text:
The new Majority Conservative government is now bringing in laws to make Canadian laws in like with the U.S.- no need to worry...
Someone forgetting that it was the liberals who brought us up to bring the law into line in the first place? Besides, I'd have thought that you'd have figured something out. That even with enough outcry the government still listens to the people up here. Otherwise C30 wouldn't be open for discussion being modified, we wouldn't have scrapped the long gun registry. And we sure wouldn't be looking at scrapping S.13 from the HRC(the one that prohibits free speech).
Silly title. Of course Canada belongs on a watch list. Any nation that doesn't bow down to the will of Corporate America belongs on the watch lists. If you don't want to be on the watch lists, then get on our knees, and start licking our boots. What's that? You say real men and women don't lick boots? Well - we have a few more watch lists to have you listed to!
That even with enough outcry the government still listens to the people up here. Otherwise C30 wouldn't be open for discussion being modified, we wouldn't have scrapped the long gun registry. And we sure wouldn't be looking at scrapping S.13 from the HRC(the one that prohibits free speech).
I believe you mean 'selectively listens to the people up here'. The LGR is a good example - I was vehemently opposed to that massive money pit but polls put support for it at 2/3rds and greater. Scrapping the S.13 was a private members bill put forth by a Liberal. And let's let the dust settle on C30 before declaring victory - the Cons aren't at all the libertarian leaning party many make them out to be.
It's fine to blame the Liberals (or the most-recent government of a different party) for laws they passed and screwed up and the current government has to fix, but stop blaming the Liberals for legislation that never passed. If the Conservatives thought it was a bad bill, they wouldn't have resurrected it.
And FYI, many Liberal supporters fought against those bills when the Liberals introduced them. Why can't Conservative supporters stop blindly supporting bills and laws just because they're backed by Conservatives? Are they that blind that they MUST unwaveringly follow their leader in all things?
C-30 was backpedaled on not because of massive public outcry, because the Harper Conservatives are used to ignoring that. What they AREN'T used to is a significant number of their base vocally and publicly turning on them. Even Sun News, the far-right news outlet that almost always supports the Conservative agenda, called Toews "an idiot" and said the bill was indefensible ("in its current form").
I'm not actually blaming them. I'm pointing out a fact that the liberals brought forth the original legislation, despite their "anti-american" stance. They happily ride the line of hypocrisy until it bites them in the ass. Oddly enough, anyone can promote a bill outside of the rider. Though here's the odd part, there's nothing to say that backroom deals haven't gone on to support the reintroduction from the conservatives for liberal support either. And that has happened before in politics here too.
i.e. acting more like liberals
What, you mean like balancing the budget? Keeping the GST at the quite sensible level that that outrageous liberal Brian Mulroney set it at? Or retaining the brutal simplicity of Mulroney's tax policies?
The Cretien Liberals and the Mulroney PCs were not that far apart on many policies, and the Liberals gave us balanced budgets for over a decade by maintaining the key reforms that the Mulroney government introduced: income tax reform, free trade, and the GST.
The current lot of fiscally irresponsible Big G
(Posting AC because I'm at work)
The reason Canada is on the piracy watch list is simple - Canadian politicians want us to be there so they can have a reason to craft draconian laws that appease big media's wishes. Really, it's that simple - it's political manoeuvring in an effort to get the public to support legislation that is "clearly needed" because, you know, we're on the US's piracy watch list so things must be bad in Canada! We need to fix it. Now just accept these laws that allow warrantless searches and other things that are obscene so I can get my phat payoff cash from Big Media Corp.
Really, it's that simple. And pathetic.
Really, it's that simple. And pathetic.
Yep. Part of the wikileaks cables specifically confirmed this. People who were working for Harper, but were supposed to be working for Canada, asked the United States to add Canada to that list for just the reason you gave.
This should not be a surprise to anyone in the know. After all, it's coming from the man who wanted to rename the Government of Canada after himself in all official communications [theglobeandmail.com].
"L'état, c'est moi" indeed. Just in a bit of a Quebecois accent.
We need to fix it. Now just accept these laws that allow warrantless searches and other things that are obscene so I can get my phat payoff cash from Big Media Corp.
Well, of course. Anyone who says otherwise is clearly supporting child pornographers.
If the Copyright MAFIAA had their way, the US would be on the piracy watch list for its failure to pass SOPA & PIPA.
That doesn't help - because Canadian copyright law does not match US copyright law, Canadians are violating US copyright law with what they call "public domain," and not changing their laws to match ours makes them evil slimy bastards that owe our publishers lots of money. The only recourse is to have all the countries in the world change their copyright law to match US copyright law, and yeah, that just isn't going to happen, nor should it, because that is stepping on each countries sovereign rights. Incidentally, most countries have pretty much the same copyright law as Canada (life + 50 years is the most common, life + 70 years second most common - here is a picture [wikimedia.org])
That, and Montreal cinemas were the one of the biggest sources for Cam bootlegs of first run movies for a good number of years. Hell, check out the early torrents of current TV shoes these days, many have the CITY TV logo in the corner, indicating a Canadian source.
I agree with you. I wouldn't be surprised if the reason Canada is on the list is not because the copyright laws are inadequate but because the big media industries can't get away with some of the outrageous activities already being performed in the US (and certain other countries) such as suing someone sharing a small number of files for outrageous amounts (e.g. Jammie Thomas). Nor would the infamous "Pay up or else" schemes fly here either. More draconian laws would easily open the doors to all that madnes
just playing the blame Canada game
http://www.parl.gc.ca/HousePublications/Publication.aspx?Docid=5144516&file=4 [parl.gc.ca]
it was Bill C-61 first, then it died and was replaced by Bill C-32 which also died. Now its called Bill C-11. Have fun reading this.
Theres also a website which gives lots of information on that bill : http://www.digital-copyright.ca/billc11/ [digital-copyright.ca]
end of story
the greedy bastards have stolen 600 million off us and then turn round call us pirates?
Why was this modded down? I agree with the parent that all Canadians should pirate rampantly and remorselessly as long as they are paying media levies. Do not buy shit. Pirate it all until the levy is removed.
CANADA is now the biggest OIL supplier to the USA. They shouldn't be so easily pushed around.
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/1048993--leaks-show-u-s-swayed-canada-on-copyright-bill?bn=1 [thestar.com]
A U.S. Embassy cable written in April 2009 describes a meeting between
Zoe Addington, director of policy for then industry minister Clement, and U.S. officials.
In contrast to the messages from other Canadian officials, she said that
if Canada is elevated to the Special 301 Priority Watch List (PWL), it would not hamper
and might even help the (government of Canada's) ability to enact copyright legislation,
the cable says.
Days later, Canada was elevated on the piracy watch list.
NOTE: entire post shamelessly stolen from guidryp [slashdot.org]
I posted this on here several times. Really the only thing to do is to pick up our illegal guns and stand up. Yes guns, no one will stop buying/consuming commercial media to stop the money flow, so what else is left? Burn down radio/tv/music stores?
art and copyright are not worth dying for,
political dissent is, but only as the last resort option; I do not fell that we are there yet...
Pfffbbt! Canada! Of course you don't put imaginary lands on watch lists. Canada is an old fairy tell parents tell when they don't want their children to become improv comics or hockey fans.
Pfffbbt! Canada! Of course you don't put imaginary lands on watch lists. Canada is an old fairy tell parents tell when they don't want their children to become improv comics or hockey fans.
What a terrible thing to say; my girlfriend is from Canada!
But that's unpossib- aaaaah! I see what you did there! (brohoof)
The real issue is that Canada is not doing enough to be included into all lists like that. Canada, as a raw material and energy exporter, needs to allow its currency to be set by the market and it needs to allows all of its copyright and patent laws to be set by the market as well - which means, the legislation around all of these issues need to be repealed. If Canada allows its currency and regulations to go where the market takes them, it will not only be a raw material, energy exporter, but will bring in tons of new investments and businesses into the country.
Hey canada, want to save money operating your government? Switch over to the US dollar as your currency. It worked for the EU and Euro! Look at how happy they are over there!
There are other countries that have switched to the U.S. dollar: stable democracies like... Zimbabwe.
The Canadian dollar is, at the moment I'm writing this, worth more than the US dollar.
We'll keep our different-coloured bills [wikipedia.org] and dollar/two-dollar coins, they are far nicer and more convenient to carry around anyway, and they don't smell like unwashed body
" Canada, as a raw material and energy exporter, needs to allow its currency to be set by the market..."
What the hell are you talking about?!? Canada's currency is a freely floating one and has been for a few decades. It's one of the few countries on the planet that has a completely floating exchange rate. As for natural resources we have a time honored tradition of selling it abroad. The oil sands in Alberta being the latest.
First: I am not talking about exchange rate between two fake currencies, I am talking about allowing the market to decide what real money is and what interest rates are (you know, price on money). Second, I said that Canada would invite huge amounts of investments it if started repealing its regulations and stopped the money printing and setting interest rates.
The Canadian Private Copying Collective already collects a levy tax on media "as a way of paying for fair use".
The things everyone, including politicans, seem to forget...
That levy is for private Music copying only. It does not in any way, shape, or form, legitimize piracy.
Fixed that for you
Legally, it doesn't legitimize piracy. Morally, it does, for most Canadians. You can't attach a private music copying levy to digital cameras and expect people to not feel justified in downloading whatever they want. Otherwise, what are they paying for? Theoretically the fee is for private copying, yes, but most Canadians would not recognize private copying as something that warrants payment, so in their minds, the fee just covers music in general.
Luckily, the attempt to get a music levy on digital cameras
Canada is now on the "United States's Bitch List" as you guys do what we tell you.
Honestly, I cant believe that my country is strong arming everyone on this planet into catering to a few small Organized crime operations.
Honestly, I cant believe that my country is strong arming everyone on this planet into catering to a few small Organized crime operations.
Small?? Man, according to them, they represent almost the entire economy.
Just think of all of those fictional trillions of dollars they're not bringing in in revenue.
Only Canada?
Every country is by default according to the "Cables"
Just get the Banks out of Congress and the Whitehouse and lots of this BS goes away.
Haven't you heard that we harbour (aka: harbor) lots of terrorists too? Code yellow! Blame Canada! Ooooh, that reminds me, I should download that good old South Park movie tonight... um, through iTunes i mean.
We must invade Canada!
We must invade Canada!
Good luck to you with that. We have hockey sticks and we know how to use them.
The last time Americans tried to invade Canada it didn't work out to well for them.
I'm a big fan of Michael Geist, but I think he's missed it here.
He's talking about declining rates of business software piracy and camcording. But both of these areas have avenues of detection and enforcement. Theaters are on the watch for camcorders (and apparently big bags of M&M's hidden in my wife's purse...), and there are many ways businesses are outed for using pirate software (auditors, whistleblowers, etc...) What the US is complaining about are the infringements where enforcement is lax or
Canada's laws allow Canadians to pirate whatever they like at will with no fear of repercussions.
No. Canada has some explicit "fair use" exceptions in our copyright legislation. It's still illegal to distribute widely.
You can't just give away copies of digital things willy nilly, but you can make a rip of a CD your friend loans you. Though, if the current government have their way, breaking any form of 'digital lock' would become a criminal offense, even if it's to exercise your existing rights.
And, since the media companies insisted on it, we pay a levy on blank recordable media. So, to many of us, they've already secured payment from us. So I don't particularly care if I rip a CD -- though, I generally prefer to buy them so I have a physical copy that I rip. They've got their piracy slush fund, so fuck 'em.
He points out that "illegal camcording had largely disappeared from the Canadian market", so I'm not sure why you're claiming it's widespread. He's also talking about how Canada has a thriving digital music market place, which means people are buying music here. Hell, I've bought several hundred CDs over the last bunch of years
And, I wouldn't be so quick to accuse Geist of confusing correlation and causation
Piracy here is definitely a problem as I have many friends constantly encouraging me to get my media it the down and dirty way. I have stubbornly been trying to do it the legit way for a long time now. The latest is in trying to get Dexter season 4 and up. Season 1 to 3 is on Netflix Canada but I will be damned if I can rent seasons 4 and up any where. I solved this by using a VPN proxy to the U.S. and some gift card trickery on Amazon to watch it online. I lied to pay for it instead of pirating it.
There is a crap load of content we can never get because some rights holder here in Canada won't allow it to be shown at all here. That's why we can't get Pandora or Spotify. I've seen Canadian indy musicians have their stuff available on iTunes U.S. long before it's available in the Canadian store.
How long do I put up with this before I become a total pirate? Right now I pay a proxy service to pretend like I am American so I can buy the content. I want to pay and be legit but at some point it's just easier to pirate the stuff.
And here lies one of the TRUE causes of piracy. Lack of availability! How else are we expected to get these things if they aren't even being sold (or are grossly overpriced). Imports are incredibly expensive.
This is where the industry needs to fix their business model instead of clamping down with tougher legislation. In the digital age, we no longer have the need to let some "gatekeepers" dictate what we can or cannot experience. To stay competitive, that level of service needs to be matched. Sadly, it mus
There is a crap load of content we can never get because some rights holder here in Canada won't allow it to be shown at all here.
Is this really so? Because if it is, I'd expect the anti piracy pressure to come from these so-called Canadian rights holders.
The people that are doing all the screaming are the US media distributors. Which is strange, because Netflix got your money for those Dexter streams. You'd think they'd be satisfied. Except that they (or the studio's minions) have set up front corporations to skim a couple of bucks extra from the rest of the world. This may have made sense back when physical distribution to that vas
And that's the kicker that none of the "big media conglomerates" seem to get: it's all about convenience!!
Make it easy for me to give you money for the product I want, in the format I want, at the time I want, on the device I want, and I will give you lots of money!!
Make it a pain, or even impossible, and I'll just download it from a torrent site.
... fuck off? What are we going to do? Go to war? Make an embargo against Canada?
Of course, Canada can be playing the "sure, we'll sort of go along with you" card, while waiting for us to continue fucking up, so it can swoop down and take what it wants.
But me? If i was Canada, i'd say, Fuck You USA. What are you going to do about it?
We can bully on 3rd World Countries, We can bully Middle East Countries. Shit, we got Australia as our testing ground. But if countries like England, or Canada stood up and said, You crazy USA and fuck you, we'll do what we want. And if you don't like it, we'll just sell our energy and natural resources else where.
But Canada is too polite and has no balls, so that will never happen. Really sucks also, because Canada could start changing everything for the better.
Face it. The USA is a bully and we need someone to stand up to us and put is in our place.
Because the social conservatives, conned fiscal conservatives, single issue voters, and gullible people got together and elected a majority Conservative government.
They're not going to tell the to fuck off because they full-heartedly agree with them on this matter.
But Canada is too polite and has no balls, so that will never happen.
Actually we've been doing that for quite a while. We just do it politely, and y'all are too stupid to see how tough we are under the polite veneer (hint: watch a hockey game sometime. That'll tell you what we're like when the gloves come off...)
Software piracy just across the American border is an FBI no-go, so where do you think stolen web property relaunches after leaving the confines of the U.S.?
they relocate in the Kahnawake Mohawk Internet Technologies data-center. Mohawk are subject to theirs own laws as the RCMP, the SQ and the OPP are afraid of them; hell !, even the criminal gangs are threading lightly with them.
As far as I'm aware, there are precedent cases in Canada spanning almost 40 years which provision Canadians with the right to make backups of the media they own, and that such format shifting and backup making has been a Canadian right since the late 1970's to early 1980's. At the time, what was dealt with was making cassettes or 8-tracks of LP records for listening to in cars and elsewhere, and to protect the consumer from loss of the recording should the fragile LP become scratched or otherwise damaged.
Next time you need to buy military aircraft, keep this in mind and look across the Atlantic for some non-US options. Just sayin'.
Our dear leader wont permit it, I deeply apologize.
Houston, Tranquillity Base here. The Eagle has landed. -- Neil Armstrong


text:
Did you read today's front page stories & breaking news?
From the Wires
PerkinElmer Showcases Latest Advancements in Thermal Instrumentation at Materials Research Society Meeting
By: Business Wire
Nov. 26, 2012 08:05 AM
PerkinElmer Inc., a global leader focused on the health and safety of people and the environment, will showcase two new hyphenated thermal analysis solutions at the Materials Research Society Meeting that are designed for the accurate characterization and analysis of inorganic materials, polymers, geological materials and oils. The TL-9000 and Simultaneous Thermal Analyzer (STA) 8000 will be debuted at PerkinElmer booth 1100 from November 25– 30, 2012 in Boston.
The TL-9000 offers an innovative accessory that enables hyphenation which facilitates the collection of evolved gases from a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) or STA and then transfers sequentially to both a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) and Mass Spectrometer (MS) or Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometer (GCMS). (Photo: Business Wire)
The TL-9000 offers an innovative accessory that enables hyphenation which facilitates the collection of evolved gases from a thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) or STA and then transfers sequentially to both a Fourier Transform Infrared Spectrometer (FTIR) and Mass Spectrometer (MS) or Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometer (GCMS). The testing capability of this solution is unique in that it combines the power of thermal analysis with the specificity of separation and the sensitivity of detection available in spectroscopic and chromatographic methods. The capability of hyphenating the TGA or STA to an FTIR, MS, or GCMS, provides scientists the ability to identify and study low levels of materials in highly complex matrices such as oil contamination in soil, and trace impurities in foods and leachable materials from pharmaceutical packaging not previously possible.
Controlled by PerkinElmer's Pyris™ software, the new Simultaneous Thermal Analyzer (STA) 8000 is a compact and rugged instrument that delivers high performance thermal analysis and is used for compositional analysis and kinetic studies. It enables high temperature thermal analysis up to 1600° C, enabling the study of transitions in materials as well as calibration with palladium standards for fuel cell, ceramics, catalysis applications, coal and challenging academic research.
"For more than 50 years, PerkinElmer has been at the forefront of highly precise and exceedingly sensitive thermal analysis," said Dusty Tenney, president, Environmental, PerkinElmer. "Both the STA 8000 and the TL-9000 offer increased specificity for enhanced materials characterization. This specificity is essential for researchers in key application areas to meet regulations across a variety of segments, including environmental, food, consumer product and pharmaceutical testing."
For more information on PerkinElmer's thermal analysis solutions in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), elemental analysis, mechanical analysis or hyphenated systems, visit: www.perkinelmer.com/thermalanalysis.
About PerkinElmer, Inc.
PerkinElmer, Inc. is a global leader focused on improving the health and safety of people and the environment. The company reported revenue of approximately $1.9 billion in 2011, has about 7,000 employees serving customers in more than 150 countries, and is a component of the S&P 500 Index. Additional information is available through 1-877-PKI-NYSE, or at www.perkinelmer.com.
Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/multimedia/home/20121126005366/en/
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subset: commoncrawl


text:
By Brendan Conway
That's according to Goldman Sachs' strategists, who keep a "VIP basket" of hedge funds' most beloved shares.
Surprise! Turns out a bunch are especially sensitive to fears of stingier bond buying at the Federal Reserve. Goldman's note to clients overnight indicates these "very important positions" stocks lagged the S&P 500 by 1.40% from May 21 to the June 24 bottom. It's a somewhat steeper fall than the median 100 basis-point lag they've posted in the last 16 market pullbacks.
We'll get into which shares were hit the hardest in a follow-up blog post. In the meantime, here are the most commonly owned hedgie-beloved stocks tracked by Goldman.
79 major hedge funds own American International Group (AIG), 74 Google (GOOG), 55 Apple (AAPL), 34 Citigroup (C) and 32 General Motors (GM). Apple is the laggard of the group, with a 25% loss for 2013 heading into Monday. Top performers include Delta Airlines (DAL), up 57%, Hertz Global Holdings (HTZ), up 52%, and Assured Guaranty (AGO), up 57%.
As Goldman fills in the color, hedge funds appear especially dependent on stock returns this year — hence the suggestion that 2Q returns were hit harder than usual:
As we highlighted in our May 21 Hedge Fund Trend Monitor, fund net long exposure was at record levels at the start of 2Q while position turnover remained near historical lows, suggesting high portfolio concentration. This combination likely contributed to both the outperformance of the most popular stocks earlier in the year and their stark underperformance as funds tempered positions in the recent pullback. Consistent with the sell-off, both gross and net exposure has declined sharply in recent weeks.


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ASHBURN, Va. — As a wideout, Santana Moss wants Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin III to throw the ball as much as possible, preferably in his direction.
As a football player hoping to advance in the playoffs, Moss wants the Redskins to do what they've done as well as anyone in the NFL this season: run, run, run.
"That's big to me. Everywhere I've played and been successful, we ran the ball to pass the ball," Moss said. "Nowadays, a lot of teams fling the ball everywhere, and you want to be a part of that as a receiver. But when you really want to win games, you have to have both parts of your offense working, the air and the ground. It's great to see we have that here."
They do, indeed, thanks in part to RGIII, who set a rookie quarterback record by running for 815 yards, and to another rookie, Alfred Morris, who finished second in the league with 1,613 yards rushing. Washington averaged an NFL-high 169.3 yards on the ground, and its opponent in the first round of the NFC playoffs Sunday is the Seahawks, who ranked No. 3 at 161.2, led by Marshawn Lynch.
Clearly, as much as the NFL is a passing league, it still helps to be able to run the ball.
"It doesn't have to be great, but you have to have an effective running game to be able to be successful," said two-time Super Bowl champion John Elway, now the Broncos' executive VP of football operations. "The reason I say that is because if you get leads, you've got to be able to eat clock with it and you've got to be able to keep people honest, especially pass-rushing teams."
Elway was the quarterback and Terrell Davis was a 2,000-yard running back when the Broncos won the 1999 Super Bowl, the last time the league's leading rusher earned an NFL championship (their coach then was Mike Shanahan, currently with the Redskins). It's only happened three other times since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970, according to STATS LLC, and always by the same guy: Emmitt Smith, with the Cowboys in 1993, 1994 and 1996.
A season's leader in yards passing, by the way, never has won a Super Bowl in that span, STATS said.
The top three rushers during this regular season are in the playoffs: Adrian Peterson of the Vikings, Morris and Lynch. Other notable running backs in action this weekend include Arian Foster of the Texans and Ray Rice of the Ravens.
The top three quarterbacks in yards passing, meanwhile, are done: Drew Brees of the Saints, Matthew Stafford of the Lions and Tony Romo of the Cowboys. Two of the top three in yards receiving also are done for the season: Calvin Johnson of the Lions and Brandon Marshall of the Bears.
Come playoff time, it turns out, good running performances are a better indicator of success than good passing performances.
In playoff games in the Super Bowl era, teams with a 100-yard rusher are a combined 157-37 (a winning percentage of .809), while teams with a 300-yard passer are 57-66 (only .463), according to STATS.
Admittedly, that presents something of a chicken-and-egg scenario: Did teams get a lead and win because they ran the ball well? Or did they gain a lot of yards running because they already were ahead and were trying to run out the clock?
Either way, the Vikings, Seahawks and Redskins are unabashedly putting emphasis on the ground game. Seattle led the NFL by running on 55 percent of its offense's plays, Washington was next at 52.2, and Minnesota fifth at 48.6.
"I definitely want to keep the running backs highlighted. It's started to turn into more of a spread-, quarterback-friendly NFL," Peterson said, "but just keep letting them know that there are going to be running backs that can do this."
With a struggling second-year quarterback in Christian Ponder and a transcendent running back in Peterson (whose 2,097 yards were the second-most in NFL history), it makes sense for the Vikings to, as their coach Leslie Frazier put it, "make no bones about it" that they're a run-first team.
"We're always confident in our run game. We don't shy away from it, and we know that's the type of team we are," Vikings fullback Jerome Felton said. "I think Coach Frazier built the team like that and we're confident in it. So, yeah, we still think the run is prevalent in this league."
Shanahan and the man he'll try to outcoach Sunday, Seattle's Pete Carroll, both agree with that sentiment.
And both are aware that their bruising running backs provide a big boost to first-year quarterbacks Griffin and Russell Wilson.
"If you have the proper commitment and you build around it, it's maybe the best way you can count on being consistently successful," Carroll said. "And you know that, as you're bringing up a young quarterback, there's nothing better than to run the football as they grow. ... We always want to run the football — for attitude, and just for the style of play."


text:
EXTRA police patrols will be conducted in Bonnyrigg, Edensor Park, Fairfield, Smithfield and Wetherill Park to combat an increasing number of break and enters and property crime.
Fairfield police will target business and industrial areas.
Fairfield local area command crime prevention officer Constable Ece Hasan said most of the property-related crime was occurring during working hours.
"When there is an increase in crime it may result from crooks moving into the area, or it could be totally opportunistic where residents are not complying with crime prevention strategies or they are being careless in locking doors and windows or not enabling the alarm system," she said.
Constable Hasan urges residents to take simple precautions to help reduce property crime.
This includes ensuring doors and windows are locked.
She advises residents to have personal items engraved as it would make them harder to sell.
"Also keep trees and shrubs around your home well trimmed to increase your natural surveillance and don't leave items around your yard that can be used to assist burglars to break in," she said.
"If you see or hear something that does not seem right, contact police."


text:
Regular price: $23.95
Both Darwin and neo-Darwinist theorists like Stephen Jay Gould were wrong to suppose that human nature and the human mind arose out of biological and historical sources alone. Three Prehistoric Inventions That Shaped Us argues that humans are very different from other animals in certain respects and, because of those respects, some of the most important sources of the particular sort of human nature we possess at the present moment, and of the special types of thinking in which we now are able to engage, were cultural ones.
To be more specific, it shows that our present-day human nature was shaped in fundamental ways by at least three intellectual inventions that some of our prehistoric ancestors made - namely, the inventions of religious consciousness, of domestication of animals, and of syntactically organized language.
The author tells a good story and ties together his main themes fairly well. He is a philosopher and approaches the subject from that perspective. It's a fun read and easy to follow, but it's definitely not full of scientific facts. The author preferred Noam Chomskey and Stephen Gould's ideas on the early development of man as opposed to Dawkins and Pinker. I definitely am in the Dawkins/ Pinker camp, but that didn't mar the listening experience and I'm always glad to hear a different perspective, and the author presented each camp fairly.
I'm really glad for the existence of audible. I would have never been able to force myself to read this book, but I had a very pleasant experience while listening to it. Thank you audible for making books like this available to me at such a cheap price of only one credit.
The author reads his own book and as with many non-professional readers he reads too slowly. I suggest you listen to it at 1.25 speed.
5 of 5 people found this review helpful


text:
19 September 2012, Kampala, Uganda - Building capacities for low-carbon and climate-proof development are key objectives of Uganda's National Development Plan 2010-2015. The national education and training system plays a key role in meeting these objectives and delivering learning and skills development in support of a green transformation. In this context, the technical mid-term workshop for the national UN CC:Learn Project in Uganda, 19-20 September 2012, Kampala identified concrete action to strengthen institutional capacities in the country to deliver learning, focusing on the education, agriculture, energy, water, forestry, environment, tourism, works and transport sectors. Under the theme "Designing Results-based Action to Strengthen Human Resource Capacities to Advance Green, Low Emission and Climate Resilient Development", the workshop brought together more than 50 participants from various government sectors, education and training institutions, Members of Parliament, private sector, and civil society. Participants also defined a number of individual learning and skills development activities to support institutional reform and capacity development. UN CC:Learn is a One UN initiative on climate change learning for which UNITAR is providing the Secretariat.
- The development of a skills development strategy for clean technologies;
- A policy on integrating climate change learning into TVET;
- Scaling-up current efforts to integrate climate change in primary and secondary education;
- Training for artisans on producing energy-efficient stoves; and
- Launching of climate change awareness-raising campaign using mobile phones.


text:
- Premier League
Jol: No rift with me and Riise
Fulham manager Martin Jol has flatly denied any rift with defender John Arne Riise in response to suggestions that the pair were involved in a training ground altercation.
Riise has not started in any of the Cottagers' past five games and Jol was willing to admit that excluding the 32-year-old from his recent starting XIs had strained their relationship.
Rumours of a bust-up surfaced as a result, while in the Norwegian press Riise's brother, and former Fulham player, Bjorn Helge Riise, was quoted criticising Jol's management style. But the 57-year-old former Tottenham Hotspur boss rubbished the claims and accused the media of creating them.
"My relationship [with Riise] was fantastic and is probably still OK, it is still good," Jol told Sky Sports. "You know as well as I do that it is the same all the time in England, if a player isn't playing the reason is a bust-up, but I never had a bust-up with any player.
"I wanted to change a couple of things after the Liverpool game [when Fulham lost 4-0] and that is what we did. He will fight for his place like any other player would do if he isn't playing."


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UPPER DARBY — Police issued arrest warrants Saturday for two men who allegedly rented a row home in the township to use for a greenhouse to grow marijuana, officials said.
Justin Fairy, 22, of the 1000 block of East Avenue, Penllyn, and Matthew Kim, 28, of the 1200 block of Windmill Circle, Norristown, are wanted for allegedly growing a quantity of marijuana for almost a year inside a house in the 300 block of Richfield Road.
"We issued warrants for the two guys who rented the house," police Superintendent Michael Chitwood said. "The entire house was a grow house. It was a marijuana plant growing operation. This was a major operation. Every room was filled with marijuana plants or growing items and electrical equipment. Obviously once the marijuana was processed it was taken out for distribution elsewhere."
According to Chitwood, police have been investigating the case since Nov. 10 after officers responded to a report of noises coming from inside the house.
"When officers Stephen Tarozzi and Joseph Mazzone arrived, they thought it was a burglary because the front door was ajar," Chitwood said. "When they went in it looked like somebody had ripped things apart. Then they smelled marijuana and saw the plants and called in the narcotics squad who obtained search warrants."
Officers seized a large trash bag containing suspected dried marijuana, numerous marijuana plants, humidifiers, heat lamps, an air conditioning unit, digital lighting ballasts, electrical timers, electrical cords and large fans.
"They could have blown up the whole neighborhood," Chitwood said. "There was no furniture in the house except for one chair upstairs. The house contained thousands of dollars worth of equipment and thousands of dollars worth of marijuana plants. It's been running since January as strictly a grow house. Every room is filled with plants."
Fairy and Kim are facing charges of violation of the Health and Safety Act for drug possession, drug dealing and possession of drug paraphernalia.
Anyone with information on the two men can call detectives at 610-734-7677.


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AUSTIN, TX (RNN) – The South by Southwest festival will continue with events with some rescheduling after a suspected drunken driver killed two and inured 23 when he drove his car down a one-way street as people spilled out of concert venue just after midnight Thursday.
Austin police have identified the suspect as Rashad Charjuan Owens, 21.
The managing director of the event was visibly shaken at a Thursday morning news conference.
"As much as we would like to go home and spend time absorbing this shock of this horrific event, we feel our best use is to continue to operate today," Roland Swenson told a crowd of media. "Our thoughts and prayers are with the injured and the families of the fatalities."
Among the dead is a man from the Netherlands, Steven Craenmehr, 35, who was on a bicycle. He worked for Massive Music, which has offices in Amsterdam, London and New York. Also dead is a Texas woman who was riding on the back of a moped; the driver of the moped survived and is hospitalized.
Police said the suspect was trying to avoid a DUI checkpoint at about 12:30 a.m. CST on Thursday. He sped away from police and drove past barricades set up for the festival, drove the wrong way down a one-way street and plowed into pedestrians, cyclists and other vehicles before fleeing on foot.
The officer manning the barricades leaped out of the way of the speeding car, according to police. He and the officer from the DUI checkpoint chased the suspect on foot before using a stun gun to subdue him and take him into custody.
The suspect will be charged with two counts of capital murder and 23 counts of aggravated assault with a vehicle. He has been booked by Austin police.
Two victims are in critical condition at University Medical Center Brackenridge with head injuries. Others who were injured are at area hospitals, including three in serious condition and three others with non-life-threatening injuries. Fifteen were treated and released, including the suspect, who is now in police custody.
People were leaving concerts associated with South by Southwest near a bar called The Mohawk. Officials had started to clear the road because it was a fire lane. It was the first night of concerts associated with the annual festival that features music, technology and film.
"I just thank God that a lot of the folks had already been pushed on the sidewalk or this could have been a lot worse," Austin Police Chief Art Acevedo said at a news conference.
Acevedo turned to Swenson during the news conference to encourage him, organizers and attendees that the festival should continue despite what he called a selfish act.
"We urge them to continue with this great venue, we cannot let one individual with this selfish act to care about one person that was himself, to ruin a wonderful event, a worldwide event a celebration of life, a celebration of music if you cancel this event. It would be a victory for evil and not a victory for humanity," said Acevedo.
Officials said that this was the first incident of deaths at SXSW in the 27-year history of the event.
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Full Episode
Even if your garden isn't Downton Abbey, most likely it has roots in English garden design.Find out why with from Dr. William C. Welch. Jennifer and David Stocker built on childhood memories from across the pond when they designed their drought-tough garden on limestone. Find out why plants like peonies can't make the move to the Southwest. Bring the garden indoors in low-care terrariums.
Visit the Website: http://www.klru.org/ctg/
Episode #2010 / Length: 26 minutes


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Monday, April 24, 2006
Is Tony Soprano a Michigan Fan?
On last night's episode of the HBO mobster drama, THE SOPRANOS, when Christopher asked if he could go out of town, Tony said it was a bad time because it was the "Michigan-Notre Dame weekend."
The way things are going, maybe Tony's "help" is what Michigan needs to win this year.
5 comments:
- The King said...
Let's see. A fictitious Catholic mobster mentions the Notre Dame/UM game and we assume the team he's rooting for is Michigan?
Only Michigan fans could be so hopelessly naive.
- April 24, 2006 10:51 AM
I heard that too, and I was gonna email you guys about it. I think what he was talking about was the gambling $$ from that game (bookies). He was telling Christopher that he didnt want him to go out of town and im going to assume so he can run some numbers during the game. yes im a dork and yes i know to much criminal stuff
- April 24, 2006 1:58 PM
"running numbers" is an illegal lottery, it has nothing to do with sports gambling. yes you are a dork, but you don't know "to" much criminal stuff.
- April 24, 2006 10:29 PM
Maybe he was just going to watch his two favorite college football teams. May I amend that to two most enjoyable teams. Ef the nfl. What better way to enjoy a early Sat. afternoon watching UM v. ND. Go Irish. Go Blue.PS I wish you couldd do something on the print for word verificaion. I think my Medds are to powerful. Geez a little here.
- April 25, 2006 3:01 PM
where i come from they call it running #'s
- April 26, 2006 3:01 PM


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When time is really short, convenience products can shorten time spent in the kitchen. In this dessert, instant pudding is mixed with canned pumpkin and a little pumpkin pie spice. Ive found that mixing instant pudding in the blender is much faster than whisking by hand or using a mixer (the finished pudding is much smoother, too); clean-up is really fast if the blender container is immediately filled with a little soapy water before the residual pudding gets a chance to set.
Traditional trifle calls for sponge cake, but purchased powdered sugar coated mini donuts are a lot faster; they are made moist with the addition of liqueur or non-alcoholic flavored coffee syrup. Since I usually use my grandchildren as tasters, I make mine non-alcoholic. Although most grocery stores are now carrying several flavors of coffee syrup, specialty stores and restaurant supplies have a much bigger selection. If youre too busy to shop or cant find apricot coffee syrup in your area, Torani Apricot Syrup can be ordered online through Amazon.
If you dont have time to whip cream, you can purchase real whipped cream in cans; its very convenient since it has quite a long shelf life if kept refrigerated. Please dont ruin this dessert by topping it with frozen whipped topping; I dont consider it fit for human consumption, and if you read the ingredient list, you wont either.
Quick & Easy Pumpkin Trifle
6 Servings
1 3/4 cups milk
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
1 3 oz. package instant vanilla pudding (4 serving size)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
12 powdered sugar mini donuts
3 tablespoons peach schnapps, apricot brandy, or non-alcoholic apricot flavored coffee syrup
3/4 cup apricot jam
1 cup sweetened whipped cream
Pumpkin pie spice
- Pour the milk in a blender container; add the pumpkin, instant vanilla pudding mix, and pumpkin pie spice.
- Process a minute or two, then scrape the sides.
- Process until smooth, then pour the pudding into a bowl; it will set in about 5 minutes.
- Cut the donuts in half horizontally.
- Arrange 8 halves in the bottom of a 1 quart glass serving dish.
- Sprinkle one tablespoon of the peach schnapps over the cut side of the donuts, then drizzle 1/4 cup of the apricot jam over the donuts.
- Pour 1/3 of the pudding mixture over the donuts.
- Repeat the layers twice, ending up with pudding on top.
- Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.
- Serve with the whipped cream sprinkled with a little pumpkin pie spice.
Amount Per Serving
Calories 323 Calories from Fat 88
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 27% Protein 5% Carb. 62%
Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 10 g
Saturated Fat 5 g
Cholesterol 25 mg
Sodium 164 mg
Total Carbohydrate 50 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 8 g
Protein 4 g
Vitamin A 139% Vitamin C 5% Calcium 0% Iron 5%


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This picks up/re ends new moon. Edward and Bella go to meet Jacob and it turns into Bella's worst nightmare.
I realized as i was writing this that you kind of need to forget the whole Charlie-finding-out-about-motorcycles thing. It just didnt fit into the plot of this story. DISCLAMER: This story is an alternate ending/sequel to new moon and twilight, both of which were written by Stephenie Meyer. All characters and such are property of her, not me.
1. Cataclysm
Rating 5/5 Word Count 1154 Review this Chapter
--"'Jacob Black wants to see me. That's why he's still here.'"--
Edward and I walked out to meet Jacob. I was terrified and anxious to see what would happen and why Jacob wanted to talk to Edward. I have had nightmares of this day, and I hoped they wouldn't become a reality. When I saw Jacob, I noticed his disgusted expression when he saw Edward and I approaching, holding hands.
"I see you brought Bella along with you, vampire," Jacob nearly spit. "I wonder what she could possibly have to do with that." His eyes flickered to me, and I caught the angry, pained look in them.
"Jake, don't be like that. You know I want us to be friends, don't you?" I asked.
"Ha, like that could happen with your boyfriend around all the time."
"Bella," Edward whispered, "don't push him."
I looked back at Jacob, my best friend. I couldn't believe he was turning into Sam's Jacob completely. I almost wished right then that he would leave, but what he said next changed my mind.
"Blood-sucker- I'm here for business, not to hear your pitiful, disgusting romantic feelings. The treaty-"
"We know the treaty, dog." Edward glared. "We don't forget things like that."
"Guys, please. Can't you just, I don't know, relax or something? Edward, if Jake is here to talk about the treaty, let him finish what he has to say before you comment on it. And Jake," I said, turning to him, "Don't make this harder for you than it is. Just say what it is you need to say so you can leave."
"You want me to leave?" Jake said his expression pained.
"No, no! Of course not, but you two, I just can't stand being around you at the same time. I wish it weren't so but I don't see what can be done to change that. Neither of you are very good at staying calm around each other."
Right then, Edward grew quite tense, from something he heard I assumed. Assumptions were, apparently, not the best thing anymore.
"Don't you dare try and take her away from me, mutt! If she wanted you she wouldn't be with me now, would she?" Edward's lips were curving over his teeth, reminding me of how James had look right before he attacked me all those months ago.
"Edward, No!!" I screamed, but it was too late. He had already leapt at Jacob with a menacing growl. Jacob began to quiver and shake, then bursting out into his russet shape.
"Stop it! Please, stop! Don't do this!" I sobbed. I sank down onto my knees, as the sounds of Edward's and Jacob's growls began to echo in the forest. I continued sobbing, and was terrified when I saw the rest of the pack at the edge of the woods.
"Edward!!" I cried reminded of the nightmare I had last year, after I learned that Edward was a vampire. The giant wolves were coming closer. Edward looked up. He growled menacingly.
"So this is how you fight, eh? Well it won't work, dog." Edward sneered.
Jacob snarled and his pack-mates howled in response. I knew I had to do something, Jacob and Edward was bad enough, but Jake calling more wolves? That was just unbearable. I stood up, and though it was difficult to navigate the tricky woodland floor, I managed to get around my love and my best friend. I now stood between them and the pack.
"If you want to help him, you have to leave this to him." I declared with a shaking voice, "This is his fight not yours. The treaty was not violated."
The wolves seemed to understand this, and though it was easily visible that they wanted to harm Edward as much as Jake did, they baked off. I turned around to catch Jacob look at them, and I saw that he was worried.
"Edward, STOP!" I yelled. I couldn't stand to hear them anymore. He sensed this, and jumped back. Jacob shook is mane, and growled.
"Jacob, Jake, please. Don't start this again." I pleaded with him. He turned his canine face to me, and I thought I saw something resembling pain in his eyes. He ran off into the woods.
"Edward, oh Edward, I was so frightened!" I sobbed as I ran over to him. He put his arms around me.
"I am so sorry, Bella. I never, ever intended for that to happen. I promise you, it will never happen again," he said, into my hair.
I don't know how long we stood there, me sobbing into his cold chest, him holding me. The next thing I was truly aware of was lying in bed by myself; I didn't know were Edward was.
"Edward?" I whispered, "Edward, are you here?"
It was dark out, and when I looked at my clock, it said it was 12:41. Edward did not answer me, and it worried me that he wasn't here. I picked up the phone that was on my dresser and called his cell phone.
"Hi," I said meekly, "where are you?"
"Oh, um, I'm at home."
"Oh, I thought you'd be here…."
"I'm sorry love, but I didn't know if you still wanted me to come after…after what I did…" he said quietly.
"I'll always want you to come, Edward. I love you. Nothing can change that."
"I love you, too, Bella. I'll be there soon."
The phone clicked, and I put it back on my dresser. I sighed. Anxiety quickly took hold of my mind when I thought about Jacob. Why, why didn't he try to call me, or at the very least leave a note somewhere for me. It was while I was thinking that that Edward gracefully landed at the foot of my bed.
"Hi," he said sadly.
I smiled. It was so good to see him again. I turned over and sat up.
"What, no kiss?" I said in mock disappointment. This seemed to lighten his sad mood. He leaned across my lap and kissed me gently. I put my hand on his face and said, "I'm not mad at you, Edward. You don't need to be sad. I'm just…it's just that, I don't know what's happening anymore. While you were gone, Jake and I, we were so close. I can't believe, I mean, it just hurts so much that he would, that he even could…." I struggled to name exactly what plagued me. My hand fell into my lap as he put his hand on either side of my face.
"Bella, I love you. No matter who you're friends with. I will try, I will, to help fic this mess I've created for you." He leaned in and kissed me again. I laid my head on his chest and he leaned back onto my pillow.
"Try and sleep, love. It will be easier in the morning."


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I've been following the article on Truecrypt in trying to make a portable encrypted USB stick which contains executables for both Windows and Linux. The Windows install seems pretty straight forward and there are plenty of 'how tos' on the web showing screen shots of how this is done. (Wine does not appear to work with truecrypt.exe returning a 'file not found' so I'll need to find a Windows system )
It does not seem quite so easy to repeat the same steps and create a portable Linux version. I've followed the steps in the article and have extracted the tarball in the /tmp and unpacked it. This creates a 'usr' folder and not a 'Linux Truecrypt' folder as described in the article. I've copied /usr to the usb stick but the only executable is /usr/bin/truecrypt-uninstall.sh. Nothing else appears to launch. What am I doing wrong?
How do you create a portable Linux version of truecrypt on a usb stick?


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Catherine (Kate) Burden Maille
Catherine (Kate) Burden Maille, 80, of Erie, died at home on Friday, Oct. 29, 2010.She was born June 26, 1930 in St. Marys, the daughter of the late Alvin and Eleanor Dunn Burden. In 1958, she married David Frank Maille, who preceded her in death in 1975.She graduated from St. Marys Area High School and worked in a music shop for several years before moving to Erie to attend beauty school. and . She completed her beauty school training and was a homemaker until her husband's death. After that, she worked at the Peninsula Drive-In and Plaza and Cinema World Theatres for many years. She also worked as a bus aide for the Milcreek School District, assisting special-needs children for almost a decade. She enjoyed boating and loved Presque Isle, as well as hearing from her kids and grandkids and visiting them often. Until recently, she attended monthly luncheons with her "old ladies" group.She is survived by two sons, Peter Maille and his wife, Robin, of La Grande, OR, and Andrew Maille and his wife, Andrea, of Erie; five grandsons, Nathan, Simon, Aaron, Timothy and Logan; and by several great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by a sister, Margaret Summerville.Funeral services for Catherine (Kate) Burden Maille will be held on Thursday at 11 a.m. at the John J. Quinn Funeral Home in Erie. Burial will be in Calvary Cemetery.Friends are invited to call at the John J. Quinn Funeral Home, 728 West 9th St., Erie, on Wednesday from 2 to 5 and 7 to 9 p.m. Memorials may be made to West Lake Volunteer Fire Department, 3762 West Lake Rd., Erie, PA 16505.


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Gallery: Lea T Looks Amazing In FFW Magazine
Brazilian model Lea T has been making headlines for a few years now, both for her beauty, and for her candid interviews about what it's like to be a transgendered person in a cisgendered* world. That's right, this high cheek boned babe is a transsexual (some people are offended by this term, but it's how she describes herself), and while she admits that modeling for pretty pictures is not the most serious or important thing she could be doing, she believes it's important for trans kids everywhere to see positive images of transgendered grown-ups in the media. I think she's doing a bang up job at this, as evidenced by this photo spread in FFW Magazine. We covered this issue of FFW a while back, but scans of the actual spread just became available online recently, so I'm showing them to you now. Enjoy.
*"Cis," for those not in the know, describes someone who identifies as the gender they were born as. I.e., it's a value-neutral opposite of "trans."
(Via MadeInBrazil and Styleite)


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Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Wander Bird
18 comments:
Love ur blog...ReplyDelete
hugs from melbourne
What a beautiful shoot, she's such a gorgeous girl. :) Thanks for the post.ReplyDelete
Lovely photos!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousSeptember 29, 2009 at 9:49 PM
J'aime le manteau.ReplyDelete
i need her hair! haha.ReplyDelete
She reminds me of Lily Cole somehow... I didn't Lula was still in print?! Thanks for sharing!ReplyDelete
very lovely indeed!ReplyDelete
I love her hair! And I absolutely the knee high boots! With fall here those are definitely on my must buy list. You have a great blog!ReplyDelete
-Lara from ClosetCat
Those Pics are amazing-love that styleReplyDelete
Oh my! Love her hair & your blog is nice :)ReplyDelete
~ Karo
How very classic, lovely.ReplyDelete
those coat are simply lovelyReplyDelete
check out mine
OMG SO PRETTYReplyDelete
This is my new favorite editorial
She is such a beautiful girl!!ReplyDelete
I'm in love with your blog!! (:
She has indeed a strong ressemblance to Lily Cole.ReplyDelete
She's an spectacular newcomer! Steven Meisel loves her.
A star is born.
Lula, I love you! Such a gorgeous shoot. xReplyDelete
Love the photos.ReplyDelete


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HBO's critically acclaimed gangster drama "Boardwalk Empire" will return for its fifth and final season this fall.
Show creator Terence Winter issued a statement: "We're thrilled to get the go-ahead for a fifth season of 'Boardwalk Empire.' After much discussion with my creative team and HBO, we've decided to wrap up the series after such a great run and look forward to bringing it to a powerful and exciting conclusion."
The series is set in the 1920s during Prohibition and chronicles the life of Enoch "Nucky" Thompson, the undisputed leader of Atlantic City, N.J.
Steve Buscemi stars as Nucky. Executive producers include Martin Scorsese and Mark Wahlberg.
TCA: Lifetime announces sequel to 'Flowers in the Attic'
TCA: IFC's 'The Spoils of Babylon' is a miniseries with maxi humor
Lineup of the 31st annual PaleyFest for TV fans is announced
PHOTOS: TV shows and their spinoffs
Overrated/Underrated 2014
PHOTOS: 101 best-written TV shows of all time


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Couldn't agree with you more. In addition to this, Google's recent move mandating [engadget.com] the 'Holo' theme on all Android Market accessing devices shipping Android 4.x, is another step in the right direction.
Google's executive chairman knows exactly what's going on, and will agree that some level of standardization would be beneficial to the Android ecosystem.
When every Android device is now going to look alike, wouldn't the general customer base be a little more likely to buy an Android device from the company that *makes* Android?
Holo has to be installed. It doesn't have to be the default.
When every Android device is now going to look alike, wouldn't the general customer base be a little more likely to buy an Android device from the company that *makes* Android?
Holo has to be installed. It doesn't have to be the default.
The developer can choose to use Holo regardless of the skin the OEM has used.
and included apps
Which take up space on the internal storage, which nag the user to buy them, and which end users end up not being able to remove without rooting and thus losing access to movie rentals.
"Included apps" could very well be zero. The marketing material could say, "Hey, look, guys, we don't bundle any crap!"
Having a unified GUI theme isn't what people are talking about when they refer to fragmentation. There is no contradiction here.
At least you're not bonch. Yeessh.
Fragmentation refers to modifications of product lines such that they are no longer compatible, interoperable, or familiar. You are merely referring to thematic differentiation across the product line. Android remains compatible from a developer standpoint, interoperable as they all run the same fundamental OS, and as such they are also familiar to most users of an Android product.
People often use words that cross gray areas to draw emphasis to their point but in this case they are wrong. Android lacks complete UI consistency across all of its products, but that's called differentiation. All of the fundamental elements of the Android experience are still consistent.
For the consumer, "fragmentation" and "differentiation" are mapped
as "confusion" and "getting that I want", respectively.
If a consumer knows why they're choosing something -- because they understand the pros and cons of all the competitors, then that's differentiation. I think this is reflected in your comment, where you know app compatibility doesn't depend on screen size or skin, for instance.
But if the particular consumer shopping that day doesn't understand all the differences, then "Android" as a brand
It's good to see Google admit that large amount of Android apps aren't really standardly designed and suffer from huge fragmentation issues, both with hardware and design. It's just weird to see Google CEO saying there isn't such issue [slashdot.org] while at the same time the company is launching design guide to help fix some of the issues.
Nice to see you read the actual article. What Schmidt actually said
Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt on Tuesday took issue with the idea that the Android mobile operating system is fragmented, arguing that there is instead a "differentiation" between devices.
"Differentiation is positive, fragmentation is negative,"
Now a lot of idiots beleive that fragmentation is the differences between UI's. This is false as UI's make no difference to the way applications behave.
The Differentiation that Schmidt talked about is things like differing screen sizes which are actually things that phone buyers want, yet make things slightly more difficult for developers. Google have recognised this for years, the benefits of choice to the consumer are greater then the pitfalls to developers.
I think this is also part of a longer plan for Android's issues. I think Google is finally starting to see that the supposed freedom they gave to manufacturers and telcos backfired and resulted in fragmented hardware and non-standard design within apps and phones. I believe they will soon announce some similar guidelines and policy changes to try to get Android more together.
There is no "supposed" freedom. There is freedom and it was given to all, not just manufacturers and telcos.
This freedom has resulted in a thriving phone market and development community and it's not going anywhere. Guidelines are not edicts set in stone, nor will the inclusion of the "Holo" theme change custom launchers.
Especially now that WP7 market share is starting to climb as a result of Nokia's new phones.
OK, what are you smoking and why aren't you sharing.
Despite a marketing blitz that rivals Apple's, WP7 is going nowhere. In fact MS's share keeps dropping as the laggards on WinMo realise that WP7 isn't going to work and switch to Android.
Now a lot of idiots beleive that fragmentation is the differences between UI's. This is false as UI's make no difference to the way applications behave.
So why the Android Design or Style Guide thing if it has nothing to do with how the apps behave?
Agreed wholeheartedly -- I'm thrilled that Android is available for everything from my printer tablet (by HP) to in-car stereo systems (so pretty) to tiny Samsung and LG inexpensive smart phones to the 4.7" monstrosities that many of us carry around.
I'm glad Android supports multiple resolutions and that if applicable and if a developer so chooses, their app is runnable on all of the above devices. How is this a bad thing except for lazy devs?
the issue is: there are 99% of phones with 2.3. you CAN'T EVEN USE THOSE GUIDELINES.
they are doing what google does. break backward compatibility, so they can scare everyone that wanted to take their platform serious. so the complaining stops.
they did that with opensocial. worked wonders. no one complains about the problems anymore, as they managed to break backward compatibility so many times, not even flies are around it anymore.
Did you even read the guidelines? I did. They apply equally to new and old devices. They even make mention of new and old versions of the API.
there are 99% of phones with 2.3
Actually, as of December, 55% of Androids ran 2.3. 0.6% ran ICS, and around 0.6% or so ran Honeycomb (i.e., tablets). The rest were older Androids, most of which are probably 2.2, but of the remainder 2.1 or prior. (These were Google's numbers).
2.3 phones are a majority of devices, and with over 200M Androids out there (Google's numbers), that's around 110M Gingerbreads. Just under 90M devices though were 2.2 or older.
Though, I have to admit that it really sucks because I STI
Android seems like it followed the
* Side
Look SharkLaser/Bonch. I've been a reader/poster here for about 10 years. Over the years there have been a quite a few posters like you who just can't stop preaching your message. You think you have some sort of insight which in your oppinion just have to be correct, in your case you have this idea that monoculture is gods gift for operating systems/hardware and every stumble that comes with a more open aproach unclimbable, we got it. But most of us don't agree, monoculture have flaws too you know, where the most apparent is that one size does not fit all.
I for example fly RC helicopters and I configure them over bluetooth, but I can't use an i* device because Apples BT stack don't implement SPP (Serial port profile). There is nothing stoping Apple from implementing it, but they wan't do it for some reason I can't believe is technical. I use a netbook for this, but I will get an Android tablet in the future.
At the moment you are making
For the record I'm an owner of both iPhone and iPad.
So you don't merely disagree for reasons that are very valid for you, you want the poster of a contrary opinion to shut up, because you don't like people posting such opinions. And you are modded +5 Insightful. Way to go Slashdot.
We all know there is no such thing as Slashdot groupthink, but It's funny to see how long can the crowd here avoid bringing up the first Windows Phone handsets that are truly, no holds barred competitive with top of the line smartphones for other platforms. It's like a million Andr
There is a difference between posting something, and posting something again and again, and then some more. The former paves way to dialogue, the latter is just a bit more polite than outright spamming.
Can you point out instances of repeated postings by the user in question? I can't find anything in his history beyond what a somewhat opinionated poster would say apropos the topic... and face the Android fanboi army labeling him a Microsoft shill for, um, objecting to somebody else labeled a Microsoft shill by the same army.
Oh well, now the Transitive Microsoft Shill Label is coming my way in 3...2...1...
You may want to check out bonch and Overly Critical Guy.
You'll see several interesting issues.
Really? The history of bonch looks completely normal. BTW, I got mode points and bumped up one of his comments that was downmodded for being insightful the wrong way by the Android Defense Army, just like one of my comments in this thread.
Okay, I see, you wage a holy war against infidels who doubt that Android is The Only True Mobile OS. It's us or them. Don't let Slashdot fall for deceitful plurality of opinion and keep some touch with the real world.
Which WP7 phone?
The *two* I've had (Samsung Omnia 7 and the LG Optimus 7 both have regular SIM (okay, they *are* launch phones) True they have no SD card, and don't mount on your desktop as per your favourite android. The minimum spec for WP7 devices are mid-range with relation to android, there is no upper limit on specs.
Anyhow, your post seems to be full of bullshit. Try comparing the Nokia WP7 phones against, I dunno - a Samsung Galaxy S2?
(Disclaimer: I'm an owner of a handful of Android, WP7 and iPhones
If you cared to google you'd easily have found out what the minimum specs are:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Phone#System_requirements [wikipedia.org]
As for WHY a company chooses the exact specs is down to Marketing/Product management, I couldn't possibly say why they picked a particular specification... cost perhaps?
Oh and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Windows_Phone_devices [wikipedia.org]
I nearly missed this post, sorry.
No standard USB connection, no uSD card; uSIM instead of regular SIM; everything seems to have been done to make life difficult. One has to use a iTunes clone to transfer videos and music into it, that or a dropbox clone that doesn't work with linux.
This is bad, I agree (except that I have no hard feelings about microSIM).
The interface wastes nearly one third of the screen with a blank column, no idea why. The rectangular widgets can be moved around, but that is about it. The toilet paper roll approach of putting everything should have been killed in teletype days,
I guess it's not supposed to grow too big; if it does, you are probably not a target Windows Phone user. Get an Android to fit your need for overpopulated app grids
You can't change the background, only the lockscreen background.
I couldn't care less.
There is no way to bind the search key to anything else, it is locked to bing. If you want to search in the market, you have to install an app to do the search.
Bad form, yes. BTW, is Bing really too bad as a search engine? Does Android support Bing as a search engine choice?
There is no alternative browser, only IE. No ad blocking or anything.
I never had the need to extend the browser on my phone. I guess I don't use it to browse sites that show obnoxious ads.
There is a limited list of apps in the market, and most are for pay only.
The reported 500
I guess it's not supposed to grow too big; if it does, you are probably not a target Windows Phone user. Get an Android to fit your need for overpopulated app grids
I find it amusing hearing this from an iPhone fan when Android gives you far greater ability to customize your home screen(s), and only displays icons for applications if you *want* it to. My girlfriend has an iPhone and I don't see how she can stand having to thumb through page after page of applications every time she wants to do something. I guess we all just learn to work around the stupid interface choices of our devices.
The interface wastes nearly one third of the screen with a blank column, no idea why. The rectangular widgets can be moved around, but that is about it. The toilet paper roll approach of putting everything should have been killed in teletype days,
I guess it's not supposed to grow too big; if it does, you are probably not a target Windows Phone user. Get an Android to fit your need for overpopulated app grids
Overpopulated or sparse, at least with android that is your choice. With WP7 you get this "pinned" apps screen, and a even worst scrollable list with all apps. Doesn't have the flexibility of widgets, no way to organize stuff in folders, nothing. Absolutely awful if you have more than a few apps.
Bad form, yes. BTW, is Bing really too bad as a search engine? Does Android support Bing as a search engine choice?
For me, Bing is almost useless as a search engine. Returns less relevant results than google, and has a tendency to prefer MSFT related/sponsored links without identifying them as such. Even when searching on micros
Overpopulated or sparse, at least with android that is your choice. With WP7 you get this "pinned" apps screen, and a even worst scrollable list with all apps. Doesn't have the flexibility of widgets,
Well, those tiles are widgets, they show dynamic stuff.
no way to organize stuff in folders, nothing. Absolutely awful if you have more than a few apps.
As a former Symbian user, I hate app folders. I would just prefer to have less shit on my phone. I hear Microsoft requires from hardware vendors and ISPs to make their Windows Phone shovelware uninstallable, and I think this is a very good idea.
Almost every ad is obnoxious on a metered connection. I can tell you I see a huge difference when I use the Lumia's browser instead of the N1 browser. Pages take a lot longer to load, content is almost lost in the middle of ads, etc.
I dunno. The sites I use show one or two ads if any at all, and I think it's a small price for supporting them, as my broadband rate is not that expensive. I take care to use mobile-optimized versions of websites
I think you infer more than I would from that document. There are some programs with issues, and many without. Having an official style guide is obviously better than not having one, but it will not change the behaviour of publishers that insist on straying from convention.
As for hardware or API fragmentation, this document does nothing to address that that hasn't already been stated in the SDK guide. Developing apps with multiple types of devices in mind has always been an Android reality, has always be
Perhaps you miss this? [cnet.com]
Or the "Display Density: Compact" option under the gear in the upper right to reduce the white-space right on the page...
If you think white space is useless, you don't know much about style yourself. Any designer knows that whitespace is just as important as the items that are in it.
Maybe they are also laying the groundwork for large font themes, which may resolve another litany of complaints [google.com].
Of course there's such a thing as too much white space, just as there can be too much of anything. But your implication that it's a current trend makes me suspect what you think is excessive white space isn't necessarily so. Not enough white space is a far more serious and common problem in apps than too much. Although that situation is getting better as more apps are designed by designers now rather than programmers.
1 Keep it brief. Be concise, simple and precise. Start with a 30 character limit (including spaces), and don't use more unless absolutely necessary.
2 Keep it simple. Pretend you're speaking to someone who's smart and competent, but doesn't know technical jargon and may not speak English very well. Use short words, active verbs, and common nouns.
3 Be friendly. Use contractions. Talk directly to the reader using second person ("you"). If your text doesn't read the way you'd say it in casual conversation, it's probably not the way you should write it. Don't be abrupt or annoying and make the user feel safe, happy and energized.
4 Put the most important thing first. The first two words (around 11 characters, including spaces) should include at least a taste of the most important information in the string. If they don't, start over.
5 Describe only what's necessary, and no more. Don't try to explain subtle differences. They will be lost on most users.
6 Avoid repetition. If a significant term gets repeated within a screen or block of text, find a way to use it just once.
Note how points 1/2, 5/6 seem to violate point number 6? The whole site is filled with that tripe. There are some parts of the document that are better, like this page on gesture standardization [android.com].
Actually there's lots of good stuff on the page, but finding it between their preaching is painful.
The point is that 1,2,5, and 6 are similar enough to be combined into one bullet point, which means that the style guide doesn't follow it's own recommendation in 6: "Avoid repetition."
Which would be a good point if the style guide were an android app, but it isn't.
Also, there's a significant difference between each of the four points, even if they have a common theme. 1 deals with overall length. 2 deals with simple language. 5 deals with simple content (note the distinction between 4 and 5). 6 deals wi
Um, how is that preaching? The whole point of a style guide is to explain your goals, mission even, of how an app on the platform should be designed. Feel free to look up the Apple style guide, or the Gnome one.
So your commander says "your mission is to take this fort, its held by the enemy and we need to show the locals that we're on their side."
Preaching or mission statement?
Your boss says "this music player has too many seams, we want no visible seams on our devices, our goal is to be smooth and look stylish."
Preaching or mission statement?
There's some blur between the concepts, but to refer to every attempt to explain a point of view as preaching is simply to be obtuse and difficult and attempt to sway opinion
But to call it preaching is to add a lot of negative spin that isn't necessary and shows bias.
Wow, work on your reading comprehension a little more, and you'll be able to get to this point without all the other pointless stuff you said. Adding a negative spin was entirely the point. There's a lot of useless preaching in that document that isn't helpful for someone who just want to know what the Android standards are.
Work on your own; adding negative spin to something just for the sake of doing so isn't a valid arguing point. If you want to claim something's bad, do so with actual rationale. Spinning something just to make it sound bad puts you at the level of a politician and much below that of whomever wrote the style guide you're trying to criticize.
adding negative spin to something just for the sake of doing so isn't a valid arguing point.
No, it's called rhetoric; or alternately, making the emotion of your writing match the meaning.
If you want to claim something's bad, do so with actual rationale.
Wow, if I had not actually put any rationale in my original post, you might have a point. I did, therefore you are wrong.
I appreciate you trying to improve my writing style though, thanks.
Anyone know what that tablet is behind the Nexus S and the Galaxy Nexus? It looks pretty big, and nicely proportioned, like the iPad. I have a Samsung Tab at work and I don't like the long, narrow aspect ratio; I suppose it's OK for watching movies but not so great for reading/browsing, at least in my experience.
Anyway, I'm glad they've put out this style guide. The developer docs do have some style stuff but it's good to get it all together in one place, and up to date. Hopefully the tablet and handhe
Anyone know what that tablet is behind the Nexus S and the Galaxy Nexus?
It's the Motorola Xoom.
It's just a render, and possibly a mishmash between Galaxy Tab 10.1 and Xoom
It looks pretty big, and nicely proportioned, like the iPad. I have a Samsung Tab at work and I don't like the long, narrow aspect ratio; I suppose it's OK for watching movies but not so great for reading/browsing, at least in my experience.
You must not like desktop and laptop monitors either. They all are 16:9 or 16:10 these days, just like Android tablets.
1 developer, 1 way of doing things.
2 developers, 2 days of doing things.
Too familiar with this these days as I code replacements for crappy apps. What I'd really like to know is if people actually think about their interfaces, rather than patching them together as they go along.
Many developers are simply incompetent at UI design, just as many of them are incompetent at threaded asynchronous programming.
With simplified SDKs, these developers still churn out code and put it on the market for others to suffer with. That's not a reflection on the platform, just on the programmer or group involved.
I spend 90% of my Android programming time working on internal applications for database clients and it requires that we take real effort to keep our UIs both usable and responsive in most u
"Enchant me":
Massively expanded colors and included lots of unicode font WingDings formatting. Especially unicode 0x2767, ROTATED FLORAL HEART BULLET, at the beginning and end of every line
"Simplify my life":
I have renamed 'ls' to the much easier-to-type 'l', saving hundreds of millions of keystrokes per year.
"Make me amazing":
'ls' (or, now, 'l') comes with a built-in movie, Inception, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Just type 'l ception' and it starts playing!
Thrill me [youtube.com]
I don't know about ls, but bash comes with Inception built-in! Just use the command:
(Disclaimer: watch at your own risk.)
That the style guide website itself has horribly aliased fonts (in Chrome) and poor menu design doesn't fill me with confidence.
I'm using Chrome, and the fonts are antialiased as any other font is.
Fix your computer; fonts look fine here in Chrome on Linux.
Google is obviously trying to communicate to app developers how they wish the Android platform to be. That is as much understanding the marketing of the platform as it is the actual look and feel. Google is providing a little pep talk to the troops, as though Android developers were part of Google itself, sharing in its vision for the Android platform.
Its useful, both from a "now you see what we're trying to do" and a "and this is how to do it" perspective.
The document should have been on the street before it was released.
Google like Microsoft has no style or taste. They are a bunch of really smart programmers but damn few of them know diddly shit about U/I interfaces much less standards.
Android will never have the polish that iOS has and that may be a hard fact for the Android loyalists, but it is a fact never the less.
Every piece of Apple software has a beautifully designed U/I and that is because Steve Jobs had taste and style and that will carry on because he trained his designers to look at history to look at beautiful manuscripts and books.
Android will never have the polish that iOS has and that may be a hard fact for the Android loyalists, but it is a fact never the less.
As an Android user who wouldn't even consider buying what Apple has out there, it doesn't bother me in the least.
As someone who wants there to continue being competition in these markets, it would be better otherwise, but they seem to be doing okay as it is.
I think it's rather a stretch to say 'never,' though. If I had that sort of ability to predict the future I'd be a rich man. It's certainly true that it's not going to happen the way they're going.
...speaking as someone who has formally studied design, it's not even close to sufficient to just train designers "to look at history to look at beautiful manuscripts and books" [argh, the run-ons...]. You need to understand design theory, your target audience, and have a bit of a magic touch (one that I personally, sadly, seem to lack) for figuring out where things go. Just looking at a few pictures isn't going to help. They provide inspiration and you can draw commonalities from them, but really you have to practice design and learn from your mistakes if you want to be any good at it -- like just about anything else.
As for iOS vs Android, I agree that iOS has more polish but I think you're mistaken about it carrying on. I suspect now that Steve Jobs is not micromanaging every design decision, we'll see slippage in Apple's design output. The key difference between Apple and Android is that Apple had every design aspect of its products micromanaged by ONE MAN for years. If you have everything designed by one talented designer or a team of designers who have worked together for years, you get something much more consistent and beautiful than when the result is a "good enough" effort by the designer or design team of the year. I think it's a natural consequence of the fact that a group of people can't really "share" any design goal since they all have slightly different mental images of what the end result should be (unless they have worked together for years and have learned to understand what the effect of each member of their team is on the final result). So unless Apple has some new superstar designer who can crack the whip of conformity and beat down dissenters across its product line going forward, I expect to see it slipping in the future.
So unless Apple has some new superstar designer who can crack the whip of conformity and beat down dissenters across its product line going forward...
Oh I am sure that someone will be cracking the whip. I would bet my fucking house that Steve left someone that he AND the new CEO trusted in charge of this. Apple does not do things by committee as many other places do and do so to their determent.
iOS is nice, but it's getting rather dated. The use of fake leather trim, paper and linen textures make it look rather silly today. Of course, those big jelly bean buttons aren't helping it either.
I appreciate that the Google pages are a draft and work in progress, but they're a far cry from the level of detail provided by IBM's CUA (which got right down to function key actions), Microsoft's Windows Style Guide (which tells you how you should USE the widgets built into the system, not how to MANUALLY HIGHLIGHT touchpads like Google's guide does), or Apple's obviously detailed specifications.
On the other hand, IBM spent a LONG time writing and editing the CUA style guide before it was published, and Microsoft and Apple also have had a few iterations and updates under their belt.
So, great idea, keep at it, but it's not there yet.
Yes, I read Google's whole site on the topic, not just a couple pages. It's not very detailed or long yet, but it will be -- eventually. I'm sure of that.
I do like that they've opted to do it right in the open rather than behind closed doors, so it's easy for developers to keep an eye on. Hopefully they provide a comment process/form for the community to provide feedback. After all, feedback is the whole goal of open design and planning documentation.
http://developer.android.com/design/index.html [android.com]
Nothing irks me as much as the summary linking to an article about the website in question!
Feel free but do us all a favour and include your rationale.
I've been using ICS for a few weeks now and quite like it, even though apps designed around the newer SDK version have their menus moved on me.
When ever any of their websites tells me that there soon will be a new design, i shiver with fear.
Without exception every time google makes a new design it becomes WORSE - harder to read, more sluggish (sluggish by design, so we can force you to use our browser perhaps?), made by some damn kids with perfect vision and 80 inch screens - and screw the rest of us.
I would be afraid to even look at that damn "styleguide" website.
I think their newspeak for fragmentation is "diversification". Android is "diversified".
You are in a maze of little twisting passages, all different.


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Reviews for Toms River: A Story of Science and Salvation
by Dan Fagin
Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.
What was in the water in Toms River? A seemingly high number of childhood cancer cases in the New Jersey town prompted the question, but there turned out to be no easy answer. As Rebecca Skloot's The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (2010) investigated the tragic impact that unethical scientific pursuits had on a family, Toms River unravels the careless environmental practices that damaged a community. The book goes beyond the Toms River phenomenon itself to examine the many factors that came together in that one spot, from the birth of the synthetic chemical industry to the evolution of epidemiology to the physicians who invented occupational medicine. Former Newsday environmental journalist Fagin's work may not be quite as riveting in its particulars as Skloot's book, but it features jaw-dropping accounts of senseless waste-disposal practices set against the inspiring saga of the families who stood up to the enormous Toms River chemical plant. The fate of the town, we learn, revolves around the science that cost its residents so much.--Thoreson, Bridget Copyright 2010 Booklist
Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Toms River, NJ, is a small town near the Jersey shore that grew up around chemical industries and the wartime technology boom of World War II. Fagan (journalism, New York Univ.) explores the history of Toms River, and the effects on the town of its proximity to the local chemical plant. While he details the history of the town from its founding in the 1800s to now, his account is often muddled by tangential histories, such as a detailed description of the discovery of the vat dyeing process. In particular, Fagin focuses on the extremely high occurrence of childhood cancer in Toms River, which has been linked to the area's air and water pollution. While each piece of the history may be interesting and informative, as a whole, the book does not flow. VERDICT Readers may be bogged down by the minutia of this book, but its detailed text will appeal to in-depth researchers, especially those with a personal connection to the region or familiar with the chemistry detailed herein.-Dawn Lowe-Wincentsen, Oregon Inst. of Technology, Portland (c) Copyright 2013. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Most people know Toms River, N.J., as one of the areas devastated by Superstorm Sandy. But Fagin, an associate professor of journalism and the director of the Science, Health and Environmental Reporting Program at New York University, reveals an earlier, less conspicuous disaster in the region. In a well-documented expose of toxic industrial plants, corporate greed, and government neglect, Fagin (Toxic Deception, coauthor) plays detective to reveal the excessive human cost of chemical manufacturing hubs in the Jersey pinelands. Fagin focuses his research on cancer hot spots and how they affect the development of local children, but he also delves deeper into the region's tragic history by tracing the arrival of chemical plants in the early 1950s and chronicling the massive contamination of waterways, soil, and air that followed shortly thereafter. Determined to reclaim their health and lives, the residents waged a long legal campaign, which resulted in a pioneering government study, the revelation of an extensive cancer zone, and a settlement of over $35 million. A crisp, hard-nosed probe into corporate arrogance and the power of public resistance makes this environmental caper essential reading. Map. Agent: Jane Dystel, Dystel & Goderich Literary Management. (Mar.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.


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Students take on US Presidential candidates to win a seat at Obama's inauguration
19 November 2012
US President Barack Obama wasn't the only winner at the US presidential election: three University of Sydney students will fly to Washington DC in January to see Obama's 2013 inauguration, thanks to a competition run by the US Studies Centre.
In the 'Create Your Own Campaign Ad' competition, third year Arts students Elgar Welch and Daniel Best produced a clever anti-Romney spot to book their tickets to America's capital. Watch the video above.
Elgar, who is a Government and International Relations major, says his degree sparked his interest in US politics and both he and Daniel were excited at the chance to see the President in the flesh.
"We're psyched about the opportunity," Elgar said. "Daniel has never been to the US and we're both very keen to see Obama."
Welch says they came up with the idea after watching some other campaign ads on YouTube and following the increasingly negative trajectory of both the Democrats and Republicans.
"We chose to go negative as it was both the most fun and engaging way for us, but also because negative ads work best," he said.
"Some of the things said in American ads, you couldn't get away with that here. We used that freedom to make something that was a bit more risqué than an Australian ad."
The ad, which took them about three hours to shoot and a day to edit, was filmed on a smartphone and made use of the wealth of campaign material available on YouTube to skewer Republican Mitt Romney with his own words.
"We tried to make the point that he would be a wrecker in office rather than a creator," said Elgar. "We wanted to point out his contradictions and his attacks on the middle class."
One of the judges of the competition, US Studies Centre elections analyst Luke Freedman, says the ad was a great example of negative campaigning.
"Not only was the ad well produced and engaging, but it effectively used the hallmarks of the genre to produce a highly credible attack ad," he said. "We had lots of great entrants but this one really stood out."
Also announced this week was the winner of the Centre's 'Pick the President' competition, with University of Sydney student David Bloomfield correctly guessing Obama's final electoral college vote of 332 and getting within 314,000 of the total popular vote count to win.
All three students will be at Obama's inauguration on 21 January 2013 as the re-elected President takes the Oval Office for four more years.
To find out more about the competitions and get the latest post-election analysis, visit the Centre's Election Watch 12 page.
|Follow University of Sydney Media on Twitter
Media enquiries: Max Halden, US Studies Centre, 9036 9137, email@example.com


text:
(Donations are tax deductible). See Chip In Donation Link http://forgottenpawsanimalrescue.chi...e094d5ebf9e475 for further information.
Mastiff Burt is in Menifee (near San Diego). We really want to help this poor dog! His left side of face is blown up, down his neck and shoulder where his skin burst early Sunday morning pouring out pus, blood and and clots. Once I arrived we shaved him to see what was happening, and the photos I took are on the ChipIn page. My stomach turned.
The hole in the skin that opened up is where whatever is going on is draining.
All donations are Tax Deductible with Forgotten Paws Animal Rescue as they are assisting in collecting the donations in order to get Burt to a physician to assist. So far $25.00 has been raised. If we can at least just get $200.00 today to get him seen to start.
Further Information is in the donation link. Please if you can help us help Burt, we really appreciate it.
Chip In Donation Link http://forgottenpawsanimalrescue.chi...e094d5ebf9e475
Forgotten Paws Animal Rescue 501 C 3
P.O. Box 1471, San Marcos California 92079


text:
Theresa May will order a crackdown on the "abuse" of human rights laws that is stopping foreign criminals being deported, it was reported on Sunday.
The Home Secretary will put in place tougher immigration rules by the summer, according to The Sunday Telegraph.
She has pledged to stop all but the most "exceptional cases" succeeding on appeal after becoming convinced that tougher controls were needed to prevent criminals using the "right to a family life" - under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights - to stay in Britain.
"It's been causing a lot of concern, not just to the government but also to an awful lot of members of the public," she told the newspaper.
"By the summer we will have in place new immigration rules which I believe will end that abuse."
The most high-profile case involves the firebrand Jordanian muslim cleric Abu Qatada, who is currently on strict bail conditions following his release earlier this year.
But those bail conditions expire in less than two months, and Labour claim that the system of TPIMs - which the government has introduced to replace control orders - could lead to Qatada being free to walk the streets of London during the Olympics.
The government is currently in negotiations with Jordan to secure Qatada's deportation, but Labour believe these attempts will come too late to prevent Qatada's terms of release being relaxed.
Mrs May will direct judges rather than introducing fresh legislation but concedes the move may be challenged, it was reported.
She said: "If it doesn't, if it's tested in the courts and we find there's a problem, we'll obviously look at other measures but I'm confident in what we're proposing to do."
Mrs May has come in for criticism over the last week following moves to legislate for real-time surveillance of all email, text, website and phone call traffic.
Civil liberties groups condemned the move as a "snoopers charter" and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg indicated he would curb the plans.
Mrs May said: "I would hope that we will be able to do this in a Bill. I would expect us to be able to so this in a Bill in the next session. but in a way that enables people to have a sight of the clauses."


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Otero County Economic Development Coordinator Danelle Berg Monday asked the Otero County Commissioners for a letter of support requesting an El Pomar Grant for 90 percent of the county's fee for the "See the Change" Project.
Otero County Economic Development Coordinator Danelle Berg Monday asked the Otero County Commissioners for a letter of support requesting an El Pomar Grant for 90 percent of the county's fee for the "See the Change" Project. The fee is $50,000, but with a 90 percent grant, the county's share would be $5,000, of which $2,500 has already been secured by grants from Oliver Manufacturing and others.
See the Change USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit which supplies a complete age-appropriate physics program to students in middle school - lesson plans, quizzes, supplemental materials and all, along with teacher development. By 2018, the U.S. Department of Labor says there will be 1.2 million job openings in science, technology, engineering and math related fields. At present, the U.S. students scored below 26 countries in mathematics and below 21 countries in science. Change USA hopes to bridge the gap with an early-age program in grades six, seven and eight. La Junta, Rocky Ford and Cheraw superintendents have already seen the presentation, and Fowler and Manzanola will see it next week.
The Commissioners approved the Letter of Support for the El Pomar Grant. They also submitted a request to become a formal cooperating agent in the planning process for the revision of the Resource Management Plan for the Royal Gorge Field Office. They look forward to considering the Memorandum of Understanding with the BLM that will set forth the roles and responsibilities of working with the BLM in planning and production of an Environmental Impact Statement for the RMP. Their principal aim is to stay informed, said Commissioner Kevin Karney.
J.R. Thompson, reporting at the meeting, reminded everyone, especially Commissioner Keith Goodwin, who is the current seed-spitting champion, of the Watermelon Pile at the Arkansas Valley Fairgrounds on Saturday. The Pile is at 11 a.m. Seed-spitting contest is at 10:30 a.m. In case you are new in town, Rocky Ford treats everyone to a free watermelon, one to a customer. General admission to the fair is free.