sgusers3的部落格

元旦之前，迷你倉全國7條新高鐵線路（包括與珠三角相關的廈深高鐵）相繼開通，讓高鐵再一次成為全國上下熱議的話題。全國高鐵網擴容後，高鐵線路運行也立即進行調整，對於珠三角而言，新增直達上海、青島、濟南等長三角、山東等地高鐵，時空距離縮短一半以上，而受益于此，作為進出珠三角的高鐵“門戶”，清遠站新增到達北京、鄭州、西安、青島、石家莊、合肥、徐州等地的高鐵。自此，在清遠乘坐高鐵不僅可沿武廣高鐵快速到達湖南湖北，還可通過其它高鐵網到達河南、安徽、江蘇、山東、北京等華中華東華北經濟重鎮，實現“京清朝發夕至”、“一日領略粵湘鄂豫陝五省風情”、“早歎南粵早茶、夕品齊魯文化”，對清遠與內陸大省、環渤海經濟圈的經濟交流，與全國各大旅遊景點的串聯，起到劃時代的作用。經過如上描述，相信各位讀者能夠清楚感受清遠之于全國高鐵網、特別是作為珠三角“門戶”的重要地理位置。且隨著全國“四縱四橫”高鐵網的不斷擴容，清遠站的作用將越來越重要。正如此次清遠得以突破武廣高鐵線路，直達�多重要省份重要城市，就是全國“四縱四橫”高鐵骨架不斷延伸、串聯的正面作用，如清遠直達北京是得益于“四縱”中京廣線，清遠直達青島得益于“四橫”中膠濟客專、合武高鐵和“四縱”中京滬、京廣等線路串聯，清遠直達西安是需要“四縱”中京廣線與“四橫”中鄭西高鐵串聯才得以通達。相信隨著“四縱四橫”不斷完善，通過高鐵，清遠或將可以通達全國各地更多重要城市。但面對如此大的機遇，清過是否做好了成為全國高鐵網中“嶺南首站”、“珠三角門戶”的準備？其實，5年前的2009年，清遠就面臨同樣的機會。當時，作為全國高鐵線路“四縱四橫”規劃中“京廣”線率先開通路段，武廣儲存倉鐵開通並在清遠設站，實現粵湘鄂三省4小時經濟圈，對清遠來說是巨大機遇。可以說，當時全國高鐵網剛起步，清遠得以成為“嶺南”首站，在積累“高鐵”品牌、實現率先發展上具有無可比擬的先發優勢。但時過5年，清遠高鐵站到清遠市區的路仍在修建，清遠站附近還是一片寂靜，清遠不少旅遊業人士也對清遠喪失發展“高鐵游”機遇而痛心疾首，不可否認的是，過去5年，清遠錯失高鐵開通帶來的重大發展機遇。在清遠錯失機遇的同時，有沿線其他城市抓住機遇。武廣線上鄰站郴州，有媒體曾報道，武廣高鐵開通拯救了郴州，從2009年至去年年中，從珠三角轉移至郴州的企業有1040家，到位內資799.5億元，實際利用外資23.1億美元，2012年，郴州GDP達1517.3億元，超過清遠當年GDP總量47.45%，而就在武廣高鐵剛開通的2009年，當時的清遠GDP反而還超過郴州30億元。就在這4-5年內，作為武廣高鐵的相鄰站，郴州把握住了高鐵開通帶來的發展機遇，迅速發展並趕超，而清遠則相對錯失機遇。曾有清遠官員感嘆，珠三角產業為何繞過清遠直接落戶郴州，或許可以在兩地怎樣抓“高鐵”機遇的差異上找到答案。僅以一個數據為例，目前在京廣高鐵沿線地市級車站中，郴州站客流量位於前列，且在湖南省內僅次于長沙南站，而目前清遠站客流日均僅寥寥幾千人。逝者如斯，來者可追。發展全國高鐵網中的“嶺南首站”、“珠三角門戶”，清遠不能再失去下一個5年。無論是圍繞高鐵站打造產業新城、全國高鐵旅遊重要驛站的宏觀定位，還是做好交通接駁、加大全國範圍內高鐵清遠游宣傳的即時行動，筆者認為，清遠都必須分秒必爭，努力成為全國高鐵版圖中客流、資金流、信息流匯聚的“制高點”。迷你倉最平

雙頭USB OTG手指大熱！愈來愈多廠商推出OTG手指，迷你倉加入microUSB插頭以便連接手機，吸引不少用家買來直駁播片。今期我們特地搜羅全場近十款USB OTG手指，教大家精明選購。OTG全寫為On-The-Go，跟一般USB手指的分別是提供雙插頭，一邊是傳統USB Type A大頭供接駁電腦，另一個則是microUSB細頭供接駁手機等流動裝置。以往要於電腦與手機之間抄寫檔案，大家都會將手機接駁至電腦，當作是USB儲存裝置使用，屬傳統USB傳輸方式（即電腦為主機、手機為周邊裝置）。若使用USB OTG手指，手機則可當作主機，手指則為周邊裝置，抄寫檔案自然更方便。USB OTG手指的用途，相信不用筆者多說。皆因手機等流動裝置儲存空間有限，很多型號更不設記憶卡支援，若要抄寫影片「煲劇」，內部儲存空間隨時不敷應用。因此，不少用家都會購買USB OTG手指，由電腦抄寫影片等大檔案到手指，然後直駁手機播放，毋須佔用手機內的有限儲存空間。哪些手機兼容OTG手指？相信會用到USB OTG手指的都是Android用家，理論上Android 3.1或更新版本系統已支援OTG功能（個別手指則要求4.0或更新版本），但實際上仍因應個別手機型號而異。以下便以Transcend的32GB型號為代表，測試多款主流手機對OTG手指的兼容情況。結果發現，HTC、LG、Samsung及Sony等主流品牌均可使用OTG手指，但國產手機、Google Nexus系列等則未能支援。建議大家購買OTG手指前，先瀏覽生產廠商網站的支援列表。/OTG手指選購三大重點/ 1. 體積各款USB OTG手指體積相差甚遠，部分設計跟傳統USB手指沒有大分別，直駁手機略嫌過大；部分則已大幅修身，長度不到3cm，更加適合長時間直駁使用。 2. 容量USB OTG手指之容量，由8GB至64GB不等，但多數型號均以32GB止步。當然，容量與體積往往成正比，大家宜自行取捨。 3. 速度場中有售的一般USB手指，均以USB 3.0介面為主流，但USB OTG手指仍有不少屬USB 2.0介面。由於USB 3.0介面的理論傳輸速度高達5Gb/s，足足是USB 2.0（480Mb/s）的十倍以上，於抄寫大容量影片時，速度將有一定差距。/USB OTG手指巡禮/場中有售的USB OTG手指，款式已經接近十款，以下將一一為大家介紹。三段分體ADATADashDrive Durable手指本身採用超迷你設計，裝上USB插頭後只有極小部分突出機外；其microUSB插頭其實是透過Adapter提供，但該部分體積較手指本體還要大，幸好合體後仍算細小。SPEC•容量：32GB•傳輸介面：USB 2.0•microUSB接駁方式：Adapter•體積：40×15×8mm•重量：8g185Fine Up2361 1295經典造型ProMiniProUSB OTG相信不少讀者都覺得ProUSB OTG的造型熟口熟面，這款旋轉設計於USB 2.0年代實屬經典，今次ProMini只是追加microUSB插頭而已。它是市場上少數提供64GB高容量的OTG手指，市價仍不用$300，性價比甚高。SPEC•容量：16GB、32GB、64GB•傳輸介面：USB 2.0•microUSB接駁方式：雙頭•體積：未有提供•重量：未有提供148（16GB）198（32GB）298（64GB）Magic-Pro2388 4168追加AdapterPNYMini Hook Attach� + OTGPNY這款Mini Hook Attach�手指已經推出一段日子，只是追加OTG Adapter成為套裝售賣。該Adapter採用綠色機械人造型，還可獨立購買（售價為$29），輕易將手上的手指轉換成microUSB插頭。SPEC•容量：8GB、16GB、32GB•傳輸介面：USB 2.0•microUSB接駁方式：Adapter•體積：4.5×12×39mm（不連Adapter）•重量：6.88g（不連Adapter）80（8GB）105（16GB）185（32GB）Century Field3188 4981迷你太空灰PQIConnect 201PQI Connect 201長度僅30mm，是市面上最細小的OTG手指之一，並採用雙插頭設計，毋須使用Adapter即可接駁電腦及手機。SPEC•容量：16GB、32GB•傳輸介面：USB self storage.0•microUSB接駁方式：雙頭•體積：30×15.6×6.4mm•重量：4g178（16GB）238（32GB）VST2786 1836防水子彈PQIConnect 302PQI另一型號則是新推出的Connect 302，升級至USB 3.0介面，並改用子彈造型。雖然體積較大，但勝在提供IPX7防水規格，最高容量亦高達64GB。SPEC•容量：32GB、64GB•傳輸介面：USB 3.0•microUSB接駁方式：雙頭•體積：51×16×16mm•重量：11.2g328（32GB）628（64GB）VST2786 1836短子精悍StrontiumNITRO OTG單看規格，Strontium NITRO OTG的體積未算最細小，但只要拆下蓋子，它即時變成場中最細小的OTG手指，低調中盡顯短小精悍本色。SPEC•容量：8GB、16GB、32GB•傳輸介面：USB 2.0•microUSB接駁方式：雙頭•體積：31.5×11.45×4.55mm•重量：3g65（8GB）98（16GB）188（32GB）Fine Up2361 1295搶眼土豪金TranscendJetFlash 380 OTGTranscend的造型跟PQI Connect 201極之相似，只是體積略為縮減，連蓋總長度僅為28.1mm。除了常見的銀色，它還有搶眼土豪金供選擇，質感不俗。SPEC•容量：8GB、16GB、32GB•傳輸介面：USB 2.0•microUSB接駁方式：雙頭•體積：28.1×12.25×4.5mm•重量：3.2g70（8GB）115（16GB）235（32GB）Fine Up2361 1295大型兩頭蛇VerbatimOTG USB DriveVerbatim率先推出USB 3.0新介面的OTG手指，體積難免較大。它的兩端插頭均採用伸縮設計，用家不用擔心遺失蓋子。SPEC•容量：16GB、32GB•傳輸介面：USB 3.0•microUSB接駁方式：雙頭•體積：66×20×8mm•重量：10g95（16GB）175（32GB）Fine Up2361 1295微型3.0VerbatimOTG Tiny Drive新登場的OTG Tiny Drive大幅修身，體積僅比PQI、Strontium及Transcend等迷你型號大上少許，卻提供USB 3.0介面，規格更勝一籌。SPEC•容量：8GB、16GB、32GB•傳輸介面：USB 3.0•microUSB接駁方式：雙頭•體積：37.3×12.26×4.56mm•重量：未有提供78（8GB）118（16GB）188（32GB）Fine Up2361 1295/USB OTG手指九強速度比試/來到測試部分，所有手指均連接到Intel Z87晶片組原生的USB 3.0介面，並進行ATTO Disk Benchmark讀寫測試。由於OTG手指的抄寫工作，主要是電腦寫入至手指，大家可特別注意寫入速度。測試平台：•處理器：Intel Core i5-4670K•主機板：Asus Maximus VI Formula•記憶體：Kingston 8GB DDR3-1600•儲存裝置：Kingston V300 120GB SSD•作業系統：Windows 7 Ultimate 64-bitANALYSIS先是寫入速度，PQI Connect 302脫穎而出，取得高達80MB/s多佳績，是其他型號的數倍至十多倍不等。ProMini則取得20MB/s以上，Strontium及Transcend亦有10MB/s以上，表現算是不俗。Verbatim兩款USB 3.0型號，寫入速度則明顯較弱。讀取速度方面，同樣是PQI Connect 302最為突出，最高速度超過210MB/s，以USB手指來說可謂贏到開巷。Verbatim兩款USB 3.0型號均取得接近80MB/s，較各款USB 2.0產品優勝不少。CONCLUSION各取所需本文開首已經提到，選購USB OTG手指時，應根據個人需要，在體積、容量及速度等方面作出取捨。今次各款型號之中，PQI Connect 302速度上無疑是沒有對手，但體積相對較大，售價亦略高。相信不少用家都會選擇體積最細小的OTG手指，Strontium NITRO OTG與Transcend JetFlash 380 OTG速度表現略為突出，當中以前者售價較低，性價比頗高。迷利倉

第二次到訪伊朗，迷你倉事隔五年，我對伊朗的偏愛似乎又增加了，能夠讓回憶中美好的城市更耀眼，被譽為波斯帝國的寶石的伊斯法罕（Isfahan）絕對功不可沒。第一次到伊斯法罕，我被過分美麗的人文風景吸引了所有注意力，幾乎忘了好好欣賞這個擁有輝煌歷史的城市，擁有當今最美的伊斯蘭建築，站在世上最大廣場之一的伊瑪目廣場（Imam Square）之上，四方都是足以稱為傑作的建築，走入古老市集內，更可見證波斯文明留下來的文化與精緻的手工藝，留在這�已足夠體會「伊斯法罕乃世界之半（Isfahan is half of the world）」這美譽的意義。從最光輝的十六世紀到現在，縱然波斯帝國已不復存在，伊斯法罕還在繼續散發它的光輝，將波斯的輝煌跨越時空，保留下來。 1.廣場上有不少在作畫的人，他們都被廣場上的建築吸引而來。 2.清真寺內的不同壁上有不同花紋，精緻程度遠超想像。 3.拾級而上走到Ali Qapu皇宮上的觀景層，每個轉角都有美麗的光與影之交匯。 4.廣場上的噴水池與草地，是當地市民偷閒之地，走在其中，我們不斷被當地熱情的人民問好攀談，他們親切的笑容，構成風景線中最重要的元素。 5.日落是伊瑪目廣場最美的時份，Sheikh Lotfollah清真寺的圓頂被夕陽餘暉映照得更動人。 6.Ali Qapu皇宮內的音樂廳，天花都是雕空的花紋，既可作裝飾，亦可作防止迴音之用。 7.遊客可以坐上馬車在廣場上繞圈，感受貴族氣氛。 伊斯蘭精華遊 如果說伊斯法罕是世界的一半的話，那麼伊瑪目廣場（Imam Square）絕對夠資格擔當伊斯法罕的一半。至於甚麼世界最大廣場之一，其實只是虛名，重要的是這個長約五百米、闊約百六米的廣場當中，擁有現今世上最重要的幾幢伊斯蘭建築，充分展現波斯帝國最繁盛時期的卓越建築美感。還有中東地區最古老與最大的市集之一，長約兩公里的市集小街，以伊朗傳統手工藝貫穿舊城與新城；廣場的中央則是當地市民休�野餐之地，說明伊瑪目廣場不只是個景點，同時亦是當地人生活的一部分。 伊瑪目廣場上的建築，都建於第三個波斯王朝Safavid時期，這段十六世紀的風光，被譽為波斯王朝最輝煌的一頁，當時波斯文明的工藝與建築登峰造極，十六世紀末的君主Shah Abbas I 決定遷都伊斯法罕，於是開始打造這個向世人展示實力的廣場。廣場南面的Imam Mosque（伊瑪目清真寺）、西側的Ali Qapu皇宮、還有興建作皇室專用清真寺的Sheikh Lotfollah清真寺，構成伊斯蘭建築三大代表，在這�單是欣賞拱頂內以磚拼湊而成的花紋、還有拱門與工整的線條構成的空間，已夠目不暇給，如要加上在廣場上與當地人閒聊、騎馬車、坐茶室歎茶、逛市集的時間，恐怕留在廣場上三日三夜也不夠。 舊市集千年 波斯手藝 伊瑪目廣場的建築讓你大開眼界，熱情的人們讓人內心溫暖，那麼圍繞廣場的舊市集，肯定能讓你對波斯文明的手工藝及他們對傳統的尊重與傳承心悅誠服。第一個波斯帝國出現於公元前五五○年，距今已有超過二千五百年歷史，雖然當中經歷過滅亡、侵略、復興、盛世等大起大跌，但多年來波斯文明的工藝超群，卻是不同時代都公認的事實。 看其建築之精細、花紋之優美，大概就能猜到波斯工匠們的手藝超凡，活生生的例子在長約兩公里的市集內隨處可見：得拿起放大鏡才能看清畫中細節的細密畫（Persian Miniature），以極細微的筆觸，繪畫出色彩鮮明、細節豐富的畫作，最早的出現是來自蒙古入侵的影響，所以畫作中不乏一些中國風的細節；通常在細密畫店亦同時可以找到以駱駝骨及銅等不同色彩素材，拼湊做成圖案的小盒子，這種名位Khatam的鑲嵌工藝，將不同素材的條狀排成圖案，最後經過切割打磨，造成首飾盒，精緻得驚人。細密畫與Khatam盒子都是貴氣的玩意，平民化的波斯手藝則要數Ghalamkar布藝及Ghalamzani金屬雕刻，前者以木雕印章，用自然素材製成的染料，經工匠重複蓋上印章，染成充滿花紋的布匹，市集內不絕於耳的拍打聲正是來自這些工匠們不停手辛勞的證明；而Ghalamzani金屬雕刻最早是在金或銀器上刻上圖案作裝飾，後來廣泛至採用銅或鋁作素材，一鎚一鎚雕刻出深刻的幾何圖案，或鑿走表層顏色形成圖案，沒有草稿，工匠全憑經驗，親手打造出讓人讚歎的藝術品。 1.以Khatam鑲嵌技術造的首飾盒，盒上的圖案都是以切成條狀的素材拼湊而成，可謂鬼斧神工。 2.日以繼夜重複極花心神與眼力的Ghalamzani金屬雕刻，工匠們的辛勞見證在精緻的紋理當中。 3.Ghalamzani金屬雕刻以幾何圖案為主，小碟只賣十美元起，數十港元便能買到一流的手藝，非常超值。 推翻偏見 最美風景 被主流社會掛上邪惡標記，大部分人對伊朗的印象還是「打緊仗」、「好危險」，就算五年前我初次到訪後回港，對親朋好友如何落力解釋伊朗其實是個熱情可愛的地方，人們都還是半信半疑，可見印象與偏見的力量有多可怕！真心推薦大家，還是親身來一次伊朗吧。走在街上不時聽到「Welcome to Iran」，不管你在廣場上、河邊、清真寺中還是餐廳內，只要正視對方就肯定會給你一個大微笑，大部分更會嘗試跟你攀談，問問你從哪�來、對伊朗的印象等閒話家常，我們更常常被邀合照，彷佛突然自存倉為人氣明星，所到之處均吸引圍觀者的感覺。他們熱情亦害羞，對你好奇卻又懂得保持距離，如果只計人民風景的話，我毫無疑問會將第一投給可愛的伊朗人。我們習慣了懷疑陌生人的警覺性，他們卻會萍水相逢邀請你到他家作客，有一次我在機場等待內陸機期間，一位不太懂英語的女士突然送我一包糖果，將她的善意直遞到我的心中。 1.在伊朗搭訕與被搭訕的機會無所不在，遇到剛巧停在我們面前上落客的巴士，也可跟巴士司機互動一番！ 2.這�的市集沒有壓迫感，店員們不會急�迫你買東買西，就算只是拍張照，他們亦相當歡迎。 3.伊朗人不論男女老少都擁有深深的輪廓，加上大眼睛，可愛非常。 4.三十三孔橋亦是伊朗其中一個著名景點，可惜河水只在一月至三月流過這�，別的日子便成為當地人坐下聊天的地方。 5.原來伊朗整容亦相當流行，尤其是弄高鼻樑，街上常常可見鼻上貼�膠布的男女。 6.到訪期間遇上當地紀念宗教領袖的節日，當地人在街上分享熱茶與糕點，連我們亦受邀共享。 7.大家都以為伊朗是個保守的國家，但街上不難見到拍拖中的情侶，草地上的野餐亦會看到他們互相依偎的模樣。 波斯美食尋寶記 每次分享伊朗之旅，最多人問的問題除了危不危險之外，很多人關心在當地吃甚麼，果然愛吃就是香港人的本性。其實伊朗菜比想像中更美味，選擇亦更豐富，而遊客們最常接觸的，肯定是烤肉（Kabab）加飯，牛、羊、雞三種烤肉是菜單上最常見的選擇，伊朗人吃很多飯，這�的米米身瘦長，通常配上香草來煮，矜貴的則加入當地特產藏紅花。烤肉以外，當地有不少相當好「�」飯的菜式，包括其貌不揚但美味的Khoresht e aloo，這道以石榴、果仁與雞肉煮成的菜，酸酸甜甜口味清新，與飯可算是絕配；此外，水煮羊肉亦是另一道值得一試的菜式，比起烤羊肉多了點嫩滑，清淡一點作調劑剛好。 城中大部分餐廳都能品嘗到這些傳統伊朗菜，當中最有波斯風情的要數被《Tripadvisor》選為伊斯法罕第一的Shahrzad Restaurant及在市集內的Bastani，兩者均讓你在精緻的波斯布置中品嘗美食，讓視覺與味覺同時得到滿足。 Shahrzad Restaurant 地址：Abbasabad St., Chaharbaghe Abbasi St. 電話：+98-311-2204490 網址：shahrzad-restaurant.com Bastani 地址：127, Chaharsogh Maghsod Bazar 電話：+98-311-2200374 茶室水煙地道生活 伊朗人的生活除了離不開他們的宗教信仰，茶室與水煙亦絕對是不可或缺的元素，看他們到草地野餐也愛帶上水煙壺，就可略知一二。隱身舊市集巷子中的Azadegan Tea House是其中一家最具特色的地道茶室，門口坐�一位兇惡的伯伯（是我在伊朗見過最兇惡的人，也許遊客們常來拍照，讓他感到不耐煩），讓人有點膽怯，但再深入其中，你就會被掛滿天花上各式各樣的水煙壺吸引，窄長的店面首半是男人限定的水煙區，後半才是男女可共處的茶室。不管是水煙區還是茶室，人人都在邊享受水煙或茶，邊與朋友閒話家常，這�的茶只有紅茶一種，不像我們的cafe來得講究，但重要的終究是旁邊與你分享的親朋好友，及伊朗獨有的地道生活味道，在這�泡上半個下午再繼續血拼市集最爽。 Azadegan Tea House 地址：North East of Imam Square 電話：+98-311-2211225 四十柱建築傑作 除了伊瑪目廣場上的建築，伊斯法罕還擁有很多值得到訪的歷史建築，包括四十柱宮殿、三十三孔橋、市內最古老清真寺之一Jameh Mosque、見證亞美尼亞人在伊朗歷史的Vank Cathedral等，全部都可以稱得上是建築史上的傑作。當中的四十柱宮殿，實際只有二十條柱，但加上正面池水反映才得到四十柱宮殿之稱，這個花園與宮殿是為接待皇室貴賓與娛樂而興建，所以沒有皇宮的霸氣，反而多了舒適悠閒的氣氛。殿內則是講述不少歷史場面，包括戰事及皇宮盛宴的壁畫，從建築外觀、花園到細微處都值得我們細味。 遊伊朗資訊 簽證：持特區護照或BNO均需簽證遊伊朗，需時十四天，費用$800。 伊朗駐港總領事館 地址：灣仔瑞安中心2418室電話：2845 8002 網址：.iranconsulate.org.hk 貨幣：里爾（Iranian Rial/IRR）10,000IRR約兌HK$3.1，宜帶備美元到當地兌換，當地亦有部分商舖接受美元付款。 機票：乘卡塔爾航空（Qatar Airways）由香港經多哈可轉飛伊朗的德克蘭或設拉子，經濟客位票價$7,730起，商務客位$31,930起（不包括燃油附加費及稅項），詳情可致電卡塔爾航空熱線2868 9833或瀏覽網址.qatarairways.com/hk。 當地包團：遊伊朗最方便的方法是經當地旅行社協助包團，AITO Iran Tours是當地有信譽的選擇，八天文化之旅每人約??650（約HK$6,890）起，詳情及查詢可瀏覽網址.aitotours.com。 撰文、攝影☆麥世榮 特別鳴謝☆卡塔爾航空（logo） 、AITO Iran Tours 設計☆黃潤群 插圖☆楊孝存迷你倉出租

本報鷹潭訊 （記者鐘海華 通訊員彭通）近年來，迷你倉將軍澳龍虎山景區在高度重視傳統媒體營銷手段的同時，成功借助官方網站微博、博客、微信、網絡視頻、手機、播客等新媒體進行旅遊產品營銷，增強廣大遊客對龍虎山的認知。2011年6月，龍虎山景區率先在全國同類景區中開通新浪、騰訊官方微博“江西龍虎山”。去年8月，龍虎山景區開通了官方微信“江西龍虎山”，走在了全國同類景區的前列。同微博管理模式一樣，景區工作人員通倉微信第一時間發佈景區旅遊實時動態信息等，並與各地遊客直接通過微信進行交流，提供吃、住、行、游、購、娛等方面的咨詢與服務。目前，“江西龍虎山”微信聽�已達約5000人。借助微信平台，龍虎山景區還首創“微新聞”、“微龍虎山”兩大網絡宣傳模式，與景區內各大企業、賓館酒店等建立了信息傳遞和資源共享機制，第一時間實現了景區動態信息、服務信息、生活信息在手機上快速傳播，成為中外遊客瞭解龍虎山的重要窗口。24小時迷你倉

Source: Daily Mail, LondonJan.倉 04--Labour began 2014 with a fresh assault on the Big Six energy groups. Not a bad place to start because there is so much wrong with the UK's power industry.Not least were the mistakes of the last Labour government, including the decision that allowed the big generating companies to take over regional supply firms, so distorting the free market in energy.Another world-class error was to sell off Westinghouse and its nuclear technology to Toshiba allowing it, rather than British manufacturing, to take the lead in plans for two new nuclear plants at Sellafield.It was also foolish to allow so much of our power future, part of the nation's energy security, to fall into overseas hands.The strategic interests of the foreign owners were always likely to outweigh those of Britain when it comes to making big investment decisions.Perhaps Labour has learned from its mistakes, with apparent plans to separate production from supply again and to reintroduce some element of price regulation ? far preferable in terms of providing certainty for investment plans than the naive idea of a prices freeze. It is easy to despair at the Opposition's basic misunderstanding of free markets and deliberate distortion of the truth. The suggestion that over the past three years households have been overcharged by some pounds sterling 4bn, or pounds sterling 150 per household, for energy is nonsense.If you are a moderately sized independent supplier, like First Utility, it is eminently possible to buy sources of power on the wholesale markets at favourable prices.But if you are one of the Big Six that simply is not possible. Ensuring millions of consumers are kept supplied requires a mixture of sources from long-term contracts, to hedging and buying from expensive base load nuclear suppliers. Wholesale price is not the relevant metric, making the latest attack on the energy companies as intellectually shallow as much of Labour's other current business thinking. There is no shortage of easy targets for an intelligent critique of commerce.Housebuilders can be disparaged for concentrating on upmarket properties rather than social housing. G4S and Serco for being badly run companies which allegedly fraudulently padded some government contracts.Banks consistently have been more focused on driving incentives for senior executives than in the interests of the consumers, and energy firms deserve opprobrium for bad sales practices and being slow to lower cons24小時迷你倉mer bills when wholesale prices fall.The way to deal with these issues is to improve the way firms are policed, so they know the rules of the game, not to ostracise and weaken publicly quoted enterprises.Each time Labour attacks the house builders, the banks, the energy companies and support groups, they weaken the quoted sector. Some 30 years have passed since the FTSE100 was formed and soared towards the 7,000 mark, where it has been marooned ever since.The failure to make more progress hurts everyone with a pension including the increasing numbers of people in self-enrolment plans.Scatter gun, ill-informed attacks on quoted companies are an assault on the nation's savers. The real villains are in Whitehall which too often fails as an enforcer.___Tory peer Lord (Simon) Wolfson prides himself on a low profile �uite hard when you run a retailer that consistently outperforms its cohorts.Without dropping prices ahead of Christmas overall sales at the group surged by 11.9pc with the Next Directory reporting sales up 21pc. Sleepwear, including onesies, may have been a hit, but Next clearly has more in its quiver than that. It has raised the full-year profits forecast to between pounds sterling 684m and pounds sterling 700m which means it is likely to outpace Marks & Spencer.Wolfson thinks the main driver on the High Street in recent months is consumer credit.Bank-imposed limits on credit cards and other consumer debt have started to come off, giving people the wherewithal to spend.At Next shareholders will benefit, with a pounds sterling 300m special dividend (last year there was a buyback on the same scale). Employees will have to rely on their share options for uplift.Next's success shows the Wolfson genes are robust as ever. Grandfather Sir Isaac Wolfson was the genius behind Great Universal Stores; Simon's father Lord (David) Wolfson rebuilt GUS by buying Argos (now Home Retail) and Experian.These companies, with Burberry, were eventually spun off as separate enterprises. Quite a record.___House builders may have led the way in the last year but occupants do not appear to be buying from upmarket wall coverings group Osborne & Little.Sales in Britain tumbled and losses ballooned to pounds sterling 746,000.No one can claim the Osborne family benefited from the Chancellor's Help to Buy scheme.Copyright: ___ (c)2014 Daily Mail (London, ) Visit the Daily Mail (London, ) at .dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉旺角

Source: Milwaukee Journal SentinelJan.mini storage 06--GREEN BAY -- Now maybe Aaron Rodgers knows a little bit more about what it was like for Brett Favre.It took just five years for Favre to reach the pinnacle in professional football, a Super Bowl championship, and at age 27 it appeared as if he would win many more before his illustrious career was over.Only Favre made it just once more, the year after Green Bay won Super Bowl XXXI, and the Packers lost that one. He went to the playoffs eight times following the victory in New Orleans and never won another Super Bowl.Three times, his Packers teams were one-and-done, two of them losses at Lambeau Field, where the team had never suffered a postseason loss until the Atlanta Falcons broke the streak in the 2002 season.When Rodgers won in Super Bowl XLV in 2010, he was 27.Since that season, the Packers have bowed out of the playoffs three of four seasons, including a pair of one-and-dones. He has won just one playoff game since beating the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Super Bowl and it was against a Minnesota Vikings team that didn't have its starting quarterback.Rodgers' toughest loss came Sunday in frigid temperatures against a team he once adored and now can't beat. By virtue of a 23-20 defeat to the San Francisco 49ers in a wild-card game Sunday, Rodgers and the Packers lost for the fourth straight time to their nemesis.Once owner of a 4-1 record and 112.6 passer rating in the postseason, Rodgers has now lost three of his past four playoff starts, including two at Lambeau Field. The first loss, against the New York Giants, followed a 15-1 season in 2011 and the second, against the 49ers, followed an 8-7-1 campaign."Frustrating way to end the season," a somber Rodgers said after thawing out. "I think a lot of us felt with the way things had gone the last four or five weeks that there was something special about this year, and everything might be aligning right for us to make a run."So, I'm very disappointed. Personally, it's frustrating not to play your best game. Tough conditions, but the defense held them to 23 points. We should win that game."It wouldn't be fair to pin the loss entirely on Rodgers, who was making just his second start after a seven-week layoff due to a broken left collarbone. But it would be reasonable to say the Packers offense did not hold up its end of the bargain on a day when the defense finally did.Rodgers had connected on a miracle 48-yard touchdown pass to receiver Randall Cobb last week in an NFC North-clinching victory over the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field, but given an opportunity to shut the door on the 49ers Sunday had nothing else left up his sleeve.Fighting the elements, Rodgers did not turn the ball over -- unlike his 49ers counterpart Colin Kaepernick -- and completed 17 of 26 passes for 177 yards and a touchdown. What he lacked, however, was the finishing power of the young 49ers quarterback, who tortured the Packers with 98 yards rushing on seven carries.The game came down to a fourth-quarter volley in which the two teams scored on four straight possessions. The Packers were trailing, 13-10, going into the fourth so they needed to be a tad bit better than the 49ers to pull this one out."Tha迷你倉's usually how these games come down," Packers coach Mike McCarthy said when asked if he thought the last team with the ball would win. "And you've got to make one more play than the opponent. The team that usually has the ball last wins in the playoffs. We came up short."It didn't seem as if that would be the way it would end when, after Rodgers engineered a 12-play, 80-yard touchdown drive to give the Packers a 17-13 lead, he had to go back on the offensive. The 49ers had scored a touchdown in a little less than 2 minutes, thereby giving Rodgers and the Packers their outs.Rodgers proceeded to complete a couple of short passes around several Eddie Lacy runs before hitting receiver Randall Cobb on a deep crossing route. Cobb appeared headed to the end zone, but safety Eric Reid's shoestring tackle saved a touchdown.With a first and goal at the 9 and just 6 minutes 12 seconds remaining, Rodgers and the offense had a chance to put the game away.But on first down, McCarthy got too fancy and the handoff to Cobb out of the backfield netted just 1 yard. On second down, Rodgers sent out five receivers and, facing a four-man rush, sprinted out of the pocket to his right when he couldn't spot a potential quick connection.There was no one there. Both receiver Jarrett Boykin and tight end Andrew Quarless were blanketed and Rodgers had to throw it away.On third down, Rodgers sent out four and appeared to be looking for Jordy Nelson on a double move in the middle of the field. But Nelson was doubled and nobody else was close to being open, so he tried to run it in.He came up 6 yards short, and even if he had gotten in, it wouldn't have counted because guard Josh Sitton was called for holding.No magic. The Packers kicked a field goal to make it, 20-20."It's frustrating," Rodgers said. "I think you have to start with yourself, and I could have definitely made a few more plays. That's why it's disappointing. These opportunities are pretty special, and you've got to make the most of them."It's been nine years for me now. (I've been) blessed to play that long and would love to play another nine if possible. But this is an opportunity we let slip through our fingers."Had his receivers gotten open more or hung on to some of the balls that they had been catching when backup Matt Flynn was tossing them up for grabs a couple of weeks ago, Rodgers might have pulled it off. But they weren't doing it."It came down to making plays," receiver James Jones said. "I dropped a couple balls that really hurt my team. We didn't make the plays at the end when it counted, and they made more plays than we did."None more deciding than Phil Dawson's 33-yard field goal with no time left.Now Rodgers has another six months or so before taking another shot at a Super Bowl run. These chances eventually run out, which Rodgers is well aware of."We've been to the playoffs five times and we've lost four times," he said. "Those are all difficult, frustrating circumstances, and it's the special opportunities like this, when you lose, (that) you feel pretty down."Copyright: ___ (c)2014 the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Visit the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel at .jsonline.com Distributed by MCT Information Services文件倉

迷你倉最平 楚天都市報訊 （記者袁� 通訊員周鋼）昨日，32歲的張先生夫婦前往江岸區婚姻登記中心離婚：“家里沒人做飯、洗衣，日子過不下去了。”張先生告訴記者，他與妻子鐘小姐是閃婚，兩人通過網絡，從相見到結婚不到三個月。他們共同的愛好就是網絡，而且都是“手機控”。結婚一年多年來，每天下班回家，一個玩電腦，一個玩手機，“各玩各的，沒人做家務，一天兩天還湊合，時間長了只好各奔東西。”張先生頗無奈。據瞭解，他倆都是獨生子，節假日各自回父母家。兩人在雙方父母的調解下，勉強過了一年。迷你倉

楚天都市報訊 今年過年打年貨有了新選擇。今日，迷你倉將軍澳湖北首家農產品電商網站品天下正式上線，推出年貨專區，網上打年貨一站購齊，送貨上門並比市場價格低兩成，還將推出“一元打年貨”、“秒殺年貨”等活動。據悉，品天下網站由漢口精武農業集團投入2千萬元打造。昨日，筆者登錄品天下網站看到，網上生活超市銷售產品包括生鮮果蔬、熟食快餐、休閒食品、糧油調料、酒水飲品、進口食品、地方特產、日常用品等。除了有漢口精武老本行的鴨類專區，臨近年關，網站還推出了年貨專區，其中肉類、酒類等年貨售價均比市場價低兩成左右。網站上線後，還將推出“市民1元打年貨專區”以及“鹵牛肉9.9元/斤，堅果1元起”等秒殺活動。品天下負責人介紹，倉年春節期間，品天下網站購物不休市，大年初一買東西也能送貨上門，並推出58元免郵活動，市民在網站打年貨可免費送貨上門。除了送貨上門，今年市民在該網站購物將能體驗O2O的購物模式。漢口精武計劃今年將新開100家漢口精武體驗店和200家中央大廚房體驗店，做好最後一公里配送服務工作，市民在網站下單後，可在任意一家漢口精武店提貨。漢口精武還計劃3年內在全國增開500家漢口精武體驗店和1500家中央大廚房體驗店，將線上和線下進行無縫隙結合，面向全國市場。其負責人預計，未來3年，品天下商城的銷售額將突破100億元，打造成湖北省的“阿里巴巴”，並力爭通過5年的努力把品天下商城打造成中國生鮮電商平台的領導品牌。24小時迷你倉

———為《國企改革的方向與焦點》而序作者：鄭保衛在黨的十八屆三中全會前後，自存倉在首都新聞界出現了一個現象：凡國有企業的重大新聞，常有中國企業研究院首席研究員李錦出現，他的新聞解析成為國企新聞報道的重要組成部分。從《國企改革的方向與焦點》一書來看，李錦近幾年對國企新聞的解析出現次數之多、速度之快、範圍之廣，在國企新聞報道中十分突出。人們也許以為李錦是“體制內人”，其實他是個不在編也不拿一分錢俸祿的“局外人”，是一個以“智囊人物”形象出現的學者。他以局外人身份在國企新聞報道中的表現耐人尋味。李錦多是以專家身份發表解釋性新聞報道的方式出現在國企重大新聞報道中。優秀新聞作品的魅力主要在於事實本身，而一篇成功的解釋性新聞報道,其魅力常常在於它的觀點和見解。解釋性新聞報道是對新聞事件的生成原因、影響範圍、發展趨勢及其深層意義進行分析和解釋的報道。比如在國務院向全國人大報告國資工作、國資委主任年度工作報告、國資委引進民資14條公佈、央企薪酬、央企考核結果公佈、十八屆三中全會等新聞報道中，李錦都發揮了國企主要解釋者的作用。李錦的成功實踐是媒體格局變化情況下紙質媒體強化解釋性報道，鞏固其傳統強勢地位的反映。自上個世紀末開始，媒體格局變化已經成為一個世界性課題。以互聯網為代表的新媒體的出現，使得報紙、廣播、電視、互聯網、手機等“多媒體融合併存”的媒體格局在中國已經形成。新媒體的出現，使得新聞傳播呈現出的傳播環境更加複雜、傳播功能更加完善、傳播手段更加齊全、傳播形式更加多樣、傳播內容更加豐富、傳播效果更加多元等新特點。作為紙質媒體，特別是主流媒體，傳播力和競爭力面臨強大的壓力。國企重大事件解釋性報道的強化可以視為紙質媒體對於互聯網衝擊的回應。強調事實與觀點分開，借助背景資料和專業視角來解釋新聞事件，引導社會輿論，依靠思維的深度和觀點的創新，與廣播、電視、互聯網、手機等新興媒體抗衡提供支撐點，這已成為報紙發揮優勢，吸引讀者，提升競爭力的一種重要手段。解釋性報道產生于20世紀30年代的美國，美國新聞學者將其稱作1929年經濟危機的產物。此時探討“為什麼”變得與“是什麼”同樣重要。閱讀《國企改革的方向與焦點》可以發現，解釋性報道在21世紀初金融危機後在中國媒體上的運用，呈現出明顯的特色。分析李錦的解釋性報道，有以下幾個特點：一是解讀新聞背後的“新聞”，滿足讀者的新聞信息的深度需求。解釋性報道不僅向受�提供一般化的新聞信息，而是由此及彼，把個案的問題推而廣之；由表及里，透過現象看本質，向廣大受�挖掘新聞背後的“新聞”。它既要探討事實的來龍去脈、前因後果，又要揭示事實的意義、影響，預測其發展的趨勢和規律，滿足受�對信息深度的需求。李錦的“國企改革的方向是市場化還是私有化”、“國企改革不能走老路、邪路，要走新路”、“堅持國企改革的正確道路”等文章，立意新穎，思想深刻，非一般新聞報道可比。二是速度與深度並重，快速形成輿論引導力。李錦往往能夠在新聞發生後，迅速加以分析概括，點明要義所在，這是他的超凡之處。例如“國企利潤緣何出現增減兩重天”、“聚焦央企考核”、“宏觀大勢導致少數企業大起大落”等，都是新聞出現在網上不到一個小時他便開始進行採訪，其觀點在幾小時後便會出現在網絡上。奧巴馬再次當選，他分析其政策對中國企業的影響，一夜寫出7000字的對話。這些深度解釋性報道常常作為獨家新聞快速推出，往往為網站廣為轉發。尤為引人注意的是，黨的十八屆三中全會《決定》發表的當晚，便有十多家媒體請其解讀《決定》，成為國企改革國資監管內容的主要解讀人。三是疑釋解惑，迷你倉出租獨立見解推進國企難點問題的解決。國有企業的熱點、難點和敏感問題，都是報紙解釋性報道深入挖掘的重點。如李錦的“承認公益性國企是改革的重要突破”、“金融業監管不宜照搬國資委模式”等報道，其深度的解析具有對策研究的特點，言之有理，讀之有味，成為人們一時關注的熱門話題。他對於“國企改革要從分類開始”的觀點一旦形成，便深入研究，大力傳播，形成了輿論強勢，被媒體視為國企分類論的主要代表人物，在促進國有企業改革中起到了積極的引領作用。四是依托強勢媒體品牌效應，強化解釋性深度報道。新華社發佈的“企業500強榜單折射中國大企業四大格局”的解釋性新聞，有6段專家解析的內容，其中5段選取的是李錦的觀點。這則消息不僅為騰訊手機新聞轉發，還為數百家網站轉載，形成輿論的主流聲音。中國新聞社把他請到演播室做題為“國有企業將迎來第二波改革的高潮”的演講，同時把演講分為若干篇新聞播發，收到很好的傳播效果。傳統品牌媒體對李錦深度解釋的重視，說明傳統媒體報紙、廣播電視和網絡等新興媒體間都面臨解釋性報道的競爭，都需要強化解釋性深度報道。李錦的成功實踐，是在現有體制還不能夠很好地適應媒體格局變化的背景下形成的。現有體制對新聞發言人授予重大責任，同時也形成強大的約束力。體制內制度安排的滯後，為作為“局外人”的李錦在新聞報道中留下了“說話”的空間。近年來，央企薪酬、紅利上繳、財產申報、外部審計、部分央企虧損等敏感問題一再成為社會輿論的焦點，包括中遠集團魏家福換任等，國資委與央企發言人極難迴避但又極難回答。而李錦以客觀、中立的立場出來疑釋解惑，便有了更大的空間。他總是在承認客觀事實的基礎上講清過去怎樣、現在怎樣、將來可能怎樣，以消除一些誤解。從媒體方面說，李錦學養豐富、知識廣博、認識深刻和反應敏捷，是一個可信度很高的信源，因而得到歡迎。李錦無形中解決了央企新聞發言人的職業困境，他在新聞“公佈”外更有“說服”的意味。他的成功�示我們，央企的新聞發言人要從“官職本位”逐漸過渡到“專業本位”。我國的政府和企業必須摒棄單純的宣傳機制和宣傳思維，新聞發言人要有智者的腦袋，成為“專業的傳播者和溝通者”，而不再只是充當企業宣傳的“喉舌”。當然，人們更希望新聞發言人背後的制度改革能夠更加適應新媒體時代的需要，進一步走向包容和開放。李錦的出現，也是新媒體時代深度報道競爭和人才競爭的一種體現。實踐證明，高水平的，能夠發揮正能量的學者是珍貴的新聞資源，是新聞生產力的代表。現在，他除了在紙媒上保持每年發表數十篇時評的高產紀錄外，還在各門戶網站上撰寫了大量博文。其博文大都獲得重點推薦，標題出現在財經博客首頁。他的作品主題重大，思想獨特，能夠起到警醒讀者、激揚風氣，匡扶正義，乃至影響社會、引領潮流的效果。媒體競爭，最終還是靠人才的競爭。而人才的競爭需要制度安排的保證。李錦對國企重大新聞倚馬可待的概括功夫、速度與深度並重的能力以及與眾不同顯示其真知灼見的思想水平，與他長期雙棲于新聞與理論兩界的經歷有關，更與他專心致志、幾十年如一日埋頭治學的狀態有關，其精神令人感動，希望他能創造更好的條件，使自己的理論智慧發揮得更好些。我們正處在信息化時代和媒介化社會之中，意識形態領域圍繞國有企業新聞傳播展開的競爭也日趨激烈。李錦答記者問提供的實例，展示了紙質媒體在信息時代新聞解析的運作規律與方式，有較強的可讀性與較大的實用性，適合高校新聞專業學生、媒體采編與評論人員等學習參考，更適合國有企業理論研究與新聞宣傳人員學習參考，特此推薦。（作者系中國人民大學新聞與社會發展中心主任、全國新聞學研究會會長）迷你倉

Xbox One 的「One」代表「All In One」，迷你倉旺角目標是整合客廳內所有娛樂需要，而非遊戲主機再附加其他功能。所以XboxOne 除了遊戲， 亦備有apps、電視和社交媒體， 配合「Snap」模式更可讓不同功能同時運作，新增聲控功能的全新Kinect 和改良版手掣，令操作更容易。統籌：簡一鋒 文：Gary 圖：簡一鋒 查詢：.xbox.com去年11 月，Xbox One 在美國及部分歐洲國家推出，但微軟對亞洲區的發售日期仍然三緘其口，據知最快要到暑假才會推出，想搶先玩的話只能買水貨。為安撫一眾「機友」，微軟早前安排傳媒試玩，並有技術人員介紹及示範各項新功能。一拿手掣自動開機Xbox One 採用X86-64 架構AMD Jaguar 八核處理器，顯示卡為AMD Radeon 768 Shaders， 內置藍光碟機， 備有8GB DDR3 內存及500GB 儲存容量。除支援HDMI、Wi-Fi Direct 的802.11n 無線網路，更備有3 組USB 3.0 插口，方便外置硬碟。不過有兩點要留意，XboxOne 主機不能垂直擺放，否則光碟或會損壞；亦不兼容上一代Xbox360 的遊戲。啟動Xbox One 的方法很簡單，拿起手掣即可—— 它內置重力感應器，玩家一拿上手，主機電源立即啟動，再透過全新Kinect 的人臉識別功能，辨別玩家身分及登入。首頁畫面跟Windows 8 的Retro 界面非常相似，除了遊戲，還有電視（需經HDMI 輸入） 及電影、音樂、apps （ 如YouTube 和Netflix） 、Skype 等，並會記錄用戶上一次的活動，方便隨時再開始。全新Kinect 體感更爽快全新Kinect 是Xbox One 的賣點之一，功能全面提升：解像度升至1080p，拍攝速度達30fps， 更備有可見光及紅外線兩組感測器， 視角較上一代闊60%，深度計算亦更精準， 就連衣服皺褶亦能清楚顯示， 用來打體感Game 更過癮。跟上一代Kinmini storagect 一樣， 全新Kinect 支援動作及聲音操控、人臉識別功能，新玩法是可配合XboxOne 全新功能Snap 操控。Snap 可以讓玩家在不同功能之間即時切換，或者分割約四分之一畫面，顯示多於一項功能。玩家只要向�KinectOne 講出指令， 例如「Xbox GoHome」，Xbox One 就會回到主畫面； 「Xbox Snap TV」可將電視節目從主畫面縮小； 「Xbox Go（app名稱）」自動開啟apps 等。基本上Xbox One 的功能都可透過全新Kinect 聲控操作，試用過的玩家皆讚不絕口，可惜尚未支援廣東話。邊打機邊睇戲任snapXbox One 的手掣大致沿用舊造型，但在細節位作改動，例如將原有的Select 與Start 鍵換成兩個新的功能鍵，Xbox 鍵也移到上方；更重要是加入Impulse Triggers 技術，在頂部加入兩組震動裝置，能營造不同震動效果。另外改用內置電池，Analog 控制桿亦略為縮小，整體手感更佳，操控更得心應手。Xbox One 新Game 試玩Forza Motorsport 5 影像出色此Game 雖然推出頗密，但仍算驚喜不斷。在XboxOne 所顯示的車身光影效果，就造得栩栩如生， 背景亦夠細緻。玩家開車時只要講「Xbox RecordThat」， 就可錄下遊戲片段，再到UploadStudio 剪輯和分享。Dead Rising 3 合作打喪屍玩家譽為Xbox One 必買Game，勝在可跟朋友一同玩故事模式，道具又多。玩法跟前兩集大同小異，就是在限時內，逃出成千上萬喪屍的圍困。雖然打得爽快，但似乎未用盡Xbox One 的新功能，有點可惜！Ryse: Son of Rome 聲畫俱佳微軟遊戲工作室副總裁Phil Spencer 曾在訪問中盛讚這遊戲是他在XboxOne 中見過最好的；試玩的玩家亦說此古代戰爭遊戲聲畫表現俱佳，遠處飛擲長矛攻擊、拎起長劍盾牌肉搏，近距離戰更可觸發QTE 使出華麗招式。迷你倉

Source: The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, Tenn.mini storageJan. 06--A few weeks ago, in the middle of a crushing five-game losing streak, ESPN.com suggested it was time for the Grizzlies to tank. A few days later, after the team snapped that five-game losing streak with a win in New York, I advocated for hitting the pause button on tanking talk and suggested the team had already hit its low point and had begun the climb back.A couple of weeks later, I'm feeling good about that assessment.From the game in which Marc Gasol first went down up until that game in New York, the Grizzlies went 3-10 with an offense that ranked 25th of 30 NBA teams in that stretch and a defense that -- shockingly, even without the reigning Defensive Player of the Year -- ranked 29th. (All stats per NBA.com.) Starting with the Knicks game, the team has gone 5-3, with an offense that ranks 7th in that time span and a defense that ranks 11th.Even more persuasive of improved play than the records themselves has been the team's performance in losses. In that 3-10 stretch, the Grizzlies lost games by an average of 12.6 points. The three losses in this current stretch have come by an average of 5 points. With one loss a tight contest on the road in Houston, where the team was done-in by a fourth-quarter offensive slump and a perhaps generous whistle for Rockets star James Harden, and another loss a single-possession game on the second night of a back-to-back in the high altitude in Denver, the Grizzlies have really only played one bad game in their past eight. That kind of ratio is in stark contrast to how the team's played the rest of the season, even before Gasol's injury.In that "time to tank" piece, ESPN pointed out that the Grizzlies playoff odds, according to their automated system, which happens to have been designed by current Grizzlies VP John Hollinger, was down below two percent. A couple of weeks later, the odds are up over 14 percent, and higher than that in some other projection systems, as noted by ESPN contributor and former Pro Basketball Prospectus author Kevin Pelton. Those odds are low regardless, but the change underscores how much those things can fluctuate in a season that still hasn't reached the halfway mark.If the Grizzlies really have turned it around, even without Marc Gasol, why has it happened? I can think of a few explanations, both tangible and intangible.Health is a big factor. It wasn't just the injury to Gasol that sent the Grizzlies into a tailspin. In that 3-10 stretch, the Grizzlies missed 19 more player games to injury, including multiple missed games each from fellow core players Zach Randolph, Mike Conley, and Tony Allen. In this latest 5-3 stretch, the team has missed only 11 games, most of them by Pondexter and only one (Allen yesterday in Detroit) from the remaining core trio. With Gasol out, having both Conley and Randolph on the floor is probably a prerequisite for competitiveness.Starting in New York -- and abetted by the addition of James Johnson -- the Grizzlies were again fielding enough players that not everyone had to play. And players who had been playing through nagging injuries, most notably Conley and Tayshaun Prince, seem to have gotten healthier.And speaking of Randolph, his elevated play has been another key factor. In the first weeks after Gasol's injury, Randolph averaged 15 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists on 37 percent shooting. Over the past eight games, he's reasserted himself as an All-Star caliber player, averaging 20-13-4 on 47 percent shooting. With Randolph leading the way -- and Kosta Koufos, Ed Davis, and Johnson pitching in -- the Grizzlies have gotten back to being a dominant rebounding team. The team's rebound rate during the 3-10 stretch was 16th. In this 5-3 stretch, it's been the best in the league.You can't ignore the quality of competition in this recent segment of games. Only one of the five wins has been against a team with a winning record (the overachieving Suns). The team's improvement in health, cohesiveness and overall quality of play has been palpable, but competition has been a factor. And this improved play gets a test starting Tuesday, when San Antonio comes back to town, followed by three more winning teams in Phoenix, Atlanta, and Oklahoma City.Overall, the Grizzlies will play six of their next seven at home. A 5-2 record would get them, finally, back to .500 at what should be near the time of Gasol's return. The Grizzlies seem to have taken their biggest punch, staggered and found their footing again. If they want to be in a playoff race come March and April, the time to make a real move is right now.Trade Reaction: The Grizzlies pulled off an unexpected transaction Sunday night, agreeing to essentially send guard Jerryd Bayless to the Boston Celtics for guard Courtney Lee and a 2016 second round pick, barring unexpected changes when the deal is completed later Monday. (I qualify the deal with "essentially" because the technical details are a little different than that, with the Grizzlies -- for accounting purposes -- taking Lee into a trade exception slot created by last year's Rudy Gay deal. In a de facto sense, you can think of it as a straight swap, though.)The initial reaction to the trade was focused on what this means for the team and its goals this season, with some reading the tea leaves and concluding that -- aha! -- the Grizzlies must not be ready to tank and must still be committed to trying to make a playoff run this season.儲存(Um, yeah.)In reality, this trade has more to do with projecting into next season, where the Grizzlies were likely to find themselves with Bayless off the books and looking for shooting in the free agent market.Lee is 28 years old and is under contract for the next two seasons after this one for $5.4 and $5.6 million. He's a career 39 percent three-point shooter who is shooting 44 percent this season.Lee's slightly overpaid on his current deal (he should probably be more of a $3.5-$4 million player, a la Quincy Pondexter) but has a skill set -- above average wing defense with above average three-point shooting -- currently in vogue and in demand around the league.The Grizzlies took a calculated gamble that the next two years of Lee on this contract would be more valuable than what they could do with their mid-level exception in this summer's free agent market. The bet seems to be that signing a similar player this summer would require the same price, but perhaps with more than a two-year commitment.As a more reliable three-point shooter and better defender than Bayless, the Grizzlies consider Lee a better player right now and thus an immediate upgrade if they can get sufficient backup point guard play. (More on that mighty big if in a second.) But that was not the driving rationale. This was a more of a strategic move looking ahead to this summer than a move driven by immediate considerations.As for the point guard situation, the team was never comfortable with Bayless at that position anyway, and also will not go forward with Mike Conley and Nick Calathes as the only point guards on the roster. The short-term fix could be as simple as bringing Seth Curry back on a 10-day contract while monitoring Calathes' play. As it stands, the team will give Calathes a much longer leash in the hopes that more consistent play can help him get comfortable in the role. With a month or so left before the trade deadline, the team will assess Calathes and decide how to proceed in terms of trying to shore up this position.While Calathes' play has been discouraging, I don't think it's been definitive. If the Grizzlies' recent past has taught us anything, it's to be patient with rookie point guards. And Calathes is likely to be helped by having more shooting on the floor (in the form of Lee) and having another playmaker (a returning Gasol) to ease the pressure.As to the cap/tax implications of Lee's acquisition going into next summer, you could say that adding Lee's salary makes it unlikely the team can afford to pay Ed Davis a market-level extension this summer and remain under the tax line. But the reality is that, with four other rotation-quality frontcourt players already under contract in Gasol, Randolph, Koufos, and Jon Leuer, the team wasn't going to be able to keep all five next season regardless. Something was going to have to give with this frontcourt mix before next season anyway. The Lee trade doesn't change that.Man of the Match(es): An easy call here for Zach Randolph, who averaged 20 points and 15 rebounds on the week while shooting 50 percent from the floor.Elements of Style: Earlier this season, when Jon Leuer was first making waves in the Grizzlies rotation, reader @ChrisRTS put me in charge of conducting a nickname search. I submitted the question to Grizzlies Twitter. "Jonny Basketball" was a popular suggestion. "The Beale Street Badger" was a good one. (Leuer played his college ball for the Wisconsin Badgers.) Fishing references -- "The Tackle Box" -- were common. I nixed the all-too-frequent suggestion of racial nicknames early on. (The sardonic suggestion of "White Flight" when Leuer started dunking cut a little close to home, from a civic perspective.) The best suggestion came from 92.9's @Jensized, who united the "Jonny" and "Badger" suggestions into what now seems inevitable: "Jonny Badger," in reference to this YouTube sensation. (Language NSFW.)I bestowed my approval on this. The People embraced it. And, recently, apparently Leuer did too, with the team's own broadcast team and Twitter feed deploying it yesterday.Until disabused of the notion, I'm going to credit this recent Twitter exchange for sealing the deal on "Jonny Badger":Upcoming Keys: The Grizzlies will face three dynamic point guards this week. On Tuesday, it will be the Spurs' Tony Parker, who played perhaps the best game I've ever seen in person in eliminating the Grizzlies from last spring's playoffs. Then, on Friday night, it's Griz Killer candidate Goran Dragic, the shifty Suns' guard who poured 33 on the Grizzlies last week. Then, on Sunday, it's the Hawks' Jeff Teague, who is averaging 17 points and 8 assists this season. Containing these three will be a stiff challenge.The Grizzlies are a bit luckier up front, where the Spurs' Tiago Splitter and the Hawks' Al Horford will both miss the games due to injury. This should help the Grizzlies continue to press their recent rebounding advantage and put Randolph in position to continue his current hot streak. With Gasol and Splitter both out on Tuesday night, look for Tim Duncan to guard Randolph quite a bit, which could be a particularly interesting and determinative match-up.Clip of the Week: Let's say goodbye to Jerryd Bayless by reliving his most memorable moment in a Grizzlies uniform:Copyright: ___ (c)2014 The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.) Visit The Commercial Appeal (Memphis, Tenn.) at .commercialappeal.com Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉

Source: Financial Mail on Sunday, LondonJan.迷你倉旺角 05--Online companies set up to mimic Government websites continue to trick consumers into paying hefty fees for everything from renewing a passport or driving licence to filing a tax return.This is despite promises from regulators, Government departments and leading internet search engines to crack down on these websites that charge fees of up to pounds sterling 1,000 for services that are often free on official Government websites. The Advertising Standards Authority labels them 'copycat' sites.Hundreds of readers have contacted The Mail on Sunday in the past month to demand that such websites are shut down. This followed our report on websites that promise to process, for a substantial fee, your self-assessment tax return.Readers have also been fooled into sending money for a European Health Insurance Card (otherwise free) or paying extra on top of the normal fees for driving licences, passports, the London Congestion Charge and acquiring Land Registry details. Not only do many of the copycat websites look official but people are being encouraged to use them because key internet search engines, such as Google, allow these websites to pay for the right to appear at the top of search lists when consumers type in key words such as 'passport renewal'. A Google search for 'passport renewal' results in three copycat websites being listed before the official website for Her Majesty's Passport Office. Top of the list is passport-uk.co.uk, which charges pounds sterling 69 for the renewal of an adult passport. This is on top of the pounds sterling 72.50 levied either by HM Passport Office or the pounds sterling 81.25 charged by the Post Office under its 'Passport Check & Send' scheme.A search for 'driving licence renewal' also results in three copycat websites appearing ahead of the official site for the Driver & Vehicle Licensing Agency. Heading this list is drivinglicence.uk.com which charges pounds sterling 50 for processing a provisional licence application. This is on top of the pounds sterling 50 levied by the DVLA.In its terms and conditions governing adverts, Google clearly states that it does not allow the promotion of sites that charge for Government forms that are normally free or available at a lower price on the official Government site. But its policing of these rules seems lax. In December, Google removed an advert for a self-assessment tax return copycat website after pressure from The Mail on Sunday. But only last week, the same website ? taxreturngateway.com ? was appearing at the top of a list for a search under 'self-assessment tax return'.David Davis, Conservative MP for Haltemprice and Howden, East Riding of Yorkshire, says it is 'plain as a pikestaff' that Google must do more to ensure consumers are not tricked into using these bogus websites.He adds: 'By allowing these sites to pay their way to the top of searches, Google is ultimately condoning what is a consumer trap.'Google says it is doing its best to ensure any adverts that fall short of its policies are dealt with as quickly as possible.Davis intends to raise the issue in the House of Commons and believes that the Home Office (responsible for passports), Department for Transport (driving licences) and Treasury (tax) should be doing more to alert consumers.Ondine Barry, a marketing manager at Loughborough University in Leicestershire, was tricked into using a copycat website last summer when looking to renew her older daughter's passport.Ondine, 42, is marriedmini storageto Ben, 38, a motoring journalist, and they live in Stamford, Lincolnshire with their two girls, Evia, five, and Isla, two.Ondine says: 'When I typed "renewing a child's British passport" into Google, the website passportdirect.org.uk was one of the first to come up. Given it was an "org" site rather than "com" or "co.uk" and because it was cleverly done up to look like the real McCoy I assumed it was the Government's own passport site.'She adds: 'We paid the pounds sterling 49 and filled in the renewal form on the website. We then got an email saying we would have to send in Evia's photograph, but it said nothing about further payments. So, a week later when we received the filled out forms in the mail, only to realise we still had to pay the Government fee of pounds sterling 46, we were furious ? angry both at passportdirect for hoodwinking us and at ourselves for being duped.'Although Ondine complained, passportdirect said its website clearly spelt out what its service offered and how its fees worked.Judith Martinez, 69, a widow from Greenford, West London, was also duped by the passportdirect website. Two months ago, she paid it pounds sterling 69 for the renewal of her passport and realised her mistake too late.Her bank refused to refund her money while passportdirect stonewalled her emails. Judith, a retired Job Centre manager, says: 'Google should insist that these unofficial websites state in block capital letters that they are not Her Majesty's Passport Office.'Patricia Jones, from Lichfield in Staffordshire, and Dennis Wilkinson, of Sheffield, have also fallen foul of a copycat passport website. Both used website passport-uk.co.uk and ended up paying pounds sterling 69 on top of the normal pounds sterling 72.50 that the Passport Office charges for the renewal of a passport.Patricia, 67, a former sales assistant for a major high street retailer, used the website to renew her husband's passport as a 'surprise' Christmas present.It was only when she spoke to the Passport Office that she realised a passport cannot be renewed online and that the pounds sterling 69 she paid was no more than a processing fee for the privilege of passport-uk.co.uk sending her a printed copy of the form she had filled in online.Dennis, 73, renewed his passport last month ahead of going to Egypt to celebrate a 50th wedding anniversary with wife Diane, 69.Dennis, a former agent for an insurance company, says: 'I was brought up to trust people. I feel both small and hoodwinked by this service.' A spokesman for the Passport Office says: 'It's totally unacceptable that unscrupulous companies are continuing to trick people.'We continue to monitor these sites and explore new ways to counteract their activities.'The Advertising Standards Authority that is concerned about these websites although it says it is not against the law for a company to offer a service similar to that of an official Government body and to charge for it.The Authority has commissioned consumer research into the problem. Once this is completed, it will consider further enforcement action. Last year it banned adverts for three companies.Last week, The Mail on Sunday invited the owners of websites passportdirect.org.uk and passport-uk.co.uk and drivinglicence.uk.com to defend the value of their services and respond to criticism levelled at them by readers. None did so.Copyright: ___ (c)2014 Daily Mail (London, ) Visit the Daily Mail (London, ) at .dailymail.co.uk/home/index.html Distributed by MCT Information Services迷你倉