Rude awakening leaves Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal craving fresh blood

It was Phil Neville, speaking on the BBC on Saturday lunchtime, who noted that the last time Manchester United had played with wing-backs was on the opening day of the 1995/96 season. That was the day of a 3-1 defeat at Aston Villa and Alan Hansen's famous observation that "you win nothing with kids" – the cue, famously, for a League and Cup double-winning campaign.

Two decades on, there were even harsher verdicts delivered after Saturday's sobering 2-1 home loss to Swansea City which marked an ignominious start to the reign of Louis van Gaal.

Steve McManaman, another ex-Liverpool man playing the Hansen role on BT Sport, declared this the worst United team in the Premier League era, and few would argue that his claim carries rather more substance.

"Don't Panic" was the headline on the back page of Saturday's Manchester Evening News – in reference to the lack of transfer activity since the arrivals of Ander Herrera and Luke Shaw in June – but it is tempting to imagine Van Gaal having an urgent discussion with Edward Woodward, his chief executive, after United's unconvincing display.

Van Gaal showed with his team selection – handing debuts to midfielder Jesse Lingard and Tyler Blackett, who played on the left side of the back three, and Jesse Lingard – that he is a man to continue his new club's admirable tradition of bringing through their own, but the troubles of 20-year-old Blackett underlined United's problems.

He did not have a Gary Pallister alongside him, as the Neville brothers had in 1995, but instead Chris Smalling and Phil Jones. And his inexperience told when he kicked the ball straight to Wilfried Bony, allowing Swansea to take a quick free-kick in the run-up to Gylfi Sigurdsson's winning strike. With Ashley Young's defensive struggles at left wing-back highlighted by the fact he was exposed for both goals, the need for reinforcements to make Van Gaal's preferred 3-4-1-2 system work looked urgent.

Van Gaal's pursuit of Sporting Lisbon's Argentina defender Marcos Rojo and interest in Ajax wing-back Daley Blind –and failed attempt to sign Thomas Vermaelen – reveal his wish to add experience to his back line. Further upfield Arturo Vidal and Angel Di Maria remain reported targets, understandably so given United's lack of both pace and creativity.

There are echoes of last year when, as David Moyes recalled in a newspaper interview yesterday, United were missing out on other targets. "There was talk of [Cristiano] Ronaldo when I first arrived," Moyes said. "We were close to getting a couple of major names. I'm not getting in a blame game here but things just didn't materialise."

Whatever Moyes' failings, his conviction that he needed more time to turn United round seemed reasonable in the light of Saturday's events, and midfielder Darren Fletcher believes time is needed now for a team "still learning the new system and implementing it".

Van Gaal has history here – he took just two points from his first three Bundesliga games with Bayern Munich.

But regardless of which players Van Gaal does sign, Fletcher still argues that the players already at the club should not be written off.

"It's disappointing today but comments like [McManaman's] give us a greater determination, without a shadow of a doubt," he said.

"This whole club is about bouncing back from adversity. You have to be a big character to play for this club."

Applauding Van Gaal's decision to promote the club's youngsters, Fletcher added: "There are plenty of characters in the dressing room and plenty of players ready to step up. People talk about the players that have left but I see it in the eyes of the young players, they're ready for it."

Only time will tell, though United can at least rely on Wayne Rooney, the new captain. He scored their equalising goal, hit the post with a free-kick and was seen running back to shout at his defenders after Sigurdsson's decisive strike.

Rooney said United's defending had let them down but promised an improvement would come.

"We know last season was a disaster [and] we were ready for the start of this season [but] conceded two sloppy goals and we have to learn from that," he said.

"We have to be more demanding in what we are doing. We will learn, especially with the manager we have got."

What may take time, on Saturday's evidence, is for Van Gaal to restore United's old fear factor. Swansea had never won at Old Trafford until this year. Now they have done it twice in eight months. Fletcher admits it is a priority. "I think it is, yes.

"We've lost games in the past at Old Trafford and it does happen in all seasons but we want to bring that fear factor back and I still think we can," Fletcher insisted.

For Van Gaal, it was certainly a rude awakening. He believed, courtesy of pre-season, that major surgery wasn't really required at Old Trafford.

But this was a real wake-up call, and now he's racing against time to avoid another disappointing United performance in a transfer window.

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Source;Telegraph.co.uk

Michael Brown shooting: Chaos erupts on streets of Ferguson after autopsy shows teenager was shot six times - twice in the head

By Tim Walker – 18 August 2014
Chaos erupted on the streets of Ferguson, Missouri again last night as police unexpectedly fired tear gas into a crowd of demonstrators, including children and members of the media, almost two hours before the start of an official curfew.


The renewed violence began as a private autopsy report was released showing that Michael Brown, the unarmed black teenager killed by a white police officer in the St Louis suburb last weekend, had been shot six times – twice in the head.

In the midst of what appeared to be a peaceful protest, the St Louis County Police Department tweeted reports that Molotov cocktails were being thrown at officers, and that shots had been fired in the area. Police launched smoke canisters and tear gas into the crowds, which sent hundreds fleeing, with many reportedly covering their faces to escape the gas.

Earlier yesterday, it seemed tensions might finally have been quelled in Ferguson, where police and protesters have clashed almost nightly since Mr Brown’s death on 9 August. Captain Ron Johnson of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, the black officer who has become the public face of the law enforcement response, received a standing ovation when he addressed the Brown family and other community members on Sunday at the town’s Greater Grace Church.

Capt. Johnson reminded the crowd that he, too, was from Ferguson, and that he had much in common with many families there, including a son whom he said wears baggy trousers and sports tattoos. “We all ought to be thanking the Browns for Michael, because Michael's going to make it better for our sons, so they can be better black men,” he said.

Missouri Governor Jay Nixon last week asked the Highway Patrol to take over responsibility for security in Ferguson, after four nights in which local police had met largely peaceful protests with riot gear, tear gas and rubber bullets. Speaking to ABC News on Sunday, Mr Nixon said he had been “thunderstruck” by the police response. “The over-militarisation… The guns pointed at kids in the street. All of that I think instead of ratcheting down, brought emotion up,” he said.

Yet while the arrival of Capt. Johnson and his officers brought about a brief calm, by Friday night public anger flared again after police issued a statement saying Mr Brown had been a suspect in a robbery at a local convenience store. Ferguson police chief Tom Jackson later admitted that Darren Wilson, the officer who shot Mr Brown, was not aware he was a suspect at the time.

The authorities also released CCTV footage of the robbery, leading to accusations that they were trying to smear the victim. On Saturday Mr Nixon declared a state of emergency and ordered the nightly curfew from midnight to 5am; the Governor also criticised the release of the video, saying it “appeared to cast aspersions on a young man that was gunned down in the street.”

The details of Mr Brown’s shooting are still disputed: police said he reached for Wilson’s gun during an altercation inside a police car; witnesses insisted Mr Brown had his hands up when he was shot. A preliminary private autopsy was conducted on Sunday at the Brown family’s request by Dr Michael Baden, the former chief medical examiner for the City of New York.

Anthony Gray, a lawyer representing the family, said the trajectory of one of the two bullets that struck Mr Brown in the head was particularly noteworthy. “To have a shot that’s at a 90-degree angle from the top of his skull to the bottom of his chin, almost vertical, that sounds like an officer standing over him,” Gray said.

On Sunday US Attorney General Eric Holder announced that the Justice Department would also conduct its own autopsy on Mr Brown’s body due to “the extraordinary circumstances involved in this case”. President Barack Obama has directed the FBI to investigate Mr Brown’s death; 40 FBI agents reportedly went door-to-door at the weekend to collect information on the shooting.

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Source: Independent

Clooney’s fiancee opts not to join UN Gaza probe team

 GENEVA: Hollywood star George Clooney’s fiancee Amal Alamuddin has declined her nomination to join a
In a statement, Baudelaire Ndong Ella said that the Lebanese-born British lawyer had cited “prior professional commitments and regrets that the commission will not benefit from her expertise in the field.”
Ella, who this year holds the rotating presidency of the top UN rights forum, had on Monday named Alamuddin to the three-member commission of inquiry.

He said that he had approached a “number of individuals” as potential candidates before making the announcement, and that Alamuddin had several hours later said that she was not in a position to accept the role.

Despite Alamuddin’s decision, the commission of inquiry is now operational, Ella said, adding that he would “decide on the way forward.”

The commission will be led by Canadian international lawyer William Schabas, and also include Doudou Diene of Senegal, who has previously served as the UN’s watchdog on racism and on post-conflict Ivory Coast.

The UN Human Rights Council ordered the Gaza investigation on July 23, in the face of fierce opposition from Israel and the US.

The decision came during a marathon seven-hour emergency session of the 47-nation council, where Israeli and Palestinians delegates traded accusations over each sides’ alleged war crimes.

The probe team has been tasked with reporting back to the council by March.
Alamuddin’s family, who are from Lebanon’s Druze community, fled to Britain during the country’s 1975-1990 civil war.

The 36-year-old, who is fluent in Arabic, French and English, is reportedly due to wed 53-year-old Clooney in Italy in September.

News that she had stolen the heart of one of Hollywood’s most celebrated bachelors caused a global media frenzy back in April.

Alamuddin is well versed in international conflict probes.
She worked with the international tribunal examining the assassination of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri, and assisted ex-UN head Kofi Annan in efforts to make peace in Syria.

Among her legal clients have been Ukraine’s former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko and controversial Wikileaks founder Julian Assange.

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Source;Arab News

International Panel Clears Untested Ebola Drugs as Death Toll Hits 1,000

World Health Organization says it's ethical to use experimental drugs against the disease.

 

An international panel of medical experts decided today that untested drugs can be used ethically in West Africa to combat what has become the largest outbreak of the deadly Ebola disease in history. More than 1,000 people have died, and more than 1,800 have been sickened by the virus.

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The Geneva-based World Health Organization (WHO) panel said "a specific treatment or vaccine would be a potent asset to counter the virus."

The WHO added that such treatments would bolster current efforts to stop the spread of the disease by isolating patients and monitoring their progress. A few experimental treatments for Ebola are in the works, but none have been tested on human beings. Using the drugs is controversial because their safety and efficacy are unknown. (See "World Health Organization to Ethicists: Should We Use Experimental Ebola Drugs?")

Last month, the debate heated up when two American aid workers who had contracted Ebola in West Africa were given doses of an experimental drug called ZMapp. Since then, Kent Brantly and Nancy Writebol seem to be improving. But a Spanish priest who also received the drug, Miguel Pajares, died this morning.

Despite early hesitation by the medical community to use untried treatments, the WHO said, "The large number of people affected by the 2014 West Africa outbreak, and the high case-fatality rate, have prompted calls to use investigational medical interventions to try to save the lives of patients and to curb the epidemic." 

(Related: "Promising Ebola Drugs Stuck in Lab Limbo as Outbreak Rages in Africa.")

Special Conditions

The WHO did not respond to requests for comment, but in the agency's statement, the panel said any use of untested therapies must follow strict guidelines. These include "transparency about all aspects of care, informed consent, freedom of choice, confidentiality, respect for the person, preservation of dignity and involvement of the community."

The panel added that there is a "moral obligation to collect and share all data generated" from the use of any treatments.

On Monday, Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, told National Geographic it would take time to produce enough of the handful of drugs in development to treat more than a few patients.

Others warned that dispensing the drugs in a region with a history of distrust of medical professionals could be challenging. (Related: "Ebola's Deadly Spread in Africa Driven by Public Health Failures, Cultural Beliefs.")

Kevin Donovan, director of the Pellegrino Center for Clinical Bioethics at Georgetown University Medical Center, told National Geographic that he would recommend distributing any available drugs first to aid workers.

"Because if we allow the people who are treating it to be wiped out, there's no one left to treat it," he said. 

(Related: "Q&A: American Virus Expert in Africa's Ebola Zone: 'This is Like War.'")

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Source;NG Daily News

Thousands flee eastern Ukraine due to 'critical' situation in Luhansk

City's population has almost halved since 'anti-terrorist operation' began in early April

Thousands of families have been forced to flee the worsening conflict in eastern Ukraine, where the situation in Luhansk and other besieged areas is now "critical", said aid agencies and local officials.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said living conditions for those trapped by fighting between Ukrainian forces and pro-Russian rebels has worsened. Ukrainian troops have made rapid advances in recent weeks, shrinking the territory controlled by separatists. They have also severed the land connection between Donetsk and Luhansk, the last two major cities in the east under rebel control.

But the offensive has caught civilians as well. Luhansk, a city about 20 miles from the Russian border with a pre-war population of 450,000 people, has shrunk to 250,000 since early April and the start of Ukraine's "anti-terrorist operation". It has suffered from repeated shelling.

On Tuesday the city authorities said Luhansk had been without water, light, electricity and phone connections for 10 days. Luhansk was now in a state of "total blockade", they said, with residents trapped in their homes as armed clashes raged around them. Most shops were closed, though bakeries remained open, and municipal rubbish collection continued, officials said. Pensions and other social payments had ceased.
Hundreds of residents have escaped by fleeing into Russia or to surrounding areas controlled by Ukrainian government forces, outside the conflict zone. In the village of Schastya, 14 miles north of Luhansk, locals told Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) monitors the city was being shelled "practically non-stop" from 4am to 2am. They said pharmacies were closed, with people running out of supplies. Drinking water and bread were almost impossible to buy. People were forced to bury bodies in gardens, since funeral services no longer operated. Public transport wasn't functioning either, with only a few ambulance teams still working. Only those looking after bedridden relatives, or those without money, wished to stay in the city, the OSCE reported.

The situation in Donetsk, previously a city of one million people, was less dire, locals said, though it too was under fire. Last week (Aug 7) OSCE observers reported damage to two high-rise residential buildings and a local hospital in the city centre, and reported meeting "traumatised and crying civilians and medical staff".

They saw the corpse of a middle-aged man in the city's morgue, with trauma injuries consistent with mortar fire. Some people had taken shelter in the basement of Donetsk railway station. Trains out of Donetsk were still running, but with services sold out for several days. Power and lights were on. A curfew was in force.

The OSCE also said that Ukrainian troops stationed next to the Russian border were coming under frequent rocket attacks. In Krasnyi Derkul, a village 34 miles north-east of Luhansk, observers saw smouldering forest and shrapnel fragments around the area where a border guard unit had built underground shelters.

They also saw four shelters in an open field at the edge of the military camp.

"We know the humanitarian situation in eastern Ukraine is rather bad. There has been ongoing fighting for the past few weeks and we know cities such as Luhansk have been cut off from supplies for the past month. The situation is dire in terms of medical supplies, access to water, to electricity, everything," Laurent Corbaz, the ICRC's head of operations for Europe and Central Asia, said.

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Source;TheGuardian

WHO approves trial drugs use as Ebola fatalities top 1,000

 

 

ETHICAL EXPERIMENT:The UN health body said using untested drugs to try and stop an outbreak called the worst ever was an acceptable health risk

AFP, GENEVA, Switzerland

 

 

Players of the "L’Etoile de Guinee" football team poses with a sign reading "Stop to the ebola epidemic" prior to a football tournament gathering youth from Guinea near the Koumassi sports center in Abidjan on August 10, 2014.

Photo: AFP

 

The WHO yesterday authorized the use of experimental drugs in the fight against Ebola as the death toll topped 1,000 and a Spanish priest became the first European to succumb to the virus in the latest outbreak.

The declaration by the UN health agency came after a US firm that makes an experimental serum to treat the deadly virus said it had sent all its available supplies to hard-hit West Africa.

“In the particular circumstances of this outbreak and provided certain conditions are met ... it is ethical to offer unproven interventions with as yet unknown efficacy and adverse effects,” the WHO said in a statement following a meeting of medical experts in Geneva, Switzerland.

The outbreak — described as the worst since Ebola was first discovered four decades ago — has now killed 1,013 people, the WHO said. Cases have so far been limited to Guinea, Liberia, Sierra Leone and
Nigeria, all in West Africa, where ill-equipped and fragile healthcare systems are struggling to cope.

An elderly Spanish priest who became infected while helping patients in Liberia died in a Madrid hospital yesterday, just five days after being evacuated.

Monrovia said it had requested samples of an experimental drug, ZMapp, that has shown some positive effects on two US aid workers, but failed to save the Spanish priest. Supplies would be brought in by a US government representative later this week, the Liberian government said.

There is no available cure or vaccine for the disease, which the WHO has declared a global public health emergency.

Despite promising results for the ZMapp treatment made by private US company Mapp Biopharmaceutical, the drug is still in an early phase of development and has only been tested on monkeys.

ZMapp is in very short supply, but its use on Western workers evacuated to the US triggered controversy and demands that it be made available in Africa.

Mapp said in a statement: “In responding to the request received this weekend from a West African nation, the available supply of ZMapp is exhausted,” and that the drug was “provided at no cost in all cases.”

The company did not reveal which nation received the doses, or how many were sent, but the Liberian presidency said: “The White House and the United States Food and Drug Administration have approved the request for sample doses of experimental serum to treat Liberian doctors who are currently infected with the deadly Ebola virus disease.”

Panic is stalking the impoverished countries ravaged by the disease in West Africa, where drastic containment measures are causing transport chaos, price hikes and food shortages, as well as stoking fears that people could die of hunger.

In Liberia — where the virus has claimed more than 300 lives — a third province was placed under quarantine on Monday.

In Sierra Leone, eight Chinese medical workers have been placed in quarantine, China’s envoy in Freetown said on Monday.
 

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Source;Taipei Times

 

 

Polytechnic Students To Undertake National Service.....

Polytechnic students who were unable to write their final year examinations due to the on-going strike by their teachers, are to be considered to undertake their national service.
The decision followed the outcome of a meeting between the Ministry of Education, and the National Service Secretariat (NSS) concerning the fate of the students.

Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Ablakwa, a Deputy Minister of Education in charge of Tertiary Education, who disclosed this to The Ghanaian Times in Accra yesterday, said the students would be made to take their final examinations when the teachers return to work.

The members of the Polytechnic Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG) have been on strike since May this year over non-payment of their book and research allowance arrears by the government.

Their absence from the classroom made it impossible for examinations to be conducted in the polytechnics across the country, thus creating anxiety among the final year students over their fate in the national service postings.

“All polytechnic final year students will be posted for national service,” Mr. Okudzeto Ablakwa assured.
National service postings are expected to be announced by the NSS this month

He explained that during the discussions, the ministry urged the NSS to post the affected students to institutions in the regions of their respective polytechnics.

That, he said, would ensure proximity to their schools and make it easy for them to take their examinations when the strike is called off by POTAG.

He assured the students that government was making the necessary efforts to ensure that their teachers called off the strike, and urged them to continue learning and hold themselves in readiness for the examinations.

Government in November 2013 announced the scrapping of the Book and Research Allowance to be replaced with a Research and Innovation Fund. An amount of GH¢3.75 million representing 25 per cent of the earmarked funds, was in February released into an account for the establishment of the fund.

But POTAG and other teacher associations in public tertiary institutions, have kicked against the scrapping of the allowance.

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Source;ghanaiantimes

CPP observes one-week for late Comrade Akrofi

The Convention Peoples Party (CPP) in conjunction with the family of the late Mr. Hayford Akrofi will hold a one week observation in honour of the former CPP stalwart who was murdered a week ago.

The programme will be held at the CPP Headquarters at Asylum Down in Accra on Monday 30th June at 10am.

All well-wishers and sympathisers are welcome to pay tribute to the illustrious son of Ghana whose life was cut short by an unknown assailant at his residence at Ofankor on Monday, 23rd June.

He died at the age of 64 and is survived by four children.

Mr. Hayford Akrofi was an architect and Vice-Chairman of the UK branch of the CPP, who returned from the UK recently to contribute to the development of his country.

A Book of condolence has been opened at the CPP party headquarters.


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SOURCE:GHANAWEB

Cable theft worsens load­-shedding in Kumasi

Some suspected thieves last Wednesday stole large electricity cables at the main Kumasi Substation of the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), and this plunged half of the metropolis into darkness.

The situation compelled the ECG to undertake an unscheduled emergency load-shedding exercise in Kumasi. Electricity has since been restored.

The thieves, who probably had deep knowledge of and technical expertise in electrical work, used a copper wire to create contact for two of the three lines on the pole, resulting in total blackout, and seized the opportunity to cut both hanging and underground cables.

Each of the three cables which were stolen from the substation at the Abinkyi Market area, behind the Light House Chapel, measured 12 meters.

Briefing the Daily Graphic, the Ashanti Regional Engineer of the ECG, Mr. Emmanuel Aldnie, said around 12.30 a.m. last Wednesday, the line tripped, culminating in unscheduled power cuts.

He said initially it was presumed to be a fault, until it was detected that thieves had cut some of the hanging and the underground cables.

He appealed to the public to help the security agencies or the ECG with information on the whereabouts of those who orchestrated that crime.







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SOURCE:GHANAWEB

I have no regret for my action- Muntari

Ghanaian midfielder Sulley Muntari has officially maintained that he has no regret for his action which led to his indefinite suspension from camp last Wednesday.

According to the AC Milan player, he is not worried over his cantankerous attitude which triggered an alleged slapping of Moses Parker, a team official in the face – and threatening other members of the coaching staff with a broken bottle.

The player made these bizarre remarks when he wrote on his Instagram wall saying "From the bottom of my heart I don't give a f@#k".

Meanwhile, some Ghanaians including his Godfather Alhaji Karim Grusah have condemned Sulley Muntari for his indiscipline act.

They maintained that the player should not be invited to play for the national team again to set a precedent for future players.


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SOURCE;GHANAWEB & INFOGHANA

7 Simple Things To Do To Differentiate Yourself and Build a Standout Career

According to the International Labor Organization, the global jobs gap is likely to rise to 75 million by 2018 unless there is a significant surge in employment market growth.

This is despite reported labor market growth in the U.S. and UK, however, as developed economies continue to struggle with social, political and financial upheaval.

While this is a negative development, it is worth noting that even a prosperous job market creates unique challenges for job-seekers and individuals who are looking to progress their careers. More specifically, it creates a more crowded and competitive employment market, as a growing number of people resume their search for work and apply for a disproportionate ratio of jobs.

How to Stand Out From the Crowd in the Contemporary Job Market

With this in mind, what simple steps can you take to distinguish yourself from the crowd while establishing a progressive career? Consider the following:

1. Open your Mind to New Career Opportunities

Technological advancement has changed the nature of the modern workplace, while also sounding the death knell for traditional industries such as print media and analogue television. Anyone who is experienced in these industries must therefore develop an open mind if they are to progress, as they consider new opportunities in similar but more progressive market sectors. Why this may force you to acquire some new skills and qualifications, it will enable you to evolve your career and drive it forward from austerity.

2. Try New Things and Embrace the Unknown

While embracing new career opportunities in related and progressive industries will stand you in good stead, you should take this philosophy further and look to sample a series of new skills and experiences as you consider your future. This will encourage you think outside of your existing capabilities, as your future employment may lie in an industry that has little or no connection to your previous experience of the workplace. By showcasing a willingness to learn brand new skills and try different things, you can take your career in a direction that you never thought was possible.

3. Be Proactive Not Reactive in the Marketplace

Whether looking to develop an existing career or start a new one from scratch, you cannot hope to progress unless you adopt a proactive approach to networking, sourcing opportunities and making applications. Those with a reactive mind-set are ill-equipped to thrive in a competitive market, as they will lose ground to their rivals and fail to stand-out as keen or motivated candidates for work. So even if it goes against your nature, consider being tenacious in your approach and changing your behavior with regards to pursuing opportunities.

4. Showcase your Key Personal Attributes

When applying for a new job, it is likely that you and your rival candidates will share many of the same skills and academic qualifications. In this instance, it is often your experience and personal attributes that will distinguish you from the crowd, so you must present these clearly and confidently to potential employers. In essence, these are your unique selling points as an individual candidate, and your ability to market them effectively will determine whether or not you can secure long-term security and the standout career of your dreams.

5. Strive to Cultivate Strong Working Relationships

By sharing your most positive personal attributes in a professional context, you are also laying the foundations for strong working relationships with your employers. The same principle applies when networking with recruiters and industry contacts, despite the prominence of social media and remote communication it is important to remember that the employment market remains an interpersonal environment that is driven by face-to-face interaction. So by presenting your qualities and communicating openly, you can cultivate strong professional relationships that help you to maximize your career.

6. Remember the Value of Hard Work

In an age of digital communication, e-recruitment and online working processes, it is easy to believe that technology is the key player in the contemporary employment market. While it is undoubtedly influential, however, it is important not to underestimate the value of hard work and how this impacts positively on your chances of achieving multiple career goals. Simply by showcasing a willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty and work outside of your contracted hours where necessary, you can distinguish yourself in the eyes of employers and elevate your career to a higher level.

7. Remain Focused on Clearly Defined Career Goals

Historically, individuals always could rely on long-term employment opportunities once they had left education and ventured out into the world of work. This is no longer the case, however, which means that today’s generation of workers must be adaptable and willing to change positions if they are to achieve their career goals.

While your job title, location and level of remuneration may be changeable, however, it is important to retain clearly-defined, long-term career goals that enable you to focus as you look to progress. This will help you to cope with your constantly changing circumstances and the necessary periods of transition.

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source;lifehack.org

Asamoah Gyan must return to Europe - Van Nistelrooy

The ex-Manchester United goal poacher is in awe of Gyan's talent but has questioned why he is wasting his prowess in a less fancied football region 

Netherlands legend Ruud van Nistelrooy has questioned Asamoah Gyan's decision to play in the UAE instead of Europe, despite his talent.

He said the striker is throwing away his football skills in the Gulf Region.

“Why is Gyan playing in the UAE? I don’t know what he is doing there. He should be playing with a top side in Europe. He had a tremendous game [against Germany],” Van Nistelrooy said on ESPN.

The 28-year-old striker became the record signing player for Sunderland in 2010 costing them £13 million, but decided to join Al Ain a year later with a speculated loan fee of £6 million but later signed a permanent
deal with the Bosses after a successful season.

Gyan has been a major threat to opposing defenders in UAE, scoring 45 goals in all competitions [42 games] in the just ended season.

He has won the Pro League goal scorers accolade on three consecutive seasons and is currently leading the top scorer chart in this season’s Asian Champions League, scoring eight goals for the Bosses.

Gyan is the first African player to score in three consecutive World Cup finals and holds the record of most goals by an African at the World Cup with Cameroonian legend Roger Milla.

He is the youngest player to score for Ghana and currently holds the all-time goal scorers record for the west Africans after netting 40 times in 80 games.

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SOURCE;GOAL.COM

12 Useful Windows Programs You’ll Want to Download

We’ve come a long way since the DOS days of doing all of our computer tasks manually.

Nowadays, there’s even an Iphone app that sorts our socks for us. So it goes without saying that there are plenty of useful Windows programs- none of
which sort your socks.

Whether you’re a windows veteran or a disgruntled Mac convert, you’ll want to take advantage of the following free and useful Windows programs.

If you’re looking for something to help with organization, productivity, or simply keeping track of things, try these out.

1. Avast!: for the infected

No, I’m not calling you a zombie. However, if you’re computer is badly infected with viruses, it probably won’t be long before its performance starts going south. Avast is a free antivirus and anti-spyware program that will run on Windows 7, 8, Vista, and XP.

2. Comodo Backup: for the losers

Just kidding, you’re not a loser. However, if you lose things often, you may want to think about keeping important files and media in storage. Comodo is like an online hard drive, offering 10 GB of space for free or 100 GB for $7.99 per month. The program runs on Windows systems as old as 2003.

3. WinDirStat

True or false: You have too much stuff running at once and your computer hates you. You’ll be able to find out with WinDirStat, a program that allows you to view your disk usage and clean things up if necessary. You’ll be able to see statistics as well as a visual display of your file types. Bonus points: cool colors.

4. Lastpass: for the forgetful

We’ve all needed Lastpass at one point or another. The program recalls your important passwords by creating browser extensions for Internet Explorer, Firefox, Chrome, Safari, and Opera. Never sit dumbfounded in front of an account login again!

5. Rainmeter: for the wallpaper junkie

Rainmeter is the perfect way to up the aesthetic value of your desktop and organize it at the same time. Thousands of skins are available like the one below. The program allows you to customize your desktop with memory and battery power, email, RSS feeds, weather forecasts, or whatever else you want to keep track of. Plus, they’re fun to build.

6. Defraggler: for the clean freak

I don’t know about you, but just the idea of having “fragments” scattered around my hard drive gives me the immediate urge to clean. Defraggler is your virtual spring cleaning program, sequencing “blocks” of content and freeing up space. It’s especially good to try if your computer has been running slow. Unlike most defragmentation programs, this one allows you to choose specific files instead of the whole drive. Conveniently, you can also schedule the program to run when you’re not at the computer.

7. Ultimate Windows Tweaker: for the customizer

This program will run on Windows 7, 8, XP and Vista, enabling you to “tweak” just about every feature you can imagine. Security, network, display, and other options allow you to set your computer up in the exact way you want it. This is great for those little annoyances you wish you could edit.

8. Breevy: for the timesaver

Breevy is certainly the product of a fast-paced, technological age. No longer do you have to type out full words and phrases that you use often. Just save an abbreviation in Breevy, and from then on you can type the abbreviation to make the full word or phrase appear. It also comes with a typo corrector and syncs with TextExpander (a similar program) via Dropbox.

9. CCleaner: for the hoarder

Ccleaner is similar to Defraggler in cleaning and speeding up your computer. However CCleaner wipes out your Browser’s temporary files, history, cookies, super cookies, and autocomplete form history. Think of CCleaner as the poor guys who have to clean out a hoarder’s house. Think of Defraggler as the interior designers who go in afterwards and trying to make sense of what’s left.

10. XBMC: for the media junkie

XBMC is home theater software that allows you to view movies, shows, and pictures. You can also listen to music, play DVDs, and download an XBMC remote control on your Iphone. The program is open source with a 10 foot user interface (yea, get the popcorn ready). As of recently, you can even watch Netflix and download tons of other addons like weather forecasts, skins, and webscrapers.

11. Virtualbox

Virtualbox is an open source program that enables you to run two operating systems at once. If you’re wondering why on earth you’d need to do that, you’re probably just not nerd enough. It’s useful for testing out new upgrades before installation, playing games, or running programs that are incompatible with your host system. With Virtualbox, you can use Windows as the host or guest system. There’s also a feature called Snapshots that allows you to revert back to a previously saved state.

12. Unlocker

Windows sometimes decides to be incredibly frustrating and not allow you to delete a file. It will often say that the file is being used by an open program, but you might have no idea which one. Unlocker is the solution. Download Unlocker, right click those files, and select “Unlock” to get rid of them. That’s it!



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SOURCE;LIFEHACK.ORG

The Secret to Recovering From a Negative Customer Review

Businesses aren’t perfect.

A slipup from a vendor, a shipment gone awry and an inevitable technical error all damage a brand’s reputation. In these situations, customers have the right to be brutal and unforgiving.

Consequently, a negative review can pop up anywhere and haunt a company forever.

Though it's impossible to control what upset customers may say, companies' reaction to the criticism can be tempered.

Related: How to Handle Negative Online Reviews

In its support center for businesses, Yelp offers a helpful document that warns, “contacting reviewers should be approached with care; internet messaging is a blunt tool and sometimes good intentions come across badly.”

Yelp also adds three important points worth remembering:

"1.Your reviewers are your paying customers.

2. Your reviewers are human beings with (sometimes unpredictable) feelings and sensitivities.

3. Your reviewers are vocal and opinionated (otherwise they would not be writing reviews!)."

Of course, this advice can be applied to dealing with negative reviews anywhere on the web, not only on

Yelp.

Avoid getting into a war of words and give disappointed customers an authentic, empathetic and nonconfrontational response. If you are lucky, you might even earn their respect and loyalty.

Below are four tips to remember in order to bounce back from a negative review:

Related: Got a Bad Yelp Review? Here's What to Do

1. Do not hide from your mistakes. Most companies, when hit with harsh feedback, will copy and paste a canned response, then proceed to bury the review deep in Google’s search results. Others will sulk in the shadows, hoping the PR nightmare may eventually blow over.

Unfortunately, neither approach works for the long term. The critic will feel highly undervalued and smart shoppers will always be thorough in their research. Make it a point to acknowledge your failure and to do whatever it takes to make it right instead of making it go away.

Related: How Entrepreneurs Can Cope With Rejection Online

2. Focus on solutions, not excuses. Set your ego aside and make amends by taking responsibility for a user’s poor experience, even if you aren’t truly at fault. Offer a generous apology, which may include a full or partial refund, free gifts and expedited shipping. Then, go the extra mile and provide an outline for an action plan that will permanently fix the root cause of the problem.

For example, you may describe how you will work closer with the quality assurance team, retrain customer service representatives or replace unreliable vendors. This demonstrates that you learned something from the experience and took action so it may never happen again.

Related: Why Crowdsourcing Is the Answer to Business-Software Reviews

3. Recruit consumers' help. Angry customers are not intentionally malicious. In almost all cases, they simply want to be heard and to be treated with dignity and respect. Therefore, invite them to help you build a better business.

Have your clients contribute their ideas for how exactly you can improve your offerings so they may get the most value out of your product and so no one else will feel cheated the way they did. Just remember to do more than listen; deliver on any agreeable suggestions and keep all promises.

4. Work with a clear conscience. After operating in the best interests of your customer and your brand, keep your head held high. There is no reason to feel burdened with a sense of overwhelming guilt or shame that affects morale and performance. At some point, you have to move on and continue delighting more customers.

As your business grows, there will always be at least one annoyed and vocal customer. To ensure that you keep your brand’s reputation intact and that you sleep well at night, be sure to honor every complaint that comes in with a generous response that provides a short-term fix (to win back the customer) and a long-term solution (to earn trust and prevent the issue from happening again).
Share with us any ways of recovering from a Negative Customer Review

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SOURCE;ENTREPRENEUR.COM

Vin Diesel: It Has Been 'Awkward And Uncomfortable' Adjusting To Paul Walker Visual Effects In 'Fast & Furious 7

Vin Diesel shares a photo of himself and the late Paul Walker on set of one of the "Fast and Furious" films.

After Paul Walker's death last November, Universal made the decision to retire his character, Brian O’Connor, in the next installment.  

Since many of the film's big scenes were yet to be filmed, Walker’s brothers Caleb and Cody will help complete unfinished scenes.   

However, a number of groundbreaking facial-replacement visual effects will also be used to preserve his likeness.  

The process hasn’t been an easy one for the incredibly close cast and crew. 

Recent rumors from The Hollywood Reporter have claimed star Vin Diesel has been difficult on set, with the actor spending a lot of time in his trailer. 

Subsequently, Diesel, who often shares updates on current projects with his fans on Facebook, posted a lengthy note Tuesday explaining the difficulties of working on set with the VFX team.  

“The whole crew has had to adjust to this awkward and uncomfortable process of pixels over people. Aside from the obvious strains it places on the director, the challenge is not to allow it to compromise what makes the character so special.” 

According to Diesel, Walker was very involved in decision making on the franchise saying, “there wasn’t a scene in the saga he didn’t want to discuss, improve... even with just a changing of a line or adding a specific nuance to enrich a moment.” 

The actor makes it clear he wants to ensure Walker’s character O’Connor is portrayed correctly on screen in the sequel. 

“Fast and Furious 7” will be released April 10, 2015.

Read Diesel’s full note below: 

"There wasn’t a scene in the saga he didn’t want to discuss, improve... even with just a changing of a line or adding a specific nuance to enrich a moment. 

He did it with the pride of knowing, that over a decade of portraying Brian, through four directors, multiple writers and new producers he was able to maintain the inner core of the character he created. 

Those work ethics and drive to be both truthful, and in his own way, evolve the decade spanning character is what made his character as iconic as it has become. 

He always knew I would fight for him… whether it was to protect his deal or to protect his integrity… and he knew that if it made for a better film, I was going to do whatever it took… it is why together, we won best duo... twice, 12 years apart. 

With our new ambitious vfx team, the whole crew has had to adjust to this awkward and uncomfortable process of pixels over people. Aside from the obvious strains it places on the director, the challenge is not to allow it to compromise what makes the character so special.

Happy Toretto Tuesday..."

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/fast-and-furious-7-paul-walker-visual-effects-2014-6#ixzz35ITSU5XC

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SOURCE;BUSINESS INSIDER

There's A Convincing Theory That Goliath, Not David, Was Actually The Underdog

The biblical story of David and Goliath is probably the most well-known underdog story in the world.

Goliath is a giant warrior who battles a much-smaller shepherd boy, David. David shoots him with a stone and a sling right between the eyes, Goliath topples over, and David kills him.

But for centuries, we may have been telling the story wrong. At the very least, we've been leaving out some critical facts that paint a more sympathetic picture of Goliath. In Malcolm Gladwell's book, "David & Goliath: Underdogs, Misfits and the Art of Battling Giants," Gladwell proposes that Goliath may have actually been the underdog, not David.

David and Goliath is "a metaphor for improbable victories," Gladwell explained during a Ted Talk in September. "Why do we call David an underdog? Well, we call him an underdog because he's a kid, a little kid, and Goliath is this big, strong giant. We also call him an underdog because Goliath is an experienced warrior, and David is just a shepherd. But most importantly, we call him an underdog because Goliath is outfitted with all of this modern weaponry, this glittering coat of armor and a sword and a javelin and a spear, and all David has is this sling."

The first mistake history has made when retelling the tale of David and Goliath is to assume that David was a helpless boy who only had a wimpy slingshot to protect himself, Gladwell said.

That's because there were three types of warriors in ancient times: people who fought with slings and archery (David), foot soldiers who were good at up-close combat with swords (Goliath), and people on horseback.
Goliath was a foot soldier; David was a slinger. When put this way, and you note that Goliath and David were fighting from somewhat of a distance, it makes David's weapon choice seem smart. He's good at attacking with accuracy from afar.

It also makes you understand why Goliath was in trouble the moment David whipped out his sling. If David never got close to him, how could he attack and defeat him?

"Goliath is a sitting duck. He doesn't have a chance," Gladwell concludes.
From Gladwell's talk:

[Goliath's] expectation when he challenges the Israelites to a duel is that he's going to be fighting another heavy infantryman. When he says, "Come to me that I might feed your flesh to the birds of the heavens and the beasts of the field," the key phrase is "Come to me." Come up to me because we're going to fight, hand to hand, like this. Saul has the same expectation. David says, "I want to fight Goliath," and Saul tries to give him his armor, because Saul is thinking, "Oh, when you say 'fight Goliath,' you mean 'fight him in hand-to-hand combat,' infantry on infantry."

But David has absolutely no expectation. He's not going to fight him that way. Why would he? He's a shepherd. He's spent his entire career using a sling to defend his flock against lions and wolves. That's where his strength lies. So here he is, this shepherd, experienced in the use of a devastating weapon, up against this lumbering giant weighed down by a hundred pounds of armor and these incredibly heavy weapons that are useful only in short-range combat. Goliath is a sitting duck. He doesn't have a chance.

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/malcolm-gladwell-goliath-was-the-underdog-not-david-2014-6#ixzz35IQihOKU

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SOURCE;BUSINESS INSIDER

Star Investor Shares 15 Unconventional Lessons For Aspiring Entrepreneurs

On Wednesday, Shana Fisher, managing partner of High Line Venture Partners, spoke to a crowd of aspiring entrepreneurs at Y Combinator's Startup School in New York City.

Fisher is highly renowned as one of the earliest investors in companies including Pinterest, ShopHers, Makerbot, Vine, and Refinery29.

Fisher mentioned that she has often been told she gives founders surprising advice, which she outlined in her talk.

Here are some of the unconventional lessons she offers entrepreneurs:

Take as much time as you need. A few years ago, Fisher would have advised startup founders to launch their product as soon as possible. Now, she realizes it's not smart to rush products. She says, "If it takes a year to get it right, take a year."

In today's competitive environment, with so many companies striving for attention, it's much more important to have a quality product that customers truly love. Fisher points out that it takes Pixar five years to make a movie, and that's why they are the best.

Make mistakes early. Of course, everyone makes mistakes, and they will be part of the story of how they grow. However, it's better to experiment and make mistakes during the first few stages of a startup, so people can easily correct their failures and learn from them. The worst source of stress is when mistakes occur during a critical time.

Nobody can predict success. Fisher notes that most people initially weren't interested in the companies she funded, even though they ended up becoming wildly successful. Even investors can't always predict what's going to do well, because they tend to be personal and subjective in what they like. When an idea is so new or revolutionary that nobody can evaluate it, those are the times when great things happen.

Don't focus on raising money for the short term. When people think about their "startup runway," which is the amount of money they need to get their company off the ground, they tend to think about raising money that will last for several months. However, Fisher advises people to figure out how to get as far as they can with the money they have. Fisher says, "I don't like people raising money for runway. I want people raising money to make sure this thing happens by any means."

You control your destiny when you control your money. The two ways to control money is through raising it and making it. Most early-stage startups raise money from external funding. However, Fisher uses the metaphor of the equinox, which is the tipping point for when you have to start making money.

There is no greater value in what you do than when people are willing to pay for it. As a founder, you can't get stuck in your phase of simply having potential — at some point, you need to cross the equinox and start bringing real money in.

Target the investors who haven't made deals in a while. You should look at the last couple of deals an investor makes. If they haven't invested in a while, they will probably have a more open mind and will be in a better headspace for your idea. Be strategic about who you talk to.

It's not always a good idea to have cofounders. Fisher likes to see people who can go the distance with their company, and sometimes that means being a single founder is the better choice. You don't always have to follow convention.

Don't overlap skills with other people in your company. If you have a similar skillset as your cofounder or other high-position people, it will end up being redundant. In startups, you have to critically think about how many people you truly need.

You're not creating a product, you're creating a team. Fisher warns, "If you don't take care of managing your team, it's going to come over you like a tidal wave." Most people who lead startups don't know how to manage people. In Fisher's words, it's really important to perfect how you manage them — one by one.

Hire one person first, and then perfect the way you will work with that person before hiring another. If you really learn how to hire and retain people, nobody will ever want to kick you out of your position as CEO. Fisher recommends the SCARF method for learning how to be a better leader.

Watch out for the dreaded question, "Can I talk to you for a minute?" When employees are trying to take you aside to ask about their role in the company or suggest new ideas, it is a major warning sign that you're not giving your employees enough attention. The only reason they would need to go out of their way to talk to you would be if you aren't managing people well. If you see yourself hearing this phrase over and over, you need to step back and figure out what's happening.

Diversity of thought is crucial. If you look around and the people in your company all look the same, you probably don't have enough viewpoints in your company. Find the best person for each job, but also think about bringing different people into the company, even if you have to train them. Working with people who don't think like you is one of the best decisions you can make.

Use the great cosmos as inspiration. We don't understand the edge of the observable universe yet. In the same way, there is no limit to what you can create. Fisher loves to see breakthrough ideas and believes that people truly are going to achieve as big as they dream.

She doesn't want entrepreneurs wasting time making "just another app." Rather, she wants you to do something meaningful. Don't always look for patterns, because they'll simply lead you to things you've seen before.

Stop striving for "great design." These days, everyone seems to be using the same CSS template for their websites. Of course it makes them clean and beautiful, but Fisher reminds people that they don't always have to look like everyone else. She also believes that working on design should always come last.

Fisher warns that startup founders often get trapped in the skin-deep appearance of a product and that they don't worry enough about the breakthrough they're trying to achieve underneath. In the past, she has funded a lot of companies that didn't look good, because she knew that the iceberg of the product was more important than the surface. In her words, "We're all ready for a new look."

Lose perspective. A lot of startup founders lose perspective in other areas of their life, like their family time or health, as they become more and more consumed with their company. However, this isn't entirely a negative thing, as long as it isn't for a long period of time. When you lose perspective, she says, you enter a stage where you can do superhuman things.

Realize that finding a job is the easier path to take.  If you wanted to make money and have an easy life, you could simply work for another company. However, if you are inspired and want to dream big, you need to recognize that startups are really hard. Fisher says, "If you're gonna do it, you gotta go for it, and that's what I want to see."

Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/shana-fishers-advice-for-entrepreneurs-2014-6#ixzz35INF65ag

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SOURCE;BUSINESS INSIDER

VACATION SCHEDULE FOR POLYTECHNICS IN GHANA

                         VACATION SCHEDULE


Following an emergency Academic Board Meeting held on Thursday, 19th June 2014, the following decisions regarding the 2013/2014 academic calendar have been taken:

1. That 1st & 2nd Year Students PROCEED ON VACATION WITH IMMEDIATE EFFECT and CONTINUE with their INDUSTRIAL ATTACHMENTS while all 3rd years CONTINUE with their RESEARCH & PROJECT WORKS

2. That the industrial liaison office quickly contacts respective companies and organizations in order to arrange for a possible re-scheduling of the date of commencement of industrial attachment for students

3. That the RE-OPENING DATE for the CONTINUATION of the 2nd SEMESTER of the 2013/2014 ACADEMIC YEAR and a REVISED VERSION OF THE ACADEMIC CALENDAR be published as soon as the CURRENT INDUSTRIAL STRIKE by POTAG is RESOLVED .

Registrar

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SOURCE;ACCRA POLYTECHNIC

10-Year-Old Boy-Genius is One of the Youngest High School Graduates Ever

Like many 10-year-olds, Tanishq Abraham harbors dreams of one day becoming president of the United States (and a scientist and a doctor and curing cancer).

Unlike his peers, however, Abraham just received a personalized letter from the White House congratulating him on a rather singular achievement: he is one of the youngest people in the world to graduate from high school.

Abraham, who was admitted to the high-IQ society Mensa at age four, celebrated the accomplishment bedecked in a cap and gown at a special ceremony last weekend thrown by his parents and attended by roughly 200 friends and family members.

“The way my brain works is that when you give me something, information about that topic comes into my mind," the Sacramento, CA resident told the AP. "I don't know what it is, but that's how it is for me."

Related: How a Teenage Entrepreneur Built a Startup on Bitcoin Riches

In a speech at the ceremony, Abraham said “it’s been a rough and bumpy ride, but I reached my destination early.” He thanked his parents for their unfailing support. “My mom recognized my intellectual talent when I was only a few months old,” he said. “I’m extremely humbled by those who have been inspired by me,”

Abraham concluded, whereupon his 8-year-old sister, Tiara -- who is also a Mensa member -- honored him by singing a medley of Somewhere Over the Rainbow and What a Wonderful World.

Abraham, who was home-schooled, graduated from high school with -- you guessed it -- a 4.0 average, and has been taking classes at a local Sacramento community college since March. He expects to graduate from a four-year university by 12 or 13, according to the TodayShare

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Source:entrepreneur.com

Will the Apple iWatch replace traditional watches?

Wearable revolution in the making

The day Steve Jobs died weighed heavily on Apple fans the world over. The iPod, iPad, iPhone, and iTunes were all revolutionary developments in the tech world that elevated Apple from its moribund ways in the early 90s into the stratosphere of the 21st century.

Since Jobs’s passing, Apple enthusiasts continue to lie in wait wondering what else Apple can introduce that’s going to fundamentally impact human behavior.

Disruptive technology is the bane of any long-standing traditional industry. When something new unexpectedly comes along that excites the user base, it shakes up the status-quo. It’s no surprise, then, that rumors of an “iWatch” have begun to seep out, raising the eyebrows of traditional watchmakers.  Just how disruptive would an iWatch be to the more traditional wristwatch industry, where more than a billion wristwatches are sold every year?

I wear a wristwatch, but my iPhone tells me the time when I want it to. I find myself spending a great deal more time with my iPhone than I ever do with my watch. What could an iWatch provide me with that my iPhone or iPad doesn’t already do? Reviewing the history of the digital watch, you come across these fun developments:  Seiko’s first LCD, Casio’s calculator watch, Seiko’s TV watch, Timex’s Data Link 150 — all of these have come and gone, all essentially replaced by greater advancements in digital technology.

Apple’s Chief Executive, Tim Cook, is under pressure to deliver some bold new products by the end of 2014 to beef up Apple’s aging product line. Apple hasn’t delivered on any new product since the iPad’s debut back in 2010. What else could Apple add to the wristwatch (or smartwatch)  that consumers don’t already have?

Wearable sensor technology

Wearable tech might still be a fad these days, but it’s the future for a number of companies looking to create ways for technology to augment our everyday experiences.

Nice article #wearable technology hitting a tipping point. Like ref to most prolific sensor on phones: the camera. http://t.co/F8ATsDydc6
— Corey Wilson-Wirth (@corey_ww) April 22, 2014

Apple’s foray into wearable technology has prompted it to invest in the biotech sector — in particular, sensor technology. With a reported 100 + product designers at work on the iWatch, the features that are currently under consideration include enabling users to make calls, displaying the identity of incoming callers, and checking map coordinates, according to this Bloomberg article.

It could also include integrated sensors for monitoring aspects your health, such as your heartbeat, or biotech features that will help you sleep better. Apple is developing a new health-related app called “Healthbook,” and according to 9to5, it will be part of iOS 8 and will be reliant on the iWatch. One mobile health executive told Reuters that Apple has aspirations beyond wearable devices and is even considering a full health and fitness services platform modeled on its App Store.

Traditional luxury watchmakers respond: is iWatch a threat?

Suffice it to say, with Apple wanting to break into the billion dollar smartwatch marketplace, more traditional players in the watch market have their own opinions on the move. For starters, Swiss watchmaker Swatch has registered its own trademark with the iSwatch and according to Serena Chieseura, Director of Communication for the Swatch Group, the company believes there is a “high risk of confusion between the two products.”

This wouldn’t be the first time that Apple got into hot water over trademark infringement.
Of course we don’t yet officially know if Apple will call their product the iWatch, but it most certainly would face potential legal challenges if it does. Southern California-based fine watch purveyor Westime isn’t intimidated by Apple’s investment. “Westime is expanding and finding that our industry is still in high demand.

The iWatch does bring some concern, but if you put a fine watch next to this new technology, you will see that the consumer buying fine watches is not the same consumer that would purchase an iWatch,” said Greg Simonian, the president of Westime.

It brings up a more important point about those who still value timepieces as the original fine pieces of jewelry that they are. It was Peter Henlein, a clockmaker out of Nuremberg, Germany, in the early 16th century who is attributed as the inventor of the first pocketwatch. Today, traditional wrist-watch aficionados can still find each other on various social media channels like this Pinterest Watches Lover board.

Cristiano Ronaldo wearing #Jacob

Simonian told me that fine watches are purchased for their quality and for their aesthetics as watches, not for their digital functionality. He noted, “smartwatches and fine watches are inherently different, so for our purposes, we will continue to provide high quality service to customers who are looking for fine watches, not new tech.”

Or take it from Philippe Léopold-Metzger, chief executive of jewelry and watchmaker, Piaget, who told the New York Times, “We’re arriving at a stage where people are getting tired of technological machines, because I think they are invasive. If I go out at night or am invited to a dinner, I don’t take my phone with me.”

Wearable competition between two giants

Apple’s splash into wearable technology will also increase competition with that other 800-pound gorilla, Google. Google has made its computing device, Google Glass, available in fits and starts to the public at large while trying to avoid more PR imbroglios involving glassholes. Owners of Glass can snap pics, shoot video, and connect with email, among other tasks, but Apple is no stranger to disrupting already-mature markets.

The iPhone virtually reinvented the smartphone overnight with record sales thanks to Apple’s unique style and design. Tim Cook needs to find a new product to counteract slower sales of the iPhone. Coming up with a new watch that captures the imagination of millions of consumers will test Apple’s design strategists. If the iWatch successfully merges fashion with product design it just might quadruple the size of the watch business.

As far as an iWatch is concerned, I’m in no rush. Right now, I can feel my heart beat, I know what time it is,
and I’m taking a brief respite from opening my email. I could use a break from staring at my computer screen though.

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Source;technorati.com