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Print Kent For Affordable Business Stationary Printing

December 31st, 2010

After opening, it is very important to promote new businesses in order attract customers and generate sales. Business Stationery acts as a primary tool for promotion of any businesses. Business stationery helps business (small, medium or large) in building brand recognition, which is the first step of business promotion. A unique logo and a website (to represent the business online) are the prerequisites for a business.
Company letterhead, business cards, postcards, product brochures, posters, door hangers, rack cards, envelopes and flyers (which are among the most important stationery materials for a business) create awareness about the brand and the products & services being offered.
Business stationary printing in Print Kent is a very popular and significant industry in itself. Companies like Print Kent providing excellent quality business stationary printing services are always in great demand. All want to have the most attractive, informative and presentable stationary for their business, so they always look for experienced, competent, and cost effective printing service provider.
The real trick in cheap and Quality printing is not about “just” getting that cheap printer. Cheap stationary printing is about getting those printing options right when you do print booklets.
Nowadays printing process has gone digital. Technology has taken everything into its effect and printing industry is not an exception. Therefore, people now have more choices for printing of their business stationary (letterheads, corporate brochures, product flyers, and business cards etc.)
The stress in business stationary printing is mostly on quality of graphics, colors being used, and paper quality. Some prominent printing service provider provides environment friendly printing services by using recycled or easily recyclable paper and environment friendly soy-oil based inks.
Due to advancements in printing technologies now multi color printing has become cheaper and less time consuming. So more and more people are now switching to multi color printing. Some stationary like postcards, corporate profile, brochures etc are provided in multi fold fashion. This way one can present more information about their products and services in smaller pieces of product flyers or brochures.
To make the business stationary products more durable, one can opt for laminated printing. In this type of print, your business stationary is laminated after printing making it more stable and secure from water, humidity and tear. They also provide a shiny look to your corporate brochures, postcards, and business cards.
Choosing a printing service provider to print business stationary is a crucial decision for people as business stationary has vital role in establishing business and developing corporate identity. Therefore, entrepreneurs and business owners look for the best printing service providers, Printers Kent to complete this crucial task in a professional manner. Nowadays, they prefer online print service providers due to their quality printing services and cost effectiveness.
All the above given styles are popular trends in business stationary printing. Print Kent not only provides attractive finish of your business stationary but also makes it durable. You enjoy benefits of best quality color and graphics on your business stationary in comparatively lesser costs.
Print Kent business stationary printing service providers offer the latest printing technology resulting in best quality prints. People can use the latest printing trends and get magnificent looking business cards and other business stationary materials to attract new customers and develop emphatic brand identity. So, now if benefits of online printing services are clear, why not you find a reliable online printing service and get your stationary printed in most professional manner on affordable rates.

About Author
Printers Kent offers a personal, reliable, friendly service. They give value for money and work with you to achieve a high standard print product for your business. They give advice and guidance on what they think will work for you. They keep to deadlines and I would not hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking for a high standard of printing for their company. Visit http://www.print-junction.co.uk/ for more information.

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December 31st, 2010 13:21:36




UAE’s stock market merger ensnared by politics, technical problems

December 30th, 2010
The Media Line Staff

Jerusalem, Israel David Rosenberg – Trading volumes are a fraction of what they were just two years ago, and broker-dealers are closing up shop for lack of business. But a merger of the three stock exchanges of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a move that could solve many of these woes in one stroke, remains entangled in politics and technical problems.

While stock market trading across the Middle East has dropped off sharply with the onset of the global financial crisis, figures from the Arab Monetary Fund (AMF) released Thursday show that two of the UAE’s bourses shrunk the most last year: Volume on the Dubai Financial Market (DFM) plunged 61 percent this year and on the Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX) by 51 percent through Dec. 29.

Only Nasdaq Dubai, which isn’t included in the AMF figures, showed some improvement this year, with the value of securities traded reaching $1.2 billion in the first 11 months, compared with $1.08 billion for all of 2009.

The sensitivity of the merger issue came to light last week when the advisory board of the UAE’s Securities and Commodities Authority (ESCA) publicly backed a merger, saying “the markets would witness significant growth if merged into one.” Within hours, ESCA retracted the statement, attributing it to an error in translation from Arabic.

But brokers and investors are nearly unanimous that a merger is urgently needed. Jeff Singer, the chief executive officer of Nasdaq Dubai, has come out publicly in favor of a limited tie-up that would enable investors to trade on a single platform with much the same rules and regulations.

“A merger is definitely positive from our perspective,” V. Subramanyeswara Sarma, an investment analyst at Dubai International Securities, told The Media Line. “The most important thing is the volume, which has dwindled quite significantly for all three exchanges in the last past 1-1/2 to two years. For survival and ease of operations, it’s imperative [for brokers] to reduce their operating costs.”

The DFM lists 98 brokers on its website but when end-of-2010 figures are released the number will probably fall to about 80, as operations with the highest costs drop out in the face of declining business, industry executives say.

For the stock exchanges, a merger would help them eliminate duplicate staff and infrastructure. Investors would gain by having all UAE companies available to trade on a single platform, with a single set of rules and regulations. For instance, now the DFM lists the property giant Emaar while Nasdaq Dubai is the only exchange to trade DP World, one of the world’s biggest port operators. The DFM and AFX are regulated by ESCA while the Nasdaq Dubai answers to the Dubai Financial Services Authority.

Merger discussions on a governmental level have been under way since at least last March. Reports surfaced in June a decision was imminent. Traders say ESCA’s flip-flop on the prospective merger could have been an honest error but suspect officials would prefer to avoid public discussion of the subject until they have reached a consensus on how to proceed.

With an economy of about $220 billion and a population of less than 5 million, the UAE nevertheless boasts three stock exchanges. When the markets were booming and even for a long time after the global financial crisis and Dubai’s debt woes struck, the thought of a merger was out of the question.

Two of the three stocks markets in question are controlled by governments, which see the development of world-class financial-service industries has been part of the game plan for Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Hosting a stock exchange is not only a prestige factor, but is likely to draw the brokers, bankers and other financial service professionals, industry executives say.

“It’s really a power struggle, and we don’t know how that can worked out, whether Abu Dhabi will be the financial center or Dubai,” said Sarma.

The ADX is building a headquarters with more than 21,000 square meters of office space and a trading floor of 1,000 square meters. But trading on the ADX amounted to just $9.1 billion for 2010 through Dec. 29, compared with more than $61 billion in the record year of 2008, according to the AMF.

On the DFM, volumes reached $18.4 billion this year, down from just under $70 billion in 2008. Even Nasdaq Dubai’s trading volume is down from its 2008 level of $1.75 billion.

Nasdaq has performed better than the UAE’s two other exchanges because it relies more on institutional investors. Trading on the DFN and ADX is mostly in the hands of small, retail investors, who were burned badly in the financial crisis and have retreated from stocks.

While the merger waits, regulators have introduced a handful of new measures in recent weeks to boost liquidity. Last July, the DFM and Nasdaq Dubai merged their trading platforms. ESCA said last week it would allow margin trading in all publicly-traded UAE stocks.

On Sunday, the DFM said it would allow all stocks to fluctuate more widely in an effort to boost trading by eliminating the distinction between “active” and “non-active” shares. Because of the drop-off in trading volumes, some of the DFM’s larger companies on the exchange, including Emirates NBD and Shuaa Capital, have been designated non-active shares.

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December 30th, 2010 21:02:05




Yemen’s coffee industry smells a market share

December 29th, 2010
The Media Line Staff

Sanaa, Yemen Felice Friedson – They came from as far away as the United States and New Zealand to attend the Second International Conference on Arabica Naturals: the diplomats; the cuppers; the distributors, consultants and farmers. All in Sana’a to smell the rich aromatic Yemeni coffee and to seek the internationalization of standards for natural coffees.

Underwritten by the Small Micro Enterprise Promotion Service (SMEPS), a subsidiary of the Social Fund for Development and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), the Arabica Naturals Conference was the first to be held in Yemen, with a strong emphasis on showcasing the sweeter side of a country that to westerners is primarily branded a terrorist haven.

SMEPS Executive Director Wesam Qaid, the moving force behind and chairman of the conference, said the meeting–drawing from groups representing the world’s premier coffee producing nations including Ethiopia, Mexico, Indonesia and New Zealand–put Yemen back on the coffee map. “Yemen coffee is rich and is 100 percent taken care of by hand, no machines,” Qaid told The Media Line, explaining what differentiates Yemen’s coffee from other coffee grown elsewhere.

The two-day confab, held at Sana’a's beautiful but heavily-fortified Movenpick Hotel, included workshops on cupping, roasting and espresso, along with professional and trade presentations and coffee exhibitions.

Kicking-off the first day of events, Yemen’s Prime Minister Dr. Ali Muhammad Mujawir praised the coffee farmers, asserting “that there is no better coffee than those of Yemen’s mountains; and we thank the farmers who raise the name of Yemen high in the world…[making] coffee an original, national symbol.”

Addressing the fact that Yemen’s coffee industry lacks international standing in large part because it does not adhere to a system of grading recognized by coffee producers world-wide, the prime minister raised the industry’s concerns, admonishing that, “We must conform to the international standards of producing coffee. This requires cooperation among governments; and among international and expert officials.”

Deputy Prime Minister Abdulkarim Al-Arhabi, who is managing director of the Social Fund for Development, told participants representing 26 countries including the United States, Saudi Arabia, the United Kingdom, Germany, Italy, Eritrea and Lebanon, that, “$1.2 billion has been mobilized in a program to microfinance enterprise industry in Yemen: 90 percent of which is coming from foreign sources.”

Yemen, with its rich history and century-old techniques, is unique in that it consumes two-thirds of the coffee it produces. The United States has committed to contribute millions of dollars to boost Yemen’s economy, which is one of the poorest countries in the world and supports a population of 24 million people.

U.S. Ambassador Gerald Feierstein is one of those who sees the focus on coffee as a welcome diversion from the typical blood-and-mayhem coverage Yemen typically receives. He told The Media Line that most Americans don’t know that Yemen is so closely associated with coffee and “I think if the American people have an opportunity to try it, they’ll also have a great experience with it. It’s a way of showing Yemen in a more positive light.”

The earliest written evidence of coffee drinking appears in the mid-15th century from the Sufi Yemeni monasteries in southern Arabia. But 21st-century Yemen today faces several challenging obstacles in its quest to attain a significant global market share.

Coffee here is grown in remote areas, on steep mountain sides reaching thousands of meters in height, restricting farmers’ access and making it physically difficult to reach the growing fields with heavy manure – the natural fertilizer of preference. Qaid explained that chemicals are too difficult to carry into these remote areas.

A large percentage of the farms are located on mountains-on open patches of land scattered across mountains and terraces, some shaded by larger trees, and some by clouds, according to Nadia Al-Sakkaf, editor-in-chief of The Yemen Times. Speaking to The Media Line, Al-Sakkaf painted a visual image, describing “men and women jumping rocks in risky areas.” “Yet,” she said, “they still feel at home.”

Rural areas are home to 70 percent of Yemen’s population. Of rural dwellers, more than 80 percent are women because the men–and particularly the younger men–have gone to the cities in search of a better life, leaving the women to tend the farms, according to Al-Sakkaf. Qaid explained the link between the nation’s agricultural and demographic concerns, saying that, “If we can improve life in rural Yemen, we can limit migration to urban areas. We need to promote economic development.”

In the conference exhibition hall, Fatma–all covered in black-manned a table sponsored by the Talouq Womens Association, an organization comprised of 164 female farmers. Fatma expounded on the problems her group is addressing, telling The Media Line that, “We lack the staff to train women on the machinery and a budget for training.”

Coffee used to be a source of income for many but because of the drought (coffee-growing requires a great deal of water); and the lack of marketing strategy, most farmers have given up on traditional farming techniques (trimming trees and shading) and many have left farming altogether. According to Al-Sakkaf, the women, who are increasingly central to the nation’s coffee farming industry, need the support of the international community to open Yemen’s access to the international market. Qaid charged that, “the Yemeni coffee private sector is marketing coffee the same as they marketed coffee 300 and 400 years ago. However, markets have changed.”

Dressed in a colorfully appliquéd hejab head covering and jelbab, the traditional black gown, Amira Al-Hemyari told The Media Line that as a distributor her company, El Ezzi Industries, cares about the farmers’ needs as well as its bottom line. She says it has alleviated the water shortage by supplying farmers with water storage tanks and has helped their farmers to rid their farms of the harmful Qat plant that sucks the coffee plant dry. Amira says that the narcotic-like plant, which is farmed as a separate crop – and a lucrative one at that — “takes a lot of water and gives good profit but kills the land.”

But Abd Al-Rahman Mohamed of Musallam Trading disagrees. The water shortage is a natural occurrence, he says. “We need dams for water because of the drought.”

Qat farmers outnumber coffee farmers by a margin of 680,000 to 110,000. The majority of farms have women tending trees, pruning and picking cherries. It’s common among small farmers to pick their coffee beans and store them for years, saving them for a rainy day when they are in need of immediate cash. They all work through middlemen and several key distributors who then sell the coffee beans to the local and world markets.

The Al-Hamdani and Al-Kbous companies are the two oldest and largest exporters, both of which have been around for more than 100 years.

Al-Kbous has one of the largest factories in the Middle East. Hamida Hamden Al-Safi told The Media Line that the firm currently supplies Japan, the U.S., Canada and the Gulf States through their 40 distributors who deal directly with the farmers. The company’s mocha coffee is a source of both corporate and national pride. Al-Safi told The Media Line, “We are trying to keep the Mocha brand for our company. It belongs to Yemen and we don’t want someone stealing it.”

CUPPING

Mario Fernandez is an expert “cupper” who comes from a line of Mexican coffee- growers dating back to the 1830s. Fernandez came to Yemen to contribute to two indispensable elements necessary in order for the nation’s coffee trade to prosper: his ancient art and to consult on an international grading system for natural coffees. “Cupping” is a sensory analysis of coffee utilizing the tongue and mouth to identify whether a cup of coffee is good or bad. His presence was timely: “The public needs to be educated about how to prepare coffee,” Fernandez said. “Until last week no one in Yemen knew how to cup.” The cuppers are typically buyers or suppliers of coffee.

David Roche, technical director for the Coffee Quality Institute based in Long Beach, CA, explained further: “It’s a slurping technique,” he said. “You vaporize the flavors in your mouth and have an instant reaction. You take note of that specific technique for evaluating coffee. Any country can claim they have the best coffee; there is good and bad in all countries.”

The conference was Roche’s second trip to Yemen. Previously, he visited the coffee farms for a first-hand look when he came to the country to teach cupping. He told The Media Line that, “Yemen coffee is unique and has always been high priced. Yemen’s biggest problem is quantity. They fell to almost one-third of their production level of 15 years ago in part because of the better price of other crops such as Qat; the price of coffee on the world market; and the shortage of healthy trees in fields. [In Yemen] the farmers grow it on roof tops and sometimes store it in caves for years. They also need to understand what the consumer wants. Our role is in standardizing the coffee.”

The reference to “naturals” means the whole coffee bean is picked and dried with the skin on it. The opposite is “washed,” which one coffee producer described as “the difference between red wine and white wine.”

Yet, there is currently no world-wide system for grading naturals. The “Q System,” implemented by the Coffee Association of America and The Coffee Quality Institute, is geared for top quality coffees and specialty coffees; and not applicable beyond the top 10 percent of the world’s coffees.

Of the 18,000 tons of coffee it produces annually, Yemen only exports 4,000 to 6,000 tons, the rest being consumed by Yemenis. That figure is growing, with coffee houses springing up seemingly everywhere, but remains small when compared to Colombia or Brazil, each exporting hundreds of thousands of tons annually. The largest importers of Yemen’s coffee are Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States, along with the United States. Europe and Japan follow.

In the United States, roughly half the population-an estimated 150 million Americans–consumes some type of coffee. World-wide, coffee is a $16 billion industry, the second-most traded commodity after petroleum. In 2011, about 135 million 60 kilogram (132 pound) bags of coffee will be produced-some 1.7 billion pounds of coffee.

A stop at The Coffee Trader revealed a mix of societies melding around coffee. Dressed in Western-style clothing but wearing a jelbab covering, Susan Coleman, the Wisconsin expatriate who co-owns the Sana’a café and coffee store, stayed busy serving customers. Featuring U.S.-style service and decked out with Christmas ornaments, the café’s ambiance is distinctly American-until you notice that some of the men are dressed in traditional Yemeni clothing and some of the young women working on their laptops are garbed in floor-length jelbabs, sipping their coffee through a narrow slit in the veil.

Meanwhile, at the conference, the coffee competition was the final event. Q-certified cuppers from around the world tasted and rated fruity, spicy and chocolaty coffees. Yemen’s own coffee-featuring a tinge of chocolate and raisin–took second place to Tanzania’s blueberry and fresh fruit flavors. Ethiopia came in third place.

Qaid told The Media Line that one of the conference’s successes is that SMEPS has been commissioned to prepare a report with recommendations for developing Yemen’s coffee sector–including plans for a coffee fund with buy-ins from farmer groups–that will be presented to the government in March 2011, with Yemen poised to enter the International Coffee Organization. Also coming from the conference is newfound hope that the coffee market will become more balanced as sun dried coffees continue to gain international exposure and new cupping procedures for them have now been introduced.

David Roche shared the optimism for his Yemeni hosts. “Change in Yemen will take a decade,” he told The Media Line. “But sophisticated drinkers who buy whole bean coffee will buy Yemeni coffee and they’ll pay more for it. It’s boutique,” he said.

Qaid agreed. “Yemeni coffee is experiencing a renaissance. New coffee shops are popping up all over the place. Young Yemenis are learning the skills of coffee,” he said.

Asked which his own favorite coffee is, he replied “ancient Typica from Haraz.” In Yemen, of course.

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December 29th, 2010 14:23:40




Bad weather halts more than half of Boxing Day hunts in Britain

December 28th, 2010
Vittorio Hernandez – AHN News

London, England, United Kingdom (AHN) – Bad weather forced the cancellation Monday of more than half of Boxing Day hunts in Britain. Organizations postponed many of the 300 scheduled hunts because the hard frost covered with snow made the roads too slippery for hunters, including horses which have metal shoes.

About 100,000 Britons in full hunting regalia were expected to participate in the annual hunt, which normally takes place the day after Christmas. However, since Boxing Day was a Sunday in which hunts are not allowed, the hunt was moved to Monday.

Organizers said they will move the hunt on Thursday and New Year’s Day if the weather would allow it.

The group Countryside Alliance used the hunt day as an opportunity to call on British Prime Minister David Cameron to end the ban on hunting with dogs, which the prime minister had previously committed to repeal.

However, because of indicators that MPs would oppose the lifting of the ban, Cameron postponed a planned free vote, which would not sit well with coalition partner Liberal Democrats. Of the 57 LibDems in the Parliament, 42 are against lifting the prohibition, including LibDem leader and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg.

The League against Cruel Sports, which held a survey of MPs, found that the proposed repeal of the Hunting Act would lose on a 310 to 253 votes, with 23 legislators undecided.

The prime minister is a hunting advocate, but acknowledges the issue could divide the coalition, which would rather focus on more pressing legislative matters such as the ailing British economy and the provision of public services amid budget cuts.

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December 28th, 2010 04:55:49




Free Business Cards – Luring Customers Successfully

December 27th, 2010

Business card plays a vital role in creating first and firm impression on your prospective clients. As soon as you exchange your cards with your future clients, they start to judge you and your company through the card, and what they see really affects their perspective towards your company. Therefore, it becomes indispensable to create a business cards which is professional, well designed and attracts admiration.

There are many printing companies who offer free cards printing. Does this feel too good to be true? Actually, it’s true. You may even start searching for the catch or their motive behind their tempting offer. You will be really amazed; in fact there is no catch! The printing company just desire to demonstrate their impeccable service and high quality product.

The printing companies regard these free cards printing as their advertising strategy and tool to attract their prospective customers and win their confidence and trust. They have complete faith in their premium quality service, innovative card printing and creative designs. It’s impossible for them exhibit the qualities and uniqueness of their cards through the internet. Therefore, with the free cards printing offer they successfully lure the customers.

Once you try their cards you would experience for yourself the change in your business image, the increasing client base and their prompt service. The magnificence of the colors, the crispness of printing, the creative designs and the quality of the paper used instantly catches the attention.

Just as another form of business promotion like mailers, billboards, TV and radio, and product demonstrations, the printing companies ingeniously plan their strategies to offer the free business cards to effectively target their specific market segment. They bank on their confidence over the quality of their card; the design and the value offered by them are way ahead of their competitors.

Also, they believe that the people would be tempted to keep the same business card designed by them as maintaining the same card personifies stability and earns the respect and goodwill of their valued customers. Conducting business with the same printing company will also save the time, energy, money and moreover the printing company is also enlightened about the niches and preferences of their customers.

Rose is an article author who brings the information about business cards & free business cards through article, news, press release and blogs. For more details on business cards, visit our website. http://www.utharaprint.com

Author: Rose Wilson
Article Source: EzineArticles.com


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December 27th, 2010 19:55:21




What to Include in Your Customized Business Card

December 27th, 2010

If your job is a salesman, sales clerk, or a marketer, it is important that you have a business card with you at all times. Because the chance of getting new customers is always possible, it is essential that your business card is ready to introduce you anytime, anywhere. This makes it critical to design and create your own business card template. This is a mark that you are truly a marketer or a sales person. And as a marketer, you must always adapt to the rapid changes of market environments with the aid of business cards.

Most marketers and sales men these days constantly change the design and especially the templates of their business cards for them to be competitive in the market. While standard business card templates will create an attractive card, it is still best that you create and develop your own template and design. If you don’t know all the basics in creating your own card template, this article will help you. Here are some of the tips that you can use to create your own persuasive and attractive business card.

* Tip 1. Decide on a set dimension or configuration. Constantly changing the size of your business cards is never a good idea. This will just give you problems when it comes storage. When it comes to your business cards design, changing also from standard size to the size that you want is not efficient. For this reason, it is a must for you to choose the best configuration that will suit your purpose. A good example of this is if you target foreign market or uses your card for communication with foreign persons from all around the world, using internationally set dimensions that is required by the ISO will help a lot. This is because each country has their own specific and required dimension.
* Tip 2. Always set your guidelines and all its margins. It is required that you always set all your guidelines and especially margins for your business cards. These things are one of the most crucial attributes of your card that must not be ignored and can also be a great bonus since it helps a lot in quickly designing and creating your business cards. The margin will serve as your guide in organizing the elements of your cards. It will also help bring focus to your message and other crucial information.
* Tip 3. Setting printing bleeds is another crucial step for you to attain a good and effective cheap business card printing. Printing bleeds is considered as one of the most crucial things that must be always in your business cards. This printing bleeds has the task of an easy printing process since your chosen printing company would have no worry or hassle when it comes to the accuracy of the cutting and especially the printing procedure. Therefore, it is always a good for you to add printing bleeds.
* Tip 4. Insert the must-have content in your business cards. All personal templates will need some standard or the so called must-have content. This usually contains that name, logo, job title, phone numbers, address, and many more. Always make sure that you place these things in your templates for it to be more useful and aid in an easier and faster creation of your business cards design and layout.

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December 27th, 2010 17:14:04




Intolerance of Africans, Orthodox and Arabs Growing in Israel

December 26th, 2010
The Media Line Staff

Tel Aviv, Israel (TML) – A tsunami of intolerance and discrimination against Arabs, ultra-Orthodox Jews and African refugees has washed over Israel in recent weeks, causing concern among many that it may be undermining Israel’s democratic character.

The past week has seen an explosion of street protests calling to deport Africans who have congregated in neighborhoods in south Tel Aviv and against Israeli Arabs moving to the cities. A group of municipal rabbis signed a letter earlier this month declaring that it was forbidden by religious law to rent or sell homes to non-Jews.

“We see it as a racist call,” Ron Gerlitz, the co-executive director of Sikkuy – the Association for the Advancement of Civic Equality in Israel, told The Media Line. “If someone says we should not rent to some people just because of their nationality then this is racism.”

There are an estimated quarter of a million foreign workers in Israel, about half of these in the country illegally. This doesn’t include the estimated 30,000 Africans who have flooded into the country by foot over the past few years, mostly from war-torn Eritrea, and Sudan. While these numbers are small compared to more than seven million Israelis, the foreigners tend to live in a limited number of neighborhoods where their presence is felt especially strongly.

Gerlitz said the attacks on Israel’s Arab minority, which makes up some 20% of the population, was an “attack against democracy, because there is no democracy without uncompromising protection of the rights of the minority.”

Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, head of the nationalist Yisrael Beitenu party, has also fanned the flames of incitement against Arabs. “Every day, every week, you have another case of Israeli Arabs that are talking part in terrorist activity,” he said in an interview with Newsweek published last week.

Some demonstrators advocating for the expulsion of African migrants from south Tel Aviv last week held placards saying: “Lieberman, where are you when we need you?”

Intolerance has grown to encompass Israelis Jews as well, with ultra-Orthodox Jews targeted for their refusal to serve in the army or join the job market, enjoying government allowances that enable them to engage in religious studies well into adulthood.

Eli Yishai, head of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, protested what he called the “witch hunt” being waged by the secular Israelis against ultra-Orthodox. But, in fact, the ultra-Orthodox have traditionally disparaged secular Israelis and many of their political leaders have taken on the fight against Africans.

“I call on all the leaders of all the parties to stop this wave of incitement. It creates rifts within the nation, and is completely unnecessary,” Yishai said at a news conference last week.

He was referring to the repeated headlines against the government stipends given to yeshiva students and angry protests by mainly secular Israelis.

Yair Lapid, a popular on-air personality on the Channel 2 television network — who has been toying with following the political footsteps of his father, the secularist champion, Yosef (Tommy) Lapid — published a front-page editorial in the nation’s largest daily lambasting the burden that tens of thousands of African migrants were putting on the economy. He has also been a leading voice in curtailing government funding to ultra-Orthodox.

Nahum Barnea, one of the country’s most influential columnists, opined that the arguments about foreigners were the byproduct of the failed peace process with the Palestinians, which has left politicians looking fro something to quarrel about.

And yet, in an unprecedented appeal, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu last week addressed the incitement against illegal migrants in a video message posted on his Facebook and YouTube pages.

.

“We are a country run by the rule of law, we are a country that respects all peoples, whoever they are,” Netanyahu said. “I insist that citizens of Israel not take the law into their own hands, not through violence nor through incitement.”

Earlier this month, Israel police arrested a gang of Jewish teenagers in Jerusalem on suspicion of attacking Arabs for nationalist reasons. No arrests have yet been made, however, in the case of a burning tire being tossed into building housing Sudanese refugees in Ashdod two weeks ago.

The liberal newspaper Ha’aretz appealed to President Shimon Peres to step in and express compassion for the illegal migrants and victims of hate crimes. It also called on him to show the Arab inhabitants that they are equal citizens and Israel values them.

Netanyanhu has vowed to put an end to the wave of African migrants flooding the country and his government is building an impermeable security barrier along portions of the 240-kilometer border with the Egyptian Sinai. Israel is also mulling building a detention camp for those who do manage to cross, until they can be returned to their countries.

A recent poll by the Institute for Immigration and Social Integration found increasing apprehension among low-income and religious Israelis that foreign workers would take their jobs and threaten the Jewish character of the state.

On the other hand, the poll also found that a majority believed that once an African made it into the country, the state should provide them with social benefits.

“Israel is going in a direction which understands that the margins of society should be included into society. We are talking about foreign workers, about people who cross the border illegally, about people who are married to immigrants and other parts of society who start to become a part of society,” Gerlitz said.

“But this creates a counter effect in which the people who were inside the mainstream of society want a society that will be exclusive. They don’t want those parts to be part of the society. I would agree that the fact that new groups want to join in Israeli society caused this effect and people end up saying ‘We don’t want the Arabs in our cities. We don’t want the illegal immigrants. We don’t want the foreign workers’.”

Gerlitz added that the solution was to create a shared society “where all the people who live in this society believe it belongs to all its members, to Jews and Arabs alike.”

Yohannes Bayu, director of the African Refugee Development Center, which helps refugees in Tel Aviv, said nationalists and ultra-Orthodox in Israel were fanning the flames of hatred for political gain.

“They are trying to create fear in the minds of the people,” Bayu told The Media Line. “They’re not talking about these people as refugees, but are saying things like they are bringing diseases threaten the Jewish demographics.”

Bayu, who isn’t Jewish, was taken in by Israel as a refugee 15 years ago, when he was forced to flee his native Ethiopia. He said he has never seen the animosity against Africans so bad as it today.

“It’s like when the Germans started attacking Jews. They didn’t start all of a sudden. They brought all sorts of excuses and tried to raise the fear among the public that [Jews] were taking from them and were a demographic threat. And that turned into violence. It’s the same here now. It’s very scary,” Bayu said.

(Michael Grubb contributed to this report)

Article © AHN – All Rights Reserved

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December 26th, 2010 20:54:10




The Importance of Quality Business Card Printing to Your Company

December 26th, 2010

As a major industrial and commercial hub, located in the West Midlands, it’s important that businesses in Coventry have business card printing firms that they can rely on. It’s even better if they can find reputable companies who can supply all of their office stationery needs – after all, most businesses need far more than just business card printing. They need flyers, promotional posters, letterheads, catalogues and brochures as well. The most cost-effective and efficient way of doing this is with a “one stop shop” approach, where everything is available under one roof.

Not all firms who print business cards can offer this quality of service. This is generally because of the equipment involved. Whereas simple business cards are relatively easy to produce, the same is not true of glossy brochures or A10 posters. However, there are printing companies in the West Midlands who print high quality flyers, posters, banners, brochures etc alongside a wide range of business card options – generally these are the best to go for.

Why choose a specialist printing firm for your business cards?

Printing companies vary widely in their service, pricing and quality, but if you aim for a well-known and respected name, you can’t go far wrong. A well established firm offering a variety of services will have a steady stream of clientele, plenty of experience, competitive pricing and good quality machinery furnished with the latest technology.

To save money, some companies take a “piecemeal” approach to buying their office stationery, thinking they can undercut the prices of the large multi-print firms. However, this is a mistake. Buying your business cards, catalogues, posters, flyers etc from different companies looks unprofessional, with mismatched lettering, variable logos and inconsistency of colour.

If you value your corporate image, you need to stick to one supplier for all your corporate stationery – and this includes business card printing. Once the firm has your layout, logo, lettering style etc mapped out and stored on their computer, it can be applied to everything you order, giving your corporate stationery a slick continuity which will stay in the mind for all the right reasons.

How to get high quality business cards at low cost

Avoid cheap or free business card offers from unknown vendors – the quality and weight of the paper will be poor; and the size of the cards smaller than usual. However, this doesn’t mean business card printing has to be expensive. You can often get extremely good deals from multi- print companies, whether or not you use their other business services. Some even deliver to your door.

Business card printing in Coventry should reflect the professional image of the company ordering the cards. The best business cards are accurately laid out on card of 335 to 400gsm, with an original logo (rather than one chosen from a preset list, though many printers do offer this option for lower cost). Simplicity, quality and elegance are the key, but there is no reason why you should have to pay heavily for the service.

About Author
The author has worked in the print industry for over 30 years. Now at Minuteman Press, he works on catalogue, poster, POS and business card printing on a daily basis. The Coventry branch of Minuteman Press is especially adept at business card printing in Coventry

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December 26th, 2010 10:18:52




Canada registers 0.2 GDP growth rate in October

December 25th, 2010
Vittorio Hernandez – AHN News

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada (AHN) – Canada on Thursday registered a 0.2 percent increase in its gross domestic product in October. The growth followed a 0.1 percent contraction the previous month.

Statistics Canada said the October expansion was because of a 2.4 percent rise in mining and oil and gas industries. The real estate, wholesale trade and transportation industries, and the public sector also enjoyed some growth.

However, manufacturing dipped by 0.6 percent and production of non-durable goods slipped by 2.3 percent. Other sectors that suffered contractions were construction, utilities, retail trade, finance and insurance.

The 0.2 economic expansion was slightly less than economists’ forecast of a 0.3 percent rise. Despite the modest growth, economists said the trend indicates a slowdown in the Canadian economy in the medium-term.

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December 25th, 2010 13:03:18




Online Business Card Maker: The Best Way to Promote Your Business

December 25th, 2010

The online world now presents you business card maker online. If it is astoundingpeople by making everyday tasks easier, the world wide does a really good job.Even in the aspect of business, the online world has given so much. And the online business card maker is the finest example.

But do we really know what are these things that we label business cards? If not, the business card maker online won’t entirely be valued by you. Business information like its logos, contact details and the company’s affiliations are the facts that are printed in a business card. You will typically see these cards being shared or distributed during proper introductions as a mode of convenience and, of course, as a memory aid. Usually, a simple black text on white stock business card is more widespread, but nowadays, business cards with attractive visual design are already hitting the business card market. Other specialized business cards are published on some form of card stock, the visual effect, process of printing, cost and other specifics complimentaryin agreement with organizational cultural or norms and personal preferences.

Are you also aware that if color extends to the border of the finished cut size upon the laying out of cards, they are actually provided with bleeds. In addition to this, a bleed is the expansion of printed lines or colors beyond the line where the paper it is being printed on will be cut. This method is useful in making sure that white edges will be eliminated and that cutting the cards properly is highly unachievable without bleeds.

You should also be sentient that business cards can be produced in a bunch by a printshop or even at your home or office merely by using a business card maker software. This kind of software generally contains predetermined designs, layout tools, and text editing tools for making a design of one’s business cards. A decent number of business card maker software combines with other software to get rid of the necessity of entering contact information manually.

Just as long as you have a computer and an internet access, ordering from business card makers online is simple and can be done anywhere and at anytime you like. No more waiting in long lines or an meet with grouchy customers. Next, ordering is fast and undemanding. Other specs can even be selected just by browsing their website and to give you a sneak peek of your preferred business card, a preview can be set before you.

Look for for online business card maker that provide these essenticlas and more. In the end of the day, rest assured that the business card maker online will protract an added value to distinguish itself from the rest.

About Author
The online world is now offering a business card maker online. Drawing out the admiration in people by making tasks easier, is a misson the world wide web never fails to do.Even in the business world, the online world performs a big duty

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December 25th, 2010 03:47:14