innovation and evidence in the last ten years have played a vital role in placing six million people living with HIV/AIDS on treatment and giving hope to millions of others urgently needing medicines.  Global health and development actors have made the money available stretch further by achieving progressively lower prices and a sustainable supply of key HIV medicines, including the development of simplified quality treatments through single pill fixed-dose combinations for adults and children.  Evidence today also shows that quality-assured, safe and effective treatment can prevent transmission as well as significantly improve the lives of people living with HIV.  This means that early, effective and quality-assured treatment is the best value for money proposition we have to curb the epidemic. 

"We need to increase the number of people on treatment and build on all the progress made on quality," noted Denis Broun, UNITAID Executive Director.  "What we have worked hard to realize for ten years is becoming a reality today - people in the South are starting to access the same medicines as people in the North, and what was once a death sentence is today a chronic, manageable condition.  After a decade of diagnostics being out of reach of developing countries, we are on the brink of bringing quality, affordable innovative diagnostics into those markets, making treatment more effective and timely.  Global leaders and others need to capitalize on these successes by supporting the momentum through steady, sustainable funding and innovative interventions that work."

UNITAID has worked intensively to promote innovation in medicines - such as child-friendly formulations; has created a space for more sophisticated second-line treatments at lower cost, and is now looking to bring innovative point-of-care tests to developing countries.  By using a market logic, UNITAID has managed to reduce the cost of some of these products by as much as 80%, prices that are now accessible to everyone.

"As we continue to reduce costs and introduce innovation into developing country markets," added Denis Broun, "it is imperative that larger players such as the Global Fund and PEPFAR are enabled to continue increasing coverage.  Decreasing or flat-lining their activity due to dwindling funds will undo those hard won victories."     

  
In addition to innovative approaches and funding, it is important that a policy environment is created to secure markets that work better to meet public health needs, and that trade interests will not disrupt public health priorities.  For instance, free trade agreements with India - the largest provider of AIDS medicines to the developing world - and other initiatives such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement - should not include data exclusivity or other conditions that will have a negative impact on the supply of affordable generic treatments. 

Finally, UNITAID calls on companies holding patents for important second- and third-line medicines to urgently consider joining the Medicines Patent Pool.  As some people on treatment become resistant to the first line of defense, the developing world will increasingly need newer, more robust medicines which will remain patented for a long time to come.  The Medicines Patent Pool was created precisely to address this challenge and make better patient-adapted, state-of-the-art medicines available to the poor through a voluntary patent sharing mechanism. 

More on UNITAID www.unitaid.eu

Two new meta studies published in the Journal Nature, one authored by Dr. David Gems, and the second one by Drs. Auwerx and Canto, examine previous studies of red wine's ability to promote human health and longevity.  
The compound which is contained in red wine which was the subject of the study is called resveratrol. Resveratrol specialist James Betz of Biotivia, a biotech company involved in the study of this compound commented on the two studies. 

Resveratrol was first identified as an activator of enzymes known as sitruins by Dr David Sinclair of Harvard and his work was also published in the prestigious journal Nature in 2006. Since that time over 5,000 additional studies of resveratrol have been undertaken. The vast majority of these studies elucidate impressive potential health benefits of the red wine molecule. Although most of these studies were done on animals or in the lab, since 2009 a significant number, using a purified form of resveratrol called transmax resveratrol, have been done on human subjects. In these clinical trials resveratrol was shown to improve blood glucose tolerance in pre diabetic subjects, increase brain blood flow in university students, increase fitness in both training and sedentary subjects and to have a wide range of other beneficial health effects.

In the two new Nature studies it was confirmed that resveratrol does activate the so-called anti-aging genes Sirt 1 and 2, but that the primary benefits of this effect is to promote resistance to the diseases of aging such as diabetes and other chronic conditions, not necessarily to directly increase lifespan. Studies on human longevity are extremely difficult to conduct due to the inability of the researchers to control for the thousands of factors which influence lifespan. The medical community prefers to focus on Healthspan, which is the number of years a person lives free of the debilitating diseases which often accompany the later years of a person's life. The idea is that if diseases including cancer, diabetes, heart disease and Alzheimer's disease can be prevented one's quality of life is dramatically improved and the cost of health care to the nation is greatly reduced. If the shift to prevention vs remedial health care is not accomplished within the next ten years the cost of providing health care to the citizens of every developed country will exceed the total public budget by 2025 according to leading economists. Resveratrol is one of the compounds which could make a significant contribution to the shift to a prevention centric health care strategy in the US and Europe.  Dr. Auwerx stated ?Similarly, indirect activation of SIRT1 by the compound resveratrol protects against metabolic and age-related diseases.? He goes on to state ?SIRT1 activation remains a promising approach to delaying general age-related physiological decline and to treating numerous inherited and acquired diseases...

At this point the jury is still out on whether resveratrol will make one live longer however if it prevents an individual from contracting cancer or diabetes or one of the other diseases of aging, for that person it will certainly increase improve the person's health span and quality of life, if not his life span. 

One thing is clear. As the Dr Auwerx points out, the astonishing ability of SIRT1 to enhance 'Healthspan' by promoting metabolic fitness will also guarantee it a long life as a subject for further exciting research. Biotivia will continue to support human clinical trials of resveratrol worldwide.

Sweet Cures of York, (UK) is achieving phenomenal sales with the company's new product ? 'Diabetrose?', based on arabinose, which is the natural substance in the raw food diet that helps us mammals release the glucose from the food we eat in a sustained way.

Diabetrose

As a natural 'rare' sugar, we don't get enough of it in the modern diet, because we don't eat the foods ? mosses, seaweeds, leaves, raw vegetables and roots that contain arabinose. This leads to an imbalance, with an excess in the modern diet of sugars that rapidly breakdown to glucose. The result is the typical 'sugar rush' when we eat, and a rapid rise in blood-sugar levels.

Blood-sugar spiking indirectly causes all sorts of problems from obesity to Diabetes Type II, because once the sugar-rush has faded we get hungry again and tend to eat too much. Often the matter is made worse because low blood-sugar makes us want to eat sweet things, which starts that cycle all over again.

When the sugar-rush from eating reaches a particular level, our body realises we are not going to need the glycogen we already have stored in our liver, and converts that excess glycogen into fat for long-term storage. This is the root cause of obesity. When people claim "It's my metabolism?" they are correct. But breaking the fat storage cycle effectively changes the metabolism.

Since available energy drops and appetite increases as soon as glycogen begins to be stored as fat and blood-glucose levels begin to fall, the process of stabilising blood-sugar levels allows us to use stored glycogen as energy. When energy is available from stored glycogen, we don't get hungry. This is the logic behind Diabetrose, and it may be why women have latched on to Diabetrose as a way to lose weight naturally. The process is simple ? when we are less hungry, we eat less. When we use the energy stored as glycogen, we don't store it as fat.

That's not really something that can be argued with. What is interesting though, are the other health benefits associated with not being obese. When people claim "It's my metabolism?" they are correct.

"People need to use the product responsibly rather than just using it to compensate for bad dietary habits."

According to WebMD, [http://www.webmd.com/cholesterol-management/obesity-health-risks] people who are overweight are 40% more likely to die prematurely than people of normal weight, and to suffer from everything from heart disease and stroke to cancer. Many of these ill-effects are down to Type II Diabetes which tends to affect obese people, so losing weight is for them an important part of maintaining health.

Sweet Cures is keen to get the health message across to males too. John Bremner, a partner in the business says, "Diabetrose is not just aimed at women, although women are more weight-conscious than men, as a rule. But returning to good health and fitness is equally important to men. Men who are overweight suffer from all the same health problems that affect women, and some extra ones such as erectile dysfunction, prostate problems and other male-associated problems."

It's the way Diabetrose works that seems to be the key to its success. It's not like going on a fad diet where sudden weight loss and subsequent gain can do more harm than good. Gradually getting blood-sugar levels under control returns the body to natural balance, especially when combined with a healthy lifestyle.

Anna Sawkins, the other partner in Sweet Cures explains, "Here at Sweet Cures we are very aware of the way particular triggers can seriously affect our health, and our products are all about returning the body to a natural balanced state, but they are not panaceas. Someone recently asked us if they should take extra Diabetrose before eating a cake for breakfast. The answer is obviously to stop eating cakes for breakfast.

"Diabetrose can't make up for living a completely unhealthy lifestyle. People need to use the product responsibly rather than just using it to compensate for bad dietary habits."

The bonus is that as healthy habits are cultivated and unhealthy cravings disappear, overall health improves and less Diabetrose should be needed to maintain natural balance.

In the lead-up to the United Nations High Level Meeting on AIDS, next week, UNITAID today releases a landmark report revealing that innovative technologies to test and monitor HIV/AIDS could soon be within reach of the world?s poorest regions.  

HIV/AIDS Diagnostic Landscape maps the development and imminent coming to market of a wide range of simple, cost-effective technologies adapted for use at ?point of care? in poor health systems and rural areas by non-specialised healthcare workers.

"This diagnostics landscape represents the first global public good of its kind," said Jorge Bermudez, UNITAID's Executive Secretary.  "It proves that industry can contribute to overcoming access barriers.  It is now up to the global health community to ensure that these tools are rolled out to the people who need them."

The HIV/AIDS Diagnostic Landscape report will enable buyers of health commodities for developing countries (health and development agencies, developing countries? national AIDS programmes, non-governmental organizations, etc.) to choose from a range of innovative products that will make their HIV/AIDS response more effective.  As a large purchaser of HIV/AIDS products, with US $ 800 million invested in less than five years, UNITAID will work to accelerate early market entry of these new technologies and facilitate partners? work to roll them out.

The UNITAID report covers three types of HIV technologies: Early Infant Diagnostics (EID) to facilitate detection of HIV in children under 18 months; CD4 technologies that indicate when a person with HIV should initiate treatment; and viral load, which signals when a patient needs to switch from first-line to second-line treatment.  The latter is particularly important as one of the great challenges in HIV/AIDS treatment for the future is to ensure that people who have developed resistance to conventional drug regimens are able to switch to more robust medicines in order to keep living healthy lives.

Maurine Murtagh, the author of the report, expects that up to three new EID, four new CD4, and five new viral load technologies for use at the point of patient care will be released over the next two to three years. The news comes at a time when the World Health Organization and UNAIDS - through their Treatment 2.0 initiative - are calling for simpler, less expensive diagnostic tests and treatment regimens to make universal access a reality.

Today, there are not enough HIV diagnostic laboratories and equipment to reach all patients in need of EID, CD4 or viral load testing in developing countries.  In addition, the laboratories are located in urban centres and require highly skilled laboratory personnel to operate.  This means that until now millions of people living with HIV/AIDS in developing countries have not had access to these vital tools to ensure their appropriate care and treatment.

UNITAID is one of the first international health agencies to adopt market-based approaches to improve public health.  This report marks UNITAID?s commitment to monitor global health markets and act in favour of greater access to quality products. UNITAID will produce the HIV Diagnostic Landscape on an annual basis, and provide biannual updates to keep the global health community abreast of important advances in this field. These reports will serve as a key reference point for global health agencies, practitioners, advocates and others to make decisions about which technology is most appropriate for their particular health system.

Download the report here
See HIV diagnostics fact sheet

Angus Davies, a self-confessed watch fanatic explains what made him form www.escapement.uk.com a free to view web-site aimed at individuals with a passion for watch collecting, who appreciate ?the finer things in life?.

1. Where did your passion for watches begin?

Early in my professional career my financial resources were limited and I remember walking past Mappin & Webb?s boutique in Manchester and staring longingly at a Rolex Submariner and thinking ?one day...?.

2.How did your appetite for haute horology grow?

In 1998, I amassed the necessary funds and purchased my first ?proper? watch, my long time goal, A Rolex Submariner Date (reference 116610) in stainless steel with a black dial and corresponding black bezel. The watch was purchased from the aforementioned branch of Mappin & Webb for £2120.

Like many individuals, at the time, I perceived that Rolex must be the best as this appeared to be the most famous luxury watch brand. However, whilst I admire several Rolex models, my assumption was based on brand awareness rather than a deep understanding of horology.

As my career developed and I became increasingly affluent, my interest in wristwatches grew. I would spend many Saturday afternoons, quizzing retailers, reading magazines, trying to fill in the gaps in my knowledge.

My thirst for knowledge led to a growing interest in haute horology. Blued screws, Guilloché, perlage and Côtes de Genève were just some of the terms I retained to memory in my early years of collecting. My first timepiece to feature these details was a Jaeger- LeCoultre Reverso Grand Date (ref 3008420).

The history of the Reverso, its art deco styling and a sapphire back enticed me and I was fascinated by the delightful visible components within the case. I was soon seduced and Mappin & Webb, this time in Edinburgh, secured another sale.

After this several watches were purchased, sometimes in quick succession. On occasion I must confess I used a technique often attributed to wives and girlfriends, but in my house frequently practised by this ?high maintenance? male. I would return home from a shopping spree and bring my purchases into the house when my wife wasn?t there or sometimes furtively hide them under my coat as I sneaked into the house, skipping up the staircase and squirreling them into the back of a wardrobe.

The technique was well rehearsed, bring the secret purchase out from the cold, when my wife was less focussed and if challenged retort, ?I?ve had it for ages!? The strategy worked for a while but came unstuck when it came to car purchases. Heidi, my long-suffering partner, is wise to my shopping scams and now has highly tuned antennae and X-ray equipment at the threshold of our front door, so purchases are invariably a process of counter-trade. I get my watch, she can book another cruise.

3.How did ESCAPEMENT begin?

I often would be approached by friends, or friends of friends, and asked for advice on purchasing the best wristwatch based on various criteria. If I found myself in a social setting, invariably my watch would cause discussion to ensue and my opinion would be canvassed.

I decided that with a successful history in business, a MA in Marketing Management which I received in 1994, and a wide circle of contacts in the watch retailing industry whom I had met on my travels, there was an opportunity to write about haute horology.

I appreciate craftsmanship, tradition, the skill of the artisan and decided that I would make it my mission to champion this, convey the intricacies of haute horology and clarify that premium prices are based on complexity of manufacture and not merely the cliché ?paying for the name?.

I admire the same values demonstrated in wristwatches with other luxury goods and services, hence I decided to write about ?The finer things in life? and convey this on my website too.

4. The underlying values of ESCAPEMENT.

I am always keen to champion the artisan, traditional craftsmanship and ?the best of the best? whether it is a watch, prestigious car, bespoke suit or other luxury item. I write about well known brands but also the small, individual craftsman who offer little prospect of spending vast amounts on advertising with ESCAPEMENT. Editorial is not provided based on potential expenditure on advertising but on whether a product or service has merit.

Haute horology has historically been a home for Artisans. Wonderful craftsmanship has been exemplified by enameling, guilloché, gem setting but none more so, than the watchmaker who can design, assemble, service or repair wonderful timepieces which will outlive their creator.

A fine timepiece is an instrument to behold and cherish.

I tire of perfunctorily manufactured items which are ?lifed? to fail a few weeks after a warranty expires, intended for future disposal and made wherever the cost of labour is cheapest at that moment in time.

The ?bean counters? will often calculate pay-back and evaluate whether a machine should produce an item in preference to a human based purely on financial drivers. Haute Horology is refreshingly different. Artisans nestle in wonderful towns and villages in picturesque Swiss Cantons and Saxony, where history is celebrated and the pursuit of perfection is at the epicentre of the each brand?s paradigm.

ESCAPEMENT is about promoting craftsmanship, encouraging future generations to become the artisans and to educate the reader in understanding the reasons behind the premium pricing of the luxury goods featured.

We promote the ?authorised retailer?, turning away advertising revenue from the grey market or non-authorised online sellers as they do little to invest in the future of the watchmaking industry and in some cases the provenance can be in question.

We always endeavour to be informative providing accurate information with good attention to detail and high quality imagery. There is a strong emphasis on original content, often praising the item featured. This is not because our editorial is sycophantic but because we write as fanatics of the items featured and if we don?t like a product or service we do not comment on it. If you read about a watch or a car on ESCAPEMENT, we love it and that is our stance whenever we write.

I personally despise quartz watches as they have no passion, no soul, hence you will never read about them on ESCAPEMENT.

Finally, we want to put something back and will do whatever we can in our humble way to promote the authorised retailer, craftsmanship and watchmaking profession in these challenging economic times as we wish to see them continue for future generations.

 
DialAFlight, one of the UK?s leading travel operators, is assuring customers that there is still ample time to book flights to Australia and attend this year?s Rolex sponsored Sydney to Hobart Yacht Race - set to begin on Boxing Day (26^th December 2011).

With thousands of Brits expected to book flights to Australia during the festive season, DialAFlight remains adamant that late bookers can still purchase tickets during the Christmas rush and witness the start of the race.

?Australia has always been a popular destination for Brits travelling abroad over Christmas and New Year. The hot weather and popular events, like the Sydney to Hobart Yacht Regatta, makes the continent particularly attractive during this time of year.? A spokesperson for DialAFlight said today,

?We assure customers that there is still time to call in and book flights to Australia. If you are thinking of attending the four day race, we still have some great money-saving deals available.?

The 628 nautical mile race is widely acknowledged as one of the world?s top regatta events, pitting over a hundred yachts against the cold, rough seas- off the eastern coast of Australia- whilst en route to Hobart, Tasmania, and the finishing line.

The race begins in Sydney and attracts over six thousand spectators to the city?s harbour each year- to wave off those competing and to enjoy the fantastic festive atmosphere created along the high embankments. With some of the world?s most famous sights providing a spectacular backdrop, the race start is always a popular must-see event.

Over one hundred yachts, representing countries from around the world, will make the arduous journey south, typically enduring 50 knot winds and battling cascading high seas. The race is widely considered to be one of the world?s toughest regattas; proving a stern test for even the best skippers, tacticians and crews.

DialAFlight is one of the UK's leading travel companies and has been in business for 30 years. Our sales people have 2000 collective years experience between them and our buying power is second to none. Each year hundreds of thousands of people come to us for cheap flights, hotels, car hire, weekend breaks and business flights. DialAFlight offer more than six million cheap flights to a wide range of destinations around the world including flights to New York and also flights to Dubai.

Bankers party for a charitable cause.

Boris Johnson has confirmed that he will be supporting the annual Square Mile Masked Ball for the third year in a row. The exclusive social event brings together the elite of the City and banking world to raise money for The Mayor?s Fund for London.

Held at the impressive venue of The Royal Courts of Justice this year, the event includes a champagne reception with champagne being provided by Louis Roederer. Guests will also enjoy a silver-service three-course feast, charity auction, amazing entertainment , dancing until late and luxury goody bags with contents provided from sponsors such as Montblanc and Small Luxury Hotels of the World.

The ball will also feature a world exclusive performance from the English National Ballet and an after party at private members nightclub, Bungalow 8.

Five hundred guests from City institutions will be joining the Mayor of London and sporting illusive masquerade masks for the black-tie event.

The highly publicised event is one of the few the Mayor chooses to partake in; likewise London?s most successful business men and women are proud to socialise, dine and dance the night away for a good cause with names that reads like a Who?s Who of the finance world.

The money raised from the auction goes entirely to the Mayor?s Fund for London, along with 50% of table sales, a charity founded by Boris Johnson and one whose cause is close to the heart of many Londoners. The charity seeks to help alleviate the problem of child poverty within the City and aims to improve the quality of life of London?s under privileged children.

? Our partnership with Square Mile is really important to us. There are over 630,000 children in London living in poverty. As partners, we are determined to together make an impact on that figure.? Chris Robinson, CEO, the Mayor?s Fund for London.

The charity auction will be hosted by Sotheby?s Auctioneers - a testament to the high-value items that will be open for bidding on the night. Examples include: A 5* Aston Martin driving weekend and one-of-a-kind artworks from famous artists.

The venue for this year is the Royal Courts of Justice on the Strand. The grandeur of the building is an attraction in itself and will be dressed by Bespoke Events to resemble a Venetian palace, fit for a Masked Ball.

Rumours that Boris is set to dance the night away with the City?s finest at Bungalow 8 at the St Martin?s Lane Hotel are as yet unconfirmed.

Costs
A table of ten costs £5,000 (+VAT)

Square Mile
Square Mile magazine is the leading luxury lifestyle publication for the City of London. It is distributed every month to more than 35,000 affluent business people working in financial industries. www.squaremile.com

Square Up Media
Square Up media is one of London?s leading luxury publishing houses. It produces Square Mile magazine, Square Mile guides, Hedge magazine and the Hedge Diary. It also has a large events division catering to the financial industries: annual events include the Square Mile Summer Party In August and the 30 Under 30 Awards in the Spring. www.squareupmedia.com

The Mayor?s Fund For London
39% or 630,000 of London?s children and 44% of inner London?s children live in poverty. This is more than any other region or country in the UK. The Mayor?s Fund for London is a charity focusing on improving the life chances and aspirations of disadvantaged children, young people and their families in London. 02079834051; mayorsfundforlondon.org.uk

Sponsors of the event
Small Luxury Hotels of the World, Mont Blanc, Louis Roederer champagne, Trek, 28 Black, Saint, Ultimat Vodka, Bungalow 8, Johnnie Walker Blue label, Ten lifestyle concierge, Sotheby?s, Nespresso.

Leeds based charity Lishi International, in partnership with Yorkshire Dance and Dust Farm Media, are offering young dancers and martial artists the opportunity to win a share of £1000 in prize money.

All they have to do is simply attend a free 90 minute masterclass with internationally renowned teacher Xiansheng Alex Boyd and then perform their own interpretations of the ancient Chinese dance form to camera.

Young people in the North of England, aged 14-19, are invited to take part in this unique opportunity to learn from an expert of this little-known dance style and achieve local fame. Videos of participants? performances will be made available online for friends, family and the public to view and vote for. The winners and runners up will be decided by a combination of public votes and the scores of a panel of judges (http://www.lishi.org/classes/audition/).

Lishi Youth Instructor Michael Bursey says ?This is a fabulous opportunity for any young person with a love of dance or martial arts to gain experience of an audition process, practise performance skills and gain public exposure that will look great on their CV or portfolio of work and who knows what other opportunities might come from it.?

International expert Xiansheng Alex Boyd says ?With films like The Karate Kid showing many of the benefits of eastern disciplines we find that many young people take to Lishi Chinese Wushu Dance with ease and excitement as it is both fun and rewarding and it builds confidence of young people a lot?.

In Lishi (?Lee Sher?) Chinese Wushu Dance you respond to a partner?s movements by yielding, evading and giving back. Choreographed dance sequences enable you to move fluidly on your own and with a partner even whilst using implements, including sticks, swords, long silks (picture Jaden Smith in The Karate Kid).

Lishi International (formerly The College of Chinese Physical Culture) is a Leeds based charity (1104209) that has been working with young people and adults in Yorkshire since 1998. Their work with young people has included partnerships with Intake Performing Arts high School in Leeds, Leeds Academy, Yorkshire Dance, Leeds Trinity University College, Leeds City College and schools throughout Yorkshire. They have received funding from V ? Volunteering for Young People, European Social Fund, and many others.

Xiansheng Alex Boyd has over 20 years of professional and international Lishi experience as a principal dancer and teacher. He has choreographed and produced for TV, and improvised Popup?s and the stage (including the Royal Albert Hall).

£1000 Prize money will be shared as follows:
1 x £500
1 x £200
1 x £100
4 x £50

The master-class and audition will take place between 1 and 4pm on Sunday 25th September at Yorkshire Dance, 3 St Peter's Buildings, St Peter's Square, Leeds LS9 8AH.

The Mumbai-based movie industry, Bollywood is one of the largest film producers in the world.

Inspired by the genre?s romance, melodrama and vibrant colours, global Luxury & Character Hotels brand, Splendia presents a selection of the best hotels in India where you can experience this all-singing, all-dancing culture.

RASA JAIPUR ? Jaipur

With its 40 futuristic ?tents?, the Rasa Jaipur is a unique exploration of traditional Indian nomadic camps, offering pared-down luxury and modern facilities in an inimitable setting. Each luxury canvas cube is set against a stunning backdrop of sculpted landscape and rocky hills, and hotel restaurant, The Toran creates fusion dishes from ingredients farmed in the Rasa?s own organic gardens.

Bookings at: www.splendia.com/en/rasa-resorts-jaipur.html

AMARYA HAVELI ? New Delhi

Previously a family house, every room in the Amarya Haveli has a colour theme inspired by a different magical Indian destination, including its very own vibrant red Bollywood room. With a fusion of contemporary décor and regional antique furnishings, the Amarya is an intimate and chic urban hotel within easy reach of the country?s capital.

Bookings at: www.splendia.com/en/amarya-haveli-new-delhi.html

ALILA DIWA GOA ? Goa

The Alila Diwa Goa is situated on the Majorda beach in south Goa. Surrounded by paddy fields, the hotel offers panoramic views across the Arabian Sea.  The Alila?s variety of different rooms and suites all offer private terraces and the hotel caters to every need with its private terraces, excellent restaurants, stunning scenery and luxurious infinity pool.

Bookings at: www.splendia.com/en/alila-diwa-goa--goa.html

THE PARK KOLKATA ? Kolkata

Built in 1967 and the flagship property of The Park Hotels group, The Park Kolkata is where old innovation meets chic luxury. Renovated by world-renowned design gurus Conran & Partners, the hotel boasts 149 stylish avant-garde rooms, each reflecting the city?s rich history of art and architecture. The Park also includes Roxy, a 60s themed cocktail bar amongst other onsite bars and restaurants.

Bookings at: www.splendia.com/en/the-park-hotel-kolkata-kolkata.html

DEVI RATN ? Jaipur

Taking its name from nine pure gem stones said to focus cosmic energy, the Devi Ratn is a celebration of colours, textures and patterns to rival even the brightest Bollywood wardrobe. A boutique hotel with a difference, the Devi offers 60 suites and three villas. All suites offer stunning views of the Aravali mountain range and each villa is set in an enclosed courtyard with access to a deluxe suite, private pool and Jacuzzi.

Bookings at: www.splendia.com/en/devi-ratn-jaipur.html






Splendia (www.splendia.com) is the global leader in online bookings for Luxury & Character Hotels. Representing more than 5,000 properties across 130 countries, Splendia guarantees the best rates with no hidden extras, exclusive guest benefits and an unquestionable quality service 24/7. Launched in 2004, Splendia has an expert team of 100 people with a Head Office in Hong Kong and branch offices in Barcelona and Miami. Alven Capital, investor in Splendia since 2006, was joined by Crédit Agricole Private Equity in 2008 to support international development.

Over the past thirty years more than four hundred innocent Christians have been killed in cold blood with repeated government failures to prosecute the perpetrators and apply the rule of law.

January 2011 started with the bombing of a Coptic church in Alexandria, followed by the Egyptian revolution, we have witnessed various stages of development. One of the most concerning is the increasing incidents of attacks and violence against Christians and churches.

The most alarming of these instances took place on Sunday 9 October when a peaceful Christian demonstration against the burning of a church in Aswan was met with brutal force, leaving tens dead and hundreds injured after the use of live ammunition and the same aggressive tactics used by the previous regime.

What is of immediate concern is that while the situation has been unfolding this evening there has been broadcast by state media of unconfirmed allegations that Christian demonstrators killed soldiers. These allegations have been made without any investigations or recourse to witnesses or ballistic or forensic evidence. Such claims will increase justified attacks upon Christians.

We feel that the Egyptian Government or Military Council are no longer protecting Christians in Egypt, and we have in fact seen live coverage of Army trucks driving over and killing peaceful protestors.

We urge and call upon the international community to call for an immediate investigation into the occurrences of 9 October 2011, to take tangible steps towards giving Christians equal human rights in religious freedom, and comply with its' obligations to observe the various human rights treaties to which it is party.

Veteran stock market trader Mike Baghdady will be the keynote speaker at the Transforming Egypt conference at the American University of Cairo?s School of Business this Wednesday.

The former head technical trader at the New York Board of Trade will address delegates between 1700 and 1900 on April 6 at the Conference and Visitors Centre Room P007 at the American University of Cairo (AUC), New Cairo.

He will give a free workshop on ?Successful trading for the 21st Century using EGX? and other trading instruments including Stocks, Forex, Commodities and Equities.

Mike Baghdady is a former student of the AUC, starting a futures and physical grain business in Egypt after graduating from the prestigious institution in 1972, building it up to become one of the largest grain houses in the Middle East. He ran this firm for 15 years, scooping prizes including ?Trader of the Year? from the American Chamber of Commerce in Egypt, and in the late 80s, moved to the US to train at the Wall Street investment bank Salomon Smith Barney - now part of Morgan Stanley.

Monal Abdel-Baki at the Department of Economics at AUC?s School of Business commented: ?We thank Mike for his genuine keenness to help drill AUC students, using his invaluable expertise. We look forward to him enlightening us about the current and future prospects of the financial sector in Egypt and the state of the EGX. It is a great opportunity to hear the opinion of an Egyptian expert who can comment on events unfolding in our country, both from a domestic and international perspective.?

Mike Baghdady commented: ?I?m honoured to be asked to give this speech to students at my old university, and I didn?t think twice about returning to it, to take this opportunity.?

Mike will speak about:

• The EGX and the current situation as well as emerging markets;
• How to Successfully Trade or Invest using the EGX and other trading instruments from Stocks to Forex in the 21st Century;
• Technical Analysis v Fundamental Analysis as well as Trading, Investing and Technical Trading;
• An extended Q&A session with the students.

Egypt's stock market, the EGX, has just re-opened after being closed down on 27 January, following civil unrest, but precipitous falls forced it to suspend trading on two consecutive days. Had the re-opening been further delayed, Egyptian companies would have risked exclusion from the MSCI indices of emerging market stocks. The events have marked a period of intense economic uncertainty in Egypt, and the wider markets, as political seismic shifts continue to rock the Middle East region as a whole.

Mike Baghdady, who won the World of Trading live competition in Frankfurt in 2009, has been no stranger to such volatility over the course of his 35 years as a professional trader.

Now, from his base in the City of London, he intends to emulate an experiment by one of the traders who inspired him from the beginning, Richard Dennis; a Chicago trader who turned a group of inexperienced job hunters into heavyweight professional traders who made astonishing profits.

Mike?s Training Traders floor will this month play host to the pick of some 8,000 applicants, the remainder of whom hope to be offered fully-fledged Hedge Fund manager roles at the end of their initial 12-month training tenure, to manage corporate funds with Mike?s team.

Mike Baghdady is a key market analyst, syndicated magazine columnist and commentator for financial television stations. He was apprentice to Alan Shaw, widely considered to be the father of modern Technical Analysis learning, at Salomon Smith Barney before reaching the pinnacle of his professional career as Head Trader on the New York Board of Trade.

For more information about the Turtles programme, please click here.

The world?s leading authority on stock market and foreign exchange price behaviour, Mike Baghdady, will provide a series of free workshops for both beginner and experienced traders in Dubai this week...

Baghdady, who last year delivered the keynote speech to Dubai?s Middle East Forex Trading Show, says that with the current market volatility, there are many profit-making opportunities for day or long-term traders who have an effective approach to the markets.

His company, Training Traders (http://www.trainingtraders.com), has consequently designed a series of free workshops to provide an introduction to his methods of finding more precise entry points and capitalising on intraday movements, as well as making the most of substantial moves, in any market, in any instrument.

"Our Price Behaviour rules allow traders to make the most of these conditions and work them to their advantage by identifying the market condition, selecting the most suitable portfolio, searching out high probability trades with low risk entries and creating a significant trading edge," he explains. "We do this across all markets, giving the traders we teach unrivalled opportunities to find the best trades in the marketplace."

The Mike Baghdady/ Training Traders free workshops are being held, as follows:

Friday, October 08, 2010 Dubai Free Workshop Media Rotana Hotel at 10:00

Friday, October 08, 2010 Dubai Free Workshop Media Rotana Hotel at 15:00

Saturday, October 09, 2010 Dubai Free Workshop Holiday Inn - Downtown Dubai at 10:00

Saturday, October 09, 2010 Dubai Free Workshop Holiday Inn - Downtown Dubai at 15:00

Sunday, October 10, 2010 Dubai Free Workshop Holiday Inn - Sharjah at 17:00

Monday, October 11, 2010 Dubai Free Workshop Holiday Inn - Sharjah at 1700

To attend, traders must first register here: http://www.trainingtraders.com/dubai

Mike adds: "We offer ongoing support to our traders and all of our courses are followed up with our Mentorship program, enabling attendees to become part of a trading community that spans the world."

Training Traders will return in November to roll out full courses to traders in Dubai. Traders who can't make the Dubai shows can join Mike online any Sunday at 1900 London Time for his Weekly Trade Planning Session, which offers traders an invaluable forecast of the forthcoming week?s market price action.

Training Traders offers traders at all levels the only rule-based trading system in the world based purely on Price Behaviour. Its patented Price Behaviour TT trading software is used by financial trading institutions worldwide, including Bloomberg and Deutsche Bank. Mike used it at last year's Live Trading World Championship in Frankfurt to see off the competition and claim the top prize.

Mike Baghdady is the world?s foremost expert on Price Behaviour and a 34-year veteran of the global financial markets, spending the pinnacle of his professional career as Head Trader on the New York Board of Trade trading floor.

A key market analyst, syndicated magazine columnist and commentator for financial television stations, Mike was apprentice to Alan Shaw, widely considered to be the father of modern Technical Analysis learning.

Mike regularly teaches his unique technical trading techniques at seminars and exhibitions across Europe, the Middle East and the Americas; as well as privately at banks, financial institutions and dealing desks.

The 6th IISS Regional Security Summit, The Manama Dialogue has successfully concluded after three days of policy addresses and bilateral meetings between senior government, parliamentary, and other distinguished delegates.

The summit was attended by over 300 delegates and 25 government delegations, including Iran who attended at the ministerial level for the first time since 2006.

On Friday, 12 December, Al Arabiya hosted a provocative TV debate ?Perspectives From The Manama Dialogue? featuring: Sh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohammed Al Khalifa, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bahrain; Ali Muhammad Al Anisi, Chairman of the National Security Agency and Head of the Presidential Office of Yemen; Jeffrey Feltman, Assistant Secretary for Near Eastern Affairs at the US Department of State; and Dr Mamoun Fandy, IISS Senior Fellow for Gulf Security and Corresponding Director of the IISS-Middle East.

The panellists discussed security and foreign policy themes?including the Houthis in Yemen, Iran?s nuclear ambitions, and progress in Iraq?for the Dialogue, as well as interacted with the audience. Clips from the debate will run on Friday evening, 2000hrs GMT, 18 December 2009 on Al Arabiya and Bahrain TV.

In order of appearance, speakers in the Plenary Sessions included: Manouchehr Mottaki, Minister for Foreign Affairs of Iran; Sh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Bahrain; Hoshyar Zebari, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Iraq; Vecdi Gönül, Minister of Defence of Turkey; M K Narayanan, National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister of India; Kazuya Shinba, Senior Vice Minister for Defence of Japan; Masoom Stanekzai, Advisor to the President on Home Security of Afghanistan, Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan; Christian Schmidt, Parliamentary State Secretary to the Federal Minister of Defence of Germany; Ali Muhammad Al Anisi, Chairman of the National Security Agency and Head of the Presidential Office of Yemen; General David Petraeus, Commander of US Central Command; and Dr Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar, Advisor to HM the King on Diplomatic Affairs and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Bahrain Centre for Strategic International and Energy Studies.

In addition to saturating Bahrain with senior ministers and new bilateral relations, the Manama Dialogue also transcended into social networking sites as Sh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa and Lara Setrakian (ABC News) tweeted on Twitter, among others.

A selection of free broadcast quality video clips from The Manama Dialogue is available at www.thenewsmarket.com. The video can be used for television, embedding in internet stories, radio, PowerPoint and other applications.

As they become available, the transcripts from the speeches will be available at www.iiss.org/manama-dialogue

To continue the enormous momentum of The Manama Dialogue throughout the year, the IISS is pleased to announce that the doors on its newest international office will open in Bahrain in May 2010.

With a permanent presence, the IISS is committed to furthering highly analytical research on a plethora of Gulf security issues, including environmental and economic.

In particular, the IISS will host the first Bahrain Global Forum from 14 to 16 May 2010, bringing together key political figures, finance and treasury ministers and officials, business people, economists, strategists and leaders of international economic and financial institutions.

The International Institute for Strategic Studies: www.iiss.org

The International Institute for Strategic Studies has announced the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kuwait will open its Regional Security Summit in Bahrain.

The Manama Dialogue will run from 11 to 13 December 2009.

Select government delegation leaders include:

Bahrain - Sh Khalid Bin Ahmed Bin Mohamed Al Khalifa, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Canada - General Walter Natynczyk, Chief of the Defence Staff, Department of National Defence
France - Bernard Kouchner, Minister of Foreign and European Affairs
Germany - Christian Schmidt, Parliamentary State Secretary
India - M K Narayanan, National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister
Iran - Manouchehr Mottaki, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Iraq - Hoshyar Zebari, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Iraq - Shirwan Al Waeli, Minister of State for National Security Affairs
Iraq - Dr Barham Saleh, Prime Minister, Kurdistan Regional Government
Japan - Kazuya Shimba, Senior Vice Minister for Defence
Kuwait - Sh Dr Muhammad Al Sabah Al Salem Al Sabah, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs
Pakistan - Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Minister of Foreign Affairs
Russian Federation - Mikhail Margelov, Chairman, Committee for Foreign Affairs, Federation Council; Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation on Sudan
Singapore - Lieutenant General Desmond Kuek Bak Chye, Chief of Defence Force, Singapore Armed Forces
Turkey - Vecdi Gönül, Minister of National Defence
United Arab Emirates - HH Sh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs
UK - Admiral Sir Mark Stanhope, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, Royal Navy
US - Admiral (Retd) Dennis C Blair, Director of National Intelligence
US - General David Petraeus, Commander, Central Command (CENTCOM)
Yemen - Ali Muhammad Al Anisi, Chairman, National Security Agency and Head, Presidential Office

Other government delegations are still confirming which Minister will attend.

Convened annually, The Manama Dialogue gathers all elements of the national security establishments from the countries of the region with the key external powers. In particular, the 2009 Dialogue will examine critical regional security issues that have a direct impact on government policy in the Persian Gulf.

Regional delegations will include Afghanistan, Bahrain, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Turkey, the UAE and Yemen. Other participants include senior government delegations from Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Japan, Russia, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the United States. The Manama Dialogue consists of television debates and programmes, formal policy addresses, break-out groups, private bi-lateral meetings, ministerial lunches and press conferences.

Participation in the IISS Manama Dialogue requires advance registration. For further information on providing press coverage, requesting interviews or receiving information, please see our website at www.iiss.org/manama-dialogue or contact our press department via email: dialoguepress@iiss.org.

Saint Michael Studios launches 'I Love Christian Music Magazine' ? the new bi-monthly A4 glossy featuring the latest Contemporary Christian Music news, interviews, articles, reviews, competitions and more.

The magazine is available to purchase now at www.ilovechristianmusic.co.uk and soon from major Christian booksellers, with a view to getting the magazine on the newsagent shelves.

?It's about time? says Editor/Owner Dee Blackmore. ?There are no Christian Music magazines on the shelves at the moment and I don?t know why this is the case. I would love to see my magazine sit alongside the NME, and Mojo in the ?Music? section. Some people say it is too niche, but so is classical music and its there.?

?It has long been my intention to showcase to anyone who wants to listen, the variety and quality of ?Christian Music' and this meaning ?music made by Christians?. There is no such thing as 'Christian Music' per se, unless you?re defining it as ?Worship Music?, or ?Gospel?. I?d like to say to Christians and Non-Christians alike buy the magazine, visit my websites, in particular www.christianmusiclistmania.com and listen to this fantastic music made by Christians. Pop, Rock, Ska, R&B, I?m sure you?ll find something you?ll like".

?This magazine is the culmination of what I've been striving for for the past few years - to get Contemporary Christian Music into the mainstream. I have been perplexed that such multi-award winning and album selling bands like Jars Of Clay, Skillet, MercyMe, Casting Crowns, and Third Day - people who happen to be Christians and who may not necessarily write overtly Christian songs, are relatively unheard of in the UK. I have also wondered why Christian Artists did not want their music defined as ?Christian?. I now know that being ?labelled? as such, meant that their music simply wasn?t being listened to by Non-Christians and therefore didn?t receive the same coverage as that of their mainstream counterparts. I?m sure this must be frustrating, as every Musician wants their music to be heard by as wide an audience as possible.?

Dee is also calling for a UK Christian Music Chart. ?There is no official Christian Music Chart in the UK. Amazon and iTunes have US equivalents, and there?s the Billboard Chart, which we use. If there was a Chart that was readily accessible, we will know of and see more of these Artists in the mainstream.?

Sydney has been transformed tonight into a colourful canvas of light with the launch of the third annual Vivid Sydney festival ? the largest celebration of light, music and ideas in the Southern Hemisphere, from the 27 May ? 13 June 2011.

Over 40 light installations were illuminated to mark the start of the festival including the amazing ?Lighting the Sails? on the iconic Sydney Opera House created by French design team SUPERBIEN.

Thousands lined the edge of Sydney Harbour to watch the first showing of ?Lighting the Sails?; explored a playground of interactive and low-energy light art displays by a global field of artists from countries including Germany, Singapore, New Zealand, The Netherlands, France, Thailand and Australia; and witnessed FireDance the largest fire performance ever seen in Australia. 

To celebrate the opening night of Vivid Sydney, SUPERBIEN produced a special 15 minute lighting performance to music, giving onlookers a taste of the 3D mapping designs being projected onto the sails over the 18 nights of the festival. 

SUPERBIEN let their imagination go wild with a swirling psychedelic journey of organic forms and colourful digital sea monsters, taking over Australia?s favourite building. The artwork also includes a specially commissioned soundscape.

The music program at Vivid Sydney, Vivid LIVE at the Sydney Opera House curated by Stephen Pavlovic, opened with UK?s Spirtualized, performing their modern masterpiece Ladies and Gentlemen we are Floating in Space with orchestra, gospel choir and band, ahead of a line-up including local and international music acts such as The Cure, who will perform their first three albums in their entirety at two very special shows exclusive to Vivid.

Other music acts performing at Sydney Opera House include 2manyDJs (Belgium), Bat for Lashes (UK), Sonny Rollins (US), Yo Gabba Gabba (US) and Odd Future (US) ? creating an eclectic mix of established and emerging artists programmed by Stephen ?Pav? Pavlovic of Australian record label and touring company, Modular.

Executive Producer of Vivid Sydney, Ignatius Jones, known world-wide for his ambitious major event productions, said Vivid Sydney is a special type of festival, unique to the popular harbour city.

?In a world where the vast majority of festivals are held at the height of summer, Sydney?s mild winter nights make our city the perfect setting to play with light.

?And what a stage we have for an outdoor festival with Sydney Opera House, Circular Quay and The Rocks the stage for best and brightest local and international creative minds to showcase their talent through light, music and ideas.

?Vivid Sydney brings us one of the world?s most iconic buildings, the Sydney Opera House ? singing and dancing in a way few great monuments ever could, or ever would,? he said.

Around 400,000 Sydneysiders and visitors are expected to attend the festival, which also includes free public events on the business of creativity at Vivid Creative Sydney, and a program of creative industry business events aimed at fostering collaboration and new ideas with some of the best global creative thinkers converging on Sydney during Vivid.

Vivid Sydney is a major celebration of the creative industries and positions Sydney as the creative hub of the Asia-Pacific region.  The festival is one of five signature events on the NSW Events Calendar.

The full Vivid Sydney program is available at: http://vividsydney.com

Images and media materials are available for download at: www.vividsydney.com/media
Username: press
Password: light

Moving renders are available for download after 7pm GMT 27 May 2011 at: http://ftp.spinifexgroup.com
Username: vividpress
Password: vivid2011

There is live streaming of the Sydney Opera House installation via Vivid LIVE iPhone App: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/vivid-live

Ignatius Jones is one of the world?s leading Major Event Directors, Creative Strategists and Event Script-Writers. Ignatius Jones? 2010 credits include Artistic Director of the Opening Ceremony of World Expo 2010 Shanghai China, the largest major event in peacetime history, as well as Artistic Director of the Ceremonies of Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games. The Vancouver Opening Ceremony was awarded three Emmy Awards for best direction, best lighting and best music.

In 2006 Ignatius was Artistic Director of the Ceremonies of the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar. An Olympic event, the Asian Games are the largest sporting event after the Summer Olympics, and the Ceremonies were watched by an estimated 3 billion people, across Asia and the world. In 2000, Ignatius directed the beginning of the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney Olympics, the spectacular Man from Snowy River charge of 121 horses into the stadium and the performance of the Australian Anthem by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

SUPERBIEN Unique and compelling, each of their creations is an immersive experience tailored to the site and the mission ? seamlessly integrating every possible technique into new forms of multimedia expression.

Their work is featured everywhere, from Kanye West's blog to Dior's latest launch, work so compelling that it's transmitted virally at speeds approaching the light from which it?s made. Having refined the art of projecting beautiful 3D images onto complex surfaces, they will bring their skills to bear on the ultimate artistic and technical challenge; the sophisticated organic geometries the Sydney Opera House.  For Vivid Sydney 2011, SUPERBIEN have titled their ?Lighting the Sails? artwork ?La Macula?. 

VIVID SYDNEY MEDIA BACKGROUNDER

• Vivid Sydney (27 May-13 June) is our festival of light, music and ideas featuring the spectacular illumination of the Sydney Opera House sails.
  
  
• Now in its third year, Vivid has become Sydney?s major festival in winter, lighting up the city each night from 6pm with free and ticketed events at Sydney Opera House, Museum of Contemporary Art, Circular Quay and The Rocks.
  
  
• Vivid recognises Sydney as the creative hub of the Asia Pacific featuring immersive light installations and projections; free family events; music performances and collaborations; creative ideas, public talks and debates.
  
  
• Vivid Sydney features Vivid LIVE an incredible music program of local and international artists curated by Stephen ?Pav? Pavlovic of Modular.
  
  
• Past curators include Brian Eno in 2009 and Lou Reed and Laurie Anderson in 2010.
  
  
• In 2011 French based digital projection artists SUPERBIEN are ?Lighting the Sails?.
  
  
• Vivid Sydney is the largest light and music festival in the Southern Hemisphere and a major celebration of the creative industries.

• 37 per cent of Australia?s creative industries are based in NSW and around 150,000 people in NSW are directly employed in this sector, including areas of film, music, design, publishing, advertising, architecture, visual arts, television, performing arts and radio.
  
  
• Events NSW research showed in 2010 Vivid Sydney attracted more than 300,000 people, compared to 200,000 in 2009.

• Images of Vivid Sydney and Laurie Anderson?s ?Lighting the Sails? generated extensive local and global media coverage with a cumulative press circulation of over 114 million.
  
  
• Up to 400,000 people are expected to attend Vivid Sydney in 2011.

• Events NSW estimate Vivid Sydney 2011 will generate up to $10 million in economic benefit for the State.
  
  
• Vivid Sydney is one of five signature events in the NSW Events Calendar developed by Events NSW on behalf of the NSW Government.

Vivid Sydney Highlights

• Vivid Sydney features 43 light installations around The Rocks and Circular Quay including 24 immersive and interactive low energy light sculptures; ?Lighting the Sails? by Superbien at Sydney Opera House; a fire spectacular at Campbell?s Cove; illuminated skyscrapers and buildings.
  
  
• The 24 low energy light sculptures have been created by Australian and international artists, architects and lighting designers with a focus on using low energy technology.
  
  
• In addition to the light installations the inaugural SPARC International Lighting Event will present colourful architectural lighting on some of Sydney?s most prominent buildings around the Circular Quay ?dress circle? and throughout The Rocks.
  
  
• Sydney Opera House and Customs House will feature cutting-edge 3D lighting projections.

• FireDance will light up Campbells Cove in The Rocks with a spectacular flame and audio performance.
  
  
• Free nightly performances will be held five times each night and FireDance will be the largest and most ambitious live fire show ever produced in Australia.
  
  
• Vivid LIVE at Sydney Opera House features over thirty events, eight Australian premieres with almost every artist exclusive to Vivid.
  
  
• Vivid LIVE includes local artists The Avalanches, Architecture in Helsinki, Cut Copy and Tame Impala and an unforgettable line up of international acts including UK?s The Cure and Bat for Lashes, Belgium's 2manydjs and USA?s Hypnotic Brass Ensemble.
  
  
• Vivid Sydney?s pop-up bar will be The Sony Lounge, set up in the Western Foyers of Sydney Opera House with an ever-changing menu of DJs.
  
  
• The Sony Lounge will be the place to mix and mingle with artists, audiences and Sydney?s creative industries participating in Vivid Sydney.
  
  
• Vivid Sydney will also include a series of panel discussions, public talks and debates presented by Vivid Creative Sydney.  These will take place at Sydney Opera House and the Museum of Contemporary Art.
  
  
• High profile creative industries events including AMPlify, CeBIT Australia, DigiTech 2011, Encore Live, Mumbrella360, SPARC International Lighting Event and X |Media| Lab are on during Vivid Sydney.

A digital music track is a piece of art ? a piece of sound. But it can also represent a unique structure of data ? rich data -Music DNA.

6.679.736 Basepoint Media music tracks have now been audio fingerprinted and enriched with Bach MusicDNA audio analysis information. This means that the content of 1.283.977 artist from record labels all around the world can be recognized, organized and presented in various new user friendly ways. Recommendations, fingerprint technology and mood tagging will show the path to an even better music experience for B2B customers using the digital music platform of Basepoint Media.

BACH Technology and Basepoint Media in close partnership

Basepoint Media (www.basepointmedia.com) who is an experienced provider of content and technology to retailers, Telco's and others in the digital music market have launched an add on. This is delivered by BACH Technology (www.bachtechnology.com) who provides an audio service, technology company and R&D partner of Fraunhofer IDMT. BACH's MusicDNA Analyzer analysis music in a complex, fully automated process and creates extensive, consistent metadata like mood, music similarity, music energy level for every single song.

The information can be delivered, along the audio codec and potentially in combination with other rich media like lyrics, biographies, artist news, etc. Basepoint Media has worked intensively with BACH Technology to adopt the various MusicDNA solutions for its digital music back end. Basepoint Media is one of the first BACH partners to analyze the entire music catalogue and apply the suite of MusicDNA tools. As pointed out by BACH CEO, Stefan Kohlmeyer; "We have known Basepoint Media for years and are thrilled to see that Basepoint is making our MusicDNA technology accessible to their customers. In the coming years we are expecting to see many exciting and innovative new business models from Basepoint Media and their customers. It is not a coincident that Basepoint Media is one of the first digital service provider to apply our technology and we really look forward to work with them on the roll-out with Beat.no in Norway."

With the MusicDNA technology Basepoint Media has analyzed and audio fingerprinted its music catalogue for Beat.NO for the last 6 months. Basepoint Media CEO, Jesper Bang-Olsen address the issue of complexity with satisfaction; "The scope is great. Each music file with its 3-5 minutes of sound took 5 seconds to analyze on our platform. When working with 6-7 million tracks we are talking considerable machine time. Nevertheless we know that the result of this work is unique and it clearly differentiates us and our client Beat.no from their competitors. It also strengthens our belief that we as a digital service provider are ahead of our competitors in regards to the provision of API platform components that enable our clients to create unique solutions to the market".

Beat.no will be top class with applied Music DNA

The Norwegian music service Beat.no will launch a new version of its successful service in January 2011 with MusicDNA as one of its unique selling points. Simen Wilberg the CEO of Beat.NO is thrilled about the potential: "We see music services here in Norway that seems to lack instant user feedback such as radio recognition services or auto playlist generation based on sound analysis. In my opinion this is crucial. A music service needs to be more than an application where you can subscribe to search music and build playlists. As a user you need convenience and relevance on top of the basics. We will give our market this added value and we expect that the market will respond very well. Our expectation is that this approach will move and expand market shares simultaneously."

Driving convenience!

An example of Beat.no innovative new service is the radio based playlist generation. Simen Wilberg illustrates the user experience; "Our user will be in their car listening to their favorite radio. Once they hear a song they like they will SMS automatically to our service, e.g. with shortcode "NRK1 Beat" to number 1234. Our service constantly scans the radios live streams. The live streams are constantly matched to the music catalogue and this unique matching process enables us to give our subscribers access to MP3s for direct download or streaming for Android/iPhone".

Added values, consumer focus and especially convenience are key to the development in the music industry that has been fighting piracy ever since the internet was available for people. Paul Stuart, VP commercials at EMI Music Nordic emphasizes the importance of new innovative players that break new ground and move the usage scenarios to a point where convenience further increases the gap to pirate music services. "We expect concepts like the Music DNA to move the legal services into a zone of more comfort where the advantages of paid music become more visible to the end user. We are very pleased that partners like Basepoint Media, Bach Technology and Beat.no act on the forefront and develop innovative solutions that artists and consumers can benefit from."

Basepoint Media Group consist of 25 people and is head quartered in Copenhagen Denmark with Subsidiary in Luxembourg and sales offices in Germany, the UK, Sweden and Norway. Basepoint Media delivers content platform and technology to 60 partners in Europe within the field of music, books and film and has passed the point of + 30.000.000 units delivered. Basepoint Media has a catalogue of approximately 7 million music tracks inclusive major label repertoire, 3.000 movies and 1500 audio books.

BACH Technology is a provider of technology and applications for the digital music market. A fast growing music technology company with offices in Norway, Germany and China, BACH's successes stem from a team who have been involved with the development of digital music since 1986.

Company president Dagfinn Bach is one of digital music early pioneers, while CEO Stefan Kohlmeyer is a veteran of German media giant Bertelsmann.Bach's technology partner is Germany's Fraunhofer IDMT (Institute for Digital Media Technology), where the MP3 was developed.

Featuring lush orchestration, pop sensibilities and a flawless voice with a nearly unheard-of five-octave range, Angelica?s Remember Who You Are brims with a confidence rarely found in a debut release.

?Angelica has an amazing voice, up there with Lara Fabian and Celine Dion.? ? Frank Peterson, Producer: Andrea Bocelli, Sarah Brightman

The album?s nine original tracks ? including the new single & video You?re My Reflection (www.bit.ly/igeBhL) ? are written and produced by Angelica; a welcome anomaly for a genre where outside songwriters and producers are often the norm.

In a truly unique innovation, accompanying the CD is Remember Who You Are ? The Story Behind the Song, a beautiful 130-page book that provides an in-depth narrative background on each of the songs and the life experiences that formed them.

The book also serves as a heart wrenching autobiography. Angelica?s personal back-story is in stark contrast to the diva lifestyle often associated with female pop-classical singers. Born and raised in communist Romania, her family lived in extremely modest conditions, under constant threat of government persecution.

Gifted with a natural musical talent and a tireless work ethic, Angelica had the makings of a promising career early on, one that lead to television appearances and non-stop touring. Sadly, her subsequent joy of moving to North America was marred by a painfully difficult and controlling marriage. Angelica was cut off from her loved ones back home and forced to abandon all musical aspirations. As such, the first few years out here saw her alone, discouraged and stripped of all confidence, working as a telemarketer and selling gas door to door.

Over time, Angelica slowly built up the courage and inner strength to leave her marriage, start life over, and begin pursuing her dream of music once again. Which brings us to present day. Remember Who You Are chronicles Angelica?s journey through the darkness into light. This is a rich, personal album of faith, inspiration, willpower and liberation.

This past September, Angelica made her mark on Toronto International Film Festival audiences when she spontaneously decided to sing a few songs outside Yorkville?s Vaticano Restaurant. Literally hundreds of people spilled into the street to watch, prompting the awe-struck police to reluctantly shut things down.

Remember Who You Are is now available for order at Walmart, Borders, & Barnes&Noble, and for download on iTunes.

Additional video clips: www.bit.ly/gEDL0H Remember Who You Are streaming audio: www.iamangelica.com/music.htm

Veiron Audio and Visual Productions announced that LTP Learning To Play, the debut album from Director/Producer JJacob will be released digitally on November 6, 2010 through CD Baby.

LTP Learning To Play will also be released in a CD format in December.

JJacob was born Jacob Marris in 1973 in Addis Abbeba of Ethiopia to Greek emigrant parents, where he lived until age 13. After finishing high school in Athens-Greece, he went on to a local film and television college where he earned his degree in direction and film making. In 1996, he began working freelance in the local film and television industry on season to season contracts with all domestic major production companies and broadcast networks. This would prove to be his career and source of revenue, one that allowed him to pursue other interests in his spare time.

JJacob never received any formal musical education, but as a teen, he had the opportunity to experiment on a cheap 1980s Casio synthesizer that he was given and discovered that while he was not a musician, there was music within him. In 1992, JJacob wrote the original score for his first academic short feature movie "To Ktinos? - The Beast 1992" and recorded it on a home cassette recorder. He also formed a high school rock band, holding jam sessions in parking lots, basements and the school stage when possible. Because he didn't play an instrument, he became the band's vocalist and lyricist.

In 2008, a friend gave him music production software as a gift. He began to use his home studio, originally set up for use with his work in film, for experimenting with making music. He learned to use the software key by key without the use of loops or forms in preset - one track after another. With the encouragement of family and friends, he began his quest to become a professional sound engineer. He gradually sharpened his skills and in December 2009, hired Kostas Mouroulis to do mixing and sound engineering work on a musical concept he had in mind. Mouroulis input was invaluable and he eventually took on the role of co-producer. Under JJacob's newly formed indie label Veiron Audio and Visual Productions, the concept turned into his debut album. This was his first serious venture into the music business, of course, having been a professional film producer and director for fifteen years.

JJacob is very clear regarding questions about his musical training, abilities and goals. He is a music enthusiast, and making music for him is both a reconnecting with nature and a hobby. Music is like love, it has the power to touch and heal. Music is like the universe in that we are all a part of it and it is a part of us as well. There's music in the soul of every man, woman and child. Just because one does not seek to pursue it as a profession does not mean that he or she should not allow it to be freely expressed. JJacob is happy with the title of amateur musician, as he freely admits that his "bread and butter" comes from a well-established career in directing and editing.

The nine track LTP Learning To Play is a combination songs based largely on the combination of the electronic genre with multiple other genres, all of which (with the exception of one) are purely instrumental. There are mixtures of rather classical instruments like pianos, violins, orchestral elements and percussions, drums and guitars. On most tracks, elements of rock dominate but under the umbrella of what one would consider electro-rock or progressive instrumental rock. Some tracks are closer to the styles of artists like Vangelis, Jean Michele Jarre and Tangerine Dream. "Learning To Play", the only track with lyrics, and performed by singer Lola Yannopoulou, is reminiscent of Enya and the 90s ambient scene.

LTP was originally based on the simple idea of learning how to play music. With the completion of each track, however, it became more apparent that the creative process was being driven by certain personal emotions which were gradually emerging. Eventually, LTP turned out to be learning to play with a sense of nature, the simple elements that have contributed to one's life, and even the new sense of values that emerge from a child's play. The ultimate understanding is that our true existence in the universe is grounded in the grace of humble things.

You can read more about JJacob at the following sites. LTP Learning To Play will be available for purchase at all major online retailers.

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/jjacob

http://www.reverbnation.com/jjacob

http://www.myspace.com/jjacobsmusic

http://frenchmusic.ning.com/profile/JJacob

http://www.myspace.com/veironavp

http://www.reverbnation.com/label/veironaudioandvisualproductions

http://www.youtube.com/veironavp

The rush for risky commodities as investors dump the dollar is only just beginning, says Price Behaviour expert Mike Baghdady...

China shocked the market earlier this year when it revealed its gold reserves had doubled in five years, not least because Beijing had been quietly buying under the counter from its own mines.

It seemed to many that the Central Bank of China had been found out, that it had finally spoken the unspeakable and declared: 'We're not going to use the US dollar as our reserve currency anymore?. After all, who wouldn?t want out of a currency whose value has nosedived nearly 20 per cent in a year, especially when it is no less than the global reserve currency.

Even though they must continue to buy from the US Treasury, they?re hedging their holdings by diverting their capital wholesale into physical assets - commodities - and most tellingly, into gold and industrial metals.

It makes a lot of sense when you consider the United States currently owes China close to a trillion dollars, so if it's losing 10% per year by investing in the plummeting value of the dollar, it's losing $100bn a year. By buying gold instead, if the US dollar slides 10%, gold prices will rise 10% and the shrewd economic superpower gains handsomely, where before it would have lost? significantly.

China is far from alone in shunning the greenback in this way. In November, the Indian government spectacularly bought 200 tonnes of gold, almost half of the total 403 tonnes earmarked for sale by the IMF, sparking a rush from speculators and adding $25 to the value of a troy ounce overnight.

Mauritius immediately purchased two tonnes of gold from the IMF and while some may see this as insignificant compared to the bulk buying of the nuclear powers bear in mind this move no less than doubled its long-time reserves. Sri Lanka and Russia promptly followed, and traders are now anxiously awaiting other central banks, particularly China or Brazil, and sovereign wealth funds from the oil-rich Middle East, to grab whatever gold they can lay their hands on.

The acquisitions clearly confirm the fresh appetite for gold among central banks fearful of a long-term decline in the value of the US dollar, but it?s not just large institutions that are losing sleep over it. Wealthy individuals are now following suit, adding fuel to this already raging fire. And they don?t want to buy gold stocks or gold futures, they want physical gold in their hands, and they want it now!

In October, Harrods began selling gold bars and coins for the first time. And the following month, savers desperate to take advantage of record bullion prices forced the Royal Mint to more than quadruple production of gold coins. The world's biggest maker of pure gold coins, the Austrian Mint, reported annual sales of 1.9m ounces to October: that?s 23% more than its sales for the whole of the previous year.

With forecasts that a new record price of $1,500 per ounce and higher is achievable in the first quarter of next year, it?s unlikely that anyone who hasn?t already bought has missed the gilded boat on this glittering insurance policy of sorts. And it's not just gold that is cleaning up among the fear, uncertainty and doubt of the dollar either. Silver, platinum, palladium and copper have all reached fresh annual highs simultaneously with gold, and other commodities are hot on their heels...

Normally in November and December, the prices of agricultural commodities like grain and corn fall as the harvest comes in and the markets are flooded with a surplus of product. But this year we are seeing these prices rise to new highs as more institutions and individuals are moving failing cash into them, to get them out of volatile and plummeting currency values.

The effect this is having, psychologically, is to further fuel demand for commodities in the market as everyone rushes to get a piece of the action in this bull market. It?s risky stuff, of course, as runaway prices await their inevitable correction, but as any good trader knows: minimising your risk, while maximising your position will pay dividends.

Here at Spyglass (www.spyglasstrading.co.uk), we forensically analyse price behaviour and plan our forthcoming week?s winning trades every Sunday night in our open Planning Session at 1900 GMT. Please come in and contribute or just sit back and watch our predictions play out.

Whether gold continues to soar and we continue to go short on the dollar, or the greenback recovers and the insatiable current hunger for commodities proves to be short-lived, one thing?s for sure: when the price goes up, it?s an indication of more demand ? pure price behaviour ? and it?s contagious!

In today?s market, a trader?s problems change as quickly as he or she can solve them, which is why having a rule-based strategy is more important than ever, says Mike Baghdady.

In addition to trying to make correct trading decisions, new issues have arisen that we must attend to such as anonymity to protect our orders from negative selection and executing our orders with the least possible market impact.

We also have to seek liquidity and have an algorithm to help us find that liquidity; and when we do find it, we must then have a quality execution.

We should have a complete understanding of the rules behind our trading systems; we must understand why they are giving us specific signals at all times, and the reasoning behind them.

After all, what good is pulling an exceptional profit from a trade if you don?t understand the series of events that occurred to make it happen, or the ability to repeat the action consistently?

While quantitative analysts and programmers begin with certain assumptions that they believe should work, when they are tested in real life they are quickly felled by variables that the analysts couldn?t have accounted for or anticipated.

A good trader must be able to adjust their strategy to account for these variations and not only believe that the changes they have made to their strategy will stand up against a sudden change in volatility, they must also have the confidence to execute each trade with a high degree of certainty that they are more likely to win than lose.

Practically everyone makes poor assessments of risk and event probabilities under the duress, but fortunately in trading, human emotion represents a tremendous source of opportunity for us to profit from.

The best trading systems can show you a map of such human behaviour by identifying price points on their charts, flagging where traders have realised they have made errors in their judgment and are desperately seeking to act on those realisations and correct them, to limit their losses.

Within all of these price points are opportunities that winning traders know how to profit from because they understand how the errors other traders have made manifest themselves in price action.

They are making money by exploiting the consistently irrational behaviour patterns of other traders acting on their base senses of hope, fear and greed. That is why understanding price behaviour really works and continues to work because it is based on the market movements that result from this systematic and repeated irrationality that is embedded in every trader in the market.

Strategies based on price behaviour allow a trader to identify points where other traders need to enter or exit trades and to have a good mechanical system that automates the entire process of trading.

Such a system should provide answers to each of the decisions a trader has to make, and because there is a set of rules that specifically defines what should be done in any circumstance, decisions are not left to the judgment of the traders themselves, but to their systems ? eliminating to some extent the risk of emotion interfering in an execution.

A profitable trading system that adheres to the rules and principles of price behaviour contains five basics elements:

1) Optimum Entry
2) Optimum Exit
3) Risk control
4) Automatic execution
5) Portfolio selection

It becomes much easier for a trader to be consistent in his trading if he sticks to a system he can rely on.

If a trader understands the rules behind his system, he can identify whether the market conditions are optimal under his strategy or whether they have changed sufficiently to keep him out of it.

When new variables come into the market such as volatility due a news event, or the unwinding of large positions to indentify money-making opportunities, his system should tell him that the risks are too high under these conditions, and that he either shouldn't trade or should dramatically cut his size.

When the dust settles, he should similarly be able to identify the short-term market directions based on reference points in the charts which, if executed with precision, can lead to far bigger winning trades; or in other instances, tell him to be patient and allow his trades sufficient time to develop.

Knowing the rules behind automated systems and strategies and having the knowledge and confidence that they work most of the time makes it easier for the trader to recognise all the signals and trade according to the system even during times of trading losses.

It will allow the trader to be consistent despite the inner emotional struggles they must overcome after a series of losses, or large profits.

Successful trading, whether by an individual at home or within a large scale hedge fund, is like flying a plane: you can largely travel on auto pilot but in the unforeseen event of turbulence, you can immediately take manual control and bring your position back to safety.

Since apprenticing under Alan Shaw CMT (considered the father of modern Technical Analysis), Mike Baghdady has worked as a Commodities trader, Stock trader, Futures analyst, Options trader and an instructor for both Foreign Currency Exchange and Equities Markets for over 35 years.

Now his web-based school, Spyglass (www.spyglasstrading.co.uk), teaches traders to manage risk and exposure through a unique price action system that provides his students with a quantifiable edge to increase their probability of success.

He has taught a series of technical trading techniques to 50 banks, institutions and dealing desks and delivered keynote speeches in London, Italy, Florida and Mexico this year, at private seminars and trading shows.

Untrained traders flooding in paired with unprecedented market volatility means the game has changed for professional traders, says veteran Mike Baghdady, but the solution is simpler than others would have you believe...

Drawing charts by hand back when only trading floors had access to live data is a bygone era today, but this was the scene when I started out.

We relied solidly on price charts and chart structure and what we thought were cast-iron indicators to predict price behaviour and we placed bets en masse, moving in the same direction and largely profiting or losing together.

However, with the ratio of newcomers to professionals now sitting at around 9:1 - unthinkable only a decade ago - the edge we once had from the indicators we relied on to show where prices were likely to go, are now largely irrelevant.

What remains however, are Price Behaviour and Price Structure analysis - which have been and still are THE cornerstones of successful trading in a world where the latest indicator lasts only weeks in the current market before its weaknesses are laid bare.

Trading for many today has become a function of taking buy and sell signals from technical indicators rather than applying the basic principles of Price Behaviour and chart structure. What I'm teaching my clients to look for are price points rooted in the charts that indicate how people are behaving and how to use this human behavioural information to successfully trigger a buy or sell.

Take for example the failure of a price to continue in a specific direction. When it changes to the opposite direction that is the trigger to take a position before the amateurs flood in and exacerbate the price. It can be seen simply by observing the chart, without requiring the use of indicators.

Every single trader who is taking a position at this stage is expressing his unique emotions and psychology and this is all reflected in the Price Behaviour.

The price reflects the combined feeling of the market participants and everything that is known or knowable about any instrument is reflected in the price at this precise moment.

As traders, we are constantly looking for opportunities that arise from human emotions, where every error in someone else's judgement represents an opportunity. Professional traders know how these errors manifest themselves in the Price Action and have the confidence to place a trade and prosper from them instantaneously.

Human beings rarely make completely rational trading decisions while the markets are going up - seen through their euphoric buying - or when they?re under duress as they fall; people also make poor assessments of risk and event probabilities and there is nothing more stressful than losing money or worse still, their capital , as many new traders currently do.

It is imperative to understand how human behaviour is influencing the price action in order to gain an 'edge' in trading, and this is what they are really failing to appreciate, leading them to lose more than just their financial capital.

Capital comes in two varieties: mental and financial.

Of the two types of capital, the mental is the more important and expensive of the two. Holding two losing positions costs measurable sums of actual capital, but it costs immeasurable sums of mental capital.

One must also have an entry strategy and exit strategy as well as a good portfolio selection.

Right now, I am advising clients to look at the forex market, selling short the pound and dollar, and especially concentrating on buying commodities, which are fast becoming the new global reserve currency.

As countries including China are diversifying their national reserves by buying copper, platinum and other industrial metals they are increasingly sending their value up, and the amateurs don?t yet seem to have cottoned on.

The good news is that trading remains a very teachable skill. The great trader Richard Dennis proved it with his 'Turtle Program' in 1983 where he took 20 novices and within a year turned the majority of them into some of the best traders in the world.

That was actually the inspiration behind the formation of my trading school, Spyglass Trading, where we help aspiring traders demystify price action.

If you can understand Price Behaviour and follow the rules of a system, your trading will be consistent and profitable despite the inner emotional struggles after a series of losses or large profits, regardless of the volatility of the current market.

And while the indicators come and go, Price Behaviour works and continues to work because it is based on the human behaviour and market movements that result from the systematic and repeated irrationality that is embedded in every person.

Mike Baghdady is the world's foremost expert on Price Behaviour ? and is a 25-year veteran of the NYBOT trading floor and global financial markets. His City-based school, www.spyglasstrading.co.uk, teaches traders to manage risk and exposure through a unique price action system that provides his students with a quantifiable edge to increase their probability of success.

If you polled the top 10 financial experts where the FTSE or S&P will be this time next year you will get a range from 3300-5600 or 600-1100 respectively...

So don?t let other people with incentives that are not based around you, but are based against a market, with a history of lemming like decisions, bubbles and manias, decide the fate of your hard earned cash.

The days of proprietary information are over, so you, as a retail investor could make better informed decisions than many of these experts. A decision that reflects your views and understanding of the markets and not someone who is tied to benchmarks, asset allocation percentages and bonus related performance.

It is human nature to make decisions for yourself before others, so they are not thinking about your savings, they are thinking about theirs (This is a sweeping generalisation for which I hope I will be forgiven by all those selfless people who work in finance)

What doesn?t make sense is giving your money to an IFA who will put your money with an institution, who then, with apparently not much due diligence will put your money to work, either with a fund manager known to them (what we would call a friend) or one of their own funds, either way, somewhere along the line things get lost, such as: Your risk profile, reasons why you are investing and emotional ties to any sector or beliefs.

Dealersdiary is a new website where you can actually see the deal sheets of the trader, read his commentary or strategies, get access to trading ideas of stocks that interest you and help in developing a trading strategy that works for you. It is completely free and your input will help enhance the relevance of the site in the future.

It is not a tipping website, it is a window into the brain and heart of a successful day trader. It is a rollercoaster ride of winning and losing days and gives you a real insight into what makes a successful day trader.

Don?t let other people with incentives that are not based around you, but are based against a market with a history of lemming like decisions, bubbles and manias, decide the fate of your hard earned cash.

There is free information out there to help you make a better informed decision than many so-called experts. So take the time to look around, there is no excuse for not knowing, there is a world of information at your finger tips. Some trading intraday is the key to outperformance as there has been a permanent and seismic change in the volatility of liquid stocks and currencies.

If you would like to be added to my email list to receive daily updates on the Financial Markets? news and my views and strategies, or to receive my free white paper on day trading then please email me on dealersdiary@gmail.com

www.dealersdiary.com

There are two main types of professional trader today, but only one will win out in the future...

The first group work for institutions and trading companies, with many now finding themselves in the midst a storm of layoffs and bankruptcies. These traders partially caused the present chaos by operating under lacklustre risk management procedures.

The second are traders working from home, using their own capital on their own time. Their numbers look set to rise steadily and well into the future, while the former are on the decrease.

Why?

Because many home traders having witnessed the recklessness of those they previously considered ?professionals? and no longer trust them to manage their money, so are learning to manage it themselves.

Low returns on savings and investments mean the same people are looking for alternatives for their capital. And with poor job security on one side and home trading on the other, many are ditching their pay checks to become the employer rather than the employee, taking their earnings into their own hands.

While few of us had an email account, let alone a broadband connection, a little over a decade ago, most certainly didn?t have live market data deliverable to their home computers in real time. This was the strict domain of the institution. It was expensive and inaccessible? but no longer.

Technological advances mean even an amateur can trade from home with any electronic trading exchange in the world at their fingertips. Effectively, home-based traders have exactly the same information as the City floor workers, but at a better price.

Many proprietary traders in the City of London pay substantial desk fees before taking into account the added expenses of the charting, data and execution packages favoured by trading floor bosses.

But the recent surge in traders operating from home has led to a marked increase in the number of suppliers providing data, sparking fierce competition for their custom while driving down fees.

Trading platform IG Group recently reported a 59 per cent increase in the number of clients trading in the first half of its current financial year, compared with the previous six months, and a 61 per cent quarter-on-quarter increase in UK spread betting and CFD account openings.

This trend is only set to grow, albeit under slightly different rules. The amount of risk such platforms are now allowing users to operate with has been reigned in, and will be wrung more tightly still.

Many have increased the amounts they require clients to put down before trading volatile shares - to protect clients from losses, and to protect themselves from bad debts. IG raised its margins from 10 per cent of the value of trades to 40 per cent for small caps last month, and Spreadex increased its notional trading requirement for FTSE 250 stocks from three per cent to 50 per cent for trades in Irish banks and RBS.

Conversely, platforms have reduced the minimum amount traders can take on a position, even allowing them to use their mobile phones to execute complex trades.

MF Global Spreads last month reduced its bet size to just 20p on commodities, FX and indices leading to a boom in volume growth. And Citi has launched CitiFX Pro Mobile, allowing traders access to streaming prices and charts for over 130 currency pairs without any software installation? another bold move towards all trading taking place on a ?cloud? network where the trader of the future is not only free from an office, but free from a static terminal, whether that used to be in the City or at home.

Five years ago, before a lot of this technology was in place, I decided enough was enough and I left the City to trade from home. People advised me not to do it, but two years ago, after those same people begged me to show them how to do what I was doing, I created Trade with Precision to teach people everything they need to know to get started, from the fundamentals of the financial world to setting up a home trading terminal.

Our success has been based on teaching solid trading strategies that give members an edge by proving a higher chance of winning than losing. This essentially includes an emphasis on money management which is crucial to ensuring survival, something the large financial institutions have failed to do so spectacularly. Lastly, we focus on the required mindset for success as a trader concentrating on the person who has to pull the trigger on the trade. It is the individual that ultimately executes the tools and strategies we provide.

The opportunities exist and the time is ripe. So much movement in the markets at the moment means there has never been a better time to trade from home.

Nick McDonald founded Trade with Precision to teach aspiring traders his unique approach to technical trading and Trading Symposium, a successful series of conferences. He?s worked with CME Group, TradeStation, IG Index and CMC Markets.

www.tradewithprecision.com

A descendant of Pakistan's ruling elite questions the chaos in his homeland as the country moves shakily towards democracy...

I spent the first 10 years of my life in Bahrain, and grew up remarkably unaware of my family's status in Pakistan.

My parents made a concerted effort to keep my brother and I out of the political spotlight, which was probably a good idea since we were the grandchildren of a Dictator, the President of Pakistan.

Following the death of my Grandfather, General Zia Ul Haq, in an airplane crash, we moved to Islamabad, Pakistan. We were immediately placed in the American school to continue our education.

My brother, Osman and I were content with the comfortable, laid-back, and international atmosphere we were living in, while my parents were campaigning for the upcoming elections and trying to adjust back to life in Pakistan after two decades. Life was idyllic at the time for Osman and I, but we quickly realized that we were living in a sheltered and innocent "bubble", which would eventually burst when we faced the real world.

Coming from a strong political family, I have been asked the most absurd questions by people from all walks of life. I have been bombarded with questions regarding my family's accomplishments and mistakes, my views on the Bhutto family, and if I have any plans to step into politics in the near future. I have mostly kept my opinions to myself, until now.

I confess that I am torn between the merits of military and democratic regimes.

While I've never been one to stand on the streets and protest for leaders who are apparently going to save our country, I'm definitely not in favour of seeing President Musharraf rule our nation for much longer either. I have also given a lot of thought to democracy in Pakistan and while it is the ideal solution, I'm still not sure if I can see an effective democratic government in Pakistan; a relatively new and developing nation.

While I am not necessarily in favour of a military regime, the question I pose is whether Pakistan is ready for yet another democratic government or are we Pakistanis just simply imagining and hoping for the next democratically elected political figure to come and perform miracles for our nation?

As tragic as it is, most Pakistanis, including the educated elite, are unaware of the definition of "democracy".

Although we understand the basics - that officials must be elected by citizens and must gain the support of the majority of the population - do we exactly understand how these officials get the majority of votes? Do the masses even consider what the past leaders have given them (or should I say have not given them) before running out on the streets and risking their lives for them?

The latest developments have plunged Pakistani politics into a serious state of confusion.

We have been hearing about so many different "talks" that have been occurring for the last few months but what exactly were Sharif, Bhutto, and Musharraf negotiating that led the country into such a disaster?

Why was Bhutto's return to Pakistan a cause for celebration in the country while Sharif was immediately deported after his attempted grand entrance? For the first time, Pakistanis throughout the world have absolutely no idea in which direction our country is heading in and we feel helpless.

Is our country truly ready for democracy or are we just being blindly enthusiastic at the thought of living peacefully in an idealistic, terror-free, democratic nation?

I graduated from university with a Bachelor's Degree in Government and International Relations. Therefore, I know the basics ? that democracy is a political system that guarantees its people basic sovereignty and rights.

In Pakistan, it appears that we have yet to experience a true democracy. I don't remember studying about how it is acceptable for "democratic leaders" to run away with millions of dollars that belong to citizens of the country and then be welcomed back with open arms. Perhaps, I had fallen asleep in class that day.

President Musharraf and his cabinet have spent a lot of time and energy on Pakistan in the past eight years by not only helping the country avoid an economic collapse but actually achieving a phenomenal growth rate as well.

Why is it that now, he is encouraging us to resent him by making more of an effort to manipulate politics in order to stay in charge?

While I think it is acceptable to reject him, I don't understand how that has led to Benazir believing that she is the saviour of our country. Does she genuinely believe that the public is going to forgive her for all of her past "immature" mistakes and give her a chance for the third time?

There is a lot more to a good democratic leader than just being a strong, educated woman with a great accent. Who exactly was the one to decide that Benazir Bhutto is the symbol of modernity and democracy? In my opinion, she is utterly incompetent.

She pulled a disappearing act when she was accused of corruption, came back when the charges were conveniently lifted, has not shown any responsibility of the bombs that occurred upon her arrival, and refuses to talk in detail about her past two terms as Prime Minister. Instead, she has blamed the bombings and most of her problems on Ijaz Ul Haq and General Zia's supporters, therefore taking the easy way out and avoiding the relevant issues.

It's about time Benazir starts campaigning on her own accomplishments and her past two terms as Prime Minister rather than whining to her father's supporters and pulling the sympathy card on how General Zia was apparently cruel to the oh-so-innocent "Daughter of the East".

Like many Pakistanis who have lived abroad for the past few years, I have also been nervous while walking up to the immigration officers at JFK and Heathrow Airports.

While terrorists are doing their best to ruin the little bit of respect that we have left in the world, politicians are fanning the flame of civil war back home.

I know it is easy for us to sit back, relax, and watch the show but it's about time that we Pakistanis make a difference rather than merely depending on our past failed leaders and expressing our concerns at dinner parties.

Is there hope? Of course there is, otherwise we wouldn't spend our time discussing a failed topic or even confess to the fact that we have a problem.

I guess time will tell where our country is heading but let's hope that we figure things out before the world gives up on us.

Until then, I will continue to hold my head up high and be the proud Pakistani that I am.

Omar Ul Haq is the grandson of General Zia Ul Haq, who was President of Pakistan from 1977 to 1988. Ijaz Ul Haq, his father, has been a part of Pakistani politics for the past two decades. Omar graduated from Clark University, Massachusetts and currently works for Citigroup in London.

A nonprofit group is fighting to get children out of rug factories in South Asia...

More than 800 producers have pledged to use only adult workers, and more than 1,000 retailers are selling rugs that are certified to be free of child labor.

Forced to work illegally as carpet weavers at various rug factories in Kathmandu, Nepal, Sanita Lama and Jaya Bhandari describe grim experiences from their childhood.

To help pay off the debts of her parents, Lama quit school and began working at age 8. Bhandari started at age 9. For two years, Lama says, she toiled at the loom for 13 hours a day, hand-knotting strands of carpet yarns in a dust-filled room. Bhandari describes chronic breathing and eye problems after his long shifts. Both say they withstood beatings and scolding at work.

Lama and Bhandari, now 20, were rescued in 1999 by the RugMark Foundation, which crusades against child labor in South Asia?s carpet industry. Founded in 1994, the international nonprofit organization aims to eliminate the use of children in rug mills in India, Nepal and Pakistan. Through its rescue and education programs, RugMark helps these youths mend their broken childhoods.

Now with its Most Beautiful Rug campaign, RugMark aims to increase consumer awareness of child-labor issues. In advertisements that began running last year, RugMark encourages shoppers to buy only carpets it has certified as free from child labor, ?because an imported rug that was made using child labor is ugly no matter what it looks like,? the ads say.

?We are talking about globalization, the knowledge economy and biotech in the US,? says Kailash Satyarthi, RugMark?s founder. ?But child slavery still exists in the world.? Satyarthi believes that these practices can end if more American shoppers request child-labor-free rugs.

Shoppers in the US and Canada can find RugMark-certified carpets at more than 1,000 retail locations. The rugs are imported from the 529 factories in Nepal and 290 in India that have pledged to use only adult workers. RugMark?s goal is to increase the North American market share of certified carpets to 15 percent, up from the current 5 percent. ?Then we will truly impact industry practice,? says Nina Smith, executive director of RugMark.

All rugs sold by Carpets of Imagination (www.acarpets.com), a custom-rug company in Petaluma, Calif., are manufactured in Nepal by a RugMark licensee. Owner and designer Alicia Keshishian aims, among other things, to debunk the myth that only children?s small fingers can weave intricate carpets. ?Would you let a 10-year-old paint the wall in your house?? she asks. ?Likewise, craftsmanship comes with age and experience.?

Smith agrees and adds that strong hands are often needed to tie the knots. Children are used to drive down the costs, she says.

International laws and treaties prohibit use of child workers under age 14, but many countries fail to enforce the rules. An estimated one in six children in the world works illegally, and nearly 300,000 are exploited in the carpet industry, according to studies by UNICEF, the United Nations International Labor Organization and the US Department of Labor.

RugMark founder Satyarthi, an Indian labor rights activist, began the organization after learning that children he was rescuing from illegal rug mills were being sent back to the factories. He decided to devise a better strategy-and create a label certifying that carpets are child-labor-free.

Rescued child weavers are sent to one of RugMark?s 13 facilities in India and Nepal. At these schools and rehabilitation centers, the former carpet kids can receive free education until they turn 18. Children over 14 are offered vocational training. To date, more than 3,172 children have been rescued.

To ensure that licensed factories comply, RugMark?s five inspectors conduct random inspections. Raids are launched at unlicensed sites if RugMark suspects underage children are being used.

While other child-labor-free labels exist, RugMark claims that its independence-it doesn?t manufacture carpets-gives its label more credibility. Some of the other labels have been initiated by the companies and governments themselves, ?thus eliminating the prospect of an independent audit mechanism,? Satyarthi says.

A year ago, Barbara Jacobs, a carpet designer in Medfield, Mass., went to India to scout out a manufacturer for her new line of hand-knotted Tibetan rugs. When the factory manager she met could only offer a verbal promise that the rugs would not be tainted with child labor, she chose to work with a Nepalese licensee of RugMark. The group?s certification provides quality assurance, Jacobs says. ?I want to tell my clients about the label, and I?m able to stand behind it.?

Not all dealers are so eager to discuss the issue. Keshishian, the carpet retailer, says her outreach efforts are sometimes met with resistance from industry professionals who don?t want to talk about the dark side of carpet manufacturing. ?I heard merchants saying, ?Why did you tell your customers?? ? she says. ?You will make everybody question how all the carpets are made.?

That?s exactly what RugMark is hoping to do. To that end, Lama and Bhandari toured the US last year to tell their stories. They do the same thing in Kathmandu, where they visit carpet factories and urge child workers to speak up for their rights. ?If we can keep our hope, why can?t others?? Bhandari asks.

As many as 50,000 people have been killed and up to 42,000 injured in the devastating earthquake that rocked Pakistan, officials say...

Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf has said that there was "no credible intelligence" tying the London bombers to his country...

The Capilla Polo Club is launching a new polo school aimed at English speaking beginners on 1st December.

?We are catering for those who are looking to learn polo but have little previous experience, or even complete beginners who do not know how to ride a horse,? says Fabio Lavinia, the club?s Director and resident polo professional. ?Unlike other polo clubs in Argentina, clients are assured of English speaking tuition on quieter, safer horses on championship-level polo grounds, twice a day, seven days a week.?

A polo game at Capilla

The Capilla Polo Club features four laser-levelled grounds laid out in 2008. ?We used the same company which levelled and maintain the ground at the famous Palermo polo grounds,? says Fabio. ?The grounds are all irrigated and boarded, and each has a slightly different level of rain runoff so that we can play quickly after rain. We also have a stick-and-ball ground designed with a 0.7% incline so that we can play even after a downpour.?

Exercising the horses

The club has 35 local players, and each year welcomes 10-20 guests of differing levels of ability during the Argentinian summer polo season (October ? March). ?We play polo all year round, but the high season for us is November and December, when many guests decide to come to play and also to watch high goal games of the Argentinian Triple Crown. ?High goal? in Argentina means teams of 35-40 goals, whereas ?high goal? in the UK means 22-24 goal,? he says. Team handicaps are calculated by adding together the individual handicaps of each of the four players. ?It is a chance for guests to watch polo in its purest expression, with the finest horses in the world,? he continues.

Fabio Lavinia

Guests are accommodated in a traditional Argentinian estancia-style house with a swimming pool and air conditioning, complete with housekeeper and cook. After a day of riding practice and polo, guests can unwind to a traditional Argentinian ?asado? (barbecue), or make a trip to the bright lights and bars of Buenos Aires, an hour away. Many other activities, such as golf, tennis, and fishing are close by and can be arranged upon request.

?Many polo clubs cater primarily to experienced polo players who can get onto almost any horse and play,? Fabio continues. ?Consequently they do not have more placid horses suitable for absolute beginners, as we do. We have set out to attract adventure holidaymakers, so we are competing more with ?experience? holiday destinations. Let me tell you: there is no adrenalin rush like galloping up to a ball, swinging your stick, and hitting it 80 yards into a goal. Especially when an opposing player is digging his elbows into your side trying to stop you,? he says with a grin.

Cost:

High season costs start at USD 2100, GBP 1342, Euro 1450 per week polo tuition.
Full board (polo tuition plus accommodation) prices start from USD 3150, GBP 2012, Euro 2325.
Low season costs (February-March) are somewhat lower.
Shorter periods are possible, but they depend on player ability and timing (low season/high season).
Guests do not need special equipment, though those with riding boots and hats should bring them.

Depuis plusieurs années, à travers la Richard Mille Watch Foundation, Richard Mille soutient les jeunes talents du sport automobile promis à un brillant avenir.

Il est, aujourd?hui, heureux d?annoncer la victoire dimanche 18 septembre, de Charles Leclerc le jeune protégé de Nicolas Todt, qui a remporté à seulement 13 ans la Coupe du Monde 2011 de la catégorie KF3.

Epreuve de karting la plus prestigieuse chez les juniors (13-15 ans), la Coupe du Monde de la catégorie KF3 s?est montrée une fois encore à la hauteur de sa réputation, tant par le nombre de candidats à la victoire finale que par le niveau de pilotage de ces derniers pendant le week-end de la finale, les 16, 17 et 18 septembre sur le Circuit International de Sarno-Napoli en Italie.

Le jeune pilote monégasque Charles Leclerc (Intrepid-TM) s?est illustré avec brio tout au long du week-end. En effet, dès les essais qualificatifs, il signait le meilleur temps, avant de s?imposer en pré-finale, ce qui lui permettait de signer une pôle position décisive pour la finale. Au terme d?une ultime course digne d?un très grand champion, Charles Leclerc a ainsi remporté la Coupe du Monde 2011 de la catégorie KF3. Un deuxième succès majeur après sa victoire lors de la Monaco Kart Cup l?an dernier qui confirme un immense talent dévoilé dès 2008, année à l?issue de laquelle il est devenu le plus jeune vice-champion de France minime à seulement 10 ans.

Partenaire des pilotes de Formule 1 Felipe Massa (Ferrari) et Jules Bianchi (Pilote de réserve, Ferrari), Richard Mille sponsorise à travers la Richard Mille Watch Foundation, créée en 2004, l?écurie ART Grand Prix dirigée par Nicolas Todt et inscrite en GP2 et GP3 Series, qui voit courir les futurs talents de la F1.

Photo credit : CT photos

For many years, Richard Mille, with the Richard Mille Watch Foundation, has given his support to talented young drivers with a promising future in motorsports.

Richard Mille is delighted therefore to salute the victory of Charles Leclerc, Nicolas Todt?s young protege, who at only 13 years old has won the 2011 World Cup in the KF3 category which took place on Sunday 18th September.

The KF3 World Cup is a very prestigious karting challenge for juniors (13-15 years old) and reinforced its reputation in both the number of youngsters participating and the quality of their driving abilities during the final meeting of the series on the 16th, 17th and 18th September at the International Circuit of Sarno-Napoli in Italy.

The young Monegasque driver Charles Leclerc (Intrepid ? TM) was impressive throughout the whole week-end. He was the fastest in the qualifying stages and dominated during the pre-finals leading to a decisive pole position in the last race subsequently winning him the 2011 World Cup KF3 category. This is the second major success following his victory in the Monaco Kart Cup last year confirming his huge talent which was discovered in 2008 when he became the youngest vice-champion of France in his category at only 10 years old.

Richard Mille partners Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa (Ferrari) and Jules Bianchi (Test Driver, Ferrari) and sponsors the team Art Grand Prix, directed by Nicolas Todt, through the Richard Mille Watch Foundation, created in 2004. ART Grand Prix competes in the GP2 and GP3 series which turns out many future stars in F1.

Photo credit : CT photos

Richard Mille a le plaisir d?annoncer l?arrivée, dans le Team Richard Mille, du très grand joueur de polo argentin Pablo Mac Donough.

Le polo a toujours occupé une place très importante dans la vie des Mac Donough. C?est donc tout naturellement que l?argentin fait ses débuts, à l?âge de six ans, au centre d?entraînement de la « Nueva Escocia Polo Ranch», dans la province de Buenos Aires, où le père de Pablo a ses propres chevaux. Pablo Mac Donough dispute ses premiers tournois, en tant que joueur professionnel, après le lycée.

A 23 ans, Pablo Mac Donough intègre l?équipe de « La Irenita » qui développe un programme d?élevage de chevaux de polo. La ferme avait été achetée par son père et son frère quand il avait 15 ans. La carrière de Pablo Mac Donough est véritablement lancée en 2001, quand il remporte la « Camara de Diputados Cup », à Buenos Aires. En 2003, il intègre « L?Ellerstina », l?une des meilleures équipes argentines de polo de ces dix dernières années. Il y joue durant huit saisons et remporte, en 2010, l?Argentinean Triple Crown.

La carrière de Pablo Mac Donough part alors en flèche et il remporte de nombreux titres : l?Argentinean Polo Open (deux fois), Hurlingham Open (quatre fois), Queen´s Cup (deux fois) et UK Cold Cup pour le British Open (une fois).

En 2010, Pablo Mac Donough s?impose comme l?un des meilleurs joueurs de sa génération en devenant Numéro 1 du World Polo Tour. En mai 2011, il s?illustre également dans le Richard Mille Polo Team, aux côtés du Prince Bahar Jefri.

Comme la Formule 1, le tennis et le golf, le polo est un sport extrême qui demande performance physique et endurance. Toujours à la recherche de nouveaux laboratoires d?essai, Richard Mille a donc décidé d?investir ce sport afin de relever de nouveaux défis techniques et de tester des solutions inédites dans le monde de la Haute Horlogerie.

A l?instar de Felipe Massa, Rafael Nadal et Bubba Watson, Pablo Mac Donough porte, durant ses tournois, une montre Richard Mille, la RM 010 Black Night. Dès 2012, il arborera une pièce d?exception.

Richard Mille is pleased to announce the arrival of the renowned Argentinean polo player Pablo Mac Donough as a member of the Richard Mille Team.

Polo has always played a very important role in the Mac Donough?s lives. It is therefore no surprise that the Argentinean began playing polo at only 6 years old in the ?Nueva Escocia Polo Ranch?, Buenos Aires, where Pablo?s father breads his own horses. Pablo Mac Donough played as a pro soon after he finished high school.

At 23 years old, Pablo Mac Donough became part of «La Irenita» where the breeding program for polo horses is held. The farm was bought by his father and brother when he was 15 years old. His career was kicked off in 2001 when he won the ?Camara de Diputados Cup? in Buenos Aires. In 2003 he began playing for Ellerstina, one of the best Argentinean Polo teams of the last decade, where he played eight seasons and won the 2010 Argentinean Triple Crown.

As his career sky rocketed, Pablo Mac Donough accomplished the followings titles: The Argentinean Polo Open (two times), Hurlingham Open (four times), Queen´s Cup (two times) and UK Gold Cup for the British Open (once).

In 2010, Pablo Mac Donough was regarded as one of the best polo players in the world when he became Number One of the World Polo Tour Ranking. In May 2011, he joined the elite crowd of the Richard Mille Polo Team alongside Prince Bahar Jefri.

As in Formula 1, tennis and golf, polo is an extreme sport requiring physical performance and endurance. Constantly in search for new testing grounds, Richard Mille decided to get involved in this sport to address new technical challenges and test innovative solutions in the world of Haute Horlogerie.

Pablo Mac Donough stands alongside Felipe Massa, Rafael Nadal and Bubba Watson in wearing a Richard Mille watch during his tournaments, the RM010 Black Night. From 2012, he will wear an exceptional timepiece, created specifically for him which will also be a limited and numbered edition. This watch, designed to withstand extreme conditions, will be unveiled at the SIHH 2012.

Leading infrastructure optimisation specialist Teneo found that UK organisations are struggling to protect themselves against data loss and systems damage because their computer usage policies have not been updated to reflect changing usage patterns at the desktop.

In addition some types of online activity have been banned completely, presumably because systems cannot provide suitable protection in case of exposure to security threats.

Nearly a quarter (22%) of businesses questioned in an online survey of IT Directors at the end of 2011, admitted that they had not updated their computer usage policies to reflect changing usage patterns (e.g. Skype, Social Network usage, private Hotmail etc).

Firms are combating risk of security breaches from interaction via social networks and other online application usage, by imposing blanket bans on access to specific types of sites from firms? computers, the survey found:

Four out of five (81%) companies have banned online gaming sites; three-quarters (73%) have banned P2P file sharing sites; while over half (54%) have halted access to video and digital music sites such as YouTube and Spotify. However the really big surprise is that a quarter of firms (24%) have blocked key social media sites like Facebook and Twitter and half of organisations (49%) only allow a minority of users to access specific social networking sites if they can prove that social media access supports their job.

But what is really interesting is that companies are seeing increased risk of security breaches in the last 12 months emanating from many different quarters. The largest group (59%) claimed social network usage had posed an increasing risk of a security breach in the last 12 months. Nearly half (43%) thought that use of web-based applications, which often carry malware, spyware and adware into the organisation,  had exposed the firm to increased risk in 2011. Hacking attacks have been a greater threat this year for 14%, while loss of confidential and sensitive data by staff has generated increased risk for 14% also.

Such is the concern that more than half (54%) have disciplined up to five members of staff during the last 12 months for abusing Internet usage and nearly as many (46%) have disciplined staff for IT abuse that specifically exposed their employer to increased risk of security breach or data loss during 2011. More than one in ten (11%) organisations has had to discipline 6-10 employees for Internet abuse.

IT department security threat priorities, in order of importance being placed on them in 2012 planning are:

1.    Protecting against loss of sensitive data
2.    Preventing malware attacks
3.    Enabling security protection for mobile devices including smart phones and tablets
4.    Network device authentication (before users are given access to corporate networks)
5.    Improved intelligence on security events
6.    Managing social media application usage

The Teneo Firewall Trends survey found that only one in six firms (16%) had next generation firewalls capable of alerting, filtering and blocking many of the above threats which are on the rise. Existing firewalls were seen as poor at covering remote/mobile workers devices (59%) and offering poor visibility of desktop and application usage (32%). Nearly a quarter (22%) found them hard to configure for the rapidly changing threat landscape.

Lauren Fortune, Head of Marketing, Teneo commented:
?This survey indicates that computer usage policies and ageing infosecurity hardware of many UK businesses are struggling to keep pace with the changing range and volume of security threats that end users are now exposing their businesses to in their use of IT systems and Internet-based services. The fact that 38% of firms are set to see IT budget cuts in 2012 must be exposing firms to increased security risks.?

Associated with the unveiling of these survey results, Teneo has also published its Firewall Trends Survey Executive Summary which is available now at: http://tinyurl.com/6sdubgc

The company has also created a series of mini guides to support firms? infosecurity management planning activity including Teneo Mini-Guide: IT Security Infrastructure Consolidation & Cost Control, which is also available at http://tinyurl.com/76q4rzs

Teneo commissioned Agility PR to conduct this online survey through Zoomerang. The 21 question survey was distributed to 5592 Senior IT Managers and Directors of businesses in excess of 500 employees. We received 83 visits and 37 completed questionnaires, a completed response rate of 0.66% between 7th October and 3rd November 2011.

Teneo is an Infrastructure Optimisation specialist with worldwide reach, focused on helping businesses to meet corporate and IT objectives through accelerating the performance of global network infrastructures, improving user productivity, automating management within the Data Centre, lowering overall IT costs and minimising risk.

With over 1500 customers on an international scale, Teneo understands the challenges of supplying, deploying and managing technology over widely distributed locations and offers a range of innovative solutions and services to help businesses not only achieve this but also realise the full cost saving potential of their technology investments.

Stage Front Presentation Systems has qualified as an InfoComm International Diamond AudioVisual Solutions Provider (AVSP).

This designation recognizes that a percentage of the company?s sales, customer service and technical staff have achieved and maintained individual InfoComm Certification and have completed relevant coursework from the InfoComm Academy.

InfoComm awards individual Certification to audiovisual professionals who have demonstrated knowledge and comprehension of the science and technology used in communications including audio, video, display and systems. Technicians, engineers, designers, salespeople, customer service personnel, managers and executives are eligible to take the individual certification test.

?An AVSP designation gives AV companies a competitive advantage in the marketplace,? said Randal A. Lemke, Ph.D., InfoComm International?s Chief Executive Officer. ?Customers of audiovisual communications and presentation systems can be confident of professionalism and an aspiration to excellence when working with these companies that have invested in education and training to stay current on the latest AV technologies and techniques.?

The company-level AVSP recognition program is the only such program available for the commercial audiovisual industry. In addition to confirming that a percentage of the company?s employees are InfoComm certified and have completed important coursework, the Diamond AVSP designation means that Stage Front Presentation Systems has agreed to comply with 10 Standards of Excellence developed in collaboration with industry experts to emphasize the best practices of audiovisual businesses.

The Standards of Excellence are a guidepost for audiovisual companies and professionals who place the customer first and offer quality audiovisual solutions. They include the commitment to provide complete customer satisfaction with audiovisual solutions that provide value to the client. They convey the importance that audiovisual solutions providers place on their own skills development through continuing education. They also cover the critical role that audiovisual professionals play as partners with IT specialists, architects, building managers and others.

Established in 1978, Stage Front is a consulting and integration firm that designs, installs, and maintains high-impact technical systems to help people educate, communicate, and entertain. The company provides audio, video, lighting, and rigging design-build support for architects, engineers, and end-users in a variety of environments, including dental/medical laboratories, corporate facilities, high school auditoriums, career college classrooms, and more. With a highly-trained and tenured technical staff, Stage Front serves clients in regional, national, and international markets. It has offices in Savannah, GA; Atlanta, GA; and Charleston, SC.

InfoComm International is the industry leader in certification for AV communications professionals. InfoComm?s Certified Technology Specialist and Certified Technology Specialist ? Installation are the only audiovisual certification programs accredited by the International Organization for Standardization's (ISO) United States representative, the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Also recognized by the U.S. National Certification Commission and accepted by the U.S. Veterans Administration for reimbursement under the Montgomery G.I. Bill, InfoComm certification programs are designed to establish and maintain widespread credibility for the audiovisual industry and the professionals who perform the work. The company-level AVSP designation recognizes professionalism and expertise achieved through professional development, training, and commitment to the certification of employees.

GGA Software Services LLC, a leading provider of outsourced scientific informatics services to the life sciences industry, announced today the appointment of Stephen Yemm as Vice President of Business Development, Europe. 

In this capacity, Mr. Yemm will be responsible for all new business development activities for GGA in the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and Northern Europe.  Mr. Yemm brings to GGA over 20 years of successful sales and marketing experience in the laboratory data management and software solutions field.

?We are very pleased that Steve has decided to join GGA?s business development team in a leadership role,? said Richard Golob, GGA?s President and Chief Executive Officer.  ?Steve has the experience and network to increase GGA?s presence within the United Kingdom, Scandinavia, and Northern Europe and to expand GGA?s business development team within the region.?
 
Prior to joining GGA, Mr. Yemm was a founding Managing Director at systems integrator Vialis AG, where he established the company?s Northern European subsidiary.  Previously, Mr. Yemm served as Director of Strategic Account Management at Symyx Technologies, where he was responsible for establishing global account strategy and for managing key European pharmaceutical accounts.  In addition, Mr. Yemm was Executive Director of the Global Accounts Program at CambridgeSoft, European Field Director at IDBS Ltd., and UK Country Manager at NuGenesis Technologies.  He also has direct experience in the pharmaceutical industry, having worked as a medicinal chemist for Boots Pharmaceuticals for several years in the early 1980s.  He holds a BSc Degree with Honors in Applied Chemistry from Nottingham Trent University.

?I am delighted to join GGA and to play a key role in the company?s growth?, said Mr. Yemm.  ?GGA has the potential to become the world?s leading outsourcing vendor in the scientific informatics field, and I look forward to helping GGA achieve that objective.?

GGA Software Services is a leading provider of outsourced scientific informatics services to the life sciences industry.  Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, with a best-of-class development center in St. Petersburg, Russia, GGA offers broad capabilities in scientific software engineering, algorithm development, and knowledge management, especially in cheminformatics, bioinformatics, and development informatics.  Global pharmaceutical, scientific instrumentation, and medical device corporations as well as early-stage life science companies rely on GGA to provide ongoing scientific informatics services, including support, maintenance, and QA services, to enhance their internal resources.  Since 1994, GGA has successfully served as an extended workbench for its clients, allowing them to both achieve their critical objectives and maximize their scientific informatics budget.

Leading IT security firm SecPoint's Protector is taking Unified Threat Management appliances to the next level by offering a new 'Light' version at an affordable price for SMEs.

The sister unit to the larger-scale parent Protector UTM Firewall provides the same award-winning features like Firewall, Intrusion Detection & Prevention, Application Control, Web Filtering, Anti Spam, Anti Virus, Anti Phishing and Content Filter to small and medium-sized businesses.

The entry-level system, for 1-4 users, is based on a SFF Small Form Factor device that allows IT managers to secure their entire network with a built-in Application Control, Web Filter, Content Filter and Web Proxy giving the administrator the ability to control all the content on their network.

Protector Light can be placed in front of a network and will ensure protection against all external attacks from the Internet. It can also be placed locally, in front of the switch on an internal network, to block and record local attackers. It provides complete logs to show who was trying to access the network.

Network users can also be prevented from visiting auction sites, logging into their private emails, browsing through social media such as Facebook or accessing video sites such as YouTube during business hours. P2P traffic can also be blocked, so users can't download illegal software.

Additional features include Data Leak Prevention and a Full Mail Archive (Incoming & Outgoing Mail Backup) for companies and organisations with five to 2,000 mailboxes, on a 250GB hard drive, and Fast Live Chat Support.

Key features include:

• Award-winning Firewall to block unauthorised incoming and outgoing connections;
• Intrusion Prevention via SecPoint?s own extensive database of signatures - the largest in the world - to stop hackers who may have succeeded in getting through the firewall;
• Application Control prevent users opening Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Skype, etc. on their computers;
• An Anti-Spyware module, which can also detect, identify and block outgoing infections;
• Blocking outgoing attacks that may have originated via viruses from a DVD or an infected local laptop;
• Automatic Software and Firmware updates.

Businesses can calculate how quickly the SecPoint Protector Light UTM unit will pay for itself using this ROI calculator: http://www.secpoint.com/utm-roi-calculator.html

The all-new Protector Light costs 599 Euro or 799 USD, including the hardware box. The price includes every feature, and unlike other companies you don?t need to pay extra charges for each and every additional module.

Both the Protector and Protector LIGHT now come with more Features, Ease of Use and Flexibility.
No wonder SecPoint?s Customer Base had a 180% increase during 2011!

The Protector UTM now has over 150+ new Improvement/Features...
http://www.SecPoint.com/protector.html

SecPoint has developed security solutions, each ahead of its competitors in their markets. Its preliminary focus is to offer top-notch, valuable and innovative IT Security solutions to business enterprises with maximum ease.

History

SecPoint first designed the Penetrator in 2003, the Protector UTM in 2005 and the Portable Penetrator in 2007. Since then, there has been continual development across all three variations with many firmware updates offering new and exciting features.

SecPoint has been operating globally since 1999 and is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. It has been delivering high-end security products to customers worldwide, via SecPoint partners across the globe.

SecPoint was founded in 1998 and has 13 Years of continuous development on its Products. It is the most competitive company in the IT Security field with a wide range of products, including complete network protection, Firewalls, Application Controls, Pen-Testing and Securing websites, offering easy to use solutions for every IT security need.

Eliminating Complexity

Ensuring IT security for any organisation is a complex task and IT security firms often make this more complex by hiding the actual prices of various modules from customers to make more by from them by insisting they purchase additional features modules, firmware updates and support packages, etc. On many occasions, clients find themselves stuck in a situation where they can?t say ?No? because they are tied in to their initial investment in their IT security hardware.

Removing Complexity

With SecPoint?s ?No Hidden Cost Policy? customers get the convenience of obtaining the solution they need at no extra cost, whatsoever. Products come with many features but clients don?t need to pay separately for them. The concept is simple. Other companies always hide prices. They show businesses their lowest price, which ends up being the price for the appliance but with negligible features. With SecPoint, customers get every feature without any extra cost and no extra security modules as they already include everything within the product a customer purchases in the first place.

Development

SecPoint puts a lot of time and effort in continuous development and provides regular upgrades with solutions to the latest threats. It regularly launches firmware updates with new features and tools which is very important to ensure continuous protection, without any additional charges. It also keeps up with customers? requested features and implements them as fast as possible. Check out their change logs for examples of their development speed:
http://www.secpoint.com/latest-protector-firmware.html
http://www.secpoint.com/latest-penetrator-firmware.html

The Penetrator and Portable Penetrator now comes with over 200+ new Improvement/Features and the Protector UTM now comes with over 150+ new Improvement/Features.

SecPoint provides ?Live Chat Support? so if customers have any questions or issues about a unit, they can reach its experts from http://www.secpoint.com and receive immediate assistance from Technical Support Representatives. They are there to help 24/7 at zero additional cost, and can additionally provide remote help via TeamViewer and solve issues in Real-Time. Almost no other IT security company offers this service. Feedbacks about the help service can be seen, here: http://www.trustpilot.com/review/www.secpoint.com

SecPoint products are highly customisable and offer unmatched ease of use and it comes to added advantages such as free Firmware updates, free Live Chat Support (seven days a week) which ensures minimum effort from the customer?s side and offers unmatched customisation and ease of use.

SecPoint has offices in Denmark, Netherlands, Greece and hundreds of Resellers and Authorized Distributors around the globe. It provides a dedicated company account manager to all partners so they receive personalised assistance regarding any doubts or questions, as well as training and sales material to ensure best returns for them. There is also an interactive web shop exclusively for partners, which allows the creation of free demo units for customers to evaluate, for free. Partners are also free to set their own prices.

SecPoint has received dozens of awards for its various IT security products from reputed institutions around the globe, including from Secus, SC Magazine, Hakin9 magazine, Network Security, InfoSecurity Test, DTL, PC World, ProtecSttar and many more.

Europe's leading IT-security company SecPoint delivers specialized UTM, vulnerability management solutions with Grey Listing, Web Filter and Content Filter.

Services include Intrusion Prevention, IT Security Penetration Testing and Wi-Fi Security auditing to businesses worldwide.

Operating globally since 1999 and headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark, SecPoint has been delivering high-end security products to customers worldwide, via SecPoint outlets in the United States and Europe.

For the latest news follow SecPoint on:
http://twitter.com/secpoint

Those already parents, might remember the feeling of hours, days and nights being in a blur, making it hard to remember when the little wonder last was nursed, slept or had a clean diaper...

Very simple things can be hard to remember. Especially if lack of sleep makes the brain less focused. Because of this every new mother sees herself constantly counting hours.

A different scenario is played out when daddy returns home and mummy rushes out the door to enjoy a few hours to herself. In the haste, no messages about the baby?s day are handed over, leaving daddy to guess what need to satisfy first when the crying starts.

With these situations in mind, eBabytracker was born.

eBabytracker is an application for iPhones and a website for those without an iPhone. The application helps parents keep track of their baby?s or babies? activities during the day.

The application is very easy to use. Whenever you are nursing, putting your baby to sleep or changing the diaper, simply press the icon representing the activity and the application registers the activity together with the date and time as a kind of baby diary. The functionality is so simple that is can be done even by a drowsy parent at night.

You can even customize the application by adding actions you want to keep track of e.g vitamins, medicine, or bathing. All information are right at hand for both mum and dad and even if you need to consult health personel about your baby?s eating or sleeping patterns. But eBabytracker is not only a practical tool.

A special feature is ?the event of the day? which makes it possible to register all the special moments during the day and even add a picture to show for it. Voila, your own personal baby diary.

The application can be downloaded from Apple?s App Store for $4.99 while the website eBabytracker is free to use for all.