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高買有獎！英國斯塔福德郡（Staffordshire）警方推出奇招「對付」高買（圖），自存倉不是嚴刑重罰，而是給賊人送上食物券，讓他們向慈善食物銀行換取三天份量的糧食。一名「受罰」男子向傳媒表示，因寵物狗生病而花光了援助金，沒錢吃飯，無計可施下決定在一家合作社高買，結果人贓並獲，誰知警員沒拘捕他，反而送上食物券。男子說：「有這樣善心的迷你倉新蒲崗員真好。」警方指，措施3月推出，至今只派出七張食物券，而且都是給亟需幫助的人。好像前文提及的男子，被逮住後立即交出�物和坦白招供，警員衡量後決定助他度難關。但輿論擔心這措施不只鼓勵高買，更令善長卻步，最終受害的是奉公守法的貧苦大眾。英國食物銀行表示，求助人數近年激增，去年幫助了逾34.6萬人，是前年的2.7倍。英國《星期日郵報 迷你倉出租

bjrb.bjd.com.cn/html/2013-08/12/content_98553.htm...自駕游剛剛回國，新蒲崗迷你倉違章罰單就寄到 國外罰單是怎麼追到國內的？ 本報記者 侯莎莎 實習生 夏益蔭 前腳人剛回到國內，後腳在國外自駕游時...

超過600名「老友記」透過東華三院與�豐合辦、攜手扶弱基金資助的「『�』聚耆情友伴計劃」走出社區，迷你倉新蒲崗更與義工友伴成為好朋友，參與的義工多達270人，服務時數更超過1.3萬小時。�豐與東華三院是多年的合作伙伴，合作建基於關顧弱勢社群的共同理念。2008年，兩所機構再度攜手，成就了「『�』聚耆情友伴計劃」，透過�豐義工與長者以一對一形式作配對，定期以電話慰問及親身探訪舊區的獨居長者，並安排戶外活動、節日聚餐、工作坊等，擴闊長者的社交生活，讓長者感受關懷之餘更與義工建立互愛互助的友伴關係。計劃亦為獨居長者舉辦生命教育活動，讓他們盡早作出善壽規劃並活出豐盛晚年。該項計劃除獲�豐全力支持外，亦得到更有賴其他企業伙伴贊助及協助，為參與活動的長者安排美宴及借出多架平治房車，接載迷你倉出租工及長者遊覽名勝景點等。計劃推行至今，已有超過600名長者受惠，參與的�豐義工達270人，服務時數更超過1.3萬小時。企業義工發揮專長東華三院社會服務總主任姚子樑說：「計劃有助發掘社區資本，並有利於推動更多企業義工與社區上的獨居長者建立友伴關係，加強鄰里互助精神，而�豐一直在這方面發揮所長。」�豐香港保險業務董事總經理孟學燊說：「�豐很高興與東華三院攜手合作舉辦這計劃，為長者提供支援，同時提倡積極、健康的晚年生活。�豐義工在參與這計劃」過程中更是獲益良多。」�豐義工與其長者友伴表示，�豐義工經常探訪他們，減少他們的孤獨感，亦讓他們感到人間有愛。另外，�豐義工分享感受時則表示，計劃讓他們真正了解長者的需要，而長者積極的生活態度也為他們帶來更多人生啟發。本版逢星期一刊出儲存倉

　　8月13日，mini storage七夕節來臨。支付寶與天弘基金在6月剛剛正式推出的“餘額寶”將迎來首場大考。　　所謂“餘額寶”，就是支付寶的用戶可以通過向餘額增值賬戶充值，直接在線上購買天弘基金的增利寶貨幣基金，且增值賬戶內的資金還能隨時用于網上購物、支付寶轉賬、繳費等支付。與傳統貨幣基金不同，天弘增利寶對於流動性要求很高，甚至有在節假日、網站購物大型促銷時期遭遇大額贖回的可能性。　　對於即將到來的“8·13”促銷，支付寶和天弘基金方面表示都已經準備好了預案，即便有大額贖回也並不足慮。“貨幣基金的投資管理中，贖回並不可怕，可怕的是突發的不可預期的贖回，如果提前知道了有贖回，那就會有100種方法來應對。七夕節期間的“8·13”大促銷早就是已知信息，我們會根據其活動情況來提前準備頭寸，並隨時溝通、調整，預估越臨近越接近真實情況。”天弘基金相關人士表示。　　上海某中型基金公司一貨幣基金經理表示，一旦實際贖回規模超出預判，流動性風險就會凸顯。為了確保流動性，天弘增利寶的收益率或將受到一定影響。流動性管理能力存疑　　每年七夕節，是商家必爭的銷售旺季，今年也不例外。在淘寶和天貓的網站上，各種七夕促銷的廣告格外醒目。而七夕節所帶來的交易額激增以及天弘增利寶的大量贖回風險，對誕生不久的餘額寶無疑是一大考驗。　　�所周知，貨幣資金最大的難題是流動性和收益性。增利寶貨幣基金（餘額寶資金管理方）具有客戶分散、客單量小、流量相對穩定等特點，在兼顧消費、投資雙重功能的同時，在對網上年輕一族的消費習慣與消費方式不了解的情況下，申贖資金或可能出現大進大出之勢。　　上述貨幣基金經理認為，支付寶的客戶穩定性不夠，這對貨幣基金流動性管理的壓力會比較大。　　海通證券研報也指出，“餘額寶”的流動性風險首先受制于貨幣基金的流動性狀況，短期大額贖回和貨幣基金流動性管理不當都有可能導致“餘額寶”出現流動性風險，如去年天貓“雙十一”活動單日交易額就超過200億元，大額被動贖回勢必給流動性帶來一定衝擊。　　對於“七夕”和“雙十一”，支付寶和天弘基金都做好了應對方案。“我們已經和天弘基金一起做好了預案，具體細節不便透露。”支付寶公關總監陳亮說。　　王登峰曾坦言，在投資品種上，這只基金會比傳統的貨幣基金更加保守，更注重流動性和安全性。在資產配置上會注意幾點：第一，銀行存款會配置50%到90%；第二，主要是配置高流動性、低風險的債券，如國債，央行票據或者AAA企業債；第三，滾動的資金到期，保證高流動性以對付不可預見的贖回。　　值得一提的是，“七夕”的小試牛刀或許有利於餘額寶順利通過“雙十一”的大考驗。陳亮告訴《中國經營報》記者，今年“雙十一”的確是個比較大的事件，對支付寶來說也意味著考驗。他們會在支付方面提前做好準備預案。　　天弘基金方面表示，針對“雙十一”大型促銷活動的備戰也已開始。“準備時間和內容都要比日常多很多。已經有過去的經驗可循，我們會在投資管理上提前做一些安排，做一些預估，並根據我們和阿里平台的信息交互來不斷優化調整預估數據。離大促越近，預估的越精准。”餘額寶模式難複制　　據上海某基金公司電商部門人士透露，超過20家基金公司與阿里金融聯繫，希望參照天弘模式和“餘額寶”合作。但“雙十一”之前，為了避免流動性風險，支付寶都不打算與其他基金公司合作。　　對此，陳亮表示，對與其他基金公司合作暫時沒有說法。　　看到餘額寶的成功後，各電商、第三方支付企業近日都摩拳擦掌要投身互聯網金融，試圖複制其模式。餘額寶、活期寶、現金寶、收益寶等頻出，一時間貨幣基金成為互聯網金融平台和基金公司合作的“先行者”。　　清科研究中心認為，支付寶作為國內最大的第三方支付平台，其龐大的用戶和沉澱資金規模都是中國電子商務行業發展早期的多方面因素促成，具有一定特殊性和偶然性，難以複制。如果難以複制一個支付寶出來，那麼複制出的“餘額寶”則相比其他貨幣基金或銀行理財產品的優勢就不明顯了，發展空間有限。　　可見的是，基金公司在進一步尋求與互聯網平台的合作。華夏基金近日首開微信交易渠道，通過微信平台推出“微理財”——活期通。　　而就在8月初，備受關注的國泰淘金互聯網債基拿到批文，該基金也將成為通過淘寶發售的首只債券型基金。另外，據悉，本月底或將有十余家基金公司在淘寶網上開始售賣基金。　　天弘基金相關人士此前表示，對於大型促銷，支付寶有大量的客戶數據、資金的流動規律的數據可以借鑒。“借助大數據，我們可以把握購物支付的規律，尤其是‘大促’和節前消費等影響基金流動性的因素都可以事先預估，這些條件更利於我們把握未來基金規模變化趨勢。”　　盡管天弘基金很樂觀，但事實經常比預想得殘酷。支付寶對去年“雙十一”的交易量激增預判不足self storage招致很多消費者的投訴。支付寶CTO李靜明曾在接受媒體採訪時表示：“凌晨開始瞬間進來的量太大了，第15分鐘的時候甚至進來了40萬，這嚇了我們一跳。這些瞬間的峰值導致了用戶在購物頁面和支付環節都要等待，我們為此採取了緊急限流措施，讓用戶排隊完成付款。”此外，作為合作方，盡管銀行多準備了應急預案，但仍出現了用戶付款不通暢的情況。　　這意味著，對投資者的申贖行為進行準確預判，從而保證增利寶的流動性和收益，將是天弘基金面臨的不小考驗。　　值得擔憂的是，其增利寶基金經理王登峰僅有4年證券從業經驗。“作為貨幣基金經理，如果沒有經歷過幾次比較大的事件，管理能力值得觀察。”上海某基金公司固定收益部負責人表示。　　公開資料顯示，王登峰為經濟學碩士，2009年7月至2012年5月期間曾任中信建投證券股份有限公司固定收益部高級經理；2012年5月加盟天弘基金固定收益部，曾任固定收益研究員，現任天弘現金管家貨幣型證券投資基金及天弘增利寶貨幣市場基金基金經理。收益難免下滑　　為了應對流動性考驗，餘額寶的收益率或將下行。值得注意的是，由於在錢荒時期建倉，增利寶的收益率高于同類，天弘將其視為一大賣點，吸引了不少投資者。數據顯示，最高在7月1日的七日年化收益率為6.3070%，6月26日其每萬份收益曾到達1.7198。　　知情人士透露，目前餘額寶的餘額早已大幅超過150億元。業內人士預計，“餘額寶”近期會迅猛增長，從零增長至百億、乃至千億元；但在千億級別後會面臨瓶頸，增速放緩。　　海通證券的研報認為，一旦“餘額寶”發展到一定的體量，流動性管理壓力會明顯加劇。　　報告指出，“餘額寶”內資金可隨時在天貓和淘寶上進行消費，但貨幣基金每日收盤後才能給“餘額寶”結算，這期間實際是支付寶為貨幣基金進行了信用墊付，如果貨幣基金無法按時與支付寶進行交割，支付寶則面臨頭寸風險。目前支付寶的日均交易額大約為45億元，假設平均周轉時間為5~7天，則支付寶的日均沉澱資金也僅有200~300億元，一旦“餘額寶”發展到一定的體量，支付寶自身就很難應付流動性危機的衝擊。上規模後，“餘額寶”必須保留較大規模的備付資金，但這就會對“餘額寶”的收益和流動性產生影響。　　可見的是，天弘基金方面頗為樂觀。“我們的流動性管理由三大法寶來保障：第一，作為基金經理與電商部和運營部建立溝通機制，利用首只互聯網基金的優勢，利用大數據平台及時把握申購贖回信息；第二，對於基金資產配置，不去片面追求高收益，而是把流動性放在首位；第三，對於可能出現的大規模贖回，大都是由電商平台促銷活動帶來的，我們會提前跟蹤信息，提前做好安排。萬一出現不可預見的大贖回，我們也可以通過回購、賣債或者提前支取存款等方式來滿足贖回要求。”　　上述貨幣基金經理指出，為了確保流動性，增利寶的收益率預計會慢慢走低。8月7日的數據顯示，天弘增利寶的七日年化收益率為4.5090%，每萬份收益為1.2118（比如投資者購買了20000元餘額寶，當天的實際收益就是2×1.2118=2.4236元）。和同類貨幣基金相比，收益較高。可資對比的是，同日，博時現金收益貨幣的七日年化收益率僅為4.024%，每萬份收益為0.9365。背景資料　　餘額寶是由天弘基金聯手第三方支付平台支付寶打造的一項餘額增值服務。通過餘額寶，用戶不僅能夠得到較高的收益，還能隨時消費支付和轉出。用戶在支付寶網站內就可以直接購買基金等理財產品，獲得相對較高的收益，同時餘額寶內的資金還能隨時用于網上購物、支付寶轉賬等支付功能。轉入餘額寶的資金在第二個工作日由基金公司進行份額確認，對已確認的份額會開始計算收益。餘額寶的優勢在於轉入餘額寶的資金不僅可以獲得較高的收益，還能隨時消費支付，靈活便捷。2013年6月17日，餘額寶正式上線。　　支付寶與天弘基金管理有限公司的合作模式具體為，支付寶推出餘額寶業務，用于為其客戶提供現金增值，客戶將錢轉入餘額寶，即申購了天弘增利寶基金，隨後享受貨幣基金收益。用戶選擇將資金從餘額寶轉出或使用餘額寶進行購物支付，則相當于贖回增利寶基金份額。目前，天弘基金是餘額寶服務的唯一產品提供者。　　餘額寶購買的是貨幣型基金。貨幣基金是所有基金產品中風險比較低的一類產品，一般用于投資國債、銀行存款等安全性高、收益穩定的金融工具，國內貨幣基金的年化收益率普遍在3%至4%，而活期存款的年收益只有0.35%。簡單來說，10萬元，通過活期存款一年的收益只有350元，而如果通過餘額寶一年的收益可以達到3000元至4000元左右，收益比活期高出近十倍。　　然而比起其他貨幣基金，餘額寶的劣勢在於其為了保持較強的流動性，隨著備付金需求的增多，流動性增強，其收益可能會隨之下降。迷你倉

Financial institutions await multibillion-dollar IPOs of asset managers Cinda and HuarongSome market participants are wondering if shares in Hong Kong-listed state-owned lenders will pick up now that growth in the world’s second-biggest economy looks like stabilising.自存倉Seasoned managers, including a group of powerful foreign investment banks and private equity firms, have been mulling bets on the proposed multibillion-dollar listings of two of the asset management companies that were established on the mainland to take care of state-owned lenders’ non-performing assets in 1999.Cinda and Huarong, two of the four vehicles that were formed to turn around the bad assets of the lenders, are preparing to launch their share offerings in the next six months in Hong Kong.Given its ability to fend off economic headwinds, Cinda, which held a beauty parade in Beijing for potential investors at the weekend, is looking to raise between US$2 billion and US$3 billion in the fourth quarter, which could be Hong Kong’s biggest initial public offering this year if the mega-sized Alibaba deal falls apart.Huarong, which will be choosing its pre-listing and strategic investors in the fourth quarter, would start its share sale at some point next year.Such an offering would overshadow the long-awaited listings of city and provincial-level lenders, which are suffering from unfavourable valuations and shrinking margins after the central bank signalled market-oriented reforms of the antiquated financial system.The boom迷你倉新蒲崗ng shadow banking sector on the mainland is vaguely defined and includes underground lending activity in which people lend directly to each other, partly reflecting the undeveloped nature of regular financing channels and a build-up of risk in the financial sector.The logic behind the intuition of Western financial institutions is simple. An easing of growth in China will cause asset deterioration and create business opportunities for bad loan agencies to finance or manage a growing number of troubled companies.In some cases this could include private equity having a role in helping turn around the struggling companies, which may include capital-intensive steel smelters, coal miners and railway operators, in return for lucrative annual returns of more than 30 per cent.Deal-savvy bankers and private equity titans made handsome profits from the first wave of pre-listing investments in a number of mainland financial institutions. Cases include the investment by Goldman Sachs in Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, and Carlyle’s purchase of China Pacific Insurance.Now it looks like they are keen to replicate those deals and they have locked in new targets.New mainland debt issued from 2009 to last year was about 110 per cent of gross domestic product, and total debt to GDP is now 205 per cent, according to investment bank CLSA.This sends a clear signal to investors that credit-fuelled growth has reached an inflection point where rising debt does not sustain further growth.ray.utchan@scmp.com迷你倉出租

Source: Pittsburgh Post-GazetteAug.新蒲崗迷你倉 11----Live fast, die young and leave a beautiful corpse -- attributed variously to Irene Luce in 1920, Willard Motley in his 1947 novel "Knock on Any Door," and quoted by James Dean.--Aging seems to be the only way to live a long life -- Kitty O'Neill Collins.--Old age ain't no place for sissies -- Bette DavisThe idea of living to 120 does not fill me with joy. Not that I expect to, but just thinking about it is pretty unnerving.Perhaps if I could hang in for that long in good enough shape to enjoy life -- that is, without becoming infirm, going broke or losing my marbles -- it would be one thing. Failing that, I doubt it would be worth the trouble.But what if anti-aging advances made it possible to become much older while still feeling, looking and acting young? What if doctors could keep us healthy and productive by replacing failing organs with high-tech models the way car mechanics change out broken carburetors, and rejuvenate skin and hair, and keep those muscles, nerves and brain cells in top working order?What, in other words, if we could age without actually aging? Or even reverse the aging process altogether?We're already on that path with joint replacements, botox, laser treatments, full-body lifts and in vitro fertilization allowing women in their 60s to have babies. A few decades from now, those methods could be far surpassed by breakthroughs in everything from radical diet change to bio-medical technology and pharmacology.The Pew Research Center decided to find out how Americans think and feel about the possibility of dramatically extended lifespans. Last week it released a report called "Living to 120 and Beyond," revealing a nation divided by the prospect.Some 56 percent of respondents would not personally want treatments allowing them to live significantly longer lives -- but 64 percent think other people would. About 51 percent said much longer life spans would be bad for society, available only to the wealthy while draining natural resources and burdening the economy. But 41 percent said longer lives would be a good thing.More than two-thirds said they'd like to live to somewhere between 79 and 100. The median desired life span was 90, or 11 years longer than the current average U.S. life expectancy, which is 78.7 years.Interestingly, views on super-aging didn't vary based on religious belief or practice. But they did vary with race and ethnicity -- blacks and Hispanics were more likely to see radical life extension as a good thing for society.On balance, though, Americans viewed medical advances that prolong life as generally good (63 percent) rather than as interfering with the natural cycle of life (32 percent).(See the full report and two sister studies by Pew Research Center's Religion & Public Life Project at pewresearch.ormini storage; type "living to 120" in the search box.)We've got a way to go toward radical life expansion, but there's no question we're headed there. As Pew notes, with falling birthrates and rising life expectancies, the U.S. population is rapidly aging. By 2050, the U.S. Census Bureau projects, one in five Americans will be 65 or older, and at least 400,000 will be 100 or older.Meanwhile, the safety net for the elderly remains shot through with holes. That may not be a problem for people with plenty of resources, but most Americans have enough budgetary strain as it is without adding several decades to their dance cards.Of course, if we're all healthy at 120, appropriate housing and medical care will be less problematic. More of a worry would be young people who can't find jobs because they're all occupied by 90-year-olds who are sharp and spry as ever.Then again, the fountain of youth will no doubt be reserved for those who could afford the best care anyway. So there would still be plenty of business for the folks who make adult diapers, walkers and hearing aids.It still seems like science fiction, and writers have certainly toyed with the subject, but there's always a tradeoff.In "Lost Horizon" and "Brigadoon," people stay young as long as they never cross the borders of their enchanted lands. In "The Picture of Dorian Gray," a painting of the debauched character ages while he remains youthful, until he meets a fitting end.Then there's "Cocoon," where retirees discover a fountain of youth created by an extraterrestrial and like the effects so much, they sign on for the return interplanetary trip, leaving Earth forever -- except for one couple that prefers to let earthly nature take its course. The tradeoff: never seeing their families again.There's the dystopian "In Time," set in a future where people stop aging at 25 but get only one more year of life unless they earn more. Naturally, the supply of time is controlled by evil bankers who hoard it for the super-wealthy while everyone dies an early death. As the bad guy puts it: "For a few to be immortal, many must die."I'm not sure that living so long is such a great idea, even if the negative effects of aging can be controlled or eliminated. I'm already making anachronistic cultural references that draw blank stares from young people --Ed Sullivan, Imogene Coca, the Burma Road and yes, even the Korean War (although "M--A--S--H" reruns have helped with that one). At 120, my great-great-great grandchildren would no doubt consider me completely batty.On the other hand, at 120 I probably wouldn't care.Sally Kalson is a columnist for the Post-Gazette (skalson@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1610).Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at .post-gazette.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesself storage

Source: Standard-Examiner, Ogden, UtahAug.迷你倉出租 11--Looking for some real fun? Go get your driver's license renewed.For those of you fortunate enough to have your license to drive expire in the foreseeable future, I have one teensy bit of advice to make the entire renewal process a whole lot less painful:Emigrate.To Canada. Or Australia. Or any number of other English-speaking countries where they've never even heard of the Utah Department of Public Safety's Driver License Division.Trust me, emigrating will just be easier. And it will certainly require far fewer forms of identification to prove you're you.Either that, or simply stop driving altogether. Because seriously? It hardly seems worth it.Last Friday, realizing I had a birthday coming up and that my driver's license was about to expire, I attempted to renew it. Speaking of expiring ...Let me begin by saying that the folks at the Driver License Division have made great strides in the field of wait sciences. They truly have streamlined the process from the olden days, when you'd spend an hour or more standing between two ropes in a long, snaking line of people coughing and sniffling, hoping for the chance to talk to a state worker with attitude to spare.Now? It's a completely different experience. You only have to stand in line for, like, five or 10 minutes. And THEN you spend the rest of the hour or more sitting in a waiting room with a bunch of people coughing and sniffling, hoping for the chance to talk to a state worker with ... well, you get the idea.I will say this: Every person I encountered at the Driver License Division in Farmington was friendly, courteous and helpful. Well, at least the folks who worked there, anyway. Frankly, my fellow waitees were just as dour and downright 儲存倉rumpy as I remember them from past renewals.But the current division employees? To a man or woman, they were cheerful, caring professionals who actually made the renewal experience somewhat palatable. It makes you wonder what they did with all the crabby, condescending people who used to work there. Sell them to France?In the waiting room, I happened to be seated next to an elderly gentleman who was there to renew his license. This man had to have been in his mid- to late-80s, easy.Thirty minutes into our wait, the two of us began commiserating. He told me that, despite the long wait, he was taking great comfort in the fact that the odds were good he wouldn't be around to have to renew his license the next time it expired."Next time?" I asked. "Listen, I hate to be the one to break the bad news, but at the rate they're calling us up to the counter, you might not even be around this time."Start to finish, the entire ordeal took a little more than an hour -- and that was with a waiting room that was only half full when I arrived. By the time I left, it was standing-room-only, and there were vehicles lined up outside the building, waiting for a chance at a parking space. I don't know. Some of those people may still be waiting.Yes, yes. I realize that there's an easier way to do all this. Sure, the state of Utah now allows you to go online and set up an appointment for your driver's license renewal, and it will cut out of the equation much of the wait time.But where's the fun in that?Contact Mark Saal at 801-625-4272 or msaal@standard.net, or follow him on Twitter at @Saalman.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Standard-Examiner (Ogden, Utah) Visit the Standard-Examiner (Ogden, Utah) at .standard.net Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉沙田

Source: Erie Times-News, Pa.迷你倉庫Aug. 11--It didn't take long for the Cleveland Indians game to go south in a major way on Thursday night, and after a trying day at work I was in no mood to watch the first-place Detroit Tigers finish the sweep with a rout.So I switched to a channel I knew would offer a happy ending. The Pittsburgh Pirates had won earlier in the day with a walk-off single in extra innings, and the replay was inspiring even without the suspense.Those would be the first-place Pirates. Those would be, on that night, the best-record-in-baseball Pirates.My old friend Tina, a maven of all Pittsburgh sports franchises, has fully bought into the program. After each win, she takes to Facebook to raise the Jolly Roger and proclaim, "I BELIEVE!"Other Bucs fans I know are more cautious. They're digging their team's run, sure, but they're a bit reluctant to trust it.They have their reasons, chief among them living through the Pirates becoming a punch line as they compiled the longest string of losing seasons, 20, of any team in North American professional sports. Even seeing the Bucs hitting on all cylinders well into August can't completely dispel the effects of that.A similar psychology can be found among my fellow Cleveland Browns fans, some of whom are diligently downplaying hopeful signs coming from the new regime. If you don't get your hopes up, the Browns can't let you down.There's no rivalry between local Pirates and Indians fans to parallel the spiteful divide between the faithful of the Browns and Pittsburgh's Steelers, though I suppose that might change if the local favorites ever collided in the World Series. They're in different leagues in a more genteel game.In fact, I've long rooted for the Bucs second only to the Tribe. I was raised that way.Following her Pirates was one of the big joys of life for my grandmother, who lived with us for much of my childhood. In those days before cable, she'd follow their fortunes religiously on her transistor radio.Her passion for the Pirates rubbed off more readi儲存y, I'm sure, because they were winners in those grade school years when I first started paying close attention. My only real sporting idol as a kid was the great Pittsburgh right fielder Roberto Clemente.My loyalties drifted to the Indians in due course, perhaps conditioned by my friends or out of geographic solidarity with my dad's preference for football's Browns. But my soft spot for the Pirates endured.I remember my whole family gathered around the 25-inch console TV on that October evening in 1979 when Willie Stargell cranked one in Game 7 on the way to the Pirates winning the Series, their second of the decade. We were cheering for Grandma as much as the Bucs.The championships of the 1970s are just stories to younger generations of Pittsburgh fans. And the past two decades, with the unrelenting litany of losing, have taunted those who remember glory days and denied younger fans any highlights of their own.Pittsburgh sports backers can't complain too much in the scheme of things. There have been Super Bowl rings and Stanley Cups in the years since the Jolly Roger was the last banner waving.But I remind myself that if my grandmother even knew the Steelers existed, she paid them no mind. And I'm pretty sure she never watched a hockey game in her life.To her, baseball was the only game there was. And when her Bucs were going well, all was right with the world.Memories of that are a big part of what has me rooting for the Pirates almost as much as the Indians this summer. I think of how avidly she'd be following along, pulling for "my boys."Now and then the world of sports comes up with a magical, out-of-nowhere moment. Here's hoping that what's unfolding at PNC Park turns out to be one of them.Write to Managing Editor Pat Howard at 205 W. 12th St., Erie, PA 16534, or e-mail him at pat.howard@timesnews.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/ETNhoward.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Erie Times-News (Erie, Pa.) Visit the Erie Times-News (Erie, Pa.) at .GoErie.com Distributed by MCT Information Services新蒲崗迷你倉

By Rob Taylor in Sydney ( China Daily) Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is battling not only jaded voters in a bitter election race, but the rancor of Rupert Murdoch, whose newspapers have depicted Rudd as a fictional bumbling Nazi colonel to a thief stealing the nation's savings.self storageThe Australian-born Murdoch's crusade to oust Rudd in the Sept 7 general election has given rise to a heated social media campaign inside a campaign, as Twitter, Facebook and other digital platforms become the weapons used by some to try to outflank Murdoch's "old media".As the campaign kicked off last week, Murdoch's best-selling Daily Telegraph tabloid urged readers to "Kick This Mob Out" over a picture of Rudd at Parliament House.In another front page from Murdoch's News Corp stable, Rudd and Deputy Prime Minister Anthony Albanese were shown as the hapless Nazi officers from the 1960s Hogan's Heroes television show, while another greeted a high-profile recruit to Rudd and Labor's center-left cause with the headline "Send in the Clown".In the finely poised western Sydney seat of Parramatta, Julie Owens, a member of Parliament for Rudd's Labor party, says the influence of the Murdoch press is hurting, with the billionaire's papers having adopted an even more confrontational stance than in past years."People aren't as aware of what we have done, and they can't judge us as a government," Owens said. "They can only judge us as a reality TV show - who is evil, who is bad, who is hard done by - and that's what the news has become." Exactly what Murdoch's motivations are have been much debated.Many people think Murdoch is using his 70 percent grip on big-city newspaper sales to protect the dominance of his prized cable TV investments from emerging digital media threats, chiefly a publicly funded $34 billion super broadband network championed by Rudd.Murdoch lent credence to that theory, taking to Twitter to criticize "Oz politics!" and question how the cross-continent broadband - which the conservative opposition wants to scale back in cost and scope - could be paid for in Australia's AAA-rated but slowing economy."News Corp hates the government's National Broadband Network. The company has formed a view that it poses a threat to the business model of by far its most important asset in Australia, the Foxtel cable TV monopoly," wrote columnist Paul Sheehan for the rival Fairfax newspaper group.Telecommunications analysts don't doubt Labor's NBN, rolling fiber cable into almost every home, threatens Murdoch's most important Australian asset, Foxtel, jointly owned with phone giant Telstra and near unchallenged in pay TV."Broadband, in general, undermines the business model that Foxtel and others hav迷你倉, where you have to buy a package of programs that you don't want, and 90 percent of which is rubbish," said telecommunications analyst Paul Budde.But the 82-year-old, who has earned the nickname the "Sun King", also appears to be favoring conservative politics as he has done in Britain and the United States, while reinvigorating an Australian political war that dates back as far as 1975 and the dismissal of then-Labor prime minister Gough Whitlam.Back then, Murdoch oversaw coverage that was seemingly so one-sided in favor of opposition conservatives, and controversial, that his own journalists went on strike.Social network Rudd has also fought battles with Murdoch's papers over ultimately false accusations of political favors supposedly done in 2009 for a car dealer friend, and again over ill-fated attempts to tighten Australian media regulation following phone-hacking scandals in Britain.Rudd has responded to the Murdoch push against him with a heavy reliance on social media, including announcing the start of the election campaign over Twitter, where he regularly messages and posts photos.Labor has recruited three digital media heavyweights from US President Barack Obama's 2012 campaign team, including British spoof video expert Matthew McGregor and Tom McMahon, dubbed Obama's "digital attack dog".McGregor has helped create slick What we do now videos, calling for volunteers and telling digital savvy voters that "right now, it's 50/50" and "stopping Tony Abbott starts now".Abbot is the opposition leader hoping to replace Rudd as prime minister.Although all parties are using social media extensively, Ed Husic, Rudd's broadband minister, said the new platforms were helping counter the impact of the Murdoch media."Social media has been transformational, it's enormously positive. It's allowed MPs to talk about issues of importance to them and their communities that it has been difficult to do so previously," Husic said while campaigning in his western Sydney electorate.Which approach works best may be decided on Sept 7, but a week into the campaign, support for Labor is slipping, especially in Sydney's crucial western outer fringes, where the slowing economy, jobs and immigration are flashpoint issues.The conservative opposition led by Abbott has picked up 2 points since the campaign began in earnest, according to the latest opinion poll from Neilsen in Fairfax newspapers, mirroring other major surveys.However, there is also a sense that neither the political parties, nor those like Murdoch agitating on the sidelines, are getting through to many voters, by new media or old, with some analysts tipping a record protest vote despite Australia's compulsory voting system.Reuters文件倉

Source: The Columbus Dispatch, OhioAug.mini storage 11--Josh Mandel still is talking about shop class.As a Republican U.S. Senate candidate crisscrossing Ohio last year, Mandel sought support by pressing an idea that wasn't exactly at the forefront of most political rhetoric and ideology -- that Ohioans should recommit themselves to providing vocational training at the high-school level.He also touched on other, more-obvious themes as he barnstormed the state in 2012, among them his unmitigated support for fracking and lower taxes.Now it's 2013 and Mandel is still the state's treasurer, having lost to Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown in a campaign during which Mandel was defined early as an eager politician who spent too much time on the road instead of attending to his duties as treasurer.There is no campaign for Mandel to run until his re-election bid next year, yet he still is touring the state, talking about things like taxes, energy and especially shop class. The question, of course, is why? These are policy issues that are fit for a Senate campaign speech but seemingly fall outside the purview of his role as treasurer.But Mandel doesn't see it that way. He calls it "leveraging the leadership of my office." He calls it governing."One of the problems with a lot of politicians is, they get elected to office and they disappear from the public and no one can access them," Mandel told The Dispatch during one recent barnstorming trip. "I am the opposite. I take pride in being accessible to the people of the state. I am trying to hold as many public gatherings as possible, so people can shake my hand, look me in the eye, and ask me a question."Since the end of January, Mandel has been on a coordinated schedule of more than 50 trips across the state, many of them billed as "economic-development roundtables" with local government officials and business leaders. At these meetings, he hands out a folder thick with information about his treasurer's office, highlighting items like his popular STAR Plus program, an investment pool for local governments that has eclipsed $1 billion in short time and is producing high yields. Mandel opens each meeting talking about STAR Plus and other initiatives -- like putting more of the state's spending on the Internet. Then, he asks for feedback on how he could do better or how state government as a whole could improve.The conversation almost always evolves into a broader policy discussion stretching in some cases beyond his role as treasurer -- someone once asked him whether he thought the legislature and governor would ever restore local government funding. The audience, typically between 10 and 25 people, often gives Mandel the highest praise for talking about things like ... shop class."I was impressed by his push for blue-collar jobs," said Rick Wanner, owner of Wanner Metal Worx, where Mandel held a recent meeting in Delaware."Just by him talking about the need for vocational training, it kind of brings the issue to the forefroself storaget ... and if that leads to more jobs and more people bringing home paychecks, then it does affect him as treasurer."So interactions with Wanner would be reason enough for any politician, let alone Mandel, to continue with this kind of travel. But there could be others, though Mandel rejects the suggestion.Mandel's negatives were higher than his favorables in Quinnipiac University polling as Election Day neared last year, and in 2010 he widely was criticized for negative campaigning in his defeat of then-Treasurer Kevin Boyce. During his recent Delaware meeting, Mandel told the more than a dozen people there that Boyce "was one of the state's best treasurers when it comes to financial literacy training."Mandel pays for these trips with campaign money. His treasurer's campaign has spent $6,500 on gas, $3,800 on food at restaurants, more than $6,000 to "reimburse" campaign aides for travel and $15,000 to buy a vehicle during the first seven months of this year out of the $1.2 million Mandel raised.Not all of that spending was used for trips as treasurer, but Mandel said he hasn't billed any of his food or fuel costs to the state. In fact, he said, his office sold the cars that were allocated specifically for use by treasury officials.Also, pictures from the meetings Mandel holds -- and the restaurants he attends nearby the events -- often appear on his campaign Twitter account.The tone was set in the Brown-Mandel race last year when it was revealed that Mandel had skipped the first 14 monthly meetings of the Ohio Board of Deposit -- which he chairs. Mandel now says missing those meetings was a "mistake," and his staff said he hasn't missed one since Feb. 23, 2012.So after what happened in 2012 and what's to come in 2014, when Ohio has no Senate race, you could say it is either a brilliant or puzzling strategy of political rehabilitation for Mandel to take to the road this year."I think Sherrod's campaign was very successful in painting him as being in too much of a hurry," said Joseph T. Deters, a former Republican state treasurer who is now Hamilton County prosecutor. "Obviously that was an easy target for the (Senate) campaign. The best politics in the world is running a good office. Josh is running his office well, and he's doing good stuff; the politics will take care of itself."After Mandel's meeting in Delaware, he headed south to another one in Circleville. He had two more scheduled in Chillicothe and New Boston after that.As the county treasurers, bankers, a county commissioner and business representatives in Circleville peppered Mandel with questions about interest rates and small-business lending, Mandel commented to the group about the value he sees in these meetings."I can do these all day, every day and we still wouldn't get to enough people," Mandel said.@joevardonCopyright: ___ (c)2013 The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio) Visit The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio) at .dispatch.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉