Food & Drink Innovation Network ? AMOY LAUNCHES NEW ...

November 19th, 2012

Amoy?s latest innovation sees the introduction of new Amoy Sticky Glazes to bring fresh ways of creating Oriental meals at home.

Amoy Sticky Glazes give consumers the opportunity to make restaurant-style cuisine in their own kitchen and are available in three varieties: Peanut Satay, Sweet Soy and Chinese Barbecue.

In-store from the middle of November, each has an RSP of ?1.49 and will serve up to four people.

Oriental cooking is currently dominated by the stir-fry, but research suggests consumers are looking for a greater variety of cooking techniques.

The Amoy Sticky Glaze is designed as an easy cooking method for consumers to add to their repertoire.

Created using ingredients sourced from Asia, the Amoy Sticky Glaze is poured over meat or vegetables, and then either oven or grill cooked for a vibrant tasting meal.

The launch is being supported with in-store activation and trade promotions to drive trial.

In addition, a new packaging design has been revealed across the whole Amoy range.

This new look aims to highlight the foodie credentials of the brand, with all products linking directly to recipes on amoy.co.uk.

Amoy marketing manager Helen Tarragano said:

?Our mission is to make inspiring Asian meals easy to create at home.

?We know our core consumers are passionate foodies with adventurous tastes, but their busy lives mean they need dinners that are quick to make.

?We believe our new Amoy Sticky Glazes will bring excitement to weekday meals, creating a tasty restaurant quality meal quickly.

?We?re pleased to announce this launch in conjunction with our new-look packaging which will help us inspire even more consumers with Oriental cuisine.?

Related posts:

  1. Heinz launches revamped Amoy range
  2. Amoy ventures into frozen ready meals category
  3. AMOY LAUNCHES ITS FIRST DRY NOODLES RANGE
  4. AMOY LAUNCHES NEW STIR FRY SAUCES
  5. AMOY LAUNCHES NEW STIR-FRY SAUCE
  6. AMOY LAUNCHES ITS FIRST GLUTEN FREE RICE NOODLE
  7. MINTEL SAYS CHINESE IS NUMBER ONE ETHNIC MEAL CHOICE.
  8. ORIENTAL BRAND BLUE DRAGON UNDERGOES COMPLETE BRAND OVERHAUL FOR 2011

Source: http://www.fdin.org.uk/2012/11/amoy-launches-new-sticky-glazes/

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Survivor Series 2012 results

Survivor Series 2012 results

Pre-Show Match
Heath Slater & Jinder Mahal def. Santino Marella & Zack Ryder (FULL STORY | PHOTOS | 3MB POST-MATCH EXCLUSIVE)

Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match
Rey Mysterio, Sin Cara, Justin Gabriel, Tyson Kidd & Brodus Clay def. The Prime Time Players, Primo, Epico & Tensai; Mysterio, Sin Cara, Gabriel & Kidd were the match's survivors (FULL STORY | PHOTOS | EXCLUSIVE: WINNERS CELEBRATE)

Aksana, wearing a blond wig, attacked Kaitlyn backstage.

Divas Championship Match
Eve (c) def. Kaitlyn (FULL STORY | PHOTOS)

United States Championship Match
Antonio Cesaro (c) def. R-Truth (FULL STORY | PHOTOS | CESARO EXCLUSIVE)

AJ Lee presented photographic "evidence" of Vickie Guerrero fraternizing with WWE Superstars. Interrupting AJ was the returning Tamina, who assaulted the former Raw GM and floored her with a Superfly Splash. (PHOTOS | EXCLUSIVE VIDEO )

World Heavyweight Championship Match
Sheamus def. Big Show (c) by disqualification when Big Show pulled the referee in the way of Sheamus' Brogue Kick (FULL STORY | PHOTOS | SHEAMUS POST-MATCH EXCLUSIVE)

Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Team Match
Team Ziggler defeated Team Foley; Dolph Ziggler was the match's sole survivor (FULL STORY |?PHOTOS |?FOLEY EXCLUSIVE | ZIGGLER EXCLUSIVE)

Triple Threat WWE Championship Match
CM Punk (c) def. John Cena and Ryback; during the match, Roman Reigns, Dean Ambrose and Seth Rollins entered the ring and attacked Ryback (FULL STORY | PHOTOS | ATTACKERS' IDENTITIES REVEALED)

View Comments

Source: http://www.wwe.com/shows/survivorseries/2012/survivor-series-2012-results

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All New Tips Cash advance loan businesses appear for being in ...

Payday loan companies appear to be in breach of regulations
Payday loan organizations surface to be in breach of polices by delivering dollars to pay for Seasonal celebrations and by intentionally focusing on condition benefit claimants.

Sites have sprung up in recent weeks presenting cash advance loans to help pay for Seasonal browsing and celebrations, which includes several explicitly aimed towards individuals on positive aspects.

The internet sites are individual in the financial loan businesses, but candidates are redirected from the web sites to well-known payday loan providers.
9dfb7 article 0 05C4383B0000044D 392 468x286 Cash advance loan businesses appear for being in breach of restrictions
Xmas spirit: Web sites have sprung up in modern weeks giving payday cash loans that can help pay for Seasonal searching and celebrations
Office of Good Trading tips prohibit personal loan firms from ?targeting or exploiting debtors who may perhaps be particularly weak by virtue of their current indebtedness or very poor credit history history?.
One such web page, called paydayloans forpeopleonbenefits24h7.co.united kingdom, gives you loans to those people with a weak credit heritage which include arrears, defaults and late repayments, and those who?re bankrupt or maybe the matter of County Court docket Judgments.
Developed in inadequate English, the web-site redirects prospects to mainstream companies including Wage Day Progress and Swift Sterling. It had been registered past month by Adam Zulewski, who seems to become Polish but describes himself for a ?UK individual?.
Wage Day Advance, in Skipton, North Yorkshire, is one of the fastest-growing pay day loan organizations. Past year it doubled in dimensions with income of ?34?million and ?16?million in income.
Swift Sterling is a subsidiary of Northway Broker, that has an office environment about the Isle of Man and headquarters in Malta. The two are tax havens. Wage Working day Progress claimed the website was run by a separate small business that given it with clients.
A spokesman said: ?We are to cease all buying and selling as a result of this internet site straight away because of to its shopper focusing on tactic and its non-compliance together with the Consumer Credit score Act 1974, the buyer Credit rating Restrictions, the information Safety Act 1998, Privateness Digital Communications Restrictions and OFT advice.?
He extra that Wage Working day Progress ?will not be reactivating this account at any point? given that the website is ?targeting economically vulnerable people?.Money Mail has also learned sites promotion loans to pay for Christmas purchasing in a very prospective breach of marketing and advertising codes. Enterprises are limited from advertising and marketing loans within a way that ?trivialises the decision? to just take out a loan.
Ukpaydayloans4u.website.co.british isles ? which appears to get been removed in the world-wide-web due to the fact we started investigations ? recommended taking a mortgage loan to throw a Xmas social gathering and ?make the celebration even bigger?.
The web page, which involved a url to QuickQuid, encouraged people to accomplish a web based software form then redirected them to firms which includes Swift Sterling. QuickQuid mentioned it experienced ?no ties? to the web site.
Economic Mail has reported the website to the Marketing and advertising Criteria Authority as well as quite a few others which include christmascashloans.co.uk and christmascashloansfast.co.british isles.
The ASA is looking at Financial Mail?s grievances relating to 7 websites. The information has also been passed into the OFT.
The OFT is expected to issue a compliance report this month around the pay back day personal loan current market.

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Source: http://www.newtipss.com/loans/cash-advance-loan-businesses-appear-for-being-in-breach-of-restrictions/

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Taxes: Why tinkering beats wholesale overhaul | Felix Salmon

The fiscal debate which is just beginning in Washington is the political equivalent of trench warfare: the two sides have strongly-held positions, and the confrontations are going to be held on a thousand different fronts. In the end, there will be some tax-code changes here, some spending cuts there ? but the baseline is the status quo, and the further that a plan deviates from the status quo, the less likely it is to get adopted.

Fiscal policy, in other words, is like healthcare policy: it?s path-dependent. There are lots of things that in an ideal world virtually everybody would like to see the end of; the mortgage-interest tax deduction is only the most obvious. But you can?t get there from here. What?s more, it?s incredibly difficult to get anything brand-new into the mix. I would love to see a carbon tax, and a financial-transactions tax, and a wealth tax ? all of them are more attractive than an income tax, and some combination of them would be much better. But the point is that we?re not starting from scratch, which means that according to the rules of politics, we basically have to go to work only with the tools we have.

And yet, every time there?s a big problem, thinkers start coming out with big solutions. Bloomberg View, for instance, has a classic QTWTAIN headline: ?Could 18th Century?s ?Sinking Fund? Solve Fiscal Cliff?? And at the NYT, Daniel Altman proposes this:

American household wealth totaled more than $58 trillion in 2010. A flat wealth tax of just 1.5 percent on financial assets and other wealth like housing, cars and business ownership would have been more than enough to replace all the revenue of the income, estate and gift taxes, which amounted to about $833 billion after refunds. Brackets of, say, zero percent up to $500,000 in wealth, 1 percent for wealth between $500,000 and $1 million, and 2 percent for wealth above $1 million would probably have done the trick as well.

In other words, don?t simply add a wealth tax into the mix, but abolish the heart of the tax code at the same time, and use only a wealth tax to try to replace all that lost revenue. He starts with those tax revenues, divides them into an estimate for household wealth, and presto ? out the other side comes a solution to all our problems, which would slow the rise of inequality, deliver a tax cut to the majority of American families, and probably improve motherhood and apple pie at the same time.

As I say, I like the idea of a wealth tax. (My proposal: 1% of all wealth over $5 million, each year.) It would diversify the tax base, it would give the rich an incentive to take more risks with their investments, and by definition it would only be paid by people who can afford it. But administering such a thing would be a nightmare, and it?s always best to lower oneself into such waters gently. After all, the IRS has had decades to learn how people avoid income tax; it hasn?t even started to imagine all the different ways they could avoid a wealth tax.

Jill Lepore, in the latest issue of the New Yorker (although sadly not online), has an interesting history of the US tax code, explaining how the antitax tradition, which is rooted in slavery, has weirdly and yet consistently failed to really gain traction in practice. She concludes:

What?s surprising, given how much money and passion have been spent to defeat a broad-based, progressive income tax over the past century, and how poorly it has been defended, is that it has endured?testimony, perhaps, to Americans? abiding sense of fairness.

The US tax code is already progressive. It could do with higher rates at the top end and lower marginal rates at the bottom end, but in terms of broad architecture it works pretty well ? especially in the way that Americans have to pay tax on their global income. America?s fiscal problems come just from the fact that we raise too little money in taxes, rather from the fact that the taxes we do have are in any fundamental way ill-conceived.

Altman?s idea, much like Herman Cain?s 9-9-9 plan, is more than just unrealistic: it deliberately jettisons the one upside we have, which is a decades-long tradition whereby Americans pay income taxes in payment, as Oliver Wendell Holmes put it, ?for civilized society?. Income taxes are easy to collect, and for most of us on payroll they?re collected automatically and largely invisibly ? by the time we get our paychecks, the taxes have already been paid. We have a smoothly-functioning machine, with tax rates which can be adjusted quite easily. Adding new gears to the machine ? a carbon tax, for instance ? might make sense in theory, although it?s hard. But dismantling the machine entirely and rebuilding something brand new? That is a very bad idea indeed.

Source: http://blogs.reuters.com/felix-salmon/2012/11/19/taxes-why-tinkering-beats-wholesale-overhaul/

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Useful Golf Drills You Can Do on Your Home Putting Green

When it comes to the most effective golf exercises, it always helps to go back to basics - and absolutely nothing gives you the practice you require such as a home putting green. Even the very best golfing professionals require help with their fundamentals; and there's no question that when you perfect a fundamental, your golfing technique will improve substantially.

Cancel your mid-day meetings and setup on one of these indoor synthetic practice putting greens - here are a few practice exercises and golfing gadgets that can produce substantial benefits:
Have you got ample space for your indoor home putting green? Then you're lucky: this golfing routine will assist you to master the basic technique that creates incredible benefits.

Try this technique out on your own indoor practice putting green. Use a constant back and thru' motion (similar to a brushing motion) applying more speed and acceleration as you swing through beyond the ball.You'll recognize you're employing this exercise the right way when you feel like the putter head is speeding up to the fastest spot just after making contact with the ball.

Here's another one that PGA professionals swear by and you could do it on your own home putting green. Every golf enthusiast is aware of the frustration of a poor chipping stroke; nevertheless, this technique may help enhance your chipping skills. Grab your favourite chipping club and settle into your usual putting stance. Adopting a stiff-wristed position and taking your favourite putting hold on the club, gently rock the shouders up and down to guage the correct distance you need to get the ball to the intended target. Once you've perfected this drill, try adding a ball into the routine.

If your home practice putting green is positioned outside the house, then follow up the drill with this move continuing to release the golf club as you hit the ball. If the ball routinely lands relatively straight in front of you, then you've mastered the chipping stroke. If you don't have the room or space for practice, there are various other methods you can practice this particular routine.


Finally, if you're having trouble gauging the distance between you and the flagstick, try a couple of practice swings with your eyes fixed only on the spot where you want the ball to land. This could feel strange at first, but it's really worth the effort. First, settle into your regular putting/chipping stance and line up for the stroke. However, instead of looking down at the ball, or the ground in front of it, focus your eyes solely on the landing spot you've picked out on the practice putting green in front of you. Once you've applied this a number of times proceed to swing through to your selected landing spot this time keeping your eyes above the ball right up until it's well on the way to the mark. It may feel awkward to begin with, but you'll swiftly recognize that keeping your eye on the target rather than the flagstick whilst practice swinging gives you a surprising amount of accuracy and control once you take this technique out of your home putting green out to the golf course.

These drills are fantastic for beginners and professionals alike, as they all focus on building up basic fundamentals for an exceptional over-all golf game. So no matter whether you want to master the basic principles or you're a pro who would like to get back to the basic principles, try out all these exercises on your home putting green.

Source: http://www.artipot.com/articles/1436113/useful-golf-drills-you-can-do-on-your-home-putting-green.htm

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Scandal widens in probe of top US general's emails

WASHINGTON (AP) ? The sex scandal that led to CIA Director David Petraeus' downfall widened Tuesday with word the top U.S. commander in Afghanistan is under investigation for thousands of alleged "inappropriate communications" with another woman involved in the case.

Even as the FBI prepared a timeline for Congress about the investigation that brought to light Petraeus' extramarital affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta revealed that the Pentagon had begun an internal investigation into emails from Gen. John Allen to a Florida woman involved in the case.

Allen succeeded Petraeus as the top American commander in Afghanistan in July 2011, and his nomination to become the next commander of U.S. European Command and the commander of NATO forces in Europe has now been put on hold, as the scandal seemed certain to ensnare another acclaimed military figure.

In a White House statement early Tuesday, National Security spokesman Tommy Vietor said President Barack Obama has held Allen's nomination at Panetta's request. Obama, the statement said, "remains focused on fully supporting our extraordinary troops and coalition partners in Afghanistan, who Gen. Allen continues to lead as he has so ably done for over a year."

It was Broadwell's threatening emails to Jill Kelley, a Florida woman who is a Petraeus family friend, that led to the FBI's discovery of communications between Broadwell and Petraeus indicating they were having an affair. Petraeus acknowledged the affair when he resigned from the CIA post on Friday.

In the latest revelations, a Pentagon official traveling with Panetta to Australia said "inappropriate communications" ? 20,000 to 30,000 pages of emails and other documents from Allen's communications with Kelley between 2010 and 2012 ? are under review. He would not say whether they involved sexual matters or whether they are thought to include unauthorized disclosures of classified information. He said he did not know whether Petraeus is mentioned in the emails.

Allen has denied wrongdoing. If Allen was found to have had an affair with Kelley, he could face charges of adultery, which is a crime under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

The decision by the FBI to hand off the Allen information to the military seems to indicate the issue is not one involving the handling of classified information, but rather some other issue.

The Petraeus case has sparked an uproar in Congress, with lawmakers complaining they should have been told earlier about the probe that has roiled the intelligence and military establishment.

Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, called the latest revelations in the case "a Greek tragedy."

"It's just tragic," King said Tuesday on NBC's "Today" show. "This has the elements in some ways of a Hollywood movie or a trashy novel."

The issue of what the FBI knew, when it notified top Obama administration officials, and when Congress was told, has brought criticism from lawmakers, who say they should have been told earlier.

The White House wasn't informed of the FBI investigation that involved Petraeus until Nov. 6, Election Day, although agents began looking at Petraeus' actions months earlier, sometime during the summer. Senate Intelligence Committee chairwoman Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif., complained that she first learned of the matter from the media late last week, and confirmed it in a phone call to the then-CIA director on Friday.

That was the same day Obama accepted Petraeus' resignation, and the 60-year-old retired Army general, who headed U.S. military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan before taking charge of the CIA, acknowledged an affair with Broadwell, and expressed regret.

Defending the notification timing, a senior federal law enforcement official pointed Monday to longstanding policies and practices, adopted following abuses and mistakes that were uncovered during the Nixon administration's Watergate scandal of the early 1970s. The Justice Department ? of which the FBI is part ? is supposed to refrain from sharing detailed information about its criminal investigations with the White House.

The FBI also looked into whether a separate set of emails between Petraeus and Broadwell might involve any security breach. That will be a key question Wednesday in meetings involving congressional intelligence committee leaders, FBI deputy director Sean Joyce and CIA deputy director Michael Morell.

A federal law enforcement official, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss details of the investigation, said the FBI had concluded relatively quickly ? and certainly by late summer at the latest ? that there was no security breach. Absent a security breach, it was appropriate not to notify Congress or the White House earlier, this official said.

Extramarital affairs are viewed as particularly risky for intelligence officers because they might be blackmailed to keep the affair quiet. For military personnel, adultery is a crime under the Uniform Code of Military Justice.

According to two federal law enforcement officials, the FBI initially began a criminal investigation of unsigned, harassing emails that were sent, beginning last May, to Kelley, a Tampa socialite. She and her husband, Scott, were longtime friends of Petraeus and his wife, Holly. FBI agents traced the alleged cyber harassment to Broadwell and during that process discovered she was exchanging intimate messages with a private Gmail account. Further investigation revealed that account belonged to Petraeus, under an alias.

Petraeus and Broadwell apparently used a trick, known to terrorists and teenagers alike, to conceal their email traffic, one of the law enforcement officials said.

Rather than transmitting emails to the other's inbox, they composed at least some messages and instead of transmitting them, left them in a draft folder or in an electronic "dropbox," the official said. Then the other person could log onto the same account and read the draft emails there. This avoids creating an email trail that is easier for outsiders to intercept or trace.

Agents later told Petraeus that Broadwell sent emails warning Kelley to stay away from the general and carrying a threatening tone.

Friends and former staff members of Petraeus told The Associated Press that he has assured them his relationship with Kelley was platonic, although Broadwell apparently saw her as a romantic rival. They said Petraeus was shocked to learn last summer of Broadwell's emails to Kelley.

Petraeus also denied to these associates that he had given Broadwell any sensitive military information.

FBI agents who contacted Petraeus told him that sensitive, possibly classified documents related to Afghanistan were found on her computer, the general's associates said. He assured investigators they did not come from him, and he mused to his associates that they were probably given to her on her reporting trips to Afghanistan by commanders she visited in the field there.

One associate also said Petraeus believes the documents described past operations and had already been declassified, although they might have still been marked "secret."

Broadwell had high security clearances as part of her former job as a reserve Army major in military intelligence. But those clearances are only in effect when a soldier is on active duty, which she was not at the time she researched the Petraeus biography.

The FBI concluded there was no security breach.

Nevertheless, FBI agents conducted a search of Broadwell's Charlotte, N.C., home on Monday. And the criminal investigation continued into the emails to Kelley, including whether Petraeus had any hand in them. At that point in late summer, FBI Director Robert Mueller and eventually Attorney General Eric Holder were notified that agents had uncovered what appeared to be an extramarital affair involving Petraeus.

Broadwell and Petraeus have each been questioned by FBI agents twice in recent weeks, with both acknowledging the affair in separate interviews. The FBI's most recent interviews with Broadwell and with Petraeus both occurred during the week of Oct. 29, days before the election, one of the law enforcement officials said. The FBI notified Obama's director of national intelligence, James Clapper, of the investigation on Tuesday, Nov. 6 ? Election Day.

In another twist, an FBI agent who was a friend of Kelley and who passed along information from her to the agents who conducted the investigation, was subsequently told by his superiors to steer clear of the case because they grew concerned that the agent had become obsessed with the investigation, a federal law enforcement official said. Before the case involving Petraeus got under way, the agent had sent Kelley shirtless photos of himself, according to this official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the investigation.

Broadwell co-authored a biography titled "All In: The Education of General David Petraeus," published in January. She wrote that she met Petraeus in the spring of 2006 while she was a graduate student at the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard and she ended up following him on multiple trips to Afghanistan as part of her research.

Petraeus, 60, told one former associate he began an affair with Broadwell, 40, a couple of months after he became CIA director in September 2011. They mutually agreed to end the affair four months ago, but they kept in contact because she was still writing a dissertation on his time commanding U.S. troops overseas, the associate said.

Petraeus told former staffers and friends that he had regularly visited the Kelleys' home overlooking Tampa Bay. Kelley, 37, served as a sort of social ambassador for U.S. Central Command, hosting parties for the general when Petraeus was commander there from 2008-10.

Jill Kelley regularly kept in touch with Petraeus when he became commander of the Afghanistan war effort, the two exchanging near-daily emails and instant messages, two of his former staffers said. But those messages were exchanged in accounts that his aides monitored as part of their duties and were not romantic in tone, the staffers said.

Petraeus and his family are devastated over the affair ? especially Mrs. Petraeus, who "is not exactly pleased right now" after 38 years of marriage, said Steve Boylan, a friend and former Petraeus spokesman who spoke to him over the weekend.

Broadwell, married with two young sons, has not returned phone calls or emails seeking comment.

___

National Security writer Robert Burns reported from Perth, Australia. Associated Press writers Nedra Pickler, Larry Margasak and Adam Goldman contributed to this report.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/scandal-widens-probe-top-us-generals-emails-124020931.html

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Sinking Our Teeth Into Twilight, Day 1: Twilight

It's had its share of detractors and naysayers, but Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga has become a bona fide cultural phenomenon, a popular and lucrative franchise that has raked in over $2 billion at the box office and spurred a renewed obsession with vampires and werewolves. Unfortunately for its fans, however, the series will draw to a close this weekend with the release of its final chapter, Breaking Dawn, Part 2. As such, we thought it would be a good time to hunker down and examine what it is, exactly, that makes the series such a hit. To that end, we've commissioned two dedicated RT staffers -- one fan and one neophyte -- to trade observations on The Twilight Saga, and it all begins right here with the first film, Twilight.


Cat: I found myself enjoying this film much more than I expected. At the same time, I wish it had been a better film all around because I like the concept of forbidden love. To begin with, instead of coming off as charmingly awkward, it is almost painful to watch KStew's interpretation of Bella. Which in turn seems a little far-fetched to have every teenage boy in town find her so enchanting. Also, did anyone else think Bella and Jacob almost look like twins with that long hair Jake's rockin'? But I digress.

Jeff: I actually found Stewart's performance to be one of the least problematic things about the setup. Which isn't to say her Tourette's-style interpretation of suburban teen behavior didn't give me fits, but I was initially distracted by other things -- like the wagonload of stereotypes the opening act rolls out (hey, look at that -- a friendly nerd to show Bella the ropes at her new school), the stilted, awful dialogue, and the annoyingly obvious cinematography. I came into this movie without reading any of the books, but had to review Stephenie Meyer's "grown-up novel" The Host, so I knew the actors would be facing an uphill battle, and I didn't begrudge Stewart and Robert Pattinson their issues with the material. They aren't any good, but neither is the script.

C: When Bella has her first encounter with Edward in science class, the scene comes across as completely laughable. Not only did it feel like a cheesy '80s hair video, Edward's look of disgust was incredibly overacted. On the flip side, when it came to Bella's friends, I found Anna Kendrick's portrayal of Jessica to be a breath of fresh air in an otherwise lifeless (pun intended) town. She brought a realistic sense to her character creating a great banter that was amusing and spot on.

J: I wanted Kendrick's character to have her own movie. She seems like an idiot, but at least she smiles once in awhile. And we're in complete agreement on the unintentionally laughable nature of the movie's most "meaningful" scenes -- from the slo-mo fan shot in the science lab to the couple's breakthrough moment in the woods when Edward reveals his glitterball face to the baseball game -- more on that in a bit -- Twilight continually mistakes ponderous for thought-provoking. Teen love is all-consuming, sure. But these kids are either stuttering like nincompoops or waxing would-be poetic with horrible lines like the infamous "And so the lion fell in love with the lamb."

C: I have to admit there were a few LOL moments which were mainly due to Edward. Pattinson really tried to show the light-hearted side of the Edward that's written in the books, but in the end I felt disappointed with his rendition; it was forced and overtly unnatural.

J: Pattinson is absolutely flailing in this film, but again, I cut him some slack, because I felt like he was probably just trying to get a bead on how and why a hundred-year-old vampire would fall head over heels in love with a lip-biting sad sack within a few seconds of seeing her, and then risk his clan's survival just for some cuddling and tree-climbing. There are background characters in sitcoms and soaps that are more believably sketched out than the leads in Twilight.

C: For me, where the film got it right was the portrayal of sexual tension. There was enough push/pull for it to feel believable considering we're dealing with teenagers. I also felt Bella had a lot more bite to her than I originally recall which gave me a little bit of respect for her character.

J: The tension rang hollow for me because I felt like the movie poured it all on at a moment's notice. At first, Bella's interest in Edward seems motivated more by pique than anything else -- how dare he not like me? -- and then all of a sudden it's such a full-bore obsession that she's dry-humping him against a log and not only believing he's a vampire, but yelling at him that she doesn't care. Actual line from my notes: "WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH THIS GIRL WHO FALLS IN LOVE WITH A VAMPIRE STALKER."

C: A highlight to the film was the baseball scene. Since when DO vampires play baseball? Either way, its random shift was pleasant until the bad vampires came and started hissing like cats with the Cullens. I also found the soundtrack to the film to really fit. Catherine Hardwicke seemed to be going for an indie style approach and the music added to that atmosphere. I especially loved the scene (probably my favorite in the film) where Bella and Edward drive by the diner on their way out of town to save her and she gazes upon her friends having a carefree time realizing the life she could have had; what she's given up for Edward. That split second gave her character more credibility than I felt from her in the whole movie.

J: The baseball game, the cuddling in the woods, and that laugh-out-loud piano interlude were the three segments of the movie that I thought really stood out like a sore thumb -- Hardwicke's direction is really intrusive in these spots, and while the editing and wild overacting is a nice change in some respects from all the anguished whining, they're still pretty clunky, and they don't really do anything for the movie. A film this melodramatic needs a light touch, and Twilight never gets it.

C: I really enjoyed the ending, much more than I remember. I initially thought it wrapped up so abruptly with Victoria waiting in the wings; plotting her revenge. This time around, its sudden conclusion seemed to fit. However, can someone please explain why this whole movie was so blue? And I don't mean in tone.

J: I'll say that I thought the climactic action sequence wasn't bad, at least in terms of presenting the fight between Edward and James in a way that made sense and not jumbling up the action with quick cuts and hand-held nonsense. But the rest of it didn't impress me as much. Bella's cop father letting her just walk out of the house with a duffel bag and half an explanation was ridiculous, and the final fruition of the book's heavy-handed sex allegory during the prom scene wasn't done any favors by the thuddingly flat line readings. I couldn't wait for Victoria to swoop down and kill everyone.

C: So, how can I say that I like this film when I've torn it apart so much? I find the simple nature of teenage lust -- sorry, this is not love -- to be endearing in a nostalgic way. Instead of the normal blocks in the road when it comes to puppy love, we have vampires, which are way more amusing. However, I don't think this film will hold up over time, and clearly neither does Hollywood, with the rumors of a reboot already causing chatter.

J: I'm clearly in the minority, given the bazillions of dollars this franchise has generated, but just judging from the first film in the series, I have to say -- this isn't a believable world on any level, and I don't care about anyone in it. I'm still on board to experience the rest of the films, because I'm a masochist, but I don't think Meyer is a skilled storyteller; she has to rely on her books' timeless themes to get by, and here, they're smothered by her wooden dialogue and poorly sketched characters. Here's hoping the rest of the series manages to transcend those flaws.

Written by Jeff Giles and Catherine Pricci

Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1926240/news/1926240/

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Binaural Beats And Soothing Sounds During Cataract Surgery ...

Relaxing sounds could help people going through cataract surgery to feel less anxious, according to a small new study.

Researchers at Chiang Mai University in Thailand found that exposing patients undergoing cataract surgery -- which is often performed with just local anesthesia, meaning the patient is awake while the surgery is being conducted -- to binaural beats helped them to feel less anxious and to slow their heart rates. Binaural beats are comprised of two tones at different frequencies, which spur brainwaves that are known to reduce pain and promote relaxation. For this study, researchers exposed patients to binaural beats along with music and natural noises.

More than 3 million people in the United States undergo cataract surgery every year, making it the most common kind of surgery in the country, according to the University of Iowa.

Even though the surgery is quick, many patients still report anxiety -- one past study showed that anywhere from 3 to 16.2 percent of people undergoing cataract surgery with just topical or retrobulbar anesthesia said that "they were frightened by the visual experience of the procedure," the University of Iowa reported. This anxiety has prompted research on methods to alleviate patient stress (one past study even suggested that handholding could help).

"Our study shows significant emotional and physiological benefits from adding binaural beats to music therapy for cataract surgery patients," researcher Dr. Pornpattana Vichitvejpaisal, M.D., said in a statement. "This provides a simple, inexpensive way to improve patients' health outcomes and satisfaction with their care."

The findings were presented at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology; because they have yet to be published in a peer-reviewed journal, they should be regarded as preliminary.

The study included 141 people in Thailand, who were grouped by cataract type and age, among other factors. They were split up into groups of 47 -- one group listened to the binaural beats and music with the natural noises, the second group listened only to the music with the natural noises, and the third group didn't listen to anything at all.

Researchers found that those who listened to the binaural beats plus the music and natural noises had a slower heart rate and decreased anxiety, compared with those who didn't listen to anything. And both the binaural beats and music group and the music-only group experienced lower blood pressure than the no-noise group.

Another small study published in 2007 in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine also showed that listening to binaural beats for 60 days seemed to alleviate anxiety, as self-reported by eight study participants.

Also on HuffPost:

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Source: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/11/12/binaural-beats-cataract-surgery-anxiety_n_2118031.html

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PR denies news item about Indian locomotives | Pakistan Today ...

LAHORE?-?Pakistan Railways has clarified that no correspondence is in progress between Pakistan Railways and Indian Railways regarding obtaining Indian locomotives on lease. Clarifying a news item published in some daily newspapers here on Monday, the PR spokesman said in a press release that no such matter is under consideration in the Ministry of Railways.

Source: http://www.pakistantoday.com.pk/2012/11/13/city/lahore/pr-denies-news-item-about-indian-locomotives/

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Aastra Demonstrates Voice and Video Solutions at EDUCAUSE ...

Aastra will be demonstrating voice and video solutions tailored for the Higher Education market at the EDUCAUSE 2012 Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado. Aastra?s Hosted Clearspan? Unified Communications solution offered by Internet2 will be featured along with the Aastra BluStar? Ecosystem for video and mobility collaboration. Aastra representatives will be demonstrating live calls, including PC desktop control of calling features, click-to-dial, instantaneously moving a call from desk phone to mobile and back, on-demand video and audio conferencing, and much more on November 7th and 8th in Booth #669/671 at the Colorado Convention Center.

Released: Denver, CO November 07, 2012

Aastra, a leading company at the forefront of the enterprise communication market, will be demonstrating voice and video solutions tailored for the Higher Education market at the EDUCAUSE 2012 Annual Conference in Denver, Colorado. Aastra?s Hosted Clearspan? Unified Communications solution offered by Internet2 will be featured along with the Aastra BluStar? Ecosystem for video and mobility collaboration. Aastra representatives will be demonstrating live calls, including PC desktop control of calling features, click-to-dial, instantaneously moving a call from desk phone to mobile and back, on-demand video and audio conferencing, and much more on November 7th and 8th in Booth #669/671 at the Colorado Convention Center.

The Internet2 Hosted PBX Solution powered by Aastra Clearspan is a complete solution for unified communications providing all of the applications an institution?s employees need, at any of the locations where they work, on any of the devices they use. It not only offers classic PBX-like services, but also a rich set of enhanced services including unified messaging, fixed-mobile convergence, interactive voice response, conferencing, collaboration and call center applications. Clearspan allows employees to make and receive calls from any device, at any location, with only one phone number, one dial plan, one voice mailbox, and a unified set of features.

Aastra will also be demonstrating a host of collaboration applications designed to increase flexibility and improve productivity. Clearspan Communicator? is a unified communications client for the PC, MAC, iPad, iPhone and Android platforms which integrates with the enterprise directory and personal contacts and can be used to make and receive both voice and video calls. Aastra OnDemand? Web Collaboration is a feature-rich web and video conferencing tool for hosting online meetings, webinars and training, providing users with the ability to share documents and applications, use an interactive whiteboard, conduct group or private chat, polling and much more.

The Aastra BluStar Ecosystem includes the 8000i Desktop Media Phone and BluStar clients for PC, iPad and iPhone. The BluStar Ecosystem provides businesses with a comprehensive, end-to-end UC solution with a versatile client that can be used across devices. BluStar offers a totally natural collaboration experience and fully embraces trends such as BYOD (Bring Your Own Device). It helps users work together more effectively ? for example, on demand video conferencing with remote workers, road-warriors and teams working on the same project to exchange ideas more easily and collaboratively. Aastra?s focus across the portfolio is a unified customer experience, facilitating adoption with a consistent look and feel, regardless of the device used, while enabling users to be more productive.

?Over 30 years delivering voice communications solutions to Higher Ed institutions has given Aastra a deep understanding of the unique needs of this marketplace,? stated Tim Whittington, Aastra Regional President, North America. ?EDUCAUSE is widely recognized as the go-to source for IT information for colleges and universities, and we are pleased to have the opportunity again this year to interact with its members. Aastra has a strong commitment to Higher Education industry and we will continue to develop solutions tailored for this community.?

Please visit Aastra in Booth #669/671 at EDUCAUSE 2012 for a demonstration of our campus communications solutions, or check http://www.aastrausa.com for more information.

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About Aastra USA

Aastra USA Inc. is the US business unit of Aastra Technologies Limited, a company at the forefront of the enterprise communication market. Headquartered in Concord, Ontario, Canada, Aastra develops and delivers innovative communications products and applications for businesses. Aastra?s operations are truly global with more than 50 million installed lines around the world and a direct and indirect presence in more than 100 countries. Aastra is entirely dedicated to enterprise communications and offers IP telephony and Unified Communications solutions individually tailored to satisfy its customers? requirements. These range from feature-rich call managers for small and medium businesses and highly scalable ones for large enterprises, integrated mobility, call center solutions to a wide selection of terminals. With a strong focus on open standards, Aastra enables enterprises to communicate and collaborate more efficiently. For additional information on Aastra, visit our website at http://www.aastrausa.com

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Source: http://ctolabs.com/2012/11/aastra-demonstrates-voice-and-video-solutions-at-educause-2012-hosted-pbx-services-and-collaboration-apps-lower-cost-and-improve-productivity/

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