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Amanda Austrin, pictured in Tauranga Hospital, still vomits every day - 18 months after her holida Deadly toxin in fish eaten while on holiday in Fiji has landed Kiwi in hospital for months and unable to eat except through a tube. A New Zealand woman has spent more than 30 weeks in hospital and cannot eat properly after she was poisoned while eating fish during a dream holiday in Fiji. Amanda Austrin has a severe case of ciguatera poisoning - a rare illness with no cure or antidote - after eating the fish with friends in July last year. The odorless and tasteless toxin, found in predator fish in tropical and subtropical waters, can cause vomiting, diarrhea, cramps, weakness, reversal of the normal sense of hot and cold, high blood pressure, paralysis, and in rare cases coma and death. Most sufferers get over their illness within weeks or even a few days but Ms Austrin is among the very rare cases in which symptoms have lasted more than a year. The Whakatane 41-year-old suffers from hot and cold reversals, meaning her shower temperature has to be very hot to provide any comfort for her when she bathes. She still vomits every day - 18 months after her Fiji visit - and now has an extensive list of foods she cannot eat via a machine that feeds her for several hours of every day. She wants to warn those considering holidays in the tropics to take caution when eating fish. "Just don't eat it," she said. "There were no warnings whatsoever in Fiji
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Fiji-based American embassy is warning all green card lottery entrants to be wary of emails claiming to be sent from the US Department of State informing them that they have won the visa lottery or requesting the payment of any fees. The embassy in a statement said they never inform lottery winners by email, but through an Entrant Status Check which can only be done online at www.dvlottery.state.gov and requires entrants input the unique confirmation code given at the time of entrance into lottery. The Department of State also reiterated
it will never request money to be paid online in relation to any stage of the Diversity Visa Lottery and for winners of the Diversity Visa Lottery saying application fees are only collected at the U.S. Embassy in Suva on the day of the interview. The fraudulent emails appear legitimate, often containing personal identifiable information, such as entrant names or phone numbers, or using U.S. government logos and if this type of email is received, please do not send money to any unknown source, the statement said.
EDUCATION, in its ability to create employment opportunities for women and girls, has the potential to help create a prosperous economic future. Westpac Banking Corporation's general manager Adrian Hughes made the comments at the unveiling of the Westpac Women's Education Grant on Monday. The grant offers financial assistance to girls and women in primary schools, high schools, tertiary institutions and those women wishing to "go back to school" which is the theme of this year's grant program. Being its third round, Westpac has offered six grants in Fiji and 45 across the Pacific. "While we have some way to go to create true gender equity in this country, we hope that by giving these girls and women a financial boost, we'll at least give them a better chance to learn and strive for an opportunity to gain meaningful employment," said Mr Hughes. "According to figures released from AusAID, a staggering $US47billion ($F82.4bn) is lost in the Asia-Pacific region each year due to women's limited access to the job market."
A MEMORANDUM of Understanding (MOU) signed between the Shaoxing municipality in China and the Suva City Council will help increase exports in Fiji. Speaking at the council chambers on Tuesday, Suva's special administrator Chandu Umaria said the MOU signing would create the exchange of culture and create more investment in Fiji. Mr Umaria said the Shaoxing municipality had started importing fish and dalo. He said this would also create employment for locals to work in the
Mr Hughes said keeping women and girls in school could change this statistic for the better by placing them on a path to meaningful employment. He said women held only five per cent of parliamentary seats in the Pacific. "Yet according to AusAID, with every one per cent increase in the female parliamentary representation, the economy grows by 0.16 per cent." He said winners were chosen based on the strong response for the essay question "If there's one opportunity you could provide for women in your country, what that would be? One of the recipients Simran Ali said she felt relieved after getting the award. "I was nervous at first because some of my friends said everyone would write about education," she said. "Competition is very high but in the end I got it and I am happy." Ms Ali's focus was on educating women and that it would help them learn about their rights and how to stand up for themselves in unfair and unjust situations. "Being educated lessens the marginalization of women in today's society," she said.
dalo farms. "This will help our country's economy as a lot of investors have already started coming to Fiji," he said. Mr Umaria said the two main sectors they were looking at were agriculture and tourism. He said sister city relationships were important for all municipalities. "Sister city relationships are built on cultural understanding and peace through citizen diplomacy," he said. Mr Umaria said meaningful sister city links would be an asset for any community and its nation.
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Fiji's New Currency Designs VariableUnveiled major historical change that Mortgage Fijis 2012 Flora and Fauna series of Another
banknotes and coins depicting our unique biodiversity and heritage, which would be issued from January 2nd, 2013, were officially unveiled by His Excellency the President Ratu Epeli Nailatikau. Officiating at the historic occasion, His Excellency said that today not only marked an important milestone for the Reserve Bank of Fiji (RBF) towards the evolution of Fiji's currency system, but also for the nation as well. Ratu Epeli said the design and technical changes made by the RBF are significant, bold and on par with anything at the international level. The designs have been deliberately selected by a team of eminent Fijians to firmly remind us our beautiful national heritage that can all be too easily lost, if we fail to protect and treasure them. While our endemic flora and fauna may be treasures of natural beauty and pride, there is an underlying need to forever preserve, protect and promote them to the world, Ratu Epeli said. The President also commended the RBF for taking a step in the right direction by incorporating some of Fiji's unique flora and fauna onto our banknotes and coins. This is indeed high recognition, as currency is another form of a nation's identity. The more appealing and relevant the designs on our currency are to our national heritage, the more our currency portrays our nation. Let us, therefore, take pride in our money by appreciating the designs embedded in them. They are there to promote our uniqueness and our national heritage to the world, Ratu Epeli added.
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would feature in the new flora and fauna series is the removal of the portrait of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II. It is now time to move forward as we strive to create our own identity synonymous to what Fiji is all about, its people, its resources and its national heritage. The new 2013 series of banknotes and coins feature designs of our local endemic flora and fauna, some of which are believed to be extinct, given that they have not been sighted for many years. The designs will continue the tradition of promoting our uniqueness as a nation to the world, Ratu Epeli highlighted. The design subjects range from the birds of Kadavu to the high misted forests of Taveuni, to a truly unique insect, to iconic flowers, and to marine species found in highland streams and in our oceans. The selection of these themes has been done meticulously to help educate us all of our national heritage and for all of us to act now to protect them for the future generations of Fijians. Meanwhile, the Governor of the RBF, Mr Barry Whiteside said the new banknotes and coins are the biggest currency design changes the Reserve Bank has undertaken in recent times. Our first truly Fijian currency was introduced 78 years ago in January, 1934 emulating the pounds, shillings and pence system of our British colonial period. It took us 35 years to realise that a decimal system was much easier on the brain and it was in January 1969 that we made the change over to the present decimal system or dollars and cents, Mr Whiteside said. Usually as custodians of Fijis
currency, the Reserve Bank will undertake a review every ten years or sooner if there is a need. Changing the designs of security features and security features on our currency is a complex exercise - one that requires a lot of research and planning, the Governor said. Mr Whiteside highlighted that after the issuance of the new flora and fauna series in a months time, the old notes
and coins would still be in circulation. The old currency would be phased out gradually by the end of December next year. It would take a bit of time to replace the older ones, he said. The RBF has a contract with De La Rue Currency of United Kingdom for the printing of the new banknotes while the Royal Canadian Mint of Canada is responsible for the minting of the coins.
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THE Japanese government has given $381,000 to assist in the reconstruction of the Naviyago Bridge in Lautoka and to provide a mini-excavator to the Nadi Town Council. The projects will be implemented through Japan's Assistance for Grassroots Human Security Program. Japanese Ambassador Eiichi Oshima said the reconstruction of the bridge was expected to provide relief to about 1000 villagers. "At least three people have already drowned in the river this year," he said. Mr Oshima said it would also improve safety as people no longer needed to take long detour to get to their workplaces and schools, nor risk their lives by swimming across the river. He said the embassy decided to provide
the Nadi Town Council with a miniexcavator through consultations with the council for immediate assistance. Commissioner Western Commander Joeli Cawaki said the reconstruction work would be contracted to the Works Ministry. He said the estimated timeline for the project was three months. He said the reconstruction of the bridge would bring back normality and relief to the lives of the people. "Close to 1000 people from the different communities in the area will use the bridge," said Commander Cawaki. Nadi Town Council's chief executive officer Nemia Tagi said the miniexcavator would assist the council in its drainage and cleaning works to minimize the impacts of flooding.
The largest shipping line in the world, Maersk Line has announced rate increase to refrigerated container (reefer). The significant freight rate rise will be felt worldwide and Fiji by January 1, 2013. The increase will be added to the freight component of the cost of shipping a container, and will be US$750 (F$1327) per 20 foot reefer and US$1500 (F$2654) per 40 foot reefer container. Maersk Line carry significant volumes of Fiji exports; frozen fish to Asia, Europe, the United States, as well as dalo and manufactured foodstuff to Australia and New Zealand and other Pacific Islands. The line is also a large player in the importation of refrigerated foodstuff, meat, fruits and vegetables to Fiji. Maersk Line's Fiji agent, Barbara Wong-Nasara of Shipping Services Fiji Limited said that falling freight rates prior to the global financial crisis in 2009, combined with the increased operational costs has meant that freight rates have eroded to an extent whereby many shipping lines are barely containing the cost of moving refrigerated cargo worldwide. "Maersk Line has conducted quite a few studies that show the demand for protein packed foods like meats and seafood has increased exponentially worldwide, and people increasingly
expect to see imported foreign food at their local supermarket and think nothing of the logistic cost of actually getting it there. Maersk Line recognises this and have put billions of dollars worth of investment into research, development and production of thousands of refrigerated containers each year, far more than any other shipping line in the market. "However, the returns on investments have been far from satisfactory". Maersk Line envisages that if this action is not taken now, there will be an acute worldwide shortage of reefer containers within the next five years. "We are very cognizant of the fact that this is a big call and we expect to sustain some loss in market share, but this is a strategic move from a global perspective that is necessary" said Jeffrey Lin Chief Operating Officer of Shipping Services. When asked how other shipping lines will react to this, Mr Lin said, "That is entirely their call. "We can't do too much about that but I dare say that they are also facing similar issues and it would not surprise me in the least that they are also reviewing revenue and cost structures." Maersk Line via their Fiji agent Shipping Services operates two services that serve Suva and Lautoka ports.
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Governments Poverty Benefit Scheme administered by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation will assist 13,000 households in 2013. The Ministrys permanent secretary Mr Govind Sami said the new Poverty Benefit Scheme (PBS) will replace the Family Assistance Program. Under the new program, payment will be made to households where a maximum of 4 persons reside in that household. Through the Poverty Benefit Scheme we will be able to target 13,000 household who have been found to be falling in poor category as per the household expenditure survey report. The maximum payment would be $150, which will inclusive of the $30 food voucher. It should provide coverage to about 10 percent of the population, Mr Sami said. He said the Ministry has developed a new application form for social welfare which has already been pre- tested. The new form will be rolled out from January next year and all the current files under the Family Assistance program will be recertified to verify that these clients qualify under the Poverty Benefit Scheme.
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To ensure a smooth roll out, Mr Sami said the Ministry officers have been given IT equipment and a work plan to ensure all files are recertified. The first payments under this new benefit scheme will be made in April next year. New applications can be lodged from beginning of 2013 at the all social welfare offices, he said. Mr Sami said that assistance will be provided to the clients for maximum of 3 years and upon approval the head of the household have to sign a declaration that able bodied individuals in the family will be given skills training and graduated from welfare system. Payments will be to the head of household and all payments will be done electronically. Within the period of assistance, the able bodied family members will be required to look for meaningful employment or engage in income generating projects. Ministry will provide the training, Mr Sami. He said the second program is Care and Protection Program (C&P) and will be provided to the following categories: Single Mothers, Deserted Spouse, Widows, Prisoner Dependents, Foster parents/guardians.
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Fijis Biometric Voter Registration Canteen Business Boosts Remote Surpasses Half A Million Rural Community
More than half a million voters in Fiji have registered to vote in the upcoming 2014 elections, using a biometric thumbprint registry system. The Attorney-General and Minister Responsible for Elections, Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum said this marks another significant achievement in Fijis Electronic Voter Registration (EVR). We are happy and proud that the Fijian people have shown such a strong commitment to this process, Sayed Khaiyum said. The impressive turnout is a clean indication that Fijians are keen to participate in true parliamentary democracy for the first time in Fijis history. With some registration teams from the outer islands still to report their figures, the current tally for the second round of EVR which ran from November 10 to December 7 stands at 17,295. This is in addition to the 487,293 who registered during the first round of registration from July to September. The Fijian Elections Office has employed a biometric voter registration system designed by CODE Inc, a Canadian company. Through the incorporation of biometric safeguards, such as a thumbprint scan, the Republic of Fiji is confident this technology will help to ensure a clean voter list and would eliminate voter fraud during the 2014 elections. After the first round of registration, 1,441 fraudulent or duplicate entries were found and removed from the registry and the Republic suggests the same process of de-duping and cleansing the voter registry will take place leading up to the 2014 elections. As reported previously in BiometricUpdate.com, 380 kits were initially purchased from CODE Inc., for US$3.9 million. Located in the interior of Tailevu North, Nasau village has now been given a new means of income-generation to economically empower rural women who mostly depend on fishing and farming for their day to day living. This has been possible following a recent ministerial visit by Minister for Social Welfare, Women and Poverty Alleviation, Dr Jiko Luveni. The community had requested for funding to start a canteen project and within weeks, the ministry responded with $2000 to help them start the first canteen project for Nasau Womens Group. With much joy, the president of Nasau Soqosoqo Vakamarama, Salaneita Leba thanked the government for fulfilling their requests. We have 200 people living in this village and women are important as we not only fish and farm we have to prepare food for our families, she said. And because we live far from mainland, we find it difficult to buy basic food items from the Korovou town. Thus my womens group decided to have a canteen project for the village. Items sold in the canteen includes biscuits, canned fish, cooking oil, flour, sugar, rice, salt, tea, dhal, washing powders, bathing soap and even school stationeries. Plans for savings Mrs Leba said the money collected would be saved into the women groups savings account and it would be allocated for educational needs of the children. We are confident that through the savings, one day we will be able to start fish pond project to earn more income, she said. Motivation Sharing his views on this project, village spokesman, Epi Donumaibulu, said the project had motivated the women to work hard to become financially independent. This is first womens project in this village and it has been possible through the frequent visit by the government officials to assist us in every way possible to improve our village life, Mr Donumaibulu said. The Minister, during her second visit to Nasau village last week reiterated: Economic empowerment of rural women is an important component in poverty alleviation. Government will continue to reach out to the rural communities, listen to their plight and help them to improve their livelihoods.
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Republics Of Mozambique And Fiji PM Calls For Greater Justice For Establish Diplomatic Relations Women
The Republic of Mozambique and the Republic of Fiji formalised diplomatic relations at a ceremony at the Mozambique Mission to the United Nations in New York. The Republic of Mozambique permanent representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Antonio Gumende and his Fiji counterpart, Ambassador Peter Thomson, signed a joint communiqu establishing diplomatic relations between the two developing nations. The communiqu expresses the desire of the Republics of Fiji and Mozambique to establish their diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level in accordance with the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and in conformity with the United Nations Charter and international law. Following the formalisation ceremonies, Ambassadors Gumende and Thomson held talks on areas of common interest between their two countries. Ambassador Thomson reported on the steady progress of the Fiji Roadmap towards the achievement of sustainable democracy in 2014. Undertaking to work together closely at the United Nations, the ambassadors discussed the cooperative opportunities available to Mozambique and Fiji through the International Sugar Organisation, the International Seabed Authority, the ACP, the Commonwealth, and the Group of 77. The Prime Minister, Voreqe Bainimarama, has stressed the significance of his Governments efforts to modernize Fijis laws to provide greater justice for women. Speaking at the opening of the 14th annual Attorney-Generals conference at Natadola, he said the Government wanted to end the entrenched privilege of men in Fiji who resist equal rights for women. The Prime Minister cited a raft of laws that his Government has introduced to promote and protect womens rights. We have ensured gender equality through new laws. For example, the removal of archaic rules requiring corroboration in rape trials; recognizing the property rights of those living in de facto relationships; stopping the marriage of our female children; and the introduction of a new legal regime that addresses the abhorrent practice of domestic violence, he said. The Prime Minister said the Governments Domestic Violence Decree had given women greater protection from domestic violence. The law clarifies the responsibilities of the police and allows for restraining orders and other measures to protect women from abusive partners. The Prime Minister told the conference violence against women not only had an impact on the victim and her family, including children. It also has wider implications. For example, if a woman has been subjected to physical violence in her home, she cannot be expected to come into work the next day and contribute productively, he said. The Prime Minister noted the views of some critics who have argued recently that increased reports of domestic violence demonstrate a failure on the part of authorities to protect women. I would contend that (these) reports could have increased because now more women are reporting abuse because they feel protected and supported by the new laws, he said. Speaking afterwards, the Prime Minister said improving the lot of women was one of the Governments key priorities. We all need to accept that women in Fiji play just as important a role as men in national life and the countrys development. But its not enough just to change the law. We also need to change our attitudes and our values to empower women, he said.
All Fiji and non Fiji citizens have been urged to pay the correct tax and duty and lodge their returns at the right time. Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority chief executive Jitoko Tikolevu said if discrepancy is ascertained and taxpayers are found liable for taxes to be paid then penalties will be imposed in line with the level and nature of omission. Tikolevu said most common offences committed by exporters, importers and customs agents include undervaluation of goods to avoid payment of duties, abuse of concessions, importations of prohibited goods; incorrect tariff classification; incorrect years of manufacture and double invoicing and breach of warehouse procedures. He said FRCA has taken the step to raise awareness on corruption this year by implementing initiatives to curb
corruption externally and internally. He also said recently FRCA implemented the whistle blower policy and it refers to any employee, member of Management or Board of Directors of FRCA or external stakeholder, who discloses any serious concerns or report any serious wrong within FRCA rather than ignoring the problem and blowing the whistle outside. A whistle blower that provides information or documents to the authority contributing significantly to the success of the investigation and prosecution by the authority shall be entitled to at least 10% of the tax revenue recovered as a monetary or non-monetary reward, he said. Tikolevu also highlighted they will ensure that a whistle blower could make any disclosure without fear of victimisation or discrimination.
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Colgate Palmolive (Fiji) is the latest private entity teaming up with the Ministry of Health to address health awareness in the country, in particular oral health care. Both parties signed a Memorandum of Agreement to cement this partnership and the work that will be carried out between both parties which includes funding from Colgate for Fijis National Oral Health Survey 2011. The survey was completed this year and it is anticipated that the results will be published soon and will show the general status of the teeth and oral
health of our people. The results will also guide the Ministry of Health, through new policies and strategies, on the kinds of service delivery needed in Fiji. At the signing of the agreement, Colgate Palmolive (Fiji) general manager Mr Nick Ryan pointed out that the company was pleased to work with the Fijian government by contributing to this survey. Mr Ryan said that the partnership would build the Ministrys vision of making efficient oral health services and facilities more accessible in the country.
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Miss Fiji Drue Slatter was named the 2nd runner up of the 2012 Miss South Pacific Pageant (MSPP) in American Samoa. The 19-year-old Journalism student of the University of the South Pacific and the reigning Miss Hibiscus was the youngest contestant in the pageant . Miss Samoa was crowned Miss South Pacific 2012 while Miss Cook Islands was named the first runner up. Miss PNG finished off as the 3rd runner up. Delegates from Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Fiji,
Samoa, American Samoa, Tokelau, Hawaiian Islands, Aotearoa (New Zealand) and the Cook Islands were represented in the pageant and Miss South Pacific 2011, Alisi Rabukawaqa of Fiji crowned the new winner. Special awards: Best Traditional Dress- Miss Samoa Best Sarong- Miss PNG Miss Internet- Miss American Samoa Miss Personality- Miss Hawaii Miss Photogenic- Miss Samoa National Tourism Award- Miss PNG Best Talent- Miss Samoa
Nafiza Shabnam Nisha Miss India Fiji 2011, Nafiza Shabnam Nisha graduated from Fiji National University's College of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), becoming the first doctor in her family. The 24-year-old who is also a part of Models Fiji said if not for guidance of God, love from her parents, support from her siblings and her boyfriend she would not have made it through the six years of hard work she endured. The Rakiraki lady told the media that becoming a doctor was her dream and she felt proud of being able to accomplish it. Nisha was among 53 students who graduated with MBBS. They now await confirmation on their postings in January 2013.
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SPICES of Fiji Limited is fighting for the survival of the vanilla industry in Fiji and it has turned to government for assistance in keeping this viable export commodity alive. The company's operations manager George Hazelman said they were reaping $250,000 from vanilla exports and this could be increased ten-fold if the Department of Agriculture focused its efforts on making vanilla (dried beans) one of the country's main export commodities. "We used to export five tonnes of dried beans in the past but now it's only 200 to 300 kilograms of dried beans," Mr Hazelman said. He said this industry was dying slowly and it needed the right support for it to develop further. "There are a lot of vanilla farmers in Fiji but they just need to be supported by the department like other crops in Fiji." "This is a universal commodity because all the people in the world use vanilla. This is a high value, low volume crop." He said the department received a budget of $80,000 for the vanilla
industry last year and this was distributed to the 14 districts in Fiji. "There are enough farmers in the country but they needed to be visited," Mr Hazelman said. He said vanilla pods were found all over some farms but were not harvested because of the lack of resources and support from the department. According to the 2013 Budget announcement, $5.6m was allocated for the department's existing programmes next year. The allocation is expected to cover the development of vanilla, coconut, cocoa, potato, ginger and rice crops. Meanwhile, Agriculture Department's extension services director, Uraia Waibuta said vanilla was under the budget for the cottage industry this year. "The vanilla is with the traditional package that has high value like masi, voivoi and other things and $100,000 was allocated for this," Mr Waibuta said. He said the aim was to encourage women to continue production in the cottage business.
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Fiji News
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Cyclone Evan was as of Thursday located 80 kilometers south of Upolu Island in Samoa and is expected to hit Fiji Sunday. Nadi weather office director Alipate Waqaicelua said the category two cyclone is expected to intensify further in the next 24 hours. The cyclone is expected to make a U-turn in the Fiji group but will return and will impact Fiji on Sunday. Time will tell what intensity it will bring within 48 to 72 hours, said Waqaicelua. Waqaicelua also said they will be monitoring the weather regularly and will warn the public if there are any changes to the weather patterns but
everyone is urged to be well-prepared. An Air NZ spokeswoman said that there were no planned disruptions to flights from New Zealand at this stage, but this could be revised as the storm hit. Fiji is preparing for the cyclone to arrive on Sunday. Fiji police spokeswoman Ana Naisoro called out to mariners to "please take the weather advisories seriously". She said parents needed to keep a close watch on their children. The Nadi weather office was issuing warnings of heavy rain and flash-floods. "There are hidden threats which could result in tragic incidents which is why supervision during this time is vital."
The New Zealand Tourism Fiji office has been named the National Tourism Office of the Year in the prestigious Travel Digest Travel Industry Awards 2012, announced this week. The awards acknowledge and recognise excellence in the New Zealand travel and tourism industry. Now in its fifth year, the awards are widely regarded as the highest achievement for a New Zealand travel office. Votes were cast by travel and tourism professionals from agencies, wholesalers, colleges, tour and hospitality companies and tourism organisations throughout New Zealand. Dave Pflieger, Tourism Fijis Executive Chair, says it is fantastic to have this
industry recognition. New Zealand is such an important tourism market for Fiji and for the local tourism team to be chosen above all the other tourism offices in this competitive environment is a great achievement. Tourism Fiji New Zealand Regional Director Sala Toganivalu says the team in New Zealand is honoured to receive the award. What makes this even more special is that we were chosen by our peers in the travel and tourism industry. Travel Digest is New Zealands leading monthly travel industry magazine and has been in production for 33 years. The magazine is distributed to 1,500 people and has a readership of over 6,000.
His Excellency the President, Ratu Epeli Nailatikau received the credentials of the High Commissioner for Tuvalu to Fiji, His Excellency Mr Lutelu Faavae. In receiving the letters of credence confirming his designation as Tuvalus envoy to Fiji, President Nailatikau wished the High Commissioner to Fiji well during his term. I welcome you most warmly to the Republic of Fiji and wish you a happy and successful mission. Please convey to His Excellency the Acting Governor General, the Government and the people of Tuvalu our warmest wishes for their continued
well being, peace and prosperity. His Excellency Faavae has served in the civil service and has held the post of Permanent Secretary in several Ministries in Tuvalu which includes sports, education, culture, natural resources, foreign affairs, and communications and transport. His Excellency also holds a Master of Business Administration which he attained at the University of the South Pacific. He also attained a Professional Membership of the Association of Accounting Technicians, from Abingdon College of Further Education, in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom.
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One of the worlds leading theatre illusionist, Paul Kieve, who was a magic consultant and the only real life magician to perform magic in any of the Harry Porter films, is in the country. Kieve arrived into the country to work with a Fijian/New Zealand theatre company, The Conch, on a theatrical production called Masi which will be held over three days beginning at 7pm Friday at USPs ICT Centre. The renowned illusionist has worked on many productions with The Royal National Theatre and The Royal Shakespeare Company and on opera productions at The Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Paris Bastille Opera House, Hamburg State Opera and Norwegian national opera. Two and a half years ago, Kieve came to Fiji with Nina Nawalowalo (director of MASI) to conduct extensive research on Fijian culture, especially the link between Fijis history and masi. The play features actors, traditional
Fijian dancers and singers from Kabu Ni Vanua, live Masi making on stage and breathtaking trickery and illusion, Masi recounts the love story of a Fijian high chief, Ratu Noa Nawalowalo and Mary Tancock the daughter of Cambridge-educated public schoolmasters who met by chance over a chess game in 1950s Wellington. Nawalowalo said that she was personally attached to this play as it was a tale about her parents and how people are only left with memories after the death of a loved one. MASI is accompanied by black and white images of the couple falling in love and subsequent marriage. Meanwhile, Kieve adds that his work as an illusionist and magical special effects designer will bring the play to life and give Fijians a magical love story of their own culture. Kieve holds two Guinness Book World records for his work in magic theatre design.
Tropik Wood Limited a Government Commercial Company revealed that they are planning to inject $14million into its replanting programme. This was made known at a commemoration ceremony marking the companys achievement of planting 3500 hectares of pine. Attended by the Attorney General and Minister for Public Enterprises Mr Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, the companys Executive chairman Faiz Khan told staff and the media that this was also the first time that the company was able to carry out its replanting programme from its own pockets. This is the first time that we have actually planted 3500 hectares of pine without a handout from government which used to happen in the past, he said. This was done at a cost of $2million and we want to continue the same for the next seven years to be able to have the pine industry sustainable.
However for this to happen, Tropik Wood will also need to ensure that their accounts balance in order to be able to achieve this. Mr Sayed-Khaiyum saluted the company and its hard working staff for their efforts in turning the company around and added that Government remains committed to seeing the industry develop again. The planting that you (staff) did today is not going to be harvested in the next few years but its for the future generation this is also the scope of the Bainimarama Government, he said. The Bainimarama Government is also in the same mindset to invest in the future and reforms have taken place which we are not going to see next week but in the next few years. Government fully supports the company and is adamant that the company would be able to continue to make profits and at the same time ensure sustainability.
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Chai Time
Aries (Mar 21 - Apr 19) Be on the lookout for romantic signals in unlikely places this week; you might meet an extra-special someone in such places as the elevator to the dentists office or in line at a department store while waiting to make an exchange. Especially when it comes to matters where you are better informed than your associates, do not let others do your thinking for you. Trust your knowledge. Your fortunate astrological number for this week is 780. Your financial outlook for week is poor. Your compatible sign for week is Libra. Taurus (Apr 20 - May 20) The morning aspects recommend cementing ties of affection and dealing with people whose good opinions you desire. Your health is first-rate, and work is accomplished in record fashion. The aspects rise to make romantic developments more fascinating. It wont be luck that brings about the possibilities for personal gain this week; compensation will be likely only when you make a worthy contribution towards those ends. Your fortunate astrological number is 079. Your financial outlook is very good. Your compatible sign is Gemini. Gemini (May 21 - Jun 20) A disagreement between lovers may express itself now in small, petty ways. Dont let your temper start to boil because of such trivialities. A business trip begun now should turn out well, but be prepared for delays created by less responsible people Even though youre likely to chalk up many accomplishments week, you could still do better if you are more industrious and less vocal. Keep your mind on the tasks at hand. Your fortunate astrological number is 134. Your financial outlook is excellent. Your compatible sign is Leo.
Cancer (Jun 21 - Jul 22) The aspects are exciting for accomplishing a great deal of work this week. Gardening, painting, and paperhanging chores, clean-ups, furniture refinishing, and reupholstering are favored. Your health is fine, with much stamina and energy available to serve your purposes. Although you wont have any problems this week recognizing your opportunities and what they could mean to you, nevertheless you may fall short on taking maximum advantage of them. Your fortunate astrological number is 070. Your financial outlook is excellent. Your compatible sign is Leo Leo (Jul 23 - Aug 22) Love may have made you absentminded this week, and the reservations for a special event or show that you were supposed to handle may have never been made. A phone call from a work associate in the early evenings may be a request for a lift to work next day. Be ready and willing to make some concession or compromises this week and you should be able to amicably work out an agreement with another that is important to your cause. Your fortunate astrological number is 476. Your financial outlook is very good. Your compatible sign is Aries. Virgo (Aug 23 - Sep 22) You may hear some loud and enthusiastic cheers for new stocks or bonds, but remember these might not be necessary if the investment is as hot as proclaimed. Co-workers may request your assistance during lunchtime shopping. A musical event is likely to be exciting now. Advancement and/or an increase in earnings where your work or career is concerned are possible this week if you properly handle something propitious that develops for you. Your fortunate astrological number is 576.
Your financial outlook is weak. Your compatible sign is Aries. Libra (Sep 23 - Oct 22) With the Moon leaving your solar eighth house of other peoples money and investments, you might want to be extra-cautious and on the alert for missing the boat or making mistakes regarding these matters, especially during the mornings hours. Marital harmony is high at bedtime. What makes you so popular with your peers this week will be your humor and charm. This could prove true especially with members of the opposite gender. Your fortunate astrological number is 504. Your financial outlook is very good. Your compatible sign is Sagittarius. Scorpio (Oct 23 - Nov 21) Be cautious in all you do. People, especially family members, may be uptight. Business questions may stump you this morning. Strangers make romantic overtures during the afternoons and early evenings. The days ahead could hold many chances to further your personal interests, but your best opportunity might come through some type of inside information relayed to you by a reliable source. Your fortunate astrological number is 737. Your financial outlook is good. Your compatible sign is Leo. Sagittarius (Nov 22 - Dec 21) Guard your credit by keeping up payments and obligations. You can awaken tired, but a good breakfast is uplifting. Your spouse or an older loved one may set the pace for a busy week, which can be annoying prior to noon. Shopping is tedious, the atmosphere crowded. Talk out your problems today with an intimate you can trust. The more candid you can be the better chances youll have of finding solutions to your dilemmas. Your fortunate astrological number is 613. Your financial outlook is very good. Your compatible sign is Virgo.
Capricorn (Dec 22 - Jan 19) This week can prove to be very interesting if its not too active. The planets have lined up to create a fixed cross by Sign in your horoscope. They tell of relationship happenings and problem solving on your part. Stay cool and detached and try not to boss anyone around. Although you can walk with crowds this week and feel at ease, your best communications will take place in small groups with whom you can enjoy more intimacy. Your fortunate astrological number is 079. Your financial outlook is poor. Your compatible sign is Libra. Aquarius (Jan 20 - Feb 18) Work associates may be cooperative in the mornings. and then extremely uncooperative after lunch. Plan your work accordingly. It wont be easy to avoid a lovers spat this evening, especially if there has been a recent stress on expenses for entertainment. Use your head this week and youll stand a good chance of turning a profit which youll enjoy, but your real pride of achievement will come more from the fact that you figured out how to do so. Your fortunate astrological number is 309. Your financial outlook is very good. Your compatible sign is Scorpio. Pisces (Feb 19 - Mar 20) Easier conditions prevail in all emotional matters, including marriage, this week. Persons in entertainment, advertising, sales, and public relations get a big boost. Your health shows benefits of a recently introduced preventive- medicine routine. Your words will carry more weight than you may realize this week and the influence youll have on others could be considerable. Two admirers may carry out your suggestions to the letter. Your fortunate astrological number is 873. Your financial outlook is excellent. Your compatible sign is Sagittarius.
Shortbread Cookies
1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature 1/2 cup plus 2 Tbsp icing sugar 1/4 cup cornstarch or rice flour 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Ingredients:
3 lb roasting chicken 3 teaspoon garlic, chopped 2 teaspoon salt 2 tablespoon black peppercorns 1 cup fresh coriander, chopped 2 tablespoon lime juice 1 tomatoes 1 scallions
chicken over glowing coals, turning about every 5 minutes, until chicken is no longer pink and the skin is crisp. Garnish with tomatoes and curls of scallions. Serve with a salad of cucumber, scallions and tomatoes, seasoned with lime and salt.
Ingredients
Directions:
Cut chicken in half lengthwise, and remove bones, if desired. Crush the garlic with salt into a smooth puree. Coarsely crush the peppercorns with a mortar and pedestal or blender. Combine in a flat dish with the coriander, and lime juice. Rub the mixture well into the chicken on all sides, cover and refrigerate overnight or at least one hour. BBQ
Preheat oven to 350 F. Beat butter until light and fluffy. Sift in icing sugar and beat again until fluffy, scraping
Directions
down sides of the bowl often. Sift in cornstarch or rice flour and blend in. Sift in all purpose flour and salt and mix until dough comes together (it will be soft). Stir in vanilla. Spoon large teaspoonfuls of cookie dough (or use a small ice cream scoop) onto an un-greased cookie sheet, leaving 2 inches between cookies and bake for 18 to 20 minutes, until bottoms brown lightly. Remove from cookie sheet to cool.
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India's small shopkeepers have been angered by a government decision which would allow big operators such as Wal-Mart to enter the country. Parliament last week voted to allow Foreign Direct Investment in India's growing retail sector, with multi-brand
retailers allowed to take a 50 per cent stake, and single-brand retailers 100 per cent. The move enables global retail firms such as Wal-Mart Stores, Tesco and Carrefour to set up shop with a local partner and sell directly to consumers,
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World News
A pair of highly trained dogs from New Zealand have passed their doggie driving test, guiding a modified car along a race track on live television. In a project aimed at increasing pet adoptions from animal shelters, a group of cross-breed rescue dogs from Auckland were taught to drive a car steering, pedals and all - to show the potential of unwanted canines. Footage of the motorised mutts learning their skills has proved an Internet sensation, but their ultimate test came when the two best performers, Monty and Porter, were put through their paces on national television. Monty the giant schnauzer cross was first up, driving the modified Mini down the straight by himself, in what is claimed to be a world first. "It's all the dog doing it," trainer Mark Vette said.
"He's started the key, put the paw on the brake to allow it to go into gear, put it into drive, paw on the steering wheel, accelerator on, and off he goes down the track." Mr Vette, who has worked with animals on numerous film sets, admitted he had his doubts when the project was first mooted. "I must say, this has been the toughest assignment we've had," he said. "We've done 'Lord of the Rings', '(The Last) Samurai', many of the big movies but to actually get a dog in a car with no trainer and it does the whole gig itself, I tell you what, it's been a real challenge. "No one's in the car, no tricks, it's all Monty driving - he loves it." He said the car, which has handles fitted on the steering wheel and dashboardheight brake and accelerator pedals, also came with a speed limiter to
AN INDIAN college announced on Monday it had banned girls from wearing jeans, short dresses and T-shirts to crack down on sexual harassment, sparking outrage from pupils and rights campaigners. The Adarsh Women's College in Haryana state, 110 kilometres west of New Delhi, said students would be fined 100 rupees ($1.70) each time they broke the dress code. "We have imposed a ban on jeans and T-shirts because these are completely Westernised and (so) are short dresses," school head Alaka Sharma told the media. "The small dresses don't cover students and that is the reason why they have to face eve-teasing." "Eve-teasing" is a common phrase used in India, Bangladesh and Pakistan to cover offences ranging from verbal abuse to sexual assault, though it is often criticised as a euphemism that hides serious crime. "Jeans and short tops invite attraction and also distract the students," Sharma said in a separate interview. Skinny jeans, T-shirts and other Western fashions have rapidly grown in popularity among young Indians,
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A Supreme Court judge in Brisbane has reserved his decision after lawyers for Jayant Patel argued their client should not face further prosecution for the death of a patient. The former head of surgery at Bundaberg Hospital is accused of causing the death of 75-year-old Mervyn Morris and is due to face trial for manslaughter. Patel's legal team has applied for the case to be struck out and for it to be permanently stayed.
His lawyers say the prosecution should not be allowed to change its case to include allegations of post-operative negligence. They also say Patel would not get an impartial trial jury and that he has been put through enough after his earlier convictions for manslaughter, which were quashed by the High Court. Prosecutors say a jury should decide if Patel was guilty as charged. Justice George Fryberg has reserved his decision.
The former owner of a New South Wales go-kart business has been ordered to pay $50,000 over an incident where a woman choked to death when her religious headscarf became tangled. The 26-year-old Sydney woman died in April 2010 when her Islamic head dress became caught in the rear axle of the go-kart at Bobs Farm, near Port Stephens north of Newcastle. An investigation by the WorkCover Authority of NSW found the 63-yearold former owner of Port Stephens Go Karts had failed to ensure that proper
checks were done on people wearing loose clothing. The investigation also found that the then owner failed to properly guard the moving parts of the go-karts to prevent clothing from getting caught. The man was charged with a breach of the Occupational Health and Safety Act. He pleaded guilty and the Industrial Court of NSW fined him $32,000 and ordered him to pay $18,000 in costs. The court said it took into consideration the man's contrition and remorse.
A gunman opened fire in a suburban Portland shopping mall Tuesday, killing two people and wounding another as people were doing their Christmas shopping, authorities said. Witnesses described a scene of chaos and disbelief as a gunman wearing some sort of camouflage outfit and a white mask shot an initial burst of fire and then more rounds at Clackamas Town Center. Shoppers tried to find safe areas as teams of police officers began entering the mall to find the shooter. Clackamas County sheriff's Lt. James Rhodes said later that the gunman was dead, but he wouldn't say how he died or provide any details about him. Authorities were going store-to-store to secure the scene and to escort hiding shoppers outside, but Rhodes said there was no indication that there was more than one shooter. Austin Patty, 20, who works at Macy's, said he saw a man in a white mask carrying a rifle and wearing a bulletproof vest. He heard the gunman say "I am the shooter," as if announcing himself, Patty said. He then fired several shots paced seconds apart. A series of rapid-fire shots in short succession followed. Patty said he ducked to the ground, then ran. His Macy's co-worker, Pam Moore, told The Associated Press the gunman was short, with dark hair, dressed in camouflage. He had body armor and a rifle. "I heard about 20 shots and everyone hit the ground," Moore said. "That's when we all just ran." Shaun Wik, 20, from Fairview, said he was Christmas shopping with his girlfriend and opened a fortune cookie at the food court. Inside was written "live for today, remember yesterday, think of tomorrow." As he read it, he heard three shots. He heard a man he believes was the gunman shout, "Get down!" but Wik and his girlfriend ran. He heard seven or eight more shots. He didn't turn around. "If I had looked back, I might not be standing here," Wik said. "I might have been one of the ones who got hit."
Kira Rowland told KGW-TV that she was shopping at the Macy's department store with her infant son when the shots started. "All of a sudden you hear two shots, which sounded like balloons popping," Rowland told the station. "Everybody got on the ground. I grabbed the baby from the stroller and got on the ground." Rowland said she heard people screaming and crying. "I put the baby back in the stroller and ran like hell," Rowland said. "It was awful. It was shots after shots after shots like a massacre. "It was just awful." Holli Bautista, 28, said she was shopping in the Macy's for a Christmas dress for her daughter when she heard two or three pops that sounded like firecrackers. "I heard people running and screaming and saying 'Get out, there's somebody shooting,"' she told the AP. "It was a scene of chaos." She said hundreds of shoppers and mall employees started running, and she and dozens of other people were trying to escape through an exit in the department store. Bautista said the Macy's opens into the food court area, where it was reported the shootings took place. Bautista said it sounded like the shots were coming from that direction. Tiffany Turgetto and her husband of Gladstone had exited Macy's through the first floor when they heard the gunshots coming from the second floor of the mall. "People in front of us people were dropping, finding covering," she told the AP. "People were yelling, screaming and gasping, yelling to get out. The lady next to us, she threw a chair and started running. We couldn't run because the chair was there." Turgetto and her husband and other people were able to quickly leave through a Barnes & Noble bookstore before the police arrived and locked down the mall. "I had left my phone at home. I was telling people to call 911. Surprisingly, people are around me, no one was calling 911. I think people were in shock."
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World News
Researchers at Yale University in the US have named a newly discovered prehistoric lizard Obamadon gracilis, in honour of US President Barack Obama's toothy grin. They got the name by combining the Latin "Obamadon" for "Obama's teeth" and "gracilis," which means slender. "The lizard has these very tall, straight teeth and Obama has these tall, straight incisors and a great smile," Yale paleontologist Nick Longrich said. The small, insect-eating lizard was first discovered in eastern Montana in 1974 but a recent re-examination showed the fossil had been wrongly classified as a Leptochamops denticulatus and was, in fact, a new species, researchers said. Along with many dinosaurs, the lizard died out about 65 million years ago when a giant asteroid struck earth, scientists say. Mr Longrich said he waited until after the recent US election to name the dinosaur. "It would look like we were kicking him when he's down if he lost and we named this extinct lizard after him," he
said. 'Romneydon' was never under consideration and 'Clintondon' didn't sound good, he added. Mr Obama is not the first politician whose name has been used to help classify living organisms. Megalonyxx jeffersonii, an extinct species of plant-eating ground sloth, was named in honour of President Thomas Jefferson, an amateur paleontologist who studied the mammal. In 2005, entomologists named three species of North American slimemould beetles Agathidium Bushi, Agathidium Cheneyi and Agathidium Rumsfeldi after the then-president, vice president and secretary of defence. And last month scientists named five new species of fish found in the eastern US rivers after Mr Obama, Bill Clinton, Teddy Roosevelt, Jimmy Carter and Al Gore. Obamadon gracilis was one of nine newly discovered species reported on Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Britain's Ministry of Defence says a Sikh soldier has become the first guardsman to parade outside Buckingham Palace while wearing his traditional turban. Fifty family members were on hand, Tuesday, as Guardsman Jatinderpal Singh Bhullar took part in the changing of the guard at the London home of Queen Elizabeth II.
Bhullar, a 25-year-old soldier with the Scots Guards regiment, was quoted by Britain's Press Association as saying: "Conducting public duties while being a practicing Sikh and wearing my turban is a great honour for me." Other Sikhs have taken part in guarding the queen's palace, but they wore traditional bearskin hats rather than turbans.
The Indian-origin nurse, who apparently took her life after being duped by a prank call from two Australian radio hosts, had left a note for her family members, but they still believe there are "unexplained" circumstances behind her death, Labour MP Keith Vaz has said. "What the family needs are the full facts. There are unexplained circumstances. The family want to know everything," Vaz said, without revealing content of the note. "The hospital needs to be more proactive, a full inquiry is needed and the family needs to be included in that," he added. Saldanha, 46, died after a suspected suicide last Friday after she was fooled by the radio hosts, who made a hoax call to the King Edward VII Hospital in Marylebone, central London. She was the senior nurse on duty when the phone call was made. Although the Marylebone hospital authorities have said they will conduct internal probe into the matter, the family says this is not enough, and demands answers from them over the circumstances that led to her death. Vaz, who is representing the family, met the hospital chairman Lord Glenarthur to demand a full probe into her death. "What the family needs are full facts. What the chairman of the hospital said to me was that there are inquiries going on in the hospital. That is not sufficient for the family. There are unexplained circumstances. The family want to know everything. All the facts, fully and clearly," Vaz said. "They were in the dark about the hoax call. They hadn't watched the news or seen anything about it," he said, seeking support for victim's family. Bosses at the Australian radio station 2Day FM, whose presenters made the call, were under pressure to come forward and explain why they gave the
go-ahead for the prank. Southern Cross Austereo, the company which owns the station, said it will donate GBP 3,20,000 to a memorial fund set up in Saldanha's name by King Edward VII Hospital, and added it has cancelled this year's Christmas party. "We hope that by contributing to a memorial fund we can help to provide the Saldanha family with the support they need at this very difficult time," said Rhys Holleran, Southern Cross Austereo's chief executive. Meanwhile, a local newspaper quoting a family source has claimed that victim's husband Benedict Barboz had tried to track her down in the hours before her suspected suicide. Barboza had not heard from his wife for two days, so he called up one of her friends to check on her, the Mirror reported. Barboza called at Jacintha's Central London flat at around 9.30 PM (local time) on Thursday, a day before she was found dead, but he did not hear anything back from the friend. Jacintha would normally be in regular contact with her husband at the family home in Bristol, but she stopped phoning or taking calls after news of the prank call broke, the paper quoting the family source said. "Ben was so worried he called a friend who then knocked on the door. But he never heard back from that person. Then he finds out that his wife's been found dead the next day," the source said. The Mirror revealed that Benedict was angry with the hospital for the way it handled the aftermath of the hoax. The family said it learnt there are no switchboard staff at the hospital at certain times of the day, leading to the phone system automatically diverting calls to a senior nurse. The hospital, however, says it supported her after the hoax and did not discipline her in any way.
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ICBC Cases
Barinder S. Sanghera B.Comm., LL.B. Amandeep S. Sanghera B.A., LL.B. Puneet P.K. Sandhar B.A. (Hons.), LL.B.
After my accident I had constant neck and back pains. I felt sad most of the time and became very anxious about
CM
MY
the future. ICBC said I was overreacting and offered $17,000. My case settled for $400,000 at mediation. MR. S. ___________________________________________________________________________________________ The damage to my car was only $700. ICBC said I could not have been injured: but I was. My lawyer finalized my claim for $28,000 plus expenses. MISS M. ___________________________________________________________________________________________
CY
CMY
ICBC offered me $32,000 to finish my case. I was off work for 6 monthsand saw a specialist because of my jaw injury. I couldnt mop the floor or clean our bathroom without help from my children. I received $200,000 through my lawyers efforts. Mrs. S ___________________________________________________________________________________________ The damage to my vehicle was about $1,700. ICBC said this was a Low Velocity Impact (LVI) and refused to pay me for my injuries and physio costs. My lawyer obtained more than $45,000 for me. Mrs. B ___________________________________________________________________________________________ A car hit me as I walked across the street. ICBC blamed me because of the color of my clothing. My lawyer worked hard and obtained necessary evidence. My case settled for over $300,000. MRS.C. *Past cases are not necessarily indicative of future results and amounts recovered may vary according to the facts in each case.
www.slglawyers.com
Newton Crossing 203 7134 King George Blvd, Surrey, BC, V3W 5A3 T 604.543.8484 F 604.543.8584 1.877.778.8484
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Tickets:
CASH BAR
Contact Dinesh Khanna 604:498.4411
7 PM
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604 606-2890
Agency Operator (Richmond) Cell No. 604.220.0383
Aseem Khan
y We tr r. e hard
1-800-879-2847 avis.ca
*Variety of vehicles from subcompacts, SUVs, Trucks and more TM *where2 GPS with Bluetooth capability available to rent with any vehicle* *100% smoke - free fleet *Small Business rates available *Insurance replacement, association, monthly & mini lease rates *Enroll in Avis Weekender Club to earn weekend rental rewards *Earn Aeroplan miles
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*Available at participating locations for an additional fees. C 2010 Aviscar, Inc. All Rights Reserved. C Avis is a registered trademark licenced to Aviscar, Inc for use in Canada. Aeroplan is a registered trademark of Aeroplan Canada Inc.
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Tayden On this special day, we wish you all the very best, all the joy you can ever have and may you be blessed abundantly today, tomorrow and the days to come! May you have a fantastic birthday and many more to come... HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!! Best wishes from your best friend TOBI, Mom, Dad, Damian, Kailan, Nana, Nani, Mausi, Aaji, Kaka, Coco and all the family & friends
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1. Who are the Aboriginal peoples of Canada? a. The first European settlers to arrive in Canada b. The descendents of the first Australian immigrants to Canada c. The first people to live in Canada d. The first settlers of Newfoundland 2. Who are the Mtis? a. The distinct aboriginal people of Atlantic Canada. b. A people of mixed Inuit/First Nations ancestry most of whom live on the Prairies. c. First Nations people speaking the Michif dialect. d. A distinct people of mixed
9. What is the highest military honour a Canadian can receive? a. Purple Cross. b. Badge of Courage. c. Order of Merit. d. Victoria Cross 10. What are some examples of taking responsibility for yourself and your family? a. Buying a house and a TV. b. Getting a job, taking care of ones family and working hard in keeping with ones abilities. c. Doing laundry and keeping the house clean. d. Study hard so you can earn enough money to take a vacation.
1. C 6. A
2. D 7. D
ANSWERS 3. A 4. A 8. C 9. D
5. D 10 B
We are not a government department, so we do not have the power to investigate immigration fraud. However, we will do what we can to help you report immigration fraud. We urge Canadians to report any type of immigration or refugee fraud. Although it may not be too fashionable to talk about civic duty, it is important to realize that immigration fraud affects everyone in Canada. It is the responsibility of all Canadians to report people who are in Canada illegally, who are taking a job that legal Canadians might need, who are collecting social assistance or Employment Insurance illegally, who are violating other immigration laws, etc. Law Enforcement authorities and 34 million Canadians need your help. You may be the only one who knows about the fraud. You can remain anonymous in making your report. We are providing below some instructions on how to do that. However, we urge you to make the report in personif it is possible.
REPORT TO A CANADIAN EMBASSY OR CONSULATE One of the most effective ways to report fraud is to complain directly to a Canadian consulate or embassy in the country where the immigration fraud originates. Start the process by phoning the Canadian Foreign Affairs office in Ottawa : 1-800267-8376. Ask for the phone or fax number of the Canadian consulate or embassy in the country where the fraud is occurring. Then phone or fax your complaint to that office. The advantage in doing this is that embassy or consular officers are the first line of defence against immigration fraud. It is best to stop the fraud at the point of origin. Trying to deport cheaters who have arrived in Canada is much more difficult.Canadas immigration lawyers, immigration advocacy groups and ethnic groups have erected many barriers to deportation of fraudsters. ASK AN MP FOR HELP IN REPORTING FRAUD If the cheaters have arrived in Canada,
Report Fraud
the most important thing we can recommend to you is that you ask your MP to help you in your reporting. MPs are paid handsomely for their work. Dont hesitate to ask for help. Most important, dont accept excuses from some MPs or their office staff who want to avoid work. Make it clear to them that you are not asking them to investigate the case. You just want them to help you make your report and to get the attention of the Canada Border Services Agency. MPs have to get involved because the Canada Border Services Agency and Citizenship and Immigration officials will pay more attention to the requests of an MP than to those of average Canadians. Canadians have to be aware that a significant number of MPs are passive supporters of current immigration policies. Incredible as it may sound, those MPs think nothing is wrong with our immigration system. Needless to say, these MPs need to be jolted out of their delusions.
Other MPs are outright cheerleaders of Canadas immigration industry. These MPs are interested solely in re-election, and have put their own interests and the interests of some of their constituents ahead of the greater interests of Canada. These people have to be confronted. On the other hand, some MPs are both aware of extensive immigration fraud and are genuinely interested in doing something to stop it. But they need evidence that fraud is occurring and of the extent of the fraud in order to achieve this result. In many cases, immediate legislation is required. The evidence you and others provide will be the basis of the new laws. Phone the MPs office and ask for an appointment. Bring all the relevant information. It would be a good idea to bring someone along for moral support and as a witness. Continued Next Week
Direct Line: (W) (604) 996-6862 Direct Line: (W) (403) 700-7172 Direct Line: (E) (416) 660-1010 Direct Line: (W) (780) 394-7511
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Canada News
Lack of competition also mentioned as views sought on new code for industry Three-year contracts from cellphone companies should be banned, Canada's telecom regulator has been told in submissions to an online consultation. Hundreds of people submitted their opinions to the Canadian Radiotelevision and Telecommunications Commission about a proposed code of conduct for the country's wireless industry. The overwhelming majority who wrote to the CRTC over the two-week online consultation period passionately voiced concerns about being "held hostage" by 36-month contracts. "Get rid of the 36 months contract!!!" said one person on the CRTC's online forum. "It first started with 12 months, then 24 months. Now the standard is 36 months, which is ridiculous!" Another person wrote: "CRTC, please get rid of the three-year contract. Canada will love you for this." Those submitting opinions and suggestions to the forum were not required to post their names. The first round of consultations, which closed this week, also heard several complaints about a lack of competition in the industry. The regulator launched the online discussion to get the views of Canadians on what should be in a new code for wireless services, including cellphones and other personal mobile devices. The CRTC said in October it would develop a national code so Canadians could have a better understanding of their rights as consumers, and so wireless companies would clearly know their responsibilities. The commission is expected to issue a draft code by the end of next month, after which a second round of online consultations will be launched. Public hearings are also set to begin in February. More than 500 people made submissions to the online forum, a small fraction of the 27.4 million wireless subscribers in Canada, which account for 78.2 per cent of households - an increase of six per cent from 2011. The vast majority of wireless users have contracts with the big three carriers - Bell, Rogers and Telus. Those three were at the centre of the most submissions about a lack of competition in Canada's wireless industry. "Where is the competition? These plans are all the same," read one submission below a chart showing wireless plans being offered by the big three. Consumers can opt for a smaller carrier but have so far appeared reluctant to move. New entrants, such as WIND, Mobilicity, Public Mobile and Vidotron, captured just four per cent of wireless subscribers and two per cent of overall revenues in 2011, according to the CRTC's latest communications monitoring report, issued in early September. All of the major telecom companies and consumer advocacy groups have voiced support for the idea of national standards for wireless devices, but they have not agreed on how those rules should work. Critics have argued that Canadian subscribers are simply paying too much for wireless services compared with other countries. "Canadian consumers continue to be saddled with higher than average costs for wireless services as compared to other OECD countries," NDP consumer critic Glenn Thibeault wrote in his own submission to the CRTC.
Canada's immigration minister has announced a plan to attract up to 3000 foreign electricians, welders, pipefitters and other trades people to address the country's labour shortage CANADA'S immigration minister ignored this class of migrant. has announced a push to attract more The new program will launch on foreign electricians, welders, pipefitters January 2, he said, with the goal of and other trades people to address an attracting up to 3000 immigrants acute labour shortage. in the first year as construction and "We are creating a new immigration resources development soars in stream to facilitate entry of skilled Canada. trades persons," Minister Jason Kenney Applicants will be required to have a said in a statement. job offer in Canada, speak French or The move "will help address serious English, have a minimum of two years labour shortages in some regions of work experience as a trades person, the country," he said, noting that the and possess a skill that is in demand in immigration system has "for too long" that country.
If you earn income that has no tax withheld or does not have enough tax withheld for more than one year, you may have to pay tax by instalments. This can happen if you earn rental, investment, or self-employment income, certain pension payments, or income from more than one job. If you pay your taxes by quarterly instalments, your next payment is due on or before December 15, 2012. If you have not done so already, why not make the switch and pay online from the comfort of your home or office? Important facts You are required to pay your income tax by instalments for 2012 if your net tax owing is more than $3,000: in 2012; and in either 2011 or 2010. For any year you lived in Quebec on December 31, you are required to pay your income tax by instalments if your net tax owing for that year is more than $1,800. There are four instalment payment due dates: March 15, June 15, September 15, and December 15. To determine how much you need to pay each quarter, you can view your
instalment reminders online using My Account. To access or sign up for My Account, go to www.cra.gc.ca/ myaccount. You can make your instalment payment online through your bank by setting up the Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) as a payee. Paying online is quick, easy, and completely secure. To find out how you can use online banking to pay your taxes, contact your financial institution. For more information about other payment methods, go to www. cra.gc.ca/payments. Let the CRA remind you by email when your payment is due To receive an email each quarter reminding you of your payment due date, sign up for the Individuals - Quarterly instalment payment reminders electronic mailing list. Visit www.cra.gc.ca/lists. Statistics The CRA processes over 34 million payments on an annual basis. Approximately 1 million individuals are required to pay by quarterly instalment payments every year. The number of electronic T1 payments has been increasing at a rate of 3-4% per year over the last three years.
The scanner will ease the pressure since the November flood A big relief for patients needing an MRI unclear how or who will cover the scan at Surrey Memorial Hospital. cost. "The estimated monthly cost of The hospital has brought an MRI the mobile unit is about $100,000 and Scanner in from California that will we're currently in discussions with help ease the pressure put on seven the different insurance companies to MRI departments following the determine who will actually be paying November 19 flood at SMH. for it." The machine will be kept in the hospital A report on damages to the other MRI parking lot for three to five months. It machine is expected soon. should be ready for use by the middle of this month. Tasleem Juma with the Fraser Health Authority says the scanner is capable of doing all the same functions as one inside the hospital. "There will be a little bit of construction that will happen around to prepare it for patient access; things like heating, lighting, general patient safety measures." A temporary machine like this doesn't come cheap and Juma say it's still
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Canada News
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A recent study by the Migrant Integration Policy Index has ranked Canada as the third best country in the world for immigrant integration. The study, which analyzed conditions in 31 North American and European countries, saw Canada score 89/100 points to be ranked above all countries except Sweden and Portugal. One of the factors leading to Canadas favorable rankings is its high-quality, accessible education system. Education is a critical and important issue on immigrant performances. It helped move Canada up two spots in the ranking (from 2008), said a researcher from the Association for Canadian Studies. Additional factors such as a national policy of multiculturalism and
comprehensive English and French education programs for newcomers also helped Canada climb to the top. On a provincial level, settlement programs and teacher trainings to help newcomers were also considered significant factors. However, for some immigrants it is simply Canadas people and society that have made them feel welcome in their new home. No doubt if you compare Canada to European cities, we are living in a more open and non-discriminatory society, said new Canadian citizen Fabio Crespin. We are connected to all the local issues and the things that affect our everyday life. It is the best way to engage people, so they commit to the country and feel they belong here.
B.C.'s Grade 4 students are among the world's top readers at their grade level and had the highest average score in Canada, according to a just-released international report. In 2011, 45 countries and nine Canadian provinces took part in the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS), one of the world's most influential global assessments of reading literacy among young students. B.C. students performed very well in PIRLS, achieving an average score significantly above both the international and Canadian averages. B.C. was recognized as one of the top seven jurisdictions in the world. The PIRLS study provides participating countries and jurisdictions with comparative international information on how well students can read after
four years of elementary school. Grade 4 was chosen for the study because it marks the transition point at which students already have learned to read and are now using reading to learn. By Grade 4, reading skills become the main tool that enables and supports most other learning in school. To further strengthen reading skills for young learners in B.C., the Ministry of Education recently appointed Maureen Dockendorf as superintendent of reading. Dockendorf is working with every school district to improve reading skills among young students. As part of BC's Education Plan, the ministry has also dedicated an additional $10.7 million to advance early reading strategies and practices for kindergarten-to-Grade 3 students.
British Columbians will be learning more about the benefits of including locally grown cranberries on their holiday and daily menus, as a result of the B.C. Government's Buy Local program. The BC Cranberry Marketing Commission is receiving $15,700 to help promote the berries to both consumers and to value-added manufacturers. The Buy Local program offers
successful applicants matching funds up to $100,000 to launch or expand local food marketing campaigns. The BC Cranberry Marketing Commission is the first organization to receive Buy Local funding. Building the local market for British Columbia's foods is a key commitment of government's Agrifoods Strategy, a component of the BC Jobs Plan, to lead the agrifoods sector growth into a $14-billion-a-year industry by 2017.
The City of Surrey has voted to ban smoking on hospital properties, including in open areas and parking lots. City councillors voted Monday to amend the Surrey Public Health Smoking Protection Bylaw that already prohibits smoking in several public areas in the city. The amended law will prohibit smoking at Surrey Memorial Hospital and the Jim Pattison Outpatient Care and Surgery Centre. Currently, smokers are not allowed to light up within 7.5 metres of any building, including hospitals. But the new bylaw will extend to areas further than 7.5 metres away from the hospital buildings. City councillors believe this is a step
toward protecting the health of patients and health care workers. "We've received concerns about the harmful effects of people smoking at our hospitals, and we've been working with Fraser Health to ensure we create a safe, welcoming and healthy environment at these facilities," said Councillor Mary Martin, Chair of the Community Health Programs Committee. The Fraser Health Authority supports banning smoking from hospital property, but said some patients who need to smoke will be able to do so in a designated area. The proposed amendment has been sent to the Medical Health Officer for approval.
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Canada News
Tiny tags are causing big delays at two border crossings from Ontario into the United States. The disruption hinges on name tags the Canada Border Services Agency wants its officers to wear. "Personalized name tags reflect our commitment to service excellence and reinforce the professionalism and integrity for which CBSA officers are known," the agency said in a statement. But some members of the Customs and Immigration union disagree, seeing the IDs as a potential avenue for disgruntled travellers denied entry to seek their revenge, and are refusing to work in protest. As a result, traffic flowing into Canada from the U.S. at both the Ambassador Bridge in Windsor-Detroit and the Blue Water Bridge in Sarnia-Port Huron is experiencing longer-than-usual delays. In its public statement, the CBSA said it was "surprised by the extent of the reaction" and that, "illegal actions and inappropriate behaviour on the part of our employees will be dealt with accordingly." In a Dec. 5 memo to the CIU membership, union president JeanPierre Fortin said their "health and safety concerns" with the name policy had been raised on several occasions dating back to March 2011, including
a conference call on Nov. 27. "We also told management that they should not be surprised by a serious push-back from many of our members who fear for their safety and health and who are determined to pursue every redress option available," Fortin said. That memo advised members to take an "obey now, grieve later" approach, rather than face "unnecessary discipline from the employer." Frontline staff concerned about revealing their identity publicly, he said, "should consider removing or amending the listing of their name in public forums." The CBSA stands behind its policy, however, as it notes other frontline members of the Canadian Forces, Correctional Service Canada and United States Customs and Border Protection all wear name tags on the job. The union said it is investigating the possibility of a legal challenge, but noted the Toronto Police Association lost a similar case at the Ontario Labour Relations Board. According to the CBSA's border waittime website, commercial traffic into Canada was held up approximately 45 minutes at the Blue Water Bridge, and 30 minutes at the Ambassador bridge Wednesday morning.
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Coloring
A trip with your grandchildren warrants a special packing checklist. When traveling with your grandchildren, the packing list should home in on that particular sweet relationship Here are some ideas: Indestructible clothes. This is pretty obvious. Unless your grandkids are in their 20s (and in some cases, depending on their creativity, even then) your clothing must be ready to withstand mustard, ice cream, chocolate sauce, mud, spit-up, and even worse. Leave the silks at home, the suedes in the closet; reserve the dry-clean-only pants for adults-only travel. Youll have more fun with the children if they know they can jump on your lap, or you can climb on a jungle gym with them, without worrying about stains. A little gift appropriate to where youre going. A book about grizzly bears if youre going to Alaska; a makeyour-own kite kit if youre going to kite festivals; or a blow-up beach ball if youre heading to warmer climate. This does not have to be an expensive gift in fact it shouldnt be. You spend plenty on their birthdays and holiday gifts. This travel gift should be considered a non-display of wealth, but thought of as something that will add to your upcoming travel experience. Jewelry. Surprised? So was I, when I wore my gold charm bracelet on one of my first trips to see grandson Sam when he was only a year and a half old. When we were driving to one site after another, and he was confined to his car seat, he delighted in trying to put his little fingers into a tiny gold mug on the bracelet. He loved to look at the other charms and, as he jangled each one, hear stories about where I acquired them. As he got older, Sam was delighted to learn that one of my charms was my grandchild charm, with a boys head on it, and Sams name and birth date. It was yet another connection to him that he liked to see. Now 1-year-old Ruby is as charmed by my bracelet charms as
I am by her smile. Same thing with my earrings. Since she was about 6 months old she has loved to pull on my dangly earrings, and I can allow this, as I wear clip-ons when I travel with her. Old photos of their parents when they were the age of the grandchildren traveling with you. Pick out relevant pictures that show her mother, at age 3, in the same park as your grandchild is heading for now. The circle comes fully around to the little one. Foreign money for them to use, if youre going out of the country. Travel is an educational opportunity in so many ways. Your grandkids can be counting euros or figuring out how many pesos equal how many dollars even before they've left the United States. An empty notebook or journal. Get them started on writing about their trip; help them along each day with a diary of their own. Several plastic Ziploc bags for them to take back their treasures from the trip, whether its shells or rocks or feathers, for show-and-tell at school back home. Maps of where youre going. Why not make travel the way of teaching your grandchildren geography? An open mind to their newfangled electronic devices. Children today have toys and games that are unfamiliar to us. Let your grandchildren teach you something. Learn how to turn these devices on, for starters, and appreciate that the new toys, too, have educational value. A deck of cards. Whether its Old Maid, war, poker or bridge depending on their age you can bond with the youngsters over a good card game, and cards take up very little space in your luggage. A cheap throw away camera. Let your grandchildren take those photographs of the trip that he finds interesting. A sketch pad and colored pencils. Grandchildren may surprise you with their creativity in sketching pictures of their travels. Another good show-andtell project, too, for them to take home.
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Your Health
Cutting down on fat will help people lose weight, without dieting, according to new research. People taking part in trials also saw their waistlines become slimmer, and levels of bad cholesterol decrease. The results prove for the first time that weight loss can happen without trying to lose weight; simply by choosing foods lower in fat. The research was commissioned by the World Health Organisation (WHO) Nutrition Guidance Expert Advisory Group (NUGAG) Subgroup on Diet and Health following a request to update their guidelines on total fat intake. The results will be crucial in making global recommendations. The research is particularly important because being overweight or obese increases the risk of many cancers, coronary heart disease and stroke. Reductions in total fat were also associated with small but statistically significant reductions in cholesterols and blood pressure, suggesting a beneficial effect on other major cardiovascular risk factors. The systematic review included results from 33 randomized controlled trials, in North America, Europe and New Zealand, involving 73,589 men, women and children. Those taking part had varying states of health. Comparisons were made between those eating less fat than usual (intervention group) and those eating their usual amount of fat (control group). The effect on weight and waistline was measured after at least six months. The results show that eating less fat reduces body weight by 1.6kg, BMI by
Low Fat Diet Key To Staying Slim Stop Touching Your Face To Avoid Flu: Study
0.56kg/m&; and waist circumference by 0.5cm. All these effects were in trials in which weight loss was not the intended outcome, suggesting that they occur in people with normal diets. The weight loss happened quickly and was maintained over at least seven years. "The weight reduction that we found when people ate less fat was remarkably consistent; we saw it in almost every trial. Those who cut down more on fat, lost more weight," said Dr Lee Hooper from UEA's Norwich Medical School, who led the research. "We didn't consider different types of fat in this study. But cutting down on saturated fat reduces our risk of heart disease and strokes, so the healthiest way to cut down on fat is to cut down on saturated fats," said Dr Hooper. "This means having low fat milk and yogurt, cutting down on butter and cheese, and cutting the fat off meat. Most importantly have fruit instead of fatty snacks like biscuits, cake and crisps. And remember, this isn't a diet, so don't take it to extremes, but work out a way of eating that you can stick to permanently," she added. Co-author Prof Carolyn Summerbell, from Durham University, said: "A healthy diet is a way of eating that people can sustain over time. That's the trick, to find a comfortable way to eat that you can stick to for life which helps you maintain your weight. Cutting down on fat will help. "Doing exercise and being physically active is good for maintaining weight and also has other health benefits, but it's not a replacement for a healthy diet," she added. Something as innocuous as touching your face could infect you with flu, especially after your hands brush with contaminated surfaces, according to a study. "There are many opportunities in between hand-washing episodes for people to re-contaminate their hands. If a deadly respiratory virus is around, this is something to really take into account," said Wladimir Alonso, from the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, who led the study. Alonso and colleagues picked 249 people to observe in public places on the Washington D.C. subway and in Florianopolis, Brazil, the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases reports.
They found that people touched common objects an average of 3.3 times per hour and their faces 3.6 times per hour. "We are therefore likely to get germs on our hands far more quickly than they are washed off," Alonso said. Alonso said that during flu outbreaks, people should be reminded to try and avoid touching their faces as well as washing their hands regularly. But he added that while it was good to boost awareness, there was no need to be in a constant state of alert because the immune system offers good protection against disease. The advice is a timely reminder as cases of both flu and the norovirus (vomiting bug) peak over the winter months.
A form of Alzheimer's found in teenagers more than 20 years before symptoms even develop could pave the way for early detection, and more improved treatments for the disease, researchers say. New research has shown that nearly half of a group of 18 to 26-year-olds had a gene mutation called presenilin 1 (PSEN1) making the disease likely at a young age, as reported. Brain imaging, blood tests and analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) found 20 out of a group of 44 youngsters had PSEN1. Researchers at the Banner Alzheimer's Institute in Arizona, Boston University and the University of Antioquia found notable differences in brain structure and function between the two groups, with the PSEN1 mutation carriers experiencing greater activity in regions
of the brain called the hippocampus - involved in memory - and the parahippocampus, as well as having less grey matter in certain brain areas. Results also showed CSF of those with the mutation also had more of a protein involved in depositing amyloid plaques in the brain - a key biomarker of Alzheimer's. Symptoms normally appear at around 45 in people with the PSEN1 gene, but the scientists found evidence 20 years before onset of the disease. "These results add to evidence that Alzheimer's is characterised by a long period of changes that can be tracked, opening up a window for early intervention," the Daily Express quoted Prof Nick Fox, of University College London, as saying.
Women with higher levels of micronutrients found in many fruits and vegetables may be less likely to develop breast cancer, new study has revealed. Previous research has shown that the nutrients, called carotenoids, can inhibit tumour growth and reduce the spread of breast cancers. Carotenoids are found in carrots, spinach, kale, tomatoes, bell peppers, sweet potatoes and other vegetables. "There has been some evidence in the past that these substances are helpful in reducing the risk of cancer," Bernik, who is chief of surgical oncology at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said. In the new study, researchers led by A. Heather Eliassen of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School, in Boston, analyzed data from thousands of women who took part in eight previous studies on
Women Who Eat Fruits And Veggies Less Likely To Develop Breast Cancer
carotenoid levels and breast cancer. They found a statistically significant association between higher levels of carotenoids and reduced breast cancer risk, especially so-called ERnegative breast cancers - tumours that aren't reliant on oestrogen to fuel their growth. The findings highlight carotenoid levels as one of the first modifiable risk factors to be identified for ER-negative breast cancers, the team said. While there is some evidence that carotenoids also inhibit the growth of ER-positive breast cancers (cancers that respond to oestrogen), it's possible that this benefit is hidden by hormonerelated associations that overpower other risk factors, the researchers added. The study found a link between carotenoid levels and breast cancer risk, but it did not prove that the nutrients prevent the disease.
Eating tomatoes a few times a week could halve the chances of suffering depression, a study claims. Researchers analysed the mental health records and diet habits of just under 1,000 men and women aged 70 or over. The results found those eating tomatoes two to six times a week were 46 percent less likely to suffer the blues than those eating them less than once a week. But other fruits and vegetables do not have the same benefits, the study
found. Up to 20 percent of people suffer depression at some point in their lives, with women affected more than men. Tomatoes are rich in antioxidant chemicals that are thought to protect against some diseases. They are a good source of lycopene, an antioxidant that gives them their deep red colour and has been linked with reducing the risk of prostate cancer and heart attacks.
This information is provided for knowledge and educational purposes only. Individuals should visit their physicians for more information on their health.
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Your Health
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Women suffering from sleep apnea have a higher risk of brain damage than men with the disorder, according to a new study. For this study, the researchers looked at patients who were diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnea at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). They compared the nerve fibers in these patients' brains -- known as white matter -- to fibers of individuals without sleep problems and focused on unearthing the difference in brain damage between men and women with sleep apnea. "While there are a great many brain studies done on sleep apnea and the impact on one's health, they have typically focused on men or combined groups of men and women, but we know that obstructive sleep apnea affects women very differently than men," said chief investigator Paul Macey, assistant professor at the UCLA School of Nursing. "This study revealed that, in fact, women are more affected by sleep apnea than are men and that women with obstructive sleep apnea have more severe brain damage than men
suffering from a similar condition." In particular, the study found that women were impacted in the cingulum bundle and the anterior cingulate cortex, areas in the front of the brain involved in decision-making and mood regulation. The women with sleep apnea also showed higher levels of depression and anxiety symptoms, the researchers said. "This tells us that doctors should consider that the sleep disorder may be more problematic and therefore need earlier treatment in women than men," Macey said. With this finding as a foundation, Macey said that the next step is for researchers to "untangle the timing of the brain changes" and find out if treating sleep apnea can help the brain. Obstructive sleep apnea is a serious disorder that occurs when a person's breathing is repeatedly interrupted during sleep, sometimes hundreds of times. Each time, the oxygen level in the blood drops, eventually resulting in damage to many cells in the body. If left untreated, it can lead to high blood pressure, stroke, heart failure, diabetes, depression and other serious health problems.
A Harris Health System ear specialist is concerned about the popularity of personal music devices like iPods and other MP3 players and their lack of sound-limiting controls. These devices, when combined with attached ear buds and headphones, can generate sound levels up to 115 decibels, well above the highest level of 85 decibels recommended by most hearing experts. "Unfortunately, children who suffer noise-induced hearing loss from these devices are risking permanent damage that will affect them as adults and for their entire lives," said Dr. Sancak Yuksel, otorhinolaryngologist, Harris Health Lyndon B. Johnson Hospital, and assistant professor, The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (UTHealth). Hearing loss occurs when the hair cells in the inner ear are damaged. Sudden or prolonged damage can lead to permanent hearing loss or complete deafness. "Aside from the intensity of the sound or a noise, my concern is how long the person is exposed to that sound or
noise," Yuksel said. While everyone is susceptible to hearing loss, Yuksel worries that children risk more long-term issues when they don't fully complete their speech and learning development. He estimates 15 percent of children under age 18 suffer some sort of noiseinduced hearing loss. "Basically, everyone should avoid noises that are too loud, too close or last too long," he stated. People who attend a rock concert for longer than an hour at a sustained 115-decibel level can suffer damage to the inner ear. The result could be a temporary threshold shift (a brief loss of hearing) or tinnitus (a ringing in the ears). Most individuals tend to recover from these conditions; however, those with prolonged damage could suffer permanent hearing loss or ear ringing. Yuksel suggests using ear plugs to minimize the effects of loud sounds. Some ear plugs can reduce sound by 20-30 decibels, while more expensive headphones can reduce sound even more.
This information is provided for knowledge and educational purposes only. Individuals should visit their physicians for more information on their health.
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Mumbai: Akshay Kumar is certainly following in the footsteps of his dear friend and contemporary Salman Khan. The hunk of an actor has been creating waves at the Box Office since the beginning of the year. And with his latest, Khiladi 786 Akshay has proved that he has his niche set of audiences, who are ever ready to watch him sizzle on the silver screen. Khiladi 786, which has been directed by Ashish R Mohan, has opened to a fantastic response at the Indian Box Office on its opening day. Eros International has reported that the movie has collected over Rs 10 crores net at the Box Office on its first day.
Akshay Kumars Khiladi 786 Rakes In The Moolah At The Box Office
Noted trade analyst Taran Adarsh tweeted, #Khiladi786 collected approx Rs 34.30 cr nett in its opening weekend. Breakup:- Fri 10.40 cr, Sat 11.15 cr, Sun 12.75 cr(sic). The film which was released in 2,700 screens on December 7, has recorded a fantastic footfall in both single screen theatres as well as in the multiplexes in the morning and the matinee shows across the country. Khiladi 786 has got thumbs up from viewers across the country, and now a positive word of mouth is expected to take its collection higher over the weekend. Trade experts say that it is likely to find its place among the one hundred crore movie club.
Mumbai: Shatrughan Sinha, fondly known as Shotgun, is keen on doing a film with Amitabh Bachchan. The two are said to have discussed various possibilities of coming together, and a project is now being designed for them. "We haven`t worked together since `Shaan` and `Kaala Patthar`. It would be really nice to work with him again. He`s a good actor and a fine human being," said Shatrughan. "After my heart surgery, (one of) my first social outing was to his 70th birthday party. I told him I wouldn`t have stepped out to such a crowded gathering for anyone else. I broke my golden health rule for a golden human being," he added. The veteran actor-turned-politician is very impressed by Akshay Kumar. "He has been very inspiring in his
good-health talk. He came here and very humbly told me how important it is to eat sleep and exercise well. I am now on to a different routine altogether. I wake up very early in the morning, go for a long walk. "I`ll be resuming my yoga very soon. Late nights are completely out. Not that I partied late anyway," said the 67-year-old, who underwent surgery earlier this year. As soon as Shatrughan is back to completely normalcy, he will start a film with Akshay. "It`s a subject that he has been desirous of doing with me for a long time. Akshay came and told me, `Sir, ab to meri baat maan lijiye (Agree to me now at least)`. I`ve agreed. But he has laid down a pre-condition. Akshay says our shooting shifts would be 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. I am game," he said.
New Delhi: Till now, it was only Bollywood heroines who resorted to cosmetic and aesthetic medical procedures to make themselves look better on the big screen. But now it seems that the trend is changing and even the male actors have joined in. A tabloid reports that Shahid Kapoor has recently gone under the knife to get his nose look sharper which explains why he had been keeping away from the shutterbugs in the last couple of months. It was his desire to have a more chiseled nose for his next movie Phate Poster Nikla Hero and so he opted for rhinoplasty and took spoke time off for a speedy recovery. But apparently, Shasha is not the only actor to have given to the desire to get better looks. Reportedly, there are many actors in the know who dont
mind going under the knife to have a younger and smarter appearance in the cut throat world of Bollywood. And we agree that there is no big deal in doing that.
Asin
Asin
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New Delhi: A few months ago an ecstatic Bollywood actor Fardeen Khan announced that he and his wife Natasha Madhvani were expecting twins and he even shifted base to London just to keep his wife and unborn babies safe from the Dengue scare prevalent during those days. However, despite the number of precautions the couple took, tragedy has struck their blissful life as Natasha had a miscarriage recently and thus lost her unborn twin babies. The sad news
was announced by a saddened Fardeen who wrote on Twitter: As delighted as we were to announce Natasha`s pregnancy I am equally saddened to say she had a late miscarriage. He even went about writing, As the saying goes - What doesn`t kill you can only make u stronger. Life is Life is Life. And then finally he wrote, Most importantly Natasha is in good health and can have try again. This half-pint I married is a warrior in every sense.
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When back in 2008, Rohit Shettys Sunday pulled off an ingenious spoof on Bollywoods quintessential pseudoversatile-genius, people might have had a genuine laugh or two. Little did they know that while Arshad Warsi was caustically speaking about his partner, Irrfan Khans acting prowess as the music director who produces his own film, directs it on his own, provides music to it and acts in it; Himesh Reshammiya might actually have been eavesdropping. And perhaps the result of that overheard conversation is this gigantic pain in the neck called Khiladi 786. Manshukh Desai (Himesh Reshammiya need I say more?!) is a wedding planner, an aide in his fathers business. Just that all he can do is break up marriages with his incompetence or some gaffe or the other. So when one such wedding falls apart, Desai is kicked out of his home. Hitting the streets with a bottle of desi liquor and trying to re-enact a Devdas might be anybodys forte but Himeshs the man makes sure of that with his forced acting. Enter Indu Tendulkar (Asin), the girl who nobody wants to enter wedlock with: reason shes TTs (Mithun Chakraborty) sister. Tantiya Tukaram Tendulkars abbreviated name is enough to leave people in tatters. An underworld don, this man can just not be imprisoned. And then theres the Khiladi. The Punjab-da-puttar Bahattar Singh 72 Singh as hes better known as (Inane? You bet.) Akshay Kumar in garish, loud kurtas knocking off the teeth and smashing the noses of every other bad guy in the village. One might go to the extent of mistaking him for the Robin Hood in uniform. Yes, he plays a cop here as well seemingly so. From 71 to 75, all the males in the Singh family have their names firmly perched on a number. Khiladi Bhaiya hits people,
Khiladi 786 Review: Akshay Kumar's Return As 'Khiladi' Marred By Bad Script!
loots trucks, keeps a considerable amount of the booty to himself and distributes the rest among the people. Mansukh decides to get Indu and Bahattar hitched, and looks upon it as the wedding that would prove him as a man in front of his father. However, there are cock-and-bull stories to be concocted on the way and brash, rowdy people to be gotten rid of. Oh and theres Indus gunda boyfriend too to be taken care of. Somewhere along the way, Khiladi Bhaiyas philanthropy gets buried under layers of hallucinations involving him romancing Indu in some foreign land or singing sad songs, also in some foreign land. The Punjab da Puttar is careful about his imaginations: there are red Ferraris and exotic locales involved, always. Himesh Reshammiyas story zigzags through concealment of identities, servants trying to bring their employers empire down, and a wedding planner hoping that his endeavour doesnt go in vain. But honestly, he could just have not bothered to go ahead with this waste of talent, money, and whatnot. That Akshay Kumar as an actor is an exceptionally talented one has been proved time and again given the man has a decent story to perform in. Not this one, though. The genre of action is the Khiladis forte, goes without saying; however, when it remains in the realm of the real. One single man taking on more than 200 goons and flattening them single-handedly come on, havent we had too much of that already? When Akshay Kumar isnt beating people up or thinking about Asin, which by the way hardly happens, he isnt bad. Asins Marathi mulgi act is overshadowed by her tomboyish side; but when faced by solid patriarchy in the form of her brother, she hardly has anything to do. Her acting is good, but not one
that deserves a standing ovation. Mithun plays off the stereotypical elder-brother-worried-about-sisterswedding well. As far as Himesh Reshammiyas talent (hes the producer, storywriter, music director, singer and actor in the film) is considered we might need to do an entire thesis on why does this man try and burn a little of his fingers everywhere! The old adage Jack of all trades, master of none might be able to do some justice to the fellow hopefully.
The music of the film, by Himesh (yet again!) ranges from un-listenable to cringe-inducing songs. Numbers like Hookah Bar, Fire Brigade and the like absurd as they might appear are catchy, and will definitely do a good job of staying on the music charts for some time. The other songs will hopefully be forgotten the way so many others are; and cheers to that! Watch the film if you swear by Akshay Kumar. If you dont, youd be illadvised to go into the theatres.
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Kya Huaa Tera Vaada Why Did Ekta Kapoor Kill Off Pawan Shankar Aka Pradeep Singh?
The show has taken a 10-year leap, the children have grown up, Anushka Sarkar is in jail, Pradeep Singh is dead, and Mona Singh has not aged a day clearly modern mommies have been using hair color to cover all their greys and botox to hide their wrinkles Kya Huaa Tera Vaada has made some drastic changes to its storyline. While we appreciate the drift, something has left us rather confused. The initial rumours we heard was that Mouli Ganguly (Anushka Sarkar) would be quitting the show, but when the time came, Ekta Kapoor killed Pawan Shankar (Pradeep Singh) instead Why? Weve been asking the same question ourselves. Apparently, Pradeeps death was crucial to the story, the leap and Anushkas revenge. However, we think the real reason is that Pawan got really fed up of being tossed around from one woman to the other. Valid wethinks! Ever since the show began, Pradeep has been flitting to and fro from Mona Singh to Anushka and back more often than one could believe. Guess he really had had enough. But knowing Ekta Kapoor, we wont be too shocked if Pradeep re-enters the show in tow with a third woman all together. Now wouldnt that be funny? Imagine if Pradeep does enter the show again, will the women go back to playing tug-of-war over him or will Mona and Anushka unite to take out the other woman. With no men in their lives, its bound to get a little lonely, no?
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Travel
Yasawa Islands Vacation and Travel Guide
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Vacationing In Fiji
The Yasawa Islands are an archipelago of about 20 volcanic islands located in western Fiji. The island group has a total area of approximately 135 sq km (52 sq mi) with peaks of up to 600 meters (1968 ft) in height. Its main islands are Yasawa, Waya, Naviti and Nacula. These islands are popular for their beautiful white-sand beaches, warm and clear blue waters, interesting caves, extensive fringing reefs, reef lagoons and the wide diversity of marine life. Because of the ideal underwater environment, the islands are excellent for water activities, including diving, snorkeling, sailing and fishing, although the rolling hills and amazing scenery make the Yasawa Islands ideal for land activities, such as hiking and sightseeing, as well. You can also stay at several private and luxurious resorts, where you can participate in a variety of activities. Yasawa Island Yasawa Island lies at the top of the Yasawa group and is the largest of the islands. It is known for its gorgeous sandy beaches and secluded bays. The island is excellent for scuba diving and snorkeling because of its wide variety of corals and other marine life, although other activities you can also participate in include canoeing and fish and turtle feeding. You can stay at Yasawas island resort, which consists of scenic luxury bures. Chartering is the only way you can get to the island, although you can travel from Yasawa by plane with the resorts own airstrip. For a unique and fun experience, you can also take a trip to the Sawa-i-Lau caves on Sawa-i-Lau Island, located off the southern tip of Yasawa. What makes a trip to these caves even more interesting is that you have to swim through a submerged entrance in order to reach the inner caves. On top of that, the caves are famous for being one of the locations that the filming of the 1980 movie, The Blue Lagoon starring Brooke Shields, took place in. Waya Island On the island of Waya, you can see rolling hills and lovely beach scenery. Because of its hilly terrain, the island is great for hiking, and one of its resorts, the Bayside Resort, offers a walking track that leads to both the east and west coast of Waya. Here, you can enjoy spectacular views of mountains, steep ridges and deep clear blue bays. Naviti Island Naviti Island is located to the southwest of Nanuya Lai Lai. It consists of rolling hills, a beautiful beach that is great for swimming and several lovely resorts. You can enjoy a scenic hike by walking the track overlooking the Botaira Beach Resort, or you can go on snorkeling trips in the islands Manta Ray Lagoon. Nacula Island Nacula is located at the tip of Tavewa Island and is the third largest of the Yasawa Islands, with peaks of over 200
meters (656 ft) in height. Within the grassy hills, you can trek on walking tracks that lead to several remote beaches on the southern coast, and you can stay at a choice of three beach resorts located near Naisisili Village. There are also lagoons found on the estates of these resorts that are great for swimming and snorkeling. Lomaiviti Islands The Lomaiviti island group lies to the east of Viti Levu and is made up of several main and smaller islands that cover a total area of 411 sq km (158.7 sq. mi). The largest of these islands are Ovalau, Koro and Gau. You can explore the Lomaivitis while hiking in lush tropical rainforests, snorkeling and scuba diving amongst their beautiful reefs and do a variety of cultural tours that include visits to Fijian villages. Other attractions consist of numerous restaurants, coffee bars, museums and different other historical sights. There are also various private luxury resorts that you can stay at while vacationing on these beautiful secluded islands. Ovalau Ovalau is the main island and is also the location of the local government of the Lomaivitis. Here, you can see villages, rainforests and waterfalls, plus it is quite easy to explore the island by bus or bicycle. In Levuka, which is the main town on Ovalau, you will find that the architecture still reflects the colonial era of Fiji. You can visit museums, churches and monuments and visit great colonial-style budget hotels, including Fijis first hotel that was built in the mid-1800s. Behind Levuka, there are gorgeous mountain ranges and hiking trails that lead into the rainforest and to waterfalls and swimming pools. Between Ovalau and Suva, the capital city on Viti Levu, there is a small luxury resort on Toberua Island where you can find mangrove channels nearby that are excellent for exploring several beautiful, small nature reserve islands with large booby (sea bird) colonies. There is another resort located a few miles off the coast of Ovalau on Wakaya Island, which is one of the original exclusive Fijian resorts and is a more expensive accommodation option. It boasts a private airstrip and a private 9-hole golf course, plus you
can experience fantastic snorkeling and diving off of its beautiful beach as well. Koro Located northeast of Ovalau is the volcanic island of Koro. Amongst its lush tropical rainforests, you can hike along trails and see beautiful waterfalls. Several traditional Fijian villages can be found on the island as well, including the largest, Nasau, which is located 5 km (3 mi) north of the airstrip. In the area, you can find a hospital, post office and cooperative store, as well as government headquarters. However, there is currently no accommodation on the island, so the only way you would be able to stay overnight is by receiving an invitation from a local. The women of the Koro villages are renowned for their lovely woven handicrafts, particularly fans and mats. Gau The island of Gau is located south of Koro and is the largest of the Lomaiviti group. Here, you can see sights such as dense rainforests, rolling hills and white sandy beaches. The largest village on the island is Qarani, which boasts the safest anchorage for yachts and is the location of the islands only doctor. The village is also home to the world famous rugby player, Waisale Serevi. Taveuni Island Taveuni, also known as the Garden Island of Fiji, is renowned for its lush tropical rainforests, pristine sandy beaches, scenic coastline and wide variety of wildlife. There are also numerous areas that are excellent for scuba diving. Taveuni covers a total land area of 435 sq km (169 sq mi) and is 42 km (26 mi) long and about 11 km (6 mi) wide. Mt. Uluigalau is the islands highest peak at approximately 1240 meters (4068 ft) high, followed by the Des Voeux Peak at approximately 1200 meters (3937 ft). There are many interesting and gorgeous sights to see on Taveuni, including Bouma National Park, Rainbow Reef and the rare tagimaucia flower. The island is also excellent for bird watching, as it is home to a wide variety of birdlife, such as the rare kula lorikeet, red-breasted musk parrot and orange dove. A few of the areas worth visiting in Taveuni are Somosomo,
Bouma and the island of Qamea. Somosomo Somosomo is the largest populated town on Taveuni and is renowned for its spectacular diving sites. You can find these within the Somosomo Strait, which lies between Taveuni and Vanua Levu. One site worth exploring is the Rainbow Reef, which is filled with an amazing array of colorful corals and a wide variety of marine life. Another dive site in the area is the Great White Wall, which is covered in stunning lavender-tinged white corals that give off a slight luminescent glow. Both sites were named in the Top 10 Dive Locations in the World by U.S. Divers Magazine. Bouma In the town of Bouma, you can find the gorgeous Bouma National Park. There are four attractions in this park, including the Lavena Coastal Walk, Vidawa Rainforest Hike, Tavoro Waterfalls and Waitabu Marine Park. Within this national park, you can explore tropical rainforests and gardens and see and even swim under amazing waterfalls. While on the Lavena Coastal Walk, you will be able to explore Lake Tagimaucia, where you can see the rare tagimaucia flower. You can also go on an excellent snorkeling tour in the protected Waitabu Marine Park, where you can see a large variety of marine life. Qamea Island The beautiful Qamea Island is home to lush tropical rainforests, pristine whitesand beaches, spectacular mountain range scenery and traditional Fijian villages. It is well-known for its private luxurious island spa resort consisting of beachfront bures and villas. Kadavu is a mountainous island with beautiful beaches, waterfalls, rainforests and a great variety of birdlife. Encompassing 411 square kilometers (158.6 square miles), it is Fijis fourth largest island. Kadavu still has 75 percent of its original rainforest cover. The islands tallest mountain is Nabukelevu, also known as Mount Washington, which is 822 meters (2,697 feet) high. It is a dormant volcano which last erupted just 2,000 years ago. Bird watching in Kadavu Bird-watching enthusiasts will be in heaven on Kadavu. Birds that can only be seen here include the Kadavu honeyeater, the velvet fruit dove, the Kadavu fantail and the crimson shining parrot. The red and green Kadavu musk parrot can easily be seen and heard as well. Few islands in the Pacific have so much endemic biodiversity left as
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If only for the sheer fun of barreling down the road in a turbocharged V-6 SUV, the Ford Explorer Sport brings welcome fun to the Explorer nameplate for 2013. The new Sport trim level adds the third and most powerful engine to the Explorer lineup, which helps it hustle past other three-row SUVs even the few that still offer V-8s. It returns respectable EPA gas mileage and improves on lesser Explorers' mediocre handling. The Sport does for the Explorer what hot sauce does for wings. Though its range of efficient engines is unmatched among SUVs, lingering issues diminish the 2013 Ford Explorer's appeal. Those shortcomings had the SUV in a tie for last place in our $37,000 SUV Shootout last year (see the results), and while this year's updates address some of them, they ignore others. The Explorer seats six or seven, depending on seating configuration, and comes in base, XLT, Limited and Sport trims. Compare them here. Besides the addition of the Sport, the 2013 Explorer also gets some updates to its optional MyFord Touch system; stack up the 2013 and 2012 Explorer here. The Sport comes with standard all-wheel drive while the others offer front- or all-wheel drive. Engines include a turbo four-cylinder, a normally aspirated V-6 and a turbo V-6; Ford markets both turbos under the EcoBoost moniker. We've tested all three. From Slowpoke to Speeding Ticket The Explorer's 240-horsepower, turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder a $995 option on front-drive trims boasts an impressive EPA-estimated 20/28/23 mpg city/highway/combined, but the tradeoff comes in poky acceleration in most situations. We drove the 2.0-liter Explorer near Ford's Romeo, Mich., proving grounds last year, and with three adult occupants on hilly roads it needed most of its reserves plus frenzied, how-'bout-now downshifts to keep up speed. The same engine hustles the smaller Ford Edge well enough, but the Explorer is nearly 500 pounds heavier, and it lumbers. Plan your passing accordingly. By contrast, the Explorer's 290-hp, 3.5-liter V-6 tacks on extra speed with little drama. It's similar to other V-6 competitors, if less gutsy than the surprisingly quick Toyota Highlander. EPA combined mileage in the V-6 Explorer runs 20 mpg with front-wheel drive and 19 mpg with all-wheel drive. That's competitive, though Nissan's redesigned Pathfinder beats Ford by 2 mpg. The all-wheel-drive Explorer Sport blasts past all comers thanks to its 365hp, turbocharged 3.5-liter V-6. It's a performance bargain: No midsize SUV near the Sport's sub-$42,000 price packs this sort of acceleration and that includes the V-8 Dodge Durango. The Explorer Sport pulls strongly all the way up to 70 or 80 mph, with decisive shifts even on two-gear kickdowns
Autos
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Lifestyle
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Healthy eating is not about strict nutrition philosophies, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving yourself of the foods you love. Rather, its about feeling great, having more energy, stabilizing your mood, and keeping yourself as healthy as possible all of which can be achieved by learning some nutrition basics and using them in a way that works for you. You can expand your range of healthy food choices and learn how to plan ahead to create and maintain a tasty, healthy diet Healthy eating tip 1: Set yourself up for success To set yourself up for success, think about planning a healthy diet as a number of small, manageable steps rather than one big drastic change. If you approach the changes gradually and with commitment, you will have a healthy diet sooner than you think. Simplify. Instead of being overly concerned with counting calories or measuring portion sizes, think of your diet in terms of color, variety, and freshness. This way it should be easier to make healthy choices. Focus on finding foods you love and easy recipes that incorporate a few fresh ingredients. Gradually, your diet will become healthier and more delicious. Start slow and make changes to your eating habits over time. Trying to make your diet healthy overnight isnt realistic or smart. Changing everything at once usually leads to cheating or giving up on your new eating plan. Make small steps, like adding a salad (full of different color vegetables) to your diet once a day or switching from butter to olive oil when cooking. As your small changes become habit, you can continue to add more healthy choices to your
diet. Every change you make to improve your diet matters. You dont have to be perfect and you dont have to completely eliminate foods you enjoy to have a healthy diet. The long term goal is to feel good, have more energy, and reduce the risk of cancer and disease. Dont let your missteps derail youevery healthy food choice you make counts. Think of water and exercise as food groups in your diet. Water. Water helps flush our systems of waste products and toxins, yet many people go through life dehydrated causing tiredness, low energy, and headaches. Its common to mistake thirst for hunger, so staying well hydrated will also help you make healthier food choices. Exercise. Find something active that you like to do and add it to your day, just like you would add healthy greens, blueberries, or salmon. The benefits of lifelong exercise are abundant and regular exercise may even motivate you to make healthy food choices a habit. Healthy eating tip 2: Moderation is Key
People often think of healthy eating as an all or nothing proposition, but a key foundation for any healthy diet is moderation. But what is moderation? How much is a moderate amount? That really depends on you and your overall eating habits. The goal of healthy
This information is provided for knowledge and educational purposes only. Individuals should visit their physicians for more information on their health.
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For Women
in my bag all the time. Just apply to the pimple and it will greatly reduce the size and redness in no time.
3. Toothpaste This trick is as old as they get, but just make sure you use white toothpaste and not the blue, swirly kind because it wont work as well. Usually the toothpaste on the pimple trick works best when you apply it at night and sleep on ititll dry it right out!
2. Ice, Ice, Baby Pimplesthey come at the best of times, dont you think so? Usually when you have a big event coming up, or youre sleeping over at your mans and you wake up with some rather unflattering red bumps. In either case, pimples are a nuisance and we need to put a stop to them NOW! Can you tell Im enraged? I woke up this morning to a nice surprise on my face, but, thankfully I have my tools ready! Here are 5 ways to get rid of a pesky pimplestat! 1. Benzyol PeroxideThis is my best friend! I carry this little tube of miracles
One of my favorite products in the world is Mario Badescus Drying Cream because it works miracles. Not only is this cream a lifesaver when it comes to minimizing pimples in record time, but it also works amazingly as a pimple concealer. So you can wear it underneath your foundation, making it almost non-existant, while it is doing its job of drying out the pimple genius! 5. Tea Bag
4. Drying Cream
Ok, so Ive been watching Glee too much, but ice is actually a great way to reduce those massive surprise pimples. Just put some ice in a bag and hold it against the pimple for about 10 minutes. This is actually called freezing a pimple..take that!
Tea bags are another excellent way to reduce the size and redness of a pimple. Just boil some water, dip a tea bag in it (green tea works best), let it steep, and apply the tea bag to the pimple.
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13629 - 108 Avenue, Surrey BC V3T 2K4 778- 395-0903 Now Accepting Membership Applications For Details Phone Kash Dosangh 604.430.1358 or Surendra Prasad 604.572.8817
19 years of age or older, a descendant of a Citizen of Fiji F-C-A-S-B Gathering Schedule
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Places of Worship
Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 10am to 3pm 10am to 1pm, 5pm to 8pm 10am to 1pm, 5pm to 9pm 1pm to 7pm 10am to 1pm, 5pm to 8pm 10am to 1pm, 5pm to 9pm 10am to 1pm
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14630-107a avenue surrey bC v3r 1v1 Serving the community since 1972
If youre looking for a place to belong or have been searching for answers to lifes questions or healing, come to our services or contact us. Allow us to introduce you to Jesus Christ and help you come into a full relationship with him.
14455 - 104th Ave., Surrey, Bc Phone: 604.592.9001 Cell: 778.938.2734 Email: lesi1968@yahoo.ca
REFRESHMENTS PROVIDED Come and experience a time of Prayer and Bible based answers to lifes difficult questions.
Service Sundays 2:00pm Bible Study (Hindi & English) Wednesdays 7:30pm
Prayer, counselling & visitations Available
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6075 Inverness Street, Vancouver Sunday Services in Hindi/English 2:00pm Pastor Silas Naidu 604 352 1232 silas.naidu@gmail.com
467 E 11th Avenue, Vancouver BC V5T 2C8 Phone: 604-874-0175 shreemahalakshmi@gmail.com www.shreemahalakshmitemple.ca
Join for Hawan, Pravachan and Satsangh followed by Preetibhoj Every Sunday 10:00 a.m.12:00 noon Yoga, Pranayam & Meditation classes every Wednesday 7:00 p.m - 8:30 p.m. Contact Shobha Rae 604.874.9856 Hindi Classes Sunday 12:30 p.m. -1:30 p.m. Contact Madhu Varsney 604.222.1444 Hall rental also availabale. Contact Kushwakant Singh 604.328.5454
Madhu Varsney, President 604.222.1444, Jack Sundar, Secretary 604.541.9359 Kushwaha Kant Singh, Treasurer 604.328.5454
Program Shree Lakshmi Vinayaka Japa Gita Jayanti, Vaikunth Ekadashi Shree Mahalashmi Japa Hanuman Japa
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TImes
TImes sporTs Georges St-Pierre Vs. Nick Diaz: UFC Offers March
Georges has been off for a year. [Silva is] a tough fight for him to come back to. He asked personally for the [Diaz] fight. There has been bad blood between St-Pierre (23-2) and Diaz (26-8-1) for some time. After defeating B.J. Penn at UFC 137, in his post-fight interview, Diaz challenged St-Pierre, who was sitting in the stands. However, shortly thereafter, St-Pierre would miss extended time after tearing his ACL. Meanwhile, Diaz tested positive for marijuana metabolites following his loss to Condit at UFC 143. He is serving a one-year suspension and is set to become eligible to fight again in Febuary. In short, though the rivalry was and is real, no one was able to do much about it until now. On paper, St-Pierre will have a strength and wrestling advantage in the matchup. Diaz, however, is a consummate scrapper with an
If it's not a done deal yet, it's pretty darn close. The UFC has approached welterweight champion Georges St-Pierre and rival Nick Diaz about a fight date in March, when the UFC will return to Montreal. According to a report from MMAFighting's Ariel Helwani, UFC President Dana White said he proposed the date to both camps, adding that Diaz has yet to sign the contract, though he is expecting that will happen soon. Following his win over Carlos Condit at UFC 154, St-Pierre asked to fight Diaz. The news came as a surprise to many fans and pundits, who expected Johny Hendricks to receive the next title shot. White previously told Helwani: Georges St-Pierre has been a phenomenal champion, just a great guy to deal with for us," White said previously. He doesn't ask for things. So if he wants to fight Nick Diaz, and Nick Diaz wants to fight him, then that's probably the fight we'll make.
Date In Montreal
intimidating, stalk-you-down boxing style backed by excellent jiu-jitsu. His trash talk before and during fights often
Fijis Sports Council has announced there will not be an increase in hiring charges when the new-look National Stadium is completed in March, 2013. FSC chairman, Peter Mazey said this is possible thanks to sponsorship from ANZ Bank who have committed $850,000 over the next three years in exchange for the naming rights to the newly renovated sports complex. The sponsorship was formalised with
both parties signing on the dotted line at the Suva stadium corporate booth. With this sponsorship Fiji Sports Council is pleased to announce that there will not be an increase in charges so the sports people and the general public can make use of the facility. It was ANZ Bank who granted us loan the initial loan for this re-development of the Stadium, that was $15 million and now they have further extended it to $20 million, Mazey said.
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TImes
Paul Henderson, Dave King, Mark Messier All Honoured By Hockey Canada
Paul Henderson, Dave King and Mark Messier were named to the Order of Hockey in Canada on Wednesday. The 2013 class will be honoured by Hockey Canada in April at a ceremony in Ottawa during the 2013 IIHF women's world hockey championship. The Order of Hockey in Canada program annually honours a select number of individuals whose "role or service in the game is recognized as extraordinary" in this country. Henderson, 69, is best known for scoring the winning goal in Game 8 of the 1972 Summit Series to give Canada the victory over the Soviet Union. He recorded 477 points (236-241) in 707 career NHL games with Detroit, Toronto and Atlanta and had 283 points (140-143) in 360 career WHA games with Toronto and Birmingham. King, 64, has coached Canadian teams at the Winter Olympics, world hockey championships and world junior championships. He also has North American coaching experience at the NHL, WHL and university levels and international coaching experience in Germany, Sweden and Russia. Messier, 49, is a six-time Stanley Cup champion, two-time Hart Trophy winner and 15-time all-star. He is second on the NHL's all-time list with 1,887 points (694-1,193) in 1,756 games over 25 seasons. Messier also played for Canada at the world hockey championship, World Cup of Hockey and at three Canada Cups. The class of 2012 was inducted last spring. Honorees included Jean Beliveau, Cassie Campbell-Pascall, Wayne Gretzky, Gordie Howe and Gordon Renwick.
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THEY went in determined to win and win they did. "Losing was not an option," a jubilant coach Hector Smith revealed after the Fiji men's team stunned favourites Australia Country 3-1 at the National Hockey Centre in Laucala. That's what he had told his men going into this crucial Oceania Pacific Cup and FIH World League fixture. "The coaching side of things was done and it was on them (the players) keeping their mental toughness," Smith revealed. Adrian Smith, Leevan Dutta and skipper Hector Smith Jr were the heroes netting the goals in the penalty strokes victory after both teams were locked 1-all at full-time with Terrence Corrie scoring for Fiji. Fiji now plays Samoa and Vanuatu and is guaranteed a spot in the finals where they could come up against the Australians again depending on the result of the Australia Country-New Zealand Maori match.
"I was very happy with the character (of the players) and their will to go all the way and win," Smith Sr said. However, he wants his side to improve on their discipline. "We had three sending offs, something we have to avoid going into our other games." Goalkeeper Richard Eyre was the hero, saving two Australian attempts. Fiji also won over Papua New Guinea and the New Zealand Maori. The Kiwis were also beaten on penalty strokes (54) as the new IHF rules states that if both sides come to a draw at full-time; a penalty shootout will take place. Both the Fiji men's and women's teams look set for the finals. The FIH World League medal play-offs will be held on Friday and the OPC on Saturday. "We will just stick to our policy, get the technical side of things right and make sure we play each game with the same hunger and will to win regardless of the opposition," Smith said. The winning teams in both sections will
Fiji In Final
Team Canada's Paul Henderson (left) shoots on Team USSR's Vladislav Tretiak while Gannady Tsygankov defends during the 1972 Summit tournament in Toronto on Sept. 4, 1972.
get to play in World League Round Two in India and Fiji looks in good stead to join Austria, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Chile, Egypt, Ireland, Poland, Portugal, Scotland, Trinidad & Tobago, Ukraine and the US (men's) and Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Italy, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Russia, Scotland, Trinidad & Tobago, Ukraine and Uruguay (women's) in round two of the competition.
Tuesday's results: New Zealand Maori 16 Vanuatu 0 (w); New Zealand 7 Papua New Guinea 2 (m); Australia Country 12 Samoa 0 (w); Fiji 3 Australia Country 1 (men's penalty strokes). Wednesday's draws: 8am, NZ MaoriAustralian Country (m); 10, SamoaNZ Maori (w); 12, PNG-Samoa (m); 2, Australia Country-Fiji (w); 4, FijiVanuatu (m); 6, PNG-Vanuatu (w).
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