Starting An Estate Jewelry Department

Filed under: Clothing — @ 4:47 am, May 25, 2013.

Submitted by: Amy U. Goodmann

Many jewelry stores dabble in the estate jewelry business. Some broker customer s merchandise as a service, others buy estate pieces over the counter and either stock it or broker it to the trade. However getting serious and starting a full fledged professionally managed estate department can offer some real advantages.

For example it is a very good way to grow your business. Indeed trying to grow without a new department whether it be estate jewelry or any other merchandise means simply increasing the units sold overall in other departments this can be a steep climb or be seen a very hard sell. As well it can be said that estate jewelry allows a greater margin overall than the average in most jewelry departments that is of course if you take a long term balanced view and price reasonably as well as wisely. Estate jewelry marked up above keystone often finds ready buyers amazingly fast. It s as if these pieces of jewelry have a sales magnet beaming out their attractiveness, uniqueness, quality and cost. In addition these items generally often turn much faster than either your store s turn rate as well as industry averages.

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You may find and note as well in the overall analysis of your store s or jewelry department numbers that cash flow may well often increase markedly. When you advertise an estate department, customers will generally bring more goods for you to buy over the counter or to accept as trade ins. When these goods fit your inventory and price point range and ranges you can thus obtain inventory at most attractive prices for a fairly modest cash outlay. On the other hand, if they do not you can simply sell the overflow items to other estate dealers in the trade and thus boost your overall cash flow and flows. As your reputation for handling estate jewelry thus grows, sales to the trade, outside of your shop, can become a significant source of cash. In addition your reputation can grow and be enhanced as a most significant player in the field both in the trade itself and in your customer s and potential customer s minds. Image in retail and sales fields is almost everything.

It also can be said and noted well that by carrying estate jewelry that you can thus offer different price points than those that your customers will find prevailing in your other departments. It can be said that by adding higher end estate goods, these can serve to help move up as well as upscale your clientele; adding lower price points as well may help you close customers that you might otherwise lose. If anything can be said in the overall process it is to stay focused on the concepts of real value, not only price. Overall it can be said that estate jewelry are unique pieces, not readily manufacture red not readily available. Each is more than unique than what customers on the prowl can comparison shop elsewhere, and in other shops and retail stores. This since estate jewelry cannot be easily comparison shopped; this will give your outlet a special niche in your market and markets.

Lastly it can be said that by having an estate department this can well let you tap current interest in the designer market. Simply put estate jewelry is designer jewelry that has stood the test of time.

About the Author: Amy U. Goodman

Substantial Incomes Wealth

Jewelery , Gold , Diamonds wealth acquisition

Lottery Winners BCInternet Marketing Jewelers Online

Commercial Google Adsense Marketing Campaigns

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Sport Franchise A Profitable Business Opportunity

Filed under: Sports — @ 4:42 am, .

Sport Franchise – A Profitable Business Opportunity

by

Grahame Clark

Today, the sports franchising industry creates large revenue. To entirely understand the environment of the sport franchise industry, we must try to understand that it is composed of different workings.

If you are interested in buying a sporting business franchise then you must know the diverse cases of goods that are accessible through professional equipment manufacturers and goods retailers, and in addition the names of the different companies involved.

Sport franchise comes with many exciting bonuses. First of all, the customer base for this type of franchise is usually established and fiercely loyal. The brand name is already associated with quality and performance so you need to do very little work, and a sports franchise requires very little startup cash and investment. Additionally, the franchising business in general is low-risk with only 5% resulting in failure. Each franchise can be examined to see which suits you best.

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Sport franchise also comes in a variety of facility sizes and with several training programs and products available. There are franchises that are retail establishments, such as a pro shop retailer. There are facilities that are fitness suites or weight training gyms and there is a franchise opportunity to specialize and offer education into gymnastics, exercise for children and boxing. The world we live in is changing and people are more and more conscious about their weight and looks, with the advancement of technology people are turning towards a structured and sophisticated method of exercise. The sport franchise market is looking very appealing at this moment and owning a franchise can result in not only you enjoying it but also earning money out of the franchise opportunity.

One of the popular sports franchise is Reebok franchise. Reebok specializes in manufacturing, Sports shoes, sports gears, sports apparels and other non-leather footwear across the world and India. The footwear franchise provides a range of footwear such as for Adventure, Basketball, and Casual and Cross Training. The Reebok franchise also has shoes for Running, Soccer, Tennis, Walking and basic sandals for the men. The clothing and footwear franchise has its apparel section for the women and men.

Reebok started its operations in India in 1995 and has a pan-India presence with branch offices in Mumbai, Kolkata and Bangalore and ranks at the top amongst international footwear companies in India. Reebok reaches out to its target customers through its 500 plus exclusive stores, 200 plus shops in the shop outlets and 2500 plus dealer outlets.

This global retail franchise brand is perfect for those who wish to deal with a popular brand and at the same time wish to enjoy good flow of income. This brand is committed to designing products that reflect creativity and thus if you think you can help in making the brand s status in the market even more strong, you must go for Reebok franchise today itself.

Franchise Bazar provides information about different types of franchise business opportunities available in the market. Here in this article one can get information about

Sport Franchise

and

Reebok Franchise

opportunity.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com

Cash Loans For Bad Credit Top Most Financial Tool For Making Cozier Cash Aid

Filed under: Real Estate — @ 4:38 am, .

Cash Loans for Bad Credit – Top-most Financial Tool for Making Cozier Cash Aid

by

Robin Howard

At what time some unexpected expenses like out of blue car break down, mother s health check up, outstanding bank overdrafts, and even other payments are unavoidable. Bad thing is that your payday is far off. In case, want to access extra sufficient money! Then, cash loans for bad credit are the most sought-after financial resorts through which you can get money as per your urgent need without any fear of credit checking. So, you do not need to get worry if you have various credit problems described as.

Country Court Judgments,

Defaults,

Arrears,

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Missed Payments,

Due Payments,

Late Payments,

Foreclosure,

Bankruptcy,

Individual Voluntary Agreements,

Payment Overdue etc

Why cash loans for bad credit are the most sought-after financial services! It is very common that there is no pledging collateral required and there is no lengthy paperwork required. In addition, there is no faxing done. That s all you have to complete a simple application form available at the lender s website in just 2 to 3 minutes for fast loan approval. In application form, you have to fill out your genuine details and then, submit it. After finalizing your details, the money is sanctioned direct into your active bank account in just 1 hour of approval.

To be qualified in planed criterions such as: you need to be a resident of United Kingdom and you are living at the same place from the last twelve months, you are either adult or above 18 years of age, you are fulltime employee or you have a regular source of income that is at least 1000 per month and you must be holding a valid active checking account that receives all debits. On qualifying these conditions, you can stress-freely derive funds though

cash loans for bad credit

, and then you can effectively deal with all short term financial purposes.

Looking for small cash provision! You will find cash loans for bad credit as quite pertinent to your needs. These are short term financial services which let you get your hands on the amount ranging from 100 to 1000 and the further amount is dependent on your income and repayment capacity. The offered money has to be paid back within a period of 14 to 31 days. No collateral is involved in place of the loan and so, the rate of interest charged as a bit high. These loans are boon for covering up various short term bills like grocery bills, light bills, telephone bills, due room rentals, loan installments and so forth.

Robin Howard is both an ace author and financial advisor. He has authored several articles and blogs on cash loans for bad credit, unsecured loans for bad credit and

payday loans for bad credit

.

Article Source:

ArticleRich.com

Organic, Handmade And Natural Cosmetic Items Are A Lot More Commercial

Filed under: Health — @ 4:31 am, .

Organic, handmade and natural cosmetic items are a lot more commercial

by

George Lockwood

Several people prefer to rather use natural products which do not contain petroleum and other synthetic elements. The cosmetic items have been debated and argued with on multiple occasions for being tested on animals. The result was that many have been banned across several nations. The laws were updated and stated that all the ingredients have to be listed on the back of the item. Even with laws being put in place there are still many cosmetic brands that fail to meet them. The reason they have come down hard on these products is because they are a danger to their consumers and they contain harmful chemicals. It is very complicated though in keeping track of all the products on the market because there are so much of them being launched every year.

Australia has particularly strict regulations. Discount Cosmetics Brisbane is manufacturing natural and organic products that are 100% confirmed. A great sample is the mineral makeup that is made up of loose dry powder that is for foundations, blushers, bronzers and lipsticks. Make up that is dry does not hold any preservatives or chemicals. The products that are compressed into tubes are liquid which are made up of preservatives; these are not good for your skin. The organic cosmetics compose mainly of zinc oxide and titanium dioxide which are also known for being sun blockers. The others include iron oxide, tin, mica sericite and magnesium myristate. Several Australian dermatologists say that women should use natural makeup like mineral powdered eye shadow because it doesn t contain preservatives, mineral oils, dyes, synthetic fragrances or Parabens. However buying natural is not always cheap, buying natural mineral items from the outlets can be very pricey.

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Discount cosmetics in Brisbane offer very competitive pricing on their products. The natural mineral makeup has a very soothing feel on all skin types and is fit for people with acne. The titanium dioxide and zinc oxide prevent skin rashes and agitation. They are all safe to use provided that it does not hold talc. Talc is a harmful mineral that is very harsh on your skin and is known for causing tumours. When buying a cosmetic product that contains talc, it does fight off sweat to stay on but has dangerous toxins and chemicals. The natural mineral makeup (except talc) lasts a lot longer than liquids because they are not easy to contaminate. They are easy on your skin and protect you from the sun s harmful rays.

Powder cosmetics from Discount Cosmetics Brisbane are definitely worth buying; they are 100% natural and last long.

George Lockwood is an author on the subject of

Discount Cosmetics Brisbane

. Also, he has a particular interest in fashion and style. On behalf of several web sites owners he spends most of his time writing contents for web publication for priceline.com.au.

Article Source:

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Adhere It Right With Industrial Fasteners

Filed under: Fasteners — @ 4:23 am, .

Adhere It Right with Industrial Fasteners

by

Haji

Industrial fasteners are the metallic materials or devices that are used to affix two objects together. These materials are made up of aluminum, brass, copper and steel etc. Fasteners can fix the kind of objects related to

electrical

, woods, automobiles and many others. Some of the common industrial fasteners are Nuts and washers, carriage bolts, pins and circlips, hexagon bolt, self tapping screws, Uclamps etc.

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Fasteners play a crucial role in every kind of process and work. One of the simplest fasteners that are used in even households is nails. These are available in variable sizes and mostly they can be used with wooden work. They can be struck easily with the help of hammer. The other one is screws which are much similar to nails but they are driven into any material while rotating them with a screw drive. They offer better fastening to the material than others.

Apart from this pins and circlips are the better fastening equipments. These should be made of the best raw material; otherwise they can lead to accidents. These are available in various sizes and shapes as per your requirements. Circlip is like a

semi-flexible metal ring

with open ends which you can shatter in the machine groove to avoid lateral movement. These are also known as Gudgeon pins. Pins secure the position of two objects relative to each other.

Have you ever thought while sitting on a wooden couch that there might be some screw like objects in between two pieces of your furniture? Right and you may know about nuts and bolts. Different kinds of bolts are available and one among them is carriage bolts. The Carriage bolts have a round head and a square collar. They can be tightened with the help of nut. You can get them easily from hardware supplier stores. They are also known as the coach bolts and can be gripped into the metal part being fixed. Carriage bolts are available in all the three qualities of stainless steel i.e. 304Q, 316Q and 202 Q.

While buying the industrial fasteners, you need to take care of several points. First one is that they should meet international standards and reassure their quality otherwise they may lead to disasters. These should be long lasting and manufactured by well-trained engineers.

Access exclusive collection of small business articles. Create free pages for your company and get exposed to buyers worldwide with IndiaMART.com.

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Bicycle Safety Tips

Filed under: Sports — @ 4:50 am, May 24, 2013.

By Elizabeth Allen

It’s simple! Follow the ‘rules of the road’. With few exceptions, when operating a bicycle on the streets and highways you must comply with the motor vehicle traffic regulations of your state and locality. Yes, you have all the rights of a motor vehicle driver, but you also have the same responsibilities they do. That means you must drive on the right side of a two way street, except when overtaking or passing. You must obey traffic lights and signs. At uncontrolled intersections, remember the vehicle on the left yields the right-of-way to the vehicle on the right.

Where bike paths or lanes are available, use them. When traveling with a group, it is best to ride single file and never more than two abreast.

Signals are important. Turning right? Extend your right hand and arm in a horizontal position straight from and level with your shoulder beyond the right side of your bicycle. Turning left? Extend your left arm straight and level to the left side of your bike. For slowing down or stopping, extend your arm downward to your side. By following the regulations applicable to motor vehicles (which the law requires you to do, like it or not), you make it less likely a motor vehicle driver will misunderstand what you are doing and where you are going. Such misunderstandings cause accidents.

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Wear a helmet! Because head injuries are ordinarily the most serious type of injury in bicycle accidents, always wear a helmet when cycling. Your helmet should meet U.S. government safety standards. Check for the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission) sticker. Make sure your helmet fits securely and is level on your head. The straps should be fastened snugly. Worn improperly, your helmet will not protect you as it is designed to do. And how old is your helmet anyway? You may need to replace it if it’s more than 20 years old or if it lacks the CPSC (or ASTM or Snell) label. If the helmet foam is cracked, if the helmet doesn’t fit correctly or if the helmet has been banged up in a crash, replace it.

Visibility is key! If a motor vehicle driver can’t see you, he won’t take steps to avoid hitting you. Wear light colored clothing that stands out such as yellow or white. Tie a reflector strap around your pant leg or wear a jacket or shoes furnished with reflector tape. Attach a lamp to the front of your bicycle for use at night, during twilight hours, or in bad weather. A tail light is a good idea as well.

Check your equipment before you ride! Are your brakes in good repair and are they correctly adjusted? You don’t want to ride a bike with worn brake pads or faulty cables. Are your tires properly inflated and in good condition? It is always a good idea to oil your chain regularly and ensure it is in good working order. Make certain your bicycle seat, handlebars, and wheels aren’t loose, that they fit tightly.

These are just a few tips for safer cycling. Use your common sense and always remain alert to your surroundings and nearby vehicles. Bicycling is great exercise and a wonderful hobby. Just make sure you remember the safety rules while you enjoy the ride.

About the Author: Elizabeth M. Allen, of the law firm Allen, Allen, Allen and Allen, has been a

personal injury attorney

engaged in the practice of

personal injury law

for over 30 years. Allen and Allen has been protecting the rights of injured victims in Virginia and throughout the Mid-Atlantic for nearly a century. They can be found online at: http://www.allenandallen.com .

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A Crash Course In Herbal Medicines

Filed under: Home Improvement — @ 4:43 am, .

By Syahrul Azlan Idris

The use of herbal medicines is gaining more and more popularity nowadays, as people have started looking for alternatives to conventional drugs. Perhaps the use of herbs for curative purposes is most common in Europe, where even the term ‘apothecary’ is still used in Germany. In the United States, the use of herbal medicine is also rising, as many people now prefer them over chemically-produced prescription drugs. In fact, there is now a growing community of medical doctors that allow and even recommend herbal medicine to their patients, either as a stand-alone cure or taken together with conventional medical treatment.

You can also take herbal medicines on your own, although it is widely recommended that you first consult a physician before ingesting any type of medication. You also have to be aware of the different types of herbs and their general uses. Nowadays a lot of people still indulge in self-medication without being fully aware of the proper use and dosage of such medicines. Acquiring an adequate knowledge about herbal medicines will allow you to get the most out of their curative properties without negative consequences.

Here are some of the most common therapeutic actions of herbal medicines:

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Diuretic Herbal Therapy – Herbalists have always believed that water is the most important nutrient for life. They believe that a water balance exists in the body, and problems can result if this balance is disturbed. It is believed that by careful regulation of the body’s water, symptoms such as hypoglycemia can be alleviated. Some herbs that are believed to possess water-balancing properties include dandelions, horsetail, and juniper berries.

Perspiration Herbal Therapy – Perspiring is actually an age-old remedy that was used to get rid of illnesses and infections like cold and flu. Usually, perspiration is achieved by drinking hot herbal teas. Sometimes, a hot bath is also recommended, which is followed by resting in bed covered by warm blankets. Herbs like cayenne, peppermint and ginger are among the common herbs used to induce perspiration.

Stimulation Herbal Therapy – Herbalists believe that most illnesses come from a sluggish flow of energy, which includes lymph, blood, nutrients, nerves, and even body waste products. This flow of energy needs to be stimulated in order that health may be restored to the body. Some herbs that are believed to stimulate this flow of energy include black pepper, ginger, and cloves.

Tranquilization Herbal Therapy – Symptoms like irritability, nervousness, or insomnia are often cured by using herbs that are believed to possess natural tranquilizing properties. These soothing herbs can soothe and lubricate joints and bones, calm the muscles and nervous system, and relieve pain. Herbs that are regarded as natural tranquilizers include marshmallow root, oats, and valerian.

Tonification Herbal Therapy – A herbalist will usually recommend tonification for a patient who’s feeling run down or weak. Sometimes it also works for patients recovering from a serious health condition. Tonification works by improving nutritional deficiencies in the body. A lot of herbs are naturally rich in vitamins and minerals, so certain herbs will be helpful for certain patients. Herbs that are considered natural tonifiers include alfalfa, goldenseal, and seaweed.

About the Author: Azlan Irda is the co-founder of

aherbstore.com

which provides high-quality herbal medicines at great prices. Get more information about

herbal medicines

when you visit our site.

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Portal talk:Weather

Filed under: Real Estate — @ 4:43 am, .

I think the Weather section of Wikinews is really interesting. What kinds of content will it have? Ideas:

Samrolken 12:36, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)

I’ve asked user B-101 on his user talk page for a source for his contribution about the results of an increase in temperature.

Any scientific claim should have a citation to back it up.

— DV 16:38, 15 Dec 2004 (UTC)

from Talk:Main Page

Hey, would anyone object to breaking the asian weahter section up a bit? Its just such a huge freaking place. I mean the weather in indonesia, is not in the least related to the Weather in Turkmenistan. The other question is how? Centeral, south, and south-east? The bellman 02:12, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)

It seems silly to have two seperate maps for Fah. and Cel. since Fah. is only used in the US… why not just have seperate maps for each continent, and have the US one be in Fahrenheit?

I’m almost ready to post a map of world surface conditions.

It’s generated by an Adobe Illustrator CS document using data-driven graphics that are fed by an XML dataset.

Once the first version is ready, I will supply the source files by e-mail to anyone who wants them – they’re about 40MB uncompressed, so I’m not sure if I should post such large files in the Commons.

I plan to provide two links underneath the map for temperatures – one for degrees Fahrenheit and the other for degrees Celsius.

I’m still working on scraping the temperatures automatically from the web, but editing the XML dataset is very fast. There are 55 cities, and they can be updated in under five minutes using the following links:

BBC Weather World

The Weather Channel

What makes this map interesting is that it simultaneously presents temperatures of 55 of the world’s major cities.

I am still working on adding symbols for Sunny, Cloudy, Raining, and Snowing. — DV 05:25, 5 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Russia:

Canada:

Greenland:

Argentina:

New Zealand:

Iceland:

Antarctica: (let’s see if you want to add it first!)

Earl Andrew 19:01, 11 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Good Idea!

from Talk:Main Page

It seems unnecessary for a wiki to be used to update current weather conditions — there are plenty of accurate weather info feeds available. I suggest that the Weather section stick to actual news about weather (i.e. articles on aftermath of hurricanes, etc.). — Anonymous

Anyone object to just getting rid of weather altogether? Unless of course, Wikimedia is planning to invest in radar equipment. Lyellin 05:13, 23 Nov 2004 (UTC)

Many thanks to the people/person who brought us this, because it is freaking awesome. Just a question; some of the choices fo cities are a bit odd (eg recife in brasil, but not salvador and manuas), how were the cities chosen, how difficult is it to add new ones, and at what point does adding more cities make it look too crowded? thoughts? The bellman 13:18, 20 Jan 2005 (UTC)

No city even close to mine is shone on the weather map, how can I add it?

I notice that London no-longer has a temperature. This means that the map is useless for resisdents of Great Britain and Ireland, as being islands, our weather is significantly different to the continent’s. Dan100 (Talk) 21:16, 2 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Ditto that, we need at least London, as this is an English-language site, and many contributors are from the UK. With notoriously variable condition compared to Western Europe, a temp reading would be appreciated. Can it be done? –81.156.220.251 19:39, 5 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Why UTC time for all continent maps? Means nothing for me – what does it mean? Perhaps GMT or +/- an hour or so would be more appropriate for Europe, and other relevant timezones for the submaps. Either that or a select number of timezones on all maps. Or even, is there a need for the time to be shown, especially if the weather is to be ‘current’? Everyone with a PC has a clock somewhere on their destop (presumably). Cheers, –81.157.24.242 22:24, 10 Feb 2005 (UTC)

It would be very awesome if the weather map reflected which parts of the day were light and day at the time when it was last refreshed. Like one of those geochronometer] doo-hickeys, just have it do a transparency overlay (I have no idea what that would entail or if it would be at all possible). Just a thought, but it looks pretty awesome as is, though! –Fastfission 07:33, 18 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Are there any plans for an East Asian or South Asian weather map? — Ran 05:37, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC)

<chuckle> In about 8 weeks, wanna start doing an in-depth image of the weather reports from Cape Scott to Trial Island? I’m sure you can pull up each of the weather buoys through the meteo, so I can know what the wind and temps are at each anchorage and harbour on my trip (where I can get internet), right? Since many of these also to sea state, could we add a color-coding for waves? maybe color gradient from blue to red in .5m increments?

(in case I was not obvious enough, this is a joke) And THANK YOU!!! for all your (and Ilya’s) work in getting and maintaining this very complex weather reporting system! Love the bots… – Amgine 06:01, 10 Mar 2005 (UTC)

Dear weather graphic designer(s). Looks excellent. One recommendation though — temperature scale interval / coloured graphics at 15oC or 20oC intervals. (<– comment from anon IP?)

I was thinking the standard temperature colours… eg

159753 11:14, 8 Jun 2005 (UTC)

Commons:User:WeatherBot is in danger of being blocked. See Commons:Village pump#WeatherBot : NOT the right way. I thought some Wikinews people might want to participate in that discussion. Dbenbenn 14:37, 12 July 2005 (UTC)

Would it at all be possible to have the actual major cities in Canada represented? Currently there are only three shown and the national capital is missing. I would be more than happy to provide you with theirn names and approximate locations (by way of editing the .ai file).

68.149.167.146, I am afraid such an addition could lead to cities overlapping each other.–207.200.116.136 14:51, 18 July 2005 (UTC) Oh! Before I forget,You can check The North Amreican Map.

The latest map is dated on Septempber 19. Any trouble happened?–Aphaia 07:20, 21 September 2005 (UTC)

I added the weather maps. Does anyone else think this is a good idea? –SVTCobra 21:12, 5 June 2007 (UTC)

Noticed that the lowest temperature seen on the maps is 0C/32F (freezing point), especially on the far north locations. Is there a bug in displaying sub-freezing temperatures? DL+1613 02:05, 4 November 2007 (UTC)

And why can’t he tell you the current weather, humidity, or wind–Ipatrol (talk) 19:03, 8 November 2008 (UTC)

It appears to me that the weather page is predominantly current observations (is it updated hourly?) from chosen sites around the world. I seem to recall, back before I got my account, that there was some cross-talk of putting up actual forecasts, but I didn’t see that go anywhere. What was the final call on that, if anything? –CyberStormAlpha (talk) 09:29, 12 October 2009 (UTC)

ie Anyone thought a real weather center and using weather.gov weather & NOAA etc. for cities for the world. iMap Weather has a free affiliate program… Any thoughts?

Official Myanmar death toll increases to 78,000

Filed under: Real Estate — @ 4:43 am, .

Friday, May 16, 2008 

State run television in Myanmar has reported that the death toll from the recent cyclone has increased dramatically to 77,738. In addition to this, 55,917 people are still officially missing.

In what are admittedly rough estimates, the United Nations (UN) estimates that more than 100,000 have died, while the International Red Cross projects 128,000 deaths. At least 10,000 people died just in Bogale Township in the Pyapon District of the country.

The United Nations has reported that 2.5 million people are homeless, or in need of help in the Irrawaddy Delta.

The military junta that governs the country says that it can handle relief operations and that they are going well. It is still turning down international offers to transport aid directly to the affected areas. According to state television, Prime Minister Thein Sein said, “We have already finished our first phase of emergency relief. We are going onto the second phase, the rebuilding stage.”

“Time is life,” said Louis Michel, the European Commissioner for Development & Humanitarian Aid to reporters at Bangkok International Airport in Thailand. “No government in the world can tackle such a problem alone. This is a major catastrophe.”

Michel was returning from a trip to Yangon where he was unsuccessful at urging the junta to allow direct aid despite its pride and paranoia about the outside world.

Aid groups, including UN agencies, say only a fraction of the required relief is getting through and, unless the situation improves, thousands more lives are at risk.

According to The New York Times, the United States and some European allies had considered a United Nations Security Council resolution calling for “humanitarian intervention” in Myanmar, which would give authorization for a relief mission without approval of the military authorities in Myanmar. The idea was dismissed after it became clear that China would veto any such resolution.

The US has a assembled number of ships, helicopters, transport airplanes and marines in the region, ready to assist in cyclone relief if given approval by the government of Myanmar. US officials say that helicopters can bring in assistance to areas inland from the coast and further help distribute supplies across the country. Myanmar has approved fewer than 20 cargo planes to bring supplies to the capital, Yangon.

At the United Nations Headquarters, a row occurred when Myanmar’s ambassador to the UN, Kyaw Tint Swe, interrupted the French ambassador Jean-Maurice Ripert during a speech to the General Assembly. He accused France of sending a warship to Myanmar.

“It’s not true,” Ripert said. While the ship is operated by the French Navy, it is not a warship but a ship carrying 1500 tonnes of food and medicine, Ripert insisted. It also has small boats to reach the flooded Irrawaddy Delta. The ship will reach the coast of Myanmar on Saturday, awaiting approval to deliver aid.

Meanwhile, the UN is sending John Holmes, the Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, to make contact with Myanmar’s reclusive military leaders to improve UN access to the hardest-hit areas.

According to UN spokesperson, Michèle Montas, Holmes will arrive in Myanmar on Sunday. He will be carrying a letter from Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon to Senior General Than Shwe, who has twice previously refused to converse with Ban.

New Zealand town subject to window smashers

Filed under: Real Estate — @ 4:43 am, .

Monday, November 20, 2006 

Otaki, a small town located in the North Island of New Zealand, has been subject to vandals who have smashed around 70 windows in the local primary school, Otaki Primary School.

The smashed windows resulted in the closure of the primary school today. It is expected that the school will be open tomorrow.

The primary school was not the only property damaged. The police are reporting that the library, memorial hall, law offices, tyre factor, butchery and the citizen’s advice bureau were all attacked, with other attacks possible.

The police say that the damage was done on Saturday night. Business owners are still reporting property damage. Sergeant Mark Toms said: “The damage seems to be widespread, and has not been confined to the school. Mr Toms said that they “are following strong leads as to who is responsible for the vandalism.”

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