Taiwan?s night markets make California headlines

Taiwan?s night markets have been featured in the San Jose Mercury News of California, in an article that distinguished them from street bazaars in other Asian countries.

?Sure, there are similar street scenes across the continent, from Cambodia to China. In Taiwan, however, night markets are a cherished cultural phenomenon that embraces past traditions while remaining contemporary with quick-stepping, fashionable dressed young people who flood them,? the reporter John Bourdeau wrote in a recent article.

The feature also quoted Lula Han, identified as an expert on Taiwanese culture, as saying that ?eating is literally a religious culture? in Taiwan because night markets initially sprang up around Buddhist temples.

?After you give food to the god in the temple, you give food to yourself. So the food stalls originated with the temples,? Han was quoted as saying.

There are as many as 100 major night markets across Taiwan, with about 20 regular ones in Taipei, the article said.

Source: http://libertytimes.feedsportal.com/c/33098/f/535599/s/24cb19ea/l/0L0Staipeitimes0N0CNews0Ctaiwan0Carchives0C20A120C10A0C240C20A0A3545981/story01.htm

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Ford closes Belgian plant in 2014; 9,500 jobs hit

BRUSSELS (AP) ? Ford Motor Co. will close a car plant in eastern Belgium ? one of its main European factories ? by the end of 2014, a move that will result in 4,500 direct job losses and 5,000 more among subcontractors.

Exactly half a century after construction on the Genk plant started, Ford told a management council there that production was winding down since slumping European sales has forced a restructuring of its plants.

"This is taking us by surprise and is an extremely bitter pill," Christian Democrat union representative Johan Lamers told The Associated Press.

Ford has been under pressure in Europe due to the region's dwindling demand for its models and the overall slide of car sales on the continent due to the debt crisis.

The company expects to lose more than $1 billion this year in Europe, where it gets a quarter of its sales. Analysts say Ford has more factory capacity than it needs.

The regional authorities in northern Belgium's Flanders are already looking how to recover money from the ?57 million it committed in 2010 to keep Ford rooted there for years to come.

"It is incomprehensible and a nightmare for those people," said Flanders minister president Kris Peeters.

"In October 2010, we negotiated and signed a deal worth many millions. And now they said 'OK, let's close Genk'," Peeters said.

The plant in Genk makes the midsize Mondeo, the S-MAX minivan and the Galaxy car. Ford said it plans to move the production of all three lines to Valencia, Spain.

"The proposed restructuring of our European manufacturing operations is a fundamental part of our plan to strengthen Ford's business in Europe," CEO Ford of Europe Stephen Odell said in a statement.

Ford has been struggling in Europe.

Figures from Acea, the European carmakers' association, show European mark sales have dropped 10.8 percent on a year-by-year basis in September. Ford's drop in sales was even bigger at 14.9 percent.

Ford's European management was expected to meet with Belgian Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo and regional Flemish authorities later Wednesday.

The announcement came barely a month after Ford had given reassurances about production at the Genk plant, Lamers said.

Ford Genk represents more than 30 percent of the car production in Belgium.

Workers took the announcement early Wednesday with lots of tears but relative calm. A bonfire was set up at the gate of the plant but there was little union action since the factory was in the middle of a three-week layoff because of slack demand.

Car workers looked into an uncertain future.

"Well, where are we going to find a job? It is very difficult in this time, in this crisis," said Ford employee Gustav Janssen.

Source: http://news.yahoo.com/ford-closes-belgian-plant-2014-9-500-jobs-100926961--finance.html

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Top 10 Real Estate Internet Resources | The Big Picture

Richard Vetstein is a nationally recognized real estate attorney,? frequently quoted in the media.? He was recently named one of Inman News? 100 Most Influential in Real Estate. Mr. Vetstein is the founder of the Vetstein Law Group and TitleHub Closing Services LLC. The? former outside claims counsel for a national title company, he has an active real estate litigation practice. He blogs at massrealestatelawblog.com

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Top 10 Real Estate Internet Resources

I thought it would be a good idea to list my Top 10 favorite websites, blogs and other internet sites for real estate. These include law blogs, local and national real estate sites, and even marketing blogs. Feel free to bookmark this post!

1.? HousingWire

This is one of the best national sites for staying up to date on current real estate economic data, mortgage trends, Fed policy, and regulations.

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2. Wall Street Journal Developments

You can?t go wrong with the Wall Street Journal, right? Some of the best real estate reporters and commentators contribute to this site. A must read on your Google Reader list.

3. Massachusetts Land Records

This is the main portal into the vast majority of the Massachusetts Registries of Deeds. From here you can look up the deeds, mortgages and liens on virtually any property in the state. If you need a guide to searching the online registry of deeds and a full listing of every registry, read this post.

4. Charles Gate Realty?s Boston Real Estate Blog

I really love this frequently updated blog by the team of tech savvy agents at Charles Gate Realty. It?s also a great resource for rentals which is often ignored in the blogosphere.

5. Agent Genius

An online real estate magazine with a robust editorial staff, covering a wide range of topics, including tech and social media, business news, and also good op-ed pieces.

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6. (tie)

SmarterBorrowing.com

Maintained by well-known mortgage banker, Brian Cavanaugh of RMS Mortgage, this is one of the best mortgage lending blogs out there, frequently updated with current news on the mortgage market.

The Massachusetts Mortgage Blog

Written by the extremely knowledgeable David Gaffin of Greenpark Mortgage.

7. Boston.com Real Estate Now Blog

This is Boston.com?s popular real estate blog managed by buyer?s agent, Rona Fishman, and reporter/writer Scott Van Voorhis. The blog has a very active group of trolls commenters who frequently stir up lively debate. Disclaimer: I contribute a weekly post to this blog.

8. Massachusetts Land Use Monitor

The very experienced group of attorneys at the venerable real estate firm of Rackemann, Sawyer are one of the few large firms who blog, and thankfully they do, because they have a wealth of knowledge and information to share. The blog is managed by Donald Pinto, who?s one of the best real estate attorneys in the Commonwealth and a really good guy.

9. Centers & Squares

Real estate agent bloggers and wanna-be?s, pay close attention. This is how you blog. This is a great and frequently updated blog all about ?the city squares of Cambridge, Somerville and Medford and the town centers of Arlington, Watertown and Belmont.? Written by Elizabeth Bolton, Realtor.

10. Inman Next Agent

Must read for keeping up with the latest in real estate technology, marketing, and social media. Contributors includes the well-known social media evangelists, Chris Smith and Katie Lance.

Honorable Mentions

Cambridgeville

Another standout blog from the Cambridge-Somerville area. Realtor Lara Gordon is a smart, witty writer who keeps her blog frequently updated with urban gems such as the worst places for bike crashes (Harvard Square, of course!), the Somerville Foodie Crawl, and her own photos of the new Charlestown-Cambridge footbridge (I wish more agents did this).

Living in Sudbury

Formerly a global marketing guru at ESPN, Realtor Gabrielle Daniels is the epitome of sass and sharp real estate writing. OMG, you must read her post, Translating Real Estate Ads: 101. Some Descriptions Will Have You ROFL.

Western Mass Living

Our sole entry west of I-495, Lesley Lambert has been blogging and tweeting forever, mixing posts about the Berkshire County lifestyle with a peek into her personal ?Dancing Queen? passion.

Curbed Boston

This is a nationally syndicated blog with a local feel. Recent posts include the opening of Southie?s Gate of Heaven Gym, a new Mexican joint in Brookline and new fixer-upper in Inman Square.

Well, that?s my list. Feel free to add your favorite sites to the comments, and we can expand this list!

_________________________________

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Richard D. Vetstein, Esq. is a Massachusetts real estate attorney who is passionate about staying up to date on real estate issues, nationally, regionally and locally.

Source: http://www.ritholtz.com/blog/2012/10/top-10-real-estate-internet-resources/

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Did Acer hurt the chances of the Microsoft Surface?

Remember back in August when Acers JT Wang suggested that if Microsoft priced the Surface with Windows RT at $199 that it would negatively impact its partners and vendors? So now that the Apple event is over and we heard Apple announce the iPad Mini at $329, heres where the Microsoft Surface with Windows RT stands in terms of price:

Since its the more expensive option at this point, doesnt include the full type cover as initially thought (without additional charges), and only includes Office 2013 Home and Student Edition, does the Surface still stand a chance in the marketplace? Im curious to know how others feel about this.

Despite everything, Im still interested in the Microsoft Surface and Windows 8 application developer. For enterprise users, Windows 8 seems to be the best of both worlds, something that arguably Apple still cant capture. During Apples press conference today, they mentioned that they have 125 million documents in the cloud. They also announced that theyve sold over 100 million iPads. This means that theres just over 1 document in the cloud per person. Thats not too impressive. The other thing they mentioned is that developers made over $6.5 billion (with a b) on applications in the App Store. However, they failed to mention that this also translates to $2.79 billion that Apple themselves have pocketed for developers hard earned dollars. Microsoft is changing the game, slightly, for developers by offering an 80/20 split after the application has made $25,000 in the Microsoft Store.

To begin to learn how to develop for Windows 8, download Visual Studio Express here and visit Generation App, a 30-day training plan for developing a Windows 8 application.

Source: http://www.pheedcontent.com/click.phdo?i=90db1a14b5a0d54041de1015989de591

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Tech Explainer: Why Windows 8 matters to publishers

So far, Windows hasn't really had much of an impact on publishers' lives. Windows Phone still has a minute share of the mobile market, and while many of your readers will be using a PC running Windowns - what browser they use makes more?difference these days.?

That however, looks like it is going to change. On?Friday October 26 Microsoft will launch the next version of Windows 8 - its latest operating system for desktops and tablets - and the following Monday it will launch Windows Phone 8.

The reason this is important is that all the signs are Windows 8 will give Microsoft the right product to begin making more of an impact on the tablet and mobile markets and in tablets and mobiles, operating system matters a lot more for publishers.

Here are?five things you need to know about what Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 mean for your business:

1. More Windows in the world:?Windows Phone hasn't made anything like the impact Microsoft has hoped. But there are signs Windows 8 might give it the momentum needed. Analysts Gartner and?IDC?have long been predicting Windows Phone will become a credible third ecosystem - they expect Windows Phone will either match or beat Apple's iOS to be in second place behind Google by 2016.?

-- Nokia is still relying entirely on Windows Phone 8, and?HTC has?recently?begun putting more effort?into the platform following the poor performance of its Android devices against Samsung.?There are also a?swathe of manufacturers?making Windows 8 tablets - including Microsoft itself with the?Surface.

Another, perhaps even more important reason why Windows Phone 8 will do well is that mobile operators?want a third ecosystem?to reduce their reliance on Apple especially, but also?Google. Microsoft will benefit from that desire.

That means there are likely to be?a lot?more Windows Phone devices out there over the next few months, and they won't be geared towards accessing your content through a browser, they will be looking for apps.

2. More apps, even on desktops:?Windows 8 comes with two choices of interface. The first is a traditional interface that works like an updated version of Windows 7 and is designed for use with a mouse. It has been widely?slated, but that isn't surprising. ?What Microsoft really wants is people to use the completely new Metro interface, which is optimised for tablets and looks a lot like the Windows Phone OS.?

Metro is app-oriented, and that means it will push users towards consuming your content on apps rather than through the browser?even while on a desktop.?That is good news if you've got a successful app you are making money out of, but not terrible news if you don't, because the browser will still be a core part of Windows 8.?

3. Windows Marketplace:?Microsoft's app store hasn't exactly made waves compared to Apple's App Store or Google Play, but that could be a good thing. There are 500,000 apps on Google Play, and more than 600,000 on the App Store, but?only 100,000 on Windows Marketplace. it's a?much less crowded market if you get in early, and if Windows 8 and its mobile counterpart takeoff, it could be a lucrative place to be hawking your wares.

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4. Better together??Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 are?built using?the same underlying OS structure. They are designed to work together well - making syncing across devices and sharing?information?over the cloud far simpler and more?efficient.

It's similar to Apple's attempts to tie users into its ecosystem through iCloud. The difference is that while Apple is leveraging the popularity of the iPhone to get users to love their iPad and Mac, Microsoft hopes to use its dominance of the PC market to boost mobile sales and build a tablet business.

It will be?far easier to build apps that work on both Windows 8 and?Windows?Phone 8?- or at least to adapt an app made for one for the other.

5. Business focus:?If you're a B2B publisher then Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8 are even more likely to be a big deal. Microsoft knows where its strengths are, and it is pushing Windows 8 on tablets and Windows Phone 8 as the mobile OS most suited to business users. The stranglehold of Microsoft Office looks set to continue in the workplace.

Whether or not Microsoft actually manages to deliver a better enterprise product than the iPad remains to be seen, but with Microsoft's stranglehold on business?many companies are expected to embrace Windows 8 on tablets and mobiles.

If you liked this article you can sign up to receive free weekly newsletters from the site by clicking here

Source: http://www.themediabriefing.com/article/2012-10-19/what-does-windows-8-mean-for-publishers

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Scrapbooking Supplies up to 50% off - Fine Craft Guild .com

My sponsor just sends me an email: scrapbooking supplies up to 60% off! This is for the good stuff. Here are 10 scrapbooking supplies that I think are worth stocking up on/investing in now, to take advantage of the savings, while getting ready for that wonderful time of the best scrapbooking season of the year: the holidays!

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1.

Crafts Scoring Board and Envelope Tool.

By Martha Stewart. Now $13, is 60% off.

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2.

Cricut Expression 290300 Personal Electronic Cutter.

Virtually limitless paper cuts & design possibilities.? Now $200, is 33% off.

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3.

Cricut 29-0002 Replacement Cutting Blades for Cricut Cutting Machines.

For up to 1500 cuts.

Now $5 *, is 95% off.

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3. ?

Sakura 30062 6-Piece Pigma Micron Clam Ink Pen Set, Black.

Now $9, is 48% off.

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Martha Stewart Crafts Edger Punch, Doily Lace.

Now < $10, is 35% off.

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Darice 80-Piece Deluxe Art Set.

Fabulous! Incl. watercolors, pastels, etc. etc.

Now only $17, is 57% off.

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Martha Stewart Crafts Tinsel Glitter Set, 12-Pack.

Can never have enough glitter in the holiday season.

< $10, is 63% off.

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Stanley GR20K Trigger Feed Hot Melt Glue Gun Kit.

Now $12.50, is 30 % savings.

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Stanley GS20DT Dual Temperature 4-Inch Glue Sticks, 24-Pack

Now $5, i.e. at 27% discount, so now is a great time to stock up on them.

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Enjoy these fabulous discounts* on your everyday scrapbooking supplies!

(* These are the actual (rounded off) prices as of this writing. Online retailers may adjust prices over time to meet market conditions.)

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Favorite Scrapbooking Supplies

Oh, you ask me what?s my favorite ? I love paper punches and if I were to choose just one thing on a small budget, I?d go for the doily punch. It is the ideal tool for making lovely decorative cards, perfect for sending thoughtful messages to family and friends.? And it?s the season to do just that.

Here are some sample cards made with Martha Stewart doily punches. Really beautiful and elegant. Add some gold embossing and some browns, ochers and reds to your cards to make your stationary seasonal.

Handmade Cards (credit: Martha Stewart)

Scrapbooking Projects

Ordered your paper art supplies and now want to start doing something right away?

Here you will find a long list of all kinds of scrapbooking and greeting cards projects. Free tutorials.

For some projects you?ll need the above tools, while for others all you?ll need is a piece of white office paper and a pair of scissors.., like for this origami butterfly.

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Have a great week.

Source: http://www.finecraftguild.com/scrapbooking-supplies-up-to-50-off/

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