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Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:54:04 GMT

More on the Satyam-PWC scandal

The implosion at Indian IT specialists Satyam raises many questions about corporate governance. As Madhukar Angur says in the Deccan Herald , the debacle suggests we have learned very little since Enron and WorldCom. And that's despite governments around the world tightening their corporate governance regimes with laws like Sarbanes-Oxley.

But nothing will be fixed until the issue of auditor independence and integrity is addressed. As Angur points out, the company was able to inflate its profits by $1.6 billion and its auditors at PwC didn't pick up the problem.

Francine McKenna at The Auditors blog really gets stuck into the problem with these conflicts of interest. She points out that Satyam was a key strategic partner for PwC and that is worth examining. McKenna writes: "Did the strategic importance of Satyam as a systems integration partner and technical resource cause global PwC leadership to overlook, look the other way, or not take action on reports of poor quality or lack of independence by Price Waterhouse India partners and others? Did PwC leadership - US, global, and Indian- enable and perhaps promote complicity in the fraud called 'India's Enron' for the sake of their consulting business strategy? Did Satyam pay PwC for the privilege of being included in these deals by agreeing to exorbitant, higher than market audit fees as has been reported?"

As McKenna points out, the audit industry is rife with these conflicts. So the corporate governance problem will not be resolved until that's addressed. Sarbanes Oxley has not resolved the problem.

So how to resolve it then. Clusterstock has come up with its own radical solutions. These include nuking the Securities and Exchange Commission which has failed to protect investors, stop letting companies hire their own auditors, and finally make each listed company pay a fee to an independent auditing organization which then hires the auditors for member companies.

Over the top? This problem will not disappear and might need radical measures. Posted by: Bose      Read more     Source

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 03:45:45 GMT

Unique Soft Drinks From Around The World

A soft drink is a beverage that does not contain alcohol. Carbonated soft drinks are commonly known as pop, soda pop, soda, cola, coke or tonic in various parts of the United States, pop in Canada, fizzy drinks, pop or soft drinks in the United Kingdom and Australia and sometimes minerals in Ireland.

Here are some popular and unique softdrinks from around the world.

(thanks Nicholas) Posted by: Gerard      Read more     Source

Fri, 05 Jun 2009 02:41:07 GMT

Super stylish twin engine, four seater plane

Aircraft aren’t usual Ferret-faire but I couldn’t go past the Diamond DA42. It’s a gorgeous mix of the WWII P38 Lighting blended with state-of-the aerodynamics and a brilliant cockpit.

The DA42 is truly an enthusiast’s plane with options for everything from the engines to the pin striping. Choose between turbo-diesel engines or traditional avgas version depending on whether you want range, power or both. Then you can go to town on accessories. No iPod docks or entertainment systems though, you need to concentrate up there in the big skies.

The avgas powered DA42 L360 has a range of 700nm, cruising at 140 knots and can carry a useful load of 540kg. Flat out it can reach a maximum speed of 180 knots. The counter-rotating aluminium props can be feathered and each engine puts out 180 hp. Take-off can be achieved in 1,500 feet, landing in 1,877 feet and it can climb 2,000 feet per minute all the way to 18,000 feet.

Base price for the DA42 L360 is US$599,500 but adding extras like advanced avionics, air con/heater, de-icing gear, oxygen and super adjustable seats is going to see you pay a little bit more. Still it’s a pretty damn fine looking piece of kit. Click through and check out the DA42 gallery.

When you take control of the DA42 you are in command of the most technologically advanced twin today. Representing the latest in airframe design, avionics capability and new engine technology, the DA42 is designed for pilots who truly want to go places - safely and in style.

Posted by: Redferret      Read more     Source

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 23:50:37 GMT

Potato Portraits

Ginou Choueiri is a Lebanese artist, based in Beirut. She says:

I chose the potato to portray the human face due to it"s many striking parallels. Not only is their skin porous like ours but they also come in different colors, shapes and sizes. Potato heads grow, sprout, age, then decay.... but they refuse to go without a trace. Posted by: Gerard      Read more     Source

Sat, 02 May 2009 15:09:57 GMT

Silver Seal washable keyboard

Tossing that dirty keyboard into a tub of warm soap water for a clean-up is no longer an urge that you have to repeatedly supress due to those well-understood, practical reasons. The Silver Seal washable keyboard adds a simple and utterly sensible innovation to the normal keyboard to fend off the disastrous consequences - waterproofing. A gotcha moment for you too there, wasn"t it ?

The Silver Seal USB keyboard can be dunked into a tub of water, held under a running tap, or simply tossed into the dishwasher along with the rest of your utensils which are waiting to get scrubbed up. In any case, cleaning this keyboard is a no-nonsense matter since it has a special Seal Shield that makes it totally water-cum-spill proof. And laser etching ensures that the keys won"t fade off either. The shield also has an "Antimicrobial Protection" layer that makes sure that the mucky microbes are kept at bay.

With such features under its belt, the functional specs can"t really matter, can they? For me personally, it brings in the huuuge freedom to be clumsy with the cuppa while I am working. Totally precious. Available at Firebox.com for around $58.

Via The Red Ferret. Posted by: Sarah      Read more     Source

Thu, 23 Apr 2009 03:37:48 GMT

Edible Business Cards

Edible Business Cards.It"s true that business cards are for contact information, but businesses have come up with an innovative idea; imaginative and deliciously edible business cards are the need of the day. These contain all the basics like the personal and the business information. Here are some truly memorable business cards that help brighten up the usual process of exchanging the normal business cards.

Chocolate Business Card:

A business card made of chocolate of Intellectual Property Law Firm.

Completely Edible Business Cards:

100% discreet business cards for Aert van Seggelen. Completely edible business cards with "read it then eat it" instruction.

Custom Chocolate Business Card In Acrylic Case:

A business card with real chocolate, it makes its own .

Peanuts As Business Cards:

"Taberu Me", an edible business cards printed on peanuts, walnuts, cashew nuts, red bean, black bean, grains of rice, and even pasta. A set of 150 Taberu Me cards costs 5,800 yen (around $50).

Custom-Blended Candy Sprinkled Business Cards:

These are wrapped in luscious Belgian White Chocolate and decorated with custom-blended candy sprinkles in your choice of colors, this sweet idea is sure to get you noticed!

Edible Business Card Cookies: Posted by: Venus      Read more     Source

Thu, 16 Apr 2009 03:55:02 GMT

Cassette Tape Portraits

Cassette Tape Portraits.Most of us discard cassette tapes when we are through with them, but not all, there are always exceptions. And here the exception is artist iri5, who turns them into work of art. He has created portraits of well-known musicians such as Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Ian Brown, … from recycled cassette tapes. He specializes in using non traditional media such as old books, cassettes, playing cards, magazines, credit cards and many more or whatever he can find. He prefers to work with unusual things, older material or "things that have a mind of their own". Wow! Perhaps this explains how one can connect music with visual art by using a simple medium like an old cassette tape. Posted by: Venus      Read more     Source

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 04:56:01 GMT

Loves Me? Loves Me Not!

Loves Me, Loves Me Not is a game of French origin, in which one person seeks to determine whether the object of their affection returns that affection or not. A person playing the game alternately speaks the phrases "loves me," and "loves me not," while picking one petal off a flower for each phrase.

The phrase they speak on picking off the last petal supposedly represents the truth between the object of their affection loving them or not.

(thanks Craig) Posted by: Gerard      Read more     Source

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 04:52:07 GMT

Legal Drinking Age Around The World

The is a limit assigned by governments to restrict the access of children and youth to alcoholic beverages. Legal drinking ages vary from country to country, and sometimes, within a particular country. In most countries the legal age to purchase alcohol is either 16 or 18, but there are considerable variations: some countries do not recognize a drinking age and have children as young as 5 who drink wine.

Its a very common thing in some cultures for everyone in the family to have a glass of wine at dinner; others outlaw drinking; and still others, like India, mandate a drinking age as high as 25 in some states.
Bigger map here. Posted by: Gerard      Read more     Source

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 03:49:44 GMT

Sushi on Bloor Shut Down

Sushi on Bloor has been shut down. Score one for New Generation and Sushi 101 in the ongoing Bloor street sushi wars. Apparently they have fewer unwanted, uh, visitors (or better food handling) than the spot that was voted #1 cheap sushi restaurant in Toronto by readers of this site. Posted by: Tim      Read more     Source

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 01:03:20 GMT

Le Bistro Portion Control Pet Feeder

The Le Bistro Portion Control Pet Feeder features programmable meal dispensing for smaller pet types. So you can set the thing up to serve out set meal sizes from the hopper and never have to worry again about your precious animal getting fat related diseases. Just don’t try using it with your Great Dane OK? Unless you want the pooch to end up with a sheepish grin and bits of torn plastic between the teeth. $54.99.

 It is a programmable, automatic pet feeder that holds up to five pounds of dry pet food and dispenses portions from 1/4 cup to two cups at a time depending on the size of your pet. Additionally, you can schedule pet feedings up to three different times per day to maximize nourishment throughout the day. The Lebistro Portion Control Automatic Pet Feeder is powered by three D batteries, sold separately. Posted by: Redferret      Read more     Source

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 00:55:26 GMT

A booklet from any PDF document

Booklet Creator is an awesome free online application which creates booklets out of any PDF file. Just upload your file, wait a few seconds and download a freshly formatted version which has the page ordering all set for booklet printing. This is superb stuff. It’s fast and available with useful customisation features like specifying the size of booklet and number of pages. It won’t work with password protected files (of course). Bookmark!

 BookletCreator is a free online tool that allows you to create a booklet from a PDF document. It reorders pages so that after printing and folding the pages, a small book is created Posted by: Redferret      Read more     Source

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 19:01:11 GMT

iCiNG Transformation Challenge

Photo by stublog. You are this incredible treasure, a shining jewel in the shape of a girl or boy (or unicorn), & you have no idea. You are a gift. Your presence here is important, your thoughts & dreams & loves & heartache enrich the world. Realise how cherished & amazing you are, right now. You will not be any more wonderful or valuable when you lose ten pounds, or become a millionaire, or get married.

Recognise what you are & make a promise that you will be a love letter to the universe forever, a valentine to all the people & all the stars. The more love you give away, the more true it becomes, & while it can be hard at first, it gets easier — I promise, pinky-swear. You & I are in alignment. This is our secret pact. Write it down & keep it close. I will do my best & you do yours, okay?

Decide to fall in love with the world & it will swoop you up in its arms & smother you with kisses. You will get all your joy & excitement back a million times over. This is real, this is how it works. Even when you feel hard & cold & angry, you have more love to give away than you could ever believe possible. It is infinite like galaxies. Just give it away. Imagine cartoon hearts in hot pink & vivid red floating out of your chest & popping over the heads of everyone, showering them with hope & blessings & encouragement, & your life will begin to change. It will become this sparkling carousel of magic & wonder.

I love you & I believe in you & you deserve to be happy, always.

This piece I wrote will appear in Lindsey Markel’s upcoming zine, You Are Among Friends — details as I have them! Posted by: Gala      Read more     Source

Thu, 26 Feb 2009 11:52:05 GMT

The turning heads

Thomas Woodruff’s series Solar System (aka The Turning Heads) is a parade of super magical otherworldliness with a twist - every painting from this series is meant to be flipped, thereby revealing an inverse meaning.
Posted by: isobel      Read more     Source

Mon, 16 Feb 2009 14:42:17 GMT

Amazing Cityscape Art Made From Unusual Objects

Most of us played with building blocks to create our own make believe buildings and cities. Fortunately, not all of us outgrew this habit.

Here are some cityscape artworks made from unusual objects like eggs, cookware, and Jell-O. Posted by: Gerard      Read more     Source

Fri, 13 Feb 2009 15:12:18 GMT

Toronto Behind the Boarding

The demolition signs around part of Toronto"s Junction foretell the imminent doom of the Bunge industrial complex. The company produced a variety of edible food oils, and the complex itself housed both the administrative as well as the production side of its business. A fire prior to its closure ensured that the aesthetic environment of the abandoned premises would include much of the complex"s content: the tools of both blue and white collar workers. These items - some of which are severely fire-damaged - suggest the chaos of the building"s final days. Besides offering some incredible views of the city (and some really nifty machines), the building gave the impression that the workers were merely on a long, auspicious break. Posted by: Jonathan Castellino      Read more     Source

Sat, 31 Jan 2009 08:27:52 GMT

Jessica Alba lashes out at Bill O'Reilly

Jessica Alba took to her blog to defend herself after right-wing TV news pundit Bill O"Reilly suggested that the actress was "dumb". The Sin City star used her MySpace.com blog to defend herself after O""Reilly called her "misguided" for poking fun at a journalist during an inauguration event last week, reports Us magazine.

The new mum asked the reporter what he liked most about new U.S. President Barack Obama, and when he refused to answer, she joked, "That"s it, be neutral. Be Sweden about it." Following the comment, TMZ.com called her a "ditz" and an "arrogant buffoon" for saying Sweden instead of Switzerland when referring to the neutral country during WWII.

O"Reilly whom Alba had called an "a-hole" at the same event also called her "misguided" for mixing up the countries. But on her blog, Alba writes, "I find it depressing that, in the midst of perhaps the most salient time in our country"s history, individuals are taking it upon themselves to encourage negativity and stupidity.

"Last week, Mr. Bill O"Reilly and some really classy sites (i.e. TMZ) insinuated I was dumb by claiming Sweden was a neutral country. "I appreciate the fact that he is a news anchor and that gossip sites are inundated with intelligent reporting, but seriously people.... it"s so sad to me that you think the only neutral country during WWII was Switzerland."

She then linked to a wikipedia article to prove Sweden was also a neutral country. Added Alba, "I appreciate the name calling and the accurate reporting. Keep it up!!"
Posted by: Melissa      Read more     Source

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 20:59:48 GMT

Frey Tiramisu

I"d never heard of Frey branded chocolates until I saw them in a Target. They caught my eye because they were on sale, three for $5, so I thought it was a great time to give them a try. I bought a tiramisu bar, a plain dark bar, and a chili bar because I love tiramisu the dessert and was curious as to how it would translate to chocolate, because I"m planning another chocolate tasting party soon, and because I love chili chocolate. Yum!

If you didn"t know, tiramisu is an Italian dessert (now pretty ubiquitous in restaurants of all kinds of cuisine) made of lady fingers soaked in liqueur and coffee and layered with marscarpone cheese and cream. The paperboard outer wrapper claims "extra fine milk chocolate with creamy marscarpone filling." See what"s missing there? The coffee and the liqueur (and the ladyfingers, but I see those more as a flavor vehicle). Posted by: Editor      Read more     Source

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 20:31:18 GMT

HTC G2 Android Smartphone coming soon?

Recently we witnessed leaked images of a line up of new HTC devices that are expected to be launched this year. The line up included a number of Windows Mobile devices and one or more Android devices. Now we are witnessing leaked images of a new Android Smartphone by HTC known as the HTC Sapphire. It is being thought that the HTC Sapphire is going to the successor of HTC G1.

The HTC G2/Sapphire will come with a sleeker and slimmer design as it doesn't have a physical QWERTY keyboard. It will also come with a large touch screen display, trackball and 3.2 MP camera. It is expected that the HTC G2/Sapphire will be launched in association with T-Mobile, Vodafone and a number of other operators in May. Apart from this, there's not much known about the detailed features, pricing and availability as yet. Stay tuned for more info.

Source: Into Mobile Posted by: Umair Khalid      Read more     Source

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 16:30:54 GMT

Native stone

There is an architectural conceit that says proper buildings should be made from locally available materials. (Frank Lloyd Wright took that a step further by saying a proper homeowner should participate actively in the construction not only of the home but of its components.)

I respect the practice of architecture, and in many cases I think it can be a form of art, but the practicalities of means, motive, and opportunity are generally far more influential in building. Can you afford it? Do you care? And if you did, would you have the chance to do it?

Nonetheless, after I win the lottery and begin to design and build my home at Roundrock, to which I’ll retire to keep bees or something similarly bucolic, I think I’ll have the opportunity to use some local materials in the raising of my manse.

I’ve mentioned here before that the geology of Roundrock is capped by a layer of sandstone, in some place just inches below the soil surface and in some cases emerging from it. (The round rocks are in a layer below the sandstone.) It will be easy to collect plenty of this sandstone, and I have a notion of trying to create a sort of quarry where I can extract it in high quantity. (Don’t worry, I won’t be strip mining.) I’ll have to split and shape the pieces so they will serve as facing material, but that will allow me to participate more in the creation of the components of the house building.

My ultimate plan is to use the sandstone to face the exterior walls of the house, though I intend to have lots of south-facing glass. (The sandstone wouldn’t be structural but merely facial.) And with that in mind, I cracked the above piece of sandstone in two some years back and set it out where it could experience all of the extremes of weather. I wanted to see just what such sandstone would look like on the face of the house after years of exposure. Most of the “wild” sandstone we find in our woods is weathered into a dull brown color; it’s the innards that still flash their color, and that’s the part I want showing on the house. Thus I opened this stone to see how long the vibrant color would hold up.

It’s too bad that the photo is a bit washed out, but I think you can see the multiple colors that are in the stone. You can see red and orange and brown there. The yellowish streaks are new (to my recollection). I like the idea that the facing could evolve over time. Some of the sandstone I’ve found “in the wild” at Roundrock is more pink than brown. With that in mind, I intend to collect my sandstone from all around Roundrock so that I can get the variety of colors. I think I could make quite a patchwork of stone. And then I’d get to look at it each day.

Missouri calendar:

• Watch for chickadees feedding on insects in bark crevices.

Posted by: Roundrockjournal      Read more     Source

Wed, 28 Jan 2009 06:07:27 GMT

Aerial Photography

Aerial Photography.Pilot and photographer Alex MacLean has created a really amazing portfolio of aerial photography. His powerful and descriptive images provide clues to understanding the relationship between the natural and constructed surroundings. This is quite evident from his images we have seen as to how amazing the boats, trailers and houses can create artistic symmetrical patterns.
About MacLean:
Pilot and photographer Alex MacLean has flown his plane over much of the United States documenting the landscape. Trained as an architect, he has portrayed the history and evolution of the land from vast agricultural patterns to city grids, recording changes brought about by human intervention and natural processes. MacLean"s photographs have been exhibited widely in the United Sates, Canada, Europe and Asia and are found in private, public and university collections. Posted by: Venus      Read more     Source