Brazil’s valley of beauties appeals for single men

Women of Noiva do Cordeiro, deep in the countryside of south-east Brazil, where men are scarce or work far away in the city, are left to shoulder the town’s burdens alone 

It sounds like a tale from Greek mythology: a small rural town hidden in the rolling hills, populated by beautiful women who are looking for love.

But this is the reality for the ladies of Noiva do Cordeiro, deep in the countryside of south-east Brazil.

In the picturesque 600-strong community, where men are scarce, or work far away in the city, the women are left to shoulder the town’s burdens alone. The situation has led some of the women, who are known throughout Brazil for their beauty, to put out an appeal for single men. “Here, the only men we single girls meet are either married or related to us; everyone is a cousin,” said Nelma Fernandes, 23. 

“I haven’t kissed a man for a long time. We all dream of falling in love and getting married. But we like living here and don’t want to have to leave the town to find a husband. We’d like to get to know men who would leave their own lives and come to be a part of ours. But first they need to agree to do what we say and live according to our rules.” 

Noiva do Cordeiro, which translates as Bride of the Lamb, has a reputation for its strong female community after its founder, Maria Senhorinha de Lima, settled in the town when she was branded an adulteress and exiled from her own church and home in 1891. 

 
One of her granddaughters, Delina Fernandes Pereira, still lives in the valley, which lies 60 miles from the state capital of Belo Horizonte. Mrs Pereira, who herself courted controversy by marrying a pastor when aged just 16, said that the town still suffered prejudice relating to its perceived shameful past. 

The women shoulder most of the responsibility in the community, including for planning and religious matters. 

Elida Dayse, who organises visits to the area, said: “It looks as if the majority of the population are women, but it’s partly because the men leave during the week to work in the city.” However, some of the town’s women fear that an influx of men could destroy their distinctive way of life. 

Rosalee Fernandes, 49, said: “We have God in our hearts. But we don’t think we need to go to church, get married in front of a priest or baptise our children. These are rules made up by men.”
Ms Fernandes added: “There are lots of things that women do better than men. Our town is prettier, more organised, and far more harmonious than if men were in charge. When problems or disputes arise, we resolve them in a woman’s way, trying to find consensus rather than conflict. 

“We share everything, even the land we work on. Nobody competes with anyone here. It’s all for one, and one for all. 

“The whole town came together recently to help buy a huge widescreen TV for our community centre so we can all watch soap operas together. 

“And there’s always time to stop and gossip, try on each other’s clothes and do each other’s hair and nails.”

Ceasefire agreement between Palestinian - Israel Update

26 Aug 2014 - According to Palestinian sources a ceasefire agreement has been reached between Palestinian factions and Israel, after several weeks of indirect negotiations in Cairo.

Based on the information received by PNN, the ceasefire will be announced today at 6 p.m., Mousa Abu Marzouk and Ismail Haniyeh, senior leaders of Hamas, have confirmed this information.

Haniyeh, head of the political bureau of Hamas, said that they are very close to reaching an understanding which will be a reward for the steadfastness of the people in Gaza and the resilience of the Palestinian fighters. He added that Abu Marzouk and he are waiting for the final draft of the agreement.

The sources informed that Egypt had obtained the approval of the two delegations to declare a permanent ceasefire this evening.

The agreement will be based on the previous 2012 agreements, which includes the end of all persecution and assassination of Palestinian leaders and activists by Israel.

It would also include an agreement to open all crossings, including the movement of goods, construction materials, fuel, gas and individuals. Additionally, the fishing zone will be extended to 12 nautical miles.

Both sides will meet again in a month to discuss the specific details.

The sources told PNN that the Palestinian President Mahmoud, Abbas, will address the ceasefire agreement in his speech at the opening meeting of the Palestinian leadership.

Islamic Jihad also confirmed this information and they said that the permanent truce will be announces in a few hours. Khalid al-Batsh, a senior official of Palestinian Islamic Jihad, said that the agreement recognizes their demands.

 __________________________________

Half the members of the Israeli Political-Security Cabinet oppose the Israeli ceasefire agreement

27 Aug 2014 - Half the members of the Israeli Political-Security Cabinet oppose the ceasefire agreement for the Gaza Strip.

According to the Israeli National Radio, four members of the Cabinet oppose the ceasefire, Avigdor Lieberman (Foreign Minister), Naftali Bennett (Industry, Trade and Labor Minister), Gilad Erdan (Home Front Defense Minister) and Yitzhak Aharonovich (Internal Security Minister).

 
Naftali Bennett requested Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to hold a session of the Cabinet in order to discuss the truce agreement. Netanyahu refused to do so as he had already obtained the approval of the Attorney General of Israel, Yehuda Weinstein, to make the decision to accept the ceasefire agreement without previously consulting the Israeli Political-Security Cabinet.

The Justice Minister Tzipi Livni also criticized the ceasefire agreement saying “It must include the basis for the disarmament of the Strip, to prevent the entry of arms and the growth of the Palestinian resistance. There should be an effective monitoring mechanism”.

Several mayors and regional councils of the areas near Gaza showed disappointment over the agreement as they fear more attacks in the coming months. 

 __________________________

Statement by President Mahmoud Abbas on the Gaza ceasefire

 27 Aug 2014 - "Today marks 51 days of the barbaric aggression that Israel carried out and continues to carry out against our people in the Gaza Strip. During this period, the number of martyrs rose up to more than 2000, and the number of injured to more than 11,000, with tens of thousands of houses destroyed. 
Unfortunately, until this moment, the attack and the aggression continues indiscriminately and in most cases against innocents and civilians who are the primary victims of this aggression. As everyone knows, scores of families, probably more than sixty, were completely eliminated.

 Therefore, it was necessary to exert all efforts, possible and impossible, towards stopping the fighting, particularly after the Israelis withdrew from the negotiations and our delegation returned and we continued our intensive efforts to resume negotiations again. 

Indeed, we were able today, as we speak, to announce our acceptance of the Egyptian cease-fire initiative, a cease-fire that runs in tandem with providing the Strip with humanitarian, medical, food, and construction aid needed. After that, there will be talks about all the demands that will be put on the table.  

The efforts succeeded now, only few minutes before arriving here, in returning to negotiations. We said that at seven, that is now, there will be a full cessation of fighting. Both delegations will return to Cairo as soon as possible to resume these efforts.

We reiterate our full appreciation for Egypt for all the efforts it exerted with us for a long time to reach a formula that is satisfactory to all parties. We also reiterate that Qatar has also contributed to this end. It is also useful to mention that John Kerry has exerted efforts and was on constant contact with us to achieve this cease-fire. We extend our thanks to all the parties that exerted these efforts as well as to the United Nations that will immediately send needed supplies to Gaza Strip, because the situation there is catastrophic and unimaginable. 

Ending the fighting was the main issue that we discussed with Hamas leadership in Doha. We also discussed other important issues, namely, consolidating and empowering the national reconciliation to allow the national consensus government from fulfilling its duties. This needs time and effort, but it is one of the objectives that we sought to achieve ever since we talked about reconciliation and forming a national consensus government.

During this period of time, which lasted for more than 50 days, we exerted all efforts to provide our people with the supplies they need from here. This applied also to all organizations and parties, which is extremely good in the sense of the people sympathizing with the catastrophe that befell their brothers. We cannot deny the contributions of the countries who rushed to send supplies and aid to our people in Gaza Strip. But all of this is not enough, and it is necessary that all needed supplies flow into the Strip to allow the people to live, to have drinking water, to electricity, to education since all schools are currently occupied by families, and the same applies to hospitals, that is of course if they were not destroyed, since the destruction included schools, hospitals, and places of worship. All of this requires quick actions to allow the healing of the big wound of our people in Gaza Strip.

There is another topic that we will address, namely: what next? Gaza Strip alone suffered from three wars in 2008-2009, 2012, and 2014. Should we expect another war after a year or two? Until when will the cause remain unresolved? We will put forward our vision to the leadership and will continue consultations thereof with our brothers and the international community. However, the vision should be very clear, very specific, and understood from A-Z, because engaging in vague negotiations is something we cannot continue to do."

Dr. Ashrawi bids farewell to the outgoing South Korean and Portuguese Representatives to the State of Palestine

PLO Executive Committee member, Dr. Hanan Ashrawi bid farewell to the outgoing South Korean Representative to the State of Palestine, Sung-Jun Yeo, and welcomed the new Representative, Woong Chul Pak, to Palestine.

In the meeting, Dr. Ashrawi called on the South Korean government to recognize the State of Palestine and to make its relations with Israel contingent upon its respect for international law and human rights.

She also urged South Korea to build on the European guidelines pertaining to settlement products and its relations with Israel, and she stressed that the gravity of the situation now calls for an arms embargo with Israel.

Both parties discussed Israel’s ongoing violations of international law and its flagrant war crimes in the context of the current aggression on Gaza and Israel’s campaign of state terror.

In a separate meeting, Dr. Ashrawi thanked the outgoing the Portuguese Representative to the State of Palestine, Jorge Lobo de Mesquita, and expressed her appreciation of the Portuguese position regarding Palestine, including its vote for Palestine at the United Nations and its assistance to the Palestinian people.

She called on the Portuguese government to recognize the State of Palestine and to send a clear message to Israel that its impunity and the military occupation of Palestine must end.

British charity worker become first UK citizen has Ebola Virus

British charity worker living in Sierra Leone has become first UK citizen to test positive for the disease and could be brought home by the RAF 

A British charity worker who has tested positive for the Ebola virus could be flown to London for treatment.

The Department of Health said last night that the man was the first British victim of the outbreak. 

It is understood he is a charity worker who has been helping to treat victims in West Africa. 

If he were brought back, he would be flown to RAF Northolt near Heathrow before being taken to the Royal Free Hospital, the only hospital in Britain equipped to treat an Ebola patient and contain the virus, it has been reported. 

Government sources said no final decision had been taken on whether to fly the man home but a medical assessment would take place on Sunday to see whether a flight home would be suitable.

Professor John Watson, deputy chief medical officer, said: "The overall risk to the public in the UK continues to be very low. Medical experts are currently assessing the situation in Sierra Leone to ensure that appropriate care is provided. 

"We have robust, well-developed and well-tested NHS systems for managing unusual infectious diseases when they arise, supported by a wide range of experts."   

 
On August 12 a Spanish missionary, 75-year-old Miguel Pajares, became the first European victim of the disease. 
 
Since then there have been dozens of false alarms in Ireland, Austria, Spain and Germany. In Germany, about 600 people were quarantined for two hours in a Berlin jobcentre after a false alarm about a suspected case of Ebola. 

Two American doctors who contracted the disease, Dr Kent Brantly, 33, and Nancy Writebol, 59, were released from hospital in Atlanta this week after three weeks of being cared for in the US hospital. The pair were treated with an untested serum, ZMapp, which had been trialled on monkeys but not approved for human use. 

Since the "miraculous" recovery of the American medics, a small quantity of ZMapp has been sent to Liberia for use on patients there. There are only limited quantities of the drug - between 800 and 1,000 doses - however, as it has not yet been approved for mass production. 

The Americans were working for Samaritan's Purse, a Christian aid organisation which has been working extensively in Liberia. However, a spokesman for the charity told The Telegraph that they did not work in Sierra Leone and the British victim was not working for them. 

Medecins Sans Frontieres, which currently has 66 international and 610 national staff responding to the crisis in the three affected countries, said the victim was not working for them either. 

The virus, which first emerged in the 1960s, has killed almost 1,500 people across West Africa in the worst-ever outbreak of the disease. The majority of cases have been registered in Sierra Leone, Liberia and Guinea – where this outbreak began on April 1. 

But it has also spread to Nigeria – Africa's most populous country – and has infected people beyond the original victim and his carers. 

Patrick Sawyer died in Lagos after travelling from Liberia, and was due to travel home to the United States. 

In all, 213 people are now under surveillance in Nigeria - including six people, all "secondary contacts" like the caregivers' spouses, being monitored in the state of Enugu, more than 310 miles east of Lagos. 

Sierra Leone has been hit hard by the current outbreak, recording at least 910 cases and 392 deaths, according to figures released on Friday by the World Health Organization. 

A total of 2,615 infections and 1,427 deaths have been recorded across West Africa. 

Symptoms of Ebola appear as a sudden onset of fever, intense weakness, muscle pain, headache and sore throat. According to the WHO, this is followed by vomiting, diarrhoea, rash, impaired kidney and liver function and, in some cases, both internal and external bleeding. 

The effects of the disease normally appear between two and 21 days after infection. 

It is transmitted to people from wild animals and spreads in the human population through person-to-person transmission. Outbreaks have a case fatality rate of up to 90 per cent. 

The WHO says the disease can be passed between people by direct contact - through broken skin or mucous membranes - with the blood, secretions, organs or other bodily fluids of infected people, and indirect contact with environments contaminated with such fluids. 

The spread of the infection has been worsened by the fact that many in Sierra Leone fear Western medicine, and have taken their relatives away from care centres. As a result they die in the community unrecorded, leading to "shadow zones". 

On Friday the Ivory Coast closed its borders with Liberia and Guinea. A day later the Philippines announced that they were withdrawing their UN peacekeeping troops from Liberia in response to the outbreak. 

The World Health Organisation declared the outbreak an "international public health emergency" on August 8. 

"Declaring Ebola an international public health emergency shows how seriously WHO is taking the current outbreak; but statements won’t save lives," said Dr Bart Janssens, MSF Director of Operations. 

"Now we need this statement to translate into immediate action on the ground. For weeks, MSF has been repeating that a massive medical, epidemiological and public health response is desperately needed to saves lives and reverse the course of the epidemic. Lives are being lost because the response is too slow.” 

Dr Janssens said that there needed to be an urgent scaling-up of medical care, training of health staff, infection control, contact tracing, epidemiological surveillance, alert and referral systems, community mobilisation and education. 

He added: "All our Ebola experts are mobilised, we simply cannot do more." 

105 years jailed for Protein Masters drug gang

A gang that used a health supplements shop as a front to manufacture and supply drugs has been jailed for a total of more than 100 years.

The shop in Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, was a base to produce amphetamine and store cocaine.

The group of 11 men, from Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Liverpool, Manchester and Yorkshire, admitted or were convicted of drugs related crimes.

Ten of them were jailed for a total of 105 years between them.

An 11th man, Joshua Patchett, of Awsworth, Nottinghamshire, will be sentenced next month.
The court heard Anthony Donnelly was the leader of the criminal gang, and ran his criminal enterprise from his shop called Protein Masters.

The conspiracy was first uncovered when a 22lb (10kg) pack of amphetamine was discovered in a van stopped by police near Doncaster last year.

Officers then raided the Protein Masters shop where they found evidence of the production of amphetamine.

Investigations led detectives to associates of Donnelly and Ben Mullins, from Ripley, Derbyshire, who were found with large quantities of drugs.

Michael Lawrence, of Stanton Hill, Nottinghamshire, was found with 6.6lbs (3kg) of high purity cocaine worth an estimated £600,000 which was bought in Humberside.

And Andrew Brimble, of Tibshelf, Derbyshire, was caught with 150lbs (67kg) of amphetamines worth about £1.3m as he drove through Pinxton, Derbyshire.

Det Ch Insp Alan Mason, of the East Midlands special operations unit, said: "The amount of drugs there clearly identified to us that these were major players within the distribution of drugs in the East Midlands."

 
Mullins admitted production and supply of amphetamines and selling cocaine and was jailed for 18 years and eight months.

Donnelly, who was found guilty of conspiracy to supply amphetamines, was handed a 12-year term.

His Honour Judge Sampson said Mullins had the lower term, despite Donnelly being the boss, because it involved cocaine.

He said the men "were trading in pernicious" drugs" that "destroyed families and blighted lives".
The other men, and one woman who was jailed at an earlier hearing, had roles in the gang such as couriers or making arrangements for the supply of drugs.

 The gang of ten

• Daniel Robinson, 30, of Paling Crescent, Sutton-in-Ashfield. Convicted of production of amphetamine and conspiracy to supply cocaine, admitted conspiracy to supply amphetamine. Jailed for 17 years
• Craig Donnelly, 23, of Barker Street, Huthwaite, Nottinghamshire. Admitted conspiracy to supply amphetamine, found guilty of production of amphetamine and conspiracy to supply cocaine. Jailed for 17 years.
• Ben Mullins, 33, of Church Street, Ripley, Derbyshire. Admitted production and conspiracy to supply amphetamine and conspiracy to supply cocaine. Jailed for 18 years and eight months
• Richie Fido, 29, Broad Lane, Brinsley, Nottinghamshire. Pleaded guilty to production and conspiracy to supply amphetamine. Jailed for five years and four months.
• Anthony Donnelly, 31, Southwell Road, Mansfield, Nottinghamshire. Convicted of conspiracy to supply amphetamine. Jailed for 12 years.
• Edward Taylor, 30, of Ringlow Park, Swinton, Greater Manchester. Admitted conspiracy to supply amphetamine. Jailed for four years and four months
• Andrew Brimble, 48, Staffa Drive, Tibshelf, Derbyshire. Jailed for four years after admitting conspiracy to supply amphetamine
• Charles Corke, 41, Hillcrest Drive, Huyton, Merseyside. Convicted of production of amphetamine. Jailed for nine years
• Paul Critchlow, 47, from Humberside but no fixed address. Found guilty of conspiracy to supply cocaine and jailed for nine years
• Michael Lawrence, 25, Victoria Street, Stanton Hill, Nottinghamshire. Admitted conspiracy to supply cocaine and jailed for nine years

Boycott of Israeli products spreads in West Bank

Fed up with war and occupation, a major Palestinian supermarket chain today took a major political stance and joined in the movement to boycott Israeli products in response to Israel's most recent escalation in Gaza which has claimed more than 1,800 lives.

Bravo Supermarkets, the largest grocery chain in Palestine, announced a "comprehensive plan for a boycott of Israeli goods" effective immediately, and began removing the products from shelves in its stores in Ramallah. 

"We're going to boycott them. We're not going to sell them anymore," said Yousef Sider, Marketing Manager for Bravo Supermarkets. "Israel occupies our land, our air, and also occupies our stomachs, and we're going to free ourselves from this occupation," Sider said at the company's headquarters in Ramallah.

The boycott officially began on Tuesday as Israeli items were dumped off the shelf, and supermarket staff. A post on Bravo's official Facebook Page named six Israeli suppliers that the Palestinian chain aimed to cut commercial ties with, and stated the company's intention to liquidate all its current stock of Israeli goods, and to discontinue carrying them "forever." 

"It was a hard decision to make, and we're going to lose a lot of money, but we have to do it," said Seder. Products made in Israel make up at least 30 per cent of sales in Bravo's more than 200 stores in the West Bank. Bravo intends to return the products to the vendors, "and if they refuse it, we're going to send them to Gaza," Plaza Mall Store Manager Ashraf Mohammed said. "We're going to replace them with locally-made products, or imported products from Egypt, Jordan, Europe, or the USA."

Working with volunteers from the Palestinian Medical Relief Society, Bravo began collecting water, food, and essential supplies at its three supermarkets in Ramallah to be packed and shipped to the Gaza Strip. PMRS volunteers circulated informational flyers about the boycott, and asked that customers donate food and essential supplies to war-ravaged Gazans. "I'm here because I want to help my people," said Shaymaa Mimi, 15, who has been volunteering for PMRS for a year. 

The Palestinian Medical Relief Society (PMRS), headquartered in Ramallah, has been collecting donated supplies to send to Gaza since the start of recent hostilities in July, and has collected over 60,000 liters of water, 12 tons of food, and several truckloads of clothing to send to Gaza. PMRS operates 26 health clinics in Palestine with a staff of 350 in the West Bank, and 150 in Gaza.  It was founded in 1979 and has since grown into one of the largest community based health and emergency medical services organizations, but even altruistic NGO's have had troubles under Israeli occupation.

Early on in the conflict, humanitarian aid had been held up by the Israeli blockade of Gaza, and PRMS trucks were unable to enter to deliver supplies to Gaza until July 27th, nineteen days after the bombing campaign began. "It wasn't until Eid that we were able to get the first truck into Gaza," said Bahia Amra, Medical Relief Coordinator for PMRS. Since then, the organization has been able to deliver six truckloads of supplies through Karem Abu Salem checkpoint, but additional medical staff is not permitted to enter. Amra confirmed that three of the six deliveries had reach PRMS' branch in Gaza, and that deliveries were usually being delayed three days in the custody of Israeli soldiers.

Bravo's decision to boycott Israeli goods is significant as the largest yet community-centered enterprise to do so. Civil society groups like PMRS have long taken a clear stance on boycotts, divestments, and sanctions against Israel, and have been trying for years to convince businesses to follow suit. "We never did this before because it didn't look like there was enough local support from the community," said Bravo's Marketing Manager Yousef Sider. "But the recent war in Gaza changed a lot. Now, there's no going back."

"It's Israel who is killing our children – so we don't want them or their products in our land," Amra said. "But things are changing. The movement is growing." Outside the PMRS offices, donations continued flowing in a steady stream onto the trucks bound for Gaza. A young teenager in a volunteer's vest asks how long until the end of the work day. Najet, a staff member, replies, "as long as it is necessary, we will be here to help Gaza."

MH17: Picture around Malaysia mourning

Kuala Lumpur -- More than a month after the airliner was shot out of the skies above eastern Ukraine, the bodies of 20 Malaysian passengers arrived back in Kuala Lumpur as Malaysia observed a national day of mourning.

Families of the victims of Malaysia Flight MH17 gathered at the Malaysian capital's international airport for the repatriation ceremony, as a special chartered Malaysia Airlines Boeing 747 touched down just after 9.30 a.m. local time Friday following its journey from Amsterdam.

After the airliner taxied to its stand at the airport's Bunga Raya complex, usually reserved for receiving visiting dignitaries, it was met by uniformed pall bearers from Malaysia's armed forces, who proceeded to unload the caskets, which were all draped in the country's flag, into the waiting fleet of white hearses.

The victims' families were joined by Prime Minister Najib Razak, who escorted King Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah and Queen Haminah Hamidun to their seats among the gathering of around 1,000 people.

 

Malaysia Airlines, which experienced its second tragedy this year following the disappearance of Flight MH370 as it flew to Beijing from Kuala Lumpur on March 8, distributed black ribbons to cabin crew company-wide, while a flag at its offices flew at half-mast.

A statement from the airline read: "Malaysia Airlines is deeply saddened by this devastating tragedy. It has been a long and painful wait for the families and friends of the passengers and crew onboard MH17."

While the mood at the airport was expectantly somber, the awaiting families were nevertheless prepared for the occasion. Some broke into tears as they shook hands with government ministers and airline crew, but most just took their seats at the side of the tarmac to await the special flight.

The motorcade carrying the 20 passengers moved slowly past the families and on towards two Hercules C-130 transport aircraft and three military helicopters. Seven were flown back to their respective hometowns, while the remaining passengers will be transported by land for proper burials.

Outside the airport, crowds gathered nearby to catch a glimpse of the ceremony, as many other Malaysians across the country watched a live broadcast. On the roads leading in and out of the airport, cars stopped to allow the convoy of hearses to pass by.

20 Aug : ADUN Pengkalan Kubor dies in China

 

August 20, 2014 - Barisan Nasional Pengkalan Kubor assemblyman Datuk Noor Zahidi Omar (pic), 57, died at 5.45am today of liver cancer, according to Tumpat Umno deputy chief Datuk Mohd Rosdi Ab Aziz.

In confirming the news, Yayasan Dakwah Islamiah Malaysia (Yadim) president Senator Datuk Asyraf Wajdi Dusuki said the three-term Kelantan assemblyman died in China.

“I received the news that he had died in Guangzhou from his son,” Asyraf said.

Zahidi was undergoing treatment in China two weeks ago, reported Bernama.

In the 2013 general election, Zahidi won the Pengkalan Kubor seat by 1,736 votes after defeating PKR’s Saharun Ibrahim and independent Izat Bukhary Ismail Bukhary.

Saharun polled 8,438 votes while Izat lost his deposit when he got 65 votes.

Zahidiis survived by his wife, Datin Siti Mona Abdul Kadir, and 12 children.

PRU-13 Result at Pengkalan Kubor That shows Datuk Noor Zahidi Win

The 20 Most Expensive Keywords in Google AdWords

The Most Expensive PPC Keywords

How does Google make money? Surprisingly, 97% comes from online pay-per-click advertising. At WordStream we can’t get enough PPC; that’s why we decided to conduct some research and find out what the most expensive keywords are in Google. Some of our results about the most popular and most expensive PPC keywords were to be expected, while some (like cord blood and mesothelioma treatment) surprised us and our readers.

Top 10 Most Expensive Google Keywords

The Top 10 Most Expensive Keywords are:

1. Insurance
2. Loans
3. Mortgage
4. Attorney
5. Credit
6. Lawyer
7. Donate
8. Degree
9. Hosting
10. Claim

You’ll notice that these top ten most expensive AdWords keywords deal primarily with financing and industries that manage vast sums of money. The fact that the educational keyword “degree” is one of the top ten most expensive Google keywords, right up with lawyers and credit, reminds us of the growing cost of education.
The next ten most expensive keywords complete our total list, resulting the top 20 most expensive AdWords keywords:

11. Conference Call
12. Trading
13. Software
14. Recovery
15. Transfer
16. Gas/Electricity
17. Classes
18. Rehab
19. Treatment
20. Cord Blood

Woman Upset After Finding Nazi Symbol Drawn in Her McDonald's Sandwich

The North Carolina woman who said she discovered a butter-drawn swastika on the bun of her McDonald’s chicken sandwich feels “bad that someone was fired” but said she still worries that the employee failed to understand the gravity of the stunt. 

“I felt so sick,” Charleigh Matice, 32, told ABC News today. “Did someone think this is a joke?”

Matice said she ordered a chicken sandwich at a McDonald’s drive-thru in Morehead City, North Carolina, last week. Just when she was about to put mayonnaise on her bun, she noticed the swastika drawn on the bread with what looked like butter. 

“It took me back for a minute,” Matice said of the symbol of Nazism. “It was so offensive.” 

Matice said she was later told that the employee drew the symbol because “he was bored.”

“I don’t know how old he was,” said Matice, who entered the restaurant to alert management after finding the symbol. “I went back into the kitchen, I saw two white males who looked like they were both in their late 20s.” 

The owner of the local McDonald’s restaurant took swift action after learning of the incident, saying they terminated the employee who allegedly drew the sign. 

“I feel bad that someone was fired,” Matice said. “But in this tough economy, where so many people can’t get jobs, you should have professionalism." 

McDonald’s, in a statement from franchise owner Dulcy Purcell, said: “We are very sorry for the service that our customers received, and to be clear we have terminated the employee who was involved.” 

“We do not tolerate that kind of behavior at McDonald’s, and it’s not what we stand for personally as owners,” the statement said. “It is about providing the best level of service and care to our customers, and anything less than that is unacceptable to us.” 

Matice, who said she is Christian, said she worried that that the employee didn’t understand why his actions were so offensive. 

“My grandfather fought in World War II in the Pacific,” Matice said. “My husband’s great-grandmother was from Armenia. She was tattooed and put in a concentration camp [during the Turkish-Armenian war]. There’s still a number on her wrist. 

“She was forced to flee to America,” Matice said. 

“Over six million Jewish people died under that symbol and people forget about it because of lack of education and lack of compassion.” 

Matice said her intention was not to spark anger, but to raise awareness. She's not upset with the restaurant, she said. 

“I know that the sign was used for many good things before the Holocaust,” Matice said. “But people are not ready for that sign to come back yet. “I think we still need to have a lot of conversation about this.

MH17: Malaysia National day of mourning on 22th August 2014

Malaysia today declared Aug 22 as its national day of mourning, as the country expects to receive the first batch of remains of Malaysian victims aboard flight MH17 on the same day.


The government said it would decide next week if the day will also be a public holiday, signalling the closure of public offices and financial markets.

Twenty-four of the 43 Malaysians on the flight have been identified by Dutch investigators almost a month after the jetliner carrying 298 people was downed on July 17, suspected to have been hit by a surface-to-air missile. 

"The names of the victims will be released on the day they are brought back to Malaysia," Deputy Prime Minister Muhyiddin Yassin told reporters.


Authorities say that 15 of the 16 bodies to be brought back are those of Malaysians, while the last is a Dutch national, whose remains have been requested to be buried in Malaysia.

At least two Malaysian women on board are known to have been married to Dutch citizens.

Of the 43 Malaysians aboard the flight, 15 were crew and two were infants. The plane was en route from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur when it was shot down in a separatist-held area of Ukraine.

Deputy Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said 24 of the 43 Malaysians aboard the ill-fated flight have so far been identified by Dutch authorities in charge of forensics and DNA work in Amsterdam, including the 15 who will be flown home next week.

He noted that Dutch authorities have yet to release the remains of the nine others already identified, as they still need to be processed.

Those positively identified include 14 passengers and 10 crew members. The first two were identified on August 4, followed by 14 more on August 8. Another six were identified on August 12, plus two more yesterday.

A total of 283 passengers and 15 crew died when flight MH17 was shot out of the sky while flying over the troubled Crimean region in Eastern Ukraine on July 17.

The Malaysia Airlines plane, which was bound for Kuala Lumpur from Amsterdam, was initially believed to have been downed by a surface-to-air missile at an altitude of 33,000 feet.

Malaysia today declared Aug 22 as its national day of mourning, as the country expects to receive the first batch of remains of Malaysian victims aboard flight MH17 on the same day

Perodua Axia : New Model Launch

PERODUA has opened bookings for its new model, the Perodua Axia, today 14th Aug 2014 with starting price from RM 24,900.

Perodua said the the latest model is its most fuel efficient car that can potentially travel up to 21.6 km per litre and have an overall low cost of ownership.

"We welcome all Malaysians to come to our sales showroom to know more about our latest and most exciting offering," Perodua president and CEO Datuk Aminar Rashid Salleh said.

Booking fees are RM250 and RM300 - depending on variant.

The Perodua Axia comes in four variants; Standard E, Standard G, Special Edition and Advance. It also comes with a five year warranty – another first for Perodua.

Slated to be launched soon, the Perodua Axia is the next generation Perodua model produced at its new manufacturing plant.

We do know that at least one variant of the Axia will come with Perodua’s new all-aluminium 1.0 litre engine, codenamed the 1KR. The question is whether the RM24,900 variant will get it or not. Compared to the Viva’s 1.0 litre cast iron engine, it’s a lot lighter, has a longer stroke, but omits DVVT variable valve timing. The same 997 cc three-cylinder engine, the D26F-1KR-DE, is found in Indonesia’s Daihatsu Ayla and Toyota Agya promises a fuel consumption of 20-22km per litre

 

Among the key features of the plant include a water-based paint formula, which is less abrasive compared with the solvent based paints it currently uses. The high level of automation also improves quality while at the same time reduces cost.

In the media release provided just now, Perodua were also keen to highlight the Axia’s 260-litre boot capacity. To put that space in perspective, the 2014 Kia Picanto (class competitor) has just 200 litres of space in the boot with the rear seats in their normal position

The name "Axia" (pronounced a-zee-a) is Perodua's 10th model.

Aminar believes that the Perodua Axia will be competitive in the region and represents a whole new standard for the company.

"This standard can be categorised by four key highlights, which are environmentally friendly, very spacious for a compact vehicle, easy driving and economical in terms of the overall cost of ownership," Aminar said.

With a tagline "Your Smart Move", the car represents Perodua's efforts in becoming globally competitive in terms of styling, features and price competitiveness.