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Source: Pittsburgh Post-GazetteAug.存倉 11--Walking under his giant white oak tree on his Washington County farm, Paul Karpan appears calm, even meditative, with spirits high. In his 90 years, he's spent many inspired hours with the green monster."This is a landmark on this farm -- something you can kind of be proud of," he said.The mighty oak, which likely took root in the nation's earliest decades, provided shade for his beef cows, a site for picnics and a target for a few bolts of lightning, all while serving as an environmental steward of his 51-year-old Blaine Township farm. Hug this tree and your arms barely bend.Mr. Karpan keeps an eye on the old oak to assure it's still standing because he knows that "every big tree has to die off."Majestic giants like the white oak are Earth's largest organisms and among its oldest. They pierce the sky with circus-tent canopies. They filter air, water and soil, and science now tells us they rule the ecosystem to the benefit of virtually every creature and organism, including humans.But over the past three centuries, old-growth trees were chopped down for fuel, farming, development or lumber. Scientists now are realizing the consequences. Champion native trees, with their good genes and long lives that have spanned centuries, could play a role significantly more important than serving as modern spectacles of nature.PG graphic: Metrics to Measure(Click image for larger version)A highly regarded arborist known for cloning ancient trees says old giants like Mr. Karpan's are needed to save the world from climate change."It's a question mark of human beings' existence on the planet," said David Milarch, co-founder of Archangel Ancient Tree Archive in Copemish, Mich. "If we put forests back with native trees, the rest starts to heal itself, starting in your own yards or along the streets where you live."Green superheroesMore than two centuries ago, Thomas Jefferson reportedly said a squirrel could climb a tree on the Eastern seaboard and not touch ground until it reached the Mississippi River.Maps representing old-growth forests three centuries ago support that claim. Ancient forests displayed in black, show the entire eastern half of the United States solidly black. Modern maps, though, are solidly white with what appears to be only a few pepper shakes along the West Coast and Rocky Mountains.Only 2 percent of old-growth forests remain standing in the United States, with only a half percent in Europe.Mr. Milarch -- the subject of Jim Robbins' 2011 book, "The Man Who Planted Trees" -- says champion trees sport the genes of old-growth forests.He, his two sons and Archangel have successfully cloned 150 species of ancient and champion trees. Archangel is using these clones to help re-establish old-growth forests to counter what Mr. Milarch describes as the imminent environmental disaster from climate change.His team takes cuttings of fresh growth from treetops. In a process previously deemed impossible due to the trees' ages, they plant numerous fresh cuttings in nurseries to sprout many thousands of new trees that replicate the genes of ancient trees. He has cloned 2,000- to 4,000-year-old redwoods and giant sequoias.Cloning native trees in Pennsylvania, he said, could help re-establish native old-growth forests here. The cloned trees could cross-pollinate with other seedlings to regenerate ancient-tree genetics.A 2010 article that Edward F. Frank wrote for the Native Tree Society identifies patches of old-growth forests in Western Pennsylvania including Hogg Woods, Butler County; the Plain Grove Fen, Lawrence County; Six Mile Run in the Moshannon State Forest, Centre County; Sixteen Mile Run in Erie County; and Presque Isle State Park, Erie County. The 3,000-acre Cook Forest in Clarion County is the state's largest old-growth forest. Patches of old growth still exist in McConnells Mill State Park, Lawrence County; and Ohiopyle State Park and Friendship Hill National Historic Site, both in Fayette County."Old, enormous trees have a mixture of genetics and fortuitous positions in the forest," said Mr. Frank, 56, of Reynoldsville, a volunteer with the society that does tree research while documenting and celebrating notable trees. "Patches of old trees can't be re-created. You never get what's lost when you cut one down."Mr. Frank said he supports Archangel's mission to regrow quality forests in Pennsylvania and beyond."Forests, in terms of acreage, are increasing," he said, noting new trees growing on abandoned farmland. "But the forests replacing [old-growth forests] don't have a long history behind them. Certain species reliant on old-growth forests are gone. The diversity of species is lost."In addition to human destruction of forests, the emerald ash borer, dutch elm disease and the hemlock woolly adelgid also are taking their toll on old-growth trees."I'd like to see stronger protection for patches of old-growth forests," Mr. Frank said.Mr. Milarch said Pennsylvania forests have been cut down three to six times. What's left, he said, are junk trees -- a statement that brings some debate from arborists, including Mr. Frank."We've destroyed the natural filter system that's been in place for thousands of years that assured a healthy life for all living things," Mr. Milarch said. "When we cut down the forests, we did more than cut down the trees. We destroyed ecosystems for millions and millions of organisms."The clock is ticking toward a deadline to re-establish forests and neutralize climate change.Mr. Milarch said re-established old forests would process the carbon dioxide that's causing climate change. Trees use the carbon to produce wood and leaves, functioning to sequester carbon while releasing oxygen necessary for life.Trees cool Earth's surface. They store water in their canopies and retain groundwater. They neutralize mercury and pollutants. Trees provide food for insects, humans, mammals, birds and insects and transport oxygen and minerals necessary to sustain ocean life and chemistry. Trees serve as the planet's heat shield, the preface of Mr. Robbins' book says, slowing down evaporation of water and cooling the earth."They are among our best allies in the uncertain future that is unfolding."Mr. Milarch is more adamant."We have 50 to 75 years. At that time it will be questionable whether humans can live on this planet," he said. "If we don't put the filter system back in place, we only will expedite the inevitable."It can be done in two ways: We can shrug it off and nature will get rid of us and do it herself over a hundred thousand or million years to replace the filtering system and the ecosystem. It has to be done. The question is whether we do it or nature do自存倉s it."People and organizations from 178 nations have contacted Archangel with interest in joining the effort to save and expand quality forestland worldwide."We're not about doom and gloom," Mr. Milarch said. "We're about solutions. We're about hope. We're about hands-on."Cloning the champsChampion trees live among us but require time and effort to find many of them.Southwestern Pennsylvania is home to several state champions -- two oak hybrids, a handsome tamarack and an emphatic slippery elm, among several nonnative and ornamental trees.In mournful news, the former state champion white oak near Footdale, Fayette County, was felled by lightning. Its gray trunk, 22 feet in circumference, now lies on its side like some dead elephant.That means Mr. Karpan's tree has potential to be the largest white oak in the state. In 2000, it stood 100 feet high with a 115-foot canopy and a trunk more than 20 feet in circumference. That trunk supports muscular limbs weighing tons. Its height, spread and trunk circumference earned it 373 points -- only 7 behind the current state champion white oak in London Grove, Chester County.The state champion tamarack, a type of larch, sits in the backyard of Elizabeth and Regis Killmeyer in Findlay, near Imperial. When they bought the property in March 1968, they thought they'd need to cut down the dead tree, only to discover it turned green with pine-like needles later in the spring."We thought it was dead," said Mr. Killmeyer, 79. "We're rookies. What did we know?"The tamarack has characteristics of both a deciduous (losing leaves seasonally) and coniferous (bearing cones, often an evergreen) tree. This area represents the southernmost habitat for the tree, which is more common in New England and Canada.At 191 points, the tamarack is only four points ahead of its closest competitor on a National Wildlife Federation Farm in Langhorne, Bucks County . But the tree hasn't been measured for 13 years, so a new measurement could expand its lead.Southwestern Pennsylvania's highest scoring tree -- at 460 points -- sits along a paved roadway near the Kiskiminetas River in Hyde Park, Westmoreland County.Stephen Halow, an amateur arborist from Waynesburg, who measured trees last week for the Post-Gazette, used his laser range finder to determine the tree to be 1021/2 feet, not the published height of 120 feet.Its 118-foot canopy adds 4 feet to its total, with a circumference of 314 inches providing three more points. But the shorter height drops its total points by 14 to 446. It's not lost ground. It remains the region's largest tree and the fourth-largest American sycamore and fifth-largest tree in the state.Pennsylvania's largest slippery elm stands protected by metal fence in front of Town and Country Transit in Kittanning, Armstrong County. Operations manager Gerry Miller said he didn't realize the tree's prominence until he found a certificate in the files identifying it as state champion."I see people stopping to look at it all the time," he said. "We put the metal fence around it because kids would use the root system to launch their bikes to the sidewalk. I feared they would get hurt or damage the tree."Mr. Halow's measurement shows the elm to be taller, broader and fatter, increasing its point total from 313 to 320.Pittsburgh's canopyPittsburgh, with 42 percent of the city under tree cover, is one of the most canopied cities in the United States, largely due to its steep tree-covered hillsides and many parks. But Tree Pittsburgh hopes to add trees to the city streets and parks.The cooling effect of a healthy tree is equivalent to 10 room-sized air conditioners operating 20 hours a day, Tree Pittsburgh notes. Shoppers travel further and stay longer in shopping areas lined with quality trees. They increase real estate value, retain water, reduce storm runoff and improve air quality by processing sulfur dioxide, carbon dioxide and other pollutants.Matt Erb, Tree Pittsburgh's director of urban forestry, said Allegheny Commons has large elm, tulip and cucumber magnolia trees near the Community College of Allegheny County campus. The Allegheny Cemetery also has large American sycamores near the war memorial and Civil War tombstone and a notable sassafras tree with a 9-foot trunk circumference. A notable grove of Kentucky coffee trees also stands near the intersection of Darlington Road and Serpentine Drive on the Bob O'Connor Golf Course in Schenley Park.The city maintains a website of city trees, including their diameters. (Go to pittsburghpa.gov and search on "treekeeper.")"I'm sure the region has a lot of trees to knock champions off the list in Eastern Pennsylvania," Mr. Erb said. "We just have to get them measured."Big tree competitionThe Pennsylvania Forestry Association's website -- .pabigtrees.com -- includes 1,299 trees that are champions or contenders. Most are in southeastern counties due to more moderate weather, less severe winters and a greater interest in heritage trees in that region."Trees on the list tend to be 150 to 200 years old," said Scott Wade, 46, of Media, outside of Philadelphia, who is state coordinator for the association's champion tree program. "Pennsylvania was cleared of trees in the 1850s and 1900 -- just about every stick. It's very rare to find a tree in the state over 200 years old, unless it was grown at a house or barn."Many champion trees were planted in front of houses or other buildings to keep the buildings cool, or in parks, where they've been protected.The state's largest tree is an American sycamore in Mercersburg, Franklin County, with 529 points, including a canopy that would cover half a football field. It stands nearly nine stories tall with a 32-foot trunk circumference. The second-largest, an eastern cottonwood in Halifax, Dauphin County, has a trunk 30.5 feet in circumference that helps provide it with 501 points.Nine of the 10 largest trees in the state are American sycamores, including southwestern Pennsylvania's largest in Westmoreland County. The highest tree at 148 feet -- about 12 stories high -- also is an American sycamore in Forest County."People want to see the tallest building, the biggest bridge, the Eiffel Tower and Mount Washington," Mr. Wade said. "Maximums are the favorite of the human species for some reason."Then he provides the reason."When I see a big tree, I get excited."David Templeton: dtempleton@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1578. Archangel Ancient Tree Archive's website is .ancienttreearchive.com. The Pennsylvania Forestry Association website is .pabigtrees.com.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Visit the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette at .post-gazette.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉新蒲崗

Source: Pioneer Press, St.迷你倉庫 Paul, Minn.Aug. 10--You can find them at the bottom of the reflecting pools at the World Trade Center memorial. They're also in the bedrooms of Bill Gates and Howard Stern. And they're made in the Twin Cities.Mendota Heights-based MetroSpec's LED light strips are becoming increasingly common in architectural light fixtures -- you might even have some in your home.Once used primarily for lighted digital displays like alarm clocks and microwave oven timers, LEDs -- short for light-emitting diodes -- have become practical for use as stand-alone light sources.The low power draw and long life make them a heavy favorite to dominate the lighting industry within the decade."Every 30 to 50 years, there's a transformation that happens inlighting," MetroSpec CEO Vic Holec said. "LED is the new thing, and right now it's gaining a foothold."MetroSpec's signature product, FlexRad, is a peel-and-stick flexible circuit board with LED lights every inch or so. FlexRad generally ships in reels of 200 to 300 feet. In June, the company shipped the last few feet of its 250th mile of the light strips.But you won't find FlexRad on the shelves at your local hardware store. MetroSpec only sells its lights to other manufacturers who use them in their products.MetroSpec's clients include a number of recognizable names in the commercial lighting industry, but the company won't share them publicly.What is more interesting is the company's process.Holec was inspired to get into manufacturing while he was in Switzerland on business in 2005.He was working in Osseo, Minn., at a branch of British engineering firm IMI at the time.IMI had recently acquired a small Swiss company that manufactured urinal valves.Holec was charged with evaluating the company's strengths and weaknesses.He was blown away. About the size of a house, the little factory's efficiency was in its automation."The whole production facility had, maybe, a dozen people," Holecremembered. "They were doing $20 million of business a year -- just cranking out these valves, one right after another. ... I took a lesson from this."While at IMI, Holec and three friends had begun moonlighting as technology consultants in 2002, working out of his Mendota Heights basement under the name MetroSpec.When Holec returned to the U.S. after his trip to Switzerland, he told his partners about the little valve company's operation and suggested they try to duplicate such efficiency at home. The partners decided to shift their focus to manufacturing. All that remained was to figure out what exactly they would produce.In 2006, Holec quit his job with IMI to focus on MetroSpec full time."It was definitely a leap of faith," Holec said.The company soon moved its headquarters out of his basement and into space at the University of Minnesota's U-Tech business incubator.In 2007, Holec and his partners settled on LED lighting as their specialization. The company had worked with LED lighting applications in the past and saw the potential for growth.After working out of U-Tech for about a year, the young company moved into its current headquarters in Mendota Heights.In 2008, t儲存eir first full year manufacturing FlexRad, the company's revenue reached $466,000. The following year, they brought in $2.3 million.And although the company stopped releasing its revenue information in 2012, Holec says sales have increased significantly since 2011, when they were $5.8 million.Holec attributes the company's rapid growth to its fanatical emphasis on efficiency, a trait he traces to his trip to Switzerland.Holec says that once FlexRad's raw materials are brought on the production floor, the finished product is done in only about six hours.The company's automated optical inspection system is custom-built to detect microscopic flaws in its FlexRad strips before they reach the later stages of production.Although most manufacturers would be happy with a scrap rate -- the amount of materials that are discarded due to damage or defect -- of 1 percent, Holec says MetroSpec's scrap rate is closer to .01 percent.FlexRad itself also is designed to be efficient in its use of materials. Its minimalist design was no accident."In electronics, you've got labor and you've got materials," Holec said. "Of course, the labor can be cut with automation. With materials, FlexRad uses a fraction of the copper and other materials that bigger boards do."Holec informs guests that the company's entire 13,000-square-foot headquarters is lit with a single reel of FlexRad -- about the size of a large pizza, and packaged in a similar box."A building's worth of light can be put into one of these pizza boxes," Holec said. "If those had been fluorescent bulbs, it would've been a truckload."The company's headquarters doubles as a showroom for FlexRad's potential applications. While each room is lit by the product, no two rooms have the same combination of fixtures -- some are manufactured by their clients, others are retrofitted from conventional fixtures.The architectural lighting industry -- MetroSpec's target market -- has been an early adopter of LED technology, which has boosted the company's sales significantly."Architectural lighting is usually defined as more aesthetic than functional," Holec said. "But those lines are blurring a lot with LED. What had been considered an architectural light has become more functional."The company also has been bolstered by the increased penetration of LED lighting products in the market overall.While LED's share of the general lighting market stood at about 5 percent in 2011, a 2012 study by McKinsey & Co. estimates that will increase to 70 percent by 2020."The problem has been that the cost has been too high," Holec said. "That's come down very, very rapidly. When we developed this technology, we were paying five times as much as we do now. Every six months, we're repricing with our customers."The McKinsey study bears this out, although LEDs still are as much as triple the price of a halogen bulb."We have a long way to go," Holec said.Nick Woltman can be reached at 651-228-5189.Follow him on Twitter at @nickwoltman.Copyright: ___ (c)2013 the Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.) Visit the Pioneer Press (St. Paul, Minn.) at .twincities.com Distributed by MCT Information Services新蒲崗迷你倉

After a five-year slog, the British economy finally seems poised to turn the corner.自存倉Economic growth, while still meagre, accelerated to 0.6 per cent in the second quarter of this year. Employment is rising, the housing market is slowly recovering and consumer confidence hit a three-year high last month.This nascent recovery is expected to be cemented by the Bank of England signalling that interest rates will remain low for several years to spur the economy, even as the United States Federal Reserve considers tapering back its own stimulus measures.The looming deviation between the two nations' monetary policies is good news for the British stock market, as growth is likely to be weaker in Britain than in the US and will thus need more stimulus, said senior portfolio manager and economist David Hollis at Allianz Global Investors (AllianzGI)."If rate expectations are anchored at low levels, a more permanent recovery can take hold with growth accelerating the deleveraging process," he said."The prospect of a divergence in monetary policy between the two nations should support a cyclical rebound in the UK economy and, with it, those stocks reliant on domestic demand."Citi economists agree. With central banks in Europe and Britain turning more accommodative just as the US heads in the other direction, "European and UK stocks could be in a short-term sweet spot", they said in a report last week.Equities on the continent are likely to benefit from factors such as looser monetary policies, relatively attractive valuations, possible surprises in terms of economic and earnings data, and the fact that they are "out of vogue" at the moment, Citi added.An apparent stabilisation in Europe's economy should give British companies a lift as well, Mr Hollis said.Business activity in the euro zone expanded last month for the first time in 18 months, according to the latest purchasing managers' index survey released last Monday."A recovery in the euro zone during the second half of this year is slowly taking shape, with sentiment indexes having recovered already, such that those UK companies reliant on external demand should also see an improvement in earnings," Mr Hollis said.Although British stock price迷你倉新蒲崗 have risen already, after US stimulus measures, resulting in higher price-earnings multiples as earnings have lagged, the British stock market still "appears cheap on a historical comparison", he said.While the firming of domestic and euro zone demand will lend support to most British companies, those with exposure to faster-growing emerging markets are likely to be the outperformers.Insurance group Prudential, for instance, rode out the global financial crisis by making the most of its dominant presence in Asia, posting healthy results last year and in the first quarter of this year. The group derives more than half of its new-business profit from Asia.In the first three months of this year, its new-business profit rose 5 per cent from levels a year ago - following an 18 per cent rise in the Asia segment - to reach ¢G563 million (S$1.1 billion), it said.The group added that it is on track to achieve its Asia growth objective for new-business profit from the region this year - to double the figure posted in 2009.Another Britain-based group banking on growth in developing markets is Reckitt Benckiser, better known as the maker of household products such as Dettol and Strepsils.The household and personal care company generates 44 per cent of its sales from emerging markets, and has enjoyed a steady increase in its pre-interest and pre-tax profit margins over the years. Its strategy is focused on niche positioning, innovation, rigorous cost control and strategic acquisitions.Both Prudential and Reckitt are featured in the Allianz Europe Equity Growth fund, which identifies and invests in quality companies in Europe demonstrating growth in earnings and cash flow that is structurally above average.The two companies are among the fund's top 10 holdings. Other firms in the top 10 include German software giant SAP, Danish beer manufacturer Carlsberg and Spanish fashion group Inditex.The fund, which employs a pure bottom-up stock selection approach, takes a long-term investment view of three to five years, and offers an alternative channel for investors looking to buy into world-class European brands with promising growth prospects.A series on investing brought to you by Allianz Global Investors迷你倉出租

Property market in British capital is playground for rich foreign investorsIt was standing room only: magicians, a kampung troupe, Chinese and Indian drums and hundreds of businessmen vying with one another to catch a glimpse of Malaysia's Prime Minister Najib Rajak and his British counterpart David Cameron as they recently unveiled a massive housing development scheme in London.儲存倉Everyone waxed lyrical about the Malaysian-funded project which will revive a site around the disused Battersea Power Station, a mere kilometre from the gilded spires of the Palace of Westminster and the heart of the British capital.And everyone was too polite to mention that this scheme, like many others, will provide swanky homes almost exclusively for rich foreigners who, in turn, will probably neither live in them nor rent them out.Welcome to the strange world of London's housing, where foreign investors call the shots, the locals don't even get a look-in and, although voters grumble about a horrid shortage of affordable homes, all British politicians mysteriously get away with doing nothing.For a foreigner with plenty of cash, plunging into the British property market is a no-brainer. There are no restrictions on who can purchase real estate, the 7.9 per cent one-off purchase tax is relatively low and the value of the pound has fallen by a third in real terms over the past few years. A low crime rate, a history of respect for private property and a net return rate of 25 per cent over the past five years make things even more attractive.Unsurprisingly, foreigners are pouring in: According to the latest statistics, 75 per cent of all new homes on offer in inner London are now purchased by non-resident foreign nationals.In most cases, these new homes are advertised and sold overseas before locals even hear that they are on offer."For a lot of developers, if you can't show that you can pre-sell enough to cover the construction costs, the banks simply won't finance you," the Financial Times recently quoted Mr Rob Perrins, chief executive of Berkeley Homes, Britain's biggest house-builder, as saying.The outcome, however, is decidedly odd. Take the One Hyde Park development, London's most desirable residential complex in Knightsbridge, where prices start at ¢G20 million (S$39 million) and the top penthouse sold for ¢G140 million. The place also boasts a jewellery shop and an Arab bank in the entrance lobby, convenient for those residents who want to pop downstairs to transfer a few million from one bank account to another. But according to tax returns, only four of the 86 residential units are actually lived-in; the rest lie empty, since these were simply bought as long-term investment by people who have other properties in sunnier places than London.Yet whether foreigners choose to actually live in London, their influx has driven out most local residents. Property prices in central London are 116 per cent higher today than they were in 2005. And the real telling figure is that compiled by aides to London Mayor Boris Johnson, which show that the ratio between house prices and average earnings has doubled over the past 15 years.It is almost impossible for someone on an average salary to buy even a one-room bedsit in central Lond迷你倉沙田n, which costs about ¢G450,000. And it is also impossible for the local authorities to build public housing: There are 354,000 families on the waiting list in London alone.Politicians have few solutions to offer. The government has launched a Help to Buy scheme to support first-time buyers. The Minister for Business Vince Cable, a member of the Liberal Democrats, has suggested the introduction of a yearly tax on properties worth more than ¢G2 million.Mr Simon Hughes, the deputy Liberal party leader, went further by demanding the introduction of legal restrictions on non-resident foreign buyers. But all these suggestions were rebuffed by the Conservatives, senior partners in the ruling coalition.Instead, they are touting massive building schemes which are unlikely to be realised. For even if the money is found, there is almost nowhere to build because the British suffer from another affliction: a phobia about house construction on empty land.While other nations view new homes and amenities as progress, many in Britain regard the loss of even one green field as a disaster. Most believe that their island-state is already over-crowded, with nature wiped out by concrete forests. Despite the fact that only 2.4 per cent of land in England is built on, the country remains afflicted with a syndrome which is usually referred to as "Banana": Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anyone.What's more, mention new housing and many in Britain will recoil in horror at memories of the disastrous projects of the 1940s and 1950s which gave rise to soulless, crime-ridden estates.One result: The number of owner-occupiers is falling fast. In 1981, 57.2 per cent of the British owned the homes they lived in; a decade later, 67.2 per cent did so. But from 2002 onwards the proportion began to fall, by an average of about 1 percentage point each year.Mr Nick Boyles, the Planning Minister, warned voters recently that if they persist in defending nature at the expense of housing, they will push Britain "back to the 19th century" when only the wealthy could afford their own home.But the Campaign to Protect Rural England - most of whose members have nice expensive homes in the leafy countryside - branded his remarks as "shocking" and "incredibly irresponsible".Such pressure groups are being heard because the British public and politicians are deeply divided about what should be done. Everyone accepts the need to provide affordable homes, but ministers also fear a collapse in housing prices which will affect their re-election prospects, and no politician wants to be seen to be cutting down trees. Besides, those who already own homes are also those most likely to vote and most likely to donate to political parties. So, doing nothing while blaming foreigners and immigrants for the housing shortage is the default option.The burden of this mess is ultimately borne by millions of London's office workers, who on average spend about 12 per cent of their monthly earnings and about three hours a day commuting to and from the outskirts where houses are cheaper.Few of them ever enjoy either the swanky property developments in central London, or the English countryside which is kept pristine, supposedly for their benefit.jonathan.eyal@gmail.com迷你倉價錢

美國國際貿易委員會(ITC)前日判三星電子侵犯蘋果的949號及501號專利，迷你倉沙田即多點觸控的操作手勢及耳機插孔偵測，三星部分產品將被禁止入口美國。由於美國總統奧巴馬日前推翻ITC對蘋果產品的禁令，判決可能令華府被質疑採取雙重標準。　三星部分產品如Galaxy S II及Galaxy Note因繞過上述專利，不受禁令影響，最新的旗艦手機GS4亦可繼續入口美國。奧巴馬有60日期限推翻禁令，其間三星產品可繼續進口。　矽谷獨立分析員恩德勒認為，被禁產品為舊款，主迷你倉價錢輸往新興國家而非美國，故判決影響無想像中大。當局亦沒有列出禁售名單，但蘋果曾申請禁售三星的Nexus 4G、Replenish及Intercept手機，以及舊款平板電腦Galaxy Tab。遭入稟促開放電子書市場　另外，美國反壟斷律師前日入稟紐約聯邦法院，指多家出版社聯手抬高電子書價格，要求當局勒令蘋果中止與這些書商的合約，未來兩年開放其他書商經蘋果iPad及iPhone的手機程式(app)出售電子書，令市場恢復公平競爭。 　綜合外電消息/《華爾街日報》迷你倉庫

本報訊 （記者 鄭瑩瑩） 昨日記者從市政府外辦獲悉，存倉應成都國際友好合作關係城市——加拿大埃德蒙頓市政府邀請，市政府外辦組織成都文藝展演團于當地時間8月3日至5日赴加拿大參加“2013年埃德蒙頓多元文化遺產節”。雜技、變臉、剪紙、竹編、魔術、川西民歌等富含成都元素的演出，為中國館在80多個國家和地區的60余個展館中脫穎而出拔得頭籌增色添彩。觀看成都駐場演出的加拿大民�把中國館擠得嚴嚴實實，不少“粉絲”攜家帶口，全天駐守，現場喝彩聲、掌聲、歡笑聲此起彼伏。這是成都市首次派團參加遺產自存倉活動，受到了埃德蒙頓市政府、當地華僑商會和藝術機構的熱烈歡迎。埃德蒙頓市副市長托尼·卡特里那（Tony Caterina）表示，成都與埃德蒙頓在文化、教育、旅遊、經貿等領域有巨大合作空間，希望兩市在現有合作基礎上，加強交流，擴大合作。埃德蒙頓願意攜手成都共同發展，讓“埃德蒙頓周”綻放蓉城。據悉，成都于2006年6月與加拿大埃德蒙頓建立友好合作關係城市，“埃德蒙頓多元文化遺產節”系埃市年度重大國際活動，在加拿大國內享有盛譽。據埃市官方統計，今年遺產節共吸引38萬民�參與，規模空前。迷你倉新蒲崗

Better Chinese 跟著感覺走(g�n zhe g�n ju� z�u) Follow one’s intuition 例：這個工作非同一般，mini storage你可要嚴肅對待，不能跟著感覺走。 (zh� g� g�ng zu� f�i t�ng y� b�n, n� k� y�o y�n s� du� d�i, b� n�ng g�n zhe g� ju� z�u.) This work is different from ordinary. You should treat it seriously, and not just follow your intuition. 割肉(g� r�u) Sell (stock, national debt, commodity) at a lower price than one buys 例：不少炒股的人都體會過割肉的滋味。 (b� sh�o ch�o g� de r�n d�u t� hu� gu� g� r�u de z� w�i.) Many stock investors have experienced selling stocks at a lower price than they paid. 房爺(f�ng y�) House lender; someone who makes money by renting houses to people 例：他買了幾套房子，準備當“房爺”。 (t� m�i l� j� t�o f�ng zi, zh�n b�i d�ng f�ng y�.) He bought several apartments and plans to be “a house lender”. 口水仗(k�u shu� zh�ng) Quarrel 例：他們倆人從不動手，天天在辦公室里打口水仗。 (t� m�n li� r�n c�ng b� d�ng sh�u, ti�n ti�n z�i b�n g�ng sh� l� d� k�u shu� zh�ng.) These two people never fight, but quarrel at the office every day. 恐龍(k�ng l�ng) (derogatory term first used on the Internet) a dinosaur; a meself storageaphor for an ugly girl 例：她怎麼能是美女啊，分明是恐龍嘛. (t� z�n me n�ng sh� m�i n� a, f�n m�ng sh� k�ng l�ng ma.) She is not a beauty. She is a dinosaur. — China Daily with contributions from Popular Chinese Expressions, Sinolingua Press Better English 廣州72小時“過境免簽” 廣州自8月1日起實行72小時過境免簽政策，在廣州白雲國際機場轉機的外籍人士無需辦理簽証即可在廣東全省逗留更長時間，從容安排商務、旅遊等各類活動。 Guangzhou is to allow transit passengers 72-hour stays from August. It is the third Chinese city to introduce the visa-free policy. 廣州從8月起將對中轉旅客實行72小時過境免簽，成為中國第三個實行過境免簽政策的城市。 “過境免簽”(visa-free stays)是指從一國經轉某國前往第三國時，不必申請過境國簽証即可過境並可在過境國進行短暫停留。“-free”是與形容詞結合的復合詞，意思是“無……的；免除……的”，如a salt-free diet(不含鹽的飲食)，a duty-free shop(免稅店)，smoke-free environment(無煙環境)等。有的國家規定“中轉旅客”(transit passenger)不論停留時間長短或是否出機場，一律須辦 “過境簽証”(transit visa)。 很多國家根據申請簽証者的不同事由，用不同的字母代號代表不同的“簽証類型”(type of visa)。近日中國出台了“新簽証制度”(new visa rules)，簽証類型從8個增加到12個，其中新增的“S類簽証”(S visa)將方便外籍人士來中國與親人團聚(to boost family reunions)。 — To learn more hot words, please log on to .chinadaily.com.cn/language_tips/.Follow us on Weibo at weibo.com/languagetips.迷你倉

　【特訊】日前，儲存倉廣州市工商業聯合會黨組書記張鏡初率領代表團一行十人拜訪廠商會。得到理事長崔煜林、副理事長鄧君明、馮信堅、李時泰、常務理事盧寶蘭、理事鍾淑明、何淑明等理監事熱情招待。　會面中，崔煜林表示歡迎代表團的到訪，並介紹了廠商會的歷史、組織架構、會務職責等及澳門經濟發展情況。回歸後，澳門得到中央政府的支持，經濟發展迅速。根據資料顯示，澳門去年訪澳旅客達到二千八百多萬人次，人均GDP達七萬八千美元，失業率僅百分之一點八。另外，近兩年內地市民對本澳食品充滿信心，如在「活力澳門周」的推廣活動中，商品迅速售罄，顯示內地市民對澳門食品業是充滿信心。因此廠商會亦致力推動食品工業發展，兩地企業亦可藉此拓展合作空間。同時為協助會員開拓內銷市場，近年廠商會亦不斷組織會員參與展銷活動，了解內地市場情況。從而作出研究分析，為未來的內銷業務作好準備。崔煜林希望藉是次會面，加強兩地廠商會的合作為澳門搭建平台。　張鏡初表示非常高興迷你倉沙田訪廠商會，並詳盡介紹廣州市的經濟及地理環境狀況。廣州近年經濟發展迅速，今年上半年有百分之十二點四的增長，主要由產業轉形升級推動。此外，張鏡初亦介紹了廣州市工商聯合會的會務工作，第一、強化企業服務；第二、為企業發展搭建平台；第三、參政、議政、反映或業意見。其後，廣州市工商業聯合會副主席邵建明亦提出，對於兩地商會如何各自發展發揮作用，值得思考。因此建議不同行業商會應加強緊密合作，制訂定期交流、對接，讓各方信息互補，商機互通。通過交流，使雙方先了解、再理解、後諒解。隨後廣州市工商聯合會歡迎廠商會組織到廣州市考察及觀光，探討進一步的發展空間。　雙方與會人士亦就橫琴開發為兩地企業合作發展的商機作出熱烈的交流。會談氣氛融洽熱情，互相提出寶貴的意見。　是次來訪的廣州市工商業聯合會代表團成員還有副主席劉定銳、秘書長余劍春、常委崔家榮、聯絡部部長張靜利、副部長黃文興、主席秘書譚長水、劉媛珍及廣州市外商投資企業商會秘書阮穎勳。◇迷你倉價錢

【本報訊】內地將於今年十月一日實施《中華人民共和國旅遊法》（下稱《旅遊法》），存倉主要針對內地零負團費及強迫購物的問題。香港入境團旅行社協會認為，《旅遊法》有助打擊「旅霸」的不良行為，同時，發生強購等事件時，責任追究將會是內地負責的旅遊公司，而非本港接待社。團友可向內地旅行社投訴《旅遊法》主要規管內地旅行社不得以「零負團費」模式吸客、不得指定購物場所及強迫旅客購物，同時，不可通過安排購物或另行付費旅遊項目，以獲取回扣等不正當利益等，用以打擊目前不少內地旅行社行程「貨不對辦」的情況。若有人違法，一經定罪，最高可被罰款自存倉萬元人民幣、吊銷營業許可證，若構成犯罪會被追究刑事責任。香港入境團旅行社協會主席謝淦廷指，近年每月平均有十多宗內地旅客透過不同藉口，提出不滿旅行社服務而要求賠償，即將實施的《旅遊法》則可釐清責任，旅客可向內地有關旅行社投訴，而非本港接待社。旅遊業議會總幹事董耀中表示，會向內地的旅行社建議，任何旅行團出發前，必須得到旅客簽署了解行程內容，避免發生不必要的爭拗。他認為，雖然《旅遊法》規管內地旅行社，但本港於上月十九日新修訂的《商品說明條例》，亦規定若有本港導遊強迫旅客購物，會被視作具威嚇性的營業行為，旅客可向海關投訴。迷你倉新蒲崗

Source: Valley Morning Star, Harlingen, TexasAug.儲存 10--SOUTH PADRE ISLAND -- A new program beginning next month will teach people how to develop a concept for a new business.The University of Texas-Brownsville Kauffman FastTrac NewVenture Entrepreneurship Program will also teach people how to determine the viability of the business concept and outline the critical steps to a successful business launch.A press release from Naida Robles says the program is being sponsored by the Port Isabel Economic Development Corporation, the South Padre Island Economic Development Corporation and the University of Texas-Brownsville Entrepreneurship and Commercialization Center.Registration for the 10-week training is currently under way and will be open until Sept. 6. Classes will take place every Tuesday from Sept. 17 to Nov. 19. The course will take place at the Port Isabel Library and the South Padre Island Birding and Nature Center. It will encompass 30 hours of 10 weekly sessi新蒲崗迷你倉ns."Owning your own business is the American dream," says the release. "Building it to withstand the test of time requires a unique set of tools."FastTrac NewVenture, says the release, makes a difference by providing the opportunity to identify market needs, understand business fundamentals, explore risk and success factors and network with entrepreneurship professionals. In addition, it allows participants to build a business plan and access the human, financial and business resources.The course includes experienced certified facilitators, FastTrac Book and Materials, access to the Kauffman website and certificate of completion.The application is available online at utb.affiliate.fasttrac.org.For more information, call Jose Gavino or John Sossi at 956-882-4119.twhitehead@valleystar.comCopyright: ___ (c)2013 Valley Morning Star (Harlingen, Texas) Visit Valley Morning Star (Harlingen, Texas) at .valleymorningstar.com Distributed by MCT Information Servicesmini storage