In an exclusive interview before the launch

In an exclusive interview before the launch, Babin expressed his passion about the brand known for its consistency.

Babin has been at the helm of TAG Heuer since November 2000 and draws his inspiration from the TAG Heuer DNA.
He said as one of the oldest watch making companies from Switzerland, TAG Heuer was mostly family-owned until the 1980s.

“We were the first one in 1916 to get the 1/100th of a second mechanical, which opened the gates to timing the Olympic Games in 1920s.

“Till today we are one of the capable watch making companies who has produced mechanical chronograph, represented in Geneva accurate 1/100th of a second.

“We have established and reinforced unique leadership in mastering the most accurate time covering many different sports thanks to out time keeping instruments,” he said.

Babin said before 1916, sport events were measured 1/5th of a second.
This, according to Babin was not accurate enough to establish a real winner sometimes.

With the precise time-keeping instrument, the company has helped to add integrity to sports and this is a source of pride for the brand.

In the luxury market worldwide, TAG Heuer is the fourth largest brand and in Malaysia it is the second largest. “We have a very strong investment and our boutique is the seventh in Malaysia, making it the second country in terms of boutique behind China and worldwide.

“For us, Malaysia is a primary market and by bringing Shah Rukh Khan, it shows how serious we take the market’s potential,” he said, adding that the boutique helped to reaffirm the brand’s stellar position in the industry.

He added China was a challenge as they only ventured into it two years ago, thus they would have to employ similar strategy like in Malaysia to become one of the leading brands.

“Out target for Malaysia is to become No. 1 and enhance our reputation and the desirability factor.”

Monday workers at the Las Brisas apartment complex

Monday workers at the Las Brisas apartment complex in Round Rock put another coat of paint over the breezeway floor that had been covered in blood Saturday.

Investigators say three teens from Georgetown, 19-year-old Derek Hawkins, 18-year-old Joshua Oldham and 18-year-old Santos Vega, confronted 25-year-old Thomas Carruthers.

"Their intent was to rob him of the drugs he was thought to be carrying," said Eric Poteet, the Round Rock Police Public Information Officer.

Police say the robbery turned into a fatal stabbing.  Arrest affidavits indicate Vega confessed to stabbing Carruthers in the chest.

"Somebody you just met and then all of sudden they are dead," said Connie Thompson, who lives at apartment complex.

Thompson said she, her daughter, and daughter's boyfriend met Carruthers and others just a couple of weeks ago. They all got together to play volleyball.

"I think it was on the news and something just clicked," said Thompson. "I was like, 'What?' It is pretty sad. Even my daughter and her friends are in shock right now."
Thompson and other apartment residents are relieved those responsible for Carruthers' death have been arrested.

"It is an extreme sense of relief that they were caught, and hopefully everything turns out right in the end," said Brianda Hernandez, who just moved to the apartment. "I am extremely relieved."

Round Rock police say they did find what may be drugs on Carruthers, but they're not saying how much or what kind.  Investigators say they'll determine that in the lab. While police still consider this an open investigation as they iron out the final details, they say all the  people responsible for  Carruthers' murder are now in jail.

We woke up Tuesday morning

We woke up Tuesday morning in our borrowed Noe Valley Victorian home with a hankering for a duck sandwich, so we skipped down the steps past the happy workmen who are restoring our in-laws' house and walked a mile down 24th Street to the BART station in the Mission. We walk down hills now and take the MUNI buses uphill. It's no different than skiing.

We were a little disoriented when we got to the train and we ended up going the wrong way, to Glen Park rather than to the Embarcadero. No big deal, we got off at Glen Park, jumped aboard another train and sped down to the Embarcadero for the Tuesday Farmers Market in and around the beautifully renovated Ferry Building.

Three or four years ago, we had a great duck sandwich at the Ferry Building, and we aimed to recreate the experience.
First, we walked from one end of the market to the other, both inside and out. No duck sandwich. Lots of cheese, lots of wine, lots of heirloom tomatoes, lots of $50 ballpoint pens, but no duck sandwich.

"Is there a place here that sells duck sandwiches," we asked a man selling all kinds of honey.
"A duck sandwich?" he said, and then actually waited for us to assure him that, yes, that's what we said: a duck sandwich. "I haven't heard of anyplace like that," he said.

We tried the lady who made a living selling nothing but giant sunflowers. "A few years ago, there was a place where I got a duck sandwich. Do you know if that's still here?" we asked.
What is it with the flabbergasted responses? Yes, a duck sandwich. Bread-duck-bread. A duck sandwich.

"No," said Sunflower. "I don't think so."
Our quest quashed, we decided to just do regular farmers marketing. We hadn't brought anything with us in which to carry our purchases, so we swung by the market's kiosk to buy a Ferry Building bag, a little canvas tote like you'd get at the grocery store, maybe a smidgeon nicer than that. We're thinking $3; $5 tops.

K, that'll be $17,chirped the bag lady. We're the kind of idiot who won't recoil in horror at something like that. It takes us three and a half days to make $17, but we've gotta act like a big shot who goes around making ludicrous purchases for sport.

The old eight glasses of water

The old eight glasses of water a day adage is one of those things that has generally been accepted as fact. I've certainly come across it in numerous publications or on television presented as gospel. Not that anyone who's ever earnestly exhorted their fellow human beings to glug, glug, glug to this extent has ever once quoted a scientific study supporting this quantity as recommended intake...probably because there isn't one. I know no better than you where the eight glasses measurement came from; maybe someone just thought it was a nice even number, who knows? But it's always struck me as excessive. Especially since I grew out of my Dolly magazine phase.

Back in the days when I believed Dolly magazine to be the oracle of all things cool and sophisticated, i.e. the conduit through which I might attain womanly perfection (the 14-year-old version - the one with Johnny Depp escorting me to the movies, he in a waistcoat, white T-shirt and jeans, me in a hot pink tulle bubble skirt) I pretty much believed any old rubbish they printed in it including the classic "your skin and hair will be beautiful if you drink eight glasses of water a day but just in case that doesn't work here's an ad for Clearasil" ruse.

So I gave it a good honest try. Eight glasses of water a day? Not a problem. Easy peasy lemon squeezy. I mean, if it was the best way to great skin and hair and was free then why the hell wouldn't you? You know, just in case J. Depp esquire ever plucked up the courage to ask you out, you'd want to be looking your best, wouldn't you?

I lasted two days. I can't say that it did anything for my complexion but by the end of the weekend my "unzip and sit" action had never been smoother. Even staggering the eight glasses over the day and not drinking any other liquids, it still seemed as if I spent 70 per cent of my time going to or coming back from having a wee. The remaining 30 per cent was spent on the actual weeing.

A Hub for Green Careers

Siliken S. A., a leading Spanish solar module manufacturing company, announced plans to establish a $5 to $7 billionsolar facility in Windsor, Ontario.  This domestic compliant manufacturing plant will be operative by mid-2011 and generate enough clean energy (50 megawatts) to power the equivalent of 19,000 households.

Expected to be among the largest in North America, this venture will create 175 direct jobs, positively impacting Ontario's green career market.  Commenting on the significance of this investment, Brad Duguid, Ontario's Minister of Energy said, "Attracting investment like Siliken's manufacturing plant is precisely what the McGuinty government set out to do through the Green Energy Act and Feed-in-Tariff program."  He adds, "Working together with companies like Siliken, we are promoting renewable energy and made-in-Ontario technology, creating new jobs for Ontarians, and making our air cleaner for our kids and grandkids."

Solar Installations Produce Green Careers

Substantial investments in solar panel installations have made Ontario a hub for clean energy and fertile ground for furthering green careers.  According to Ron Gaudet, CEO of the Windsor Essex Economic Development Corporation (WEEDC), "Siliken's position as a global leader in solar technology is a recognition of our region's goal of becoming the site of choice for renewable energy investments in North America."  Guadet continued, "We are positioned to become the hub for renewable energy technology and manufacturing in North America."

Besides Siliken, more than a dozen green companies have initiated commercial ventures over the last two years.  Polar Racking, OYA Solar, and Harrow's Atlas Tuberecently proposed North America's biggest rooftop solar installation.

Solar Growth Creates Demand for PV (Photovoltaic) Installation Classes

Ontario is clearly in the midst of a solar revolution, but according to a report by Canadian Solar Industries Association (CanSIA), the entire country is experiencing "solar" labour shortages a problem that is only expected to worsen in the coming year.  To counteract this trend, CanSIA, among other measures, suggested a nationwide certification program for PV and solar thermal installers.  Currently, Canada has only one ISPQ-accredited PV training school Ontario Solar Academy, but for the province and country to meet their long-term sustainability goals, they both must redouble their efforts to train a green workforce capable of leading North America into a clean energy future.

Buying in Rural Valencia Spain

When people decide to move to Spain, the things that they are wary of, are, amongst other things, being without the "comforts of home", i.e. mains electricity, water and drainage, and a telephone.  If the estate agent broaches the subject of solar power and/or deposit, or tank, water, some people are disinclined to even consider the possibilities, as solar power is thought of as "something new" and therefore to be avoided.  Deposit water supply is seen as returning to something akin to the Middle Ages.

When we started looking for property in Spain, we contacted Peek at Spain who, after showing us numerous properties within our original criteria, showed us the perfect house.  Our priorities when searching had been the usual, mains electricity, mains water/drainage and telephone.

Our property came with none of the above, but the situation and style more than made up for this.  We were told that solar power was easily obtained, and although enquiries were made, by Peek at Spain SL, on our behalf, to see if mains water could be added, this proved not to be practicable, at least in the immediate future.  With their help, we contacted both a solar system installer, and the man who would be our water supplier, who both proved to be extremely helpful.

Solar Power

When we first told people, both here and back in England, we were having this installed, they thought we were mad!  However, it is not such a new concept, nor as scary as people think.  Solar Power systems have been around for many years, and have continually improved, and provide totally "green" energy.  Within days of purchasing the house, work began to install the solar panels.  This was completed within the week, giving us more than enough power to run all the usual household appliances e.g. TV, fridge/freezer and washing machine (‘A' category recommended) computer, lighting, etc., enough for a 5 bed house.

We also run the swimming pool pump and filtration system several times a day via the solar system.  Although installation costs are initially quite expensive, (for our system about 12,500 Euros) the EU gives grants of anything up to 50% for houses who are not already supplied by the National Grid.  These are applied for, and processed by, the supplier, and are not applicable for a self-installed system.  This year, 2005, the grant amount was around 24%.

We have now been advised that there is a Government Zero interest loan available to get you on the way!

Once installed, the system pays for itself, and there is the added advantage of NO BILLS!  There is also the reassurance that we have constant supply, other than those on the National Grid, whose supply sometimes fails in adverse weather conditions, or when too many appliances are used at once.  On particularly grey days (of which there are very few) we have a generator to boost the battery supply from time to time, thus the only cost is a minimal amount of fuel to power this occasionally.

Since acquiring this system, we have become much more aware of what electricity we are using - turning off unnecessary lights, appliances etc, whenever possible, and using low energy bulbs, although this is not strictly necessary.  Certain things use up a lot of power, e.g. irons and electric kettles.  Although it is possible to run the iron using the solar system, it drains the system quite quickly, so we tend to minimise the amount of ironing we have to do (thankfully!) and also plug the iron straight into the generator, via an installed socket supply direct to the house.

The system consists of solar panels (amount to be assessed by the installer with regard to your particular requirements), a series of large batteries and a power inverter to convert the stored electricity to usable power - in fact, your very own electricity substation.  After all, when you switch a light on, it makes no difference where the power comes from - it works!

The plastic bag ban that takes effect in one year

The plastic bag ban that takes effect in one year also drew some contrasting positions after a questioner asked candidates' opinions on "so-called nanny laws such as the plastic bag ordinance" with their "incremental loss of freedom."
Fleetwood, the driving force behind the adoption of the ordinance, confronted the issue head-on.

"We live in a country of enormous personal freedoms and liberties," Fleetwood said. "We don't, however, have the right to do harm. ... They (plastic bags) kill wildlife. It's a scourge. It's easy to change that with the simplest of changes in behavior."

Farr, his opponent, sent a mixed message.
"I am opposed to things happening that take away my rights," Farr said. "I would much rather educate than legislate." But he added, "I don't think it's a bad law."
Pike endorsed the ban.
"I actually think it's a rational response," Pike said. "We have a huge issue with plastics in our environment."

Moore expressed scorn for the new law.
"I guess the real question is, what law do they pass tomorrow?" he said.
Linville also disapproved.
"This ordinance does not appear to be enforceable," she said, adding that she would prefer an education approach that encourages shoppers and businesses to do the right thing. She also suggested that city officials concentrate on more weighty issues.

Council candidate Lehman said that while there may be far more pressing issues for the city to confront, she supports the new law.
Buchanan, who voted for the measure, said he had initial misgivings that evaporated when some local retailers expressed support for the plastic bag ban.

Bagging dog doo-doo just got tremendously cheaper

Bagging dog doo-doo just got tremendously cheaper in Nanaimo thanks to an opportunity to advertise on disposable dog-waste bags.
The city partnered with a private company in a deal that will nearly triple the number of dog-waste bag dispensers in dog-friendly parks. The agreement will outright eliminate the annual $25,000 bill for buying disposable bags.

Enviro-Smart Biodegradable Products will sell the city 60 new bag dispensers at a cost of about $6,000, but the company will take on the annual costs of supplying the bags. In return, Enviro-Smart can generate money by selling advertising space on the dispensers and bags. Such space could be ideal for dog daycare centres and pet supply stores.

Nanaimo's parks commission had considered raising dog licence fees to help pay for such services, but the public opposed this tactic simply because not everyone uses the service. Coun. Fred Pattje did not agree with selling advertising on doo-doo bags, but eventually he came to agree with his fellow parks commission members.

"We see this arrangement as a win all around as it allows us to redirect some maintenance funds to other worthwhile projects," said Coun. Fred Pattje. "It will increase the level of service for dog owners, help reduce the risk to the public by increasing the availability of options for proper disposal of pet waste, and organizations that purchase sponsorship space get a chance to sponsor an important community service."

The new dispensers hold more bags than the current ones, which will require less maintenance from city staff.
Nanaimo has 35 bag dispensers and purchases about 500,000 bags a year. An increased number of bags will better service approximately 10,000 dogs that live in the city.

I have been on the other end of the loud mouthing

I have been on the other end of the loud mouthing and know how it feels. One such time is listening to the fellow who shoots groundhogs at 1,500 yards and almost never misses. I doubt if he knows 1,500 yards when he sees it.
We were on a groundhog hunt for the Pennsylvania Game Commission some years ago. The commission was checking hogs for deer ticks and wanted samples from various areas. We had to quickly bag them and seal the bag.
It was on this one-day hunt when we bumped into a friend and explained what we were doing. He quickly explained that since it was important to get samples, we should take his brother with us because he never misses.
I raised an eyebrow and said, "He never misses?"
Guess what? We spotted an animal at about 300 yards and guess who missed? Well that was an exception. Next groundhog? He missed again. What part of never did his brother not understand?
Another fellow, teller of tall tales, was in a discussion about turkey hunting. He had listened impatiently while a novice related that he didn't think turkeys were real birds. Those gobbles came from a bug that hid under the forest leaves. Of course, he was speaking out of frustration for he had heard plenty of gobbles but saw nary a bird.
Now the famous teller of tall tales couldn't keep quiet any longer. He told how just a few days ago he had driven his truck up a farmer's lane and parked in a secluded spot. Naturally, he allowed things to quiet down a bit and leaned out the window of his Chevy half-ton and gave a few mouth calls. It only took a minute until three gobblers showed up. They were so excited, he had to close the truck window to keep them from climbing inside.
That man can call turkeys. I busted up laughing, but suddenly realized the man was serious.
I guess I am not the only big-mouth story teller, or, for that matter, the only hunter shooter out there with hoof in mouth disease. That's terminal if your born with your foot in your mouth; it will remain there until you die.

Everyone should make an attempt to modify

Everyone should make an attempt to modify, transform, enrich and reconstruct morals and ethics in the American political sphere. We should respect the unborn and the living.
One should acknowledge God as the creator of all and appeal to him for help in protecting all he graciously has given us. With all these gifts comes the right to use them justly. Hence, all such rights are the gifts of God as affirmed in our Declaration of Independence. These include the right to life and liberty.
We are to rule the world in holiness and righteousness, and pronounce judgment in integrity of heart and soul. Liberty includes the right to use and claim as an individual possession any unclaimed thing received from the hand of God. This right to any possession includes its entire use, that is, its exchange, control, protection and entire disposition. And the first and greatest of these possessions is our life.
Man is the only creature made in God’s image and likeness; all men have an equal duty to love themselves and others to honor that image of the God they are commanded to love. To obliterate that image by unjustly taking a life is the highest crime that one may do to another. To take a life justly is the most somber obligation God ever imposes.
God created man with two great dimensions, individual and social. In so doing, he gave us the right to associate with each other, to take advantage of our rights and to fulfill our duties.
God has imposed on men a duty to associate in governments to put a justified fear into the hearts of evildoers – yes, into the degenerate and reprobate mind. These duties are given for the good of all, but not to deprive any of the rights they are designed to protect. Governments should never commit the crimes they are created to prevent!
The Constitution’s willful distortion has led to the violation of our Tenth Amendment guaranteed right to limited government, which inevitably requires oppressive taxation. Its faithful application will lift that awful burden.

Sky Power Solutions Corp. (SPOW) to Unveil Advanced Solar Power Generation System

Sky Power Solutions, Corp., an emerging leader in the development and marketing of next generation lithium-powered batteries worldwide, and a leading developer of residential concentrated solar collector power systems, today announced it will unveil its standalone residential solar generation system during SOLAR INTERNATIONAL 2011 at the Dallas Convention Center in Dallas, Texas October 17 – 20, 2011.

Solar Power International (SPI) is recognized as North America's largest, most comprehensive solar power trade show and conference. This annual, business-to-business event was the first of its kind in North America and grows bigger and better every year. Approximately 24,000 professionals from 125+ countries attend. This year, more than 1,100 companies from all vertical markets in the solar power spectrum will exhibit in a space of more than 1 million gross square feet.

Sky Power will display a working prototype of the Sky Power Solutions, Residential, Standalone, Solar Concentrating, Electric Power Generation system in Hall "F" of the Dallas Convention Center and will be available for questions during the event.

The Sky Power Solutions residential solar power station will be capable of reducing the average user's monthly electric grid consumption by up to 30-40% with no emissions and a zero carbon footprint. Visually appealing, the Sky Power Solutions system can easily be installed in most backyards taking less than one third of the space of conventional Solar panels. The entry level price point for a Sky Power Solutions-Concentrated Solar electric system is expected to be $5,000 at release.

Electric consumption in the United States is increasing at a rate that will outpace the anticipated expansion of the US Electric Grid's capacity and Sky Power Solutions has identified this and is poised for expansion into the Residential Electric Power Generation market to allow end users to generate and return 30-40% of their electric usage back to the grid using "Net-Metering" and the Sky Power System.

New Southwest Factories to Make Advanced Solar Panels

A large solar panel sits atop a 22-foot tower at the University of California, San Diego, tilted toward the sun on a late spring morning. It appears similar to others in this beach city, but some say it will revolutionize the solar business.


The panel at the school makes two to three times as much electricity as a similar-sized conventional solar, said Soitec, the France-based manufacturer. Lenses on the surface focus sunlight onto solar cells while a tracking system shifts the panel every 10 seconds to always face the sun.

"From the moment the sun comes up over the horizon in the morning, our tracker is focused on it and remains focused on it throughout the day," said Mike Armstrong, Soitec's head of U.S. business development.

"At the end of the day as the sun goes down," Armstrong added, "it will come all the way back to the eastern horizon and wait precisely where the sun will rise the next morning."

Soitec's panel uses a technology known as concentrated photovoltaics, or CPV. The company, which calls its Concentrix CPV panels an important advance in green energy, recently announced it would manufacture the panels in San Diego County and sell them to developers in the southwestern United States.

That comes after fellow CPV maker Amonix Inc. in May opened an $18 million factory in north Las Vegas, built with the help of a $5.9 million investment tax credit from the 2009 stimulus legislation.

The moves could provide an important test of whether CPV represents a real advance, analysts said. The technology has existed for several years but so far has not resulted in a market shift.

"There are a lot of companies that have tried to do it, but no one has really broken through and been able to be a major producer," said Ken Zweibel, director of the GW Solar Institute at George Washington University. It is not yet possible to determine whether the technology is a significant advancement, he said, because "nobody has enough data in the marketplace."

Why Andre Iguodala's Days with Philadelphia 76ers Are Numbered

How long before Philadelphia 76ers fans say bye-bye to Andre Iguodala?  It won't be until the lockout is over—if then—and the shutdown could bubble over into next year.

For now, Iguodala remains a Sixer, but his days could be numbered.  Several factors could determine whether or not a deal goes down involving Philly's most active A.I.

The way Andre probably feels, some (insert Eminem's chorus in the song Forgot About Dre) people in the City of (supposed) Brotherly Love forgot about him.  Those people could be the reason Dre isn't getting any sleep.

Don't sleep on this countdown.  Join me for the entertaining an educational experience of your natural born lives, brothers and sisters.  You know the routine...Roll Dr. Dre/Eminem's audio and the (insert your own expletive since I don't cuss) graphics...

20 things to do on the midcoast this summer

We at the Midcoast Beacon have compiled — admittedly abridged — a list of low-or-no-cost, family-friendly things to do this summer in our area.

1. Boat. In Rockland, Station Maine on Mechanic Street offers free rowing to adults. The next date is 6 a.m. Thursday, July 7. Station Maine can be reached at 691-2037. Belfast’s Come Boating offers free rowing at 6 a.m., 9 a.m., 3:30 p.m. and 6:30 p.m., Tuesdays; 7 and 8 a.m. Saturdays and various other times.

. Visit Camden Hills State Park. For $3 a head, you can hike Mount Megunticook or Mount Battie, or you can drive up Mount Battie. At the top is a castle and amazing views of Camden Harbor. If you hike Megunticook, bring a kite and a lunch. The state park has water, electric and dumping capabilities for RVs.

3. Tour local lighthouses. Rockland Breakwater Light  is open 10 a.m.-5 p.m. weekends through Columbus Day. Owls Head State Park is open throughout the summer and Port Clyde’s Marshall Point Lighthouse gift shop is open 1-5 p.m. Sunday through Friday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturdays through the fall. Marshall Point Lighthouse is an ideal place for a picnic, which brings us to our next point …

4. Take a picnic and head to the seaside for lunch. In Rockland, stop at the Buoy Park, and in Rockport, the Marine Park — both give views of schooners. In Lincolnville, drop your blanket on Lincolnville Beach.

5. Pop in at the Farnsworth. For Rockland residents museum admission is free. Currently, the museum has black and white shots of  places in Maine, beautiful Wyeth paintings and even an Andy Warhol sketch or two. The Farnsworth also has the most comfortable reading chair in the whole world in its library on the main floor.

6. Surf — the Maine way. Thorfinn Expeditions in Rockland gives “paddle boarding” lessons on a pond at the Camden Snow Bowl. As far as we understand, they give you a long, floating board and you stand on top of it and paddle along the pond.

7. Join a roller derby league. A new all-women roller derby league started in Rockland last winter. It needs people to act as referees and volunteers.