I recently had the great pleasure of serving as a juror at the Middle East International Film Festival, held in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, from October 12 – 19. The Middle East Film Festival, in its second year now, was organized to bring together filmmakers from all over the world, particularly filmmakers from the Middle East. It’s part of the country’s multi-pronged approach to building a film industry from the ground up in Abu Dhabi. That approach includes building studio space to attract film production, offering budding filmmakers a focused education through the soon-to-be opened New York Film Academy, and providing financing for both international and local films.
MEIFF Director of Programming Jon Fitzgerald (who was also the founder of the Slamdance Film Festival) put together a fabulous line-up of Hollywood films, Bollywood Films, and student films, which shared the venues with a smorgasbord of films from the Middle East. The festival was headquartered at the stunning Emirates Palace, a luxurious seven- star hotel in the heart of Abu Dhabi; additional screens at the nearby Marina Mall and the Abu Dhabi Mall were also enlisted for the eight days of non-stop film showings. Hollywood star power was in residence, with Actor Adrien Brody and Director Rian Johnson present for the Opening Night Film, “The Brothers Bloom.” Susan Sarandon participated in a “Spotlight on Women” panel about environmental and cultural issues facing women throughout the world, which were addressed in the film “The Shape of Water,” which Ms. Sarandon had narrated. Catherine Deneuve participated in a debate about humanitarian concerns in Lebanon; and Jane Fonda was there to receive the Cinema Verite Lifetime Achievement Award. Famous Egyptian actress Youssra served on the Feature Jury.
At MEIFF, Middle Eastern film was represented by films from the United Arab Emirates, Morocco, Palestine, Egypt, Iran, Jordan, Syria and Lebanon. Nashwa Al-Ruwaini, the Executive Director of MEIFF introduced many of the films and filmmakers. Of course the government of Abu Dhabi supported this effort, led by Sheikh Sultan Bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chair of the Abu Dhabi Authority for Culture and Heritage.
I am probably not alone when I say that MEIFF took networking and hospitality to a whole different level, with some of the best parties ever hosted at a film festival. After the last screening of the evening, festival participants would gather in the gardens outside the Emirates Palace, overlooking the Arabian Gulf, for entertainment that was truly out of 1001 Arabian Nights. At the Bedouin Party, festivalgoers lounged on couches in Bedouin tents and smoked shisha (Arabic tobacco) with a water pipe (hookah); camel rides were offered to the daring, animal lovers could get up close and personal with a trained falcon, and a sensational belly dancer entertained the captivated audience. On Bollywood Night, we were treated to the ritualized, gracious dance of India; and after the screening of the documentary “Youssou N’Dour: I Bring What I Love,” N’Dour himself, one of Africa’s most adored musicians, gave a concert, accompanied by his band. The Middle Eastern cuisine, the hospitality, and the graciousness of our hosts was truly incomparable.
It is amazing that oil was only discovered in the Emirates in the 1970s. They are now the world’s 10th largest producer of oil—and of course it has transformed their society. It was an eye-opening, mind-bending experience to witness this transformation, and to be part of the blossoming culture of film, art and architecture in the UAR.
Congress Extends Federal Tax Incentive
The Section 181 tax incentive has been extended through December 2009. This program which was first enacted in 2004 was extended and enhanced by being attached to the $700 billion financial markets rescue plan passed by Congress.
The new legislation improves upon the prior law by applying the tax incentive to the first $15 million of all motion picture productions in the USA. The prior legislation was flawed because this threshold amount included all costs, including difficult to predict residuals and participations. This quirk in the law made it risky to accept the incentive if your budget plus these extras might exceed $15 million.
The new provisions are retroactive to January 2008.Any source
Friday, October 31, 2008
Film L.A. has new Online Permit System
FilmL.A. is a nonprofit organization that coordinates and processes permits for on-location motion picture, television and commercial production in the Los Angeles region. FilmL.A has a new Online Permit System (OPS), which will change how permits to film on-location are applied for, coordinated and delivered. Applicants will be able to apply online and create and save templates for future applications, receive instant confirmation that permit applications were received, track permit progress and status of agency approvals in real-time and download paid-for and finalized permits at their convenience.
Additional information at: http://www.eidc.com/about.php
Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF)
Mark will be serving on the short film jury at the upcoming MEIFF from October 10-19 in Abu Dhabi. The festival celebrates world cinema by presenting quality films from across the globe. Competition sections include world premiere screenings and highlight up-and-coming films making a splash on the festival scene. Gala screenings and the Festival of Festivals showcase new work by established filmmakers and films that have garnered prestigious awards.
Additional info: http://www.meiff.com/
Libel Tourism Bill Passed
The House of Representatives passed a bill that would prohibit U.S. courts from enforcing foreign libel judgments that undercut First Amendment rights. The law is designed to address the phenomenon known as “libel tourism,” or the exploitation of defamation laws in foreign countries that lack the broad protections of free speech guaranteed by the First Amendment in the United States.
The bill was introduced as a result of a lawsuit involving New York author Rachel Ehrenfeld. She was sued in Britain by Khalid bin Mahfouz, a Saudi Arabian businessman, for her book “Funding Evil: How Terrorism Is Financed and How to Stop It.” Ehrenfeld lost the libel suit, and as a result the New York Legislature passed a law preventing state courts from recognizing foreign libel judgments. http://www.rcfp.org/newsitems/index.php?i=4878
The New York law was the first of its kind in the United States. "As our world becomes more and more interconnected, we need new laws to ensure that Americans’ First Amendment rights won’t be hindered by more restrictive, foreign mandates," Congressman Steve Cohen of Tennessee said. The bill will prohibit domestic courts from recognizing or enforcing foreign defamation judgments unless the domestic court finds that the foreign judgment comports with our First Amendment.
The Association of American Publishers (AAP) has applauded Congressman Cohen’s legislation, and the bill has already received wide, bipartisan support in the House Judiciary Committee.Any source
Additional information at: http://www.eidc.com/about.php
Middle East International Film Festival (MEIFF)
Mark will be serving on the short film jury at the upcoming MEIFF from October 10-19 in Abu Dhabi. The festival celebrates world cinema by presenting quality films from across the globe. Competition sections include world premiere screenings and highlight up-and-coming films making a splash on the festival scene. Gala screenings and the Festival of Festivals showcase new work by established filmmakers and films that have garnered prestigious awards.
Additional info: http://www.meiff.com/
Libel Tourism Bill Passed
The House of Representatives passed a bill that would prohibit U.S. courts from enforcing foreign libel judgments that undercut First Amendment rights. The law is designed to address the phenomenon known as “libel tourism,” or the exploitation of defamation laws in foreign countries that lack the broad protections of free speech guaranteed by the First Amendment in the United States.
The bill was introduced as a result of a lawsuit involving New York author Rachel Ehrenfeld. She was sued in Britain by Khalid bin Mahfouz, a Saudi Arabian businessman, for her book “Funding Evil: How Terrorism Is Financed and How to Stop It.” Ehrenfeld lost the libel suit, and as a result the New York Legislature passed a law preventing state courts from recognizing foreign libel judgments. http://www.rcfp.org/newsitems/index.php?i=4878
The New York law was the first of its kind in the United States. "As our world becomes more and more interconnected, we need new laws to ensure that Americans’ First Amendment rights won’t be hindered by more restrictive, foreign mandates," Congressman Steve Cohen of Tennessee said. The bill will prohibit domestic courts from recognizing or enforcing foreign defamation judgments unless the domestic court finds that the foreign judgment comports with our First Amendment.
The Association of American Publishers (AAP) has applauded Congressman Cohen’s legislation, and the bill has already received wide, bipartisan support in the House Judiciary Committee.Any source
人本自然、共生永續－－少女的奇幻森林《漫畫》
漫畫名：少女的奇幻森林（ミヨリの森）
漫畫家：小田秀次（小田ひで次）
集 數：兩集未完
譯 者：茹茂華
※原文版2004年~‧秋田於2008年9月起授權長鴻中文化※
小田秀次的漫畫很怪異，怪的不是內容、而是畫風。東立先前引進的《擴散》，是小田秀次的出道處女作，畫技不算純熟，不過有如點陣式圖案的畫風、相當獨特，想來製作上勢必費力耗神，而且日本也頗獲好評，可惜我看沒十幾頁，在閱讀極為吃力的情況下，只好放棄作罷。相較於《擴散》的難以消化，本次的《少女的奇幻森林》畫風倒是平易近人許多，也較容易靜心下來理解小田秀次獨特的劇情內容。
《少女的奇幻森林》是套還滿有質量的奇幻作品，寫實、柔軟又溫暖。小田秀次以無限奔馳的想像、彩繪生命的風景，關於品格教育、親子教養、自然保育、生命價值、挫折與情緒抒發課程等等，在透過漸進方式，讓被社會、被生存競爭給壓縮的孩子們有一個完整看待與體會生命可貴的契機，樸質而不矯情。我在猜測，說不定小田秀次曾經從事過教育方面的相關工作，因這套漫畫本質上還頗像是西方成年人以教育生命為前提、而畫給兒童閱讀使用的繪圖本作品；若不曾從事教育相關工作者，就具體應用而言，其實會比較難以如《少女的奇幻森林》這般有層次與系統性的做出引導。
主人翁未由里11歲，小六生，打從出生起便定居於東京，老練世故的她在學校是被全班同學欺負的對象，個性堅強卻無比彆扭，因母親不甘寂寞而與補校老師私通逃家，家中僅剩父女倆人，在父親眼中的未由里是個有妄想症的兒童（事實上自我對話在心理學上是一種治療方式，不過假想朋友的存在同時也是空虛寂寞、需要成人關懷的表徵之一，目前這類型的孩子被定義為「深藍兒童」），雖然很擔心老是格格不入的未由里無法適應鄉間生活，但無力兼任母職的父親還是決定將她送至老家，由祖父祖母照顧她的生活起家。
初到父親老家的未由里，在奶奶的建議下，獨自一人進入青翠蓊鬱的森林漫步中，並且遇見奶奶提到的森林特別居民，在一次次互動中才知道，這座森林未來將由奶奶交由她手上，而她也必需擔負起守護者角色。起初的不情願與目中無人，在奶奶、爺爺、同學、老師、鄰人與森林特別居民無條件的接納與關懷下，未由里終於能漸漸打開心房，並且決定繼承森林、守護森林。
這套漫畫談到一個重點，「一旦受到外在環境的制約，再加上個人特質沒有辦法多加改變，那麼人將很容易在原地不斷打轉。」事實上，人生是以心靈層次的多與寡開啟出不同的生命空間，例如本書中的未由里母親，未由里補教老師，未由里在東京的唯一同伴行人，未由里自殺身亡的同學，未由里的情敵華枝，再再都成了未由里「反照出自我生命旅途困局、然後摸索出後悔最少的未來方向」的寶貴體悟。
一時之間也說不清小田秀次的故事意念，總之，很容易閱讀，是部相當具有啟發性、不管成年人或兒童都適宜的好作品！HomeAny source
死亡的力量與愛情的渴望──亡命天使《小說》
小說名：亡命天使（Death Angle）
小說家：琳達霍華（Linda Howard）
譯 者：康學慧
※原文版2008年‧於2008年9月授權果樹中文化※
從《完美先生》之後，琳達霍華姨的書就越來越多變與有意思，儘管劇情結構仍保留羅曼史小說的基礎主流脈絡，但事實上近年來琳達小說已逐漸脫離固有的刻板印象，而一連串漸進式的改變皆與主角身份設定有關，尤其到了《亡命天使》，男女主角不僅遊走法律邊緣、甚至完全偏離正軌，安蒂是毒梟老大的情婦、賽門則是拿錢辦事的殺手，前者尚保留在此之前一貫的角色印象，倒是後者，顛覆以往必然的執法人員身份、改變甚鉅。
雖然琳達試圖在假性愛情幻想與女性自主情欲之間找出一個折衷的平衡點，不過這回還是逾越偏差－－本書開頭大戰四小時、就對女性自主情欲有些交代不過去－－，但、沒關係，一切都在接受範圍內，麻煩的在後頭。《亡命天使》首先的問題出自於男主角的心理轉折上，怪怪～上一秒還在想著如何做掉女主角的小命，下一秒卻在呈現彌留狀態的女主角身旁憐惜地低語著：「寶貝。」看得我差點猛然噴飯。基本上，性格淡薄的人，情感通常只會有逐漸減少的趨勢，而不會突然出現劇烈的變化幅度，話又說回來，這個設定即使是個小敗筆，但終究還是有它迷人之處。XD
接著的問題才大條，重獲新生的安蒂為了贖罪，自願擔任活誘餌，讓前男友毒梟老大出面狙擊她，聯邦調查局幹員則可順勢依殺人未遂罪逮捕起訴，結果擔憂戀人安危的賽門被幹員的心理戰給逼急了而出手，我看到這樣的安排時差點從椅子上滑了下去，儘管為了劇情的收尾、如此處理是必要的，但基本上這形成一種大家通通一起下地獄的共罪，安蒂尤其該負絕大多數的罪責；誠如市場經濟所言，死了一個毒梟、自然會有另一個取而代之，如果腦筋智識夠熟成也曾通盤思量過的話，心中多半不會因為無救又傲慢的犯罪者被作家如此賜死而感到好過一些，比起來，相同議題的處理上來說，我更能認同 麥可康納利《黑冰》筆下主角的所作所為。
沒錯，這回小說還是有很多細節設定不盡完善，不過只要琳達的男主角收斂起他的色情狂本能和看住他老是精蟲上腦的性欲狂指數，再加上讀者也不是那麼挑剔，其實大部份時刻都會覺得小說還滿好看的。
有待努力啊，琳達霍華姨，我等妳下一部作品問世了！XD
ps. 我喜歡原版封面，故改貼此封面。
【書背文案】
筑雅原本滿足於扮演犯罪頭子沙瑞斐身邊那個有臉蛋、沒腦袋的甜心，但她因某事產生警覺，便悄悄捲款潛逃，畢竟沒錢逃不遠，而瑞斐可不會放過她。冷血殺手賽門蔑視沙瑞斐，但追蹤筑雅這麼聰明又有膽識的女人，倒很有趣。筑雅在途中出了致命車禍，鬼門關前走一遭讓她徹底改變。目睹這奇蹟的賽門決定金盆洗手，全力保護她。然而，筑雅想協助聯邦調查局，自願誘引沙瑞斐上鉤，護花心切的賽門不得不重開殺戒。他們越接近險境，感情越加強烈，筑雅領悟到重生的代價或許不只要她付出性命，更要付出芳心。
HomeAny source
Two Tax Agreements signed by BVI and United Kingdom
During the OTCC Meeting held in London on October 28-29 the Premier of the BVI Ralph O'Neal and UK Foreign Office Minister Gillian Merron signed Tax and Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA). This document was signed, along with double taxation agreement with the United Kingdom, on October 29, just some days after similar agreement was signed by the governments of the British Virgin Islands and Australia.
The TIEA signed by the BVI and UK officials provides for exchange of information on request concerning tax matters under criminal or civil investigation. This is the third TIEA signed by the BVI, - after the agreements with the US (2002) and Australia.
Ralph O'Neal commented on the signing of the Agreement saying that “The conclusion of this TIEA demonstrates the commitment of both the BVI and the United Kingdom governments to international co-operation in transparency and exchange of information... The BVI will continue to foster and develop international best practice in all areas of financial regulation.”
Also, during the OTCC forum the British Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom have signed an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation with respect to income tax. The agreement will bring substantial benefits to the residents of both countries.
Both tax agreements will come into force as soon as both governments complete legislative procedures needed to give them effect.
Along with the BVI, the OTCC meeting is attended by goverment delegations from several other British offshore territories in the Caribbean region, and the UK is to sign tax agreements with some of them.
Article any source
The TIEA signed by the BVI and UK officials provides for exchange of information on request concerning tax matters under criminal or civil investigation. This is the third TIEA signed by the BVI, - after the agreements with the US (2002) and Australia.
Ralph O'Neal commented on the signing of the Agreement saying that “The conclusion of this TIEA demonstrates the commitment of both the BVI and the United Kingdom governments to international co-operation in transparency and exchange of information... The BVI will continue to foster and develop international best practice in all areas of financial regulation.”
Also, during the OTCC forum the British Virgin Islands and the United Kingdom have signed an agreement for the avoidance of double taxation with respect to income tax. The agreement will bring substantial benefits to the residents of both countries.
Both tax agreements will come into force as soon as both governments complete legislative procedures needed to give them effect.
Along with the BVI, the OTCC meeting is attended by goverment delegations from several other British offshore territories in the Caribbean region, and the UK is to sign tax agreements with some of them.
Article any source
Thursday, October 30, 2008
NFL EXPANSION-Will there ever be another team in Los Angeles?
NFL EXPANSION-Will there ever be another team in Los Angeles?
By Dr. Bill Chachkes-managing partner Football Reporters Online
You can be sure that at one of the next few owners meetings, the subject of expansion will come up again. There is just too much money to be made, and too many fans to attract not to consider expansion. Why some owners complain the expansion would “dilute” the product is beyond me. The NFL is About two things: Making money and entertaining it’s fans, in that order.
Let’s look back for a bit. That last time there was true expansion was 1995, when Carolina and Jacksonville came into the NFL to bring the total of teams to 30. I don’t count the Houston Texans because they were replacing a franchise that moved (the Oilers) to Tennessee and became the Titans, Just like the return of the Cleveland Browns in the early part of the new century replacing the original Browns after they moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens. So there is your brief history up to now.
Oddly enough, the second largest television market in America still does not have a team, Los Angeles. The Rams moved to St. Louis when it’s owner complained to the league and the commissioner that they could not make money in L.A. with an outdated stadium (the coliseum was built for the 1932 olympic games). The owners begrudgingly agreed to allow the move. So the question remains” will Pro Football ever return to L.A.? There have been whispers in recent years of different investment groups who claim to be interested, but nothing has ever come to fruition. A second stumbling block has been Raiders owner Al Davis claims of infringement on his territory. Last time I looked at a map, Oakland was about 500 miles north of Los Angeles. Sorry Mr. Davis, but when you moved back to Oakland, you lost the right to make that complaint.
Other Investment groups have stated that without a new stadium project in place or at least major upgrades to the current venue. With the tightening economic troubles, monetary support from the local government will be minimal if at all. So it turns into a case of “Who” will step forward to lead an investment group. California’s “Governator” has said that a “replacement” franchise is important for the continued growth of the Greater L.A. area. A new team could draw 2 Billion dollars of new income to the local economy. By contrast, the return of The Browns generated nearly 1 billion dollars to the local Ohio economy, and it continues to grow.
Balance that with the cost of buying into the NFL (Dan Snyder paid 800 million to the Cooke family for the Redskins, currently they are worth nearly 1.5 billion) and you have an instant formula for success.
The NFL however, never rushes into anything. As a business, they desire to expand two cities at a time. If California get’s it’s 4th team back in L.A., where will the other team go?? San Antonio? Salt Lake City? Las Vegas? Portland? With the sagging economy needing a fix, could any of those cities really support an NFL team? Well, Vegas could, and San Antonio might, but the others are doubtful. The fans sure want more teams, and so do the players and coaches, because it would mean more jobs. But with the end of the current CBA just on the horizon, expansion just might be on hold for the time being.
By Dr. Bill Chachkes-managing partner Football Reporters Online
You can be sure that at one of the next few owners meetings, the subject of expansion will come up again. There is just too much money to be made, and too many fans to attract not to consider expansion. Why some owners complain the expansion would “dilute” the product is beyond me. The NFL is About two things: Making money and entertaining it’s fans, in that order.
Let’s look back for a bit. That last time there was true expansion was 1995, when Carolina and Jacksonville came into the NFL to bring the total of teams to 30. I don’t count the Houston Texans because they were replacing a franchise that moved (the Oilers) to Tennessee and became the Titans, Just like the return of the Cleveland Browns in the early part of the new century replacing the original Browns after they moved to Baltimore and became the Ravens. So there is your brief history up to now.
Oddly enough, the second largest television market in America still does not have a team, Los Angeles. The Rams moved to St. Louis when it’s owner complained to the league and the commissioner that they could not make money in L.A. with an outdated stadium (the coliseum was built for the 1932 olympic games). The owners begrudgingly agreed to allow the move. So the question remains” will Pro Football ever return to L.A.? There have been whispers in recent years of different investment groups who claim to be interested, but nothing has ever come to fruition. A second stumbling block has been Raiders owner Al Davis claims of infringement on his territory. Last time I looked at a map, Oakland was about 500 miles north of Los Angeles. Sorry Mr. Davis, but when you moved back to Oakland, you lost the right to make that complaint.
Other Investment groups have stated that without a new stadium project in place or at least major upgrades to the current venue. With the tightening economic troubles, monetary support from the local government will be minimal if at all. So it turns into a case of “Who” will step forward to lead an investment group. California’s “Governator” has said that a “replacement” franchise is important for the continued growth of the Greater L.A. area. A new team could draw 2 Billion dollars of new income to the local economy. By contrast, the return of The Browns generated nearly 1 billion dollars to the local Ohio economy, and it continues to grow.
Balance that with the cost of buying into the NFL (Dan Snyder paid 800 million to the Cooke family for the Redskins, currently they are worth nearly 1.5 billion) and you have an instant formula for success.
The NFL however, never rushes into anything. As a business, they desire to expand two cities at a time. If California get’s it’s 4th team back in L.A., where will the other team go?? San Antonio? Salt Lake City? Las Vegas? Portland? With the sagging economy needing a fix, could any of those cities really support an NFL team? Well, Vegas could, and San Antonio might, but the others are doubtful. The fans sure want more teams, and so do the players and coaches, because it would mean more jobs. But with the end of the current CBA just on the horizon, expansion just might be on hold for the time being.
Temporal de pluges pel cap de setmana?
Després de la baixa de temperatures d’aquests dies, amb una mínima de 3,3ºC avui dijous i les precipitacions que han acumulat un total de 18 litres, sembla que pel cap de setmana, tindrem festival d’aigua i les temperatures es recuperaran.
Dimarts a la nit, ja vaig parlar de la possibilitat que ens afectés una bona tongada de precipitacions pel cap de setmana. I els models ho continuen indicant. Desprès de setmanes veient com les “llevantades” es quedaven lluny de casa nostra, tot sembla indicar que aquest cap de setmana podrem rebre una i de primera categoria.
L’origen, la borrasca que a hores d’ara afecta al nord peninsular, que durant demà s’anirà desplaçant cap al centre del país, per després vascular cap a la mediterrània occidental, on agafarà cos davant les costes murcianes desplaçant-se progressivament cap al nord, a la vegada que s’anirà reactivant. Aquest desplaçament, ens farà portar vents de llevant, carregats d’humitat donant lloc a un cap de setmana passat per aigua. Durant la tarda de dissabte i fins diumenge al migdia, les precipitacions podrien ser fortes. L'alteració marítima serà considerable amb un onatge entorn els 2 metres d'alçada.
No obstant, ja demà amb el desplaçament cap al sud de la baixa mencionada, farà girar els vents cap al sud, sud-est, que ja deixarien ruixats en punts del litoral i prelitoral, especialment de Tarragona i Barcelona, tot i que també són probables per les nostres contrades. Símbol inequívoc del nou canvi de temps, i és que les pluges a Tossa podrien ser importants i acumular quantitats entorn els 50 litres.
Com sempre, s’ha d’anar seguint....
Model GFS. Situació sinòptica esperada per la matinada de dissabte a diumenge, amb una baixa ben profunda enfront la costa catalana, aportant-nos vents de moderats a forts de llevant.Any source
Street View, ora in Italia
Negli ultimi anni le mappe digitali ci hanno regalato numerose opportunità: da prima la semplice localizzazione di un punto di destinazione, poi la possibilità di avere indicazioni sul tempo di percorrenza di un tragitto, infine il vantaggio di ricevere dettagli sugli itinerari a piedi o con i mezzi pubblici.
Oggi, a tutto questo si aggiunge per l'Italia un'altra grande novità: Street View.
Accedendo alla pagina di Google Maps noterete in altro a destra un nuovo tab: "Street View". Con un semplice clic potrete arricchire la vostra esperienza di navigazione di Google Maps effettuando un vero e proprio tour virtuale delle città, spostando liberamente il vostro omino giallo da un punto all'altro della mappa.
In cerca di una casa? niente di più semplice per risparmiare tempo prezioso e vedere direttamente sul vostro PC, come sul vostro telefonino, l'immobile e il quartiere in cui si trova.
Appuntamento per cena? ristorante giapponese, insegna verde, all'angolo con un tabaccaio. Ora basta che vi stampiate l'immagine del locale e non avrete più bisogno di simili descrizioni.
Ma Street View rappresenta anche l'opportunità di scoprire e al contempo fare conoscere ad altri le bellezze che le notre città possono offrire. Ad oggi Street View copre le città di Milano, Roma, Firenze e la zona del lago di Como, ma presto se ne aggiungeranno molte altre.
Maggiori informazioni sul servizio sono disponibili su www.streetview.it.
Oggi, a tutto questo si aggiunge per l'Italia un'altra grande novità: Street View.
Accedendo alla pagina di Google Maps noterete in altro a destra un nuovo tab: "Street View". Con un semplice clic potrete arricchire la vostra esperienza di navigazione di Google Maps effettuando un vero e proprio tour virtuale delle città, spostando liberamente il vostro omino giallo da un punto all'altro della mappa.
In cerca di una casa? niente di più semplice per risparmiare tempo prezioso e vedere direttamente sul vostro PC, come sul vostro telefonino, l'immobile e il quartiere in cui si trova.
Appuntamento per cena? ristorante giapponese, insegna verde, all'angolo con un tabaccaio. Ora basta che vi stampiate l'immagine del locale e non avrete più bisogno di simili descrizioni.
Ma Street View rappresenta anche l'opportunità di scoprire e al contempo fare conoscere ad altri le bellezze che le notre città possono offrire. Ad oggi Street View copre le città di Milano, Roma, Firenze e la zona del lago di Como, ma presto se ne aggiungeranno molte altre.
Maggiori informazioni sul servizio sono disponibili su www.streetview.it.
Any source
There are benefits to allowing secrecy (at least from other investors) in stock trading, as well as costs.
Steve Waldman has another interesting article, "Share buybacks and uninformed investors". There are several points I'd like to comment on, but I don't have time (deadlines for the University of Arizona Free Personal Finance Site, with five hour personal finance course, set for release December 15th). I will, however, comment on one important one.
Steve summarizes the main focus of the post when he writes:
An easy way to think about all this is just in terms of information: Share buybacks of an overvalued firm create artificial, potentially price-insensitive demand that allows informed investors to exit without suffering adverse price movements from revealing their information. Dividend payouts serve as a shock to investor portfolios that forces informed investors to periodically reveal their information, diminishing their advantage over less informed investors. So uninformed, buy-and-hold investors are less likely to be taken advantage of if they invest in firms that issue frequent, substantial dividends and don't repurchase stock than if they invest in firms that don't pay substantial dividends but use stock buybacks to "return cash".
He makes a good point that a corporate share repurchase may provide some camouflage to informed investors, so that they can buy/sell more when the company's shares are underpriced/overpriced ,without tipping off others, who would jump in and bid up/down the price before they could milk it for very many shares (or as many).
There is, though, definitely a question of how big an effect this would be. The effect seems logical, and it may exist, but if it's tiny, then it's not a big deal. I don't know of any research on this, but it certainly may be out there. Also, the camouflaging from a share buyback is going to make no difference to the vast majority of uninformed /liquidity investors anyway. They have no idea what's going on either way, and won't spend the time to closely watch the market for a single stock. The money sits in the 401K, probably in a fund, or funds, of hundreds, or thousands, of stocks, and they periodically check the balance, that kind of thing. What the camouflage may help is to protect one expert and active investor's information from being used by other active expert investors, or specialists at the exchange.
But the issue that I'd like to bring up is whether we'd even want to eliminate all camouflaging – or hiding – of informed investor's trades, so that they benefit very little, if at all, from their information and understanding. I don't think that should be the goal, because then the informed and expert investors get little or no compensation for obtaining that expertise and then using it, spending the time and money to research the company and the real worth of its stock.
And this effort is very important. The more accurate the prices of firms are, the more accurately capital will be funneled to its highest and best use (for the most part – even with perfect accuracy of stock prices, there are still other market imperfections), so we want to make sure that this effort is adequately rewarded.
The situation is analogous to patents. Most patents lasts about 17 years. If we make patent lengths shorter it gives less reward, and thus incentive, for people to become expert, and then put in the work and/or money to innovate. But if we make patent lengths longer, then the ideas are less utilized. If the idea is free, then everyone who gets any marginal benefit from using it, will use it. But If you charge, say, $100,000 to use it, plus transaction, negotiation, and/or legal costs (and these can be really big), then anyone who has a marginal benefit of less than $100,000 will not utilize it, even if that marginal benefit was still big, like 80 to 90 thousand dollars.
Suppose there were 3,000 people or organizations like this, which had an average marginal benefit of $50,000 each. With the patent in force, they would not use the idea – a big waste, because the idea, the understanding, has zero marginal cost, but the marginal benefit is 3,000 x $50,000 = $150 million.
If the patent had instead expired, then the idea/understanding/invention could be placed on the internet and made easily available for free to anyone, anywhere in the world, so it would not be underutilized (or perhaps ridiculously underutilized). So, you can see a big problem that can often occur when relaying on the pure free market, instead of balancing the benefits of the market with the benefits of the government to find the most efficient mix or hybrid.
Could you imagine how much less medicine would advance if instead of the government sponsoring the mapping of the human genome, and then placing it for free on the internet to be used easily be any scientist orstudent in the world, it was owned be a company and kept secret, and could only be utilized by a small number of companies paying a high fee after long negotiations. It would be monopolized, and with the great difficulty of price discrimination, monopoly's maximize profits when they restrict supply, and usually when they restrict it greatly.
In fact, a private company, Celera, launched by mathematician Craig Venter, tried to do this, and it really showed the pros and cons of the market. Venter did come up with a faster and better method than the government project -- with the market you often have the benefit of many people and parties working on an idea in competition from many angles -- but then he tried to patent the genes, which would have caused them to be grossly underutilized by scientists. In 2000 however, President Clinton ruled that the genes could not be patented, and were to be made freely available to any scientist or student in the world over the internet. As a result, Celera's stock plummeted.
What's best here is for the government and the market to both be involved. The government pays private companies for their work (that is, it does some sub-contracting, like in a well run private business when -- and only when -- the control and coordination costs don't outweigh the benefits. This is an important lesson taught in MBA schools that the Republican party never learned.), for example paying Celera for it's improved gene finding process, but the government owns the gene information, and makes it available for free over the internet so that it is100% fully utilized, with virtually zero transactions costs.
In any case, you can see the trade-off in extending or shortening the length of patents, and there's a similar trade-off with the secrecy/camouflaging of trades by expert and informed investors; the more secrecy you allow, the less you let others use someone's ideas/understanding/information (about a stock) for free, and so the more reward and incentive there is to perform the important function of pricing stocks accurately. But, there is also more of a problem with things like market manipulation and corporate corruption, plus, like with patents, your ideas/understanding/information get less widely used.
Suppose you understand that IBM is worth $110, but it's only currently priced at $100, and suppose you have complete secrecy for your trades, but you only have enough wealth that you buy enough shares to push IBM to 105. The stock is still mispriced by $5. But if everyone could use your ideas/understanding/information, there would be far more people buying IBM, and it's price would be pushed all the way to its correct level of $110. In other words, your ideas/understanding/information would be fully utilized, rather than substantially underutilized.
There is a trade-off, so you want to allow the amount of secrecy/camouflaging that optimizes the trade-off, an amount where any more would provide more additional costs of lower utilization of ideas/understanding/information, and of market manipulation, corporate corruption, etc., than benefit from increased incentive to learn about the true values of stocks. And with any less, you'd lose more in incentive than you'd gain in increased utilization and decreased market manipulation, corporate corruption, etc. In the jargon of economists, you want to find the optimal point where the marginal benefits just equal the marginal costs.
Any sourceEmpeoramiento del Tiempo a partir de esta tarde
A partir de esta tarde, el Tiempo vuelve a empeorar en Orihuela y lo va a hacer de la mano de una potente borrasca que entrará desde el Cantábrico, para situarse durante la jornada de mañana y el Sábado en la zona del Golfo de Cádiz. Hoy de momento iremos notando como va aumentando la fuerza del viento, sobre todo a partir de esta tarde. Viento que soplará del Oeste (W) moderado, alcanzando rachas fuertes cercanas a los 40 o 45 Km/h, sobre todo en zonas altas del término municipal. La nubosidad media y alta irá ganando terreno con el paso de las horas en el cielo oriolano, aunque de momento hoy no se esperan precipitaciones. No obstante, notaremos un ascenso de las temperaturas diurnas y nocturnas.
Animación del satélite Meteosat. Obsérvese como la borrasca gira sobre el Cantábrico a la vez que se desplaza hacia el sur.
Mapa de superficie previsto para las 12Z del 30/10/08. Isobaras en superficie (líneas negras), cobertura nubosa en % (áreas grises), precipitación acumulada en 6 horas (áreas en tonos verdes y azules), viento en superficie (flechas naranjas).
Mapa a 500 hPa previsto para las 12Z del 30/10/08. Altura Geopotencial (líneas blancas), temperatura a 5500 metros (áreas coloreadas), viento a 500 hPa (flechas marrones).
Mañana Viernes, la lluvia si que podría aparecer en Orihuela, por la tarde pero en general la lluvia sería muy débil. El viento ganará más intensidad ya que se podrían alcanzar rachas cercanas a los 50 Km/h. Las temperaturas bajarán ligeramente durante el día, subiendo de forma moderada durante la noche. Estas precipitaciones se mantendrán también durante la jornada del Sábado, Día de Todos los Santos, pero sin ser excesivamente significativas y alcanzando a lo sumo intensidad moderada. Se podría acumular una gran cantidad de precipitación, ya que las lluvias tendrán un carácter persistente.
Durante la jornada del Domingo se espera una mejoría del Tiempo, con el desplazamiento de la borrasca hacía el Norte. Los cielos estarán poco nubosos o despejados.
Any sourceWednesday, October 29, 2008
Temperatura mínima invernal
La pasada madrugada ha sido muy fría en Orihuela. El termómetro ha llegado a bajar hasta los 6,0ºC a las 7:17 horas.
Domingo 26: 16,5ºC
Lunes 27: 15,8ºC
Martes 28: 14,3ºC
Miércoles 29: 10,1ºC
Hoy, Jueves 30: 6,0ºC
Como pueden ver, la evolución de las temperaturas mínimas es tremenda. La masa de Aire Frío Artica ha hecho lo que tenía que hacer. Mañana subirán las temperaturas ligeramente, aunque la mínima quedará de nuevo por debajo de los 10ºC.
En otras zonas del término municipal de Orihuela, evidentemente también se ha notado el frío. Es el caso de la pedanía de la Murada donde se ha registrado una mínima de 5,3ºC. El dato más frío de todo el término municipal se alcanzó en plena huerta, con unos impresionantes 3,8ºC.Any source
Domingo 26: 16,5ºC
Lunes 27: 15,8ºC
Martes 28: 14,3ºC
Miércoles 29: 10,1ºC
Hoy, Jueves 30: 6,0ºC
Como pueden ver, la evolución de las temperaturas mínimas es tremenda. La masa de Aire Frío Artica ha hecho lo que tenía que hacer. Mañana subirán las temperaturas ligeramente, aunque la mínima quedará de nuevo por debajo de los 10ºC.
En otras zonas del término municipal de Orihuela, evidentemente también se ha notado el frío. Es el caso de la pedanía de la Murada donde se ha registrado una mínima de 5,3ºC. El dato más frío de todo el término municipal se alcanzó en plena huerta, con unos impresionantes 3,8ºC.Any source
SAC: BNM to review SAC’s role
By Halim Wahab & Habhajan Singh
PLANS are underway to compel the High Court to refer to the Shariah Advisory Council (SAC) of Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) when presiding over Islamic banking and finance-related cases, unlike presently, where High Court judges are neither required to consult the Shariah experts or heed their advise.
It is learnt that the central bank is reviewing the necessary laws to make this possible. This follows the recent controversy over Islamic financing under the Al-Bai' Bithaman Ajil (BBA) concept and the confusion over the role of the SAC in determining the compliance status of Islamic finance products.
To date, BNM has not responded to queries from this newspaper on the implications of the judgment to the Islamic banking industry or if plans for changes to the SAC's role and powers are underway.
On July 18, High Court judge Justice Datuk Abdul Wahab Patail ruled that the application of the BBA contracts in 13 cases he presided over were contrary to the Islamic Banking Act 1983 (IBA), as the sale element in the BBA was deemed "not a bona fide sale". The judgment, which came to light following The Malaysian Reserve report on Sept 8, brings into question the profit portion of the facilities, as it suggests that defaulters need not pay more than the original financing amount obtained, thereby depriving banks of the profit they would otherwise have booked.
Consequently, confusion abounds over how such "profits" would now have to be treated in the accounts and why the BBA contracts are deemed not Islamic when the SAC had considered the concept as Shariah compliant in the first place. Questions also arise as to whether it is appropriate for non-Shariah specialists to decide on the Shariah compliance status of Islamic banking concepts and products, thus bypassing the SAC over such matters.
According to BNM, the SAC is an independent advisory body established under section 16B of the Central Bank of Malaysia Act 1958 and shall be the authoritative body for the ascertainment of Shariah law in Islamic banking, finance and takaful business. It stated that the Act provides that the SAC can be referred to by the court in its proceedings relating to Shariah matters in Islamic banking and financial business disputes. The council, which comprises experts in the disciplines of Shariah, banking, finance, economics and law, are appointed by the Minister of Finance on the recommendation of the BNM, pursuant to section 16B(2) of the Act.
In essence, Justice Abdul Wahab's ruling stated that the BBA contracts considered in Arab Malaysian Finance Berhad v Taman Ihsan Jaya & Others (2008) were contrary to the Islamic Banking Act 1983 (IBA).
An initial inspection suggests that the judgment, if affirmed by Malaysia's Court of Appeal, or adopted by other High Court judges, can have major repercussions on the local Islamic financial sector. To begin with, Islamic banks are heavily reliant on BBA-related contracts. Bankers fear the judgment because this could mean that current BBA financing clients would only need to pay the facility amount and would escape from paying the profit portion, if they default. (By Halim Wahab & Habhajan Singh; The Malaysian Reserve, Oct 29, 2008, Page 1)Any source
SAC: ‘Regulations on Islamic finance should be amended’
By HALIM WAHAB & HABHAJAN SINGH
A number of Shariah scholars who are involved in Islamic finance transactions have suggested that Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) should effect an amendment to regulations to make it mandatory for judges to refer to the central bank's Shariah Advisory Council (SAC) when dealing with Islamic finance matters.
At the moment, High Court judges are not mandated to refer to the SAC, the anchor outfit in deciding the Shariah-compliance of banking and takaful products offered by Islamic financial institutions in Malaysia.
This issues came to light following remarks by High Court judge Justice Datuk Abdul Wahab Patail in a written ruling dated July 18 in Arab Malaysian Finance Bhd v Taman Ihsan Jaya & Others (2008).
In one of the two recent BBA judgment-related seminars, Dr Ashraf Md Hashim, Shariah adviser at ZI Shariah Advisory Sdn Bhd, said the court reference to the SAC must be made compulsory in determining the Shariah compliance status of any Islamic banking and finance product.
He said this might require amendments to the Act and therefore would take time to materialise. He believed the SAC was the best option available as far as Malaysia is concerned, and as such felt that what is allowed by the council should be accepted as Shariah-complaint by the courts.
"Shariah is a science by itself. Those who are not trained in the discipline should refer any issue in question to the expert in the field. It is the practice of the court to refer issues to relevant experts such as physicians and scientists. It will be a consistent practice if reference is made to the Shariah specialist for Shariah-related issues," he added.
Dr Ashraf was speaking at a seminar entitled Whither BBA in Malaysia? — Analysis of Recent Decisions, organised by legal firm Zaid Ibrahim & Co. ZI Shariah is a unit of Zaid Ibrahim.
However, another speaker at the same forum took a different view. Responding to the suggestion, former High Court judge Datuk Faiza Thamby Chik said there was no need for High Court judges to refer to the SAC on such matters. He contended that it was the duty of judges to interpret the law and if the ruling had created unhappiness, then the solution is to train the judges.
International Syariah Research Academy for Islamic Finance executive director Dr Mohd Akram Laldin, who also spoke at the half-day seminar, said there was a need to strengthen the role of the SAC to avoid confusion in the industry. He agreed that the SAC should be made the sole reference point on matters regarding Islamic finance, adding that the Islamic banking industry should depart from "controversial" contracts to other alternatives. (By Hablim Wahab & Habhajan Singh; The Malaysian Reserve, Oct 29, 2008, Page 4)Any source
A number of Shariah scholars who are involved in Islamic finance transactions have suggested that Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) should effect an amendment to regulations to make it mandatory for judges to refer to the central bank's Shariah Advisory Council (SAC) when dealing with Islamic finance matters.
At the moment, High Court judges are not mandated to refer to the SAC, the anchor outfit in deciding the Shariah-compliance of banking and takaful products offered by Islamic financial institutions in Malaysia.
This issues came to light following remarks by High Court judge Justice Datuk Abdul Wahab Patail in a written ruling dated July 18 in Arab Malaysian Finance Bhd v Taman Ihsan Jaya & Others (2008).
In one of the two recent BBA judgment-related seminars, Dr Ashraf Md Hashim, Shariah adviser at ZI Shariah Advisory Sdn Bhd, said the court reference to the SAC must be made compulsory in determining the Shariah compliance status of any Islamic banking and finance product.
He said this might require amendments to the Act and therefore would take time to materialise. He believed the SAC was the best option available as far as Malaysia is concerned, and as such felt that what is allowed by the council should be accepted as Shariah-complaint by the courts.
"Shariah is a science by itself. Those who are not trained in the discipline should refer any issue in question to the expert in the field. It is the practice of the court to refer issues to relevant experts such as physicians and scientists. It will be a consistent practice if reference is made to the Shariah specialist for Shariah-related issues," he added.
Dr Ashraf was speaking at a seminar entitled Whither BBA in Malaysia? — Analysis of Recent Decisions, organised by legal firm Zaid Ibrahim & Co. ZI Shariah is a unit of Zaid Ibrahim.
However, another speaker at the same forum took a different view. Responding to the suggestion, former High Court judge Datuk Faiza Thamby Chik said there was no need for High Court judges to refer to the SAC on such matters. He contended that it was the duty of judges to interpret the law and if the ruling had created unhappiness, then the solution is to train the judges.
International Syariah Research Academy for Islamic Finance executive director Dr Mohd Akram Laldin, who also spoke at the half-day seminar, said there was a need to strengthen the role of the SAC to avoid confusion in the industry. He agreed that the SAC should be made the sole reference point on matters regarding Islamic finance, adding that the Islamic banking industry should depart from "controversial" contracts to other alternatives. (By Hablim Wahab & Habhajan Singh; The Malaysian Reserve, Oct 29, 2008, Page 4)Any source
GIFC08: Sukuk issuers urged to be more care
By Habhajan Singh
Issuers of sukuk should re-examine the make-up of their product to ensure that it does not suffer the same fate as conventional bonds, an Islamic banker told a conference yesterday.
Parties involved in structuring sukuk, the closest cousin of conventional bonds, should be mindful to ensure that it does not go the way conventional bonds have gone in the ongoing global financial crisis, said OCBC Bank Malaysia Bhd's head of Islamic finance Alhami Mohd Abdan. He was one of the speakers at the Second Global Islamic Finance Conference (GIFC) 2008 in Kuala Lumpur.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi officiated the two-day function which is organised by GlobalPro Consulting Sdn Bhd. In his presentation entitled 'Product development and implementation of Islamic finance', Alhami noted that the Western asset-backed securities (ABS) bubble-crashed primarily due to the questionable quality of the underlying assets, although the fundamental principles of securitisation are not without its merits. For the sukuk securitisation process, he said among the fundamental requirements for Shariah endorsement are that the nature of the assets securitised be tangible and economically viable.
New sukuk issues in 2007 reached a record high of about US$47 billion (RM168.28 billion) and the outstanding global sukuk market surpassed the US$100-billion mark, according to Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM). Up until August this year, BNM governor Tan Sri Zeti Ahtar Aziz, in a speech earlier this month, said sukuk had held its ground with a total global issuance now exceeding US$14 billion, and is expected to exceed US$200 billion in 2010.
Dr Aznan Hasan, a Shariah scholar from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and a former member of the BNM Shariah Advisory Council, said that the demand for Shariah advisors is increasing, especially in auditing, product development and financial engineering. On the apparent divergence between Shariah views in Malaysia and the Middle East, he said that while efforts should continuously be made to narrow the gap in the divergence of opinion, "we should also approach these differences of opinion as a source of strength, rather than a source of weakness".
In his opening address, Ahmad Zahid praised BNM's role in ensuring the success of Islamic banking in Malaysia as the sector has continued to register significant growth since its introduction.
"Islamic finance has, thus far, remained positive, despite the current challenging global financial environment, thanks to rules that forbid the sort of risky business that is felling the mainstream institutions.
"The strength in Islamic finance is derived from Shariah principles, the key pillar of Islamic finance that has contributed towards its overall stability and resilience," he said.
Ahmad Zahid said Shariah injunctions require that financial transactions be accompanied by an underlying productive activity, thus giving rise to a close link between financial and productive flows. (By Habhajan Singh, The Malaysian Reserve, Oct 30, 2008, Page 8)Any source
Issuers of sukuk should re-examine the make-up of their product to ensure that it does not suffer the same fate as conventional bonds, an Islamic banker told a conference yesterday.
Parties involved in structuring sukuk, the closest cousin of conventional bonds, should be mindful to ensure that it does not go the way conventional bonds have gone in the ongoing global financial crisis, said OCBC Bank Malaysia Bhd's head of Islamic finance Alhami Mohd Abdan. He was one of the speakers at the Second Global Islamic Finance Conference (GIFC) 2008 in Kuala Lumpur.
Minister in the Prime Minister's Department Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid Hamidi officiated the two-day function which is organised by GlobalPro Consulting Sdn Bhd. In his presentation entitled 'Product development and implementation of Islamic finance', Alhami noted that the Western asset-backed securities (ABS) bubble-crashed primarily due to the questionable quality of the underlying assets, although the fundamental principles of securitisation are not without its merits. For the sukuk securitisation process, he said among the fundamental requirements for Shariah endorsement are that the nature of the assets securitised be tangible and economically viable.
New sukuk issues in 2007 reached a record high of about US$47 billion (RM168.28 billion) and the outstanding global sukuk market surpassed the US$100-billion mark, according to Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM). Up until August this year, BNM governor Tan Sri Zeti Ahtar Aziz, in a speech earlier this month, said sukuk had held its ground with a total global issuance now exceeding US$14 billion, and is expected to exceed US$200 billion in 2010.
Dr Aznan Hasan, a Shariah scholar from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) and a former member of the BNM Shariah Advisory Council, said that the demand for Shariah advisors is increasing, especially in auditing, product development and financial engineering. On the apparent divergence between Shariah views in Malaysia and the Middle East, he said that while efforts should continuously be made to narrow the gap in the divergence of opinion, "we should also approach these differences of opinion as a source of strength, rather than a source of weakness".
In his opening address, Ahmad Zahid praised BNM's role in ensuring the success of Islamic banking in Malaysia as the sector has continued to register significant growth since its introduction.
"Islamic finance has, thus far, remained positive, despite the current challenging global financial environment, thanks to rules that forbid the sort of risky business that is felling the mainstream institutions.
"The strength in Islamic finance is derived from Shariah principles, the key pillar of Islamic finance that has contributed towards its overall stability and resilience," he said.
Ahmad Zahid said Shariah injunctions require that financial transactions be accompanied by an underlying productive activity, thus giving rise to a close link between financial and productive flows. (By Habhajan Singh, The Malaysian Reserve, Oct 30, 2008, Page 8)Any source
GIFC08: Lively debate on BBA ruling expected
By Habhajan Singh
Islamic bankers can expect a lively discussion on the recent High Court judgment on Al-Bai' Bithaman Ajil (BBA) at the Second Global Islamic Finance Conference (GIFC 2008) that begins today in Kuala Lumpur. Shariah and product development is one of the first sessions for the two-day forum.
In one session, Dr Aznan Hasan, an assistant professor at the International Islamic University Malaysia's (IIUM) Kulliyah of Law, will lead a discussion on ensuring Shariah-compliant Islamic financial instruments.
Recently, High Court judge Justice Datuk Abdul Wahab Patail ruled that since some BBA contracts in the cases heard were structurally faulty, defaulters need not pay more than the original financing amount that they received, depriving banks of the profit they would have otherwise booked from the transactions.
Bankers fear that this judgement could mean that current BBA financing clients would only need to pay the facility amount and escape from paying the profit portion. The forum will also look at sukuk and efforts in promoting its secondary market. It will also touch on Islamic venture capital and private equity.
Among the areas expected to be covered are the opportunities and limitations of Islamic private equity and venture capital investments and ways and means to meet the legal, regulatory and judicial requirements.
Participants will also discuss the limitations to the growth of Islamic private equity and venture capital Ahmad Sanusi Husain, CEO and chief consultant of event organiser GlobalPro Consulting Sdn Bhd, will lead the session on human resources, another area of interest for the Islamic finance sector, especially with the current exodus of talent to the Middle East and other jurisdictions also promoting the sector.
Azmi Mohd Ali, managing partner of legal firm Azmi & Associates, is scheduled to discuss issues related to Islamic venture capital and private equity, where he will touch on the scope for Islamic private equity in mergers and acquisitions. The session will also discuss the oportunities and limitations of Islamic private equity and venture capital investments and ways and means to meet the legal, regulatory and judicial requirements. It will also touch on limitations to growth of Islamic private equity and venture capital.
In another session, Takaful Ikhlas Sdn Bhd executive vice president and chief operating officer Wan Mohd Fadzlullah Wan Abdullah will present a paper on innovation and solutions in takaful. He will discuss the new growth and global market opportunities for takaful and assess recent developments in the global takaful landscape.
On the second day, GIFC 2008 will have a session on risk management and accounting led by Crescent Risk and Wealth Management Consultancy Sdn Bhd managing director Hassan Ahmad and Amanie Business Solutions Sdn Bhd principal consultant Dr Syed Musa Al Habshi.
In the first session, it will look at risk analysis for Islamic banking, concerns about risk and unique risks in Islamic financial services. Dealing with issues on accounting and auditing for Islamic financial institutions, the speakers will inspect the framework for the preparation and presentation of financial statements for Islamic financial institutions and standards locally and internationally.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi will present the forum's keynote address entitled "Evolution and opportunities in Islamic finance". (By Habhajan Singh, The Malaysian Reserve, Oct 29, 2008, Page 8)Any source
Islamic bankers can expect a lively discussion on the recent High Court judgment on Al-Bai' Bithaman Ajil (BBA) at the Second Global Islamic Finance Conference (GIFC 2008) that begins today in Kuala Lumpur. Shariah and product development is one of the first sessions for the two-day forum.
In one session, Dr Aznan Hasan, an assistant professor at the International Islamic University Malaysia's (IIUM) Kulliyah of Law, will lead a discussion on ensuring Shariah-compliant Islamic financial instruments.
Recently, High Court judge Justice Datuk Abdul Wahab Patail ruled that since some BBA contracts in the cases heard were structurally faulty, defaulters need not pay more than the original financing amount that they received, depriving banks of the profit they would have otherwise booked from the transactions.
Bankers fear that this judgement could mean that current BBA financing clients would only need to pay the facility amount and escape from paying the profit portion. The forum will also look at sukuk and efforts in promoting its secondary market. It will also touch on Islamic venture capital and private equity.
Among the areas expected to be covered are the opportunities and limitations of Islamic private equity and venture capital investments and ways and means to meet the legal, regulatory and judicial requirements.
Participants will also discuss the limitations to the growth of Islamic private equity and venture capital Ahmad Sanusi Husain, CEO and chief consultant of event organiser GlobalPro Consulting Sdn Bhd, will lead the session on human resources, another area of interest for the Islamic finance sector, especially with the current exodus of talent to the Middle East and other jurisdictions also promoting the sector.
Azmi Mohd Ali, managing partner of legal firm Azmi & Associates, is scheduled to discuss issues related to Islamic venture capital and private equity, where he will touch on the scope for Islamic private equity in mergers and acquisitions. The session will also discuss the oportunities and limitations of Islamic private equity and venture capital investments and ways and means to meet the legal, regulatory and judicial requirements. It will also touch on limitations to growth of Islamic private equity and venture capital.
In another session, Takaful Ikhlas Sdn Bhd executive vice president and chief operating officer Wan Mohd Fadzlullah Wan Abdullah will present a paper on innovation and solutions in takaful. He will discuss the new growth and global market opportunities for takaful and assess recent developments in the global takaful landscape.
On the second day, GIFC 2008 will have a session on risk management and accounting led by Crescent Risk and Wealth Management Consultancy Sdn Bhd managing director Hassan Ahmad and Amanie Business Solutions Sdn Bhd principal consultant Dr Syed Musa Al Habshi.
In the first session, it will look at risk analysis for Islamic banking, concerns about risk and unique risks in Islamic financial services. Dealing with issues on accounting and auditing for Islamic financial institutions, the speakers will inspect the framework for the preparation and presentation of financial statements for Islamic financial institutions and standards locally and internationally.
Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Zahid bin Hamidi will present the forum's keynote address entitled "Evolution and opportunities in Islamic finance". (By Habhajan Singh, The Malaysian Reserve, Oct 29, 2008, Page 8)Any source
Voting tools for volunteers on the go
With the U.S. elections less than a week away, voting drives are ramping up. Political parties and non-partisan groups alike are sending out volunteers to encourage citizens to vote on November 4. To make sure these volunteers have the same voter info tools available to them on their phone as on their computer, we've now launched a mobile voting locator tool on m.google.com/elections. (Click here to send this to your phone.)
Now, volunteers can type in the home address of any registered voter and find his or her voting location, whether they're in an office making phone calls, are working from a booth set up outdoors, or are going door to door. While on the go, they use Google Maps for mobile to find their next address or display directions to voting locations.
Of course, between talking to potential voters, volunteers can check out the Elections section in Google News for mobile for the latest updates (go here on your phone), or just search for a nearby coffee shop to stay warm.
Any source
Any source
BVI and Australia Governments Sign Tax Information Exchange Agreement
The Premier of the British Virgin Islands (BVI) Hon. Ralph O’Neal and the Australian Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Competition Policy and Consumer Affairs Chris Bowen signed Tax Information Exchange Agreement (TIEA), which provides for full exchange of information on request in both criminal and civil tax matters.
The document is based on the existing legislation in both countries, already providing for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. Now both governments will share information to eliminate harmful tax practices. The agreement reflects the commitment of the governments of Australia and BVI to implement OECD principles of transparency and effective information exchange, and international standards on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing. The Australian Government has welcomed the BVI admission as a full member to the International Organisation of Securities Commissions, where it joins more than 100 jurisdictions with recognised high standards of regulation and compliance.
According to the TIEA, Australia and the BVI have agreed not to apply prejudicial or restrictive measures based on harmful tax practices to residents or nationals. Australia will not refer to the BVI as a 'tax haven' on the governmental level, and instead it will list the jurisdiction in the Taxation Administration Regulations 1976 as an 'information exchange country'. As a result of the changed status of the BVI, its residents will receive access to reduced withholding tax rates on distribution of certain income they may receive from Australian managed investment trusts.
This is the fourth Tax Information Exchange Agreement for Australia as one of the leading countries implementing international co-operation on tax matters, and the second for the BVI.
Also, Australia and the BVI have signed an agreement for the allocation of taxation rights with respect to certain income of individuals, which will provide benefits to Australian and BVI residents. Both countries also agreed to enter into discussions to develop further co-operation in areas of mutual interest.
Ralph O'Neal in his comments welcomed Australia's recognition of the high regulatory standards set by the BVI, and the continuing engagement of the financial centre in the OECD’s Global Forum on Taxation.
Article any source
The document is based on the existing legislation in both countries, already providing for mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. Now both governments will share information to eliminate harmful tax practices. The agreement reflects the commitment of the governments of Australia and BVI to implement OECD principles of transparency and effective information exchange, and international standards on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing. The Australian Government has welcomed the BVI admission as a full member to the International Organisation of Securities Commissions, where it joins more than 100 jurisdictions with recognised high standards of regulation and compliance.
According to the TIEA, Australia and the BVI have agreed not to apply prejudicial or restrictive measures based on harmful tax practices to residents or nationals. Australia will not refer to the BVI as a 'tax haven' on the governmental level, and instead it will list the jurisdiction in the Taxation Administration Regulations 1976 as an 'information exchange country'. As a result of the changed status of the BVI, its residents will receive access to reduced withholding tax rates on distribution of certain income they may receive from Australian managed investment trusts.
This is the fourth Tax Information Exchange Agreement for Australia as one of the leading countries implementing international co-operation on tax matters, and the second for the BVI.
Also, Australia and the BVI have signed an agreement for the allocation of taxation rights with respect to certain income of individuals, which will provide benefits to Australian and BVI residents. Both countries also agreed to enter into discussions to develop further co-operation in areas of mutual interest.
Ralph O'Neal in his comments welcomed Australia's recognition of the high regulatory standards set by the BVI, and the continuing engagement of the financial centre in the OECD’s Global Forum on Taxation.
Article any source
Previsión Meteorológica para un partido histórico
Esta noche a las 21 horas en el Municipal de los Arcos, se va a disputar un partido de fútbol histórico para la ciudad. Se va a enfrentar el Orihuela CF contra el Club Atlético de Madrid SAD. Como me consta que multitud de personas, sobretodo del término municipal de Orihuela, van a ir a ver dicho partido he creído conveniente hacer una pequeña previsión para que ustedes puedan ver las condiciones meteorológicas que van haber durante el partido.
Temperatura:
Temperatura estimada a las 21 horas: 14-13ºC
Temperatura estimada a las 22 horas: 12ºC
Temperatura estimada a las 23 horas: 11ºC
Viento:
Viento flojo con alguna racha moderada de componente Norte-Noroeste (NNW). El viento hará que la sensación térmica sea menor.
Precipitaciones:
No se esperan precipitaciones.
Estado del cielo:
Cielo poco nuboso o despejado.
Por tanto les aconsejo a todas aquellas personas que vayan a presenciar el partido, que se lleven ropa de abrigo y no tienen por qué llevarse el paraguas.
Temperatura:
Temperatura estimada a las 21 horas: 14-13ºC
Temperatura estimada a las 22 horas: 12ºC
Temperatura estimada a las 23 horas: 11ºC
Viento:
Viento flojo con alguna racha moderada de componente Norte-Noroeste (NNW). El viento hará que la sensación térmica sea menor.
Precipitaciones:
No se esperan precipitaciones.
Estado del cielo:
Cielo poco nuboso o despejado.
Por tanto les aconsejo a todas aquellas personas que vayan a presenciar el partido, que se lleven ropa de abrigo y no tienen por qué llevarse el paraguas.
¡¡¡Mucha suerte para el equipo de la ciudad, nuestro
Orihuela CF.!!!
Disfruten del partido.
Any source
Orihuela CF.!!!
Disfruten del partido.
Tremenda bajada de temperaturas en Orihuela
La masa de Aire Frío que ayer dejaba casi congelada a media España, comenzó a llegar a Orihuela a últimas horas de ayer, propiciando un descenso importante de los termómetros, pero dejándonos muy poca lluvia, 1,8 litros por metro cuadrado. A esto hay que unirle el fuerte viento del Noroeste (NW) que esta incrementando notablemente la sensación de frío y que durante la jornada de hoy puede alcanzar los 45 Km/h. En mi Observatorio Meteorológico de Orihuela se ha registrado durante la pasada madrugada, una temperatura mínima de 14,3ºC, pero esto no es todo el frío que se espera ni mucho menos, atención a mañana y a pasado mañana.
Para terminar, aquí les dejo con la webcam de Sierra Nevada, que ha recibido su primera gran nevada y que seguirá nevando allí los próximos días.
Por nuestra zona, por el sureste peninsular no ha nevado en ninguna sierra situada en las inmediaciones de Orihuela. Tan sólo cayó una "enfarinada" en la Sierra de Aitana (Alicante) en el día de ayer.Any source
Para terminar, aquí les dejo con la webcam de Sierra Nevada, que ha recibido su primera gran nevada y que seguirá nevando allí los próximos días.
Webcam de Sª Nevada (Granada)
.
a 2700 mts. (Hasta - 10ºC)
Por nuestra zona, por el sureste peninsular no ha nevado en ninguna sierra situada en las inmediaciones de Orihuela. Tan sólo cayó una "enfarinada" en la Sierra de Aitana (Alicante) en el día de ayer.Any source
Google Developer Day 2008
Come forse saprete, settimana scorsa si è tenuta a Milano la seconda edizione italiana del Google Developer Day, un’intera giornata dedicata alla comunità degli sviluppatori del nostro paese, con una fitta agenda di incontri, laboratori e seminari.
Più di 300 developers da tutta Italia hanno partecipato alle diverse sessioni, che hanno affrontato alcuni temi di grande attualità, tra cui Android, Chrome, App Engine e Gears.
Se ve lo siete persi, qui potete trovare una prima selezione di fotografie della giornata, mentre sul nostro canale YouTube pubblicheremo a breve i video delle varie sessioni.
Per noi è stata una fantastica esperienza, un momento unico per interagire direttamente con la comunità degli sviluppatori italiani e raccogliere idee, opinioni e condividere un ottimo buffet! Siamo molto contenti del successo dell’evento, e vogliamo ringraziare calorosamente tutti quelli che hanno partecipato e che hanno contribuito con i loro commenti, feedback e suggerimenti. Si tratta di consigli preziosi per migliorare ancora le future edizioni.
Alla prossima!
Any source
Seguiment de la situació
Avui dimecres 29 d'Octubre passarà ha ser un dia històric de la meteorologia.
- Està nevant en punts de la Catalunya Central amb una cota de neu de tant sols 600 metres.
- La baixa de les Balears, s'ha aprofundit de tal manera que tot sembla indicar que hi ha indicis d'un MEDICANE (Mediterranean Hurricane), si, si, una estructura d'huracà.
- Les temperatures estan caient cap a baix en molt punts, i no seria estranys veure neu a cotes de 400 - 500 metres.
- Està nevant en punts de la Catalunya Central amb una cota de neu de tant sols 600 metres.
- La baixa de les Balears, s'ha aprofundit de tal manera que tot sembla indicar que hi ha indicis d'un MEDICANE (Mediterranean Hurricane), si, si, una estructura d'huracà.
- Les temperatures estan caient cap a baix en molt punts, i no seria estranys veure neu a cotes de 400 - 500 metres.
S'ha d'anar seguint l'evolució de la baixa de les Balears que té una trajectòria cap al NE... Serà un dia llarg avui...
Any sourceTuesday, October 28, 2008
Be a Man Johnson!
Be a Man Johnson
October 27, 2008
By Slavica Milosevska for Football Reporters Online
The Kansas City Chiefs have concluded that RB Larry Johnson will not participate in foreknown future after being charged with non-aggravated assault for spiting his drink in a 24-year old woman's face at The Blonde, a Kansas City nightclub, on October 10th. The woman claims Johnson repeatedly threatened to kill her boyfriend and spit at her three times again while being escorted out. This is the fourth case where Johnson allegedly assaulted a woman. Johnson was already out the last two games for breaking team rules and was teetering a suspension from the NFL. If suspended, the Chiefs may refuse to pay $5.5 million in guaranteed bonuses.
A serious issue is Johnson's past “reported” abuse towards woman, and remember, “reported” could mean more situations not on the record. In 2003, a felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor domestic battery for waving a gun in his home while arguing with his ex-girlfriend were dropped because of an agreement to enroll in a domestic violence program. Then in 2005, there was an accusation of throwing a woman to the ground, but again the case was dropped because on three separate hearings, the victim did not to appear in court. Then while awaiting his December 3rd court appearance for pushing a woman's head to the floor on February 24th, facing a six month maximum sentence and a $500 fine, he is now charged with a simple municipal assault charge.
Johnson stated in a recent public apology, “This is the first time in my life I actually had to stand up, I mean actually woke up and kind of be disgusted with myself and disgusted as far as the way my life and my career is heading right now. In times of darkness, you’ve got to look for the light and that’s what I plan on doing, regardless of what suspensions and fines are being handed down. I will take them as sincerely as they give them out.”
One would question, did this man have a rough childhood? According to the two-time Pro Bowl player, family has been very supportive. Academics and athletics were emphasized, and he believes his parents and two younger siblings helped him excel to attain his goals. Johnson has said that his father, Larry Sr., a Penn State Football Coach, is his best friend and that they are very close. His mother, Christine, an educator, is extraordinarily pleasant. Since her son's legal problems, she has been on his defense saying that he is not angry, just misunderstood and occasionally guarded.
In 2005, with the inspiration of his upbringing, Johnson founded the LJ’s Legacy & Growth Youth Foundation to create positive thinking, behavior and attitudes for self image and be a positive role model like his parents. Christine is part of the Professional Football Players Mothers' Association (PFPMA). She is hosting their donation event “Tackling Hunger” in State College, Pennsylvania on November 21st. Since her son's legal problems, she has been his defense saying that he is not angry, just misunderstood and occasionally guarded.
Johnson is not being the role model his parents were to him. It seems as if he hates women, but Johnson had a nurturing, caring mother and his father was not abusive. Where did he learn all these outlandish behaviors come from...aside from the boozing at the club? His actions are very disturbing with the frequency in violence against women. One would think that kicking the shit out of guys all day playing pro football is enough to release whatever frustrations one may have. I just don't get it.
October 27, 2008
By Slavica Milosevska for Football Reporters Online
The Kansas City Chiefs have concluded that RB Larry Johnson will not participate in foreknown future after being charged with non-aggravated assault for spiting his drink in a 24-year old woman's face at The Blonde, a Kansas City nightclub, on October 10th. The woman claims Johnson repeatedly threatened to kill her boyfriend and spit at her three times again while being escorted out. This is the fourth case where Johnson allegedly assaulted a woman. Johnson was already out the last two games for breaking team rules and was teetering a suspension from the NFL. If suspended, the Chiefs may refuse to pay $5.5 million in guaranteed bonuses.
A serious issue is Johnson's past “reported” abuse towards woman, and remember, “reported” could mean more situations not on the record. In 2003, a felony aggravated assault and misdemeanor domestic battery for waving a gun in his home while arguing with his ex-girlfriend were dropped because of an agreement to enroll in a domestic violence program. Then in 2005, there was an accusation of throwing a woman to the ground, but again the case was dropped because on three separate hearings, the victim did not to appear in court. Then while awaiting his December 3rd court appearance for pushing a woman's head to the floor on February 24th, facing a six month maximum sentence and a $500 fine, he is now charged with a simple municipal assault charge.
Johnson stated in a recent public apology, “This is the first time in my life I actually had to stand up, I mean actually woke up and kind of be disgusted with myself and disgusted as far as the way my life and my career is heading right now. In times of darkness, you’ve got to look for the light and that’s what I plan on doing, regardless of what suspensions and fines are being handed down. I will take them as sincerely as they give them out.”
One would question, did this man have a rough childhood? According to the two-time Pro Bowl player, family has been very supportive. Academics and athletics were emphasized, and he believes his parents and two younger siblings helped him excel to attain his goals. Johnson has said that his father, Larry Sr., a Penn State Football Coach, is his best friend and that they are very close. His mother, Christine, an educator, is extraordinarily pleasant. Since her son's legal problems, she has been on his defense saying that he is not angry, just misunderstood and occasionally guarded.
In 2005, with the inspiration of his upbringing, Johnson founded the LJ’s Legacy & Growth Youth Foundation to create positive thinking, behavior and attitudes for self image and be a positive role model like his parents. Christine is part of the Professional Football Players Mothers' Association (PFPMA). She is hosting their donation event “Tackling Hunger” in State College, Pennsylvania on November 21st. Since her son's legal problems, she has been his defense saying that he is not angry, just misunderstood and occasionally guarded.
Johnson is not being the role model his parents were to him. It seems as if he hates women, but Johnson had a nurturing, caring mother and his father was not abusive. Where did he learn all these outlandish behaviors come from...aside from the boozing at the club? His actions are very disturbing with the frequency in violence against women. One would think that kicking the shit out of guys all day playing pro football is enough to release whatever frustrations one may have. I just don't get it.
Crisis solutions: Top Economist at Southampton 5 Nov
NEWS! Prof Charles Goodhart is giving a free lecture on:
The Banking Crisis: Causes, Consequences & Solutions
5pm Wednesday 5th Nov. University of Southampton, UK.
Link: http://www.management.soton.ac.uk/research/centre-for-banking-finance-sustainable-development.php
If possible please e-mail: c.hopper@soton.ac.uk to register.
This is the inaugural seminar of the Centre for Banking, Finance & Sustainable Development which was founded by Professor Richard Werner D. Phil. (Oxon), Chair of International Banking at the School of Management.
Any source
The Banking Crisis: Causes, Consequences & Solutions
5pm Wednesday 5th Nov. University of Southampton, UK.
Link: http://www.management.soton.ac.uk/research/centre-for-banking-finance-sustainable-development.php
If possible please e-mail: c.hopper@soton.ac.uk to register.
This is the inaugural seminar of the Centre for Banking, Finance & Sustainable Development which was founded by Professor Richard Werner D. Phil. (Oxon), Chair of International Banking at the School of Management.
Any source
Una pequeña tormenta deja 1,8 mm en Orihuela
Seguimos sumando precipitación poco a poco. Un núcleo de precipitación proveniente de la cordillera penibética con dirección Suroeste- Noreste (SW-NE) ha dejado 1,8 litros por metro cuadrado en la ciudad. No ha sido gran cosa, porque la velocidad que llevaba dicho núcleo era rapidísima. El radar meteorológico de Murcia lo ha marcado a la perfección, actualización tras actualización el núcleo recorría gran extensión kilométrica debido a su rapidez de movimiento.
Veáse el Radar de Murcia a las 14:30 horas.
Veáse el Radar de Murcia a las 15:00 horas.
Como pueden ver, el núcleo ha llegado a alcanzar sorprendentemente los 60 Db. Veamos ahora que cantidades de precipitación se han recogido en los distintos observatorios meteorológicos del Sureste peninsular a causa de este núcleo de precipitación con escaso aparato eléctrico:
Pilar de la Horadada (Alicante): 23,2 mm
Torrevieja (Alicante): 7,0 mm
Almoradí (Alicante): 3,2 mm
Santomera (Murcia): 3,0 mm
Murcia (Murcia): 2,0 mm
Guardamar del Segura (Alicante): 2,0 mm
Aeropuerto El Altet (Alicante): 2,0 mm
Orihuela (Alicante): 1,8 mm
Catral (Alicante): 1,2 mm
Elche (Alicante): 1,1 mm
Alicante (Alicante): 0,5 mm
Como pueden ver, la tormenta fue más fuerte en zonas de costa, mientras que en zonas de prelitoral o interior apenas llevaba aparato eléctrico y la lluvia ha llegado a intensidad moderada como máximo. En Torrevieja (Alicante), el núcleo de precipitación con escaso aparato eléctrico ha dejado una impresionante sorpresa, se trata de una tremenda manga marina o tuba sobre el mar frente a las costa de dicha ciudad. Aquí les dejo con la tremenda fotografía:
Veáse la espectacular manga marina o tuba que ha aparecido hoy en Torrevieja frente el paseo de Levante.Any source
Veáse el Radar de Murcia a las 14:30 horas.
Veáse el Radar de Murcia a las 15:00 horas.
Como pueden ver, el núcleo ha llegado a alcanzar sorprendentemente los 60 Db. Veamos ahora que cantidades de precipitación se han recogido en los distintos observatorios meteorológicos del Sureste peninsular a causa de este núcleo de precipitación con escaso aparato eléctrico:
Pilar de la Horadada (Alicante): 23,2 mm
Torrevieja (Alicante): 7,0 mm
Almoradí (Alicante): 3,2 mm
Santomera (Murcia): 3,0 mm
Murcia (Murcia): 2,0 mm
Guardamar del Segura (Alicante): 2,0 mm
Aeropuerto El Altet (Alicante): 2,0 mm
Orihuela (Alicante): 1,8 mm
Catral (Alicante): 1,2 mm
Elche (Alicante): 1,1 mm
Alicante (Alicante): 0,5 mm
Como pueden ver, la tormenta fue más fuerte en zonas de costa, mientras que en zonas de prelitoral o interior apenas llevaba aparato eléctrico y la lluvia ha llegado a intensidad moderada como máximo. En Torrevieja (Alicante), el núcleo de precipitación con escaso aparato eléctrico ha dejado una impresionante sorpresa, se trata de una tremenda manga marina o tuba sobre el mar frente a las costa de dicha ciudad. Aquí les dejo con la tremenda fotografía:
Veáse la espectacular manga marina o tuba que ha aparecido hoy en Torrevieja frente el paseo de Levante.
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