Jamie Yeo is back to radio

The refreshed Power98 DJ line-up. Jamie Yeo (center) will be co-hosting The Power Breakfast Show on Power98 with Power98 DJ Sonja Steinmetz and new addition, industry veteran Hubert Tang.By Juliana June Rasul
The New Paper
Sunday, Mar 18, 2012

After five years off the airwaves, a new marriage and a baby, Jamie Yeo is returning to radio.

On a morning show. For the first time.

And in direct competition with her former husband, Class 95 DJ Glenn Ong.

The local actress, TV host and DJ will be co-hosting The Power Breakfast Show on Power98 with Power98 DJ Sonja Steinmetz and new addition, industry veteran Hubert Tang.

The trio will begin duties on Monday.

The revamped line-up was revealed at a press conference yesterday by the station's new programming consultant, Shareen Wong, who is also returning to radio after a hiatus.

Wong, 37, had contacted Yeo last November, suggesting they meet up to chat.

Yeo, 34, told The New Paper in an earlier interview: "We talked about me going back to radio, which was an interesting idea and very exciting to me, but I told her I had to think about it."

At the time, Alysia, Yeo's daughter with her English husband Thorsten Nolte, 37, had just turned one.

The couple own a marketing firm, Upfront Media.

"I really didn't have the time for anything full time. I have a company to run, I have my husband, my daughter. The last thing I wanted to do was to steal time away from her," she said.

After the first round of discussions with the Power98 team, Yeo's initial decision was to not take up the offer due to family commitments.

Yeo - who hosted the Say It With Music programme on weekday nights for 987 from 2001 to 2006 - said she has had several job offers since she gave birth to Alysia in 2010.

The offers included one from an international news agency which wanted her to travel around the region to speak to sports personalities, but she rejected them.

"I always thought I'd never want to do anything that took me away from my family too much," she said.

But in the end, Yeo said she was made an offer she "couldn't resist" in the form of a part-time contract.

"To be honest, the money side of it is just a bonus for me; it'll allow me to save for my baby, buy her nice things. It's not a bread and butter issue.

"More importantly, Power was really willing to accommodate my timing," she said.

While other morning show DJs straggle to work at four or five in the morning, Yeo will be joining her co-hosts only at 7am.

"If I had to wake up at 5am, I'd hardly have any sleep because Alysia wakes up once a night, at around 2am," she said.

"I'm so grateful to my co-hosts for being so understanding."

Tang and Steinmetz will be up bright and early to kick off the show at 6am.

Yeo, who has known Tang since her days at MediaCorp Radio, said the energy among the three of them isgreat.

But will it be good enough to beat a certain morning show featuring a certain former hubby?

"Honestly, I've got no ambitions of outdoing him," she said.

Aware that she is going into a time slot that Ong - whom she married in 2004 and divorced in 2009 - has been at for years, she said she has no plans to "take on his style".

"I'm not Glenn," she said. "I could never outdo him in terms of style."

Though she doesn't habitually listen to morning shows, she has been flipping stations recently in the mornings to find out what her peers are up to.

And that includes Class 95's Morning Express show.

"There are no hard feelings between Glenn and myself," she said.

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Friends mourn the death of renowned kumu hula O'Brian Eselu

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - O'Brian Eselu drove his dancers to move with passion and vigor, a style of hula that combined power and grace. His all-male halau, Ke Kai O Kahiki, won multiple titles at the Merrie Monarch Hula Festival.

"They had the loudest applause. They had the loudest screams because it was very exciting. It was very masculine," said John Aeto, Eselu's longtime business manager

"His men all had that physique and that strength of the body already," friend and kumu hula Chinky Mahoe said. "He worked with that body that he had and brought out that beauty in the hula."

Eselu became enthralled with Hawaiian culture and dance at a young age. As a kumu hula, he was a visionary.

"He would dream the dance and visualize it. And then he would draw it with stick figures," Aeto said.

Eselu's artistry was also on display for over thirty years as the director of the Polynesian show at Paradise Cove.

"I was trying to think about how many people, visitors and kamaaina alike that he entertained. It must have been well over a million, maybe two," Paradise Cove president and CEO Keith Horita said.

Besides hula, Eselu also excelled as a singer and composer. His R&B roots added to a unique Hawaiian music style that earned him a Na Hoku Hanohano award.

"That's really what he's most famous for in the recording industry, his unique falsetto sound," Aeto said.

Eselu graduated from Aiea High School in 1973.  He was Samoan, firmly committed to the Mormon Church and to hula.

"For someone to embrace another person's culture full on like how he did -- hat's off to him," Mahoe said.

Those close to him said although Eselu suffered from diabetes and was on dialysis treatments, he was in good health.

He died Monday night in his sleep at his Halawa home. He was 56.

"The major emotions we're feeling in the community is shock and disbelief." Aeto said.

Eselu once said he used hula to unite people. He was a student of his art, and it showed.

You can leave a  condolence message on our Facebook page.  

Statement from Paradise Cove:

The voice of one of Hawaii's most beloved entertainers has been silenced, with the passing of O'Brian Eselu. Co-workers at Paradise Cove Lu‘au in the Ko Olina Resort – where Eselu had worked for 32 years -- began gathering early today to comfort one another and share stories of their respected kumu (teacher), entertainer and friend. Eselu had been living with diabetes and related health issues.

As Entertainment Director for Paradise Cove Lu‘au, O'Brian Eselu taught two generations of hula dancers and Hawaiian musicians, entertained many thousands of island visitors, and provided cultural guidance at the popular attraction.

"O'Brian Eselu was a cultural treasure, a talented composer and musician, and a gifted kumu," said Keith Horita, President and CEO of Paradise Cove Lu‘au

"O'Brian was a teacher, a leader, and a friend who inspired and motivated so many of Hawaii's youth, especially along O‘ahu's Wai‘anae Coast, and so many of our islands' visitors, with his wisdom, compassion and humor -- and his true sense of aloha," added Horita.

"As humble as he was, O'Brian was born to entertain. He loved it. Audiences loved it. And I'm so glad that his aloha spirit can live on through the performers and musicians in his halau and here at Paradise Cove."

Eselu's hula group, Halau Ke Kai O Kahiki (The Seas of the Ancestral Land) won top honors as the best overall halau and best male halau at the 2011 Merrie Monarch Hula Festival. Many of the group's disciplined young men worked with Eselu at Paradise Cove.

"O'Brian was, by far, our most popular emcee," said Horita. "We've literally had visitors come back to Paradise Cove and ask if O'Brian would be emceeing that evening's show. We've had requests from U.S. Senators, APEC delegates and even the White House."

Eselu directed the Paradise Cove Hawaiian Revue, a popular evening show that features hula, fire knife dancing, comedy and live Hawaiian music.

"O'Brian will be missed -- no doubt about that. But his spirit will live on in our performances. He always encouraged our dancers and musicians to perpetuate the Hawaiian culture through song and dance." Horita said. "I really think those were O'Brian's great loves – his students and his culture. And those are his legacy."

Copyright 2011 Hawaii News Now. All rights reserved

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How the 'Duchess of Cambridge effect' is helping British fashion in US

Outside LK Bennett's brand-new Manhattan flagship store, four American women peer through the glass to look at the dress on display. It is above the knee, ruched at the side, and has these friends thinking they've seen it before. As they talk among themselves, one of them remembers who she saw it on. "Kate Middleton", she says, and at once the group starting gushing about the Duchess of Cambridge's style and rush into the shop.

This is the 'Kate effect', aka the Duchess effect, which has propelled the quintessentially British brand – famous for its statement 1990s 'kitten heels' – into a 2,100 sq ft space in New York.

Along with other British labels worn by the duchess, such as Reiss and Issa, LK Bennett is using its unofficial brand ambassador to make inroads in the US. Before the Manhattan store opening, on 23 March, the brand was sold online and in department store concessions, slowing building a dedicated fanbase. But the flagship represents the company's first growth as a result of the Kate effect.

"Kate Middleton is an elegant lady, she wears our clothing and our shoes very well, and the American public are infatuated with her, which has definitely helped us, being new to the American market," said Tony DiMasso, president at LK Bennett and former chief operations officer at Jimmy Choo. "The great press we've received because of her has helped people come to the store and see the brand. We've been very well received in the United States and are starting to look at more stand alone locations in the city and in other states, such as Florida and San Francisco."

In a recent interview with the Financial Times, Robert Bensoussan, LK Bennett's executive chairman, hinted at plans to "go to 20 stores in the US very quickly".

The Manhattan store is in a prime spot in an upmarket shopping centre in Columbus Circle, close to the New York fashion week tents. The plush carpet, ladylike decoration, welcoming sales staff and prime positioning of the Davina dress that the duchess wore earlier this month while with the Queen as part of the diamond jubilee tour, is helping to attract both press and customers.

Manhattanite Salud Reyes, who lives in the Upper East Side, said LK Bennett was synonymous with Kate's style from dresses to shoes. "I regularly see them appear on the blog What Kate Wore, and I already have my eyes on LK Bennett's nude 'sledge heel' that she wore recently", says Reyes.

Mary Alice Stephenson, a former fashion editor of Vogue, Allure, Marie Claire and Harper's Bazaar, believes the duchess's appeal in America lay in her American aesthetic. "While she might be supporting British brands, the way that Kate dresses is very all-American, classic sportswear with a twist," said Stephenson. "She is also very smart using fashion the way that Michelle Obama does, Kate is championing new home-grown talent and breathing life into iconic, traditional British brands."

New York stylist Jess Zaino says her clients are not just chasing after the royal appeal, but that the dresses are accessible and fit regular women.

"The women I put in [LK Bennett] are curvy size 6 to 8 [US]. Also, the Davina dress, with the flattering ruche at the side, is a perfectly versatile dress. It's the new little black dress or the new DVF wrap dress," Zaino adds.

DiMasso is hoping to turn the growing demand for LK Bennett into a dedicated and loyal US customer base. "I think that the female customer in America expects a lot from her brands," DiMasso says. "If you can meet her expectations, she becomes very loyal to your brand."

The 'Kate effect'

The Duchess of Cambridge's patronage has helped a number of upmarket UK high street chains attract an international audience at a time when domestic sales are hard-won.

Although profits at LK Bennett fell to £5m on sales of some £80m in the year to 30 July 2011, its more recent performance has been strong with underlying sales jumping 15% in the six months to the end of January.

Whistles has also benefited from the Kate effect after the duchess wore one of its white silk blouses in the series of Mario Testino photos taken to mark her engagement.

Its owner, former Topshop supremo Jane Shepherdson, says the extra exposure has given the brand a "significant international profile". The engagement photoshoot was also good for Reiss as the series of outfits included a white £159 Reiss dress – and the duchess would wear another of its dresses when she met the Obamas.

The duchess looked rosy in the bandage-style dress and her long-held patronage of the brand has helped strengthen its financial performance, with the most recent set of accounts showing sales jumping more than 10% to £95m.

With the glamorous royal also now holding down a day job of sorts, Hobbs, a popular choice for working women, is benefiting as the duchess expands her work wardrobe. A brown woollen coat from its Unlimited collection sold out online after she wore it for a solo engagement in Liverpool.

The retailer, which started out as a shoe brand with a store in London's Hampstead, describes its clothes as "quintessentially British" with a contemporary twist. Its most recent figures showed profits more than doubling to nearly £7m after sales broke through the £100m barrier.

guardian.co.uk © Guardian News and Media 2012

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Vera Wang Launching Makeup for Kohl’s

Courtesy Vera Wang

Vera Wang is beautifying the beauty department! Piggybacking off the success of her Simply Vera clothing, home and accessories line for Kohl’s, the designer is launching Simply Vera makeup at Kohl’s stores nationwide next week.

Packed with primers, shadows, moisturizers, lip colors and more — all less than $39.50 per pop — the line is about creating a perfect canvas and adding pops of color. “Makeup should let the real you shine through,” Wang says in a release. “Skin is your best accessory.”

Standout products include a skin brightening primer ($39.50) designed to mask signs of aging; smoothing lip colors ($18.50) that can moisturize lips for up to eight hours; and complementary shadow duos ($19.50) which come in mattes and metallics. They’ll make perfect additions to your sunny spring wardrobe. Tell us: Will you check out Simply Vera makeup?

SHOP STARS’ FAVORITE BEAUTY PRODUCTS

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Earthquake Triggers Small Tsunami

A massive 8.6 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Indonesia early today, triggering an Indian Ocean tsunami that alarmed people throughout the region, but caused little damage.

The quake was centered 20 miles beneath the ocean floor about 270 miles from Aceh's provincial capital.

The tremor was felt in Singapore, Thailand, Bangladesh, India and Malaysia, where tall office buildings shook for more than a minute, according to the Associated Press.

An 8.2-magnitude aftershock was reported off the coast of northern Sumatra with an epicenter 382 miles from Banda Aceh, Sumatra, Indonesia, around 6:43 a.m., according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

"A significant tsunami was generated by this earthquake," the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Pacific Tsunami Warning Center said today. At its highest, waves tsunami waves rose 3.5 feet.

The tsunami alert was terrifying for people who still have fresh memories of the 2004 tsunami that devastated Indonesia's islands.

Workers at the Hermes Palace Hotel in Banda Aceh described a scene of panic, near the coast, as people fled to higher ground. Employee Cut Arlista said the shaking was so strong that water from the hotel pool spilled out, although the 70 guests at the hotel were not evacuated.

"People were crying, and everybody was running inland as fast as they can," Arlista told ABC News.

But there was little damage reported by the wave and the tsunami warnings were lifted a short time later.

The nature of the quake made it less likely a tsunami was generated because the earth moved horizontally, rather than vertically, and therefore had not displaced large volumes of water, Bruce Presgrave of the USGS told the BBC.

"We can't rule out the possibility, but horizontal motion is less likely to produce a destructive tsunami," he said.

Still, the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center in Hawaii said a tsunami watch was in effect for Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, Australia, Myanmar, Thailand, the Maldives and other Indian Ocean islands, Malaysia, Pakistan, Somalia, Oman, Iran, Bangladesh, Kenya, South Africa and Singapore, according to the AP.

The tsunami warning was extended until 9 a.m. E.T.

The latest quake struck off the west coast of Sumatra, the same region devastated by a magnitude-9.1 earthquake in December 2004. That tremor triggered a catastrophic tsunami in the Indian Ocean that killed 230,000 people.

"I think a lot of people learned from the past," Arlista said. "Everybody knew to run as soon as the earthquake hit."

Gary Peart, an Australian worker at the Lumba Lumba Diving Center on the beach in Banda Aceh in the province of Aceh, Indonesia, said the quake lasted quite a while.

"It was long for an earthquake," he said. "Maybe a minute and a half, and then it got slowly, slowly stronger, and then it faded away."

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Oil prices lower after bearish US and China economic data

The macroeconomics made a difference as last week came to an end for the long holiday weekend. Although the oil market was closed for the Good Friday Holiday the US government still released the monthly nonfarm payroll data and is was simply negative. The number came in at 120,000 new jobs created versus most expectations for the gain to be in the 200,000 range. The headline unemployment rate did drop by 0.1% to 8.2 but that was not a result of new job gains rather it was a result of more people giving up looking for jobs and dropping out of the job markets.

The number was bearish on all counts as it is suggesting that the fragile US economic recovery may be slowing once again. In fact the U6 rate, which tracks not only those out of work but those who have essentially given up looking for work stands at 14.5%. The data was bearish for all risk asset markets around the world including the oil complex which is currently lower by 1.5% since Thursday's close (pre-number release).

Further negative data for oil was released overnight when China's latest CPI index rose more than expected coming in at 3.6% versus forecasts at 3.3% against last month's level of 3.2%. This data is disappointing to the Chinese government who thought that inflation was under control and the central Bank would be able to start to stimulate their slowing economy. This number will likely postpone the government moving to a very aggressive easing policy until they are certain that inflation is not once again rising. This is a bearish number for the oil complex as well as the broader commodity complex. China is the main oil demand growth engine in the world and if the government is unable to aggressively stimulate this slowing economy oil demand growth is going to underperform going forward and that is bearish for oil. In fact the Chinese data is far more bearish for oil demand than the disappointing employment data out of the US as US oil demand has been in a long term downtrend which began even before the onset of the recession.

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On the geopolitical front he meeting between the west and Iran begins at the end of the week in Istanbul. Whether or not it will meet the expectations of the west or the expectations of the market remains the big question of the week. Anything short of Iran changing their tune and moving more in the direction that meets the demand of the west will likely be viewed as a sign that the probability of military intervention may be increasing. I still view the geopolitics as a so called put or floor in the price of oil for the short term or until there is a lot more clarity as to how Iran will react to the demands of the west.

At the moment the main reason oil prices are still trading at the level they are at is due to the perception that a supply disruption could be possible from the evolving situation in the Middle East...in particular around Iran. On the other end of the equation the fundamentals are starting to look more bearish as oil demand growth may be starting to slow basis the bearish macroeconomic data out of China and the West. The changing landscape in the broader oil complex is moving my view back to neutral as I wait to see how the combination of new macroeconomic data coupled with the upcoming meeting with Iran turns out.

Over the last week the oil complex was mixed with crude oil and RBOB gasoline a tad higher while HO was slightly lower... all closing before the release of the US nonfarm payroll data on Friday morning. The Nymex RBOB gasoline contract was the biggest gainer in the complex last week as market participants focus on the upcoming summer driving season. Brent and WTI increased about the same amount on the week resulting in the Brent/WTI spread ending the week about unchanged. The May WTI contract increased about 0.28% or $0.29/bbl offsetting the losses from the previous week. The May Brent contract ended the week with a small increase of 0.29% or $0.36/bbl. The May Brent/WTI spread widened by just $0.07/bbl but is continuing to trade well above the trading range it was in prior to breaking out after the tensions in the Middle East and Nigeria raised the risk of an interruption in supply with the market placing that risk premium more on Brent than on WTI.

On the distillate fuel front the Nymex HO contract was about unchanged on the week even as distillate fuel inventories increased less than expected last week and as US distillate fuel exports declined on the week. The spot Nymex HO contract decreased by 0.03% or $0.0009/gal. Gasoline prices increased on the week as gasoline stocks declined. The spot Nymex gasoline price increased by 0.98% or $0.0324/gal this past week.

On the week Nat Gas futures declined once again as the inventory injection outperformed history for the fourth week in a row. The spot Nat Gas futures contract lost another 1.74% or $0.037/mmbtu on the week as it moves closer to trading with a $1 handle. Another bearish layer hit the market today when the EIA reported an injection level above most all of the expectations. The immediate reaction was to sell the number but surprisingly the decline was modest and quickly met with a modest level of short covering that is continuing as of this writing. I would not categorize the way the futures market is trading at this point in time as anything bullish in nature or the bottoming of the market . I simply categorize it as short covering heading into the long holiday weekend...nothing more , nothing less. Irrespective as to where Nat Gas futures settle today we will still be in a long term downtrend with lower prices still likely during the shoulder season.

With total storage currently at approximately 2.5 TCF that leave about 1.6 TCF until we hit the maximum storage capacity for the system. Using last year the injection season saw about 2.2 TCF of gas injected into inventory. This would mean about 4.7 TCF heading to storage which is mathematically an infeasible solution. There will be about 600 BCF of gas that right now looks like it will have no home if it is taken out of the ground. At this point in time the only place for the extra 600 BCF of gas that will be produced this year is to leave it where it is and do not produce it.

I am not sure what the producing sector is looking at that most all of us in the market are not seeing. I am surprised that there have not been announcements for significant dry gas production cuts already. I suspect at this juncture there is going to have to be another strong leg lower to get the attention of the producing sector. I still see Nat Gas trading with a $1 handle sooner than later.

I still view the fundamentals as nothing but bearish and I do not see any change in the short to medium term fundamentals as I do not think producers will make deep enough cuts anytime soon or in other words until they absolutely have no choice to do so based on logistics considerations. Nothing has changed to change my view that we will most likely see Nat Gas prices trading with a $1 handle sooner than later.

On the financial front equity markets around the world ended mostly lower for as the downside correction continues (and into the start of this week's trading). The financial markets were mostly impacted by a series of macroeconomic data in several locations around the world...in particular China that indicated that economic growth may be slowing. Global equity values decreased as shown in the EMI Global Equity Index table below.

The EMI Index decreased by 1.5% on the week. Over the last week the Index decreased in value as the euro decreased modestly while the US dollar firmed on the week. Last week the global equity markets were a bearish price driver for oil and most commodity markets. Last week was a risk off trading week for most risk asset markets with that sentiment carrying over into this start of this trading week after the bearish US data on Friday.

I am moving my view back to neutral for oil as it is once again trading below my range support of $102/bbl (basis WTI) while the data out of China is also pointing to a potential slowing of oil consumption . Geopolitics will remain the main price driver leading up the Iran/West meetings on April 13/14th but until I get more clarity as to how the meeting is likely to turn out I am more comfortable staying on the sidelines today.

I am still keeping my view at and bias at bearish. My overall view remains biased to the bearish side. The surplus is still building in inventory versus both last year and the five year average is going to lead to a premature filling of storage during the current injection season. As such for the short to medium term I doubt Nat Gas is going to reverse the downtrend it has been in for an extended period of time. We may certainly see times when short covering rallies take hold but I do not expect a sustained trend change.

Currently markets are lower as shown in the table below.

Best regards,
Dominick A. Chirichella
dchirichella@mailaec.com
Follow my intraday comments on Twitter @dacenergy.

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SAP outlines plans to become big player in databases and mobile

SAP made a series of announcements yesterday as part of its bid to become a high-profile player in the database market alongside the likes of Oracle and IBM.

The HANA in-memory database platform is at the centre of SAP's strategy, and will eventually underpin all of its products. Many SAP customers currently run the company's flagship Business Suite ERP (enterprise resource planning) application on rival databases, especially Oracle and IBM DB2. SAP is hoping over time to convince those customers to run HANA instead, but the necessary engineering work isn't yet finished.

To this end, SAP is also banking on Sybase ASE (Adaptive Server Enterprise), a product acquired through the 2010 purchase of Sybase. The port of Business Suite to Sybase ASE would be generally available this month, executive board member and technology chief Vishal Sikka said.

Right now, HANA is best suited for analytics. On that front, SAP announced the general availability of its Business Warehouse platform running on HANA. "BW on HANA is a non-disruptive and dramatic improvement in cost and performance," Sikka said.

The "ramp-up," or early adopter period for BW on HANA, started in November and was the fastest in SAP history, he added. Some 80 units have shipped to customers and partners so far, he added.

In addition, SAP said that it intends to create a $155 million venture capital fund for startups that build applications on the HANA platform, as well as spend $337 million on an incentive programme meant to lure customers to HANA.

Under the latter effort, SAP will provide consulting services for new customers who want to move from "legacy" databases to HANA. In addition, SAP will give HANA customers who have finished implementing the software "up to an 18-month exchange programme out of their SAP HANA licences to any other previously licensed SAP product if they are not satisfied."

SAP is also focused on making sure developers and database administrators have access to the best training materials for HANA, as well as development and test environments at no cost, said Steve Lucas, executive vice president of analytics, database and technology. "We need to build an environment where we can get a thousand flowers to bloom," he said.

SAP also provided further details, many not unexpected, of how other parts of the Sybase portfolio will play into its database plans between now and 2015.

Sybase IQ, a columnar-store analytic database, will be tied together with HANA to act as a store for older or "cold" data. The product is "envisioned to share common capabilities and life-cycle management" with HANA, SAP said.

The Sybase SQL Anywhere mobile and embedded database will serve as a "front-end" data store in the HANA platform, the company added. Sybase's PowerDesigner modeling toolset is to play a key role as well, SAP said.

SAP also intends to build integration between HANA and data sources including Hadoop, the popular open source processing framework.

Overall, SAP faces a challenge in migrating customers to its database portfolio, given the changes cloud computing has brought to the IT industry, analyst Ray Wang, CEO of Constellation Research, wrote in a new report on HANA.

"In cloud computing models, users don't care, nor ask what database the applications run on," Wang explained. "They buy service level agreements that must be met by the software publisher. Will users care that a new database is in use? This will be SAP's short-term challenge."

SAP has said that several core modules of the Business Suite will be ported to HANA by the end of the year. Work on that project is "going extremely well," Sikka said.

But in reality, HANA won't be a fully viable replacement for the likes of Oracle "until at least 2015" due to needed technical features that have yet to be added, according to Wang. Those areas include "beefed-up backup and recovery service," auditing, SQL injection protection, compliance monitoring and identity management, he wrote.

While the development work could be complete in late 2014, "given SAP's track record for delivery and customers' track record for adopting new technologies, significant user adoption post-general availability could take until 2015," he said.

Wang said that existing customers are also heavily vested in their database of choice. "Business Suite customers will most likely be the targets for SAP HANA. However, among the estimated 18,500 SAP Business Suite customers, the lack of HANA-ready administrators and consultants, plus the inertia required to overcome database choice, will play a key role in slow adoption."

SAP is also planning to support the latest version of the Business Suite under standard maintenance fees until 2020, which lowers the pressure on customers to make database changes, Wang said.

Meanwhile, the Sybase acquisition also gave SAP an array of mobile application and device management technologies, including the Unwired platform.

In a related announcement, SAP said it planned to buy mobile application development vendor Syclo. Terms were not disclosed. The deal will give SAP Syclo's background and expertise in mobile applications for utilities, manufacturing and other industries, SAP said in a statement.

SAP also announced mobile development partnerships with Adobe, Appcelerator and Sencha.

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Tuesday, 10 April, 2012 |

According to an official release here, the government led by Jayalalithaa, giving respect to the sentiments of Tamils, passed a resolution in the Assembly last year shifting back the Tamil New Year to the original month of Chithirai (mid-April).

'Based on the resolution, the Chief Minister will take part in the Tamil New Year function to be organised by the State government. Starting this year, Tamil scholars, authors and organisations who strived hard for the cause of the language will be given with awards, on the instructions of Jayalalithaa,' the release said.

'Professor A A Manavalan has been selected for the Kapilar Award, Poet Se Rasu for the Oo Ve Saa Award and educationist Mrs YGP for the Avvaiyar Award for Model Woman,' said the release.

The awardees will get Rs one lakh as cash prize, eight gram worth gold medal and a certificate of merit.

Also, the Madurai Tamil Sangam will get Tamil Thaai Award for serving the language. In addition, the Chief Minister will give away cash prizes to authors of 27 books at the function to be held at the Madras University Centenary Auditorium.

Apart from the award ceremony, the function will also witness some cultural events.

A seminar titled Thurai Thorum Thamizh (Tamil in all departments) will take place at 8.30 am. It will be followed by a literary meet under the title Muthirai Padhikkum Chithirai.At 10.30 am, a debate on the topic 'Bravery, knowledge and compassion, which is the top most quality of Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa' will take place.

In a significant move, the Tamilnadu Assembly during August last year passed a Bill shifting back the Tamil New Year to Chithirai, laying to rest the previous DMK government's out of the blue declaration of changing the age-old practice to mid-January.

The Bill was tabled in the House after members of the public, archealogical experts, pundits, astronomy exponents and others expressed the opinion that the DMK government's 2008 decision to shift the Tamil New Year was against the practice of centuries.

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IRAs are wise investments; what to know

JJ Lin: I'm no ladies' man

JJ Lin's kiss with Taiwanese singer-actress Linda Liao (top right) at his concert's after-party was just ‘an act’, but he is openly fond of S.H.E’s Hebe Tien (bottom right).By Tan Kee Yun
The New Paper
Monday, Mar 19, 2012

A ladies' man?

Definitely not me, says JJ Lin.

The boyish-looking local singer, who will be 31 in less than two weeks, firmly disassociated himself from the Casanova image he has inadvertently built for himself.

Back in town yesterday to promote his latest album of Mandopop originals, Lost N Found, Lin told The New Paper in a roundtable interview that he has had "only two serious romantic relationships" in his entire life.

"Both relationships were not with celebrities," he said emphatically.

"I'm not a ladies' man at all...I can't be one, the stakes are too high!

"Though I'm worried about (gaining such a reputation), it can't be helped...I don't want to overturn my lifestyle and stop hanging out with my female friends."

Lin's revelation runs counter to the Taiwanese media's portrayal of him as a swinging bachelor with a penchant for changing girlfriends.

Last year alone, there were three women linked - almost consecutively - to him.

The first was bosomy model-host Lilian Chen, 29, a small-time celebrity who is better known by the crude nickname E Cup Sister.

She was often spotted by the paparazzi entering Lin's apartment, sparking speculation that the pair had cohabited at some point.

They reportedly called it quits last March.

In the same month, Lin raised eyebrows once again, this time with singer-actress Linda Liao.

He had boldly nuzzled Liao's body during a performance onstage and, at a post-concert party, both had no qualms locking lips for the cameras.

Liao, 30, clarified in an earlier interview with TNP that the kisses with Lin were "nothing but an act".

Last July, showbiz headlines in Taiwan started screaming "JJ ditches boobs for brains", a reference to Lin's movie dates with 25-year-old entertainment talk show host, Weng Tzy Mann.

"That really isn't anything at all," was all Lin would say, when quizzed about his reported courtship of Weng.

He declined to reveal details about the two previous relationships he considered legitimate, but said he has "learnt to be more careful" from his failed romances.

"I used to be very impulsive when it came to love," said Lin, who is also the boss of his own music production company, JFJ Productions, and a streetwear label, Smudge.

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Wolf ratted out by rival?

By Charlene Chua
The New Paper
Sunday, Apr 08, 2012

It was an elimination that no one expected. Supermodelme 3 contestant Lynn Yang Wolf (right) was booted out in the third episode of the reality TV modelling series, which was aired yesterday at 10pm on Channel 5.

The series, filmed in Singapore, is also showing on KIX (StarHub Ch 518) every Tuesday at 10pm. The 22-year-old Nanyang Technological University undergrad wasn't kicked out because she fared poorly but because she broke the rules.

She had sneaked out of the models' house to go home for an hour. The Hong Kong-born German-Myanmar beauty said she took a chance because she wanted a break from the catfights. Was she played out by a fellow contestant?

Yang Wolf, who is studying digital film-making, told The New Paper: "There was another model who told me that she really wanted to go out of the house for a while, and another who said she wanted to go drinking.

"I thought it would have been unsafe to go clubbing, so I thought why not go back to my house? That would be safe.

"But as another model and I left, my companion said she was hungry and wanted to return to the models' house to make herself a sandwich."

Yang Wolf claimed: "She then went on to snitch on us to the show's producers."

When she returned to the models' house after her home visit, she was shocked to find the other contestants awake.

While she was away, the show producers had been told of what she did, and they met to discuss her fate.

The models were split into two camps. Some felt she should be eliminated straight away, others felt she should be given a second chance.

Taking a leaf from popular reality TV show Survivor, the producers left it to the remaining eight competitors to decide.

So voting took place shortly after Yang Wolf returned.

And within the hour, she was sent packing.

Said Yang Wolf: "I was shocked to get eliminated. But thinking about it, I wouldn't have wanted to stay in the house and have the girls dislike you either.

"The drama that you will see on the show is real. It happens off camera as well.

"There were so many different personalities in the house that it was stressful because not everyone got along.

"Of course, in retrospect, if I knew that I would be eliminated from the competition for sneaking out, I would never have done it."

She added that she knew it was against competition rules to leave the models' house and admitted that she didn't think she would get caught.

Ms Karen Seah, the executive producer of Supermodelme, said of Yang Wolf's actions and subsequent elimination: "We were shocked and disappointed because we felt that Lynn had a lot of potential and could have made it to the top five...

"I don't think Lynn's career will be affected by this as she's young and this show is precisely the platform to learn all about being a model - and that entails living and getting along with other models.

"The girls come to this show to be toughened up and Lynn will learn from this."

Double shock

Created by local production company Refinery Media, Supermodelme pits 12 aspiring models from all over Asia against one another for a $20,000 prize and the chance to grace the covers of local leading fashion magazines.

For Yang Wolf, her axing was not the worse news she received that night. She had spent the unsanctioned hour-long visit at home crying after she was told that her pet cat was dead.

She said: "My cat is my life. I was devastated.

"I was on the phone with my boyfriend the week before, but he didn't dare mention it to me as he didn't want to upset me when I was still in the competition.

"He said that my cat was so depressed when I was away that it stopped eating."

cchar@sph.com.sg

This article was first published in The New Paper.

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Press Releases: Songkran Festival - Thai New Year

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CU Law School hosting head of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission tonight

CU Law School hosting head of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission tonight - Boulder Daily Camera Mobile |Contact Us | Submit | E-Edition | Email Newsletters | Subscriber Services | Advertising Info Boulder, CO DailyCamera.com Boulder, CO This SiteWeb Search powered by YAHOO! search Home News Boulder & County NewsCU NewsBoulder County SchoolsBroomfield NewsErie NewsLafayette NewsLongmont NewsLouisville NewsSuperior NewsBoulder WeatherState & West NewsNation & World NewsScience & Environment NewsScience ColumnistsElection SportsTop Sports Stories BocoPrepsSports ColumnistsCU & College SportsCyclingBroncos & NFLRockies & MLBAvalanche & NHLNuggets & NBAGolfRunningTennisSoccerOther SportsBolder BoulderOlympics Buffzone OpinionEditorialsVirtual Editorial BoardOpinion ColumnistsLetters to the EditorGuest OpinionsLetters to the Editor BlogEditorial CartoonsBusinessLocal BusinessBusiness DataBusiness ColumnistsNational & International BusinessNatural & Organic NewsEntertainmentMusicClassical MusicMovies & TV BooksTheater & DanceVarietyComics Puzzles & GamesMore Games Lottery HoroscopesLifestylesFoodRestaurant ReviewsBeer & BrewingFashionFeaturesHealth & FitnessHome & Garden Pets Green LivingRecreationGet OutRecreation ColumnistsSnowZoneHike of the WeekBolder BoulderEventsMilestonesAnniversariesEngagementsWeddingsBirthsObituariesClassifieds MerchandiseService DirectoryPetsGarage SalesPlace an adCars New & Used CarsNew Car DealersMotorcyclesRVsPlace an auto ad Jobs Search Boulder JobsHealthcare Jobs Technology Jobs Sales Jobs Boulder Jobs Denver Jobs Post Your Resume Twitter Boulder Jobs Place An Ad Homes Homes For SaleHomes For RentOpen HousesCommercial New Home Communities ApartmentsReal Estate AgentsRural/Land CameraHomes TwitterPlace an ad Shop Print Ads OnlineCouponsSpecial SectionsBusiness Directory if ('null' != 'null') { document.forms.previousNewsForm3575670.previousNews3575670.value = 'null'; } function refreshArticleList(theForm) { theForm.submit(); } Print   Email   Font ResizeCU Law School hosting head of Equal Employment Opportunity Commission tonight Jacqueline A. Berrien will discuss social justice By Brittany Anas, Camera Staff Writerdailycamera.comPosted: 04/11/2012 01:01:57 PM MDTApril 11, 2012 9:11 PM GMTUpdated: 04/11/2012 03:10:14 PM MDT
Jacqueline A. Berrien, chairwoman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission )

The chairwoman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission will speak about social justice at the University of Colorado's Law School tonight.

Jacqueline A. Berrien will speak at 5:30 p.m. in the Wittemyer Courtroom of the Wolf Law Building. The event is sponsored by the Black Law Students Association of CU Law.

President Barack Obama nominated Berrien on July 16, 2009, to a term ending July 1, 2014. In his nomination, he noted that Berrien has spent "her entire career fighting to give a voice to underrepresented communitities to protect our most basic rights."

The EEOC is responsible for enforcing federal laws that make it illegal to discriminate against a job applicant or an employee because of the person's race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability or genetic information.

Prior to her appointment with the EEOC, Berrien worked for the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, where she served as Associate Director-Counsel for five years.

Contact Camera Staff Writer Brittany Anas at 303-473-1132 or anasb@dailycamera.com.

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IRAS to simplify tax filing for small companies

SINGAPORE: The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) is simplifying tax filing for small companies to help them reduce compliance costs and increase their overall productivity.

IRAS says currently, all companies have to report their Estimated Chargeable Income (ECI) within three months of the end of their financial year end.

Companies without any taxable profit and have no ECI are also required to do so.

Going forward, IRAS says small companies with turnover not exceeding S$1 million and with no ECI will no longer need to file the ECI.

The waiver will take effect from Year of Assessment 2013 for companies with accounting year ending October 2012 or after.

IRAS adds that this waiver will benefit 67,000 companies, or about 42 per cent of all companies with an annual turnover of under S$1 million.

Mr Moses Lee, commissioner of IRAS said: "We recognise that small companies face greater challenges in managing their tax obligations. Their resources are already highly stretched, as they struggle just to keep up with their day-to-day operations and focus on business viability."

Mr Lee says IRAS has set a threshold of S$1 million turnover to manage the revenue-at-risk, so that larger companies will continue to report their ECI and pay their taxes within the current time-frame.

In addition, IRAS will also introduce a new simplified income tax form, known as the Form C-S.

Form C-S is a shortened three-page form that includes only the essential tax and financial information most relevant to small companies.

IRAS says it will take about 10 minutes to complete Form C-S, or half the average time taken to complete Form C, a seven-page form which small companies fill out currently.

The introduction of Form C-S will help 110,000 small companies or 70 per cent of all companies with an annual turnover not exceeding S$1 million.

IRAS says this will take effect from Year of Assessment 2012.

- CNA/ck

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Christian schools vie for students

Photo by Contributed photo

Wichita Christian sixth-graders C.D. Brown (clockwise from bottom left), Natalie Cook, Kristen Surdam, Mickey Moreno, Bailey Dold, Ashlynn Harris and Myles Mason work a math problem with their teacher Paula Holsberry on Thursday. Contributed photo

Wichita Christian School is the community's most affordable school among the city's "big three" private options for Christian education — with parents shopping among Wichita Christian, Notre Dame Catholic School and Christ Academy.

Wichita Christian also holds the highest enrollment of the three schools, with a pre-k through 12th-grade enrollment of 326, compared with Christ Academy's 234 students (which goes as high as 11th grade) and 140 students attending Notre Dame.

Enrollment has increased 18 percent in each of the past two years at Wichita Christian, but at the other two schools, enrollment is sagging compared with five years ago.

Notre Dame's high school serves 60 students.

"Compared to five years ago, we have dwindled a little bit," said Notre Dame Principal Cindy Huckabee, who has been at the helm for six years.

Notre Dame school officials have done some strategic planning to "make sure the community knows we're here and strong and what we have to offer," she said.

Recruiting is always

tricky, Huckabee said, but many parents make the education decision early in their child's life and don't make changes. "They make that decision for the oldest child, and the younger will follow what the oldest has done."

Christ Academy officials told the Times Record News in 2010 that their enrollment hovered around 300. Today's enrollment of 234 shows a considerable drop.

Christ Academy's Chief Education Officer Jerry Meadows said Thursday the dip may be a combination of a poor economy, a harder curriculum that has caused some students to struggle and ultimately go elsewhere, and the school's culture that, until recently, bid adieu to all its students after eighth grade because the school did not offer a high school curriculum, as it does now.

A Christ Academy administrative shake-up a few years ago resulted in the hiring of upper school principal Steve Peters. But changes continued, with Peters moving on to a school in Iowa after one year. Meadows was hired as the CEO two years ago.

Tuition prices at the three schools for the upcoming 2012-2013 school year are up from last year. Price tags start at $4,960 for Wichita Christian elementary students. At Notre Dame, it costs $5,960 to $6,660 depending on the church a student attends, and $6,577 for Christ Academy students through eighth grade.

Each school also has various discounts and fees.

All three schools offer high school classes now, although Christ Academy won't have a senior class until next year.

Tuition at all the schools is higher at the high school level, with Wichita Christian'stuition set for its junior high and high school grades at $5,995. Christ Academy charges $7,216; Notre Dame secondary students in grades 7 through 12 pay the most — a rate ranging from $7,260 to $7,960 (depending on church affiliation).

Each school offers its own specialties.

Notre Dame assures students and parents its curriculum will be consistent with Catholic schools across the nation because it belongs to the National Catholic Association and is dually accredited by the Texas Catholic Conference of Education and SACS, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, which also accredits Midwestern State University.

"It assures accountability and evenness of going from one school to another," Huckabee said, a perk military families appreciate. "We're preparing students for the next thing God has in mind for them."

Wichita Christian recently completed renovation of its facility and built a new gym, which opened in January. The private school teaches the state curriculum — the Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills — without high-stakes testing. The school gives the national Stanford test instead, a gauge that is appealing to military families, according to Karla Wallace, Wichita Christian superintendent.

The school also follows the CSCOPE curriculum used by the Wichita Falls public schools, but weaves in Christian principals, Wallace said. Reflecting Wallace's former career in the public schools, Wichita Christian also offers pre-Advanced Placement classes, and dual credit courses at MSU and Vernon College, similar to the public schools.

On March 2, Wallace announced Wichita Christian earned accreditation from SACS after an 18-month pursuit. It also is accredited by the National Christian Schools Association.

Christ Academy, which moved into a new building south of the Bill Bartley YMCA two years ago, has incorporated Internet distance learning into its high school curriculum.

"The kids like it. It forces them to manage their own learning to some degree. They must do a pace chart," Meadows said of the project that becomes a problem-solving opportunity. "They sit down with their teacher and plan out their whole year and how many lessons to do per week."

Christ Academy also offers foreign language instruction that begins in first grade. Students choose one of 35 languages that they spend time learning in a technology lab. Most learn Spanish, but some are learning Hebrew, Greek, German, French and Dutch.

New offerings include a pottery class and a new business track for eighth graders that started in January. Its goal is to expose students to the business world.

Follow Ann Work on Twitter @AnnWork1.

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CafePress [PRSS] to Ring The NASDAQ Stock Market Opening Bell

ADVISORY, March 29, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) --

What:

CafePress [PRSS], an e-commerce platform enabling customers worldwide to create, buy and sell a wide variety of customized and personalized products, will visit the NASDAQ MarketSite in Times Square in celebration of its initial public offering (IPO), which will occur today, March 29, 2012, on The NASDAQ Stock Market.

In honor of the occasion, Bob Marino, CEO will ring the Opening Bell.

Where:

NASDAQ MarketSite -- 4 Times Square -- 43rd & Broadway -- Broadcast Studio

When:

Thursday, March 29, 2012 -- 9:15 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. ET

Contact:
(650) 655-3039
pr@cafepress.com

NASDAQ MarketSite:
Jen Knapp
(212) 401-8916
Jennifer.knapp@nasdaqomx.com

Feed Information:
Fiber Line (Encompass Waterfront): 4463

Gal 3C/06C 95.05 degrees
West18 mhz Lower
DL 3811 Vertical
FEC 3/4
SR 13.235
DR 18.295411
MOD 4:2:0
DVBS QPSK

Facebook and Twitter:

For multimedia features such as exclusive content, photo postings, status updates and video of bell ceremonies please visit our Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/#!/NASDAQ.

For news tweets, please visit our Twitter page at: http://twitter.com/nasdaqomx

Webcast:

A live webcast of the NASDAQ Opening Bell will be available at:
http://www.nasdaq.com/about/marketsitetowervideo.asx or http://social.nasdaqomx.com.

Photos:

To obtain a hi-resolution photograph of the Market Open, please go to http://www.nasdaq.com/reference/marketsite_events.stm and click on the market open of your choice.

About CafePress [PRSS]:

CafePress is The World's Customization EngineTM. Launched in 1999, CafePress empowers individuals, non-profits and businesses to create, buy and sell customized merchandise online using the company's unique print-on-demand and e-commerce platform. Today, CafePress' portfolio of brands includes CafePress.com, Canvas On Demand, Great Big Canvas, ImageKind, CafePress Pro, Canvas On Demand Pro and Invitation Box.

About NASDAQ OMX:

The inventor of the electronic exchange, The NASDAQ OMX Group, Inc., fuels economies and provides transformative technologies for the entire lifecycle of a trade - from risk management to trade to surveillance to clearing. In the US and Europe, we own and operate 24 markets, 3 clearinghouses and 5 central securities depositories supporting equities, options, fixed income, derivatives, commodities, futures and structured products. Able to traffic more than 1 million messages per second at sub-80 microsecond speeds with 99.999% uptime, our technology drives more than 70 marketplaces in 50 developed and emerging countries into the future, powering 1 in 10 of the world's securities transactions. Our award-winning data products and worldwide indexes are the benchmarks in the financial industry. Home to approximately 3,400 listed companies worth $5.1 trillion in market cap whose innovations shape our world, we give the ideas of tomorrow access to capital today. Welcome to where the world takes a big leap forward, daily. Welcome to the NASDAQ OMX Century. To learn more, visit www.nasdaqomx.com. Follow us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/NASDAQ) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/nasdaqomx). (Symbol: NDAQ and member of S&P 500)

-NDAQA-

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IRAs are wise investments; what to know

by Russ Wiles - Apr. 7, 2012 03:56 PM
The Republic | azcentral.com

Individual Retirement Accounts deserve extra attention this time of year.

For one thing, it's still not too late to contribute to an IRA and possibly deduct it on your 2011 income-tax return, making this one of the few retroactive breaks available.

Also, refunds are flowing out to most taxpayers, so there's cash available for IRAs. Finally, plenty of Americans are way behind in retirement planning, so any friendly reminder helps.

IRAs are important. At $4.9 trillion they're still the single largest component of the $17.9 trillion that Americans have stashed in retirement accounts -- larger even than 401(k) programs, government pensions or private pensions, reports the Investment Company Institute.

Yet IRAs aren't living up to their potential, partly because of the complex rules affecting them. There are different types of IRAs, contribution levels, eligibility limits, withdrawal provisions and more. Here are some key points to know about IRAs:

Even though IRA availability is much broader than 401(k)s and pensions, the majority of Americans aren't paying much attention. This perhaps isn't surprising, given the confusing rules and the nation's still-meager savings rate.

TIAA-CREF has released a new report showing that roughly 76 percent of the more than 1,000 respondents they surveyed weren't contributing to an IRA and that only 38 percent of IRA owners socked away the full yearly limit.

In terms of familiarity, most respondents weren't aware of options such as "catch-up contributions" for people 50 and up or guidelines for tax-free Roth IRAs.

In the TIAA-CREF survey, younger adults were less likely to be aware of IRA benefits, such as tax-sheltered appreciation.

Partly, that's because people tend to get more serious about retirement planning as they age. But today's 20- and 30-year-olds face pressures that their parents and grandparents didn't. One relates to the skyrocketing amount of student debt, which makes it harder to scrape together the cash to contribute to an IRA. Another is the decline of traditional pensions.

In fact, the wealth gap between younger and older Americans has stretched to its widest on record, according to the Pew Research Center. Americans 65 and older have average net worths 47 times those of people 35 and younger.

One special federal tax provision for lower-income investors, including young adults just starting out, is the retirement saver's tax credit. This is a dollar-for-dollar reduction in federal tax liability worth up to $1,000 for singles and $2,000 for married couples. You generally can qualify for at least a partial credit with 2011 income up to $28,250 (singles) or $56,500 (married couples), with slightly higher limits coming in 2012.

As Mitt Romney's reputed $100 million IRA demonstrates, you can do well by placing non-traditional assets in a retirement account. Investors typically stick with stocks, bonds, mutual funds and the like for IRAs, but you can put in other assets, such as real estate and gold coins or bullion. (Romney funded his IRA with shares in private partnerships.)

But to utilize alternative assets, you need to find an administrator willing to deal with them. The majority of traditional financial firms don't go in this direction.

"Most people don't think they can purchase anything beyond the stock market" for IRAs, said J.P. Dahdah, chief executive officer of Vantage Retirement Plans, a Phoenix firm (vantage iras.com) that administers, provides record-keeping for and helps facilitate transfers of alternative assets into IRAs.

Dahdah said his firm administers more than $600 million in assets, with 80 percent of that in real-estate investments, including raw land, rental properties and loans. Gold and silver account for much of the rest.

Though still a tiny slice of overall IRAs, alternative assets appeal to people interested in greater diversification and those seeking to avoid stock-market volatility, Dahdah said. Vantage doesn't provide financial advice or sell investments.

"We're not saying stocks or bonds are good or bad," he said. "We're just saying you have a broader choice."

Investors still have until April 17 to put money into an IRA for 2011 -- and can contribute at any time for the current year -- but a different deadline applies for withdrawals.

Anyone who turned 701/2 in 2011 had to take his or her first required minimum distribution by March 30, 2012, reports Fidelity Investments. Account holders who fail to take out a sufficient amount face a 50 percent tax penalty on the shortfall. After that first RMD, a Dec. 31 deadline applies in future years.

Withdrawals from Roth IRAs generally aren't taxed, and with those accounts there's no requirement to start pulling out money at 701/2 .

Reach Wiles at russ.wiles@arizonarepublic.com or 602-444-8616.

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NFL Draft: Marvin McNutt and the red zone slant route

Click here to read the entire Inside the Playbook series.

Earlier today, I broke down three route concepts on the chalkboard that every WR prospect will need to convert at the NFL level: the 7 (corner), Dig (square-in) and the Slant. Now, let’s go to the video and take a look at the slant route vs. press-coverage.

Iowa vs. Michigan State. QB Ricky Stanzi to WR Marvin McNutt. A great example of winning at the line of scrimmage and using size at the WR position to create leverage on an inside breaking concept. Crucial when we break down the route scheme inside of the 5-yard line vs. Cover 0 (blitz-man).

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Prevailing-wage law under fire in East Lampeter Township

East Lampeter Township supervisors are joining a movement to change Pennsylvania's Prevailing Wage Act.

A  package of bills that would make changes to law is making its way through the state Legislature.

Supervisors adopted a resolution from the Pennsylvania Association of Township Supervisors March 20 supporting legislation to amend the law, which provides for high wages for workers on publicly funded construction projects with a cost of more than $25,000.

The resolution states that "the cost and burden of these artificially inflated wages are born by taxpayers in the form of higher construction costs and higher taxes."

House Bill 1329 would increase the prevailing wage threshold from $25,000 to $185,000, and House Bill 1685 would require the state to establish clear and uniform worker classifications for public projects.

If the bills pass, it would be the first time threshold changes would be made to the Prevailing Wage Act in 50 years, PSAT's website says.

In other news, supervisors:

• Agreed to suspend curfew for Conestoga Valley High School students who are partaking in post-prom activities. The post prom will be held from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. May 12-13 at the high school, 2110 Horseshoe Road.

The post-prom event is organized by parents of high school juniors and seniors and is dubbed as a "safe alternative to after prom activities."

By suspending the curfew, it will allow students to drive to and from the post-prom party.

• Approved a request from the Rafiki Africa Foundation to use township roads for part of its 5k run/walk at 9 a.m. May 5.

Township roads to be used include Geist, Hartman Station and Creek Hill.

The 5K run/walk is part of the organization's annual African Festival, which will be held at Lancaster County Christian School. The foundation raises money to help women and children in Kosele, Kenya, through various empowerment, education and health-centered programs.

The festival provides multicultural education, entertainment, traditional foods and music.

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R. Kelly to Release New Installment of Trapped in the Closet Series

Seven years after he transfixed the nation with an unprecedented and increasingly absurd multi-part musical melodrama, R. Kelly and IFC have announced the return of Trapped In The Closet. The cable network will air new episodes of Trapped In The Closet: The Next Installment beginning later this year.

Part opera, part video series, Trapped In The Closet debuted in 2005 with twelve original segments. R. Kelly released 10 additional installments in 2007.

The series follows the adventures of Kelly's character Sylvester, who wakes up from a night of careless infidelity only to be thrust into a never-ending spiral of dramatic confessions and intrigue. The expanding cast includes a pastor, his wife, his male lover and a little person named Big Man.

An exact air date for Trapped In The Closet: The Next Installment hasn't yet been announced. The series is written, produced and co-directed by R. Kelly, Jim Swaffield also directs.

BET.com is your #1 source for Black celebrity news, photos, exclusive videos and all the latest in the world of hip hop and R&B music.

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IRAS to simplify tax filing for small companies

EDITORIAL: Keeping Almond hope alive

257 of 803 named to High Honor Roll for second marking period at Warren Middle School

WARREN TWP. – A total of 257 out of 803 students were named to the High Honor Roll for the second marking period at grades 6-8 Warren Middle School.

Another 391 students were named to the Honor Roll, meaning that a total of 648 out of the entire 803 student body were named to either the High Honor or Honor Roll.

 The Board of Education policy is to publish only those students who have achieved High Honor status.

Honor Roll students are notified they have been named in a letter from the principal.

To qualify for high honors, a student must achieve the grades of A-plus, A, and A-minus in all subjects.

Grade 6

Zachary Aanstoots, Keerthi Adusumilli, Gianna Alfano, Bailey Ashe, Madison Barkow, Bianca Bicalho, Peter Bosco, Michael Brady, Steven Bressler, Angela Bui, Shaun Cagnetta, David Cantone, Gerald Carmody, Kari Carmody, Muireann Carmody, Alexandra Catalano, Harsabreen Chadha, Tristen Chau, Catherine Chen, Clara Citarella, Meghan Ciullo, Rachel Corbin, Vincent Dai, Gavin DeFuria, Anthony DeNave, Lea Dombrowski, Michelle Du, Michael Duncan, Carina Durning, Nicole Entrup, Jillian Ferrara, Lindsay Fogel, Alyssa Galdi, Preston Gatto, Giuliana Giordano, William Gitoneas, Ian Glass, Julia Glickman, Zoe Golkin, Justin Halper, Lauren Hanna, Nicholas He, Melissa Hertzberg, Sierra Heuvelman, Michael Hopwood, Jack Horan, Emery Jochnau, Sheldon Kohl, Alan Kohler, Amanda Kumor, Alisa Lapioli, Rachel Lee, Calvin Li, Alexandria Logan, Emma Lombardo, Rachel Lu, Michael Maloney, Angela Munoz, Eliana Neuwirth, Annamaria Newmark, Ryan O’Byrne, Caitlyn Park, Sarah Pascoal, Brenda Peng, Joshua Pester, Carl Peterson, Kyle Picut, Brady Pilsbury, Brigita Przybylski, Deepta Raghavan, Michael Recenello, Andrew Roth, Neha Saju, Sana Salam, Jarett Schwartz, Lindsey Shi, Tanvi Siddharthan, Tea Simon, Jeffrey Stickler, Annika Surapaneni, Jonathan Taub, Alexis Tekin, Alexandra Terry, Michael Tobin, Arbi Ulaj, Arlind Ulaj, Eris Ulaj, Natalie Vogel, Jennifer Walpow, Daniel Wang, Linda Ye, and Christopher Yu.

Grade 7

Masaki Aerts, Gianna Aprile, Justin Bardy, Samuel Beck, Jordan Blitzer, Danny Canossa, EmilyChen, Allison Coffey, Alessandro Conte, Allison Conway, Faith Cooke, Martina Cruz Mora, Meghana Dantuluri, John Dardis, Alyssa deCavaignac, William DiGrande, Jonathan Dong, Christopher Draikiwicz, Ellice Falivene, Sophie Feldman, Haley Frey, Matthew Genirs, Nicole Goldstein, Amy Holz, Allison Horvath, Karthik Irakam, Brianna Jackson, Sam Khazaei, Natalie Kim, Tea Kingley, Gillian Klein, Danielle Koslow, Ryan Krakower, Christopher Lachenauer, Kyle Lamble, Sebastien Lamy, Marc Larson, Stephen Lee, Jared Levine, Haley Levine, Julianne Lin, Kevin Lu, Megan Ma, Arjun Mahal, Adam Manspeizer, Matthew Mauricio, Irina McCabe, Jessica Mendez, Max Micheller, Victoria Molinari, Amy Narakornpichit, Matthew Ng, Parth Patel, Christopher Pinho, Alexander Pringle, Natalie Przybylski, John Puchalski, Tarun Puppala, Andrew Qu, Jonathan Rich, Alexander Ronan, Thomas Ronan, Sarah Rosa, Sydney Roth, Caroline Rucker, Rachel Sabnani, Megan Sardis, Jordan Scheiner, David Schlingloff, Kinnary Shah, Allison Simon, Michael Snyder, Jesse Song, Emmaline Stoddard, Kieran Stokes, Raymond Tang, Joshua Tankel, Myah Toubin, Kathryn Trovato, Ethan Tu, Nicholas Ugarte, Gavin Van Skiver, Sarah Wagman, Sean Wang, Nicole Wang, Cidney Weng, Emily Yan, Jenny Yan, Warren Yang, Samuel Zelnick, Brian Zeng, and Emma Zucker

Grade 8

Ty Agaisse, Christopher Akrawi, Manav Anand, Julia Assuncao, Rosemarie Baratta, Kira Bartnick, Allison Bernstein, Dara Blatteis, Timothy Cardona, Jenna Charko, Claire Chen, Kristin Chin, Hannah Ciullo, Michael Colantuono, Matthew Corbin, Mary Day, Matthew Decker, Amina Elmallah, Lori Engler, Kelly Franks, Sophia Garcia, Molly Garyantes, Ryan Goldberg, Matthew Grunstein, Michelle Guo, Sarah Haner, Jonathan He, Ross Heilberg, Rachel Hertzberg, Natasha Hunter, Abigail Ingber, Sara Isailovski, Allison Isherwood, Danielle Kabat, Parima Kadikar, Julia Kang, Christina Karsos, Zuzanna Kasper, Emily Kim, Jason Krakower, Megan Lapioli, Sophie Liang, Lauren Loesberg, Megan Ma, Kelly Mosquera, Teresa Nguyen, Rachel Oberman, Holly O’Byrne, Jack Pacetti, Sneha Panackal, Shaun Parimoo, Kunwoo Park, Anjali Patel, Pooja Patel, Shagoon Patel, John Hunter Penek, Mackenzie Phillips, Evan Rahimi, Brett Rudnitsky, Ari Scherzer, Benjamin Scherzer, Christopher Shao, Derek Shue, Molly Shulan, Chad Simons, Rebecca Sinha, Logan Smith, Sydney Stein, Annalise Suitovsky, Emily Tang, Kiera Vrindten, Alexander Weisgerber, and Henry Zhu.

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IRAs are wise investments; what to know

The Amazing Spider-Man's Andrew Garfield: I'm Nude Under Spidey Suit!

By Radar Staff

Here's something to stir those Spidey senses.

Andrew Garfield, the hunky English star of the upcoming summer blockbuster The Amazing Spider-Man, says on Tuesday's edition of The Ellen DeGeneres Show that under his Spidey suit, all he's wearing is his birthday suit!

Garfield, 28, tells Ellen he had to work out "like a literal crazy person" to get in shape for the coveted role (which Robert Pattinson, Taylor Lautner, Daniel Radcliffe and Zac Efron were all considered for).

PHOTOS: Andrew Garfield is The Amazing Spider-Man

"It was a life change: I get frustrated with those Men's Health magazines," The Social Network star said. "It's like, 'In five minutes, you'll be as fit a as fiddle if you just follow those three simple steps and only eat cucumbers.' This was hard work. I wouldn't be able to do it with out someone."

Garfield said while his Spidey suit might look good, it was quite uncomfortable to wear.

"It's made of something that is designed to make you irritated," Garfield said. "I don't know what that material name is but that's the description underneath."

Watch the video on RadarOnline.com

Ellen asked him, "Was there anything under that suit? It's so skin tight it seems you would see lines of underwear or something like that. Is there anything under there?  Nothing under there?"

"It's just me," Garfield said. "Yeah, It's the worst."

Watch the preview on RadarOnline.com

In the film, Emma Stone plays Gwen Stacy and the nemesis Spidey will be webbing it out with, Dr. Curt Connors/The Lizard, is played by Rhys Ifans.

Fun fact: According to iMDb, Garfield wept tears of joy the first time he donned the iconic costume.

The Amazing Spider-Man hits theaters July 3.

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Greenville Lions fall to Mount Pleasant; Lady Lions win 12-2

GREENVILLE — Mount Pleasant 7,

Greenville 0

  Michael Kopech pitched a four-hitter along with 10 strikeouts to lead the Mount Pleasant Tigers to a 7-0 baseball victory over the Greenville Lions at John Mason Field Monday.

  Mount Pleasant is now 8-12 overall and 5-4 in District 13-4A, while Greenville drops to 0-8 in 13-4A play.

  “We started out too slow,” said Greenville coach Cody Salyers. “We’ve got to play the game with more intensity and cut down on our errors. Playing catchup is hard on anybody.”

  Hayden Stuart went 2-for-3 for the Lions, while Luke Dyer and Travis Koger went 1-for-3.

  The Lions made five errors and could never mount any kind of rally against the Tigers’ right-hander Kopech.

                             District 13-4A baseball

Mount Pleasant    140    200    0    —7 11 2

Greenville             000    000    0    —0  4 5

  WP: Michael Kopech, 4 hits, 0 runs, 0 ERs, 1 BB, 10 Ks in 5 IP; relieved by Zach Ervin, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 ERs, 0 BBs, 2 Ks in 2 IP.

  LP: Travis Koger, 8 hits, 7 runs, 7 ERs, 3 BBs, 4 Ks in 3 1/3 IP; relieved by Thomas Trower, 2 hits, 0 runs, 0 ERs, 2 BBs, 3 Ks in 2 2/3 IP; relieved by Hayden Stuart, 1 hit, 0 runs, 0 ERs, 1 BB, 1 K in 1 IP.

                             Leading hitters

  MP: Luke Hill 3-5, 1 RBI; Riley Greenlee 1-2, Tehron Rogers 2-5, 1 RBI; Zach Ervin 1-2, 1 RBI; Michael Kopech 1-2, 1 RBI; Monty James 1-2, 1 RBI; Cullen Grubber 1-3, Ryan Kelly 1-3.

  G: Hayden Stuart 2-3, Luke Dyer 1-3, Travis Koger 1-3.

  Records: MP 8-12, 5-4; G 0-8.

  Next game: Greenville at Sulphur Springs, 7:30 p.m. Friday.

Greenville (girls) 12,

Mount Pleasant 2

  The Greenville Lady Lions exploded for six runs in the fourth inning to pull away from Mount Pleasant for a 12-2 District 13-4A softball victory on Monday at Monty Stratton Field.

  The Lady Lions, who pounded 16 hits, improved to 3-6 in district play, keeping their playoff hopes alive.

  Rachael Cook, Megan Shaw and Ashley Walden all pounded three hits apiece to lead the Lady Lions. Cook tripled. Shaw hit three doubles.

  Alison Threndyle, Katie Threndyle and Sidney Tippit collected two hits apiece for Greenville.

  Cook took the mound win, allowing only three hits and two walks while striking out five.

                             District 13-4A softball

Mount Pleasant    100    010    —2    3 10

Greenville             030    603    —12 16 1

  WP: Rachael Cook, 3 hits, 2 runs, 2 BBs, 5 Ks.

  LP: Autumn Stinson, 16 hits, 12 runs, 4 Ks.

                              Leading hitters

  MP: Kalynn Taylor 1-3, 2B; Bekker 1-3.

  G: Alison Threndyle 2-3, 2B; Rachael Cook 3-4, 3B; Megan Shaw 3-4, 3 2Bs; Katie Threndyle 2-3, Ashley Walden 3-4, Sidney Tippit 2-4, 2B.

  Records: MP 2-7, G 3-6.

  Next game: Greenville at Sulphur Springs, 6:30 p.m. Friday.

Cumby (girls) 13,

North Hopkins 8

  SULPHUR SPRINGS — Cumby jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first inning and hung on for a 13-8 District 17-A softball victory over North Hopkins on Monday.

  Courtney Salinas struck out eight to claim the mound win and also drove in three runs.

  Candice Horrocks scored three runs for Cumby, now 4-3 in district play.

                           District 17-A softball

Cumby               700    033    0    —13

North Hopkins    014    003    0    —8

  WP: Courtney Salinas, 5 hits, 8 runs, 3 ERs, 4 BBs, 8 Ks.

  C: Courtney Salinas 2B, 2 runs, 3 RBIs; Candice Horrocks 2 hits, 3 runs, 1 RBI; Vanessa Cross 2 hits, 1 RBI.

  Record: C 4-3.

  Next game: Saltillo at Cumby, 5 p.m. today.

Lone Oak (girls) 13,

Alba-Golden 3

  LONE OAK — Chasity Hayden struck out five and drove in seven runs to lead the Lone Oak Lady Buffs to a 13-3 District 18-2A softball romp over Alba-Golden on Monday.

  Hayden allowed only four hits, one walk and one earned run on the mound. She also went 3-for-3 at the plate with a double and a grand slam homer to end the game in the fifth due to the 10-run rule.

  Breigh Renner managed three hits and four runs and Georganna Goodwin scored three runs for Lone Oak.

                        District 18-2A softball

Alba-Golden    100    20    —3

Lone Oak        141    34    —13

  WP: Chasity Hayden, 4 hits, 3 runs, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 Ks.

                        Leading hitters

  LO: Chasity Hayden 3-3, 2B, HR, 7 RBIs; Breigh Renner 3-4, 4 runs; Chelsea Rigsby 1-2, 2B, 1 RBI; Alyssa Busby 1 RBI, Georganna Goodwin 3 runs.

Chisum (girls) 3,

Caddo Mills 1

  CADDO MILLS — Paris Chisum pitcher Ashley Burdine fired a seven-hitter as the Lady Mustangs claimed a 3-1 District 12-2A softball victory over Caddo Mills on Monday.

Mary Moran went three-for-three with a double for Caddo Mills and Kristen Maxwell tripled.

                         District 12-2A softball

Paris Chisum    300    000    0    —3 6 0

Caddo Mills       000    010    0    —1 7 2

  WP: Ashley Burdine, 7 hits, 1 run, 1 ER, 1 BB, 7 Ks.

  LP: Mary Moran 6 hits, 3 runs, 0 ERs, 4 BBs, 13 Ks.

                          Leading hitters

  CM: Mary Moran 3-3, 2B; Kristen Maxwell 1-3, 3B.

  Record: CM 17-7-1, 7-2.

  Next game: Cooper at Caddo Mills, 6:30 p.m. Friday.

Alba-Golden 5,

Lone Oak 4

  LONE OAK — Alba-Golden pushed across four runs in the fifth inning to claim a 5-4 District 18-2A baseball win over Lone Oak on Monday.

  The Panthers took advantage of five hits and seven Lone Oak errors.

Austyn Hooten took the mound loss despite striking out 11. Zach Douglas also struck out two in an inning of relief.

  Hooten led Lone Oak at the plate with a pair of hits, including a double.

  Nick Goodwin, Ty Tolleson, Andrew Nichols and Kyle Crow all drove in runs for Lone Oak.

                        District 18-2A baseball

Alba-Golden    000    140    0    —5 5 4

Lone Oak        040    000    0    —4 8 7

  WP: Jonathan Mize.

  LP: Austyn Hooten, 5 hits, 5 run, 0 ERs, 0 BBs, 11 Ks in 6 IP; relieved by Zach Douglas, 0 hits, 0 runs, 0 BBs, 2 Ks in 1 IP.

                        Leading hitters

  A-G: B.J. Fitzgerald 1-4, Seth Bickerstaff 1-3, Austin Reece 1-4, Jonathan Mize 1-4.

  LO: Nick Goodwin 1-3, 2B, 1 RBI; Ty Tolleson 1-2, 2B, 1 RBI; Andrew Nichols 1-3, 1 RBI; Kyle Crow 1-3, 1 RBI; Austyn Hooten 2-3, 2B.

  Records: LO 11-7, 3-6.

  Next game: Lone Oak at Como-Pickton, Friday.

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ArtScience Museum marks 100 years since Titanic's maiden voyage

SINGAPORE: It's been exactly 100 years since the Titanic made its maiden voyage from Southampton, England to America.

To mark the occasion, Singapore's ArtScience Museum at Marina Bay Sands lit exactly 2,228 "Kong Ming" or sky lanterns.

That's the total number of passengers the ship carried in its first voyage.

The lanterns were originally used in China for signalling, but they now carry the wishes of visitors to the Titanic exhibition, currently on at the museum.

Visitors were invited to pen their wishes since April 1.

Over 11,000 visited Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition at the ArtScience Museum during the three-day Easter weekend.

Throughout the month of April, visitors can also enjoy Titanic-themed fringe activities such as Irish dances, caricatures, paper cutting portraits, interactive dance performances and a choral concert by PsalmiDeo Chorale.

Visitors can also dress up in Edwardian-themed costumes and have their photos taken at the Grand Staircase.

- CNA/cc

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Speedier check-in at hotels with mobile phone

SINGAPORE: The days of queuing for your room at a hotel may be over. A new system lets guests check-in via their mobile phone.

Upon arrival, they just need to sign, on an iPad, and the room key is theirs.

UbiQ Global Solutions is the provider of the mobile phone check-in system, which Bay Hotel Singapore will be implementing.

The hotel claims to be first in Asia to have this type of check-in for guests.

Bay Hotel's general manager, Philip Raj, said: "For the traditional check-in process, that will take about five to 10 minutes. With this new technology in place, it will reduce the check-in process to almost a minute, and even some cases can be 30 seconds."

A visitor from Vietnam, Truong Thuyvan, said: "Sometime the customer, they (are) busy, you know, so (quick) check-in is good."

Mr Raj also said manpower is optimised.

"We can actually allow staff to be more prepared in the back of the house so that - before the guest arrives, you will actually know when the guest is coming and he's got room readily available for him to move in to. So that allows great productivity for the guest as well as for the staff."

Managing director of UbiQ Global Solutions, Harbans Singh, said: "This is going to evolve even further when hotels start deploying this door-lock systems with Near Field Communication, or NFC, and this allows you, the guest, to even use their phone to open the door. So if you have confirmation, you've to know which room you're in, you go straight to your room, use your phone and open the door."

- CNA/ck

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