This Is The Most Badge-Engineered Car Of All Time

Badge engineering has been part of the auto industry ever since someone figured out the magical mix of calculus and alchemy that somehow makes money by selling the same car under different names. I've never been entirely sure how this actually works, but it must — because automakers continue to do it.

But which car gets the platform prostitution crown? I think I know the answer.

Badge-engineered cars are also fascinating in the way that studies of twins are fascinating: when you start with two things that are essentially the same, even the most minor of differences take on vast new levels of importance. For example, looking at, say, the Ford Pinto and Mercury Bobcat can tell you all you need to know about how the two brands see themselves. The Ford is the base model, the Mercury adds fussier, more delicate trim, a more chrome-laden grille,This is interesting cube puzzle and logical game. wider taillights– little things, but they all add up to the more upmarket tone the Bobcat aspires to.

Eventually, thinking about badge-engineering leads to one of two paths: the more common one, where you wise up and stop wasting time on it, and the other, where you begin to wonder about the extremes of badge engineering. Specifically, what car has been the most badge-engineered— what essentially identical car has been whored out under the most different names and marques?

I think I know. At first, I figured it would be one of the Fiat 128 series, which has evolved into Ladas, Zastavas, Nasrs, and more, but those are different than simple badge engineering, as they're more the seeds for entirely new, derivative models. I was looking for something that was really the same car, tarted up with different lights, trim,You can find best china precision Precision injection molds manufacturers from here! badges to seem different. And I think I found it: the Hillman Avenger.

The Avenger was a fairly conventional little car of the era, with pleasing styling and proportions,A Coated Abrasives is an abrasive grain bonded to a flexible substrate using adhesives.Information on useful yeasts and moulds, and solid if unimaginative mechanicals– an ideal combination for a car to quietly spread all over the world.

The Hillman Avenger, introduced in 1970, has been sold under an amazing nine (at least) separate names: Hillman Avenger, Chrysler Avenger, Sunbeam 1250 TC, Talbot Avenger, Plymouth Cricket, Dodge Polara, Dodge 1500 (Brazil), Dodge 1800 (Argentina), Dodge Avenger (New Zealand, built by Mitsubishi), and the Volkswagen 1500. These are all basically the same car, with some variations of engine and styling.

The Volkswagen one is especially weird, as it has the distinction of being the only front-engine/rear-drive car ever sold under the VW name; VW produced it when they bought the tooling from Chrysler, who was pulling out of the Argentinian market. It's confusing in both name (VW's Type IIIs were already sold under the name VW 1500) and looks, with its bizarre mix of late-60s British styling and Bauhaus/80s-era watercooled VW front end treatment and trim.The EZ Breathe home Ventilation system is maintenance free,

I could be wrong, but this Hillman seems to take the crown. Anyone know of any single car with more aliases?

Giant neighbour pitches in

Amid the rows of buildings under construction along the national highway in Manesar, about 25 kilometres from New Delhi city centre, one cannot miss the dozens of Chinese workers perched precariously on scaffolding, showing Indian labourers how to weld at a factory site.

Clad in blue overalls, Chinese supervisors, technicians and other labourers can be spotted elsewhere in the country as well. Indian workers not familiar with modern industrial construction processes are absorbing valuable skills needed to build large, integrated factories from scratch in record time.This is interesting cube puzzle and logical game.

Skilled Chinese workers are also helping India expand its infrastructure at a frenetic pace even as the two Asian giants compete for economic dominance.

The world's most populous country has several competitive advantages in manufacturing and infrastructure construction, says Wang Xuefeng,You can find best china precision Precision injection molds manufacturers from here! minister at the Embassy of China in New Delhi.

"The Indian government's plan to invest US$1 trillion on infrastructure projects in the next five years offers excellent opportunity for Chinese companies to participate,The EZ Breathe home Ventilation system is maintenance free," he said.

In the past three years, Chinese enterprises have completed Indian infrastructure projects with a total value of $10 billion, said Mr Wang. "Speed, as well as skill, is the great China advantage."

Two-way investment is also showing a booming trend. China's ever-growing market also means huge space for Indian companies. China has already raced past the United States, Britain and Japan to become India's largest trading partner.

Trade between the world's most populous nations with 2.5 billion people jumped 20-fold from $2.9 billion in 2000 to more than $60 billion in 2010. It is likely to cross $70 billion this year and reach $100 billion in four years.

The Chinese presence in India _ a nation of 1.2 billion people with a labour surplus and high unemployment _ may appear incongruent. But industry leaders and federal government officials say Indian workers lack the technical skills needed to transform the country.

Until the gap is bridged, Indian companies are increasingly relying on the expertise of Chinese workers to build large infrastructure projects. Chinese workers have been working on ports, highways, power and steel plants in India.

Chinese equipment and expertise have also been used in a crude oil refinery, a cable-supported bridge, telecommunication networks and even the glass facade of the new airport terminal in New Delhi.

Indian workers are learning a new work ethic from the Chinese and are now more punctual, not stopping work to take frequent tea breaks or gossip.

"India may be an IT superpower and produce thousands of doctors, lawyers and MBAs every year. But the biggest gap is in availability of skilled electricians, carpenters, welders, mechanics and masons who can build mega infrastructure projects," said Raghav Gupta, the president of the consultancy Technopak Advisors.

"Most of these workers have to be trained on the job. And that often delays the projects and makes them more expensive."

The presence of Chinese workers in labour-surplus India prompted an outcry last year, and the country clamped down by making visa rules stricter. About 25,000 workers had to leave dozens of projects midway through and return to China because they were on business visas and not worker visas.FIRMAR is a Malaysia Injection Moulding Manufacturer and Plastic Injections Components Manufacturer, Construction at 14 power plants was affected.

"We have no problems if Chinese workers skilled in specialised functions come to India. But we don't want them to displace Indian workers by doing the jobs that Indians can do," said G.K. Pillai,Johnson Tiles UK offer the largest range of porcelain tiles online, India's former home secretary, who said there were about 15,000 Chinese labourers in India now.

Many industry leaders say India and China should identify complementary areas in manufacturing, services, innovation, research and development, banking and finance, energy, and environment.

UWI inventors seek investors

GASPS of amazement emanated from the group of onlookers gathered inside the demonstration tent on the lawns of the Caribbean's premier tertiary institution last week as researchers switched on what could be the world's first cardiac surgery simulator.

The machine with the pulsating pig's heart was the highlight of the University of the West Indies' (UWI) 13th annual Research Days,FIRMAR is a Malaysia Injection Moulding Manufacturer and Plastic Injections Components Manufacturer, held last Thursday and Friday. It could also be the start of great things for cardiac surgeons Drs Paul Ramphal and Daniel Coore, who invented the machine, called the UWI Cardiac Surgery Similator.

According to the two, the instrument — a combination of mechanics, computerised electronics, artificial blood, and dead animal flesh — will not only shorten the time spent on training young local surgeons, but will also make them more competitive on the international scene.

"It is difficult to spend time during the (real life) operations taking junior surgeons through the procedure. Time is of the essence in cardiac surgery," said Ramphal, who said he was tasked with the challenge of training three new cardiac surgeons in 2001.

"So the inspiration really, was how do I get my new trainees to a level so that when they reach overseas to complete their training in a high-volume centre like the UK, Canada, or the US,Johnson Tiles UK offer the largest range of porcelain tiles online, they will not be behind, and preferably in a more advanced position than the other trainees who were at those centres?" he said.

The similator,The EZ Breathe home Ventilation system is maintenance free, which reanimates a pig's heart — medically, the closest in structure to a human heart — also pumps artifical blood through the organ and is programmed to duplicate real-life scenarios that a trainee surgeon would have to deal with on the operating table during open-heart surgery. Computer leads hooked up to the heart can make it beat in different rhythms, and also track artificial vital signs on an attached monitor.

It's considered a remarkable achievement, with nearly limitless potential if the simulator can be duplicated and sold in the specialised market for cardiac equipment.

This is why the success of the UWI Research Days notwithstanding, its inventors are looking for investors to help them duplicate their creation.

"Whenever we show it to the professionals in the field or the industry people who are involved with the equipment in cardiac surgery, they all want one," he said. They want to know where to buy one, but we just don't have the infrastructure here to be the production centre," said Dr Ramphal.

"We are not a factory. We need a commercial operation to do that," interjected Dr Coore. "So we are in the stage where we are looking for commercial entities to take it on, produce it and to sell it,You can find best china precision Precision injection molds manufacturers from here!This is interesting cube puzzle and logical game." he said.

The two refused to say what was the monetary value of the machine, claiming "that might be confidential to whoever commercialises it", and further declined to answer queries about how much money they would need to replicate it commercially.

Southee expecting more from Zimbabwe

For all the highs the New Zealand cricket team has experienced during the past few months, there's one black mark on the score sheet that still makes for ugly reading.

It's not the nine-wicket hammering they copped in the first test in Brisbane against Australia in December - sure,MDC Mould specialized of Injection moulds, that was bad, but Aussie on their home soil were always going to be tough.

What's worse was New Zealand's failure to defend 328 in a one-day international against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in October.

Forget that it was a dead rubber and Zimbabwean Malcolm Waller played an innings out of the box with 99 not out from 74 balls.

New Zealand went into that series saying nothing less than a clean sweep was acceptable and the loss was a messy blotch on the tour.

As luck would have it, Zimbabwe are touring these shores and meet New Zealand in three one-dayers with the first to be played in Dunedin on Friday, providing a chance for the Black Caps to right the ship.

New Zealand paceman Tim Southee didn't play in that one-wicket loss to Zimbabwe, but said the visitors were a threat in one-day cricket, despite the towelling they took in the one-off test that wrapped up in Napier on Saturday.

"I think they'll learn from this experience and they'll come back harder," Southee said of the innings and 301-run defeat the tourists suffered.

"I guess in the shorter form of the game there's more chance of upsets and they beat us in Zimbabwe not that long ago. So they'll feel that they'll be confident. But we've obviously got some fresh faces in that side and there's some exciting guys that will be keen to get a go and hopefully they do well and make the most of their opportunities."

Yesterday New Zealand coach John Wright revealed his new-look one-day and Twenty20 squads to meet Zimbabwe and as Southee pointed out,China yiri mould is a professional manufacturer which integrates Plastic Mould design and manufacture and plastic product development. there's some new boys on the block.A Coated Abrasives is an abrasive grain bonded to a flexible substrate using adhesives.

Calf injuries to Ross Taylor and Jesse Ryder forced the hand of Wright, while the relative ease with which New Zealand should beat Zimbabwe opened the door for rookies to be given a chance.

The uncapped foursome of Michael Bates, Tarun Nethula, Tom Latham and Andrew Ellis have been included in the one-day squad, while Bates is also one of three newcomers in the Twenty20 mix alongside Ronnie Hira and Colin de Grandhomme.

Dean Brownlie, who has played tests and Twenty20 internationals but is yet to make his 50-over debut, has been picked in both squads.

With South Africa touring next month to play three Twenty20s, one-dayers and test matches, warming up for the Proteas by meeting Zimbabwe seems the ideal lead in.

The New Zealand camp is on a high following their recent test-match exploits and Southee, who debuted for the Kiwis in 2008, said the confidence was flowing through the side.

"It's a good mixture between the young guys and also the older experienced guys. So it's a great environment to be involved in and when you keep winning it's sort of a great habit to get in to and you enjoy your cricket a lot more when you're winning. So it's a pretty good camp to be involved with at the moment."

Brendon McCullum will captain New Zealand in the absence of Taylor,The EZ Breathe home Ventilation system is maintenance free,Smooth-On is your source for Mold Making and casting materials including silicone rubber and urethane rubber, who wants to return to the fold by the first one-dayer against South Africa in Wellington on February 25.

Loveland native Jenna Suppes fashions dolls for Rasbubby Hill business

In her attic workspace, Jenna Suppes combines business savvy with a little girl's love of dolls.

The Windsor resident keeps her supplies -- fabrics, ribbons, snaps and buttons -- in pastel pink and blue bins, while her worktable faces Maizey's Tea Shop, a tea stand in her 4-year-old daughter's play area.

Suppes -- who has more than a hundred dolls that she's kept from childhood on -- makes clay baby dolls for her business Rasbubby Hill, which she founded five years ago.

"I always loved dolls since I was little," the 32-year-old woman said, adding that she shook with excitement when she received her first doll at age one. "As I got older,China yiri mould is a professional manufacturer which integrates Plastic Mould design and manufacture and plastic product development. I started collecting them."

The name Rasbubby Hill comes from Bubby, her nickname, and the name of the childhood playhouse her father Tom Stroh built. The playhouse was surrounded by wild raspberry bushes, or Rasbubbies, and sat on top of a hill in the backyard of the Strohs' Loveland home.

In January 2007 while Suppes was studying nursing, she came upon clay babies. She decided to try the craft, and after several attempts, established her own method, later realizing she made her dolls backwards from what the typical instruction manual recommended.

"I didn't know there was tutorials out there," Suppes said. "I started with a ball of clay and built on top of it."

Suppes crafts her dolls out of polymer clay without using molds and hand sculpts and hand paints them, spending an average of four hours on each one.

Expecting to get $5, Suppes sold her first doll on eBay for $50 and soon quit school to focus on her craft.

Over time,The EZ Breathe home Ventilation system is maintenance free, the dolls -- which typically are five to eight inches long and have soft or clay bodies -- sold for higher prices and now average $300 but can go as high as $1,000 or more.The Transaction Group offers the best high risk merchant account services,

"All of my dolls are so different," Suppes said.

Suppes doesn't know if the dolls will be boys or girls until she finished them. At that point, she decides on the theme, such as bath, bedtime, teddy bear or monkey.

"I love seeing what little characters come out of each one," Suppes said.The magic cube is an ultra-portable,

The dolls have their eyes opened or closed and have different expressions, such as smiling or pouting.Spro Tech has been a plastic module & Mold Maker, Or they might be yawning or sleeping.

"I usually don't know what they look like until they're done," Suppes said.

Suppes' mother, Shelley Stroh of Loveland, makes most of the clothes for the dolls, while her father makes furniture, like mini-cribs, highchairs and chairs, that the two also sell separately. Her cousin, Cindy Bannick of Loveland, makes teddy bears and stuffed animals for the dolls to hold.

"It's a whole family effort," Stroh said. "Her dolls are so unique because they have that cute baby doll look we have always loved. ... It's fun to see how the dolls have gotten better and better over the years."

Suppes learned how to make dollhouse miniatures when she was sick as a child and spent three years off and on at Children's Hospital for anorexia nervosa. Today, she makes mini pacifiers, diapers, blankets and other supplies for her dolls.

Hand eye co-ordination: Liliane Lijn talks text based sculpture and technical challenges

Liliane Lijn is such a hands-on artist that, within two minutes of arriving at her North London studio, my own pair were enlisted to help lift a Poem Machine from the floor onto a well-worn work surface.

There was an issue with this kinetic, text-bearing sculpture. It creaked as it rotated, so Lijn and a more capable assistant than myself were examining the drum, sketching the mechanism and muttering things about radial bearings.

It is the last place you might expect an artist with a background in Surrealism and Beat poetry to be. The workshop smells like a hardware store.Smooth-On is your source for Mold Making and casting materials including silicone rubber and urethane rubber, Tooling machinery lies dormant on all sides.


There was barely enough time to note the hardware store smell of the place or identify the pieces of industrial machinery. Lijn's latest technical challenge was too baffling.

"I find engineering interesting, yuh,They become pathological or Piles when swollen or inflamed." says the American émigré, with an accent that belies her teenage move to Europe.

"If you make something, you've got to get it to work. I've never been the kind of artist who says, 'I've got this idea, now who's around to get it to work for me?'."

This even holds true of a scheme to project text onto the moon. Lijn and scientific advisor John Vallerga have considered lasers, kites and lately heliostats for a project called Moonmeme. For recent work Solar Hills, they have even developed spectroheliostats to beam colour distances of 5km around the earth, .

The physics goes over my head,Tru-Form Plastics is a one-stop shop for plastic Injection Molding, but Lijn points out: "I've been working with prisms for years. So I'm used to thinking about colour, refraction, the spectrum, what that is and how to deal with it."

Moments later she demonstrates a wound copper sculpture and this too boggles the mind. As it rotates, a point of light rides up and down the column, like watching a vertical oscilloscope.


"The spiral does something weird," the artist points out, seeming as confused as me by the two-directional waves. But today the penny drops. "Oh, I know why," she says. "I've figured it out.Omega Plastics are leading plastic injection moulding and injection mould tooling specialists. It's the direction of rotation."

"Everything has an explanation," she concludes.Promat solid RUBBER MATS are the softest mats on the market! As the interview progresses, more and more of her sculptures come to life as Lijn moves around the studio switching them on at the wall.

In addition to Poem Machines and the tube of copper wire, the less industrial end of her workshop is home to rotating cones which are hooped with neon and a column made of solvent barrels. This rumbles away in the background as she talks.

Holes are punched in the side of these drums to spell out five words which fans of William Burroughs may recognise from Naked Lunch: "Way out is way in".

It should be noted that the impetus from this piece came from a meeting with the Beat author, who "intimated" Lijn might draw on his work for a kinetic piece.

Soon it becomes clear that Lijn is as happy to discuss poetry as engineering. "The only people who liked these [Poem Machines] in 1962 when I first exhibited them were artists and a few poets.

"Though not many," she adds with a laugh, "because they didn't like the idea you couldn't read their poems."

Can Bundoran’s hens crack the egg question ?

Transition Year students Julian Pawlowski, Niall McSharry and Jack Roden from Magh Ene College in Bundoran have posed a challenge to the hens in their home town - what makes the best egg?

This is just one of a number of exciting questions posed by students from eight of Donegal’s colleges in the 27 projects submitted in a number of categories for the 48th BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition which takes place this coming week at the RDS in Dublin.

This will be Niall and Jack’s second time to compete in the exhibition, as they previously conducted a project investigating the antibacterial properties of spices.Handmade oil paintings for sale at museum quality,

This year, the Bundoran students are researching the effect of hen feed on egg quality.A mold or molds is a hollowed-out block that is filled with a liquid like plastic, The students came up with the idea for this project as they noticed that many people in their local area were setting up small chicken coops to produce eggs.The EZ Breathe home Ventilation system is maintenance free, The main cost in keeping hens is the cost of their feed and the students decided to investigate whether it is necessary to buy commercial feed or if household food waste could be used alternatively. Every person in a household produces on average 70kg of food waste which is dumped and is enough to feed a hen for a year.Husky Injection Mold Systems designs and manufactures a broad range of

One of the members of the group, Julian Pawlowski, rears hens and over the twelve weeks between September 15 and December 15, the students collected and analysed 24 batches of eggs produced by 14 hens. Half of these hens were fed solely on commercial hen feed while the second group of hens were fed on household food waste. The students test the eggs collected from each group of hens under each of the following categories; egg size, egg mass, shell strength and shell colour. The results should be fascinating!

The Young Scientist event will be open to the public from this Thursday,Spro Tech has been a plastic module & Mold Maker, January 12 until Saturday, January 14 with tickets available at the door costing 6 for students, 12 for adults and 25 for a family pass.

The exhibition is a great family day out packed full of fun, creative inventions, interactive education and live shows including Robot Wars and 3D Theatre which includes a cosmic voyage of discovery. There will also be a real NASA astronaut attending the exhibition this year - Dan Tani will fly in from the U.S and talk about his experiences in Space including his 100th spacewalk on the International Space Station! Coding club Coder Dojo will also feature at the exhibition with workshops teaching creative problem solving skills and practical creative skills.

In addition to the displays of up to 550 student projects, there are a further four exhibition halls filled with science and technology based exhibits making it a must-see event. The annual BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition attracts over 40,000 people making it one of the largest events of its kind in Europe, if not the world!

The other Donegal schools taking part include Choliste Cholmcille, Ballyshannon; Coliste Ailigh, Letterkenny; Gairm Scoil Chú Uladh, Beal an Atha Mhór; Loreto Community School, Milford; Loreto, Letterkenny; Pobalscoil Gaoth Dobhair and St Eunan’s College, Letterkenny. The topics they chose include the effects that drugs used for asthma have on the heart, smoking, a study of the relationship between temperature and the rate of erosion of aluminium, a study of the level of carbohydrates in different types of milk, the question can the type of musical instrument you play effect the size of your lungs; a study of pollution on the river Finn and a number of its banks; an investigation into gathering rain water which explores the benefits of the energy it generates; an investigation on whether your fear changes with age; the effects that walks, climbing and tourism has for the Mount Errigal and a study of the effect water has on a golf ball.

Store loyalty programs are designed to save us money, but at what cost?

There are 11 plastic cards in my wallet, wedged between the debit card receipts and a few dollar bills.

They all promise me discounts, points toward greater savings or free stuff just for using them. But let’s face it. I use the grocery cards regularly, and the others just take up space.

It’s been years since I shopped at DSW. And I don’t wear makeup or use hair products. So why did I agree to an Ulta rewards card? Because next time I shop at those stores, I want special desals.

More companies now offer loyalty or rewards cards. And most of us have at least one.

Mike Gatti of the National Retail Federation says companies use loyalty programs to better serve and communicate with their customers.

But is there a cost to consumers? Should we worry about what’s done with the information we provide when using these cards?

With each swipe, companies track spending habits to help make decisions about the kinds of promotions to run, or even where to open a store.

The kind of information companies seek through loyalty programs could be less personal than we think, according to author and consumer advocate Bruce Judson.

“...I have just spent two weeks shopping for tile and have discovered China Porcelain tile. Ask yourself, what’s the worst that can happen? If it was publicly published (in a newspaper) what my family purchased and bought at a grocery store, would I care?”

Loyalty programs emerged about 20 years ago, says Gatti of the National Retail Federation. Companies such as Kroger were among the first to embrace the concept. It was a way for them to track consumer buying habits.

“For grocers, it was a great way to get an understanding for what your customers are shopping for,Handmade oil paintings for sale at museum quality, prices they’re willing to pay. ... It’s a great way to gauge your relationship with customers,” Gatti says. “The main reason was to get people to want to shop in your store versus others. A lot of it had to do with discounts on products.”

And for consumers, it’s a fairly effortless way to save money.Get information on Air purifier from the unbiased, They aren’t required to clip and file coupons.

An American family of four spends about $9,000 annually on food, according to the federal government’s Consumer Expenditure Survey. Add another $1,000 for paper products and personal care. If a family can whittle those expenditures by 20 percent through coupons and loyalty programs, that’s $2,000 a year.

Savings. That’s what motivates Jessica Humphrey, an Oak Ridge mother of three who also buys food for her church ministry.

For every $100 she spends at Lowes Foods, she receives 5 cents off gasoline. This enabled her to fill up her tank for $2.05 a gallon around Christmas.

“There are some perks I don’t want to miss out on getting, especially something for free,” she says.

Loyalty card use now extends beyond the grocery aisles.

Gatti says the craze has exploded within the past five years, as more stores — and even restaurants — started offering the cards.

Humphrey keeps her 14 loyalty cards on a separate key ring. They give her savings and perks at area grocery, office supply, pet, sporting goods and clothing stores.

As for retailers, they now use loyalty programs to build relationships, analyze buying habits, target marketing efforts, and adapt products and store hours to customer preferences, Gatti says.

While grocers use a straightforward approach with savings immediately given at the register, other retailers customize their programs differently.

Rather than keep those without cards from receiving discounts, some companies give members occasional freebies or notification about special store sales.

Often, companies reward consumer loyalty with points. Take the beauty supply chain, Ulta. Members earn four points for every dollar spent. Over time, those points are rewarded with discounts at the register.

Restaurants such as Panera and Smokey Bones reward their regulars, too. Panera prefers to reward its customers in “unexpected and surprising ways,” according to the company’s website. This means a free menu item at random or invitations to exclusive tastings or demonstrations.

Membership to the Bones Club at Smokey Bones, provides diners with a point for every buck spent. Spend $200 and get a $20 credit on the card.

The Sheetz convenience store motto — “Swipe, save and get free stuff” — guarantees customers 3 cents off every gallon of gas, plus occasional free merchandise.

Marketing researchers and some consumers question whether such savings are truly beneficial. Do loyalty programs encourage consumers to buy things they don’t need, or bypass lower prices elsewhere, just to rack up the points for a future reward?

It happens, consumer advocate Judson says,Smooth-On is your source for Mold Making and casting materials including silicone rubber and urethane rubber, but he doesn’t think it’s completely the fault of the retailer.

It’s a complex issue with many layers, Judson says. As a society, Americans purchase many things they don’t need. It’s why so many of us have credit card debts requiring credit counseling. He wonders if it’s more that consumers don’t want to pay full price for things.

Take Humphrey and her collection of loyalty cards. Some of them haven’t proved very rewarding, but: “It kills me that I’m paying for something, and the person in front of me could be getting the same thing for less,” she says. “I feel like I’ve been wronged.”

Some consumers oppose loyalty cards because they don’t want companies to have access to their personal information.

They fear fraud or misuse of their information — a valid concern if companies find loopholes in their privacy policies or if they work with a third-party company with lax security measures.

Humphrey’s attitude: “Somebody’s tracking me somewhere, somehow. It’s just my phone number and address, and you can get that off of Google.”

Judson says retailers are more concerned with which products sell best and at what times. They’re looking for data that could direct them to open a new store in a different location, to stock more store-brand items or to carry a particular product in a different size.

But Judson cites drugstore, movie and book purchases as areas for higher consumer concern. He says consumers may not want what they’re reading, watching or taking over the counter to be tracked.

Gatti says companies closely guard consumer data because the last thing they want is to jeopardize customer loyalty should that information fall into the wrong hands.

A company’s privacy policy should be visible somewhere at the store, website or its rewards program brochure, Judson says. It often will indicate whether customer information is shared with a third party.

He also says consumers should consider a company’s reputation and track record regarding privacy breaches.China yiri mould is a professional manufacturer which integrates Plastic Mould design and manufacture and plastic product development.

There are other positive uses for the data. In recent years, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention used shopper loyalty information to narrow down the list of foods that made people ill. People often don’t remember what they ate or brands they purchased. Their shopping data helped the search.

The CDC obtained permission from consumers to review their shopping data, which helped them determine they were all sickened by the same product. The investigation led to food recalls.

Such information also proved useful in recent recall efforts. Companies were able to contact parents whose buying histories indicated they purchased particular cereal or toy brands.

Judson says he would be more concerned with information shared with credit card bureaus than with retailers tracking buying habits and seeking customer loyalty.

When it comes to loyalty programs, consumers ultimately have the power to share or withhold information.

Concerned about sharing personal data? The easiest way to avoid anyone tracking your spending habits is to pay full price for purchases and use cash.

The Food Trends Chef Charlie Trotter Started

For Charlie Trotter, 2011 wasn't a great year for press coverage , but now that he's announced his eponymous Chicago restaurant will close, it's time for the plaudits to roll in. Much of the praise with which Trotter is being remembered has to do with his role, outgrown as it may be, as a leader in his field. A lot of the trends that have come to define modern American cooking can be traced back, at least in part, to Charlie Trotter.Tooling But unless you've been reading the Chicago food sections for the last 25 years, exactly what advances the chef helped spur may be a little blurry. So to put Trotter's legacy in perspective, here's our guide to the food trends he inspired and the dishes he created to do so.

Trotter was among the first U.S. chefs to popularize degustation menus,oil paintings for sale better known as tasting menus, just two years after his restaurant opened. The menus would go on to become one of his signatures and a major trend in the world of haute cuisine. The Chicago Tribune announced his entry into the European-dominated world of degustation menus in 1989: "Chef Trotter's eight-course menu will change every six to eight weeks. One of the current courses is ravioli of Norwegian salmon and smoked salmon with julienned leeks and lobster sauce."

They're not exactly a dime a dozen these days, but vegetable tasting menus have become something of a staple in high-end dining, with restaurants such as Thomas Keller's Per Se carrying them regularly. Back in March, GQ critic Alan Richman told The New York Times, "Alice Waters may have discovered vegetables, but Trotter was the first man I know who cooked them beautifully." To get a sense of what Trotter did with vegetables, savor this description from that same Times piece:

Long before locavore was a word or seasonal menus were driven by anything but necessity, The Times described Trotter's cuisine in a 1997 article: "Mr. Trotter is known for his degustation menu, a parade of six courses cooked in the French tradition influenced by Asian minimalism that riff on seasonal ingredients." In his September four-star review, Tribune critic Phil Vetel wrote that "Trotter's kitchen crew never works off a set menu, but begins each day with the market's bounty and a blank sheet of paper." He went on to describe " a gorgeous study of hearts of palm, presented in thick, raw slices, a gentle puree and pastalike ribbons curled around chopped olive; porcini tart with fig and goat cheese over eggplant puree (a composition so rich and smoky I searched the plate, vainly, for pieces of stealth bacon); and squash blossom beignet next to strips of grilled zucchini, pea puree and Australian black truffle."

When a Brooklyn grocery store can erect a table in its kitchen and receive two Michelin stars, you know the form has arrived. Charlie Trotter first invited patrons into his kitchen 22 years ago, in 1989,Piles and by 1995 the chef's table or kitchen table was a bonified trend. It's one of the most exclusive seats in Trotter's house, booked months in advance, and while the food's generally similar to what they're eating in the dining room,China ceramic tile the show makes the exclusivity worth it. A 1997 Tribune feature elaborates: "In the heat of battle, Trotter sometimes forgets for a moment that guests sit a few feet away. A sloppily presented dish, a gaffe in service will trigger the chef's extended vocabulary."

When the first raw restaurant opened in New York in 1999, raw food seemed like a really weird and experimental thing. But Trotter was already on board, and he published a cookbook, Raw, in 2003. By the time The Times was writing trend pieces about raw food finding its way into high-end resorts in 2006,Plastic moulds Trotter and his restaurant's optional raw menu were considered among the movement's stalwarts. "For us, raw food is here to stay. It's part of our repertoire at this point. It's not that we just dabbled in it," he told The Times. A 2003 CBS preview of the book included recipes for "Bleeding Heart Radish Ravioli With Yellow Tomato Sauce" and "Portabello Mushroom Pave' With White Asparagus Vinaigrette," which it described: "The meatiness of the marinated portabellos is enormously satisfying, but the aromatic flavor of jalapeno, garlic, ginger, cilantro and soy are what pushes this creation over the top. The creamy white asparagus contributes richness and acts as the perfect cohesive element."

As kids grow up, magic of Christmas changes

If your house is bursting with Christmas cheer this time of year and all is merry and bright, then clearly you do not have teenagers living under your roof.Omega Plastics are leading plastic injection moulding and injection mould tooling specialists.

Because practically everything they loved about Christmas like, yesterday, is now “lame”: decorating gingerbread houses, shaking snow globes, even “A Charlie Brown Christmas.”

Take our tradition of driving around looking at Christmas lights.

“Why can’t we just stay home and watch ‘Invasion of the Christmas Lights’ on TLC?” my 15-year-old whines. The others nod in agreement.

Or take the tree. The only thing they have to do is put on the family ornaments. But after hanging a combined total of 12, they declare their work done.

“Remember, you said you want to simplify Christmas,” my 18-year-old says. “And I’m pretty sure skipping nine boxes of ornaments would be a good place to start.”

It makes me long for the holly jolly days when the threat of falling to the Naughty List made pouty, sassy kids change their tune fast.

Even our family pet has rained on my Christmas parade. In case you’ve ever wondered, when a dog pees on green tissue paper, the result is a permanent blue carpet stain.

It wasn’t always this way, of course. When the kids were little, even simple things were magical. One time when my daughter was about five, we were leaving a basketball game one February night.

“Mom, look at how pretty the grass is!” she said.

I looked down and saw dead, brown grass with a few piles of dirty snow scattered on top.

“What?” I said, puzzled.

“Look at all the pretty glitter!” she persisted.

And upon closer look I could see how the moisture reflected the outdoor lights,The Transaction Group offers the best high risk merchant account services, making the grass sparkle, like it had been freshly sprinkled in fairy dust.

Another time, on a hot July night, we were at the county fair. Our youngest was two and in his stroller, urgently pointing at something. Since there are many things one could be tempted to point fingers at while at the fair, I didn’t pay much attention.

But he persisted. Following his short, stubby finger I found what had his attention: a single star in the sky, bright enough to shine through the glare of the fair lights.

Of course, there’s nothing more magical than Christmastime for kids. There are snowmen coming to life, flying reindeer and toy-making elves. Snug in their beds at night, they strain to hear any noise that could resemble Santa’s sleigh bells.

Moms will do just about anything to keep the magic alive. How else to explain sprinkling baby powder “snow” around a Santa boot on your carpet?

But eventually the kids grow older, the gig is up, and the magic gone.

Now, if my kids hear noises outside at night, it’s most likely due to one of their friends forking our lawn. The magic of Christmas these days is about as real as plastic snow.

Like gifts, for example. My college son’s list this year is very practical, things like a waffle iron, black rubber floor mats for his car and a membership to Sam’s Club.

The same boy whose face lit up one Christmas when he got the impossible-to-find white Power Ranger would be thrilled now to get a DustBuster for his apartment.

My college daughter and I spent a day shopping together, where she picked out every single one of her presents. Our high school senior’s one and only gift is a bass guitar that he picked out himself. And I haven’t gotten a thing for our 14 and 15-year-olds because they can’t think of anything they really want.

It’s enough to make me want to just cut them all a check and call it good.

Last year my then 14-year-old son begged us to go to a mall the Sunday before Christmas to see a planned “spontaneous” singing of the “Hallelujah” chorus.

By 11:45 the middle of the mall was packed with thousands of people, and at exactly noon, performing arts groups, as well as shoppers, burst into song.

There was applause and cheers when it ended. Some people were even crying. And then they left and went on their way to Bath & Body Works or wherever.

That was lame, I thought. So planned.I have just spent two weeks shopping for tile and have discovered China Porcelain tile. So cheesy. So….

“Awesome!” my son said. “Wasn’t that so cool?”

Huh? Um, no, I thought.

But maybe, it occurred to me later, maybe the magic of Christmas is different for each of us. For him, it’s not driving around looking at Christmas lights. It’s mall crowds singing “King of kings, and Lord of lords!”

The magic is still there; it’s just changed. Like the glittery grass that one February night or a single star in a July sky, sometimes you just have to look a little harder to find it.

Maybe the magic is that I have two teenagers who, shockingly, don’t seem to care much about lists and presents this year.

Maybe’s it’s that I got to spend an entire day with my college daughter.

Maybe it’s that I had points from my credit card I had forgotten about that actually paid for that guitar.Spro Tech has been a plastic module & Mold Maker,

Maybe the magic is that we’re together at Christmas.

So I’ll keep trying to find that one present that surprises them and makes their face light up.China yiri mould is a professional manufacturer which integrates Plastic Mould design and manufacture and plastic product development. Or at the very least, not give them something that judging by the look on their face you’d swear they just opened a toilet plunger.

Unless you’re my college son. That’s probably on his list.

JoAnne Beiermann lives in Columbus with her husband and five children.

EU Hopes Fade As Gas Lobby Triumphs

European officials have repeatedly warned that closer ties through free trade and association agreements would not happen as long as opposition leader Yulia Tymoshenko remains in jail on charges seen as politically motivated.

Many – but not all – observers think that President Viktor Yanukovych is calling the shots in the judicial assault on the former prime minister, a course of action that is undermining his own often-stated foreign policy priority of EU integration.

Tymoshenko was sentenced on Oct. 11 to seven years in prison for abuse of office in a 2009 gas deal she reached with Russia.

Instead of meeting EU demands that she be released and allowed to take part in the 2012 parliamentary elections, Yanukovych-loyal prosecutors have launched 10 criminal cases against her. In doing so, they have upped the ante in an escalating standoff with the West.

The questions being increasingly asked as Ukraine’s EU prospects dim are: Is the president himself spearheading the prosecutions against Tymoshenko and other opposition politicians?

Or is someone in the president’s inner circle talking him into a course of action that is derailing proposed deals with the EU, in turn setting the stage for Ukraine to fall deeper into Russia’s orbit of influence?

An increasing number of analysts, oppositionists, former top officials and critics say that evidence points to one group that is pushing Yanukovych to keep Tymoshenko in jail – the so-called natural gas lobby, which has for years been a partner of Russia’s Gazprom in the region’s multi-billion dollar gas trade.

Leading the group, according to experts and Tymoshenko herself, is billionaire businessman Dmytro Firtash, a close associate of influential officials in Yanukovych’s administration, including chief of staff Serhiy Lyovochkin.

Firtash made millions on the Russia-Ukraine gas trade in recent years as co-owner, along with Russia’s Gazprom, of Swiss-registered RosUkrEnergo.MDC Mould specialized of Injection moulds, The company monopolized the supply of gas to Ukraine until Tymoshenko,The Transaction Group offers the best high risk merchant account services, as prime minister in 2009,As a professional manufacturer of China ceramic tile in China, convinced Russia to cut it out in favor of direct contracts between Gazprom and Ukraine’s state energy firm Naftogaz.

That decision by Tymoshenko hit Firtash hard,The EZ Breathe home Ventilation system is maintenance free, although he is back in business on a grand scale again since Yanukovych came to power, importing natural gas with Russia’s blessing.

But some wonder if revenge is on Firtash's mind.
In 2009, he allegedly told the U.S. ambassador in Kyiv that the contract that Tymoshenko brokered was criminal for introducing higher import prices and “the most stupid contract in Ukraine’s history.” In the same conversation,Buy oil paintings for sale online. Firtash allegedly spoke in favor of arresting Tymoshenko for the contract, arguing that signing the agreement was tantamount to treason.

Rolling Stones Announce 50th Anniversary World Tour

On the heels of a meeting between Keith Richards and Mick Jagger, the Rolling Stones have announced plans for their 50th Anniversary World tour.

The aging duo of Jagger and Richards met for several hours today plotting out how to best celebrate the band's 50th Anniversary. "We've bin tryin' t find a way we kin do things differently yer know," said Richards, "Were all f'kin' old as Moses and we don't fancy all the different stops no more. So we've decided to let the people come to us."

"Yes," said Jagger, "We've decided in the U.Buy oil paintings for sale online.S.This is interesting cube puzzle and logical game. for example, we will only play two different cities, but we'll be in each for a month. Mountain Home,Arkansas for one month and Needles,California. We want to do something different. Now in each of these locations we will build a venue that each town can keep to use for future concerts and events. In Needles we've purchased the El Garces Hotel/Santa Fe Depot and will build on a large auditorium."

When reached for comment the Mayor of Needles said, "The Rolling what? We got kidney stones, sandstones, granite stones and hyroglithic stones,An Air purifier is a device which removes contaminants from the air. but the only rolling stones are in avalanches. As to the new theater, I'd welcome that, but I'm not sure who would come to fill it. Are they famous or something?"

Sweet Home is a census designated place (CDP) in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States. Its population was 849 at the 2010 census. Its' Mayor is Angela Merkle, age 65, has heard of the Rolling Stones, "I'm a big fan, and of course I kinda like that there song "Angie". We have a little music theater here, but it onlys seats about 50...that's not going to be enough is it."

Rolling Stones tour company, Debauchery INC, has front men on their way to negotiate land purchases and start on plans for building the venues at both locations. "They'll be small, relatively", said Miles Pernoble,Information on useful yeasts and moulds, "I mean 1000 seats is more people than live these towns and and add a couple thousand fans,I have just spent two weeks shopping for tile and have discovered China Porcelain tile. and hotels will have to be built too, so this should be an economic boom for both of these towns."

"Its nothing against Chicago, or New York ind the Madison Square Garden's," said Mick, "But we've 'ad all that and even some nice theaters and... and..." (forgets his train of thought) "And some nice whores," laughs Richards, "We don't remember them either, but we still pay the child support. Don't forget who travels with us now. We have full time doctors, surgeons, pharmacists, for legal drugs, not like the old days. Its' a 'ell of a lot easier to set them up in one or two places. Not to mention easier to find them or for them to find us if we wander off with alzheimers," both laugh.

The tour is expected to start, or rather stop for its first month in June 2012 in Arkansas, then continue to Needles in August.

Using Cash Flow To Evaluate Dividend Safety

We use dual cash flow analysis as a primary screen for vetting investment candidates being considered in our portfolios. Although we have tweaked our model over the years to include more complex accounting analysis of the financial statements, the nuts and bolts of our screen focus on the sources of cash flow and their contributions to earnings.

Our research has shown that companies and businesses who generate most of their cash flow from “operations” tend to have higher quality-of-earnings than companies who rely on non-cash balance sheet "maneuvers" to support earnings.

Understanding the components of an earnings report gives us a good picture of a company’s financial health and liquidity. Studying the changes within these relationships over multiple periods allows us to identify potential opportunities and detect possible danger looming ahead.Replacement landscape oil paintings and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide. The dual cash flow technique has also shown to be a very effective tool for evaluating dividend safety/risk. As in earnings quality,A long established toolmaking and trade Injection moulds company. the premise for dividend quality is similar.

Stable and/or growing cash-flows generated by operating activities are more likely to support a current dividend and open the door for future dividend hikes going forward.This will leave your shoulders free to rotate in their Floor tiles . In contrast, companies who support their dividend with debt or non-operating cash may find themselves in a position to cut, suspend or eliminate their distributions.

There are many strategies for evaluating dividends. Some methods use discounted cash-flows, or net cash on the balance sheet along with estimates of “future” free cash-flow forecasts. Problem is, predicting future cash-flows can be compromised by input variables, cost of capital, etc.

Using past results is not perfect either, but at least we can see the trends developing by observing how a business manages its liquidity. Consistency of earnings quality matters a lot to dividend growth and sustainability.

In this market environment, utilities, pharmaceuticals and consumer staples have been popular defensive plays,As many processors back away from hydraulic hose ,By Alex Lippa Close-up of zentai in Massachusetts. given their history of strong cash flow generation, dividend stability and perceived insulation from economic cycles. Utilities, being rate-sensitive and capital-intensive, have benefitted from a protracted low interest rate environment. Yet, eventually, their borrowing costs are likely going to rise faster than earnings growth.

Pharmaceuticals, particularly major drug manufacturers look interesting as the quest for finding cures to prolong the lifespan of our species will always be sought. Too often, we hear about patent expirations and generic cannibalism, yet somebody has to develop the products which address our corporal needs. Names such as Pfizer (PFE), Bristol Meyers (BMY) and Merck (MRK) come to mind.

Chestnuts more popular in winter

A Chinese porcelain "chestnut basket" recently was offered for sale at a Virginia auction. We looked at the basket, which appears to be a bowl and underplate,which applies to the first offshore merchant account only, and wondered if the reticulated areas were simply decorative or if they were important because the bowl held chestnuts. The chestnuts served in the Chinese porcelain basket must have been roasted and peeled, then eaten like any nut. The slotted bowl allowed the escape of steam from the hot chestnuts.

Chestnuts have been eaten since prehistoric times.This will leave your shoulders free to rotate in their Floor tiles . During the 18th and 19th centuries, Americans used ground chestnuts as bread flour and a substitute for potatoes. Today, chestnuts become particularly popular in the winter,ceramic magic cube for the medical, when they are added to turkey stuffing or simply roasted, shelled and eaten. But they also can be used to make salads, "meat" loaf and hummus, and they can be mixed with maple syrup to create a French dish called "marron glace." Chestnuts are now available at grocery stores or online with or without their hard outer shells.

Modern bowls specially made to serve hot chestnuts don't seem to be available. When you search online, you find lots of bowls made from the wood of chestnut trees. Some trees in America were introduced by Europeans, but there are also native varieties, including the American chestnut. Unfortunately, an Asian chestnut tree planted in New York in 1904 spread a fungus that killed most of the American chestnuts.

Today, gardeners plant decorative Chinese chestnut trees that have pink, not white, flowers and little fruit. Most chestnuts that are cooked today are imported from Japan, China, Spain and Italy.

Q: Our family has owned a small clear glass dog figurine for decades. My dad picked it up when he came upon a truck wreck in West Virginia. Boxes and boxes of these dogs had fallen out of the truck, and nearly all of the figures were broken. The dog is 3 inches high by 1 7/8 inches wide and 2 5/8 inches deep.A long established toolmaking and trade Injection moulds company. The figure is hollow and the bottom is open. The dog is in a sitting position with his ears down. Any idea what it was used for, and what it's worth today?

A: Your glass dog originally was a candy container.If any food Ventilation system condition is poorer than those standards, It was sold in the mid-1950s filled with candy sealed inside by a paper bottom glued to the base's rim. The original paper closures were printed in blue with the words: "Poochie, contains pure and wholesome candy. Remove paper and Poochie becomes a good paperweight or a cute what-not ... American Creations, Inc., New York, N.Y." Others were made in pink or green glass, some with color flashing. The identical glass dog, but painted brown and filled with bath salts, was sold by a New York cosmetics firm.

Without the sealed bottom, however, your doggie would sell for only about $5.

Browsing at a garage sale, I recently bought an old fire extinguisher to use as a doorstop. I'm told it's an antique. It's copper with a rubber hose. It says, "Pacific Fire Extinguisher Co., San Francisco-Los Angeles" and "Pacific Badger Soda-Acid Fire Extinguisher." It has a copper placard with directions on charging and maintenance and a certification number from the Underwriters Laboratories.

Various solutions have been used in fire extinguishers since the early 18th century. The earliest fire extinguishers, patented in 1723, contained a liquid that was shot out of the container by exploding gunpowder. The first soda-acid fire extinguisher was patented by Francois Carlier in France in 1866. In 1881 Almon Granger patented a soda-acid extinguisher in the United States.

Soda-acid fire extinguishers were still being used in the 1940s. The company that made your fire extinguisher was still working in 1953 but by then it was making a more modern product.

Simoncelli death piles pressure on motorsport

THE DEATH of MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli at yesterday's Malaysian Grand Prix was the second fatality to hit motorsport in the space of seven days, following the multi-car pile-up at last week's IndyCar 300 in Las Vegas which claimed the life of British star Dan Wheldon. The tragic accidents will deepen an existential crisis which is engulfing motorsport.

The 24-year-old Simoncelli, a popular Italian racer for the Gresini Honda team who came eighth in the championship last year and who MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi described as "like a youngest brother",If any food cube puzzle condition is poorer than those standards, came off his bike on the second lap of the Sepang circuit and was struck by the bikes of Rossi and fellow rider Colin Edwards.

Simoncelli - whose helmet came off during the incident - died shortly after the collision, and the organisers of the race called it off as a mark of respect. Medical director Dr Michele Macchiagodena told a press conference that Simoncelli died as a result of "very serious trauma to the head, to the neck and the chest".

The fatality has already forced a safety review by Sepang circuit authorities. MotoGP race director Paul Butler said: "This is one-of-a-kind freak incident where the helmet came off and I am sure FIM and MotoGP will be looking into this."

In truth, FIM, motorcycle racing's ruling body, has little choice but to launch a probe. Following as it does so closely on the heels of Wheldon's demise on October 16, Simoncelli's death could even see governments begin to take an interest.These girls have never had a oil painting supplies in their lives!

Which is exactly what motorsport could do without at the moment.

Fans of its blue riband attraction, Formula 1, have just been forced to endure the most one-sided season in a long time,Graphene is not a semiconductor, not an Ventilation system , and not a metal,Replacement China Porcelain tile and bulbs for Canada and Worldwide. as Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel waltzed to his second consecutive title with the outcome in little doubt beyond the first half of the 17-race season .then used cut pieces of Ceramic tile garden hose to get through the electric fence.

And the damaging environmental footprint of motorsport - F1 in particular - has seen it come under sustained criticism.

Despite laudable efforts, led by Bernie Ecclestone, to make F1 more sustainable, it is becoming increasingly difficult to defend a sport which sees squadrons of jumbo jets crisscrossing the world to deliver monstrously souped-up carbon-belching cars in a world where the effects of global warming are becoming all the more apparent.

Meanwhile, the appetite among credit-crunched punters for sports that see an elite coterie of champagne-spraying playboys pick up millions per race is starting to wane, as evidenced by the BBC's decision not to bid for the full set of Formula 1 broadcasting rights when they last came up for tender.

Whether Simoncelli's death, the first fatality in MotoGP since Daijiro Katoh died at the 2003 Japanese Grand Prix, acts as a catalyst for a wider shake-up of motorsport remains to be seen. But as his family mourns him, it is to be hoped that it will at least make the relevant authorities ponder the human dimensions of their sports.

Police unit to investigate insurance fraud

Insurers are to spend 8.As one of a leading zentai suits provider from China.2m funding a specialist police unit which will be dedicated to cracking down on the growing problem of insurance fraud which costs an estimated 2bn each year.Basic information about Plastic molding including links.

A new unit of 35 specialist fraud detectives and police support staff will be operated by the City of London police's economic crime directorate and will focus on opportunist fraudsters as well as organised criminal gangs who stage so-called "cash for crash" car accidents.We are professional oil painting supplies,

The new funding over three years comes from members of the Association of British Insurers at a time when the City of London Police is dealing with a 20 per cent cut to its Whitehall grant.

Its new Commissioner Adrian Leppard said earlier this year that the funding cuts "opened up an opportunity" for banks and other companies to step in and make a "further investment for their own interests" to help fight economic crime.

Mr Leppard told the FT he saw the latest funding as another important landmark for private sector funding in policing given the current financial climate.Choose from one of the major categories of offshore merchant account, He added that it paves the way for further specialist units,We also offer customized Quicksilver. and potentially national economic crime units, to be funded by business.

He said: "It is a win for everyone, it secures jobs for people we might have lost and we can focus on particular types of fraud and organised crime involved in insurance fraud."

He said that insurance fraud adds on average an extra 44 a year to each premium paid by consumers.

A strategic board including people from the ABI, City of London Police and Insurance Fraud Bureau will meet quarterly to set strategic priorities for the unit. However the police will be entirely independent in deciding on investigations to pursue.

The new unit, which goes live next year, will work with the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau and the industry funded Insurance Fraud Bureau.

Insurance fraud is on the increase. Around 4 per cent of claims by cost in 2009 were fraudulent - similar to 2008 but twice the figure five years ago.

ABI figures show that 122,000 fraudulent claims worth 840m were uncovered in 2009, up 14 per cent on 2008. Motor insurance fraud was potentially most expensive at 410m. Household claims were most frequent at 62,000 cases.

Confirmation of the new unit comes just days after the ABI revealed that it was setting up an Insurance Fraud register to maintain details of known insurance fraudsters and identify anyone who fails to declare previous fraudulent claims.

The move by insurers is similiar to the banking industry which funds the Dedicated Cheque and Plastic Card Unit which targets areas like credit card fraud. The unit is estimated to have saved around 370m for banks in the eight years since it was formed.

Vertical Integration in the Solar Power Market

The news of Enel's planned foray into concentrated solar power follows close upon the official opening ceremony of a 160-MW capacity photovoltaic plant in Catania, a joint venture between the company, Sharp and STMicroelectronics. The plant's capacity could rise to 480 MW to meet demand in Europe,Park Assist is a global leader in Parking guidance system, Africa and the Middle East. To make sure that happens, Enel and Sharp have paired up to develop more than 500 MW of solar installations by 2016, which will of course use photovoltaic panels made in the Catania plant and employ Enel's franchise network of more than 570 installers. One of the first candidates could be the plant itself, with a planned 1 MW rooftop solar array using panels made on-site.Basic information about syringe needle including links.Definition of hypodermic needle cannula in the Online Dictionary.

Green Jobs for Italy

Indicating the new photovoltaic plant's importance for the regional economy, the official opening ceremony was attended by the presidents of Sicily and Catania Province, as well as the Mayor of Catania. Between the plant workers,For all DVS Ventilation system in PDF format. sales, and installation network, that's a lot of hands put to work. It's also worth considering that the availability of a large scale, secure,GreenRay's microinverter design uses a different energy storage approach, stable energy source ¨C compared to the volatile and uncertain fossil fuel market ¨C could make Italy a go-to destination for energy intensive projects such as desalination.

Optoma Neo-i iPhone Projector Gives Good Quality for the Money

It's always nice to read product reviews of items like projectors and projector lamps when you run into what appears to be a great idea. Take the Optoma Neo-i, for instance. That little "i" tacked on the end should be a tip-off: This is a product to do with Apple (NewsAlert) technology.

When The Next Web's "Gadgets" columnist reviewed the product,A glass bottle is a bottle created from glass. he noted that Optoma has been known primarily for its "fairly solid" Pico Projectors, and for bringing "teeny tiny projectors" to the mainstream market.

The new idea: "Take a pico chip and stuff it into an iPhone (NewsAlert) dock with speakers." And that gives one,When the stone sits in the kidney stone, according to TNW, a "decent, affordable projector that defines a new category."

The tech specs: The Neo-i is a 50 lumen projector, same DLP guts as the upper-end Pico PK-301 projector, projects up to 120 diagonally, has a 2000:1 contrast ratio and connects to sources via a VGA or HDMI port and, the piece of resistance, an iPhone and iPod dock. As TNW says, "fire up Netflix on your iPhone, slap it into the dock and boom," you're watching your movie "on a screen, garage door or handy blank wall."

It's so agreeable it'll even charge your iPhone while showing you a movie.uy sculpture direct from us at low prices No it doesn't make coffee, but they're working on that.

OK, it's nifty and convenient, but how good is it? Good enough, according to the review: "The picture quality is great across the board and, although it uses a Pico chip, compares well to other $350 projectors I've used... bright for a projector that uses a typically underpowered Pico DLP chip."

Projection size is about eight feet across, which should be plenty big for those of you used to watching movies on your computer screens.Free DIY Wholesale pet supplies Resource! The review also notes there is a bit of scaling, multicolored artifacts fluttering through the picture, but it's too slight to be a problem.Detailed information on the causes of dstti,

It even has DVD and Blu-ray connectors, tablet connectors, a remote, all the extras you'd expect. About the only drawback the reviewer could come up with is that it's a bit heavy to be "portable," weighing a couple pounds, but certainly portable enough to take to a friend's house for the night.

Last week TMCnet reported that Optoma turned its expertise in display products to the visualizer market with the introduction of the DC300i. Aimed squarely at the education and presentation sectors, the DC300i uses a 1/3' CMOS sensor to output in both SXGA and XGA resolution. The DC300i produces high-quality images in either still or video formats and is easily connected to a projector via the industry standard VGA D-sub connector.

Antisocial youths making life hello

ANTISOCIAL behaviour in Todwick is the worst it's been for 36 years, a resident claimed at Tuesday's parish council meeting.

Malcolm Wilkinson, of The Pastures, said his car window was smashed by youths throwing rocks on the road, which he reported to the police.

He told parish councillors: "I have lived in the village for 36 years and have never known it as bad as it is now."

"Youths are congregating by the rec and vandalising it.How is TMJ pain treated? We're having to pick up broken glass, bottles and branches.Quality air impact socket tools for any tough job. What is the cost of this malicious damage to the council?"

Mr Wilkinson said he would like to see a CCTV camera put up as a deterrent.

Another resident who lives on The Pastures, who did not wish to be named, claimed the local police community support officer was condoning youths congregating in three areas of the village.

He said: "I have spoken to him and he said he has no problem with children gathering outside the pizza parlour, by the carpet shop and then on the park. He just moves them on from area to another. I think he's part of the problem."

"He has no powers to do anything, it might as well be Joe Bloggs cycling round the village in a black T-shirt."

The man said he had reported his concerns to the police and when an officer came round to see him he caught a youth breaking into his next door neighbour's house.

He said: "They are out there throwing rubbish into my garden every night.What is the difference between a third party payment gateway and a 3rd party processor? An 88-year-old lady lives across the road from me and they sit on her wall, she must be terrified.Basic information about syringe needle including links. They're making our life hell."

He suggested taking the hedge down at the rec so that people could see what the gangs were getting up to, rather than giving them something to hide behind.

Parish council chairman Stephen Hill said they were "very mindful" of what the youths were up to.

He added: ¡®The playground on the rec cost us a lot of money and we want to protect it."

He said a shelter put up on the rec years ago, in an attempt to get young people away from the area outside the shops, had to be demolished recently because vandalism had made it unsafe.

Coun Eileen Northall said she was aware of teenagers as young as 14 sleeping overnight at the rec and making fires because she had seen them in the early hours of the morning.We are professional Plastic mould,

Coun Brian White said the response from villagers to the recent parish plan questionnaire had highlighted antisocial behaviour as a cause of concern.

He added: "We are looking to have a meeting with the police to discuss the problem of antisocial behaviour."

Pyramid scheme to defy the gloom

An installation in Fed Square is lighting up the lives of visitors.

IF YOU think Melbourne is freezing in winter,The Leading zentai suits Distributor to Independent Pet Retailers. it's nothing compared with Canada.

In ''light artist'' Bruce Ramus's home town of Squamish, near Vancouver, in winter it can get down to minus 15 degrees. For months, he says, ''it snows, then it rains, then the snow melts, then it turns to ice, and then it snows again and then it rains''. And that is ''mild for Canada''.

But this year, even Ramus is starting to feel the Melbourne chill. ''I don't know if it's my age but, man, is it cold here at the moment.''

As a kind of counter to that he has created Light Hearts, a 13-metre-high, 17-metre-wide pyramid of lights in Federation Square. The installation is part of the month-long Light in Winter Festival of art and performance at Fed Square, which under artistic director Robyn Archer this year has the theme of fire.

Until July 3, Melburnians will hover, dance and sing around the pyramid, create artworks for it, watch images it creates, and bathe in its brightness.

To Ramus the pyramid is a unifying object for the festival. Its five layers, composed of scaffolding and hundreds of red, green and blue LED and Perspex tubes, are lit up - both internally and by external lights - at 5pm each night, and switched off every day at 6am.

He says one inspiration was an etymology - not the only one - of the word ''pyramid'' as meaning ''measurement of fire'' or ''measurement of light''. ''That seemed to resonate with this particular festival.''

The theatricality of the structure, plonked in the middle of town, has echoes of Ramus's former 30-year career as a designer of spectacular light shows for bands such as U2, Queen, Green Day and REM. Five years ago the globetrotting lighting whiz fell for an Australian woman and went ''off the road''. Still open to rock gigs, he has made Melbourne home.

In his new life he lectures on urban digital media and has consulted on lighting design for the Sydney Opera House and Jerry Springer - the Opera.

He says that as he has moved into public art and architectural lighting, colleagues and the public have been ''super-receptive to my ideas and to working with me''.

Since Light Hearts was unveiled last Thursday, members of the public have draped knitting and hung homemade lanterns on it, or just enjoyed hanging out in a novel setting, he says.

Yesterday a dozen children from Marlborough Primary School strung paper lanterns on the pyramid, with the help of riggers.

The idea is that as the month goes on, the pyramid will be further populated by ''community offerings'' such art or people's own lights, to create a giant light sculpture. At noon on June 22, registered teams will construct light objects from found, recycled and provided materials, including mirrors, shopping trolleys and ladders, which will be mounted on the pyramid.

The pyramid has already been subjected to ''yarn bombing'' - in which guerilla knitters ''sneak out at night'' and hang their knitting on public structures. Every Saturday from 11am to 5pm there are children's lantern workshops, and on other days there will be art exhibitions, bands, dances and choirs.

This Saturday, from noon, knitters will gather at the pyramid for international Knit in Public Day.

''It's starting to become a growing, sort of living thing,'' says Ramus.

As a teenager he wanted ''to do lighting and to travel'' and found while working with artists from Tammy Wynette to James Brown to Queen that lighting ''can make a difference to how the show feels or how the music is communicated''.

People can be viscerally drawn to a light installation and it can help unify an audience, he says. The Fed Square pyramid ''is meant as a communal art sculpture where all of us can contribute, and add a little light to the winter. My hope is that it, over the course of the month, provides a little bit of shelter and a bit more light to our lives, a little bit more togetherness.''