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Sunday, December 02, 2007

Sacramento Regional Real Estate Trends for December 1, 2007

Every time I think it's safe to make a prediction, this happens:

Although the increase looks small, it is very unusual for this time of year. It's mostly due to 165 added listings in Sacramento County, which offset drops in El Dorado and Yolo. (Placer added 29 listings.) Another sudden shift took place in the SIT metrics, with both the total dollar and percent loss totals returning back to previous trends:

Total SIT dollar losses in Sacramento jumped by $16 million in one week. That's over $5,000 per SIT house! Increase! In one week! Another stunner was El Dorado, which saw a $1 million weekly jump. That's a whopping $7,000 per SIT. Also note the magic 20% mark has been breached by the FIT group in Sacramento. (That translates into an average 100% loss for the second-lien holder.)

On the market share side, it looks like inflection points have been reached in both the increasing SIT market share trend and the decreasing flipper market share trend:

I'm going to go out on (another) limb, and predict that the SIT inflection point will turn out to be false, while the flipper one will be real. The inventory levels in the Sacramento region are just too high to support any pricing improvement in the near term. Especially with credit conditions deteriorating and thousands of ARM resets due next year.

Speaking of prices, no trend surprises there:

Median asking price in Sac County fell to $289,000, while average $/sqft remained above $200. Remarkably, El Dorado county saw its median asking price drop well below $500,000 for the first time in years, coming in at $489,000.

Week-over-week change data returned to trend after the holiday, and the average days since last sale for Sellers In Trouble continued with the saw-tooth pattern that began in September:

DrDoom said...

I appreciate your work and the heads up you give when any wiggle looks interesting. The week over week decay of the markets makes me numb. Any change is interesting.

I think the saw tooth pattern for days since last sale would occur when the MLS is dominated by old expiring listings that are taken off the market at the same time each month. The saw tooth appears to have a monthly period. I don't know why listings would be coordinated monthly unless there may be a neglect until the new month (or end of month) and then there is a general cleanup.

Bubble Sitter said...

To Darth Toll,

Last week I suggested the softening SIT data may suggest an ability to at least see a future bottom. You were quick to point out the bottom is a long way off and it is impossible to even see over the horizon line. Max' data clearly shows you were right and I was premature.

As I also mentioned, I bought a house a month ago. While no homes in my area have sold below where I purchased, 5 similar houses are now listed between $350,000 to $380,000. This is $10,000 to $40,000 below my purchase price!

The comps are the stripped down models without comparable amenities, but 45 days ago, they were all $399,000 and higher! I am not unhappy, but it is a bit ironic to find myself a probable "knife catcher" after all this bubble watching! Doh. I suppose houses could get all the way to $0, but I doubt it.

wrong moves said...

Bubble Sitter,
Dude, quit looking. You are just setting yourself up for buyers remorse. You probably bought smart for you. If you can afford the house comfortably, you like it, and don't plan on moving, then leave the blogs and enjoy life.

360K is personally my upper limit. I could do it, but I keep seeing nicer and nicer properties popping up for that price. I'm just waiting for the "perfect" place for my family. The wife and I have discussed the eventuality of buying and then seeing something nicer for the same or less. We will be just have to be happy with what we have and know we made a consious decision to buy when we did.


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Nacra 17 goes foiling for European Championships

Four National Lottery-funded British Sailing Team Nacra crews will contest their European Championships to be held in Kiel with the latest foiling version of the Olympic multihull

The Nacra 17 Kiel event will be the first major outing for the foiling version, with newly-delivered catamarans for their crews.

The Olympic multihull is set to race their European Championships from 30 July to 4 August, marking the mixed multihull’s transition to full foiling for the Tokyo 2020 cycle.

Performance wise we’re seeing upwind foiling from 7-8 knots of breeze and down wind foiling from 6 knots, with teams able to carry on foiling downwind through lulls once up.

At the higher end of the wind range, we’re seeing boatspeeds of 18 knots upwind and almost 30 knots downwind.

The current entry list has 37 teams in the new configuration with a separate fleet of 17 teams using the original C-Boards.

The British squad entries, plus Chris Rashley are all in the foiler fleet.

British multihull pairings have seen a strong start to the Tokyo cycle in the old-style boats, with Rio Olympian Ben Saxton enjoying podium finishes with both Nicola Groves in Miami and current crew Katie Dabson at the World Cup Final, Santander.

John Gimson and Anna Burnet have picked up a hat-trick of international regatta medals this season, with a silver most recently at the Santander World Cup finale, while Tom Phipps and Nikki Boniface have also tasted podium success with silver at the Miami World Cup in January.

Podium Potential squad duo Rupert White and Kirstie Urwin complete the four British Sailing Team crews taking on the rest of the foiling Nacra fleet, with Chris Rashley and Laura Marimon also entered.

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Dear Editor,

I would like to congratulate, salute and embrace the General Secretary; the most Reverend Reupena Alo, representing the most precious and highest faith based office and speaking for the entire Congregational Christian Church of American Samoa—the church that boasts of being the largest population of Christian worshipers in American Samoa.

Your office’s decision is an inspiration and is praise worthy for exercising our Christian duty in serving God’s educator who publicly admits to have knowingly seduced, raped and impregnated God’s innocent child for his gratification.

For our beloved Holy church to willingly sanction sexual predators by employing this child rapist into the CCCAS  Holy grounds, is indeed commendable and merciful.

Does this mean the church will inform and caution the resident families and children of the Kanana Fou CCCAS compound and the schools of the rapists presence? Or will they petition the Most High through spiritual intervention to conceal this rapist in the midst of the ignorant flock? Will he be justified by deploying a lay preacher to monitor the rapist’s free unfettered, unsupervised movement, on and off the religious compound?

I am an advocate against Family Violence—especially against child sex abuse. The CCCAS church speaking for God to hire this child rapist has just rendered the child victim and her family’s life-long trauma, irrelevant and insignificant. Where is God’s love, compassion and unsparing endeavor to support child victims of sexual violence?

While the child victim and her infant are isolated behind closed doors, the church has opened its arms to embrace, sanction and provide for her rapist. He is a sex offender who will qualify to be placed on probation after serving only 1/3 of his 10 yr sentence. One wonders if God blames the child for her own assault.

Before allowing a sex offender the privilege of work release, he should be receiving professional psychiatric evaluation and counseling to help him with his issues so that he will not be a danger to society.  It is the government’s responsibility to provide such assistance. Until such assistance is provided, the sex offender should remain behind bars.

Instead of investing in the rapist that has not even served his sentence long enough, why not invest church money and resources into the victim’s future? Help the victim to regain self esteem and confidence. Help victims through a mentoring program to re-enter society that has stigmatized them. Help them to understand that it is not their fault. Help them with coping skills to return and complete their education or job opportunities. Help them with parenting skills if they have been impregnated through rape.

Does the church even recognize or acknowledge that children are being brutalized sexually? Would the church even consider supporting the infant or victims as they are willing to pay the rapist under the superficial guise for “restitution/child support”?  These raped children can be better served by the church, restored and saved by the Grace of God to become future and productive citizens.

I, too, am a Christian who loves my church and believe in forgiveness. But I will not let a sex offender out on work release at the risk or cost of our children’s well being or mental health. Not when we as a professional society have done nothing to rehabilitate the criminal. To God be the Glory and judge of us all.

Ipu Avegalio Lefiti
Advocate on behalf of Victims of Family Violence


text:
Message for nurses of Safotu hospital

1483 Hits

Dear Editor,

My sincere condolences and thoughts of comfort to the grieving families of both Sasina and Safotu for the sudden loss of their precious babies. I broke down and mourned with you all until now, I want to write something about those sloppiest nurses.

I am beyond grateful to God Almighty that my sister was too lazy to take my daughter for her M.M.R. vaccination on that mournful Friday, as she would have gone too. She arrived at Safotu hospital and held back when saw the heartbreaking mothers broke down.

So my question is, why were these deaths occurred in only at Safotu Hospital within the same day?

The M.M.R. vaccines are everywhere in different district health centers but why was this only happened at Safotu Hospital? You see now nurses of Safotu hospital, you all seriously need to learn a lesson now and live by it.

Ia avea lenei mea ua tupu e toe timata ai le upega ma āfua se taeao fou. Learn to deliver your services with integrity, justice and honesty, which you all haven’t done it before.

My parents just finally agree with me to seek medical check up and treatments either Tuasivi Hospital or Moto’otua Hospital despite the costs of travelling to and from Savai’i.

I never recommended Safotu Hospital services to anyone because every time I visited my home village at Itu-o-tane and went to hospital if suddenly felt sick, the nurses were so unprofessional with their substandard services.

They instructed us to wait while enjoyed food and chitter-chatter. We only be served and checked when you felt like it.

I believe what Doctor Aiono Alec Ekeroma said, “It’s either (1) medical error where the vaccine is prepared for injection incorrectly and the wrong substance is injected (Vaccine misplaced too can be a cause). (2) Contamination of the vaccine due to leaving it at room temperature for a long period of time”.

These can be guessed as the causes until M.O.H. have more information about the events and proven causes reveal.

Let’s wait for investigation results.

For nurses of Safotu Hospital, here’s your second and third chance to raise, enhance and boost your services. E aogā mea e tutupu e a’oa’iina ai ma toe amata se amataga fou. Anything that hurts you can teach you and if it keeps hurting you, it’s because you haven’t learned.

Teinetautua Amana’ia

© Samoa Observer 2016

Developed by Samoa Observer in Apia


text:
A loophole? Corruption? Or both?

Businessman Va’atuitui Apete Meredith has a legitimate point. It’s something the Government, especially the Ministry of Revenue and Liqour Board, and all the relevant authorities should investigate and take the necessary action with the idea of righting this wrong.

479 Hits

Election talks, outstanding taxes and that helicopter

It’s a rare story but it’s true. Days before the General Election in March 2016, the Government couldn’t contain its excitement about a certain company that had mysteriously moved from Tonga to Samoa.

442 Hits

Banning plastic to save our island communities

It will only be a matter of time before fishermen in Samoa catch fish with plastic in the stomach or see marine animals get trapped in abandoned plastic fishing nets. Last month 300 sea turtles were reportedly found dead off the coast of Mexico, with experts suspecting toxic algae attached to abandoned fishing nets or asphyxiation (the act of depriving something or someone of air).

237 Hits

The simple solution to those fears about daylight savings

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sa’ilele Malielegaoi has got a valid point. For the safety and welfare of students, he said all schools should start at 9am. Pronto. Tuilaepa’s call is timely as the country prepares for daylight savings, which begins next Sunday 30 September and lasts until April next year.

345 Hits

Extra marital affairs don’t just happen in the Police. What about the rest of the public service? And Samoa?

Police Commissioner Fuiavai’ili’ili Egon Keil and his management team have a lot of work to do. If the list Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sa’ilele Malielegaoi announced last week is anything to judge by, their work has been cut out for the next 12 months - or more.

836 Hits

Such a waste of precious lives. What’s being done to ensure it doesn’t happen again?

Making international commitments is one thing. Ensuring they are delivered and reflected locally is quite another. That much we know. Now during the past few weeks, some inspirational remarks were made publicly both locally and internationally. Coming from this nation’s leaders, some of them instill hope, others though demand scrutiny.

207 Hits

Congratulations to the Marist Education system in Samoa

Let’s face it. A hundred and thirty years is a very, very long time, one during which testing challenges could have easily undone the strongest of desires and the will to persevere with a certain goal. Which means that for anything to survive this long and remain amicably strong for such a period of time must have surely been founded on a rock solid foundation.

187 Hits

The cash-strapped Samoa Rugby Union, “undernourished, hungry journalists” and professional politicians

He’s back. After a couple of weeks away to attend an official visit in Fiji, followed by Australia and then the Pacific Islands Forum meeting in Nauru, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sa’ilele Malielegaoi is back with a spring in his step ready to confront the issues awaiting him in Samoa.

530 Hits

Enough is enough, Samoa!

Two years ago, the Government took a gigantic step forward as part of widespread efforts to address the scourge that is domestic violence in Samoa. It happened when Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sa’ilele Malielegaoi launched a National Public Inquiry on Family Violence at the T.A.T.T.E. Building.

300 Hits

Three lives lost is a tragedy, let’s pray for peace, comfort

A lot can change in a few days. Which is precisely what has happened on the big island of Savai’i today – and to an extent the whole of Samoa. From the highest of highs with the joyous celebrations of the Miss Samoa being held there for the first time last week to the extreme low of losing three precious lives in extremely tragic circumstances, it’s just so hard to fathom.

348 Hits

Church, Govt., taxes and Leta’a

Last week, a story titled “E.F.K.S. Church elders’ decision questioned” was published on the front page of your newspaper. It made for some very interesting reading. That much we know.

983 Hits

How relevant has the Pacific Islands Forum become to us?

The recently concluded 49th Pacific Islands Forum Leaders Summit in Nauru would go down in history as one of the most controversial in recent times. There is a lot to like about the outcomes from the September 3-6 conference, which culminated with a Leader’s Retreat and the release of a Forum Communique, that highlighted the priority areas for the region’s heads of governments and commitment to pursue common goals and interests over the next 12 months until the next summit.

408 Hits

A legacy of hard work, love for family and generosity

A cloud of sadness has been hovering over Samoa during the past week. It’s been hard to shake it to be quite honest. Amidst the celebration of the 2018 Teuila Festival, the Miss Samoa Pageant and a number of events held, it’s undeniable there was a touch of sadness in the air.

752 Hits

Pride in Savai’i. Pride in Samoa. Pride in our cleanliness and ourselves.

Every good thing must end. And so today we say goodbye to the fun that has been the 28th Annual Teuila Festival, which was officially closed yesterday at the Malaefatu Park in Sogi by the Minister of Tourism, Sala Fata Pinati.

270 Hits

Children of Samoa deserve love, care and protection

It’s been a wonderful week in sunny Samoa. With tourists, visitors, returning Samoans and locals alike basking in the glory of the 2018 Teuila Festival celebration and all the other sporting activities, it’s nice to see life and culture being celebrated with so much vigour and passion. Which is what it is all about.

154 Hits

Bolt’s below the belt attack “utterly stupid”

Andrew Bolt’s personal and below the belt attack on Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sa’ilele Malielegaoi, in his column for the Herald Sun in Australia, is unlikely to bother the Prime Minister too much.

981 Hits

Death of Chinese man on seawall, petty crime and Samoa today

What we feared for and continued to warn the relevant authorities about for quite some time now has happened. We are talking about the story of a Chinese man being found dead on the seawall, which was published on the front page of the Sunday Samoan.

1231 Hits

Open sky policy good for Samoa’s tourism

The majestic singing at the E.F.K.S. Hall in Sogi, the military-like precision of fire knife dancers, and the cultural splendor on display at the 28th Teuila Festival confirms Samoa’s place in the region as a premier tourism destination.

539 Hits

It’s Teuila Festival time. And time to bring back the fautasi race!

Well how time flies. It feels like it was only this time last year we were welcoming regional and global leaders for the 48th Pacific Islands Forum Meeting and celebrating the 27th Annual Teuila Festival at the same time.

301 Hits

About Prime Minister Tuilaepa, climate change, and the truth!

Every time Prime Minister, Dr Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi, accuses someone of being an “idiot and a fool”, my mind winces and refuses to think. The reason, I suppose, is that over the years all that the insults had done was made the mind wonder whether Samoa was the right place to be.

1099 Hits

Letters to the Editor

Supporters of our airline

Re: Why I think you’re talking rubbish again Anyway, the church communities in both N.Z. and Australia are traditionally known supporters of our airline. Any publicity campaigns to promote the airline overseas are best sell through the church communities and thence the traveling public.

Street Talk

Faaiuga Tusitala 46

Savaii residents want 2019 Miss Samoa Pageant and Teuila Festival

Should the 2019 Miss Samoa Pageant and Teuila Festival be held in Savaii? Reporter Adel Fruean travelled to Savai’i to cover the pageant and also had the chance to speak to locals on what they thought of Samoa’s two premier events.

Think a Minute

Make feelings follow

Think a minute…Do we sing because we’re happy? Or are we happy because we sing? A wise teacher said that it is singing which makes you feel like singing, and it is dancing which makes you feel like dancing.

Climate justice denied. Part II

Let me now share my personal assessment of the Bangkok meetings ‘watching’ it all from the comforts of home in Samoa.

Between the Lines

An S.O.S. visit to Facebook? The public surely appreciates the transparency shown by the Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Afamasaga Rico Tupai and the Attorney General, Lemalu Hermann Retzlaff, when they posted pictures of themselves recently outside the headquarters of Facebook in Silicon Valley in America.

Sunday Reading

Myths and Legends of the Ancient World

The spears flew towards the youth on the hill, whistling as they cut through the air. Grinning, Queen Medb’s general drew his sword, eager to take back to his Queen the head of this warrior whom they called the Hound of Ulster. He had no doubt his spears would find their mark.

© Samoa Observer 2016

Developed by Samoa Observer in Apia


text:
Media excellence to be honoured

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The U.N Women and U.N.D.P, in partnership with the National University of Samoa’s Media and Journalism School, will be hosting an event to name the winners of the I.P.P.W.S Media Awards for Excellence in Gender-Sensitive Election Reporting in Samoa.

The awards were launched last February to promote and celebrate examples of balanced media coverage, promoting gender equality and women’s leadership in decision-making.

The competition was composed of entrants who submitted their pieces for consideration in the broadcast and print categories, both from individual and media outlets, published from 1 November 2015 to 20 March 2016.

Winners for the three categories will receive a gift certificate from Samoa Stationery and Books (SSAB) worth $500.

 “The aim of the I.P.P.W.S Media Awards is to acknowledge and celebrate the efforts made by reporters during the General Elections,” said the U.N Resident Coordinator, Lizbeth Cullity.

“Media played a critical role in challenging stereotypes, shaping public perceptions and improving the public’s understanding of women’s political participation. The initiative also promotes best journalism practices in the long-term.”

The celebration will be held at the S.T.A Fale and is expected to start at 6:00pm.

Professor Fui Le’apai Tu’ua ‘Īlaoa Asofou So’o, N.U.S Vice-Chancellor, will be delivering the keynote address followed by Aleta Miller, Regional Representative of U.N Women in the Pacific. Afterwards the winners and the guests are all invited to a reception.

Increasing Political Participation of Women in Samoa (I.P.P.W.S) is a joint programme between U.N Women and U.N.D.P, in partnership with the government of Samoa and the Australian government.

© Samoa Observer 2016

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Work to clear landslide yet to start

Eight months after a massive landslide cut off the road access at Tuialamu, Saleapaga the Government is yet to start work to clear the debris and fix the road. Motorists driving to Lalomanu Beach are currently using a temporary access, which was created by authorities closer to the seashore and further away from the high risk area, following the landslide in February this year.

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Top Stories

Aleipata College holds fashion exhibition

The Technical Vocational Educational Training Programme (T.V.E.T.) at Aleipata College held a fashion exhibition yesterday morning. The exhibition was themed “the colourfulness of creativity” and attracted parents, teachers, relatives and residents of Aleipata district, who turned out in numbers to witness the creative talents showcased by students through their artworks, clothes and prints.

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SAMOA AND CHINA: Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sa’ilele Malielegaoi and Chinese Premier Li Keqiang.

Samoa, China agree to further cooperation

Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sa’ilele Malielegaoi met with Chinese Premier Li Keqiang on Wednesday. Tuilaepa is leading a Samoan delegation in China to attend the Annual Meeting of the New Champions 2018, also known as Summer Davos.

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Rescuers retrieve a  body from the water near Ukara Island in Lake Victoria, Tanzania Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. The death toll rose above 100 after the passenger ferry MV Nyerere capsized on Lake Victoria, Tanzania state radio reported Friday, while a secon

Tanzania leader orders arrests as ferry death toll over 130

Hundreds of solemn people watched Friday as body after body was pulled from a capsized ferry that Tanzanian authorities said was badly overcrowded and upended in the final stretch before reaching shore.

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British Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement on Brexit negotiations with the European Union, at 10 Downing Street, in London, Friday, Sept. 21, 2018. The British government on Friday accused the European Union of slamming the handbrake on Brexit n

UK leader May hits back on Brexit plan; pound falls

British Prime Minister Theresa May accused the European Union on Friday of creating an "impasse" in divorce negotiations by bluntly rejecting her blueprint for Brexit, sending the value of the pound falling as worries about a chaotic U.K. exit from the EU soared.

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Rieko Ioane celebrates his try. New Zealand All Blacks v South Africa Springboks. Rugby Championship test match. Westpac Stadium, Wellington, New Zealand. Saturday 15 September 2018.

Winger Ioane signs new 4-year deal with NZ Rugby

All Blacks winger Rieko Ioane has agreed a new four-year contract with New Zealand Rugby. The 21-year-old Ioane, who has scored 18 tries in his 18 tests, has signed through 2022 in a deal worth several million dollars.

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Boxers, Britain's Anthony Joshua, left, and Russia's Alexander Povetkin pose for photographers with boxing promoter Eddie Hearn, centre, after a press conference at Wembley stadium in London, Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. Joshua and Povetkin are due to fight

Joshua back 'home' to face Povetkin for heavyweight titles

This was supposed to be the week Anthony Joshua completed his whirlwind boxing journey from Olympic gold medalist to undisputed world heavyweight champion. Deontay Wilder should have been the opponent, Las Vegas potentially the venue.

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Think a Minute

Think a minute…Do we sing because we’re happy? Or are we happy because we sing? A wise teacher said that it is singing which makes you feel like singing, and it is dancing which makes you feel like dancing.

author picture

A loophole? Corruption? Or both?

Businessman Va’atuitui Apete Meredith has a legitimate point. It’s something the Government, especially the Ministry of Revenue and Liqour Board, and all the relevant authorities should investigate and take the necessary action with the idea of righting this wrong.

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Letters to the Editor

Re: Why I think you’re talking rubbish again Anyway, the church communities in both N.Z. and Australia are traditionally known supporters of our airline. Any publicity campaigns to promote the airline overseas are best sell through the church communities and thence the traveling public.

Re: The Church and its responsibility Ah, you are barking up the wrong tree if you expect the likes of the E.F.K.S., the Methodists, AOGs and other protestant churches to care about “works”. “Faith through works” is a Catholic thing.

Re: Helicopter owners owes govt. I figured that was wrong with this helicopter. The reason why the government is holding the helicopter for tax payment that the owner owed to the government of Samoa.

FILE - In this Sept. 14, 2016, file photo, stuntman Eddie Braun answers questions during a news conference in Twin Falls, Idaho, about his upcoming attempt to jump the Snake River Canyon in a steam-powered replica of Evel Knievel's rocket. The new documen

Dwayne Johnson backs stuntman's film honoring Knievel jump

Before climbing into the cockpit of his steam-powered rocket and blasting off across the Snake River Canyon, daredevil Eddie Braun scribbled two things on his bare chest in marker.

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Amazon is displayed on a screen at the Nasdaq MarketSite. European Union Competition Commissioner Margrethe Vestager on Wednesday Sept. 19, 2018 (AP Photo/Richard Drew, FILE)

EU opens investigation into how Amazon uses data

European authorities said Wednesday they have opened a preliminary antitrust investigation into Amazon over the e-commerce giant's treatment of smaller merchants on its website.

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© Samoa Observer 2016

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Friday, 25 January 2013

Newsletter Issue 229, January 2013

Sam Young Newsletter

Issue 229, January 2013
Hi guys,
To paraphrase an online 'commenter', the company outsources a job and its capitalism; you do it and you're fired. Check out Developer Bob below.
A bit of a surprise for researchers in discovering that Overweight People Appear to Live Longer
Don't forget, if you want to be taken off my mailing list, click here to send me a reply e-mail and I will remove your name.

Developer Bob - Outsourcing Your Job

Have you heard of Developer Bob?
He's the guy whose story Iain Thomson broke on 16 January 2013 in the UK's Register, reporting on the 2012 security audit of a US 'critical' infrastructure company. The audit found that the firm's top performing coder had "outsourced his own job to a Chinese subcontractor".
He was found out by a check of the company's VPN logs (Virtual Private Network), pinging up a "regular series of logins to the company's main server from Shenyang, China, using [Bob's] credentials". The IT gurus thought that Bob's PC had been co-opted by a hacker or was being set up for a 'zero day malware' attack, and were worried. They didn't suspect Bob, but got permission watch and monitor Bob's activity so as to catch the ghost in their system.
Boy, was everyone surprised! Thomson reported that the IT guys discovered that Bob had "hired a software consultancy in Shenyang to do his programming work for him, and had FedExed them his two-factor authentication token so they could log into his account. He was paying them a fifth of his six-figure salary to do the work and spent the rest of his time on other activities" (16 January 2013).
Some deeper digging turned up that Bob was not only doing this work for this employer: he had taken jobs with other companies, cranking out a very nice income for himself indeed. But what caught the public imagination was when the company eventually pieced together Bob's 'typical' day at work: "9:00 a.m. – Arrive and surf Reddit for a couple of hours. Watch cat videos 11:30 a.m. – Take lunch 1:00 p.m. – Ebay time 2:00-ish p.m – Facebook updates, LinkedIn 4:30 p.m. – End-of-day update e-mail to management 5:00 p.m. – Go home" (Thomson, 16 January 2013). The cat videos have sparked a lot of online me-too comments, articles and blog posts.
Nice work if you can get it, eh. Unfortunately Bob isn't getting it any more. He is no longer with the company.
Interestingly, many people seem to feel that Developer Bob is a Robin Hood character. David Futrelle reported for Time on 18 January 2013 that many people in the US were wishing they had done what Bob had; "fantasizing about outsourcing [their] own job". He went on to relate what Arden, a commenter on Gawker (an online media and blog site), had said: "So when a corporation outsources your job, it’s just Capitalism and sorry but that’s how things work, get used to it. But when YOU outsource your OWN job, well that’s wrong and bad and you’re fired now and you shouldn’t be lazy. Smell that? That’s the smell of good old fashioned American Hypocrisy" (Futrelle, 18 January 2013).
Futrelle went on to say that "every company who outsources jobs to foreign workers who are willing to work for less is doing" the same (18 January 2013). However, he also pointed out that the difference between a company outsourcing tasks and Bob's endeavours; that when companies outsource work, the shareholders - sometimes - get the benefit. Bob got the outsourcing benefits himself, not passing them on (18 January 2013).
But perhaps Bob's consistently high performance achievements (Thomson, 16 January 2013) gave others in the organisation something to strive for. At least he will have lots of time to update his LinkedIn profile now, and to catch up on all those cat videos.
Overweight People Appear to Live Longer

According to Melinda Beck of the Wall Street Journal, a US government study seems to indicate that overweight people (ie, those with a Body Mass Index - BMI - of 25-30) are apparently less likely to die in any 'given period' than people of normal weight (BMI between 18.5-25). People with a BMI of 25-30 have a 6% less chance of dying than those with a BMI between 18.5-25.
Beck (1 January 2012) reports "Even those who are moderately obese don't have a higher-than-normal risk of dying" (BMI 30-35) than those with a overweight BMI, having a 5% less chance of dying in a given period than those with a normal BMI.
However, having a BMI higher than 35 - being substantially obese - increases the risk of death by 29%.
The study was conducted by the US Center for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC), and analysed data from three million participants, looked at 270,000 deaths, and over 97 studies globally.
Senior CDC scientist and lead author, Katherine Flegal, said "The findings are very consistent across all different ages and continents", but hastens to add that this finding doesn't mean that being overweight is good for us long term. Obesity-associated illnesses - such as high blood pressure, heart disease, adult-onset diabetes, high cholesterol, joint failure, respiratory problems - get worse the heavier we get, and once we are substantially obese, our mortality risk increases by almost a third.
Beck states it is unclear "why people with heart disease, diabetes, hypertension and kidney disease live longer if they are overweight or obese". It is possible that carrying a few extra pounds gives us a metabolic reserve when we are ill: 'something to go on' (as my mother used to say); or that a little fat gives us padding to better deal with traumatic injuries (1 January 2013).
But the results of this study are surprising. It will be interesting to read what other researchers uncover as the findings are further analysed.
Beck, Melinda (1 January 2013). A Few Extra Pounds Won't Kill You—Really. USA: The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 3 January 2013 from

Customising the Office Ribbon

Susan Harkins of TechRepublic posted a great "How To" on customising the Office Ribbon at the tail end of last year.
If the ribbon doesn't work for you, in Office 2010 you can either add icons to the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT); customise a ribbon tab with a new group; or create new ribbon tabs (these instructions work for all Office 2010 apps using Ribbons, but not for Office 2007).
  1. Customise the QAT (in the top-left corner of header bar, just right click and, from the dropdown list, select "Choose More Commands" | Choose Commands From... | Commands Not In The Ribbon | highlight your chosen item | click Add (between the two lists) | click OK.
  2. Create a new group in a tab:
    • Click the ribbon tab you want a new group in (Susan uses the example of adding the Style function in Word to the Home tab)
    • Select Options
    • In the left pane, select Customize Ribbon. In the dialogue box, under the Home tab in the Main Tabs list, select Font
    • At the bottom of the list, click New Group. Rename the new group by right-clicking it, and selecting Rename.
    • Add Style to your new group by selecting Commands Not In The Ribbon | highlight Style | click Add | click OK.
    • Use the arrows to the right of the Main Tabs list to move the new group within the tab
  3. Create a new tab: same process as for 2, but instead of clicking "New Group" click "New Tab". Use the arrows to the right of the Main Tabs list to move the new tab to where you would like it on the ribbon.
If you are someone who likes to heavily customise their icons, macros and shortcuts, this will make your computing much easier again!
Reference: Harkins, Susan (26 December 2012). Two easy ways to customize the ribbon interface. USA: TechRepublic. Retrieved 26 December 2012 from

TLAs for SMEs

Here are this newsletter's TLAs (Three Letter Acronyms) for you:
  • EMD, Exact-Match Domain. This is where your domain name is the same as your site keywords; eg your site is called and your keywords are rental and car. Google now penalise EMDs in their algorithms, so an EMD site will not rank highly in searches.
Please feel free to email me with any TLAs that you want to get the bottom (meaning!) of.

Tips, Short+Hot Keys
In this newsletter, we look at spelling commands in Office:
  • Access, Excel, FrontPage, Outlook, PowerPoint, Publisher, Word "Display Spelling and Grammar dialog box" F7
  • PowerPoint, Word "Find next misspelling" Alt & F7

Hot Linx
Wow - so 'leadership role occupancy' is genetic, based on gene rs4950. Check out this article in the Irish Times at and the Leadership Quarterly paper abstract at
Check out the consumer predictions of Dutch marketing gurus, Trendwatching, for the coming year at
ZDNet has an interesting article about the Internet of Things and M2M computing at
On the light-hearted side, Henri, the existentialist moggy extraordinaire takes some beating with his terrible French angst. Check out and

                                Catch you again soon!! E-mail your suggestions to me here

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south asia watch on trade, economics and environment

Registration and Recognition

SAWTEE was registered with the District Administration Office, Kathmandu, Nepal to operate as a regional non-profit, NGO in 1999. Due to its research capacity, policy outreach and developmental impacts, the organization has been growingly recognized as a think tank at local, national, regional and global levels. SAWTEE is also recognized in the capacity of a secretariat of a national network of Nepal-based national and international NGOs called National Alliance for Food Security in Nepal (NAFOS); a global network of civil society organizations (CSOs) working on biodiversity management and farmers' rights issues called Farmers' Rights Advocacy Network (FRANK); and a global network of least-developed countries (LDCs) established for the economic transformation of LDCs, called Least Developed Countries Network for Economic Transformation (LDC-NET). Its members and staff have served/been serving on the board of various international and national agencies working on trade, development, farmers’ rights and food security issues.


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Multilingual SEO company in Norway

Travel Niche Websites Welcome Maria Johnsen's Multilingual SEO Service

Trondheim, Sør-Trøndelag -- (SBWIRE) -- 07/23/2013 -- Maria Johnsen, multilingual SEO expert, is thrilled to announce the launch of her multilingual SEO service for travel niche websites. Maria is a highly experienced SEO expert with a range of effective tactics under her belt that are designed to increase sales for your websites. All Maria’s tactics and processes are Google penguin 2.0 friendly.

Maria is a firm believer in white hat marketing, which prevents a site being blacklisted by Google. By incorporating Multilingual SEO, Multilingual Link Building and Multilingual Content Writing services to bring qualified traffic right to your site, you will gradually build a brand that is here to stay for the long term and increasing brand awareness throughout the world can become a reality.

Multilingual SEO will put your message in front of the most potential customers possible, ensuring your business awareness is spread far and wide, increasing traffic to your site and increasing sales for your business.

Maria has experience and expertise in link building on high PR and high traffic websites, she is proficient in social media optimization, brand recognition and multilingual targeted traffic to your travel websites.

Maria Johnsen says “My white hat practices and strategic campaign planning will give your website maximum visibility on the internet. I have spent time living and working around the world in varied yet significant roles such as programmer, marketing and sales manager, interpreter and translator. I know how to get your website ranked high in a variety of search engines and different languages online. Travel niche sites are battling in a competitive arena and as such can greatly benefit from the expertise of a well travelled marketing professional.”

To discover more about how Maria can help your travel niche website visit: or contact her directly +47 90 61 27 31 (cell phone)


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vol.39 issue5Genetic and non-genetic factors affecting body weight in Tellicherry goatsA systems approach to the south african dairy industry author indexsubject indexarticles search
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South African Journal of Animal Science

On-line version ISSN 2221-4062
Print version ISSN 0375-1589

S. Afr. j. anim. sci. vol.39 n.5 Pretoria Jan. 2009

Economic values for dairy production traits under different milk payment systems in South Africa

C.B. BangaI,#; F.W.C. NeserII; J. van der WesthuizenI; D.J. GarrickIII

IARC Animal Production Institute, P/Bag X2, Irene 0062, South Africa
IIDepartment of Animal Science, University of the Free State, P O Box 339, Bloemfontein 9300, South Africa
IIIDepartment of Animal Science, Iowa State University, Ames, IA 50011, USA

Economic values of milk volume (VOL), fat yield (FYLD), protein yield (PYLD), live weight (LWT), longevity (LON), calving interval (CIV) and somatic cell score (SCS) were derived for Holstein and Jersey cattle, based on milk payment systems of four major milk buyers in South Africa. The economic value of somatic cell score was calculated for only two of the payment systems. A bio-economic model was used to calculate economic values by determining changes in profit arising from an independent unit increase in each trait. Economic values for VOL, FYLD and PYLD varied substantially among the payment systems; particularly PYLD which ranged from ZAR 7.62/kg to ZAR 21.88/kg. Payment systems that do not pay for milk volume resulted in a negative economic value (-ZAR 0.49/l) for VOL. Live weight and CIV had constant economic values across payment systems (-ZAR 6.62/kg and -ZAR 5.75/day for Holstein and -ZAR 7.49/kg and -ZAR 4.19/day for Jersey, respectively, for LWT and CIV). Economic value of LON varied slightly with payment system (ZAR 1.09/day to ZAR 1.23/day in the Jersey and ZAR 3.59/day to ZAR 3.68/day in the Holstein). The economic value of SCS differed substantially between the two payment systems and was higher in the Holstein (-ZAR 949.26/score and -ZAR 1795.57/score) than in the Jersey (-ZAR 433.87/score and -ZAR 912.90/score). Relative emphasis of traits in the breeding objectives for South African dairy cattle should take due cognisance of the diversity in milk payment systems.

Keywords: Breeding objective, economic value, Jersey, Holstein

A well-defined breeding objective forms the basis of a sound breeding programme. Such a breeding objective is developed by systematically identifying traits to improve and determining their economic values. The economic value of a trait is defined as the increase in profit resulting from a unit genetic improvement in that trait, while all other traits in the breeding objective are kept constant (Hazel, 1943).

Breeding objectives for dairy cattle in South Africa are not clearly defined. The South African National Dairy Cattle Genetic Evaluation Programme routinely publishes EBVs on 23 traits; however there is no consensus on the traits that should be improved and their relative importance. Genetic trends show that selection in South African dairy cattle has, in the past, focussed mainly on increased yield and improved type (Theron & Mostert, 2004; Banga et al., 2007). Substantial increases in genetic merit for yield traits have unfortunately been coupled with deterioration in fitness traits (Banga et al., 2007; Dube et al., 2008; Makgahlela et al., 2008). It has thus become acutely imperative to develop sound and broader breeding objectives for dairy cattle in South Africa. The aim of this study was to calculate economic values for breeding objective traits of South African Holstein and Jersey cattle breeds under the intensive concentrate-fed production system.

Materials and Methods

A bio-economic herd model, simulating an average farm for each breed, was developed. Data collected through the National Dairy Animal Improvement Scheme were used to derive base herd parameters. Base herd parameters for the two breeds are given in Table 1. Traits included in the breeding objective were milk volume (VOL), fat yield (FYLD), protein yield (PYLD), live weight (LWT), longevity (LON), calving interval (CIV) and somatic cell score (SCS). Somatic cell score was somatic cell count (SCC) transformed to loge.

Farm economic data and milk pricing information were provided by the Milk Producers' Organisation of South Africa (MPO, 2007; MPO, 2008; Koos Coetzee, 2008, personal communication,; Dawie Maree, 2008, personal communication, and the milk buyers (Berlo Coetsee, 2008, personal communication,; Pieter van Zyl, 2008, personal communication, P.O. Box 6161, Weltevreden Park, Roodepoort, RSA, 1715). Beef prices were obtained from the South African Meat Industry Company (SAMIC, 2008). Table 2 contains milk component prices of the four payment systems used. Due to the sensitivity of milk pricing in South Africa, milk buyers are not referred to by name.

Live weight was predicted using the von Bertanlanffy equation as given by Bakker & Koops (1978) and the metabolisable energy system (AFRC, 1993) was used to calculate energy requirements for maintenance, growth, pregnancy and milk production. It was assumed that increased feed (energy) requirements were met by buying in extra feed and that non-feed costs remained constant.

The partial budget approach was used to compute economic values by simulating the marginal change in profit resulting from a unit increase in the trait of interest, while all other traits remained constant. This was done by considering incomes and expenses for seven alternative herds, each herd differing from the base herd in only one trait. Economic value was calculated as the change in profit (income less costs) per unit change in the trait (i.e. difference in profit between alternative and base herd). Profit was expressed per cow in the herd per year.

The model used probably underestimated the economic value of CIV as it did not account for other costs related to cow fertility, e.g. replacement and insemination costs.

Results and Discussion

Economic values of all traits by breed and payment system are presented in Table 3. It is difficult to compare these economic values with those reported by Du Plessis & Roux (1998) for South African Holstein cattle as methods of expression are different. Du Plessis & Roux (1998) calculated economic values as percentage change in economic efficiency.

Economic values of milk components (FYLD, PYLD and VOL) were the same for both breeds; hence they are only shown for the Jersey breed in Table 3. Breed has no effect on economic values of these traits because, in the simulated production system, change in profit per unit increase of a milk component is determined only by the payment price per unit of that component and the cost of the extra feed required to produce it.

VOL had a negative economic value (-ZAR 0.49 per litre) under those payment systems not paying for volume (buyers B and C). This is due to the fact that no revenue is received for producing any extra volume of milk; however it costs energy (feed) to produce the milk. Where milk volume is paid for (buyers A and D) an increase in milk volume by 1 litre resulted in an increase in profit of ZAR 0.28 per cow per year. Negative economic values for VOL have been reported in markets where milk volume is either not paid for or is negatively priced (e.g. Keller & Allaire, 1990; Visscher et al., 1994; Holmes et al., 2000; Veerkamp et al., 2002).

The milk payment system for buyer B gave the largest economic values for both FYLD and PYLD. This is not unexpected as buyer B offers the highest price per kg of FYLD and per kg of PYLD. On the other hand the payment system for buyer A, which had the lowest FYLD and PYLD prices, resulted in the lowest economic values for the two traits. The fact that it is more costly (i.e. more energy is required) to produce a kg of fat than of protein, is reflected in the much higher economic value of PYLD (ZAR 7.62) compared to FYLD (ZAR 1.21), even under a payment system where both components are equally priced (buyer A).

Economic values of LWT and CIV were only affected by the difference in maintenance energy costs and beef revenue (for LWT) between the base and alternative herds. They were therefore constant across payment systems. Increases in LWT or CIV resulted in a decrease in profit, in concurrence with several other studies (Visscher et al., 1994; Du Plessis & Roux, 1998; Holmes et al., 2000; Olori et al., 2002; Veerkamp et al., 2002). A kg increase in LWT resulted in a larger decrease in profit in the Jersey (ZAR 7.49/cow/year) compared to the Holstein (ZAR 6.62/cow/ year). This is attributable to the higher culling rate for the Holstein, which results in a larger increase in beef revenue in the alternative (higher LWT) herd, compared to the Jersey. The converse was, however, true for CIV (decreases of ZAR 4.19/cow/year in Jersey and ZAR 5.75/ cow/year in Holstein). This is explained by the fact that it is more costly to maintain the bigger-sized Holstein than the Jersey. Economic value of LON varied slightly among payment systems and this was due to the variation in milk revenue resulting from the difference in herd structure between the base herd and the increased LON herd. The increased LON herd had a bigger proportion of higher producing (older) cows and therefore had more milk revenue per cow than the base herd. The magnitude of such increase in revenue is dependent on the payment system.

An increase in SCS by 1 score resulted in about a double reduction in profit for both breeds under the payment system for buyer B compared to that for buyer A. This is due to the fact that buyer B has a more strict SCC payment scheme (lower SCC threshold for bonus and higher penalties for high SCC milk). The economic value of SCS was approximately double in the Holstein than in the Jersey, probably due to the fact that the mean SCS is higher for the Holstein than the Jersey. The economic value of SCS is well known to be sensitive to the population mean (Dekkers et al., 1996). A unit reduction in SCS will thus result in better marginal returns in the Holstein than in the Jersey.

The study obtained economic values that can be combined with EBVs to compute aggregate breeding values for Holstein and Jersey cattle in concentrate-fed herds in South Africa. Economic values of milk production traits (VOL, FYLD and PYLD), however, show considerable variation among different payment systems. Application of breeding objectives for dairy cattle in South Africa should therefore pay due regard to this fact.

AFRC, 1993. Energy and Protein Requirements of Ruminants. CAB, Wallingford, UK.         [ Links ]

Bakker, H. & Koops, W.J., 1978. An approach to the comparison of growth curves of Dutch Friesian, British Friesian and Holstein Friesian cows. Patterns of growth and developments in cattle. H. De Boer and J. Martin ed. Matin Nijhoff Publ., The Hague, Netherlands.         [ Links ]

Banga, C.B., Mostert, B.E., Makgahlela, M.L., Theron, H.E. & Van der Westhuizen, J., 2007. Impact of advances in animal recording and genetic evaluation technologies on dairy herd performance in South Africa. South African Society of Animal Science Congress, Bella Bella, July 2007.         [ Links ]

Dekkers, J.C.M., Van Erp, T., & Schukken, Y.H., 1996. Economic benefits of reducing somatic cell counts under the Milk Quality Program of Ontario. J. Dairy Sci. 79, 396-401.         [ Links ]

Dube, B., Banga, C.B. & Dzama, K., 2008. Genetic analysis of somatic cell score and udder type traits in South African Holstein cattle. S. Afr. J. Anim. Sci. 38, 1-11.         [ Links ]

Du Plessis, M. & Roux, C.Z., 1998. Economic weights for Holstein Friesian traits in South Africa. S. Afr. J. Anim. Sci. 28, 140-145.         [ Links ]

Hazel, L.N., 1943. The genetic basis for constructing selection indices. Genetics 28, 476-490.         [ Links ]

Holmes, C. W., Brookes, I.M., Garrick, D.J., Mackenzie, D.D.S., Parkinson, T.J. & Wilson, G.F., 2000. Milk Production from Pasture. Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand.         [ Links ]

Keller, D.S. & Allaire, F.R., 1990. Economic weights for genetic change in milk component yields at the herd level. J. Dairy Sci. 73, 1631-1643.         [ Links ]

Makgahlela, M.L., Banga, C.B., Norris, D., Dzama, K. & Ngambi, J.W., 2008. Genetic analysis of age at first calving and calving interval in South African Holstein cattle. Asian J. Anim. Vet. Adv. 3, 197-205.         [ Links ]

MPO, 2007. Lactodata 10, 162-175. Milk Producers Organisation, Pretoria, South Africa.         [ Links ]

MPO, 2008. Industry Information. Milk Producers Organisation, Pretoria, South Africa.         [ Links ]

Olori, V.E., Meuwissen, T.H.E. & Veerkamp, R.F., 2002. Calving interval and survival breeding values as a measure of cow fertility in a pasture-based production system with seasonal calving. J. Dairy Sci. 85, 689-696.         [ Links ]

SAMIC, 2008. Newsletter NR 8. South Africa Meat Industry Company, Pretoria, South Africa.         [ Links ]

Theron, H.E. & Mostert, B.E., 2004. Genetic analyses for conformation traits in South African Jersey and Holstein cattle. S. Afr. J. Anim. Sci. 34, 47-49.         [ Links ]

Veerkamp, R.F., Dillon, P., Kelly, A.R. & Groen, A.F., 2002. Dairy cattle breeding objectives combining yield, survival and calving interval for pasture-based systems in Ireland under different milk quota scenarios. Livest. Prod. Sci. 76, 137-151.         [ Links ]

Visscher, P.M., Bowman, P.J. & Goddard, M.E., 1994. Breeding objectives for pasture based dairy production systems. Livest. Prod. Sci. 40, 123-137.         [ Links ]

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Harry Potter star Katie Leung discusses life after wizardry, winning prestigious Bafta and her career relaunch

THE Scottish actress won the prestigious Bafta Breakthrough Brit Award and is now one of the most talked about young performers in the country.

Scots actress Katie Leung

KATIE Leung first graced our screens almost a decade ago as the girl who won Harry Potter’s heart.

Now the Scottish actress has won the prestigious Bafta Breakthrough Brit Award – after a career relaunch that has seen her become one of the most talked about young performers in the country.

The 27-year-old, from Motherwell, was given the award by the Academy last month, after being picked as as one of the hottest new performers in the world of film, television and gaming.

It came after a stunning performance in the Channel 4 series Run and she is about to rock our screens again with the lead role in a hard-hitting new Anglo-Chinese drama for BBC2 called One Child – not bad for someone who hasn’t even graduated from drama school yet.

Katie shot to fame in 2005 in Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire as Cho Chang, Harry’s first love interest in the blockbuster novels and films.

Katie starring Harry Potter's first love Cho Chang

After finishing work on the film series, the talented Scot considered quitting acting and turned to photography.

But after a successful run of stage work and TV, culminating in the Bafta honours list, which last year included fellow Scot Paul Brannigan, she’s delighted she didn’t give up on her craft.

“I wasn’t getting any auditions to start with and also, I just wasn’t sure whether I was right for this kind of career,” she said.

“I fell into Harry Potter and I was just lacking in confidence. I went into photography and did that for four years, which I still love and am passionate about, but I just happened to get this part in a play at the Young Vic and that kind of set it all off again.

“I fell in love with being on stage and just gave it a shot and now being at drama school I know I’m making the right decision.”

Of the award, she said: “It feels amazing. I’ve known about it for a month, but couldn’t tell anyone – it was a bit like when I got the role of Cho Chang and couldn’t tell anyone. It’s a great honour. I’m really grateful.

“In the past decade, I wouldn’t say I’ve done a considerable amount of work, it’s just that I’ve been lucky to get the opportunity to have done quite a few gritty interesting roles, such as Ying in Run and Mei in One Child. It’s great for knowing that I’ve made the right decision in choosing the right roles as well.”

She admits to feeling insecure in the years following her Potter work.

“Being surrounded by actors who had trained, I felt such an amateur because some people try and get away with not training and I think when I was younger I felt like that was the case.

“I thought I didn’t need to train because I was already taking part in something that was so huge and only better things could come of it.

“That’s not the case at all. Having trained now and coming into the last year of my degree, I see the benefits and the difference it has made. It requires craft, you can’t learn without training.”

Katie at the Bafta Breakthrough Awards

The talented Scot will soon graduate from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland in Glasgow and she has loved every minute of it.

Katie is also currently deep in rehearsals for a play and has a showcase and a final year show to perform later in the term.

But when she started the course, there was a fear that her film work might be an issue and was looking for the “Harry Potter stare” at the start.

“I was so fearful of that before I came and it kind of made me question whether I wanted to go to drama school, I was scared that’s all I would get coming into it, but it’s the complete opposite of what I expected, really.

“Maybe for the first few hours, people would say, ‘I’ve seen you somewhere before’ but after that, I was like anyone else and they have been so supportive. It’s the best decision I’ve ever made.”

The next project we will see her on screen in is the BBC2 film One Child.

She stars as Mei, a Chinese girl adopted by Westerners after her parents gave her up due to the controversial One Child rule brought in by Chinese authorities to curb population growth.

Her character grows up in the UK, but is tracked down by her birth family and asked to return to China to help save her brother from the death penalty after he is framed for murder.

The film was shot in Britain and Hong Kong, which was a treat for the Motherwell-born actress, whose parents are from the city.

Her mum and gran live there now and she enjoyed getting to see her family for the film shoot.

But she is most excited about the part in the eagerly awaited drama.

“It’s about a girl who is adopted at birth by Anglo-American parents, and it’s down to circumstances around the one child policy, which was in place in China in 1970. Because girls are less desirable and not able to support their parents the way boys are, she, like many other girls, was adopted.

“She is asked to go back to China to save her brother from execution because he has been convicted of a murder he didn’t commit. It’s down to corruption in the government and the connections you have and the divide between rich people and those in poverty. It’s very dramatic.

“It was also very exciting, especially at the moment with everything that has gone on over there, with people fighting for democracy.

“This is a very poignant story coming out at an interesting time.

“Filming in Hong Kong was great, because I consider Hong Kong as my second home and I go there once a year.”

Katie is loving life at Glasgow drama school

After a busy period, she is now concentrating on her course and hopes to get working again after graduation.

She said: “I’m now about to graduate and I am indebted to the drama school – I wouldn’t have done all the things I’ve done if I hadn’t come to them.”

And she has taken inspiration from the acclaimed parts that fellow Hogwarts alumni Emma Watson and Daniel Radcliffe have enjoyed.

But she is the first to say she is still in the early stages of her career.

“I feel like I can’t be picky. I’m lucky enough at the moment to be given opportunities that are interesting and have more substance but I’d love anything that challenges me in acting.

“The most important thing I’ve learned is to face up to your fears. I enjoy drama school for that reason – I’m scared and that’s the way to learn.”

Check out Creative Scotland's plans for a Scottish movie studio in new film strategy

Find out why Scotland should have its own film studio

Plus, check out our gallery of Scotland's finest film locations

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Mental Conditioning with Scott Wimberly

Roadmap to Your Destiny

The goal of this program is enable you to discover your purpose and destiny; then live it to the fullest. We all have a distinct and specific reason for being here. Unfortunately, many people go through life without ever discovering or living their destiny. It is my desire to see you living your destiny to the absolute fullest. When we realize who we are and why we are here; life takes on a whole new meaning.

I want to encourage you to take part in Roadmap to Your Destiny. It is going to change your life for the better. You will discover new things about yourself, your gifting, your talent, your purpose. You will also discover who you are and why you have been created. It is an exciting time to be alive. Take advantage of this program today; you will never be the same.

         Character Development Lesson One

We will also use the book; Embrace Your Destiny. Each chapter has been broken down; along with several Bible verses.

Here are the downloads for the Roadmap to Your Destiny program:


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Monday, August 15, 2011

The Orphan Sister Review + Giveaway!

Synopsis:  Clementine Lord is not an orphan. She just feels like one sometimes. One of triplets, a quirk of nature left her the odd one out. Odette and Olivia are identical; Clementine is a singleton. Biologically speaking, she came from her own egg. Practically speaking, she never quite left it. Then Clementine’s father—a pediatric neurologist who is an expert on children’s brains, but clueless when it comes to his own daughters—disappears, and his choices, both past and present, force the family dynamics to change at last. As the three sisters struggle to make sense of it, their mother must emerge from the greenhouse and leave the flowers that have long been the focus of her warmth and nurturing.
For Clementine, the next step means retracing the winding route that led her to this very moment: to understand her father’s betrayal, the tragedy of her first lost love, her family’s divisions, and her best friend Eli’s sudden romantic interest. Most of all, she may finally have found the voice with which to share the inside story of being the odd sister out. . . .
Why I wanted to read it:  I have been hearing such good things about The Orphan Sister.....and now I know why!
My Rating: 4.8 out of 5, a must read.
Book Cover Rating: 4.5 out of 5.  I love the red shoes and bare feet.

Length of Chapters: 4.5 out of 5. I love very short chapters (like 1.5 to 2 pages per chapter). For some reason I can read a book faster with shorter chapters.  The chapters in The Orphan Sister were longer than 2 pages, but still short enough to be able to quickly read a chapter while multitasking a busy life.
My Review: Let me just say that I loved it so much that I already purchased one of her other books (via e-books), The Other Mother!  This book pulls you right in with a family drama right on page 1! From there on, I just had to keep reading and turning pages.  In the beginning of the book, I was a little miffed at Clementine and her mother. It seemed they either didn't want to deal with "issues" or were naive or something. Boy was I obtain an understanding while the story unfolds (especially Clementine) and of course, it all comes together.

Gwendolen Gross has an amazing talent to tell a story with characters you can't forget and want to know more about them and their lives.  She writes is so beautifully. I really enjoyed that a good part of the story took place at Oberlin....loved the Ohio references.  Having twins, I loved reading about the triplets and the dymanics of their lives.

I was thrilled when I found out that her other two books, Field Guide and Getting Out will be available in e-books August 26th.  Get in line behind me as I will be the first to purchase them!  I have to read more of Gwendolen's books.  Another fun fact about Gwendolen.....she loves to knit and so do I!

Connect: Check out Gwendolen Gross on Facebook, Goodreads, Twitter, and on her website.

Giveaway: I am giving away one copy of The Orphan Sister.  Contest ends August 19, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST. Requirements to win....
Become a follower of Seaside Book Nook
Complete the easy form below OR leave a comment with your email address.

Good luck and thanks for blogging by!

  1. This seems like a great book! I would love to read it :)

  2. You've sold it well. :)

    situationswhereyoumayneedit at gmail dot come

  3. This book is on my to read list so I'm already VERY much looking forward to reading it. And after reading your review I want to read it that much more!

  4. This sounds awesome. Great review. I also like short chapters.

    Thank for the giveaway.

    P.S. I have a Sony Ereader as well :)


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Sharen Turner - Sunday, February 19, 2017

5 ways to create

Balance in Your Life - Week 1

Over the next 5 weeks my Blog will cover “5 Ways to Create Balance in your Life” with a new topic each week. The turmoil of life; within us, around us and far reaching can often cause us to feel overwhelmed and unbalanced. Join me for the next 5 weeks as we look at ways we can bring Balance into our lives and those around us.

Having Balance in our lives can be challenging as we juggle work and/or study deadlines, the myriad of activities in a household at any one time, not to mention the endless list racing through our mind. This outer world busyiness can also affect our inner world, causing an imbalance with our emotional and spiritual self.

Creating balance of body/mind will not happen by just wishing for it. Instead it takes conscious effort to look for and work with tools that can support us in our efforts to create the changes that will bring us a greater sense of balance.

As an avid user of Essential Oils in my home, for myself and my children this is probably a good place to start.

  • ©Essential Oils/Aromatherapy
  • Aromatherapy is a holistic therapy using Essential Oils to help improve the quality of life on a physical, emotional and spiritual level. Essential Oils have the power to influence your moods and feelings and are increasingly being explored by the scientific community for the treatment of a variety of diseases.
  • Introducing Essential Oils into your life can be as simple as spraying a room with a wonderfully aromatic scent, or perhaps a few drops onto a tissue and tucked under your pillow for a calm night sleep. Essential Oils have been used for thousands of years for a multitude of purposes and it is fantastic to see a resurgence of these oils as an option for our wellbeing and health. Our grandmothers ironed bed linen with lavender spray to help remove wrinkles and scent the linen as it was also believed to deter moths in the cupboards. And, medicinal gardens can still be found today around old hospitals and monasteries where the essential oils extracted from the plants were used for health and wellbeing.
  • As with so many things in our lives today, the choice of brands and then types of oils is immense. But most of the hard work has been done for us, as we can buy pure Essential Oils for specific purposes complete with explanations and Blends for all situations. Whatever you are looking for: Balance, Bliss, Calm, Energy, Focus, Confidence… it is there in a little bottle of oil and it truly works.
  • Over the years I have used a number of Essential Oils but two that I can highly recommend are Secret Scents Aromatherapy and Neal’s Yard Remedies. I have used Secret Scents for many, many years whilst living in Australia, and more recently Neal’s Yard now that I am in France. They are both family run businesses but more importantly they are fully transparent in what their products contain.
  • Secret Scent Aromatherapy provides 100% natural skin care and therapeutic products and each item in the Secret Scent Aromatherapy range is hand blended by leading and highly qualified Aromatherapist, Sharen Turner, in Sydney Australia.
  • Neal’s Yard Remedies list online all the ingredients used in their products, also benefits and uses, with a product range that includes skincare & wellbeing.
  • Below are a few Blends that can assist with bringing Balance into our life.

  • Sharen from Secret Scent Aromatherapy has blended Bergamot, Neroli, and Rose Geranium together perfectly in a ready to use vial called Balance – or you can grab your own personal supply in a handy roll on pen that you can apply directly to your own pulse points (temples and wrists) in times of stress. This gorgeous blend will help bring balance to you and those around you.
  • A beautiful new addition to Secret Scents range is the Yin & Yang Blends. The Yang oil is used when you feel lethargic, weak, or fatigued. Essential oils of Cypress, Petitgrain, Spearmint & Kaffir Lime. The Yin oil when you feel nervous, stressed or anxious. Essential oils of Patchouli , Pine, Geranium & Vetiver.
  • I love any Essential blend with Geranium and the Women’s Balance from Neal’s Yard Remedies as well as being for imbalances during menstruation and menopause, will generally take the edge off your emotions giving you inner clarity and poise. Ideal for vaporisation and can be used diluted on the skin, containing Rose and Geranium.
  • Looking forward to seeing you again next week as we explore how we can use our Breath to help bring Balance to our body, mind and spirit.

5 ways to create

Balance in Your Life - Week 2

  • ©Breath

I hope you have had a wonderful week enjoying the benefits of Essential Oils and discovered some favourites that work well for you. Today we are looking at the Breath and how we can use our Breath to bring Balance into our life and those around us.

Breath is life, and without it we have no life. But just as importantly is the ‘quality’ of our Breath which we will cover in this blog. Over the past week if you didn’t use your Essential Oils in a diffuser or burner you have missed out on an amazing experience of breathing in the wellbeing of the air around you.

Let’s do a quick exercise using an Essential Oil in either a diffuser or oil burner. If you don’t have either of these place a few drops of Essential Oil into a bowl of warm water and place your face near the bowl to breathe in the vapour.

Begin inhaling and travel with the breath, in through the nose, down the back of the throat and deep into the abdomen – that spot behind your naval, from the navel to the ribs, allowing the breath to expand the diaphragm, the upper chest the sternum, and finally into the collarbones as they lift gently.

Exhale by reversing this action; contract your abdominal muscles as you exhale from the abdomen slowly, releasing the breath from the upper chest, ribcage, diaphragm and feel the warm air leaving your nostrils.

You can place your right hand on your abdomen and your left hand on your rib cage to help direct the breath on its journey.

Can you feel a shift in your overall being? Or perhaps a sense of peace as your heartbeat slows and the harsh edges of life soften. That is your Breath bringing in that shift and Balance back into your life.

Recent studies have shown that a three part deep breath, rather than a shallow breath, allows you to take in and give out seven times as much air—that means seven times as much oxygen, seven times as much prana, and a more energised and balanced you. And without being really conscious of it, because you are focusing on a deeper breath, you have found your mindful breath.

But what is mindful breathing? Being mindful of your breath simply means observing and opening your awareness to your breath: to your breathing in and your breathing out, without controlling or judging it in any way, letting it be.

Becoming aware of our mindful breath, allows us to more easily focus on our breath in daily activities of life. It will assist with managing stress, increases the self-awareness of your mind and body, improves your emotional wellbeing and relaxes the body, allowing you a more ‘’restful’’ sleep.

When you begin to practice mindful breathing it is best to take yourself to a quiet place and close your eyes, so you can focus on your breath without any distractions. After some practice you will find it is like second nature.

I found I could take my mindful breath practice outside when I was in a queue at the supermarket. I would move myself into Mountain Pose (Tadasana) and find something ahead to focus on and just go with the breath.

It’s as if you just ‘click into’ mindfulness mode and then you can expand your mindfulness to anything that you wish. It’s a wonderful process and journey of re-discovering your body, reconnecting with your mind and rejuvenating your spirit.

Mindfulness Breath brings Balance back into your life. Once you have begun to look for more Balance in your life, you begin to find that your perspective on situations outside your control has a whole new outlook. Predicaments that appeared overwhelming suddenly are no longer important, something someone said that really annoyed you, and you couldn’t let go, is longer even an issue.

On the other side of the coin, people and situations that you should focus on have more clarity and you can see the relevance. There is a light at the end of the tunnel and your feel a shift of burden off your shoulders. The clarity of mind, that mindful breathing brings, enables you to see a clearer picture, the big picture without the haze and noise.

Enjoy delving into the Balance of your Breath over the next few days and I look forward to bringing the next chapter of our series, unfolding the joys of Relaxation – predominantly around the bathroom and bathtub – my most favourite way to relax!

  • ©Relax – in the bathtub
  • ©Yoga and Meditation
  • ©Rituals


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New pictures of Fawnya & Esther

Added new pictures of beautiful Irish redhead Fawnya to the Non-Nude/Portraits and Indoor Nudes sections. Also Esther appears in the Non-Nude/Portraits section.

Brand new website

My previous website was becoming increasingly outdated and because it was rather inefficient to update, never got updated! More recently I have been posting new photographs to Flickr rather than going to the effort of updating this site. I have finally got round to doing a complete new website with a modern design that is much more easy to use. I have used the opportunity to make a complete review of my photographs from the last 25+ years of work, and produced a very cut-down summary of my work to give an overview.

I hope you enjoy the new site and would welcome comments and feedback.

if you want to see more of my work there are lots of pictures on my Flickr site.


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Optimized will create and manage a simple or complex, customized, internet marketing strategy that will help your business to maximize its success and stay inside of your marketing budget. Our internet marketing consultants will provide a trusted advisor for your business to help guide you through the process.

Optimized will provide professional internet marketing advice and counseling before and during services. We also provide information to our clients on future internet marketing services that may be beneficial as their business continues to grow. The level of internet marketing consulting or SEO consulting services are always determined by the client.

What is Digital Marketing

Digital marketing or Internet marketing is anything that makes use of the many different electronic devices in the world such as computers, tablets, smartphones, cellphones, digital billboards, and game consoles to engage with consumers and other business partners. It is important for businesses to have a strong digital marketing strategy because 93% of online experiences begin with a user using a search engine.

Optimized works with businesses to develop a customized digital marketing strategy that will allow your business to deliver powerful, content rich messages to targeted consumer markets. Optimized also provides detailed analytics to our clients, so they can be used to improve the overall digital marketing strategy and to break into new demographics and target markets. Contact Optimized to discuss how digital marketing consulting, with detailed analytics, can help your business grow!

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With the shift to digital, consumers are shopping differently and are choosing to do business with companies that have a strong internet marketing strategy. 70% of the links users click on are organic. This demonstrates that ppc internet marketing and other ‘quick fixes’ are not the solution.

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The great thing about internet marketing services and SEO services is that it is far more economical than hit-and-miss efforts in print, radio and tv. This is hugely do to the fact that potential customers can search for your website 24 hours a day and will find you more frequently if you have internet marketing and SEO services.

Optimized increases your business’s presence online with by using intelligent digital marketing strategies. We also build customized keywords and phrases, as well as provide other professional SEO services, to make sure your business ranks higher in the search engine results when a customer is ready to make a purchase.

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SEROMA CHRISTIAN HIGH SCHOOL - "Heads but not tails..." Det 28:13

Message From the Director

31 Jan
Amelia Kisakye Kyambadde

Message From the Director

Education is the best gift you can give anyone. Finding a school that offers holistic training is not easy to come by. Seroma Christian High school was started to help the community as that is the smallest gift we can give. For sustainability, we must collect school fees. But if you visit here and see the smiles of the over 1,600 students we have, you feel good. As a mother and businesswoman, I feel proud with the kind of interventions we are making.

Our school offers holistic education. We make sure that we provide education to nurture the heart, the brain and the hands. We believe that since the students spend most of their time at school, we have to act as their parents. Each teacher is attached to a maximum of thirty children, they have to know how they are doing academically, emotionally, follow up on their requirement because these are critical areas for a child to succeed. Any normal person with these areas may succeed academically but also you may have others who are challenged emotionally who need to be helped.

We have the spiritual aspect which is well known. We are born again Christians and have put up in place structures that empower our children to have their spiritual life nurtured, we try to interact externally in that you can’t work as one, you can run as one to a certain distance but if you are together you run further. We have associations we interact with like British council, externally we have partnerships in UK and German where we believe their experience in technology and sciences is advanced. Our school has a partnership with one of the best schools in sciences in German where we send our students and teachers to have an experience of a life time. Their students and teachers also come here in Uganda to visit our school. We have also moved to improve on the arts subjects; we are trying to build a team of both teachers and students who are exposed. We go ahead to train our teachers because at the end of the day they are the ones who instill knowledge and skills to our children.

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Resting? Retired? Recently Qualified? Raring to Go?

Jerry Dugdale | January 31, 2016

Resting? Retired? Recently Qualified? Raring to Go?
Students 'slaving over a hot stove'....

There is a vacancy at Wobulenzi Town Academy for a volunteer Science support Teacher,  from end of May - mid August 2016.  This will be to teach Science (Biology/Physics/Chemistry) from S1 - S4 up to Ugandan O' level (rough UK equivalent from Yr7 - Yr 11) or at A' level standard. Lots of practicals to make Science come alive...opportunities to get involved with other aspects of school life

Certainly a change of scenery from everyday teaching.. Textbooks, curriculum, well-equipped Science labs all provided.

Keen students -  all hungry to learn new things in a great environment.

Low cost accommodation available on site, so no commuting at all!

Please contact us for further information