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Lehman Brothers Collection
Baker Library Collections
Corporate Reports Collection
R. G. Dun & Co. Credit Reports
HBS Cases
Baker Old Class Collection
Related Archival Collections
Baker Library Special Collections
1840s – 1880sGeneral Merchants to Commodities Brokers
1880s – 1920s Investment Banking & Securities Underwriting
1920s – 1960sInvesting in Emerging Industries
1850–1968Lehman Brothers Family Partners
1960s – 2000sLeadership Transitions
2008Bankruptcy
Global Impact of the Collapse
Lehman Brothers Timeline
Sept-Oct 2008Video-Coverage of the Financial Crisis
Download the Exhibition Catalog (PDF)
Deal Books
Using the Deal Books
1840s – 1880s General Merchants to Commodities Brokers
1920s – 1960s Investing in Emerging Industries
1850–1968 Lehman Brothers Family Partners
1960s – 2000s Leadership Transitions
2008 Bankruptcy
Sept-Oct 2008 Video-Coverage of the Financial Crisis
Baker Library
Lehman Brothers: 1850 - 2008
By 2008, Lehman Brothers was massively invested in mortgage-backed securities. Erin Callan Montella, appointed CFO in late 2007, says she quickly "came to understand how the mere existence of a concentrated portfolio of mortgage assets on our balance sheet was a big problem, regardless of any quality or hedging arguments that might be made."[16]
Glen Le Lievre, "Too big to fail." The Wall Street Journal Cartoon Collection, Baker Library, Harvard Business School.
Lehman Brothers Building, September 15, 2008. Photo by Nicolas Roberts/AFP/Getty Images.
"I thought we were just buying a house!" R.J. Matson Editorial Cartoon. Courtesy of CagleCartoons.com.
Lehman Brothers sign taken into Auction House in London, September 24, 2010. Courtesy of AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth.
Barclays Group. Press Release, September 22, 2008. Barclays Group Archives.
In the mortgage securitization process, a borrower takes out a loan from a lending institution. The lending institution sells the mortgage to intermediaries, such as investment banks, that package the mortgages into mortgage-backed securities (MBS). MBSs were divided into tranches (levels of risk) and bundled with other kinds of securities into Collateralized Debt Obligations (CDO). Both the MBSs and the CDOs received ratings issued by Standard and Poor's, Moody's, or Fitch.[17]
MBSs and CDOs are sold to investors all over the world, including pension funds, insurance companies, mutual funds, hedge funds, and other investment banks.[18] Investors can hedge their CDO or MBS exposure through credit default swaps issued by insurers or broker dealers which cover losses if borrowers default on their loans. Investors, including investments banks, can also purchase credit default swaps on CDOs or MBSs they do not own and receive money if the securities incur losses.
Subprime mortgages, which became popular in the 1990s, were loans offered to borrowers with low credit ratings. In the 2000s, the Federal Reserve's low interest rates along with legislation such as the 2003 American Dream Downpayment Assistance Act fueled a significant increase in mortgage debt, resulting in a major housing boom and rise in house prices. Risky lending practices involved rating agencies that applied AAA ratings to subprime loans for which little documentation was required from the borrower. Lehman Brothers and other investment banks became heavily invested in MBSs and CDOs that yielded high relative returns. At the same time, wages for the average American remained stagnant. By 2007, declining home prices and rising rates on adjustable rate mortgages triggered a wave of foreclosures, causing devastation to millions of Americans.
Firms like Lehman Brothers pursued an aggressive strategy of borrowing from the capital market at low rates and investing in mortgage-backed securities (MBS) and other speculative securities (including commercial MBSs, high yield debt, and leveraged loans) with the expectation of receiving a higher rate of return. When the MBSs and speculative fixed income securities began to plummet in value, the firm owed more than its assets were worth. "Lehman had broken two basic investment rules: it bought at the top of the market and it failed to diversify its bets," Mark T. Williams writes in Uncontrolled Risk. "Commercial real estate became a millstone around Lehman's neck."[19]
The market for MBSs continued to fold in on itself, leaving investment banks with worthless assets. In "How Securitization Concentrated Risk," authors Viral V. Acharya and Matthew W. Richardson explain: "Standing behind the collapse of the investment banks . . . was the systematic failure of the securitization market; which had, in turn, been triggered by the popping of the overall housing bubble; which had, in turn, been fueled by the ability of these firms, as well as commercial banks, to finance so many mortgages in the first place."[20]
One of the early indicators of the falling house of cards was the collapse in the summer of 2007 of two Bear Stearns hedge funds that had major investments in MBSs. Regarding Lehman Brothers, Erin Callan Montella argues, "We were the smallest remaining investment bank. The least diversified. The most vulnerable to a deteriorating fixed income market."[21] Despite these warning signs, the firm continued its aggressive growth strategy. Another dire sign of the state of the financial system occurred on September 7, 2008, when the government placed Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, two government-sponsored mortgage lenders, in conservatorship.
In the fall of 2008, overleveraged in subprime mortgages, commercial mortgages, high yield securities, and leveraged loans, Lehman Brothers faced the prospect of bankruptcy. CEO Richard Fuld proved unsuccessful in securing a rescue effort for Lehman Brothers with the Korea Development Bank, Barclays, or Bank of America. While the Federal Reserve Bank of New York had issued a $30 billion emergency loan to JPMorgan Chase & Company to buy Bear Stearns in March 2008, the government refused to extend additional credit to Lehman Brothers.
On the weekend of September 13 and 14, 2008, Hank Paulson, Secretary of the Treasury and former CEO of Goldman Sachs, and Timothy Geithner, president of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, called a meeting of the leading investment banks, which were facing solvency issues of their own, to consider a private-sector rescue plan for Lehman Brothers. That weekend, Bank of America announced it would acquire Merrill-Lynch. By Monday, September 15, 2008, with no buyer, Lehman Brothers, whose stock had plunged over 90 percent since February 2007, declared bankruptcy. That day the Dow Jones fell 504 points. Within the week, Barclays agreed to buy Lehman Brothers' U.S. large fixed-income operations (that paid a fixed rate of return on a fixed schedule) but not its toxic real estate assets, and Nomura announced its purchase of the firm's Asian and European operations.
[16] Erin Callan Montella, Full Circle: A Memoir of Leaning in Too Far and the Journey Back (Sanibel, FL: Temple Press, 2016), 142. Montella resigned from Lehman Brothers in June 2008.
[17] MBSs were divided into approximately 18 tranches comprised of "AAA" tranches for approximately 75% of the pool, followed by "AA", "A", "BBB", "B", and equity tranches, with each tranch subordinate to all the senior tranches. CDOs were typically comprised of "BBB" tranches from approximately 100 different MBS securities and were also divided into similar type tranches as the MBSs.
[18] In general, CDOs come in the form of cash CDOs (backed by assets such as bonds or loans) or synthetic CDOs linked to credit derivatives such as credit default swaps.
[19] Williams, 152.
[20] Viral V. Acharya and Matthew W. Richardson, "How Securitization Concentrated Risk," in What Caused the Financial Crisis, ed. Jeffrey Friedman (Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2011), 198.
[21] Montella, 158.


Quaint, Cosy 1 Bed Cottage for sale by Private Treaty. The cottage has been lovingly refurbished, still retaining some old world charm. The open plan kitchen/living room is cosy with a solid fuel stove.
The property is located just 1 mile off the R280 Road, approx. 6 miles from Kinlough and 8 miles from Manorhamilton.
Viewings on Saturdays Mornings and by Appointment Only.


Andy Selva – San Marino's national hero!
On the first day of September 2017, as the autumnal chills were beginning to wrap their cold fingers around football fans watching their teams progress – or otherwise – through the qualifying programme, chasing a place in the 2018 World Cup in Russia, Michael O'Neill took his Northern Ireland team to the Stadio Olimpico di Serravalle in San Marino. They returned with a comfortable 0-3 victory. On the face of it, the result was probably one of the easiest to predict of the evening's international fixtures across the globe.
San Marino are, after all, one of the weakest of the Fifa family members, being placed at 204 in the August 2017 rankings with only the British Virgin Islands, of the teams with any ranking at all, beneath them. Until Gibraltar were admitted into Uefa in 2013, they were also European football's smallest competing country, as defined by population numbers. All that said though, there's just the slightest of chances that perhaps the result may have been different had the home team been able to call on the services of their most capped player and top scorer. Unfortunately, the man in question was injured and unavailable. When you're the only player in the history of your country's footballing exploits to ever have scored a winning goal whilst wearing the national colours, you're going to carry a little prestige with you, even if you are at the ripe old age of 41.
In fairness to O'Neill's team, the men in green were on a heroic run of form at the time and, truth be told, would in all likelihood still secured the victory even if their opponents were able to call on a full roster of players. Every team misses their top scorer when unavailable though, and San Marino were surely no different.
Andy Selva was born in Rome on 25th May 1976. Despite his birthplace being the capital of Italy, having a Sammarinese mother meant that although his chances of ever being selected for to play in the famous Azure shirt of the country of his birth were slim, he could enter the international arena under the colours of La Serenissima. He would do so with distinction.
Selva began his playing career in the 1994-95 season amongst the undistinguished surroundings of the regional fifth tier of Italian football, somewhat inappropriately named the Eccellenza (Excellent) with A.S. Latina scoring five goals in just over two dozen league appearances. It was hardly a record to set the pulses racing, but deemed sufficient to interest Civita Castellana, who strutted their stuff in Serie D, one league above where Latina played. In his one season with the Lazio-based club, he returned an impressive 10 goals in 31 league games.
Continuing the upwards momentum, he then moved to Fano, who played in Serie C2, and remained with the Granata until March 1998. It seemed however that perhaps Selva had reached beyond his level at this exalted height. For a number of reasons, he only played just a couple more games than in his single season with his previous club, and scored just a single goal. It was the least productive period of his career, and even compared poorly to his record playing in international games for San Marino. Ironically, it was while with Fano that Selva first received international recognition. Called up for the San Marino U21 side, he played against Turkey, and despite a 1-4 home defeat, netted his team's only goal. The following year, he made his full international debut, and scored his first goal for his country netting from 12 yards in a 1-4 defeat to Austria. He wouldn't trouble the international scoring records again until 2001.
Selva was offered an opportunity to redeem his domestic league reputation the following season with a move to another Serie C2 club, Catanzaro. He may have found the Cantabrian air more to his liking as he rehabilitated both reputation and form. He found his shooting boots again and delivered half-a-dozen goals in a less than outstanding season by the club in which he made 40 league appearances.
Although an improvement on the goal record at his previous club, it may well have been the case that at this stage of his career, it would be wise to take a step backwards, in order to pick up some more forward momentum. A move back to the Eccellenza with Tivoli fitted the bill. Back facing the more accommodating defences of the regional league, 15 goals in just 21 league matches was still a worthy achievement. It would lead to a move to a city where Selva would enjoy the most celebrated moment of his career, although not whilst wearing his club's shirt.
San Marino Calcio are based in Serravalle, the nominal capital of San Marino, near the Apennines Mountains, and Selva's move to his maternal homeland also meant that he would play his club's home games at the somewhat inaptly named Stadio Olimpico. His club career in Serravalle was however was hardly successful and he returned just four goals in 26 league appearances during the 2000-01 season. It would mean an inevitable moving on, although the following season was a peripatetic one, even for a player who had already played for half-a-dozen clubs in just seven years.
The 2001-02 season saw Selva play for no less than three different clubs. After three appearances with San Marino without troubling the scorers, he moved down the east coast of Italy and turned out five times for Serie D club Maceratese, scoring once, before being shipped out on loan to Grosseto in Tuscany where a further 15 league games and two goals saw out the season's play and wanderings.
Somewhat ironically, that season of travelling between three clubs, also saw a landmark in his international career. On 28th February 2001, San Marino faced a difficult – given the paucity of their resources, there a few games that aren't difficult – World Cup qualifying game in Belgium. Although perhaps not at the same level as the Red Devils' current crop of world stars, the Belgian team of the time was more than capable of handing out a sound defeat to the smallest of European football's minnows, and did so scoring ten goals, and conceding just one. That single strike for San Marino though came from Andy Selva. Scoring against the Belgians would become a nice habit for the striker.
The game was well into the ninetieth minute and the home team had sated themselves by hitting double figures of goals a couple of minutes earlier, when San Marino were awarded a free-kick on the edge of the Belgium penalty area. Sizing up the opportunity, Selva clipped a right-footed shot over the wall and into the top corner of Deflandre's net. It meant little in the context of the game of course, but made Selva his country's all-time top marksman. He became the only player in the history of San Marino football to score more than one goal for his country. It was an honour he would retain until 2012, when Manuel Marani scored against Malta to give San Marino the lead in a Friendly home game against Malta. They lost the game 2-3. By this time however, Selva had stretched his total at the top of the San Marino international goal scoring charts to eight.
Four months after the drubbing in Brussels, Belgium played the return fixture in Serravalle. This time they only won by 1-4. The home goal was, of course, scored by Selva. The Belgians had threatened a repeat performance of their home victory sweeping ahead with just ten minutes on the clock, when Marc Wilmots fired home. Inside sixty seconds though, a rare foray forwards by the home team saw a ball squared to Selva who coolly slotted the ball into the net for the equaliser. The home players celebrated the unexpected goal with appropriate delight and enthused by the strike, held their illustrious visitors level until just before the hour mark. Three goals from there though, by Gert Verheyen, Wesley Sonck and another by Wilmots gave Belgium a comfortable victory.
In 2003, Selva moved clubs again, this time joining current Serie A club Società Polisportiva Ars et Labor, more commonly known as SPAL. Although recently promoted to Serie A after being crowned Serie B Champions in 2016-17, at the time of Selva's arrival, the club was languishing in Serie C1. He stayed with the Biancazzurri for two seasons playing just over 50 games and scoring an impressive 22 goals. It was during his time in Emilia-Romagna that his greatest claim to fame came to pass, and a game that made him a national hero took place.
Unsurprisingly, despite the meritorious result of a 1-1 draw in Latvia thanks to an equaliser on the hour mark by Nicola Albani, San Marino had finished rock bottom of the qualifying table for the 2002 World Cup, although Selva's two goals against Belgium had placed him in joint fifth place for top scorers in the group, alongside such luminaries as Croatia's Robert Prosinečki and Davor Vugrinec. Such an accolade is probably tempered a little though by the inclusion at the same level of Scotland's granite centre-back Colin Hendry.
All that was behind them now though, and on 28th April 2004, San Marino played a Friendly game against that other perennial whipping-boy of European football, Liechtenstein, at Serravalle's Stadio Olimpico. Although perhaps a minnow to most other European countries, the team from the Grand Duchy were still pretty big fish compared to the home team.
Selva was captain of the team by now, and with six minutes on the clock, the home team was awarded a free-kick on the edge of the visitors' penalty area. It had been a full 38 months since Selva had netted his goal from a similar position in Brussels, but with what appeared practised ease, he clipped the ball over the wall and into the net to give San Marino a lead they wouldn't relinquish in the remaining 84 minutes and, to date, a unique victory in the footballing history of the country. It was also one of only three occasions to date where they had not conceded a goal. Their best other results were three draws. Aside from the one mentioned against Latvia, they also shared the spoils away to Liechtenstein in a 2003 Friendly and at home to Estonia in a qualifying game for the 2006 European Championships. They had lost every other one of their games.
The following year, towards the end of the 2004-05 season, San Marino entertained Belgium in a qualifying game for the 2006 World Cup. In the eleven months since the victory over Liechtenstein, San Marino had played five games, losing them all and conceding 18 goals without netting a single one in return. Belgium had become Selva's personal favourite opposition though and had scored in both of the games San Marino had played against them with him in the side. Could he deliver again? Of course, he could.
Timmy Simons had put the visitors ahead with a penalty after 18 minutes, but just ahead of the break Selva performed the oracle again and netted his third goal against Belgium and the fifth for his country. Belgium would score again to secure the victory, but the Red Devils' defence had seen enough of Selva by now. Three months later, the footballers of Bosnia and Herzegovina would have some sympathy with the Belgian backline and goalkeeper. Arriving in Serravalle for the next game in the qualifying group, they left with a 1-3 victory under their belt, but the home fans had been warmed by celebrating a long-range goal from the country's top marksman to bring the home team back into the game at 1-2.
Despite, or perhaps because of, this success and fame, Selva moved to Padova for the 2005-06 season. It was however a short stay in Veneto. After scoring only two goals he was transferred to another current Serie A club who were experiencing less successful period in Serie C1 at the time, Sassuolo. Back in the north of the country, he enjoyed a successful period scoring 23 goals in just under 60 games across a two-year period and played a key role in their breakthrough season when they achieved promotion to Serie B under the stewardship of Massimiliano Allegri, who would later go on to much more success. Selva enjoyed success of his own and was top scorer in Group A of Serie C1.
It was during his time with the Neroverdi that he scored his seventh and eighth goals for San Marino. Almost two and a half years had passed since his goal against Bosnia and Herzegovina, and in that time, across 14 games San Marino had conceded no less than 70 goals, losing every game and the only goal to their credit had come in a 1-2 home defeat to the Republic of Ireland, when Manuel Marani scored the first of the two goals for his country to date.
When Wales visited Serravalle though, Selva would end his international drought. Entering the last fifteen minutes of the game Wales were two goals clear, but a free-kick against the visitors by the edge of the penalty area invited Selva to perform his party piece. He duly obliged, but Wales held out for the victory.
Twelve months, two defeats and 13 goals conceded later, San Marino entertained Slovakia in Serravalle. By now Selva was 32 years old, but still the most automatic of selections for his country. As was now becoming the norm, San Marino were two goals down when Selva struck. Taking possession out on the left flank, he cut inside a defender and sent a curling shot into the far corner of the net. Again, as was the norm, it did little to affect the result of the game and a third Slovakian goal tied things up.
After leaving Sassuolo in 2009, Selva moved to Hellas Verona for two years, but was released by the club when they achieved promotion to Serie B. It seemed that most of the clubs he plied his trade at saw Serie B as a bridge too far for Andy Selva, especially with his aging legs. Eight goals in 29 league games for the Gialloblu suggested there was life in the old dog yet though. From 2011, when he left Verona, Selva has played for another three different clubs and, at the time of writing, at the ripe old age of 41 is with S.P. La Fiorita, who finished Group A of Serie C1 as champions in 2016-17.
Some may say that it's relatively easy getting an international cap for a small country that has such a small pool of talent to select from, and there may well be some truth in that. Becoming top scorer for that country though, with currently a total standing at four times the amount of his nearest rival rather diminishes any such charge levelled against Andy Selva.
No-one can say who may come along in the future to challenge Selva's record for San Marino, but given the history to date, it may well be a while before another such talent pulls on their international shirt. Until such time, Andy Selva will stand head and shoulders as San Marino's outstanding player. For a small country, yes, but certainly a true national hero.
(This All Blue Daze article was originally produced for 'The Football Pink' website).


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Club Deportivo Illescas is a Spanish football team based in Illescas, Toledo, in the autonomous community of Castile-La Mancha. Founded in 1962, it  plays in Tercera División, holding home matches at Estadio Municipal de Illescas, with a capacity of 1,000 spectators.

Season to season

13 seasons in Tercera División

References

External links
Futbolme team profile

Football clubs in Castilla–La Mancha
Association football clubs established in 1962
1962 establishments in Spain
Illescas, Toledo

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


A group of academics on April 2 held a press conference in Kyoto and announced that Kyoto University in 1945 allegedly accepted a doctoral thesis that was based on inhumane testing conducted on human bodies by a former Imperial Japanese Army biological warfare unit.
Major Hirasawa Masayoshi, who belonged to the Imperial Japanese Army's unit 731 which specialized in bioweapons and is notorious for having conducted human experimentations during the war, was in September 1945 awarded a doctorate in medicine by Kyoto University. His thesis was about dog fleas' ability to convey plague.
In the press conference, the scholars cited the explanation of procedure employed in which the author used monkeys as test animals and that infected monkeys "complained of" headaches. The academics said that no monkey "complains of" that symptom and that it is highly likely that the author had in actuality used humans as laboratory animals in his experiments. They stressed, "If so, the paper involves not just the falsification of data but also descriptions of extremely unethical and inhumane acts." The scholars' group stated that as an institution providing advanced academic degrees, Kyoto University has an obligation to reexamine the thesis.
The academics' group is collecting signatures for a petition urging the president of Kyoto University and the chief of the university's medical department to investigate whether the paper in question was based on human experimentation.


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Snowden: NSA spied on human rights workers
by • April 8th 2014
The National Security Agency has spied on human rights groups, Edward Snowden tells the Council of Europe.
He told the group: "The NSA has targeted leaders and staff members of these sorts of organisations, including domestically within the borders of the United States."
Snowden listed Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch as among the bodies the NSA has spied on.
Photo: Edward Snowden speaks via video link with members of the Council of Europe, in Strasbourg. Photograph: Vincent Kessler/Reuters via The Guardian
[theguardian]
Tags:Edward Snowden Government surveillance NSA
← Rand Paul Says Dick Cheney Went to War in Iraq for Halliburton Profits VIDEO
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UK Supermarkets Pledge to Reduce Plastic Packaging
Following increased media coverage around the topic of plastic waste and its negative environmental impact, the UK's major supermarkets have voluntarily set up the "UK Plastics Pact". This initiative aims to see all plastic packaging being reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025.
With a million bottles being bought every minute around the globe, and with this figure set to rise 20% over the next three years, our levels of plastic waste are colossal. And with a plastic bottle taking 450 years to decompose, all those bottles aren't going anywhere.
And this is indicative of an even wider problem, as plastic bottles only constitute one form of plastic waste. When we shop in a supermarket, the majority of our food items will come with plastic packaging that is thrown straight in the bin.
This waste ends up in the landfill or often in the ocean. The BBC's documentary Blue Planet recently raised awareness of the issue of plastic pollution in our oceans, which poses a serious threat to marine life and ecosystems.
Action from supermarkets
Under pressure from increasing public backlash against excessive and damaging use of plastic, most of the major UK supermarkets have come together to create a voluntary pact that pledges to cut plastic packaging. The move also comes after talk that the government has been considering making companies pay more towards the collection and recycling of plastic waste.
42 businesses have agreed to support the pledge so far, including Sainsury's, Tesco, Morrisons, Waitrose, Aldi and Lidl.
However, there is some concern amongst critics that the scheme is voluntary, so supermarkets don't have to opt in or indeed stick to the pact. Supermarkets have been notoriously evasive and secretive when it comes to plastic packaging—some feel that legislation is needed to enforce and regulate changes on plastic usage and waste.
Major supermarket Iceland has not joined the pact—back in January it already pledged to eliminate all plastic packaging from its own-brand products. It states it will be focusing on this "more far-reaching" initiative rather than joining the UK Plastics Pact.
Other steps being taken to cut plastic waste include a forthcoming government bottle deposit scheme similar to that of Germany and other countries. Customers can return their drinks containers using a machine at their local supermarket and receive a small cash sum back. In Germany, where a deposit scheme was introduced in 2003, 99% of plastic bottles are now recycled.
This is of course a great step, although as plastic can only be recycled a limited number of times, moves towards eliminating plastic packaging in the first place, such as the UK Plastics Pact, will have a more positive long-term environmental impact.
Here at Willshee's, we think that the new pact is great news. Reducing plastic packaging is very important, but where it is used, it is very important to recycle it. If you would like to learn more about our plastic recycling services, please do not hesitate to get in touch with us on 01283 702 340 or at sales@willshees.co.uk.


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Apologies for my lack of communication recently – it's been a bit mad! So, after a wonderful and whirlwind few months in Seattle (which stole my heart – what a amazing and underrate city it is!), followed by a brief stop in London, here I am finally in Nairobi, Kenya!
I've just arrived and am really looking forward to getting to know this amazing country some more, though I have to say I am loving it already. So far I've wandered around our local area, eaten some yummy food and yes – I fed, patted and even kissed some beautiful, gentle giraffes at the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife Giraffe Centre. As many people know, I am a *tad* animal obsessed and adore all creatures, so it was a very special experience to kick off my time here.
Furthermore, I have also already met a whole bunch of wonderful, inspiring people that are doing fantastic work here and I have some great ideas brewing for films that I think will make a real, significant impact, so watch this space! Exciting stuff!
More information on that specific project coming soon….


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Archive | February 2015
in Earthquake, Earthquake Alert
MAGNITUDE 3.0 SOUTHEASTERN MISSOURI, USA
http://www.emsc-csem.org/Earthquake/earthquake.php?id=429791
Distances: 614 km S of Chicago, United States / pop: 2,695,598 / local time: 17:08:44.3 2015-02-28
260 km W of Nashville, United States / pop: 530,852 / local time: 17:08:44.3 2015-02-28
11 km SW of New Madrid, United States / pop: 3,116 / local time: 17:08:44.3 2015-02-28
6 km S of Lilbourn, United States / pop: 1,190 / local time: 17:08:44.3 2015-02-28
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000tu15#general_summary
Distances: 42km (26mi) N of Visokoi Island, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
2567km (1595mi) ESE of Ushuaia, Argentina
2768km (1720mi) ESE of Rio Gallegos, Argentina
2785km (1731mi) SE of Puerto Deseado, Argentina
2062km (1281mi) ESE of Stanley, Falkland Islands
in Cosmic Rays Alert, Earth's Core, Influx Of Energy Alert, Magnetosphere Alert, Massive Dip Spikes Alert
MEGA DIP SPIKING ON THE MAGNETOSPHERE @ APPROX 16:00 hrs UTC
**VERY URGENT**
MEGA DIP SPIKING ON THE MAGNETOSPHERE @ APPROX 16:00 hrs UTC. FURTHER EARTHQUAKES, VOLCANO ACTIVITY & ADVERSE WEATHER PATTERNS WILL BE GREATLY INFLUENCED BY THE COSMIC RAYS STRIKING THE EARTH'S CORE
MAGNITUDE 4.6 DOMINICA, LEEWARD ISLANDS
Distances: 8 km NE of Roseau, Dominica / pop: 16,571 / local time: 08:28:04.0 2015-02-28
5 km E of Mahaut / pop: 2,369 / local time: 08:28:00.0 2015-02-28
MAGNITUDE 3.2 BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA
Distances: 27 km S of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina / pop: 696,731 / local time: 10:17:56.7 2015-02-28
16 km SE of Gračanica, Bosnia and Herzegovina / pop: 3,871 / local time: 10:17:56.7 2015-02-28
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000tty8#general_summary
Distances: 15km (9mi) SE of Gracanica, Bosnia and Herzegovina
23km (14mi) SSE of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
32km (20mi) WNW of Foca, Bosnia and Herzegovina
37km (23mi) E of Konjic, Bosnia and Herzegovina
43km (27mi) SSE of Visoko, Bosnia and Herzegovina
MAGNITUDE 4.0 SOUTHERN ITALY
Distances: 87 km E of Roma, Italy / pop: 2,563,241 / local time: 04:16:17.8 2015-02-28
43 km S of L'Aquila, Italy / pop: 68,503 / local time: 04:16:17.8 2015-02-28
20 km N of Balsorano Vecchio, Italy / pop: 3,707 / local time: 04:16:17.8 2015-02-28
MAGNITUDE 5.1 ANATAHAN REG, N. MARIANA ISLANDS
http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/usc000ttwj#general_summary
Distances: 76km (47mi) NNE of Anatahan, Northern Mariana Islands
197km (122mi) N of Saipan, Northern Mariana Islands
198km (123mi) N of Northern Islands Municipality – Mayor's Office, Northern Mariana Islands
226km (140mi) N of JP Tinian Town pre-WW2, Northern Mariana Islands
399km (248mi) NNE of Yigo Village, Guam
in Yellowstone
YELLOWSTONE REGION MAGNITUDE 2.7 UTAH, USA
http://www.seis.utah.edu/req2webdir/recenteqs/Quakes/uu60103017.html
Distances: Enoch, UT – 13 km (8 miles) W (274 degrees)
Cedar City, UT – 14 km (9 miles) NW (313 degrees)
Kanarraville, UT – 26 km (16 miles) N (359 degrees)
Brian Head, UT – 31 km (19 miles) WNW (284 degrees)
Caliente, NV – 118 km (73 miles) E (81 degrees)
MEGA DIP SPIKES ON THE MAGNETOSPHERE @ APPROX 21:15, 21:30, 22:00 hrs UTC
MEGA DIP SPIKES ON THE MAGNETOSPHERE @ APPROX 21:15, 21:30, 22:00 hrs UTC. FURTHER EARTHQUAKES, VOLCANO ACTIVITY & ADVERSE WEATHER PATTERNS WILL BE GREATLY INFLUENCED BY THE COSMIC RAYS STRIKING THE EARTH'S CORE


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Greatest Movie Ever Sold: Interview with Morgan Spurlock
It was two years ago when we first got the idea to make POM Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold.
It began with a conversation between me and my producing partner and co-writer, Jeremy Chilnick, where we talked about the TV show Heroes and their less than subtle inclusion of the Nissan Rogue into the show's storyline.
Big Summer Movies
We then started talking about all the big summer movies, from Transformers to Iron Man to James Bond, and about how all those product placements were more than just advertisements for products, they were tools that made these movies' footprints and awareness even bigger. These co-promotions helped turn them into blockbusters.
And we wondered, if a little movie, even a documentary, had the same type of partnerships and co-promotion opportunities, could it have a bigger presence? Would it have the same influence? Could a doc reach the same level of awareness and marketability of a summer blockbuster? Would it be a doc-buster?
Brands Are Everywhere
Brands are everywhere these days. It seems like I can't go to any event these days without someone sponsoring it. Sporting events, concerts, anything. So, why not a movie?
Better yet, why not a movie that examines the whole phenomenon that is actually paid for by the companies themselves. That was the jumping off point.
Back in 19th Century
Now product placement isn't a new phenomenon. In the 1800s, Jules Verne sold the naming rights to shipping companies in Around the World in 80 Days, and in the early days of film, Thomas Edison put ads for his own products in his movies. But television has always been its own animal. When it first began, shows were actually paid for and written by the advertisers, and the whole purpose was to sell a product. Let's not forget that soap operas were created by soap companies for the sole purpose of selling more soap to moms!
But as the popularity of film and television grew, the power of the advertisers diminished. It became about star power. It became about the content of the shows and the creativity of their creators. Over the last few decades though, that power has slowly been chipped away as more and more networks and outlets are competing for the same ad dollars and the same eyeballs. And so, the advertisers began to have power again–not only to get the air-time they wanted, but with the ability to dictate the content.
TiVo Revolution
And so, here we are once again as we were in the beginning, with the birth of a new film and TV revolution (actually the TiVo Revolution), at the crossroads of money, power, influence, distribution, and creativity.
I wanted this film to explore the give and take that happens when you–play the game or at least what happens when you try, and I think the film will open a lot of people's eyes to the unbelievable conversations and situations that happen behind closed doors everyday in the entertainment and advertising businesses. It doesn't matter if you're a writer, director, producer, or musician, you are affected by this on some level, but not nearly as much as the consumer.
For in the middle of the thousands of hours of commercials and advertisements that we all see in our lifetime, there is an invisible curtain that makes us think this is the norm. That it's the way it should be.
Absurdity and Pervasiveness
The movie documents both the absurdity and pervasiveness of product placement in our daily lives and I saw my role on this film as both a filmmaker and an anthropologist. I needed to be careful that I did not become part of the punch line or part of the campaign. I had set out to see how important advertising is in our daily lives, maintaining that perspective was the only way I could get the movie made. I also wanted to maintain a healthy respect for all of the sponsors and what their goals are and meanwhile I remain the third eye observing it all.
I think this film does a great job of pulling that curtain back in a way we've never seen. After people watch this film, I think they will start to look at everything a little differently, especially the way they are marketed and advertised to every single day of their lives.


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The New Mercedes-Benz G63 AMG
Posted on 17th Sep 2012
Mercedes-Benz are one of the world's favourite prestige car manufacturers. Their range of cars represents some of the most affordable luxury vehicles on the market, combining great taste with fine German engineering. They're usually more well known for their range of sedan and estate cars, but their range of 4 wheel drive cars has been gaining a lot of fans recently. Their SUV sales have naturally risen as the demand for luxury 'Chelsea Tractor' type vehicles has increased in the last decade. However, their much less refined Gelandewagen has also seen sales rise by over 50%. In May they announced the arrival of their new 2013 G63 AMG as the latest update to this range.
The Gelandewagen was originally designed by Mercedes-Benz as a military vehicle. It has a box type look that clearly places functionality over form. However, this is considered by many to be an iconic design, as memorable as the Porsche 911, another notable classic of German auto-mobile engineering. Therefore you can understand why the designers of the new 2013 AMG model have been loathe to change this classic look.
So what have Mercedes-Benz actually done to update this classic? Well, in terms of the exterior they've followed the vogue of many manufacturers with LED head-lamps, which provide a much brighter source of light than conventional lights. There's also helpful indicators now placed on the wing mirrors. Red brake callipers and twenty inch alloy wheels add to this new slightly urban look to the G63 AMG, without allowing the bling to take over. Finally there's the three huge air intakes that define the front fascia, hinting at the sheer aggression available from it's beastly engine.
Whilst the exterior of the G64 AMG is considered a Germanic icon, designers have not adopted the same conservative approach to restyling the interior. It seems that most luxury car drivers now expect some kind of tablet computer styled interface sitting in the middle of the front display and Mercedes-Benz have decided not to disappoint. The centrally mounted screen interface uses a a twist and press style button interface that should be familiar to all kinds of modern car users. Couple this with cruise control, Parktronic (MB's propitiatory parking assistance system) and blind spot assist and you'll start realising what's been done to bring this model into the 21st century.
Under the hood the G63 AMG is a veritable monster. It packs in a 5.5 litre twin turbo V8 engine capable of supplying up to 536 HP. This powers the car's four wheel drive system via a smooth seven speed automatic gearbox, which has been specially optimised for the model. The hydraulic recirculating-ball steering is apparently more suited to the wild outdoors than the rigours of the modern street, and will require a bit of getting used to. When it comes to more tough terrain you can rely on the special four wheel electronic traction system (4ETS) to use its special three distinct differentials to help you over anything that comes in your path. It even features a special mode that'll allow you to work with a trailer.
With a top speed of around 130mph and 0-60 in around 5 seconds the G63 AMG can challenge and beat most sports cars on the road in an outright drag race. It's available at on on the road price of just over £120,000, a full £40,000 more expensive than the entry level model. Of course however, if you want the best from this design classic, then you've got to pay the top price, and in our opinion this model is more than worth the money.
If you'd like to sell your 2008 plate on Mercedes get in touch with us because we offer a face to face service where your prestige car is personally valued. Call us on 0845 003418 or complete this prestige car valuation form.
Are you ready for a convertible?


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Mugil curema Valenciennes in Cuvier and Valenciennes, 1836
Family: Mugilidae
Common names: white mullet
Synonyms: Liza curema Valenciennes, 1836, more..., Mugil metzelaari Chabanaud, 1926, Mugil petrosus Valenciennes, 1836, Myxus harengus Gunther, 1861
Mugil curema
Habitat and Distribution
Population Biology
Species Description: Species Description: Mugil curema is a pelagic schooling fish in the family Mugilidae (Carvalho 2007). Its body is compressed and elongate. The dorsal surface of the white mullet is blue, green or olive with bluish reflections while sides are silvery providing camouflage from predators. Juvenile M. curema have a bright gold or yellow spot behind the opercle (bony plates which support the gill covers) (Bonner 2007). There is marked variation in the number of scales and pectoral fin rays among different populations. Most individuals have widely separated spiny-rayed dorsal fins with 4 spines and nine soft rays and pelvic fins with 1 spine and 5 branched soft rays. The anal fin has 3 spines and 9 soft rays (Nirchio et al. 2005).
Larval white mullet that are larger than 7 mm can be distinguished from its congener M. cephalus by the longer caudal peduncle and the pigmented second dorsal fin found on M. cephalus (Ditty and Shaw 1996).
Potentially Misidentified Species: Mugil cephalus Linnaeus, 1758, Mugil brasiliensis Spix and Agassiz, 1831 and Mugil gaimardianus Desmarest, 1831
Regional Occurrence: Mugil curema occurs throughout the western hemisphere in the Western Atlantic from Nova Scotia to Bermuda, Gulf of Mexico to southern Brazil, and in the Eastern Atlantic from the Gulf of California to Chile (Nirchio et al. 2005, Bonner 2007) Adult white mullets are usually found in coastal waters such as bays, beaches, lagoons, and tidal rivers. Spawning events occur offshore along the outer continental shelf (Marin et al. 2003). Juveniles are usually abundant in bays and estuaries in the Atlantic coast (Bozeman and Dean 1987, Bonner 2007). The white mullet is most commonly found in habitats with submerged vegetation (Castillo-Rivera et al. 2002).
IRL Distribution: Schools of white mullet are common in the salt marshes of the Indian River Lagoon (Nordlie 2003) and occur in its impounded wetlands in the spring (Poulakis et al. 2002).
Age, Size, Lifespan: The average lifespan of Mugil curema is about 19 years (Bonner 2007). Adults can reach a maximum size of 355-360 mm standard length. Males and females are not reproductive until they reach the minimum size of 180 and 208 mm total length, respectively (Aguirre and Gallardo-Cabello 2004). Juveniles grow approximately 30-40 cm in 4 years. Males reach maturity beginning at two years of age and females mature at 3 years. The male to female ratio in a school is approximately equal (Aguirre and Gallardo-Cabello 2004).
Abundance: Mugil curema are most abundant during April and May, and found less frequently in August-September (Schauss 1977, Ditty and Shaw 1996). The Gulf of Mexico is one of the more heavily populated areas for M. curema (Nirchio et al. 2005).
Migration: Prejuvenile white mullet migrate from open seawater to estuaries and lagoons (Bonner 2007). In the fall of the first year, the young will school and move south to Florida and other subtropical and tropical regions (Jacot 1920).
Reproduction: M. curema are hermaphrodites and release their eggs and sperm simultaneously. The reproductive season of M. curema varies in locations throughout its range (Marin et al. 2003). In the Gulf of Mexico, the spawning season lasts from February to May (Aguirre and Gallardo-Cabello 2004). In North and South Carolina, the white mullet primarily spawns in the fall and winter (Bozeman and Dean 1987).
Embryology: The unfertilized eggs of the white mullet average about 0.82 mm in diameter. When the egg is fertilized, it increases to an average diameter of 0.90 mm. The embryos have a yolk sac, therefore the pelagic larvae are non-feeding. Juveniles start migrating to beaches and in estuaries at about 28 days old (Collins 1985).
Trophic Mode: Juveniles are omnivorous and receive the majority of their nutrition from the plankton. Juvenile and adult Mugil curema feed mostly on sediment particles, detritus, diatoms, green algae, and blue-green algae, as well as similar proportions of each item.
Fishery: Mugil curema is a commercially important fish throughout the world (Marin et al. 2003). The wholesale landing value for the white mullet in the Gulf Coast states from 1994-1998 was reported to be 38.2 million dollars. Mugil curema also represents a substantial recreational fishery.
Aguirre ALI and M Gallardo-Cabello. 2004. Reproduction of Mugil cephalus and M. curema (Pisces: Mugilidae) from a coastal lagoon in the Gulf of Mexico. Bulletin of Marine Science 75:37-49.
Bonner T. 2007. Identification and information for Texas fish. Available online.
Carvalho CD. 2007. Schooling behavior in Mugil curema in an estuary in Southern Brazil. Neotropical Icthyology 5: 81-83.
Collins M. 1985. Species profiles: life histories and environmental requirements of coastal fishes and invertebrates (South Florida) White Mullet. Biological Report 82 (11.39) Department of Zoology University of Florida Gainesville FL 32611.
Castillo-Rivera M, Zavala-Hurtado JA, and R Z‡rate. 2002. Exploration of spatial and temporal patterns of fish diversity and composition in a tropical estuarine system of Mexico. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 12:167-177.
Ditty JG and RF Shaw. 1996. Spatial and temporal distribution of larval striped mullet (Mugil cephalus) and white mullet (M. curema, Family: Muglidae) in the northern Gulf of Mexico, with notes on mountain mullet, Agonostomus monticola. Bulletin of Marine Science 59:271-288.
FishBase. Available online.
Mora C and AF Osp'na. 2001. Tolerance to high temperatures and potential impact of sea warming on reef fishes of Gorgona Island (tropical eastern Pacific). Marine Biology 139:765-769.
Jacot AP.1920. Age, growth, and scale characters of the mullets, Mugil cephalus and Mugil curema. Transactions of the American Fishery Society 39:199-229.
Marin E, Quintero BJA, Bussi_re D, and JJ Dodson. 2003. Reproduction and recruitment of white mullet (Mugil curema) to a tropical lagoon (Margarita Island, Venezuela) as revealed by otolith microstructure. Fishery Bulletin 101: 809-821.
McDonough CJ. Striped Mullet, Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Society, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources. PDF document available online.
Nirchio M, Cipriano R, Cestari M, and A Fenocchio. 2005. Cytogenetical amd morphological features reveal significant differences among Venazuelan and Brazillian samples of Mugil curema. Neotropical Ichthology 3:107-110.
Nordlie FG. 2003. Fish communities of estuarine salt marshes of eastern North America, and comparisons with temperate estuaries of other continents. Reviews in Fish Biology and Fisheries 13:281-325.
Poulakis GR, Shenker JM, and DS Taylor. 2002. Habitat use by fishes after tidal reconnection of an impounded estuarine wetland in the Indian River Lagoon, Florida (USA). Wetlands Ecology and Management 10:51-69.
Schauss, RP, Jr. 1977. Seasonal occurrence of some larval and juvenile fishes in Lynnhaven Bay, Virginia. The American Midland Naturalist 98:275-282.


Aromatherapy massage is a popular item on a spa's menu. In this type of treatment, fragrant therapeutic essential oils are used to activate healing properties in your body. Whether you need to relax, ease muscle tension, or clear out the remnants of a cold, essential oil added to a carrier oil can help alleviate most symptoms. The next time you're traveling and pop into an upscale spa, opt for an aromatherapy massage for a special spin on the traditional rub-down.
In a simple Swedish or deep tissue massage, the therapist glides over your skin with an oil or cream that has no scent. In an aromatherapy massage, however, the oil also contains an essential oil (or a blend of essential oils) derived from plants. Essential oils penetrate the body through the skin, creating multiple benefits beyond just their nice smell. They affect your mood, alleviate pain, detoxify your body, and ramp up your immune system, depending on the oil used.
In an aromatherapy massage, essential oils are mixed with a carrier oil like sweet almond, jojoba, or grapeseed. Therapists will then add a couple drops of popular essential oils—like lavender, peppermint, bergamot, rose, or geranium—to the mixture they use in your massage. More sophisticated spas create their own custom blends ahead of time—using up to five oils in a mixture and naming their signature oils for their various effects. A relaxing aromatherapy massage might include oil infused with lavender or bergamot, while peppermint and eucalyptus may be used to soothe sore muscles.
After your massage, if you like the oil blend used, you may be able to purchase it at the spa's store.
At the beginning of your treatment, the therapist will invite you to smell various blends, describing the essential oils each one contains and their effects. To narrow down your preferred blend, consider which scent resonates with you, as well as what effect you want to achieve from your massage. You can choose something that is relaxing, balancing, or invigorating, based on how you want to feel when you're done.
After you choose the oil, your therapist will leave the room, allowing you to disrobe and lay (usually face down) on the table. An aromatherapy massage usually starts with three deep inhalations of the oil you chose, because that's the quickest way to get it into the body. These three breaths also help you relax and become present in the moment. Sometimes, therapists will start with a head massage so that you continue to smell the scent as it's being worked into your body.
Essential oils consist of volatile, highly concentrated plant extracts, derived from leaves, bark, roots, seeds, resins, and flowers. Make sure your therapist is using therapeutic-grade essential oils, instead of store-bought varieties. Therapeutic grade oils are higher quality than commercial-grade oils (used in food products or sold in health food stores) and are steam distilled, without the use of chemicals. These oils can also be used in hydrotherapy baths, facials, and body treatments.
Synthetic "essential oils," on the other hand, will not have the same therapeutic effects. Fragrances that are made from chemicals lack the therapeutic properties of essential oils. Many scented creams have synthetic fragrances in them, so just because it has an "aroma" doesn't mean it's an aromatherapy oil. But most spas and independent massage therapists are highly knowledgeable and experienced, so it's unlikely they'll use a sub-par product. Still, it's good to know before you book an expensive treatment.


Here in the photo gallery, you will find pictures of our past events in san diego and all the party / club pics from our month spent in bali and of course, our personal pix, in the australia section, which will have more coming soon! check em out, you might be in there !!!!


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Sweep Away the Dirt
April 14, 2019 Venerable Guan Cheng
Many Buddhists have ducked into an ivory tower by getting hung up on the written word. They may have thoroughly memorized terms of the Consciousness Only Theory, or know by heart arguments behind the Three Theories propounded by the Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna (ca 150–ca 250 BC), but they do not bother to participate in chanting, hymns singing, worshipping and repentance or other services required by a monastic life. They regard Buddhist theory as more important than its application. They may be eloquent in debates and their arguments may sound well-grounded, but their behavior is often full of greed, anger and delusion. Indeed, they fail to practice what they learn from the scriptures.
It is true that the Buddhist scriptures are the ultimate Dharma treasures, capable of enlightening the readers. However, if scholars are obsessed with the meaning of the written text, not valuing the need to practise what is in it, they will end up increasing their own ignorance over attachment to the ego and to phenomena.
In the Diamond Sutra, Buddha refers to Buddhism as a raft on the river. "Therefore you should not hold onto it, whether it follows the teachings of the scriptures or not. Buddha often says, You, Bhikkhus! If you understood my metaphor of the Dharma as a raft, then you should give up what is in the scriptures, let alone what is against them". When a traveller gets the point, he will not continue to linger on the ferry raft, for he knows he will only reach the other shore after giving it up.
Did you know that since ancient times, many practitioners who were illiterate and unable to read scriptures have awakened to the ultimate truth of the universe? Among these saints are Huineng the Sixth Patriarch (638-713) and Cudapanthaka the Great One.
Huineng was an illiterate kitchen hand, but after enlightenment, he shared teachings and quotes from the classics, and eventually became a great master of Chan Buddhism. Cudapanthaka was Sakyamuni Buddha's disciple. Illiterate and forgetful, he used diligence and perseverance to attain arhatship. The incredible deeds of the former are contained in the Sixth Patriarch Platform Sutra, but the story of the latter is little known. Here let me share with you how Cudapanthaka became enlightened:
The story goes that among Sakyamuni Buddha's sangha were two brothers Mahapanthaka and Cudapanthaka. The latter, the younger of the two, was dull and slow. His memory was poor and what he learnt he soon forgot. Thus, after a few years, little progress was made in his cultivation.
One day after lunch, all the monks in the sangha walked to a bamboo grove for a nap. It was the height of summer with the sun beaming down like fire. The bhikkhus found its shade pleasant and restful, but Cudapanthaka alone was weeping.
Buddha happened to be walking by, and kindly consoled him. Cudapanthaka said, "World's Great One! My elder brother and I took the vow at the same time to be monastics. My brother is smart and attained sota patti phala soon. But I am stupid, I can't even recite one verse. My brother is very disappointed. He told me to leave the sangha and look after our elderly parents at home and not to waste time. I fear I will not have another opportunity to practice Buddhism in this life. That's why I am sad. I beg Buddha to show mercy and bless me with your guidance!"
Caressing Cudapanthaka's scalp, Buddha said, "You need not be sad, and neither need you leave the sangha. Let me give you one simple gatha to recite, 'Sweep away the dirt'. You should keep chanting these four words every day".
However, being slow and forgetful, Cudapanthaka could not remember them even though he tried hard. Feeling depressed he started to cry again. Buddha said to him, "Every morning, after you give your sangha's clothes a good shake, you sweep away the dust and say 'sweep away'. In the afternoon, when you clean up the bamboo house and remove rubbish, say 'the dirt'. This way, you chant as your work, and you will not forget the gatha 'Sweep away the dirt'".
Cudapanthaka followed Buddha's advice and kept chanting "Sweep away the dirt" whenever he was dusting, cleaning and sweeping the floor. Sympathetic, the other bhikkhus often chanted with him to help him memorize.
Thus, more than a decade had passed. One morning, while the bhikkhus were meditating in the bamboo grove, Cudapanthaka was cleaning in their living quarters and kept muttering, "Sweep away the dirt". Just then, the sun shone through the windows on the dust floating all around. He stared at it and his mind immediately went into Samadhi. Exiting the state a while later, he suddenly understood it all and said, "There are two types of dust. The dust on the outside can be seen by the naked eye and easy to sweep away. The dust on the inside, that is, greed, anger and delusion, however, can only be seen by looking through your own mind. If you can't remove the inner dust, you will be perpetually caught up in the cycle of rebirth. Compassionate Buddha! I now get it! I have swept away my own inner dust".
All of a sudden, over the top of Cudapanthaka's head, a radiant glow of light shone straight into the depth of his heart. That is how he attained arahatta phala.
After enlightenment, naturally possessing all the world's knowledge with an unimpeded eloquence, Cudapanthaka became one of Buddha's sixteen disciples. Although he had iddhi-vidha, a supernormal power to instantly move anywhere unrestrained by time and space, he kept using his own mere strength to clean the dust for his fellow bhikkhus. Every day, he kept chanting the gatha Buddha gave him, "Sweep away the dirt".
Venerable Guan Cheng
Born in Hong Kong, the Venerable Guan Cheng holds a BA in Economics and a MBA from the University of Toronto. In 1981, he founded the International Buddhist Temple in Richmond, BC, Canada. In 1999, he became ordained as a Buddhist monk under Venerable Xulang, and in 2009, founded the Vinaya Samadhi Prajna Lecture Hall in Hong Kong as a base to launch his charitable projects and dharma-propagating activities in Asia, including Dharma talks and lectures, releasing of animals and sea lives, poverty relief and student aid, and exhibits for his publications and video/audio recordings at the annual Hong Kong Book Fair.
Giving Thanks & Practicing Gratitude on Thanksgiving
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Karma: Part II
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Debunking the Myth of Meditation
Finding a meditation center in your area is hardly a challenge these days. They're everywhere. There are even smartphone apps for it. With mindfulness...
Aug 31st, 2017
Cultivating Views on Impermanence
Written by: Venerable Guan Cheng Translated by: Andrew Yang Edited and revised by: Venerable Hong Ci Impermanence, or anitya in Sanskri...
From Science to Buddhism: Professor Agnes Chan and Chanwuyi
Author: Venerable Shan Ci Translator: Andrew Yang Professor Agnes Chan is Executive Director of the Chanwuyi Society of Hong Kong. She is currentl...


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The Us Posts
USA Breaking News
Meghan Markle's bravery in sharing her baby grief will help ease the agony of others
by theusposts
IT can't have been easy for Meghan to write her searingly honest and heartbreaking account of going through the agony of miscarriage.
She and Harry were obviously devastated to lose their baby and Meghan described the pain and anguish in a way that will resonate with everyone who has gone through such an ordeal.
Read our Meghan and Harry blog for the latest news on the Royal couple
AP:Associated Press
Meghan Markle shared a heartbreaking account of her miscarriage in an article for The New York Times[/caption]
Her article in The New York Times detailed how she realised she was losing her baby while she was holding her son Archie in her arms in July and experienced painful cramping.
Meghan wrote: "I knew as I clutched my firstborn child, I was losing my second."
Not wanting to upset baby Archie, who had celebrated his first birthday a few weeks earlier, she dropped to the floor humming a lullaby to keep them both calm.
It's sad to think of Meghan and Harry later ending up in a hospital room holding hands and trying to deal with their unbearable grief.
It doesn't matter whether you are a prince or a pauper, wealth and status don't shield you from the suffering that comes with such a terrible loss.
In circumstances similar to that experienced by Meghan, I had a miscarriage almost 20 years ago, suffering cramp, bleeding and ending up in hospital.
'UNWARRANTED SHAME'
I remember being told what had happened to me was incredibly common, with one in four pregnancies ending in miscarriage.
I know the particular medic was trying to be helpful and thought this information would make me feel better.
But it actually made me feel a whole lot worse, because it meant so many people were going through a similar traumatic experience.
Meghan also wrote about these large numbers and the taboo of miscarriage, and also how it is "surrounded with unwarranted shame," with couples feeling they have to mourn in solitude.
I find that incredibly sad and would dearly have hoped things would have changed since my miscarriage two decades ago.
But by speaking openly and in such an accessible way, Meghan has made it easier for people to talk about their experiences, and for everyone else to be a lot more understanding about something so sad and misunderstood.
AFP or licensors
Meghan and Harry were obviously devastated to lose their baby[/caption]
I found that an awful lot of people didn't really know what to say to me, and I realise that it can be very difficult to find the right words.
But all I really wanted to hear was that they were sorry and thinking of both of us.
And it's really important to remember it's not just the woman who loses her baby.
Grandparents-to-be and friends and family will also experience grief. They need comfort too.
Meghan's article comes after model Chrissy Teigen shared visceral photographs of her and husband John Legend, taken in hospital after the still birth of her son.
The images were devastating and vividly showed their raw pain.
While many sympathised and praised Chrissy, there was also a backlash from those who claimed she was "oversharing."
This was horribly cruel, and sadly I am sure Meghan will receive similar abuse.
I hope both women take solace from the fact the people who have been through the same loss have been expressing their immense gratitude.
It won't have been easy for Meghan to open up about something so personal, but she knows every word she utters gains global attention and has an enormous impact.
She's used her high profile in a really positive way and I applauded her courage.
Meghan and Harry's experience has shown us you never know what is going on in other people's lives, nor in their marriages.
The Mega Agency
It won't have been an easy decision for Meghan to open up about something so personal[/caption]
From the outside they seemed to be living the high life, leaving behind dull royal duties for the glamour of La La Land, when, in fact, they were going through a really tough time having to come to terms with the loss of their baby.
I know Meghan and Harry want to have more children and I really hope their next pregnancy is a successful one, and that they will both be able to enjoy the whole nine months without feeling over-anxious.
They deserve that happiness.
Crown is fun, fancy but fiction
IT'S astonishing. Almost 30million people across the world have watched The Crown so far, which is more than the number who viewed Charles and Diana's real-life wedding in 1981.
The Netflix series is a wonderful piece of hokum that is sumptuously filmed, beautifully written and, for the most part, the acting is pitch perfect.
BackGrid
The Crown is great acting but a whole generation will take the series as historical gospel[/caption]
Emma Corrin as Princess Diana, probably the most difficult and thankless task, did a wonderful job in capturing the naivety, mischievousness and growing superstardom of the people's Princess.
I thought Tobias Menzies as Prince Philip and Erin Doherty as Princess Anne also stood out from the crowd, but for me it all feels a bit too soon.
I clearly remember all of these events, from the assassination of Lord Mountbatten to the awkward engagement interview between Charles and Diana where he unforgivably answered the question of whether they were in love with the sour riposte: "Whatever in love means."
We really should have seen the signs even then that this wasn't the fairytale happily-ever-after being sold to us.
I have to agree with Diana's brother Earl Spencer, who quite reasonably says each episode should open with the caveat it's a drama and not a documentary and that certain events and timelines have been altered to fit in with the narrative.
The trouble is there's a whole generation who weren't born during the marriage of Charles and Diana and will take The Crown as historical gospel.
I hope it encourages them to read up on Thatcherism, the Falklands War and the royals and to put it all into context for themselves.
David's full of wisdom
THE delightful Sir David Jason has written a book where he passes on the hard-won wisdom of his 80 years.
A Del Of A Life: Lessons I've Learned is like sitting down for a right good chat with a man who has given us some of the best-loved programmes on TV.
Sir David Jason's book passes on the hard-won wisdom of his 80 years[/caption]
Open All Hours, Only Fools And Horses, The Darling Buds Of May, A Touch Of Frost and Porterhouse Blue to name but a few.
What shines through the book and indeed his entire life is Sir David's work ethic, as well as his kindness and positivity.
He has time and respect for everyone involved in all of his projects, from his driver to the catering crew, make-up team and his fellow cast members, no matter how big or small a part they play.
Of course he has the same energy, enthusiasm and zest for life as a man in his thirties.
He's dad to a teenage daughter, flies helicopters and is always looking for his next challenge.
He's a proper national treasure and we are very lucky to have him.
'Sizzling sex bomb'
I'M surprised they didn't have to call out the fire brigade after my gorgeous pal Ranvir and Giovanni burned up the dance floor on Strictly last week.
Can I just remind everyone that this sizzling sex bomb has no formal dance experience and has gone from a standing start to being awarded a perfect ten by guest judge Anton (who needs to be kept on permanently as a sweet antidote to Craig's waspishness).
I can't wait to see what Ranvir and Giovanni come up with tonight and will be voting on speed dial to keep them in the competition.
Mad to relax it at Christmas
I WAS heartened by the results of a poll this week on Good Morning Britain that revealed 79 per cent of viewers thought that the Government's decision to relax Covid rules over the festive season was "madness".
We were told that PM Boris Johnson felt he had no choice other than to allow three households to come together over five days at Christmas.
Boris Johnson felt he had no choice other than to relax the rules for five days at Christmas [/caption]
Apparently the Government believed we would all break the rules anyway and they didn't want to have to send in the police to break up games of charades and Monopoly and appear horribly Scrooge-like.
Well, being a good, strong leader with crisp, clear regulations means that sometimes you have to prepare to be unpopular in the short-term in order to keep people safe in the long-run.
Judging by the poll results, the majority of Brits will be enjoying a scaled-down, safer Christmas and have far more common sense than the Westminster government are willing to give them credit for.
I would far rather have a relatively quiet Christmas with just my close family (me, Steve, my daughter Rosie and Angus our border terrier) than risk the safety of my mum and dad and my friends and family.
I know it's tough, especially for grandparents and people who are seriously ill and horribly lonely.
Judging by the poll results, the majority of Brits have far more common sense than the Westminster government are willing to give them credit for[/caption]
Most read in Lorraine Kelly
A PRETTY PENNY
Volvo XC40 Recharge is the same as its petrol twin, but way too expensive
I do genuinely sympathise, but no one wants to see a massive spike in January with more lives lost and our NHS and frontline workers under terrible strain.
We've come this far and a vaccine is on the horizon.
Let's not throw it all away for a mince pie and the chance to watch the EastEnders Christmas special together.
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Social Networks and Organizations provides a compact introduction to major concepts in the area of organizational social networks.
The book covers the rudiments of methods, explores major debates, and directs attention to theoretical directions, including a vigorous critique of some taken-for-granted assumptions. The book is aimed at all of those who seek a lucid and lively treatment of social network approaches to organizational research, with a particular emphasis on the neglected area of interpersonal networks in organizations.
In this book, Martin Kilduff and Wenpin Tsai offer new insights to those already familiar with network analysis, and motivate those interested in pursuing network research to embark on journeys of discovery.
Martin Kilduff (PhD Cornell, 1988) is Professor of Organizational Behavior at University College London, former editor of Academy of Management Review (2006-08), and currently associate editor of Administrative Science Quarterly. Prior to joining UCL he served as Diageo Professor of Management Studies at Cambridge University, and prior to that served on the faculties of University of Texas at Austin, Penn State, and Insead. His work focuses on social networks and includes the co-authored books Social Networks and Organizations (Sage: 2003); and Interpersonal networks in organizations: Cognition, personality, dynamics and culture (Cambridge University Press: 2008). His research relates personality to network structure (e.g., Journal of Applied Psychology, 2008; Administrative Science Quarterly, 2001), perceived networks to actual networks (e.g., Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2008; Academy of Management Journal, 1994), and proposes new theory concerning scientific innovation (e.g., Academy of Management Review, 2011). Current research continues many of these emphases including research on how bias affects perceptions of women's networks, how emotion distorts network perceptions, and how people's careers are boosted by ties from the past.
Wenpin Tsai is Professor of Business Administration in the Smeal College of Business at the Pennsylvania State University. He holds degrees from National Taiwan University (BBA), George Washington University (MBA), and London Business School (PhD). His current research interests include social capital, knowledge transfer, network evolution, and cooperative and competitive interactions inside and across organizations. His work has appeared in Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, Strategic Management Journal, Organization Science and Organization Behavior and Human Decision Processes. He has also published a book on social networks and organizations (co-author Martin Kilduff). Wenpin is currently on or has served on the editorial boards of Academy of Management Journal, Academy of Management Review, and Strategic Management Journal. His contributions to the profession have also been recognized through several outstanding reviewer awards. In addition, he has been appointed as a Special Issue Editor (2004), member of advisory committee (2004-2007), and Associate Editor (2008-2010) of Academy of Management Journal.


text:
STATE BUDGET UPDATE: Joint Economic and Revenue
Consensus Report Released for SFY 2023
Joint Economic and Revenue Consensus Report Released for SFY 2023
Late yesterday, the State Division of Budget posted the joint Economic and Revenue Consensus Report for SFY 2023.
According to the Report, "participants reached consensus on a two-year revenue total range that is $800 million to $1.2 billion above the Executive Budget estimate." That means that there is general agreement on the range of funds available to the legislature to spend (above the Executive budget proposal released in January) for the final state budget due April 1, 2022.
We expect the Legislature to release and pass their one house budget/resolutions by Monday, March 14th after which three-way budget negotiations between the Governor and Legislature will commence.
Here is a link to the Report:
https://www.budget.ny.gov/pubs/supporting/forecast/fy23/fy23-consensus-report.pdf


(Sharecast News) - The competition watchdog has announced an investigation into the supply of construction services in the UK.
"The CMA is investigating suspected anti-competitive arrangements in the supply of construction services in Great Britain," the Competition and Markets Authority said in a brief statement.
The investigation, which is at an early stage, concerns suspected infringements of the Competition Act 1998, the CMA said. The watchdog did not give names of companies that might be investigated and said it could yet conclude there were no infringements.
The CMA said it would gather information before deciding in September whether to proceed with or close the investigation.


It only took two years but the North America localized port is finally here.
The long-awaited North American version of Tales of Xillia hits the shelves today, with the PS3 exclusive released almost two years ago back in Japan. (In fact, it's been so long that even its sequel has now been released in Japan.) GameStop has a solid 15% coupon that works on the title now that it's in stock and ready to ship. Decent deal, especially given discounts on console games on release date are such a rarity.
The aforementioned sequel Tales of Xillia 2 was released back on November 1st in Japan, and the US and European localized versions will land sometime in 2014. At least we don't have to wait as long this time around?
On the PC side of things, the upcoming release from Overkill Studios Payday 2 landed a confirmed release date today of August 13th. If you're looking to preorder the PC download, GameFly has Payday 2 discounted 20% after coupon GFDAUG20. A worthy title for those co-op multiplayer types yearning to go on a high stakes crime spree. Steam-activated.
Speaking of co-op mutliplayer types... Green Man Gaming has a sale going this week on 4-pack Steam keys for select games. After coupon, group of 4 friends can pick up Chivalry Medieval Warfare for $20, or $5 apiece. Other cheap 4-packs include Frozen Synapse, Sanctum 2, Sonic and All Stars Racing Transformed, with more listed below.
Tales of Xillia (PS3) - $50.99 at GameStop.
List is $60. Deal expires August 13. YMMV: Use coupon SAVER to get free shipping.
Payday 2 (PC Download) - $23.99 at GameFly.
Releases August 13. List is $30. Steam key.
Multiplayer Maddness (PC Download 4-Packs) - up to 75% off.
Great deals from Green Man Gaming on co-op / multiplayer games. Perfect if your friends want to get in on group buying action and save some money together. You'll get 4 individual Steam keys vs a "gift" key - so you can sell, trade, giveaway as you see fit.
Chivalry Medieval Warfare $20 (normally $75) - UK price £12.40.
Frozen Synapse $19.96 (normally $100) - UK price £12.76.
Sonic and All Stars Racing Transformed $12 (normally $60) - UK price £9.
Sniper Elite: The Nazi Zombie Army $12 (normally $60) - UK price £8.
Sanctum 2 $12 (normally $45) - UK price £9.60.
Awesomenauts $8 (normally $40) - UK price £5.60.
Gamefly Sale: Focus Home Interactive Titles - up to 68% off at GameFly.
After coupon code GFDAUG20 these games are on sale. Use GFDAUG20UK if you're in the UK.
Dragon's Crown (PS3) - $44.99 at GameStop.
Next best is $50 at NewEgg. Deal expires August 13. PS Vita version also available for $34.99.
The Sims 3 Dragon Valley (PC Download) - $15.99 at GameFly.
Pikmin 3 (Wii U) - $50.99 at GameStop.
Released last Sunday. List is $60. Deal expires August 13.
Releases August 13. List is $15. Deal expires August 9. UK price is £9.60 after coupon.
The Bureau: XCOM Declassified + Preorder Rewards (PC Download) - $44.99 at Green Man Gaming.
Releases August 20. List is $50. Preorder gets you Codebreaker DLC + $12 Credit or $8 Cash + Free 2K Games (currently Spec Ops: The Line). If you're in the UK, there is no credit/cash bonus. Instead, you can grab The Bureau for £21.60 after coupon GMG20-4B9NY-L4FEN (normally £30).
The Walking Dead: 400 Days (PS Vita) - $34.99 at NewEgg.
Releases August 20. List is $40. Deal expires August 12.
Wolfenstein: The New Order (Xbox 360, PS3) - $52.99 at NewEgg.
Releases August 20. List is $60. Deal expires August 12.
Lost Planet 3 (PC Download) - $40 at Green Man Gaming.
Releases August 26. List is $50. Deal expires August 9. UK the price is discounted to £24 (normally £30).
Specs: Core i7-4700MQ, GeForce GT 750M, 24GB mSSD, and 8GB RAM. List is $1,369. Deal expires August 9.
Nintendo Wii U Console 32GB Deluxe Set - $349.99 at Best Buy.
Comes with Nintendo Land and $50 gift card. Deal expires August 10.
3-Month and 12-Month PlayStation Plus Subscription Card - $12.99 and $39.99 at Best Buy.


Eric Gutierrez's 'Creepy' (pen and ink, at the Flagler County Art League).
Note: This being Second Saturday, the monthly show opening inaugurated by Hollingsworth Gallery at City Market Place, Hollingsworth would also have a show. Not this time: Hollingsworth is getting ready for the end of the world, and naturally, that show cannot open until Dec. 21, when the world will, in fact, end (at least according to an email we got from a Maya friend who claims to be descended from one of James Ussher's torrid liaisons with the known unknown). Stay tuned.
The Flagler County Art League's Magnificent Minis are back. The exhibition, opening this evening with a free reception at 6, features exquisitely detailed, small pieces, including one painting done on a feather, and will be shown simultaneously with a Flagler Palm Coast High School student art show.
In this particular show of miniatures, Jones contributed a couple of "little gems," including a miniature landscape and one of his trademark Victorian women, an ethereal scene in a cemetery. Jones has a thing about the here and now that seems to be less than here and more about an an inexplicable then.
Working small is all about the exercise and controlling the medium with little bits of "beautifully done passages of paint," he says.
According to Delucia, like Jones, almost 50 percent of the art league members in Flagler County work in watercolor. She credits art league member and watercolor teacher Jackie Ware, who was involved in many miniature shows back in New Jersey, for making this particular genre popular here.
One notable piece which looks like a painting is in fact a photograph by Tom Silvey, titled "Storm Clouds Over St. Augustine." There's nothing ambiguous about the meaning here. It's just what it says: Rain clouds and the rich wash of colors of the flagstone street and brick walls give the impression of a pending downpour so vivid that they that create an illusion of the paper looking damp and wavy.
The national standard for judged miniature society shows is no larger than 4.5 x 6 inches. It's not necessarily tiny. Especially compared to the work of Willard Wigan, who's become known as the "micro sculptor." He paints figures like the Madonna cradling the dead Christ, using the hair of a dead fly. He sculpts them typically in the eye of a needle.
Prices could be mini as well, and art lovers might find some bargains.
The art league has always supported young artists at Flagler Palm Coast and Matanzas High School, featuring their work in open exhibits at least once a year. Running the student exhibit along with the popular minis event is a great opportunity to show off the students' fine work, which in part is due to FPC's great resources, says Ed Beckett, the digital photography and graphic design instructor and a the 2010 Flagler County Artist of the Year.
Unlike "mag minis," the student show will be all over the map in terms of size and style. Beckett is showcasing around 50 pieces of photography and graphic design, while the other art teachers will display high-quality drawing, painting, colored pencil, scratchboard, and pen-and-ink work.
"I really think that our program is second to none," Beckett says. "Two years ago we had three $35,000 scholarship winners from Full Sail. There were only 25 of those scholarships given out nationally: five in central Florida, and three of the five were from FPC. My seniors earned over $230,000 in scholarships to art colleges that year. That is an incredible number. " And nothing mini about it.


I am honored to have been chosen to lead this organization, which I've been fondly attached to for more than 30 years. It's always energizing to be at the annual meeting, among kindred spirits in the nonprofit scholarly publishing world. We do important work that no one else does, and this meeting gives us a moment to reflect on that. We publish books and articles that derive from original research, deep thought, and contextualization. We bring ideas developed by researchers to a wide range of readers around the world and thus enable our authors to participate in a global conversation. The works we publish are fundamental to public intellectual life, to policy-making, as well as to furthering a particular field. We engage, provoke, and educate readers.
Serious, peer-reviewed scholarship that is carefully curated, edited, and published in a not-for-profit environment matters now, more than ever. Commercial publishers—to quote a former president of this organization and former director of Princeton University Press, Peter Docherty—"generally don't traffic in hard ideas." And when they do—as many of the commercial scholarly presses we sometimes compete with do—profit, not scholarship, is their primary motive. Publishing and promoting groundbreaking new scholarship is at the heart of our enterprise, and our #1 priority.
For most of us, "University" is our middle name. In order to remain vital to our institutions, we must remain committed to the scholarly missions of those institutions, and we must position ourselves as strategic partners with our administrators and faculty. We must make sure they fully understand that we are essential vehicles for getting important ideas and values out into the world—ideas generated on our own campuses and beyond. An energetic, outward-facing publishing program is a tremendous asset to a university and to its faculty. We propel the university's name into bookstores, libraries, and via review media and online and print conversations throughout the world in a way that only a publisher can do.
For this reason, it is important that we change the conversation with our administrators if it needs changing. If we focus on the value we bring to the scholarly enterprise; if we consistently show—and if our faculty and other allies bring attention to--all that we do to further the institution's mission and its reputation, the financial focus on how much we cost the institution should become secondary.
In order to help us promote our value proposition, and because you tell us that the annual statistics are among the most important things AUPresses does for our members, I have established a Statistics Review Task Force to look into the annual statistics to see how they could be enhanced and made more helpful to members in sharing vital information with their administrators as well as helping them run the business. This Task Force will be chaired by Susan Doerr—thank you, Susan.
And in the wake of the important work done by this year's Diversity and Inclusion Task Force, chaired by Larin McLaughlin and Gita Manaktala, and in the wake of the #MeToo movement, I have established a Gender, Equity, and Cultures of Respect Task Force, to be chaired by Christie Henry. Thank you, Christie. This Task Force will explore all the ways we, as publishers, can examine not just the composition of our own staffs and our own internal work cultures and codes of conduct, but the demographics of our authors, our faculty boards, our peer reviewers, our blurbers, and even our vendors, to ensure that we reflect a culture of equity and respect. This task force will coordinate with our new Equity, Justice, and Inclusion Committee that will be formed this year and that grew out of this year's Diversity and Inclusion Taskforce.
Thank you all – chairs and committee members. The association could not do the work we do without your commitment, your ideas, and your time.


A new phishing scam has been detected that looks like it has been sent by NAB Bank.
It advises the recipient that their account 'is now locked'.
The link in the message takes the victim to a phishing page made to look like a real NAB login portal.
The phishing page harvests the personal login information of the victim and forwards them to a second page which collects their credit card details.
To identify the scam, If you look at the email address of the original email sent, you will see it is not a NAB official address.
A new phishing scam has been detected that has brand-jacked St George Bank.
This phishing email hopes that the victim clicks on the link which directs them to a fake but convincing St George Bank login page.
If the victim inputs their details, the scammers have all the details they need to access the account and take any money in it.
A new scam has been detected that claims to be from Naffco.
If a victim clicks on the document attachment link they are directed to a malware infected Dropbox File.
If clicked, the victim's computer can be infected with viruses, spyware and crypto-jacking malware.
This new scam email uses ANZ branding in attempt to steal internet banking credentials and personal details.
There is a link in the email that directs victims to a fake but very real landing page for ANZ internet banking, where customer registration number and password is requested.
Once the login credentials are entered, the victim is then asked for their full personal details including drivers license number, mobile number, date of birth and full name.
A new scam has been detected that claims to be from Office 365 advising that the email account 'failed to connect'.
If a victim clicks the 'Retrieve Messages' link, they are directed to a fake Office 365 portal.
If the link is clicked, the scammers have the victims legitimate credentials to then use themselves.


Home / News / Showbiz / Viral / The Health Condition That Took The Life of Isabel Granada, Learn How To Prevent Aneurysm!
The Health Condition That Took The Life of Isabel Granada, Learn How To Prevent Aneurysm!
The sudden death of Isabel Granada at the age of 41 left people in shock and regretful for the life of this Filipina singer-actress. Isabel Granada looked fit and might have a healthy lifestyle, that the cause of her death made people become more vigilant and aware of their body and cautious of this silent killer.
To address this sudden panic, Doc Willie Ong uploaded a video that talks about Aneurysm its types and symptoms and ways to prevent this. It is noted that Aneurysm does not only occur in the brain of a person but also in their stomach. An aneurysm is caused by a sudden enlargement of an artery in the brain that will cause weaken the arterial wall that will lead to the rupture of the artery that may lead to internal hemorrhage that may result in the patient's death. There are available surgery that can be performed to the patient if diagnosed early, but a ruptured aneurysm is fatal.
Common symptoms of an aneurysm are very hard to identify unless the artery already ruptured. One may experience a severe headache, chest or back pain, blurry vision, or nausea and vomiting. The risk factors or people who are prone to this condition are those who have hypertension, tobacco/cigarette smokers, diabetes, age over 40, family history. To prevent this kind of condition, one should regularly monitor their blood pressure of 120/80, regular exercise, quit smoking, and a balanced diet.
Life is so precious that each one of us has the privilege to enjoy every moment of our life, let us not waste it to an unbalanced diet and unhealthy lifestyle, instead let us learn how to take care of our body to enjoy a longer life.


text:
10 People Who Claimed They Did The Deed With Aliens
by Jim Hogue
in Most Popular
When it comes to aliens, and people that believe in them, there tends to be two different camps. In the first camp are the people that firmly believe in aliens, and other lifeforms in our galaxy. The next camp are those that think that there are no such things as aliens, and that people who believe in them are totally nuts.
Actually, now that I think of it, there is a third group. These are people that not only believe in aliens, they claim to have met them. They have all sorts of wild stories about being abducted, and sometimes even experimented on, or mind controlled. Then there are those that take that whole thing even a bit farther. These are the ones who not only say they have met aliens, but they claim to have had sexual relations with them. Sounds like a good time, right? Yeah, we're not too sure about that either.
In any case, I don't know about you, but that seems just a tad hard to believe. I mean, are these people total nutters, or did they really meet aliens and do the deed with them? And how does that work anyway? Do I even really want to know? Do you even really want to know? These people claim to have met some aliens and said they got lucky. Or I guess in this instance maybe the term would be unlucky. Either way, here are 10 people who claimed to have "Done The Deed" with aliens. Even though, at the end of the day, we probably really didn't need to know.
10 Simon Parkes - Had A Relationship With Cat Queen
via huffpost.com
Simon Parkes is a city councilor from a town called Stakesby, which is in the UK. Simon claims that he has been doing it with an alien that he calls "Cat Queen" for quite a while now and that they even have a child together named Zarka. Isn't that sweet? Simon is married in real life, and says his continued relationship with Cat Queen puts a strain on his marriage as they still meet up and do it around 4 times a year. He doesn't consider it cheating, as you know, banging an alien doesn't count.
9 Suzanne Brown And Myriko
via lolwot.com
According to UFO expert named Suzanne Brown, which is, of course, a made-up name to protect her identity, she used to be visited regularly by an alien named "Myriko." This supposedly continued regularly for over 20 years. At first it was described by "Suzanne" as relaxed and loving, but as the years went on, Myriko started mind controlling her and making her do things she didn't want to. See ladies? All men, and aliens, are total jerks.
8 David Huggins - Alien Artist
via nj.com
David claims that he started getting abducted when he was 6. He told his parents but they didn't believe him. Then, at age 17 he was abducted and lost his virginity to an alien named "Crescent." He says that over the years he has fathered over 50 hybrid children with Crescent, and that often what goes down between them is watched by a bunch of insect-like aliens. Gee, I wonder why his parents didn't believe him? Huggins is a painter, and much of his work is about, you guessed it, him doing it with aliens.
7 Peter Khoury - Alien Threesome
While most of these people who did the deed with aliens, had to settle for just one, Peter Khoury hit the jackpot. One morning he just woke up in bed, with two hot alien women, one blonde, and one Asian. According to Peter, they both looked close to human, but had eyes around three times the size of a human's. This was his second alien encounter; four years prior to this he woke up paralyzed in bed surrounded by aliens. Anyway the three messed around for a bit, then they eventually vanished. He even submitted to a polygraph test to prove his claims.
6 Stephany Cohen - Team Spirit
via newsshopper.com
Stephany says she has done the deed numerous times with a group of aliens she calls "team spirit." She says she has done it with a whole bunch of different aliens, some the typical "Greys," some that are reptiles, and some that look like cats. Her favorite is an alien named Ian, who is a member of some sort of octopus alien tribe; she says she has hung out with him a number of times. I could go on, but I think I am going to just stop right there for all of our sakes.
5 Jose Alvaro - Did It In A Field
Jose is from Brazil, and is one of hundreds of people who claim to have seen a particular UFO one night. He said after seeing it he felt dazed and walked into a field, then could not remember what happened. After being hypnotized he said that he remembered doing it with an alien in the field who he described as tall and plump. Way to go Jose! Later the UFO was said to just be propellant from a rocket's cloud that had been launched by a Soviet spaceport.
4 Pamela Stonebrooke - Did It With A Reptilian
via shutterstock.com
According to Pamela Stonebrooke, a jazz singer from California, she has had numerous encounters with an alien of a physical nature. She said the first time she did it she was taken aboard a spaceship and was going at it with a handsome blonde human, but halfway in he turned into a reptile. She must have freaked out, right? Nope, she was so into it at that point because of the telepathic communication. She wrote a book about this experience called Experiencer: A Jazz Singer's True Account of Extraterrestrial Contact. It somehow did not become a bestseller.
3 Elizabeth Klarer - Did It With Venusians
via canalblog.com
Elizabeth was a woman from South Africa, who claimed to have met some aliens from Venus; they were peaceful and had arrived on Earth as they were concerned about the human race. They also apparently arrived to try and get lucky, as before too long she ended up doing it with an alien named Akon, who according to her said "We rarely mate with Earth women. When we do, we keep the offspring to strengthen our race and infuse new blood." He sounds like quite a smooth talker. I bet he said that to all of the Earth girls.
2 Meng Zhaoguo - First Chinese Person To Do It With An Alien
via wp.com
Meng was known in China as the first person to claim to have done it with an alien. He supposedly saw a downed UFO, then later when he was at home he awoke to find himself levitating. He was then straddled by an alien who did it with him for around 40 minutes. Sounds like a good time, right? Umm...no. He claimed that a month or so later he was taken on a spaceship and asked to see the female alien that he did it with. He was told that could not happen, but that in 60 years a son of a Chinese peasant would be born on a distant planet. This all sounds logical, right?
1 Antonio Vilas Boas - Brazilian Farmer
via youtube.com
Boas was a Brazilan farmer. He claims that a UFO landed in front of his tractor, and he was abducted and taken into the spaceship. Then a woman showed up, the two did the deed, and Boas said he enjoyed it but then he thought "All they wanted was a good stallion to improve their stock." Poor guy was used by an alien, what a drag. He then wandered around and tried to steal a clock to prove he was on the ship. The aliens noticed and booted him off the ship, then the UFO took off and they left him back in the field.
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