Its Official: BMW To Launch All Electric Megacity In 2013

BMW`s Active E concept

Not much people know about Munich`s best kept secrets, BMW`s “Project-i“. Well we know a little bit of it and want to share with our readers. In 2008, a new research division was announced by BMW which was assigned a task to design numerous solution in the space of urban congested mobility. Though objective of project-i was never limited or exclusive, but they wanted to develop new range of technologies that the company could introduce across its fleet or even under rumored new fourth  sub-brand.

And here we are after two years of research and development, BMW announces the first production Project i car that will be the much-hyped Megacity Vehicle. This vehicle will go on sale in 2013 and will be the first model under a new BMW sub-brand. The announcement was made by BMW CEO Norbert Reithofer at a press event on Thursday at the 2010 Beijing Auto Show.

BMW`s Active-E

The first development of project-i was BMW`s MINI-E which the company has been using to gather feedback from the customers regarding their expectations from a zero emission vehicle. Later this year, company will launch another Project-i product, an all-electric 1-series  based on the concept active E that was featured at the 2010 Detroit auto show. However, both these vehicles are limited run prototypes used to gather customer feedback and viability of an all electric vehicle in today’s urban market.

“With this innovative vehicle, designed from the ground up, we will be creating new benchmarks for electric mobility from 2013 on”, said BMW Chairman Norbert Reithofer. “Our Megacity Vehicle will be significantly lighter than conventional cars and, in terms of sustainability, will set a new standard across the entire value-added chain.”

BMW has confirmed that Megacity will see extensive work of Carbon fiber reinforced plastic(CFRP), an extensive light weight material to enhance the the range and performance by reducing the weight drastically. BMW recently announced a carbon fibre plant at Moses Lake, Washington with Seattle based SGL Automotive Carbon Fibers LLC.

Here is BMW`s Press release:

BMW Group: Megacity Vehicle to launch in 2013

Munich / Beijing. With the launch of its Megacity Vehicle in 2013, the BMW Group will be bringing its first series-production electric-drive model to market. “With this innovative vehicle, designed from the ground up, we will be creating new benchmarks for electric mobility from 2013 on. Our Megacity Vehicle will be significantly lighter than conventional cars and, in terms of sustainability, will set a new standard across the entire value-added chain,” said Norbert Reithofer, Chairman of the Board of Management of BMW AG, on Thursday ahead of the Auto China 2010 show in Beijing.

The Megacity Vehicle will be a zero-emission urban car for the world’s metropolitan regions. It is currently being developed as part of project i and will be available from 2013 under a sub-brand of BMW. When it comes to the choice of materials, the company is broaching entirely new territory. This is because weight plays a pivotal role in the range achievable by electrically driven vehicles. The ultra-light yet high-strength composite CFRP (carbon fibre-reinforced plastic), for example, plays a significant part in the materials mix.

“This vehicle will radically alter the motor industry as we know it. The BMW Group is currently the only company that will be launching a volume-production vehicle on the market that features carbon fibre-reinforced material,” explained Reithofer. “We were among the first manufacturers to pick up on the trend towards electric mobility and to act accordingly. More and more people around the globe are very keen on electric driving. Research shows, moreover, that more than half of the population around the world already live in conurbations,” Reithofer added.

The BMW Group has been gleaning insights into the day-to-day use of electric vehicles since mid-2009, when it launched a global field test involving more than 600 MINI E models. During the test phase some 50 MINI E cars are also being delivered to customers in China in 2010.

“I am convinced that our Chinese clients will show the same enthusiasm for the vehicle as MINI E drivers in Germany, the USA and Britain,” emphasised Reithofer. 2011 will see the handover to Chinese customers of a further fleet based on the BMW Concept ActiveE. The renowned China Automotive Technology and Research Center (CATARC) and the state-owned energy supply company State Grid are involved as partners in the preparation, implementation and assessment of the practical use of these vehicles. The project has the backing of both the Chinese and the German governments.

The results will filter into the development of electrically powered vehicles for the Chinese market. “In the future we will also be offering a New Energy Vehicle in China. This will be developed and produced locally together with our joint venture partner Brilliance,” stated Reithofer

BMW gathered its first experiences with electric-drive vehicles some 40 years ago courtesy of a modified BMW 1602 that led the long-distance walking and marathon running events in the 1972 Summer Olympics. In subsequent decades this alternative drive technology was further pursued using many mobile test beds, including the revolutionary BMW E1.

The BMW Group

The BMW Group is one of the most successful manufacturers of automobiles and motorcycles in the world with its BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce brands. As a global company, the BMW Group operates 24 production facilities in 13 countries and has a global sales network in more than 140 countries.

The BMW Group achieved a global sales volume of approximately 1.29 million automobiles and over 87,000 motorcycles for the 2009 financial year. The pre-tax profit for 2009 was euro 413 million, revenues totalled euro 50.68 billion. At 31 December 2009, the company employed a global workforce of approximately 96,000 associates.

The success of the BMW Group has always been built on long-term thinking and responsible action. The company has therefore established ecological and social sustainability throughout the value chain, comprehensive product responsibility and a clear commitment to conserving resources as an integral part of its strategy. As a result of its efforts, the BMW Group has been ranked industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes for the last five years.

2013 BMW Active E Concept

BMW Mini E Electric Vehicle

BenQ new 3 V series LED monitors in India: Price, Features, Specifications

BenQ, one of the World’s leading LED monitor manufacturer has launched 3 new V series LED displays ranging from 18.5", 21.5" and 24" in size. These displays are highly energy efficient and come with high dynamic contrast ratio. BenQ for the first time has incorporated Senseye Human Vision Technology, which behaves exactly like the Human eye. And yes, all the models are Vista Premium certified. 

BenQ`s Senseye Human Vision Technology makes use of contrast enhancement, color management and sharpness enhancement engines which helps in providing a top class picture quality.  The models use LED backlighting technology where dynamic images are rendered using razor-sharp. There are absolutely blur-free images and video clarity is smooth and clean. As a result of this, users will be relieved from strain on eyes due to excessive viewing. There is another huge advantage of these LED`s over CCFL technology. It displays the content as soon as it’s given power which is not the case in CCFL technology.     

BenQ has launched 3 models; V920, V2220H and V2420H which are of 18.5 inch, 21.5 inch and 24 inch respectively. V920 is priced at Rs 8999, V2220H at Rs 14999 and V2420H has a price of Rs18,900. It is certainly a brilliant deal if you consider its specifications. All the models are equipped with DVI and D-Sub while HDMI 1.3 and headphone jack are only available on models designated with ‘H’.

The latest offering of Benq LED monitors comes with environmental certifications too. It has an ECO preset mode by which up to 52 percent of energy can be saved. BenQ V series stood winner in iF Product Design Award for 2010. Its specifications clearly speak for it. Moreover, the price range is also decent.

India to get fifth-generation fighter jet in 2018

New Delhi has watched warily as China has made rapid strides in defence, worried that Beijing's long-term strategy for the region could involve encircling India.

• A Sukhoi Su-30 aircraft. India's plans to bolster its air force include upgrading more than 50 airbases along the Chinese and Pakistan border.
• Image Credit: Bloomberg News

New Delhi: India will introduce an advanced fighter jet it is building with Russia in 2018, a move that will bring sophistication to its air power but could also spark unease among neighbours China and Pakistan.
New Delhi has watched warily as China has made rapid strides in defence, worried that Beijing's long-term strategy for the region could involve encircling India.
Indian military commanders have stressed greater firepower as a counter-measure, particularly for the air force. The fifth generation fighter aircraft joint project with Russia is part of that strategy.
"The fifth generation aircraft would possess technologies which would provide it [India] the edge over adversaries in future air warfare," P.V. Naik, the Chief of the Indian Air Force (IAF), said in a written statement.
"China is rapidly modernising its air force. On our part, the IAF is reviewing its tactics regularly to increase its combat potential," Naik said.
India's plans to bolster its air force include upgrading more than 50 airbases along the Chinese and Pakistan border, he said.
Under strain
Traditionally, any move by India to acquire new weaponry has been met with similar moves by Pakistan, putting already fragile regional security under further strain.
The aircraft, billed as a competitor to the US F-22 Raptor, can fool sophisticated radars and will be able to take off from short airstrips and remain in the air for longer than the current fighters, air force officials say.
India's air force says it has more than 800 active combat aircraft but is dwarfed by China's, which has more than 2,000 fighter aircraft.

Sania-Shoaib Marriage: Does It Mean An End To Indo-Pak Enmity?

Lahore, Pakistan (AHN) - The much-publicized marriage of Indian tennis star Sania Mirza to former Pakistan cricket captain Shoaib Malik seems to have struck an altogether different chord with the people of Pakistan. They feel that the marriage, which courted controversy and unprecedented media frenzy in equal measures, has the potential to broker peace between traditional rivals, India and Pakistan.
Earlier this month, when the couple broke the news that they were getting married, it took both Indians and Pakistanis by surprise. However, after more than a fortnight, things are more settled now and with Sania already in Pakistan at her in-laws’ place, the tide seems to have turned in favor of the cross-border marriage.
While the countries are at loggerheads with each other, as usual, the Sania-Shoaib marriage has brought in a new dimension to the subcontinent. Although opinions are being churned out cautiously on both sides, there are still a few people who don’t think twice before making themselves clear on the subject.
Among them is the noted Bollywood singer Kailash Kher, who was one of the participants of the Aman Ki Asha (“Hope for peace”) campaign jointly launched by India’s The Times of India group and Pakistan’s Jang group to help peace between the two countries.
Talking to the Times, Kher said, “The relationship between two countries and someone’s personal life are two different subjects. However, peace in one’s personal life is dependent to a large extent on peace between the nations…”
Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Population Welfare, Dr. Fardous Ashiq Awan, while speaking to the Associated Press of Pakistan, said, “Shoaib-Sania marriage would be helpful in improving not only people-to-people contacts but also enhance contacts at government level.”
This is the opinion being expressed on either side of the Indo-Pakistan border but things don’t just end there.
Sania is currently in Pakistan and she has two wedding receptions scheduled for April 25-26 in the cities of Lahore and Sialkot. After the wedding festivities are over, the couple will fly off to Dubai and probably settle down there.
Therefore, it will be sometime before this marriage can actually prove to be an example of improving relations between India and Pakistan. Meanwhile, the couple can offer to be a beacon of hope and peace for the Indo-Pak relationship, if they want to. At least that is what the people on both sides of the border would like them to be.

Speakers at a PTV programme disapprove negative media attitude

ISLAMABAD, Apr 23 (APP): Speakers in a Pakistan television programme on Friday disapproved the negative attitude of some media persons saying this  is against the norms of journalism and bringing bad name  to the entire community. Analyst Prof. Hassan Askari said that sudden boost of electronic channels has created a lot of aggressive journalists who follow no norms while performing their duty.

For example the entry of a crowd of reporters in sensitive wards of hospitals for the purpose of news collection is not laudable because it disturbs the work of medial staff to attend the serious patients, he said.

He said that some journalists even force their way into the wedding ceremonies uninvited to the shame of entire community.

Askari said that journalism is a noble profession which should be used for  building the national character rather than misleading and disturbing the people.

Editor of Daily ‘Aaj Kal’ Khalid Chaudhary said that it had been the tragedy of the nation that the  Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) despite being the most popular party was not tolerated by the establishments in past.

The baseless propaganda by some media persons reflects this aspect he said adding certain media persons    have launched a false propaganda against the elected representatives of the people.

He said the PPP has proved through its polices that the democracy would be strengthened and these people are unhappy over this change adding the elements who have been paving way for dictators in the past were making desperate and vain efforts to derail the process of democracy.

Munawar Anjum  of People’s Party said some journalists have been assigned to fabricate stories against Party’s leadership.

As the democracy was being strengthened the anti-people forces were active to block the progress, he said.

He felt the need for a regulatory body to check tendencies of yellow journalism saying the people involved in such practices should be brought to justice.

Analyst Wajahat Masood said that some journalists have allied themselves with the anti-democracy forces.

These people have been serving the interests of dictators in the past to further their personal agendas he said adding they were not feeling at ease with the democratic leadership.

Some media persons were rude enough even to use abusive and immoral language against the democratically elected leadership, he said.

He recalled that  on  the day  following the election of President Asif Ali Zardari to his office a news item was published in a paper saying the capital city has suffered  earthquake jolts because the people have elected wrong person.

This type of journalism is a shame for entire community he said and added that the people resorting to such practices should be discouraged by the community itself.

Pakistani designers make debut in Dubai

Studio 8 was thronged by the elite of Dubai's fashion scene, some of whom flew in from Pakistan to participate in the ceremony.

• Pakistani ambassador to the UAE, Khursheed Ahmad Junejo (second from left), after inaugurating Labels at Studio 8 at Jumeirah Beach Road in the presence of Sarah Bel Hasa (third from left) and others.
• Image Credit: PANKAJ SHARMA/Gulf News

Dubai: Those who have misconception that Pakistan is all about terrorism and extremism, must visit Studio 8 in Dubai to see the ultra modern side of the country as top Pakistani fashion designers have displayed a wide range of ready to wear clothes.
Opening of the Labels, a dedicated section for Pakistani designers at Studio 8, an international multi-brand boutique on Jumeirah Beach Road in Dubai, was much appreciated by guests. Studio 8 was thronged by the elite of Dubai's fashion scene, some of whom flew in from Pakistan to participate in the ceremony.
"It's new addition to Dubai's fashion scene," said Sarah Bel Hasa, owner of Studio 8. She told Gulf News that it all started just two months ago when she went to Lahore to watch the Pakistan Fashion Week and decided to bring those talented fashion designers to Dubai.
"I always wanted to have Pakistani designers at the boutique along with Indian, Emirati, Lebanese and Kuwaiti designers. I am very pleased with the quality and depth of work by these talented Pakistani designers," she added.
A wide selection of clothes especially designed to cater to demands of women in the UAE is on display at the boutique.
Earlier, Ambassador of Pakistan Kursheed Ahmad Junejo, who inaugurated the Pakistani designers' section, said that he would encourage Pakistan designers to organise a fashion show in Dubai as well.
"They are showing the new face of Pakistan to the world with their innovative designs which speak of modernity in the country contrary to extremism," he said, adding that the government would provide full support to Pakistani designers to open more boutiques in the UAE as they can reach out to more than 200 nationalities living here and play their role in image building of their country.
Zahir Rahimtoola, owner of Labels, a multi-designer boutique, said that his joint venture with Studio 8 in Dubai, would open new avenues for Pakistani designers.
He said that Pakistan's dynamics are changing. "Change is happening with the holding of fashion weeks as Pakistani designers are now reaching out to wider communities instead of earlier limited access,"
Sahar Atif, one of the leading designers with the brand name ‘Saai' (shadow) from Lahore said she got amazing response in Dubai and it's a great pleasure to be part of Studio 8.

Karachi, Islamabad Traders refuse early closure of markets

Friday, April 23, 2010 at 11:40 pm under Pakistan Breaking news Karachi, Islamabad Traders refuse early closure of markets

Karachi, Pakistan News :- Karachi and Islamabad traders have refused the government orders to close the markets at 8pm. After Karachi traders’ refusal on early closure of markets, the Sindh government has constituted a two-member committee to resolve the issue. Whereas, Rehman Malik said that the directive would be implemented strictly.

Sindh Chief Minister said that on the issue of 300mw cut in electricity supply to Karachi, MQM’s reservations should have to be addressed. In a breifing after Sindh Cabinet meeting, Qaim Ali Shah said that all government offices and educational insitutions would remain closed two days a week while office timinings have been extended by an hour a day. This step will decrease loadshedding by 30 percent. On the other hand, committees have been formed under the supervision of ministers to implement the plan of early closure of markets in Sindh.

Interior Minister Rehman Malik said that the directive would be implemeneted with sticks. Traders said that they were ready to close the markets at 10pm. Organiser of Trader Action Committee in Islamabad, Ajmal Baloch and Traders leader Kashif Chaudhry while talking to Dunya News after meeting with Rehman Malik said that 7pm to 10pm is the peak hour of business, and early closure of markets will devastate their businesses.

Traders said that they were ready to close neon signs and half of the lights of shops, if the government agreed to their demand to close markets at 10pm. Rehman Malik said that traders demands would be met with sympathy after electricity production gets increased. He assured the traders that he would inform the Prime Minister about their demands.

Gilani, Nawaz exchanges views on national issues

ISLAMABAD, April 23 (APP) - Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani Friday night telephoned Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Chief Mian Nawaz Sharif and exchanged views on national issues. The Prime Minister asked Mian Nawaz Sharif to suggest a name from his party who could join the commission being formed for implementation of constitutional amendments.

The benefits of enactment of the 18^th amendment, he said could only reach the people after effective implementation of the amendments in the constitution.

He said that the historic amendments are an outcome of the Charter of Democracy signed by Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto and Mian Nawaz Sharif.

In this regard, the Prime Minster also appreciated the support and active contribution of PML-N and other political parties in the Parliament.

Mian Nawaz Sharif said that the enactment of 18^th amendments is a victory of the democratic forces and the whole nation deserves to be complimented on this landmark achievement.

About suggesting a name for the implementation commission to be formed, Nawaz Sharif said that very soon he would consult senior members of his party, particularly Ishaq Dar and suggest the name of the representative.

The Prime Minister took Mian Nawaz Sharif into confidence on his forthcoming visit to Bhutan to attend the SAARC Conference and also on Pakistan-EU Summit likely to be held in June.

He consulted him on matters of interest to Pakistan on both the occasions.

Nawaz Sharif appreciated the initiative of the Prime Minister to help resolve the energy crises and said that Mian Shahbaz Sharif has briefed him in detail about the deliberations and outcome of the Energy Conference.

The Prime Minister thanked him for the support and mentioned that the success of the Energy Conference was possible because of collective efforts and collective wisdom of the leadership of all the political parties.

It is now incumbent upon the federal and the provincial governments to work with the same spirit to implement the decisions of the Energy Conference so that the people can get relief from energy shortage, the Prime Minister said.

Naming the “establishment”

 Benazir Bhutto in this October 2007 file photo. It is now part of the record of the world's highest international forum that Pakistan's intelligence agencies “severely hampered” the investigation into Benazir's assassination.

The U.N. report on Benazir Bhutto's killing wades directly into the controversial subject of civilian-military relations in Pakistan.

Anyone who has been in Pakistan even briefly knows about the “establishment”. It comes up so often in routine conversations that despite being an English word, it is a part and parcel of the country's local languages. No Pakistani ever needs an explanation of what it means.

But now the United Nations has provided one; its report on the assassination of Benazir Bhutto defining it as “the de facto power structure that has as its permanent core the military high command and intelligence agencies, in particular, the powerful, military-run the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) as well as Military Intelligence (MI) and the Intelligence Bureau (IB)”.

That the “establishment” should find mention at all in the U.N. report is extraordinary. Usually known for playing safe when it comes to the national sensitivities of its member-states, the three-member U.N. commission set up in February 2009 to investigate Benazir's assassination on a request by the Pakistan People's Party government, was expected to abide by the international organisation's low appetite for political risk.

Its mandate seemed designed to ensure a non-controversial report. As the head of the commission, Heraldo Munoz Valenzuela, declared at a press conference in Islamabad in July 2009, its terms of reference were to “look into the facts and circumstances of the assassination of former Prime Minister” and did not include a criminal investigation.

The commission, which had a former Attorney-General from Indonesia and a retired Irish police official working with Mr. Valenzuela, the Chilean permanent representative to the U.N., was not expected to fix criminal responsibility for the assassination or come out with any new revelations. The widespread belief was that it would accept the Musharraf regime's conclusion that Benazir was ordered killed by the Pakistani Taliban leader, Beithullah Mehsud.

True to these expectations, there is no earth-shattering revelation in the 70-page report. It does not contradict that Beithullah Mehsud might have been the mastermind, though it says the hasty announcement of this by the Musharraf regime pre-empted a proper investigation.

In the main it is a painstaking reconstruction of events, put together by the commission after conducting 250 interviews. One part of the reconstruction deals with the political situation in Pakistan in 2007 — General Pervez Musharraf's attempt to sack the Chief Justice; the movement by the lawyers for his restoration; the secret Benazir-Musharraf negotiations leading up to her return from Dubai; the November 3 emergency; the sacking of the judiciary; the calling of the elections; the campaign by Benazir; and, her assassination.

It details the inadequacy of her security, especially in the light of the bombing of her convoy on the day she landed in Karachi after ending her exile. The second part is a reconstruction of the government response to the assassination — also inadequate.

This is valuable in itself, even thought it covers known ground. For one, in the absence of a proper criminal investigation, it is the only authoritative, independent and cohesive reconstruction of the killing. The importance of this for a proper criminal investigation cannot be overemphasised. It provides a wealth of detail about the lapses in the security arrangements of the former Prime Minister and has helped to focus attention on some of the principal actors, their decisions and their acts of omission and commission. It names government and police officials and at least one serving and one retired military official, holding them responsible for a chain of egregious acts, concluding that many of these acts were deliberate.

In Pakistan, there is all-around satisfaction that the report has blamed the Musharraf regime for failing “profoundly” in its duty to protect Benazir, and after she was killed, to investigate her assassination. The retired General remains a pet hate of the political class and the media, and the report has triggered fresh demands that Pakistan's former military ruler, now a gentleman of leisure who divides his time between the U.S., London and Dubai, be brought back to Pakistan to face trial.

Opponents of Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Law Minister Babar Awan are also sharpening their knives on the report. The two men have been faulted for speeding away from the scene of attack in the car that was the back-up vehicle in Benazir's convoy, leaving her damaged car to fend for itself.

Detractors of President Asif Ali Zardari and the PPP have also gleefully pounced on the commission's incomprehension at the PPP's failure to get a proper criminal investigation going despite coming to power a few months after the killing.

But perhaps the most remarkable portion of the report, one that has been studiously ignored in media commentary and political reaction in Pakistan, is about the “pervasive” role of the “establishment” and how intelligence agencies blocked early attempts at investigating the assassination. It helps throw light on why the PPP never attempted to pursue Benazir's killers and may not be able to do so even now.

It is now part of the record of the world's highest international forum, of which almost all sovereign states are members, that Pakistan's intelligence agencies “severely hampered” the investigation into Benazir's assassination and thus “impeded an unfettered search for the truth”.

The commission found out that the ISI conducted what it calls parallel investigations into both the attack on Benazir's welcoming rally at Karachi that October and her killing three months later, gathering evidence and detaining suspects. But it shared the findings only selectively with the police. The report questions the integrity of such investigations “given the historical and possibly continuing relationships between intelligence agencies and some radical Islamist groups that engage in extremist violence”.

It also puts down some failures of the police and government officials in the Benazir assassination to the “uncertainty in the minds of many officials as to the extent of the involvement of intelligence agencies”. Officials, it says, “in part fearing involvement by the intelligence agencies, were unsure of how vigorously they ought to pursue actions that they knew, as professionals, they should have taken”.

This is perhaps the first time that the country's civilian-military relations have been raked up in an official, public document. Mincing no words, the U.N. wades right to the heart of the ever-relevant debate on the balance of power between the elected government and the military.

“[The] autonomy, pervasive reach and clandestine role of intelligence agencies in Pakistani life underlie many of the problems, omissions and commissions set out in this report. The actions of politicized intelligence agencies undermine democratic governance. Beyond the recent steps that have reportedly been taken to curb the involvement of intelligence agencies in political matters, the democratic rule of law in Pakistan could be greatly strengthened with a thorough review of intelligence agencies based on international best practices in this area,” the report states.

Perhaps it was Mr. Munoz's personal experience of military rule, which he has chronicled in a book called The Dictator's Shadow: Life Under Augusto Pinochet (2008), that prompted this open indictment of the military's role in Pakistan in the report. But, whatever the reason or motives for the commission's extensive comments on the “establishment”, to the PPP's ears, it is music.

When the PPP government asked the U.N. to set up this commission, it came in for warnings from sections of officialdom and the media that national sovereignty was at stake. The Foreign Ministry was particularly unhappy as it felt that it amounted to a government declaration of “no confidence” in its own investigating agencies and would lay open “sensitive” departments to international scrutiny. The Foreign Secretary at the time, Riaz Muhammad Khan, quit some months before he was due to retire after a spat on this issue.

For the PPP, which attempted a “reform” of the intelligence agencies back in the summer of 2008 only to be beaten back by the military, the report is a vindication, a ringing endorsement of all that the party has maintained through most of the four-decades of its existence — that the “establishment” is the real villain in Pakistan. But does the report change anything on the ground? After all those encounters through 2008 and 2009 in which he steadily lost political ground and the Pakistan Army progressively regained political stature, this report finally gives Mr. Zardari a victory over the military. But coming at a time when the PPP government has pretty much accepted the supremacy of the Pakistan Army, the victory has nothing more than notional value.

All the tees in China: Golf boom threatens rainforest

With its 1,000-year-old trees, Hainan was a rare conservation success. But now fairways stretch as far as the eye can see

The jungles of the Diaolou Mountains do not, at first sight, appear a very inviting location for a golf resort. Leeches and spiders drop through the Jeep windows as we jolt along an overgrown logger's track to reach this remote corner of Hainan, the tropical island that marks the south-eastern extremity of China.
On one side lies a pristine tropical rainforest with 1,000-year-old trees; on the other, a thick tangle of bamboo, cedar and palm has reclaimed an abandoned betel nut plantation.
Until now, this national park has been a rare conservation success story in China. Clouded leopards and black gibbons are among the 300 endangered species listed in this sanctuary.
But while the jungle has been allowed to grow back, the park's managers have been forced to watch with frustration as neighbouring communities cash in on one of the biggest, fastest surges in property prices in the world.
The value of land in Hainan has increased by between 50% and 100% since the start of the year, boosted by a government drive to turn the island into an upscale tourist resort.
For the park's managers, the temptation is now too great to resist. "We are sitting on a goldmine," says Zhong Guanghao, the deputy director of the forest bureau, as he exhales a plume of cigarette smoke. "Within five years, we'll have at least two five-star hotels, dozens of town houses, a conference centre and a 36-hole golf club."
His colleague Lu Yongquan takes me to the proposed site in a four-wheel drive that judders across mountain streams, heading so deep inside the forest that there is no mobile phone signal.
"This terrain is very suitable for golf. The environment is quite beautiful," says Lu, who is head of the wildlife department, as we stop to survey the thick forest where his boss wants to build a club covering 300 hectares – the size of about 300 football pitches.
On the park's map, the course is inside the core conservation zone, which is supposed to be off-limits to human activity. But Lu said the government permitted experimental development areas to generate funds for wildlife protection.
"There will be no impact on the eco-system," he insisted. "Only the elite will be able to come. It is not for the masses."
The plan looks certain to stir up controversy.
"You would have to be greedy and heartless to build a golf course in that area," said Yang Xiaobo, a doctor of ecology at Hainan University.
"The biodiversity here is not just important for this island, but for the entire country. There are few rainforests like this in the world."
If the plan for a resort sounds like the thin end of the wedge, it is not alone in Hainan, where golf is increasingly a tool for shifting land-usage rights towards an international jet set, often regardless of the environmental impact.
A quarter of a century ago, China had just one golf course. Today, Hainan alone has almost 30 and senior officials say they want to expand that to 100 and then on to 300.
This runs contrary to central government restrictions on golf development, which is seen as a threat to food security because it often eats up arable land. But Hainan claims an exemption because, officials and local businessmen argue, the island needs golf to become the Hawaii of east Asia.
This is not the only motive. "Golf is a real-estate driven activity primarily in China," said Shane Templeton, course consultant at Sanya Yalong Bay Golf Club. "It is just a vehicle to sell property. You're not supposed to be displacing farmers.
"Now, obviously, there are projects that have bent the rules a little bit, but that is up to the government to control."
The environmental impact goes beyond land acquisition. Established 10 years ago, Sanya Yalong is one of the oldest and best-run clubs on the island, but it still needs to fight a chemical war against Japanese cockchafers, ground pearl and other invasive pests that have been brought in with the imported soil for the greens and fairways.
Golf's supporters say the amount of pesticide needed for courses is less than that applied by farmers on their crops. Groundsmen also lay plastic under the soil to ease risks of water supply contamination. But this too can cause problems if huge areas of land are covered.
"When there are several golf courses in close proximity, we have to be very careful about the impact on ground water … That changes the run-off," someone involved in environmental impact assessments told the Guardian. "There are violations but I can't talk about them … Some projects start construction before they have gone through an environmental impact assessment."
At the centre of such concerns is Mission Hills, the biggest golf development in Hainan, covering an area the size of a city. The management company already runs the biggest golf course in the world at nearby Shenzhen. Initial reports suggested the new development in Hainan would be far bigger: as many as 22 courses are talked of.
After an outcry, executives are now downplaying their ambitious. They talk only of "at least six courses", which are already either finished or under construction. But banners displayed around the club still boast it will be "Number One in the World".
It is an astonishing sight. From the terrace of the newly built clubhouse, bunkers and greens appear to stretch endlessly towards the horizon on all sides. Executives claims it is one of the world's most eco-friendly courses because it is built on volcanic scratch land at great cost.
"What we are doing could be the future of golf, because we are using deserted land rather than arable fields," said Jiaqi Li, the executive director. "Not one family had to be moved for any of our six courses."
But her claims are questioned by local people.
In Changyong village on the edge of the course, residents said they have been flooded for the past two years by water than runs off of plastic sheeting under the huge course.
"It's had a huge impact," said Deng Zhenhe. "We never had flooding in the past. Now it comes three months every year. The water comes up to our waists sometimes. Cars can't get through."
At Bopian village, a crowd gathers to express their grievances. "The golf club has cut down many big trees and the lychee and longan trees we used to farm. Our sheep and cows have nowhere to graze," said a man who gave only the surname Wu. "I was cheated of some of my land."
Mission Hills insists the correct procedures were followed. "The environmental impact assessment has been completed and all the experts have put their signatures to the approval," said Li.
But the Guardian has learned that concerns have been raised by inspectors about the risk to biodiversity and water systems. During the environmental impact assessment for Missions Hills, they found several rare plant species, including Ottelia cordata and Aportea sinuate, that are not found anywhere else on Hainan. In addition, they warned of a potential risk of flooding and contamination of groundwater supplies for the nearby city of Haikou.
"We have not finished the paperwork because of these problems," said the source involved with assessment. "We have offered advice on the scale of the course and how to reduce pollution. The matter is still very sensitive."
Local government officials acknowledged concerns about groundwater, but appeared to be in the dark about the scale of the golf club's expansion.
"Mission Hills has completed environmental assessment and received proper permission for only one course," said Cai Qiao, director of the Haikou tourism development committee. "I'm sure they have completed only one course, not three."
As he spoke, golfers were putting and driving on the finished courses and bulldozers were clearing the way for three more. Hollywood stars are lined up for a celebrity tournament for the opening in October and, by next autumn, the club expects to host the World Cup of golf. Permission is taken for granted.

Golf in China: the hole story

• A game similar to golf was played in China more than 500 years before the sport in its modern form was started in Scotland.
Jade-and-gold clubs were used in "chuwan", according to sketches and writings dating back to the Tang dynasty (960-1279).
• The first recorded golf club on the mainland was established in Shanghai by British expatriates in 1896. The nine-hole course sat on what is now People's Square. Players from Shanghai often competed against rivals from Hong Kong.
• After Mao Zedong's Communists came to power in 1949, golf was condemned as a bourgeois imperialist sport and the few courses closed.
• In the modern era of opening and reform, the first course was constructed in 1984. This was followed by such a rash of golf development that the government grew concerned about the loss of arable land and tried to impose restrictions.
• Today, there are an estimated 600 courses in China, many of which dodge the regulations by claiming to be landscaping projects or vaguely defined property developments.
With golf due to become an Olympic sport by 2016, its popularity is expected to grow. Last year, Jack Nicklaus reportedly claimed the country was planning to build 1,400 public courses over the next five years.

Bride's Guide: Q&A for the Big Day

How do you go about preparing a timeline for your wedding day?

The 30-Day Wedding Countdown, Day 22: Wedding Day Timeline

I started yesterday's entry with a reference to an episode of "Platinum Weddings," and today I'm going to begin with one of my favorite television wedding moments of all time.
I don't actually sit at home and watch shows about weddings all day long, but MTV's "True Life: I'm Getting Married" is a classic. My fiance Mark runs in the other direction at the first sight of "Say Yes to the Dress," but even he enjoyed the wedding of Charlie and Sabrina from Staten Island.
Like all "True Life" episodes, "I'm Getting Married" features a number of different characters and their journeys. Of the couples they chronicled heading to the altar, none was more entertaining, and ultimately endearing, than Charlie and Sabrina.
To make a long story short, an hour after his wedding was supposed to start, Charlie's limo still hadn't arrived to pick him up. He was immortalized on film running down the street and threatening the life of the limo driver on his cell phone.
Charlie and Sabrina were many hours late for their own wedding, and I don't want that to happen to me.
In "The Wedding Book," celebrity wedding planner Mindy Weiss advises having a timeline for your entire wedding day that includes relevant details and contact information for all your vendors. She also suggests giving timelines to vendors and providing abbreviated timelines to your wedding party with details about hair and make-up appointments, transportation, photographs, etc.

Teen look-a-likes hit Provo

THE stars were out in force at Graceway Sports Centre last weekend.

Tiger Woods, Justin Timberlake and Taylor Swift were among guests at the Provo Teen Dance and Skate Night.
But autograph hunters fear not.

The glamorous trio were entries in the spectacular celebrity look-a-like competition, which attracted a host of superstar doubles.

Provo Teen Nights are held every month with more than 100 grade six and upward students from across the island joining in the fun.

Profits from these popular events go towards educational projects, with this month’s beneficiaries being Provo Primary School and the Edward C Gartland Youth Centre.

Co-organiser Cristal Clark explained: “The Teen Nights were set up to give youngsters both something fun to do and a place to meet up and make new friends. They also help raise money for scholarship schemes and other educational projects.

“Teenagers can skate, dance or just hang out, and we have lots of other attractions such raffles and pizza.”

She added: “The nights are themed with the latest being a celebrity look-a-like night, sponsored by Digicel, where youngsters came dressed as a star and there were prizes for the best, voted for by the teenagers themselves.”

Claiming top honours in the competition were Cierra Edross and Coral Pratt, who came dressed as Lola from Hannah Montana and Kanye West, respectively.

With the monthly Teen Nights proving so successful, Mrs Clark revealed it’s now hoped to run them more frequently.

“This was our fourth event and we have held them approximately once a month,” she said.

“But because they are proving so popular, we hope to do it more often in the future.

“However, none of it would be possible without the support of our sponsors who include Digicel and the Graceway IGA and Gourmet Supermarkets.

“Also a big thanks to my co-organiser Gillian Vernice, volunteers CJ Edross, Katie Watson and Sarah Diepenveen, and to Alan Larkin from the Provo Hockey League for donating pairs of skates for the youngsters to use on the night.”

Details of the next Teen Night will be advertised across the island and there is a Facebook page at Providenciales TeenNight.

The cost per teenager is $12 and there is security on duty throughout. The nights generally run from 7pm to 10pm with parents and volunteers welcome.

These celebrity iPhone apps will teach you something

f you love celebrity news, you’ve probably already downloaded all the staple apps like People Celebrity News Tracker, E! Online and TMZ. But if you really want to get behind the lives of your favorite celebs, check out the iPhone apps created just for them and their talents. 

Buzz Aldrin Portal to Science and Space Exploration
Fresh off his experience on ABC's "Dancing with the Stars," astronaut Buzz Aldrin launched his iPhone app to promote science and space exploration, as well as provide the latest industry news for experts. The Buzz Aldrin Portal to Science and Space Exploration app ($1.99) is a comprehensive iPhone app, including the latest space buzz and news, streaming NASA TV and everything you need to know about Buzz. 

Phil Mickelson Secrets of the Short Game
While you can’t buy the same green jacket as the 2010 Masters champion, you can download the Phil Mickelson Secrets of the Short Game iPhone app ($4.99).
This app is like having virtual golf lesson with the man himself. It includes various high-quality videos to improve you stroke, putting, chipping technique and more. The iPhone app also includes flash cards for quick access and reminders on the green. 

Ellen
If you want to catch a celebrity doing something goofy, you will definitely want to catch their appearance on the Ellen show, for sure. Now, you can download the free Ellen iPhone app and gain access to all the recent appearances of your favorite celebs and bonus silly antics of Ellen herself. In addition to the videos and photos from the television show, the app also includes a direct feed of Ellen’s blog, which includes hilarious quotes of the day. 
Nigella Quick Collection
The Nigella Quick Collection iPhone app ($7.99) is an interactive cookbook from Nigella Lawson, the bestselling cookbook author. The iPhone app categorizes recipes by the app’s signature quick collection; including what is in your fridge, food moods, your favorites, a recipe shuffle and featured recipes from each of Nigella’s printed cookbooks. Pick a recipe and the app automatically generates a shopping list. I particularly like the “What’s in your fridge?” option that shows you all recipes based on one main ingredient you have on hand like beef, lamb, cheese or even vegetarian options. There are handy how-to videos on dicing a mango, de-seeding a pomegranate and even which chorizo to choose. This app is definitely the future of interactive cookbooks. 
InHouse
If you are a fan of Fox’s House, you definitely won’t want to miss downloading the updates to the free InHouse iPhone app. New updates happen every Monday through the end of the season and all new "appisodes" will launch starting when the season ends to carry House fans through the summer. There is lots of behind the scenes action provided in this app, including everyone’s favorite House-isms. 

Wakey Wakey
It’s time to walk the dogs, and Pamela Anderson is rolling around in her bed urging you to get up and take them dogs outside. That’s right folks; it’s Wakey Wakey, the official iPhone video alarm clock of Pamela Anderson. For $1.99,  you can wake up to a video of Pam every day; just choose your video pleasure from "frozen waffle," "shower together," "walk the dogs," "hard drive" and "sorry." I have to say, Pam’s pretty voice is nicer to wake up to than my buzzing alarm clock.

Jesse James’ Mistress, Michelle "Bombshell McGee," to appear live in Las Vegas tonight

Jesse James' tattooed mistress, Michelle "Bombshell" McGee will
dance topless in Las Vegas tonight.  Photo:  SoCal Glamour Girls

If you’ve ever wanted to see a real live celebrity mistress up close and personal, here’s your big chance. Jesse James’ Mistress, Michelle Bombshell McGee, will be performing tonight at the Deja Vu Showgirls club in Las Vegas.
What is this world coming to when a woman who slept with someone else’s husband can command thousands of dollars per appearance and have people lining up to see her take off her clothes?
Cancelled in Miami but Welcomed in Las Vegas
Michelle was previously scheduled to appear at the LIV Club at Miami’s Fontainebleau Hotel. According to the New York Daily News, her appearance was canceled because the Fontainebleu later decided Michelle did not fit their upscale image. However, rumor has it that Bombshell McGee’s appearance was cancelled due to public outrage.
The Vegas nightlife crowd has apparently welcomed Jesse James’ mistress with open arms.
According to Larry Beard, the Déjà Vu’s advertising and marketing director, the club is looking forward to cashing in on Bombshell McGee’s “celebrity” status as Jesse James’ mistress.
For prancing around topless, Bombshell McGee will be paid $5000 plus all the tips she can rake in. She’ll also be posing for photos and signing autographs.
Michelle McGee Appeals to the Tattoo Crowd
The former mistress of Jesse James is heavily tattooed. She has artistic tattoos covering about 90% of her body.
Even Michelle’s eyebrows are tattooed on, and she has the phrase "Pray for Sinners" tattooed across her forehead. (Maybe that’s why she wears bangs?)
Scores of tattoo enthusiasts are expected to attend Michelle McGee’s one night Vegas show.
Capitalizing on Her Affair with Jesse James
The Vegas appearance is apparently part of Michelle McGee’s ongoing campaign to extend her 15 minutes of fame for sleeping with Sandra Bullock’s husband.
Evidently Michelle’s goal is to keep her name in the news, along with other celebrity mistresses like Joslyn James, Rachel Uchitel, Rielle Hunter. Ashley Dupre, and all the rest.
These celebrity mistresses have become so numerous that you almost need a scorecard to keep track. See The Mistress Quiz and Celebrity Mistress Update – The Latest Report On Celebrity Mistresses In The News
It looks like Michelle McGee has a whole repertoire of tricks to capitalize on her affair with Sandra Bullock’s husband, including the claim that Jesse James duped her into having an affair. See Could You Be Duped into Dating a Married Man Like Jesse James Duped Michelle Bombshell McGee?
Michelle McGee’s Latest Publicity Stunts
Michelle relishes being the center of attention. She seems to pull a new publicity stunt every few days, to make keep her name in the news. Below are some of Bombshell McGee’s recent publicity stunts:

• requesting an audience with Sandra Bullock to discuss her affair with Jesse James and “help Sandra heal” from the affair.

• agreeing to co-host a TV reality show called “Celebrity Cheaters” with one of Tiger Woods’ alleged mistresses, Jamie Jungers.

• giving a series of interview insisting that she is not a “homewrecker,” and that Jesse James wrecked his own marriage by not telling her the truth.

• claiming Jesse James duped her into having an affair

• insisting that she is just as much a victim of Jesse James as Sandra Bullock is because Jesse James lied to her, too

It will be interesting to see what Michelle Bombshell McGee has planned next .

YouTube Is Now Your Local Video Store

YouTube is now officially in the movie-rental business.

The Google-owned video service dabbled with the idea earlier in the year by offering Sundance films for rental, but the new site located at youtube.com/store marks a much broader entry into the market, with what seems to be a fairly large spectrum of movies and TV shows priced between 99 cents and $3.99.
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The YouTube rental store features newer movies, including Oscar contenders Precious and The Cove; indie classics such as Reservoir Dogs and Pi; and more mainstream fair, such as 3:10 to Yuma and Saw III. The store also offers a number of anime TV shows and selections for young children.

Rented movies can be viewed for 48 hours. All of the transactions are handled by Google Checkout.

In Defense of Facebook's Empire of "Like"

This week, with the announcement of Google's new plug-ins and Open Graph protocol, the Internet became Mark Zuckerberg's playground, and his buffet. We the Users aren't just playing around in the Facebook ecosystem. We're also feeding it. Every time we click the "like" button by a CNN article, every time we our favorite music on Pandora and restaurants on Yelp, the hive-mind at Facebook HQ grows. Farhad Manjoo does a wonderful job explaining exactly what Facebook's empire of "like" buttons means for the company, and us:

It is difficult to underestimate the value, to Facebook, of all this activity. Now, very soon, it will also have the largest database connecting people to the things they enjoy, whether those things are news stories, restaurants, songs, books, movies, jeans, cosmetics, or anything else.

This is going to freak out some folks. After all, there's public, and then there's public. You can make a goofy Facebook profile picture accessible to anybody with a Facebook login, but you don't necessarily want it splashed on a highway billboard. You might be OK with friends checking out your favorite movies and music, but how would you feel about Best Buy, and IMDB, and Target knowing before you even told them because Facebook developed a proprietary information-sharing platform to help companies target consumers? We'll hear these concerns with increasing frequency.

But there's reason to be psyched, not spooked, by the empire of "like." Imagine the improvement to online shopping "if it made consistently good recommendations based on your known likes and dislikes," as Manjoo muses. Imagine the improvements to targeted advertising: you're browsing CNN on your smart phone and a mobile ad pops up with a happy hour coupon for a restaurant around the block you liked on Yelp. Imagine a news aggregation site that organized your friends' favorite opinion pieces by their self-described political persuasion, so that you could break out that news feed into liberal, conservative, and libertarian. A trainable Internet that listens and remembers what we like: that's not something to be afraid of.

Google Says Navigation Will Come to iPhone

Just yesterday we ran a review of Google’s excellent navigation app that runs on Android phones. Later in the day, Google representatives speaking at a conference in London announced they are working to bring Google Maps Navigation to the iPhone.

No specifics were given on a time frame to add the app to iTunes’ App Store, but we bet it would be ready to go by the time the much-hyped new iPhone goes on sale, which is rumored to be in June.

This move could cripple GPS device makers, as the version we tested was on par with the best from established brands like Garmin and TomTom. The
Google app is also free.

Oracle is charging for Microsoft ODF plug-in

RISING ENTERPRISE SYSTEMS PLAYER Oracle has started charging for an Open Document Format (ODF) plug-in for Microsoft Office that the Vole already supports.
Sun originally developed the ODF standard for Star Office, which was acquired by Oracle last year when it bought Sun and rebooted as Oracle Open Office. Up until now, the ODF plug-in for Microsoft Office was free for open source office productivity applications like Star Office and Openoffice.org.
The ODF 1.2 plug-in works with Microsoft Office 2007 (Service Pack 1 or higher), Microsoft Office 2003 and Microsoft Office 2000. The Vole offered support for ODF 1.0 interoperability last year in Office 2007, Service Pack 2. Microsoft isn't yet supporting ODF 1.2, and even Microsoft Office 2010 will only offer support for ODF version 1.1.
Version 1.2 is still a draft and hasn't been approved yet by ISO or Oasis, the Organisation for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards. Oasis developed the open document standard and Sun is a founding member of the consortium.
David LeDuc, executive director of the ODF Alliance thinks Oracle's decision was a good one.
"We're still trying to gather all the details and scope of Oracle's decision but we think it's very positive. It shows that Oracle is taking ODF seriously now and focused quickly and practicability after the merger," David told us.
David didn't agree with speculation that charging will hurt sales and leave smaller businesses out in the cold.
"The charge won't hurt ODF and will drive more uptake of Oracle Open Office. We're not sure if it's the case that the 100 License will leave smaller businesses out. You can still download Open Office for free," he said.
He also said that Oracle's charge wasn't a smack in the face for open source: "Remember that the ODF plug-in itself was not open source. It was just free."
"The Sun ODF plug-in is currently the only converter with enterprise support available. Enterprises who want to use the ISO-standardised file format with Microsoft Office can sign service contracts with Sun."
Speculation online also suggests that Oracle wants to push ODF to enterprise companies unwilling to upgrade from Microsoft Office 2003 to Office 2007. The plug-in is a way to sell in full 1.2 functionality.
Governments and public sector companies have already standardised on ODF 1.1. This means they are more likely to jump to a 1.2 plug-in rather than hope that Microsoft gets around to building a 1.2 version for Office. The open document office applications they use, like Open Office, will also be able to support 1.2 documenting. So Oracle is exploiting the need for Microsoft Office users to upgrade to 1.2 so they can avoid incompatible file formats. Most Microsoft Office users probably haven't even heard of Open Office - the likelihood of them downloading it just to have 1.2 compatibly is highly unlikely.
We think Oracle saw a revenue chance and took it. It realised that its ODF1.2 plug-in was the only feasible way to offer true open standard compatibility so it started charging for it..
David made a valid point that "Businesses are suspicious of something that's free."
To our ears, that's quite possibly the best reason we've heard for why Oracle wants to start charging. It costs money, so it must be good, right? µ

Xbox TV channel in the works?

According to Bloomberg, Microsoft and ex-News Corp. president Peter Chernin are discussing creating a TV channel dedicated to the Xbox 360 gaming console.

The channel would be available only to Xbox Live Gold subscribers, which may see its monthly price rise by $1 for the added programming.

The "Xbox TV" channel would be owned by Chernin and Microsoft jointly, and the channel would offer original programming as well as reruns.

Chernin's publicist would not comment but to say: "Peter is talking to lots of people about lots of ideas in the digital space." Microsoft declined to comment.

The former president stepped down from News Corp. in June, and took a film and production deal with Twentieth Century Fox.

Microsoft profits jump as Windows 7 take over the world

Microsoft profits surged by more than a third as one in ten computers worldwide now runs its Windows 7 operating system.

The software giant made $4billion in profit in the third quarter - up 35pc from the same period last year.
It said it also saw 'strong growth' in its Bing search engine and Xbox LIVE, which allows multiple online gamers to play against one another.

Top seller: Businesses are starting to update computers with Windows 7 after steering clear of Windows Vista

Chief operating officer Kevin Turner said Microsoft is also seeing 'tremendous interest' in its cloud services, which lets businesses store data and software on the internet instead of on individual computers.
Third-quarter sales hit a record high of $14.5billion, 6pc more than a year ago.

 

The company said more than 10pc of all PCs now have Windows 7, making it 'by far the fastest-selling operating system in history'.
'Business customers are beginning to refresh their desktops,' Turner added.
Until now most businesses have refrained from updating to the unsuccessful Windows Vista, released in 2006, and chose instead to keep running Windows XP.

Facebook collaborates with Microsoft for hosted applications

While many internet users are aware of the Google Docs service, there's now a new kid on the block.

Docs for Facebook has recently been launched in a beta testing phase, Microsoft has announced. The online hosting service will provide Microsoft Office 2010 applications in the Facebook social media environment.

The Facebook application allows users to share and collaborate on applications for word processing, spreadsheets, slide show presentations and other Office applications. Users can create documents from scratch or upload others from Microsoft Office applications.

Microsoft program manager Pat Kinsel says that what sets online applications apart from other hosted document services is that the process doesn't stop once a users completes a file, but instead allows users to take advantage of their Facebook social media networks and gain input from others.

"What makes Docs special is it's the only service that supports the complete document life cycle," says Kinsel. "The Docs app for Facebook gives you a flexible social-productivity experience. You can have someone help you edit it, incorporate feedback, and then share it with the world."

While their is excitement among businesses and consumers for Docs for Facebook, another social networking website is raising advertisers' interest. Twitter recently unveiled its first attempt at ad placement with Promoted Tweets.