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The 13 Top Stories for the Past Week | News
Let's take a look back at the most viewed and most talked about stories for the week of November 11-18, 2012.
Damon Jolly Pleads Guilty, Sentenced to Life
Damon Jolly apologized to the family of Bibb County deputy Joseph Whitehead in court last Wednesday, minutes after pleading guilty to killing Whitehead during a 2006 drug raid. In a plea agreement, Jolly was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 14 years. Jolly gets credit for the six years he's been in jail since his arrest after the murder.
Homeless family from NJ stuck in Macon, finally returns home
13WMAZ's Austin Lewis followed the story of a New Jersey family that was found squatting in an abandoned house in Macon. Andrew Wingfield said his family became homeless after he was laid off from work. Getting back home proved hard to do. He didn't want his wife and kids to be without a roof over their heads.
They got help from a minister, Joel Chambliss, who smoothed things out with the property owner. After the story broke, central Georgians showed their generosity, providing supplies and even shelter. Then, last Thursday, the Wingfields were able to head back north where Andrew has a job waiting.
Georgia, one of the first states to petition for secession
A few stories last week centered around petitions made with the White House to have certain states secede from the Union. A lot of people in central Georgia sounded off on the topic too. Of course, the effort is more symbolic than anything as the petitions start no legal process and secession itself would likely cripple any state that chose to depart.
Twinkies in Turmoil: Could the iconic brand relocate to Georgia?
People all over the country awoke to the news Friday that the Hostess Company wanted to shutter its bakeries and sell off its beloved brands, like Twinkies, Ho-Hos, Ding Dongs and Wonderbread. Among others, a Thomasville, Ga.-based company is considering a bid for Twinkies. Weighed down by debt and embroiled by labor strife, Hostess decided Chapter 11 bankruptcy wouldn't work.
Neva Fickling, Georgia's only Miss America, dies in Macon
Maconite Neva Fickling was crowned Miss America in 1953 and was the only Miss Georgia to advance and win the Miss America title.
Her friend Edward Eikner says she never lost "that Miss America charm." Fickling lost her battle with cancer Sunday morning. Her memorial service is scheduled for Tuesday at 2 p.m. at Mulberry Street Methodist Church.
Carmen Collins, accused of killing her sister, pleads not guilty
The 17-year-old Kathleen resident who faces charges of arson and murder of her 12-year-old sister India pleaded not guilty last Wednesday. Carmen Collins's defense attorney said he thinks there is evidence of others' involvement.
Collins stood next to her attorney and pleaded not guilty to those charges. In court, Collins' family stood behind her saying "We love you Kaneisha" and "it'll be okay," as she was escorted outside of the courtroom.
Gov. Deal says no to Obamacare's Insurance Exchange
The state's Republican governor wrote a letter to the feds last Friday saying the Democratic president was taking a one-size fits all approach and the unknown cost to the state would be too big a risk to Georgia taxpayers. The exchanges are state- or federally-run clearinghouses that allow people to choose a health plan and compare benefits and costs of each plan.
Sycamore, Ga. Police Chief Airlifted to Macon After Wreck
Justin Rutherford, police chief for Sycamore, was traveling northbound on I-75 when he lost control of his police car about a half-mile from the Turner County line. He hit a culvert and his car flipped several times. Rutherford was ejected from the vehicle. He was not believed to have been wearing his seat belt at the time. He was taken to the Medical Center of Central Georgia where he's still recovering.
Walmart Workers Plan Black Friday Walkout
As first reported on CNN's Money blog, a group of Walmart workers plan to walkout on the busiest retail shopping day of the year: Black Friday. The big box giant says the complaints of these workers don't reflect the feelings of the vast majority of their force. Shoppers around the country--especially on the 13WMAZ Facebook page--expressed concern about Black Friday. Some were even upset that, with unemployment so high, anyone with a job would complain.
Motorcyclist dies in Houston County accident
Delmar Michael Singleton of Macon was killed when his 2012 Triumph Motorcycle was struck by a van driven by 80-year-old James Leroy Edwards, who failed to stop for the light at the intersection of Davis Drive and Highway 247. Singleton was thrown from the bike and severely injured. He was transferred to the Houston Medical Center where he later died.
A Florida man upsets neighbors with upside-down flag protest
After learning that President Barack Obama was re-elected to a second term, Navy veteran Philip Hoelzel raised his flag upside down for the first time at this home. It just so happened that Veterans Day was five days into what he planned to be a four-year-long protest. That's also when his neighbors began to take notice.
Newly transplanted Maconite has first book published
Tennessee native Lauren Morrill just moved to Macon, from Boston, a few months ago. Now, she's celebrating the publication of her debut novel, "Meant to Be." Here, at the Golden Bough, she speaks with 13WMAZ.com's Jacqueline Harnevious.
Honey Boo Boo gets a pet chicken... and names it Nugget
The pride of McIntyre, Ga., Honey Boo Boo Child said goodbye to her pet pig Glitzy, who was shipped off by Mama June. So in comes her new pet, a chicken, which she promptly named "Nugget." Almost as predictable, PETA then wrote Mama and Sugarbear asking them to make Honey Boo Boo a vegan.


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A third-party Pidgin plugin for Microsoft LCS/OCS
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SIPE Project
This project develops third-party plugins for the Pidgin / Adium / Miranda / Telepathy multi-protocol instant messaging clients/frameworks. It implements the extended version of SIP/SIMPLE used by various products:
With this plugin you should be able to replace your Microsoft Office Communicator client with Pidgin / Adium / Miranda / Telepathy.
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It is not recommended to compile the source code yourself. Experience has shown that it is difficult to get all prerequisites correctly in place, especially for new Linux users. Instead you should use the ready-to-use installation packages which most OS distributions offer under the name pidgin-sipe. See also the links at the bottom of this page.
The Pidgin project does not support third-party plugins! If you have problems with this plugin then please check out the wiki or the support forums. Bugs should be reported here.
You can help to translate SIPE to your native language at Transifex. The service offers a convenient web editor and automatic submission to the repository.
Ready-to-use SIPE installation packages for various distributions
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subset: commoncrawl


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The Autauga Academy Generals have received a lot of attention lately and it's not just because they're seen success on the football field but also because they've got a new, unconventional face on the team this year.
17-year-old Kayla Gandy is Autauga Academy's first ever female football player. And she's pretty good. In her short, high school football career, she's made nine extra points and has missed just three. She's the talk of the town but she tells us it all started as a joke.
"I was actually joking around with Coach Sims and I had a football in my hand and I said, so are you going to let me play football? And he said you can kick if you want to and I said really?"
So Head Football Coach Mike Sims had Kayla attempt a few field goals and she made all of them. Sims tells us it was perfect timing, because the team needed a kicker but says Kayla wasn't just given the position because she was a girl, she had to earn it.
"People know that if we put product on the field, then it's because they've earned the right because it's based off merit."
Kayla has 13 years of soccer experience, playing center mid-fielder for Autauga Academy and helping the team reach semi-finals last year. But she says none of that helped prepare her emotionally for football.
"It's nerve wrecking because soccer is not a big deal around here so it's like there's 50 people in the stands," she says. "Football, you have like 500 people out there watching."
And out there watching at every game, is Kayla's dad, Dale Gandy. He says he never thought twice about supporting his daughter's football career.
"All you ever want for your kids, probably any parent, is for your kids to get opportunities," he says. "So it's a blessing I guess that Coach Sims and Autauga Academy have given her this opportunity."
So, what's it like being the only girl on the gridiron Friday Nights? Kayla says her teammates make her feel right at home and tells us she sees them as brothers. Running back Eric Graham echoes her in saying that she really is just like one of the guys.
"She's a human being just like the rest of us. She can just kick better than us."


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Scientists at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, are still excited about the missions of the twin rovers on Mars, despite glitches with one of them, Spirit.
Experts are now trying to determine whether the rover Opportunity spotted evidence of a mineral that typically forms in water, perhaps providing a clue as to whether the Martian surface was once a wetter place.
NASA is also planning to roll Opportunity onto the surface of the red planet as soon as early Saturday, less than a week after it landed.
Meanwhile, the computer repairs to Spirit continue. Experts think some of the balky responses from Spirit may be related to using up too much computer memory prior to landing. Despite the glitches, NASA doesn't think it'll detract from the useful lifetime of the rover.


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Biggest Needs: RB, OG, OT
The Houston Texans were a popular selection of many pundits to
ascend to the top of the AFC South division in 2009. But a slow
start to begin the season put them behind the eight ball early
and left them scrambling during the second half of the season.
Houston's passing game has matured into one of the league's
best, but fortifying the offensive line would make improving the
entire offense as a whole a much easier task. Even though the
Texans signed veteran offensive lineman Wade Smith for depth,
there remains a need up front.
Steve Slaton was one of the biggest sleepers heading into 2009
after a stellar rookie campaign in 2008. But a serious case of
fumble-itis during the season, coupled with neck surgery in the
off-season has placed a huge question mark over his long-term
prognosis as the starting RB in Houston. Other ball carriers on
the roster don't scare anyone; so securing a solid RB at
some point in the draft would be a good move.
Potential Free Agent Targets: If
the Texans were willing to gamble on a few available free agents,
they'd certainly have their pick of the litter. Free agent
O-linemen Shawn Andrews and Flozell Adams are available and could
possibly add stopgap production to a unit that could use a bit
of depth. The Texans would benefit from a between-the-tackles
RB—someone reminiscent of a Larry Johnson-type. But since
LJ signed with the Washington Redskins, there aren't many
other options left, unless you consider the flirting-with-retirement
Jamal Lewis.
Draft Picks: 1.20, 2.19: It is
said that the 2010 NFL draft is fairly deep with offensive line
talent. If that is indeed the case, the Texans should find gems
in tackles Charles Brown from USC or Anthony Davis of Rutgers
available when they select in the first round. Or, if they decide
to improve their running attack, they could elect to draft Fresno
State's Ryan Mathews. At 6-0 and 218 lbs, he has the measurables
to add an element to Houston's running game that they've
been lacking for some time.
Biggest Needs: CB, FS, DT
Dunta Robinson's departure leaves a huge void in the Texans'
secondary. Even when he was on the roster, the secondary proved
to be one of the weakest links on the team. So certainly, selecting
a defensive back in the first round, I believe, takes precedence
over other team needs. USC safety Taylor Mays has put up tremendous
numbers during his off-season workouts. He's a hard hitter,
but his coverage skills have been questioned a bit. Nevertheless,
Mays could improve Houston's secondary tremendously if he's
selected. Depth on the interior defensive line is a need as well.
Potential Free Agent Targets: Houston has a lot of good, young
talent on defense, but they're light on veteran leadership
on that side of the ball. While D-backs Dre' Bly and Anthony
Henry won't remind many of Deion Sanders in his prime, both
could had depth to a secondary desperate for it. Chances are it
won't happen, but an infusion of talent and experience is
much needed.
Draft Picks: 1.20, 2.19: As mentioned
above, Taylor Mays should be in the cross-hairs of Texans'
front office personnel. He's everything the Texans are NOT
in the secondary. While Houston's front seven is as talented
as any in the league, putting the pieces together in the team's
last line of defense could finally propel the Texans to their
first playoff appearance in franchise history.
Biggest Needs: OT, OG, RB
The Colts have few needs on offense. Offensive line depth was
solidified when they picked up Andy Alleman and Adam Terry this
off-season, but those moves shouldn't preclude Indy from
picking up an O-lineman or two in the draft. And believe it or
not, a back-up QB should be on the agenda as well. Sure, Peyton
Manning hasn't missed a game during his career, but Jim
Sorgi's ouster means there's no one on the roster
that's intimately familiar with the intricacies of the Colts'
offense. Plus, long-time offensive coordinator Tom Moore rode
off into the retirement sunset after last season; how much that
affects the team's offense remains to be seen. Manning,
though, is the unquestioned OC on the field, so it'll probably
be a moot point. Don't count out the Colts drafting a RB,
since Joseph Addai becomes a free agent after next season. That
could be an interesting situation to follow.
Potential Free Agent Targets: There are a number of available
free agent offensive linemen but none that really fit the type
of player the Colts usually seek. Players such as Damion McIntosh,
Seth McKinney, Montrae Holland, and others have experience but
either are beyond their productive years or simply don't
fit the kind of scheme Indy runs.
Draft Picks: 1.31, 2.31: Indy would
do backwards flips if C/G Maurkice Pouncey were available at the
tail end of round one. His ability to play both guard and tackle
makes him an intriguing prospect and paves the way for him to
eventually replace the aging-but-still-productive center Jeff
Saturday. Tackle/guard Vladimir Ducasse is another two-position
player on the offensive line that could be had in round two.
Biggest Needs: CB, DE, FS
DE Raheem Brock and CB Marlin Jackson were both shown the door
this off-season and their replacements must come in the draft.
Robert Mathis and Dwight Freeney remain one of the best DE duos
in the league, but a defense can never have enough horses up front.
Plus, we remember how much the Colts struggled in the Super Bowl
when Freeney was far from 100 percent. And honestly, Jackson's
departure could be considered addition by subtraction. He never
quite lived up to the hype that accompanied his draft position.
As dynamic a safety as Bob Sanders is, the fact remains he simply
can't stay healthy, and the Colts can't continue to
rely on him. Getting his replacement as soon as possible should
be a high priority for Indy.
Potential Free Agent Targets: Don't hold your breath waiting
for the Colts to pick up a free agent defensive player at this
stage of the off-season. I think they're content with holding
off until the draft and attempt to improve their defensive holes
there. However, Alex Brown's recent release from Chicago
should have perked up a few ears in Indy's war room. Brown's
release had more to do with Julius Peppers' arrival than
it did Brown's production. Keep an eye on Brown this off-season.
He will get picked up soon; whether it's the Colts is a
Draft Picks: 1.31, 2.31: CB Devon
McCourty would be a nice pick-up at the end of round one, and
so would DE Everson Griffen from USC. DE Jermaine Cunningham could
be a target late in round two.
Biggest Needs: WR, OL, QB
Let's face it, the Jacksonville Jaguars' offense is
short of talent but long on questions marks. There are a few bright
spots, but all and all, there are glaring holes on that side of
the ball. It was quickly and painfully obvious that WR Torry Holt
was a complete shell of himself, and if not for the out-of-nowhere
emergence of Mike Sims-Walker, the Jags' passing game would
have been beyond anemic. They need speed and youth in the receiver
position. QB David Garrard is an average QB and quite frankly
is better suited to being a high-quality back-up.
Potential Free Agent Targets: The free agent pickings are slim
and not much is out there for what the Jags need. I think this
team plans to rebuild through the draft. And after pursuing and
ultimately signing DE Aaron Kampman to a big-money deal, perhaps
the coffers are exhausted of funds—especially when you consider
the Jags' home games are often about half-full of spectators
at home games. So suffice it to say it may be in the best interest
of Jacksonville on several levels to concentrate on strengthening
the team through the draft.
Draft Picks: 1.10, 3.10: Unfortunately
for Jacksonville, no receiver is worth a top 10 pick this year.
Consequently, they may have to look at another position to strengthen
with the tenth pick, which could be Florida Gator QB Tim Tebow.
I personally don't agree with Tebow going this high, but
mocks have him going anywhere from #10 overall to Jacksonville
to as late as the mid-third round. Translation: no one knows.
WR Andre Roberts of The Citadel may be available in round three.
He has less than ideal size but can still do a few things on the
field that players last year could not do for the Jags.
Biggest Needs: DE, OLB, FS
Jacksonville had a ridiculously-low 14 sacks all of last season,
so getting the athletes up front to put pressure on opposing QBs
should be priority #1. Aaron Kampman was signed to help in that
area, and the Jags are also hoping 2008 first round draft pick
Derrick Harvey starts to show his worth. Even if Kampman maintains
his high level of play and Harvey turns into a pass rushing stud,
the Jags must remain vigilant in improving their pass rush. Consider
the QBs in their division: Manning, Schaub, and an emerging Vince
Young. So putting the heat on the opposition's passer is
critical to the overall success in the AFC South.
Potential Free Agent Targets: I like Alex Brown here. The former
Chicago DE still has a lot of production left to give and this
could be a nice landing spot for him. And who knows? Even a Terrell
Owens could help the passing game in Jacksonville.
Draft Picks: 1.10, 3.10: DE Derrick
Morgan seems to be the logical choice at #10. It's important
that Jacksonville strikes gold with their first round pick, considering
they lack a #2 this year. Round three could see Jacksonville taking
Morgan's Georgia Tech teammate in FS Morgan Burnett.
Biggest Needs: WR, OG, C
Tennessee has been without a legitimate #1 WR since Derrick Mason
skipped town to go to Baltimore. If they want Vince Young to continue
his upward momentum, and if they hope to keep teams from stacking
8 and 9 men in the box in an effort to stuff the run game, they
have to provide a way for Young to have viable options down field.
This is not the draft if you're a team in need of a WR,
though. Offensive line is a need, especially at center where veteran
Kevin Mawae remains unsigned. Even if the 16 year vet does sign
with the team, his playing days are numbered and his replacement
must be identified soon.
Potential Free Agent Targets: I'm reminded how years ago
the Titans drafted WR Kevin Dyson over Randy Moss. What would
have been had Tennessee drafted Moss? Anyway, I digress. Vince
Young had an unexpected resurgence last season, and that has many
Titan fans thinking the QB has finally turned the corner. That
corner won't be completely turned, though, until he gets
help on the outside. How about Terrell Owens? It intrigues me
why he remains unsigned and players like Antonio Bryant and Arnaz
Battle have deals. Sure he's 35. Big deal. A one-year deal
won't upset the apple cart too much.
Draft Picks: 1.16, 3.13, 3.33:
The only WR that would make sense to draft in the first half of
the draft is Dez Bryant. It's a possibility that Seattle
can grab him, but if he's there at #16, the Titans should
look long and hard about drafting him. He lacks the top-end speed
Tennessee has grown accustomed to from its draft selections, but
they need a reliable threat in the worse way. The two third round
selections could be centered on the offensive line, with Jon Asamoah
and John Jerry being viable options at that point. I wouldn't
be all too surprised if the Titans addressed their needs on the
offensive line at #16, however.
Biggest Needs: DE, ILB, CB
The departures of DE Kyle Vanden Bosch and DT Albert Haynesworth
over the last two seasons have left Tennessee thin up front. Getting
reliable replacements for those two should be addressed in this
draft. Keith Bulluck's days as a Titan appear to be over.
His production could possibly be replaced, but his leadership
will be difficult to duplicate.
Potential Free Agent Targets: I will keep suggesting DE Alex
Brown to teams in need of a pass rusher. Exiled from Chicago,
the eight-year pro has been a steady producer. While he's
far from All-Pro status, the ability he brings to a team would
certainly add quality depth. Brown is currently the best available
free agent DE in the league, and teams would be foolish not to
check him out.
Draft Picks: 1.16, 3.13, 3.33:
DE Carlos Dunlap is the consensus pick at #16 in most mock drafts,
but his work ethic and apparent poor decisions off the field may
be too much of a risk for the Titans. The last time they took
a chance on such a player (Packman Jones) it blew up in their
face. Dunlap's approach to preparation may not vibe well
with head coach Jeff Fisher's style. CB Cortland Finnegan
is a Lone Ranger in the secondary. CB and kick returner Akwasi
Owusu-Ansah could be a possibility in the third. His five returns
for TDs in 2009 were solid examples of his playmaking ability.
NFC South
Biggest Needs: WR, TE, OG
Is it time for Atlanta to attempt to upgrade the WR position opposite
Roddy White since it's clear Michael Jenkins isn't
the answer? I think so. But much like the other teams in need
of an upgrade at the WR position, this isn't quite the draft
to shore up that part of your roster. And TE Tony Gonzalez, while
still productive, is on the back-nine of his career for sure.
Maintaining productivity at that position and giving QB Matt Ryan
the reliable outlet receiver that Gonzalez was for the youngster
last year is a much-needed commodity even WHEN Gonzalez hangs
up his cleats.
Potential Free Agent Targets: Don't look for the Falcons
to do much in the way of free agent pick-ups at this time of the
year offensively. WR Terrell Owens, though, will be an interesting
story to watch as the off-season continues on. Who will sign him?
The Falcons could kick the tires on him.
Draft Picks: 1.19, 3.19, 3.34:
TE Jermaine Gresham is coming off a knee injury, but the talented
pass-catching TE would benefit from a year of tutelage from Gonzalez.
Selecting Gresham at 19 over WR Dez Bryant is the prudent thing
to do, because I think Bryant should have 'BUYER BEWARE'
tattooed on his forehead. I don't think Atlanta can afford
to swing and miss at another first round WR. They could wait to
address their WR needs until the third round, where WR/KR Jacoby
Ford should be available.
Biggest Needs: DE, CB, OLB
After three full seasons, 2007 draft pick Jamaal Anderson has
only 2 ½ sacks. That alone is reason enough to move on.
The Falcons added CB Dunta Robinson this off-season, but they
still must upgrade a secondary that will have to contend with
their pass-happy divisional foe New Orleans Saints two times a
Potential Free Agent Targets: It's safe to consider Atlanta
being done with its free agent shopping after they signed Robinson.
Surprise cuts happen often, but if no one of significance is handed
a pink slip, I think the Falcons are set until the draft.
Draft Picks: 1.19, 3.19, 3.34:
As mentioned above, Anderson's 2 ½ sacks during his
three-year career should have Falcon fans anxious to move on.
Armed with those facts, DE Brandon Graham from the University
of Michigan would look good in the black and red of the Falcons.
Many consider him a Lamarr Woodley clone—able to beat the
opposition with either bull rush or speed and agility tactics.
Consider Graham a lock if he's there at 19. Veteran linebacker
is getting up there in age and it's time they look to find
his replacement in the third round. An AJ Edds from Iowa, Dekoda
Watson from FSU or Clemson's Ricky Sapp are all possible
targets in the third round.
Biggest Needs: WR, QB, OG
I think the bottom will fall out of the Panther's 2010 season.
This team is a mess and getting worse. WR has been an issue for
some time, but it's not that they've ignored the position.
Dwayne Jarrett has had trouble beating out 37-year-old Muhsin
Muhammad, and Jarrett's long-term prognosis for NFL stardom
has gone the way of the dinosaur. QB Matt Moore takes over at
QB now that Jake Delhomme is gone. They need to bring in a young
signal-caller and groom him in the event Moore stinks up the joint.
Potential Free Agent Targets: I believe this team will look to
rebuild through the draft. Bringing in aging free agents does
nothing at this point. This team will have to be blown up real
soon if the Panthers have any thoughts of returning to past glory
any time in the next half-decade.
Draft Picks: 2.16, 3.14: The Panthers
are without a first round selection, so their front office brass
must ensure they've done their homework. There are holes
all over this roster, but if they decide to go offense with their
first selection, drafting Mardy Gilyard would be a step in the
right direction. He could be looked at as a poor man's Steve
Smith: a versatile, dual threat player capable of running precise
routes while equally suited to return kicks. Guard John Jerry
from Ole Miss could be looked at in the third round.
Biggest Needs: DE, DT, OLB
Let's see, Carolina has lost Julius Peppers, Na'il
Diggs, Landon Johnson, Ma'ake Kemoeatu and Damione Lewis
this offseason. Yes, I think that classifies as an overhaul by
any definition. Head coach John Fox may not even make it through
next season, so it remains to be seen how much influence he has
in the war room. If his word carries any weight, we should expect
to see a draft defense-heavy—and rightfully so.
Potential Free Agent Targets: It'd be interesting if former
Chicago DE Alex Brown goes to Carolina after Peppers' arrival
in the Windy City expedited Brown's departure. That'd
be the only sensible free agent pick-up I see happening at this
Draft Picks: 2.16, 3.14: DE/DT
Alex Carrington or DE/OLB Koa Misi are solid choices in the second
round. Mike Neal, DT from Purdue, could possibly soften the blow
after the departures of Kemoeatu and Lewis.
Orleans Saints
Biggest Needs: TE, RB, C
The Saints have an embarrassment of riches on offense. There are
no glaring needs on that side of the ball, but maybe depth at
TE and RB are areas they may look to address. Upgrading the offensive
line could also be a target. No offense to Pierre Thomas, but
I still believe New Orleans would be better off getting a better
quality runner. Whether or not they find that in the draft remains
to be seen. Nonetheless, Thomas is a good back, but even though
there's a glutton of talent on the team, no position should
be ignored when it comes to trying to improve the team as a whole.
Potential Free Agent Targets: I think the only free agents New
Orleans is worried about are their own. Thomas has yet to sign
his tender, but many expect him to do so soon. Lance Moore is
another one waiting to sign his tender, along with O-linemen Jamaal
Brown and Jahri Evans. None of these players are expected to move,
but it goes to show that the Saints have their hands full and
probably haven't had much time nor interest in free agents
from other teams.
Draft Picks: 1.32, 2.32: Even though
this isn't a need, how about WR Golden Tate at the end of
the first round? Stranger things have happened, of course. Perhaps
more realistically, though, is offensive linemen Maurkice Pouncey
or RB Ryan Mathews. But honestly, the pick at the bottom of the
first round could be anyone—especially if they go offense.
Biggest Needs: DT, OLB, FS
Good thing the Saints have such a great offense because they may
need to be every bit as explosive as they were in 2009. The defense
may take a step back. They've had so many departures, and
with some of their free agents having not yet signed, the defense
we saw help win a Super Bowl last season could have a different
look in 2010. DE Charles Grant was released, DT Anthony Hargrove
and SS Roman Harper have yet to sign their tenders, and FS Darren
Sharper and DE Paul Spicer have not resigned yet. Weather they
all come back remains to be seen, but we at least know that many—if
not all—of these positions will be addressed in the draft.
Potential Free Agent Targets: As mentioned above, the Saints
are looking more at their own free agents than other teams'
free agents. But perhaps a veteran defender gets released that
raises the curiosity of New Orleans brass. I personally believe
that Sharper and Hargrove resign with the team, but the team may
look at youngsters in the draft to replace the others.
Draft Picks: 1.32, 2.32: DT Brian
Price or DE Everson Griffen are potentials at the end of round
one. OLB Daryl Washington from TCU could seamlessly replace Scott
Shanle at the LB position.
Bay Buccaneers
Biggest Needs: WR, OG, OT
There's virtually no chance the Bucs go offense with the
#3 overall pick in the draft. It's not that they're
loaded on offense. They simply have enough young players at key
positions that really haven't shown if they will be capable
players or busts. But as it stands right now, that #3 pick will
almost assuredly be a defensive player.
Potential Free Agent Targets: The Bucs traded for WR Reggie Brown
this off-season. He didn't do much in Philadelphia with
an All-Pro QB throwing to him, so the chances of him fulfilling
the promise he had when he was drafted with an unproven QB throwing
to him are slim. He's a step down from the departed WR Antonio
Bryant, and in my eyes that's saying a lot.
Draft Picks: 1.03, 2.03, 2.10:
As mentioned above, expect the #3 overall selection to be a defensive
player. But if they surprise the NFL world and go offense, it
could be interior offensive lineman Bryan Bulaga. WR Arrelious
Benn has good size and could be a target at the top of the second
round, and so could WR Demaryius Thomas from Georgia Tech with
the second selection in round two.
Biggest Needs: DT, DE, FS
Tampa Bay has been looking for that 3-technique DT for years.
Former Buc Warren Sapp is the quintessential 3-technique DT, and
many feel both Gerald McCoy and Ndamakung Suh are tailor made
for that style of defense. So if ever need fit availability, the
Bucs are it. Expect one of the top DTs to be selected by the Bucs
Potential Free Agent Targets: The Bucs are in full-fledge rebuild
mode, and signing free agents for their defense at this stage
seems counterproductive. This defense will be rebuilt through
the draft. Period.
Draft Picks: 1.03, 2.03, 2.10:
This will probably be the easiest selection of 'em all come
the draft. Tampa Bay will pick whichever DT remains. If both are
gone, DE Jason Pierre Paul is a likely candidate at #3. Some have
argued that S Eric Berry could go at #3, but that's entirely
too early to pick a safety. CB Devin McCourty may be available
at the top of the second, and so should DT Geno Atkins. Atkins,
by the way, ran a 4.75 40-yard dash at the Combine. That should
be illegal for a 293 lbs. DT to do that.
AFC/NFC West
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Partner of USA TODAY Sports Digital Properties.


text:
Second Student at Minn. School Targeted for Being Gay
A Minnesota high school student has come forward this week, saying he has experienced anti-gay backlash for coming out -- shortly after another student at the same high school received death threats for coming out on Facebook, Minnesota Fox affiliate station KMSP-TV reports.
Noah Ratgen, an eighth grade student at Centennial High School in Centennial, Minn., decided to tell the news station that his house was vandalized soon after Ryan Eichenauer came forward to tell the media that he received two death threats in six weeks after coming out on Facebook.
"It hurt -- just like calling someone fat or ugly," Ratgen told KMSP-TV. "There's no reason to do it at all." He added that he doesn't understand "why there is such a big problem."
Ratgen came out in late fall and, like Eichenauer, used social media to tell his friends and family he is gay. A week later, the student discovered that his family driveway had been vandalized with anti-gay and religious messages.
"On the driveway, written in very large letters: 'God hates fags,'" Brad Ratgen, Noah's father, told the news station. "It was absolutely disgusting. I went and washed it off right away."
Ratgen's family reported the incident to the police, which was filed as a hate crime, to the police but no arrests have been made.
"I'm really hoping it's a few bad apples -- a few bad people who are doing this," Carla Ratgen, Noah's mother, said. "It's kind of sad to do something so mean to our kids."
Centennial Superintendent Brian Dietz said there in an investigation in the death threat letter allegedly written for Eichenauer.
"We take every threat seriously and investigate fully," he said.
Earlier this week it was reported that Eichenauer, a senior, said that he has received two death threats since coming out on Facebook on New Years Day.
"I'm really proud to be out and be myself. I get to do what I want without having to hide anymore," he told KMSP-TV. He added that the letter won't send him back in the closet.
KMSP-TV reports both students' families believe the school officials have acted promptly with the incidents. Eichenauer even wrote on his Facebook that he is thankful for the way the school district officials are handling the situation.
"Centennial High School is a fantastic school, they have done a lot to make sure I, as well as other students, feel safe. I am very glad with how the staff and elders are handling this situation," he wrote. "My only problem is the maturity of other students."


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Determining how much your adolescent should weigh is not a simple matter of looking at an insurance height-weight chart, but includes considering the amount of bone, muscle, and fat in his/her body's composition. The amount of fat is the critical measurement.
A good indicator of how much fat your adolescent carries is the Body Mass Index (BMI). Although it is not a perfect measure, it gives a fairly accurate assessment of how much of your adolescent's body is composed of fat.
The formulas below apply to adults only. For children and adolescents ages 2 to 19 years, an additional step must be performed after the BMI has been determined using one of the formulas below: the BMI-for-age percentile is determined by comparing your adolescent's weight to that of other adolescents of the same age and sex.
BMI can be calculated using pounds and inches.BMI = Weight in Pounds x 703(Height in Inches) x (Height in Inches)For example, a person who weighs 165 pounds and is 5 feet 4 inches tall has a BMI of 28.165 lbs x 703 = 28(64 inches) x (64 inches)
BMI can be calculated using kilograms and meters.BMI = Weight in Kilograms(Height in Meters) x (Height in Meters)For example, a person who weighs 99.79 Kilograms and is 1.905 Meters tall has a BMI of 184.108.40.206 Kg = 27.5(1.905 Meters) x (1.905 Meters)
A BMI between 25 to 29 is considered overweight. Anything over 30 is considered obese.
© 2015 All rights reserved. Privacy Policies


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Wishing you a bright and delightful holiday season. The holidays have arrived is the reason. The time has come to make a choice. With dots full of fun and pictures galore, these cards will surely suite your voice. NOTE: These Large Holiday Cards are Flat Cards that measure 8.9 x 3.9 inches, are printed on luxe, 130lb 100% post consumer recycled paper and come with the included KRAFT colored envelopes also made from 100% post consumer recycled paper. While white envelopes are not available, the Large Holiday Cards do fit standard #10 sized envelopes that are readily available at any stationery or office store.
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University of Missouri
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Kirksville Area Master Gardener Meeting
Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2013, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Adair County Extension Center503 E. Northtown Rd., Kirksville MO map...
Monthly meeting of the Kirksville Area Master Gardeners.
Session topic:
Monthly business meeting of the Kirksville Area Master Gardeners. Officer elections, by-law changes, and discussion about the holiday party are on the agenda for this meeting.
Jennifer Schutter, email@example.com Extension in Adair Countyphone: 660-665-9866
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text:
By Don Davis
The Minnesota House, Senate and governor's office agreed to a tax plan Thursday night, four months after the Legislature started and four days before lawmakers must wrap up work for the year.
The tax plan is a merger of what the Democratic-controlled House and Senate and Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton wanted. It is a refinement of a tax and budget deal announced Sunday.
The tax increase would bring in $2 billion in new revenue to help support a $38 billion, two-year budget.
While legislative tax negotiators still need to fill in details, here is what Dayton, Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, and House Speaker Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, announced Thursday night:
— The top 2 percent of Minnesota earners will pay 9.85 percent of their income in taxes, up 2 percentage points from the current top rate. The tax affects couples with at least $250,000 in taxable income and individuals earning $150,000.
— Sales taxes will not rise on consumer goods such as clothing, but some businesses will pay sales taxes on services and goods provided by other businesses. Included will be electronic equipment and repair and warehousing.
— Cigarette taxes will rise $1.60 a pack to $2.52 a pick, the same as Wisconsin charges and higher than any other Minnesota neighbor.
— Minnesotans should see about $400 million in property tax relief due to higher city aid payments and dropping a requirement that cities and counties pay sales tax. Also, property tax refunds would be enriched.
— Some corporate tax loopholes will be closed.
"There are a lot of details for the tax committee to work out," Thissen said.
Bakk said the rest of the state budget should fall in place quickly now that the tax deal is in place.
"This is the lynchpin of the session," Bakk said.
Dayton said the latest agreement fulfills promises Democrats have made to improve education funding and make other changes without using financial gimmicks.
Democrats said they are imposing no new taxes on middle-class Minnesotans. However, Republicans disagreed.
"Every Minnesotan will pay more," said House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, R-Crown.
Senate Minority Leader David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, said the business sales tax Democrats propose will filter down and be paid by average Minnesotans.
The DFL leaders dropped a House plan to place a surcharge on the richest of the rich to repay money the state has borrowed from schools.
Dayton and legislative leaders said they will pass a $400 million Mayo Clinic request, even though Senate Tax Chairman Rod Skoe, DFL-Clearbrook, and House Tax Chairwoman Ann Lenczewski, DFL-Bloomington, said they do not place a priority on the project. Mayo seeks state aid to prepare Rochester for a $3 billion Mayo expansion.
Lenczewski said "we have paid far too much time" on the Mayo plan this year. "I'm at my limit."
She said that as the session's end approaches, members should not rush through a plan.
"I'm willing to wait until next year," Lenczewski said.
Skoe said he had his staff working on "more important issues" than the Mayo plan.
Dayton and legislative leaders said tuition at state-run colleges and universities will be frozen.
Democrats have enough votes to pass all of the provisions without Republican help.
Education is the largest single portion of the two-year budget that begins July 1. Negotiators continued to write that bill Thursday night, but the second-largest bill, funding state health programs, appeared close to wrapping up.
The first of nine budget bills — dealing with public safety and jobs — began showing up in the House and Senate Thursday after conference committees negotiated differences and rewrote bills passed earlier.
On the House floor today will be an $800 million public works bill to be funded by the state selling bonds. Other budget bills also are expected in both chambers.
With the state constitution setting Monday as the last day lawmakers can meet this year, unless the governor calls a special session, plans are in place to meet Saturday and Sunday.
On Saturday, the House is expected to take hours debating a bill allowing child care providers and personal care attendants to join unions. The Senate took a modern-day record 17 hours to debate the measure earlier this week.


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Baby Girl Wise
Bobbie Ann Wise was born Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013, at Palo Alto County Hospital. She arrived at 10:42 a.m. weighing 8 pounds, 7 ounces and measuring 20-inches long. Her parents are Charles and Angela Wise of Emmetsburg.
Welcoming Baby Bobbie Ann home are her siblings, Nattalie, Elaura, Isaac and Charlie Rose.


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Hottest Jessica Burciaga GIFs Ever
Get ready for your screens to melt, gentlemen, because today we're going to focus our attention on the mind-blowingly hot Jessica Burciaga.
Miss Burciaga is a model from Orange County, CA of Mexican, French and Irish descent. And holy crap, what a mix that is, because she's literally one of the hottest girls we've ever seen grace the earth. Her rise to fame started in 2005 when she began modeling after sending her photos to Stuff Magazine. Since then, she's appeared in magazines like Playboy, Maxim, Import Tuner and more.
Check out the gallery of GIFs below and fall in love with her absolute beauty. We bet that you won't be able to stop staring at them!


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Oh, I thought it was perfect but then someone mentioned clotted cream which would be perfect plus perfect. I have never found clotted cream in north america, but there is a "Devon cream" that is found in a jar near whipping cream. Or if you are ambitious, you can make clotted cream by baking whipping cream overnight.
Apparently Whole Foods sells clotted cream by its other name Devonshire cream. I wonder if you might want to go all the way and use delicate bone china cups and saucers? It seems to me that I have seen them (not in a set, though) at thrift stores for not much money. That may be too much, but if not I think it would be fun to have different cups/saucers with the delicate flower patterns that are traditional.
Your menu is perfection. Do you share recipes? I would love to try to make persimmon spice cake. It sounds so exotic!
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text:
Eurovoc Thesaurus
EuroVoc thesaurus
The EuroVoc thesaurus "eu:EuroVoc" is defined as an instance of "eu:Thesaurus", itself a subclass of the SKOS "Concept Scheme" class.
To this "eu:EuroVoc" instance is attached the list of languages for which the EuroVoc thesaurus concepts have a preferred label (via skos:prefLabel or xl:literalForm). The thesaurus supported languages are defined by values of the property "eu:supportedLanguage". Values of this property are instances of the class "eu:Language".
The attribute rdfs:label is used to represent the language independent name of the Thesaurus (EuroVoc).
The "eu:Language" class is a convenience class where each instance represents a language. The language names of the instances are represented using "rdfs:label" in each of the supported languages. The property value "eu:language" contains the ISO 639-2 Language Code (conforming the xsd:language value space).
By convention, the URI of an "eu:Language" instance is the registered public subject indicator
(see http://psi.oasis-open.org/iso/639/).
All the EuroVoc publication features are exported from the Thesaurus Maintenance System (back-office) export instance (eu:Export). Properties of eu:Export are:
- "eu:exportedThesaurus": object property of which value is eu:EuroVoc
The publishing details of the EuroVoc thesaurus are expressed using two data properties:
- "eu:exportDate": date and time of the thesaurus release
- "eu:exportVersion": version identifier of the published EuroVoc thesaurus


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When a phone is stolen, another phone gets purchased. Reducing phone thefts will cut into new phone sales!
When a phone is stolen, another phone gets purchased.
No, the same phone gets pawned off for a much lower price.
I keep seeing this line of reasoning on the matter here on
Honestly, it's pretty fucking vapid. The marginal revenue companies get from people buying replacements for stolen products is simply not a viable business model. They may prefer not to spend money dealing with a problem they see as the consumer's and not theirs, but to ascribe some insidious plot on their part to make extra money off of people who get their stuff stolen... it's inane.
$Phonemaker makes a used phone useless, no phones get stolen and $Phonemaker loses tons of money in lost replacement phone revenue.
Can you explain how each phone stolen is "marginal", as opposed to 100%, gain? Basically, if they do nothing they find money for zero work. This model dictates exactly what they should do -- absolutely nothing. No wonder they are having a big pow-wow about it. Might need to have annual meetings even.
Instead of buying a stolen phone someone then has to buy a new phone.
Yes, the phonemaker gets more revenue. However, the money used to fund those replacements comes from an increased levy on all phone purchasers who have coverage. So everyone with coverage pays more for phones. The extra money that everyone pays for phones means less money spent on all other possible purchases. So Apple's revenue increase is Krogers' or Target's or Shell's decrease.
We usually disregard widely-distributed costs and look at local effects. This is especially true of politicians. But those effects are real and directly affect the aggregate economy numbers.
Sure, globally that is true, except that Apple will gladly accept an additional $1m even if it costs Kroger $2m, because they don't really care if Kroger makes money or not.
You can argue all you want that it's not a viable business model to not disable cell phones, but large parts of Europe already have a cell phone "kill switch" and it has virtually eliminated cell phone thefts.
Basically, if they do nothing they find money for zero work
You seem to forget there's one more phone available, likely at a reduced price. That's not to say every stolen phone ends up being sold, but many are. So $Phonemaker doesn't end up with the money in that case.
It's the perfect way for them to get another sale even from a 'customer' who can't or won't pay for it.
A buys 1 phone. B can't afford a phone so he buys 0 phones. B steals A's phone. A buys another phone. They have now sold 2 phones where in a theft free world they would have sold 1.
$Phonemaker does nothing, tons of phones get stolen, $Phonemaker makes tons of replacement phones (i.e. tons of money).
Only if you assume the stolen phone never makes it back onto the market. Otherwise when a customer buys a stolen phone the phone maker loses a sale. It's a wash.
It's not buying a new phone that is the business model.
1.) The device is stolen
2.) New device obtained. (some $$)
3.) Old device is activated by someone new (recurring new $$. Here is the money for the carrier)
Now, many many years ago, I was a cellular switching site manager (before we had the giant carrier we have now). When I learn how cellular worked, it was explicitly state the the devices had a thing called an ESN (electronic Serial Number). This was for activating the device AND stolen devices were SUPPOSED to go into a shared database that would be checked to assure stolen devices were not activated. The marketing manager was livid that such a thing could exist. Needless to say it's pretty obvious today how that worked out. There is no shared database of stolen devices in the US (North America?). There is in Europe.
'nuff said
You're dead-on close... I used to work for a couple of resellers and it made me mad we didn't have databases at all when I knew as well as you what the ESN's and IMEI's could be used for in this regard.
We do have stolen device databases now... I believe they're still carrier specific at the moment, but they were to be combined this year or next, I think. Yeah, a marketing manager like that doesn't surprise me at all. Too bad the carriers wouldn't come up with that on their own, but hey, money is money.
Forgot to mention the reason we suddenly got the databases... They were "voluntarily" created by the companies a few weeks (or was it days) they got called in front of congress wondering about what could be done...
look, stealing is nothing different than a form of planned obsolescence.
every business school teaches planned obsolescence and how to use it to maximize profit.
now, lets imagine that you have a product where there is lower planned obsolescence. is that good or bad for your profit? thats right, its bad.
now lets imagine a product that gets stolen a lot vs one that doesnt. which one is more like planned obsolescence? Thats right. the stolen product. its good for profits.
a corporation that is interested in maki
a corporation that is interested in making a profit is actually practicing mismanagement when it implements a high quality anti-theft system.
Interested in maximizing their profit. There is such a thing as corporate social responsibility [wikipedia.org], and anti-theft measures do no exclude thinking of the bottom line.
The marginal revenue companies get from people buying replacements for stolen products is simply not a viable business model.
But the revenue from the insurance plans is huge! You pay $7 a month or something for the "privilege" of paying a $150 deductible for a refurb model that cost them $75 in case you lose your phone.
If people didn't fear phone theft, then many fewer people would buy the insurance.
industry-wide 'kill switch' system
It's really for stolen phones
LOL your so funny, cause if the Government wanted to or the phone provider wanted to they couldn't cut of your phone access any other way?
People don't get mugged for phones much out here in Australia, all you have to do is report the phone stolen and its blacklisted.. Not even doggy pawn shops take a phone without checking that. You would be left selling on ebay, even then the buyer would just file through Paypal to get their cash back.
LOL your so funny, cause if the Government wanted to or the phone provider wanted to they couldn't cut of your phone access any other way?
Yeah, lol, so funny... the government doesn't want or need a bunch of different ways to cut off or monitor your access to communications networks. They just need to cut the telegraph wire and they'll be all set. Oh, did I mention it's not the government that is pushing for a kill switch, but the citizens who are sick of watching several hundred dollar devices get stolen and law enforcement's lack of action even when the owner can point to a spot on the map and say the device is within a few feet of the glow
And you fail at reading comprehension where he says
Really, rather than 'mentioning' something, you should read what you're replying to.
People don't get mugged for phones much out here in Australia, all you have to do is report the phone stolen and its blacklisted.
What's to stop somebody from reporting *YOUR* phone as stolen to inconvenience you?
Yes, there are people in the world that are demented enough that doing something like that would be enjoyable.... all they'd need to know is your phone number.
...and account details.... and password.... and a few other items of identification....
Not quite as simple as knowing the phone number.
But don't let that get in the way of your hyperbole.
That's already completely possible and is no different from how the carrier ALREADY disables the phone on your account when you report it stolen. The only difference is the phone will remain blacklisted until you report that it wasn't in fact stolen.
And of course as someone else already stated they don't just need to know your phone number, since as I stated the phone company already has to deal with this issue and of course requires at least some form of account authentication.
Because there are so many phones stolen and so many more serious crimes to investigate that the police don't give a crap about your stolen cell phone. You must not have ever had one stolen, because almost anyone who has (myself included) can confirm this complete lack of interest
If the police cared, the technology is already there to catch many phone thieves. But everyone knows they won't bother. It's much easier (and nearly free) just to make the phone a brick to discourage it in the first place than spend MANY thousands of dollars of taxpayer money on investigation, arrest, booking, court hearing/trial, and imprisonment for a $500 piece of electronics.
Why would they "spend MANY thousands of dollars of taxpayer money on investigation, arrest, booking, court hearing/trial, and imprisonment for a $500 piece of electronics" when they could spend MANY thousands of dollars of taxpayer money on investigation, arrest, booking, court hearing/trial, and imprisonment for a $10 bag of weed?
Why cut off a phone? Why not let the police use these amazing features the phones have to basically ring the cops and direct them to the thief?
Boom, you get the phone back, and catch a thief (or someone receiving stolen goods, that lets you then investigate them/find the person who sold them the phone).
Rather than fix the symptom of the stolen phone, why not go just that bit further to stop crime and catch the bad guys?
Would anyone A) steal a phone knowing they'll be caught B) buy a cheap stolen phone knowing they'll be caught?
because the cops don't give a shit. they're too busy with the war on drugs to deal with criminals who are the criminal portion of the drugs business.
industry-wide 'kill switch' system
It's really for stolen phones
Paranoia is fun, and often highly predictive; but only if you keep things architecturally realistic:
Does 'the man' want control over your communications, especially if they get caught with their pants down as in the London riots incident a while back? Sure, that's plausible enough.
Is there any reason why he would want a client-side kill switch to achieve this objective? That's a lot less convincing. A cellphone is worth approximately fuck-all without its network. Voila! control over communications is alread
No, it doesn't, because you can already do that. Remember, you are on the carriers network? He can deny service to you at any time, and he will if, for example, you didn't pay the bill.
If I'm the NSA and want to get you shut down, all I need is your name, address, birth date or whatever the carrier uses to identify you, and a nice letter to the carrier who'll roll over anyways.
It's really for stolen phones
Don't be asinine. Your cellphone can already be tracked, tapped, disabled, folded, spindled and mutilated. What this is about is centralising and sharing information about stolen phones so that the utility of stolen phones diminishes to the point that you walking around with an iPhone doesn't look like an easy 200$ target to ne'er-do-wells.
Come on, seriously, modded interesting? Obviously the provider can already cut off an individual's service at will if they want to, that was never the issue. This is about disabling a stolen phone so it can't be added to a new service.
if the killswitch is built into the os then you can't replace the os(or the killswitch is no good). then you need also a system for transferring rights on who has access to the switch.
now here's an important bit..
there is ALREADY a banlist for stolen phones! it blocks by phone imei.
the iphones are valuable as parts, so even that does nothing to curb stealing them. now if there wasn't a market for iphone parts...
Yes, San Francisco would love an industry-wide cell phone kill-switch.
The next time, there is Bart cop shooting a person in the back while that person he's laying face-down [youtube.com] on the floor, witnesses won't be able to upload the video on youtube before their phone gets confiscated.
Also, think of the ramifications the next time there is a mass protest. It would be great if you could kill cell phones from thousands protesters, all from only one switch. [wired.com] That would be a Mayor's wet dream!
The NSA is listening in on everything anyways, why aren't they arresting phone thieves when they use the phones?
Because the phone thieves aren't using them. They're selling them.
You're not paying attention to all the "how I got my phone back" stories, are you? A substantial portion of phone thieves ARE using them, at least until they run out of minutes, that's how many of the "I got my phone back" stories work, the thief uses the phone to take a pic or something, it dutifully uploads the pic to their tumblr or whatever, then the victim does some rudimentary geolocation of the pic, and calls the po-po
Way below pay grade. You're asking why police isn't kicking doors down with guns every time a a couple gets into a shouting match.
Likely extremely. Terrorists need to be "legendary" in concept that they are rare enough so that most people have never known one. They need to remain elusive, scary, and potentially everywhere but not really seen. The big part of fear factor comes from the fact that few if any citizens ever came face to face with one, so fear of the unknown remains a healthy factor.
The best best for Android is Cerberus. Seriously, it does everything that "Find my iPhone" does plus a few things it will never do. It's free today through AppGratis http://www.droid-life.com/2013/06/06/deal-cerberus-lifetime-license-is-free-today-from-appgratis/ [droid-life.com]
If you happen to have a rooted phone, there's even a ROM version which will survive a Factory Reset.
This may be rather good, but I've felt rather uncomfortable with closed source apps that are track a phone or wipe data, and especially ones that can survive a hard reset, so I spent a few hours and rolled together a super-simple, no-UI app (passwords are hardcoded into the source, so I am distributing this source-only: https://code.google.com/p/roottracker/ [google.com] ) that does basic phone tracking and wiping via SMS. I tried to make the source simple enough that one can easily verify the lack of backdoors.
What makes Cerberus better than Prey? Someone else commented concern for a closed-source tool, whereas Prey is completely open source AFAIK. They both seem to do the same thing, just one has better marketing apparently.
They will know exactly where that bad boy is and who the theif is calling...
NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg said overall crime in New York City was up 3.3% in 2012 due to iPhone, iPad and other Apple device thefts
It's Apple's fault that NYC is a crime ridden shit hole. If these disgusting companies would stop making products that people actually want New Yorkers wouldn't have to resort to robbing each other! Why can't Apple and Google be more like Microsoft!
We are talking about Bloomberg here, the guy who blames large cups for obesity.
We are talking about Bloomberg here, the guy who blames large cups for obesity.
It is standard dieting advice to limit portion sizes. I know there was one study that suggested that maybe that's not always true, but that one study could easily have been poorly designed, it seems like so many are nowadays.
I think the problem people have with his proposal is he didn't sell it. He should have have said that any place which sells soda by the cup but won't sell them larger than 16oz or whatever his target size was, would have a half-rate tax on all their soda fountain sales.
And he would be right that they at least contribute to the problem, as studies have shown. So your point is?
We are talking about Bloomberg here, the guy who blames large cups for obesity.
Large cups don't cause obesity.
People hoarding large cups for their own personal use is what causes obesity.
We all know two girls can easily share one cup.
Yes, it's such [cityrating.com] a crime ridden shithole... I'm not really a fan of NYC (I like to visit every once in a while but I could never imagine living there) but really, it hasn't been crime ridden since the 1980's.
They said that in the article: It gets sold to a carrier which is not querying the US version of the Stolen Phone database.
We need something like DNS but then for IMEI numbers.
Get every carrier to whitelist IMEIs rather than blacklist.
Yeah, do you REALLY want to give this to the carriers?
After all, if they detect a phone you didn't buy from them, or that you're off contract, they could keep removing your IMEI from the list and denying you service. Sure you can call them and they'll probably reinstate it, then it'll mysteriously revert itself a few months later.
Switch, and that IMEI will be deactivated permanently. Get on a contract and it'll work normally again.
Like DNS?
It seems to me that this is a wonderful application for DNS as it stands.
I mean, what do we need in an IMEI blacklist? Something simple, hierarchical, efficiently cached, distributed, low-bandwidth? Oh, yeah: DNS does that already.
Of course this implies that the database is accessible by the public...but I don't see any harm in that.
Second the phones
I understand why real cops wouldn't want to retrieve phones. It would be easy to spot,
GPS can only really get you an address. It just isn't all that precise
So how do you search a 20 story apartment building for a stolen phone, without any specialized equipment?
[spoiler alert]You can't and don't[/spoiler]
Police should try and catch the thief and return the phone to it's owner. GPS won't work, unless the thief has switched it on. Cell tower information would probably be sufficient enough to get near the thief. If word gets out that teams of cops are actually on full-time phone retrieval duty, thieves are going to be a lot more cautious about stealing phones. The reason this happens so much is that the chance the thieves get caught is way too low.
Blocking the IMEI means the thieves will change the IMEI on th
... Apple, Google, Samsung, and Microsoft are due to meet and discuss the implementation of a industry-wide 'kill switch' system."
Soon to be highjacked by the job-creating content industry.
Oops, sorry, looks like you'd better stop pirating Mickey Mouse from 75 years ago if you want to make that emergency call!
This would pretty much rule out petty thiefs.
It's more that it would require specialized fences, who would be easy to track due to the nature of cellphones, and the nature of the criminals who bring in the phones...
If you wallet is stolen, you don't expect to get any cash in in back. If your watch in stolen, or your TV, you should not expect to see either again.
And if your phone is stolen, like every other object on the planet, you most likely will not see it again.
Unlike watches, TVs, or wallets, phones contain technology that should make it trivial to either retrieve the device or reduce its resale value to near-zero by rendering it inoperative. The former reduces the victim's burden and the latter reduces the thief's incentive.
I hope that their bold plan merely involves IMEI blacklisting(though, if so, why are they inviting handset makers, rather than bitching at the telcos?); but if the demand is being made at the handset vendors, I get a sinking feeling that it might involve some sort of client-side software that is designed to be impossible to remove/circumvent. I'm sure that the vendors would implement that in way totally unproblematic for people who want to root/jailbreak/run custom ROMs...
When a phone is reported lost or stolen the MEID and the SIM card # are added to a list and cannot be used on the VZW network. Often though the first thing a
competent thief will due is turn the phone off preventing any GPS locating software to track the phone. The phone will either be sold to a person who does not
check the MEID # (and when they try and do an ESN change will be told the phone is on the lost stolen list and to please take the phone into a VZW Corp. store.)
Or they take the phone someplace like
I own a microsoft powered phone, no one wants it
What happens when "hackers" get hold of this kill switch?
As if anyone's hard-up enough to steal an Android or Windows phone. "iPhone, iPad and other Apple device thefts"
Cell phone manufacturers and service prov
Perhaps a decade ago, makers of GSM phones here in Europe advertised intensely for the ability to kill stolen phones using the IMEI number. Basically they stated that if your phone got stolen, all you needed to do (besides filing a police report) was to report it to the carrier. They could block the IMEI number in an international database, so when the phone was turned on it would either be rejected from any GSM network or downright be bricked.
But it turned out that not only was the support for the database
We all know there is no security without physical security.
But let's forget about that for a second.
Even if you make it ueber-secure (not like today when in many Samsung devices the IMEI is actually in some obfuscated file in the efs partition!) and you really manage to bound each device to an IMEI you still have the challange of managing the blacklist/"nuke from the orbit" authorization list.
It costs 5-10-15EUR to send a box full with phones across Europe, and no customs at all if it's within EU.
You need to have (at least) EU-wide database. How do you manage that? What recourse you have if you bought your phone in Germany, you leave in Belgium and it gets blacklisted by an operator in Bulgaria based on some typo from a dodgy police station in village? How can you argue that (hint: they don't even use the latin alphabet in Bulgaria)?
We had enough of this country-coded DVDs and network locked phone and all the crap. Any more of this and will give (another) unfair advantage to your operator: the only safe phones will be the ones bought directly, they know for sure it's legit. Anything else is a risk.
The real way out here is just to have police go after the thieves. Even the older phones could be tracked well enough and with some social engineering (if you had access to the list of calls) you could find out who has the phone without any GPS or camera and whatnot. However, they just don't bother even if you give them the position of the phone within meters, inside a single-house and a picture of the user.
"The one charm of marriage is that it makes a life of deception a neccessity." - Oscar Wilde


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From NBC's Domenico Montanaro
The Obama campaign announced two more superdelegate endorsements -- Laurie Weahkee, a New Mexico add-on, and Rep. Mazie Hirono of Hawaii. This is Obama's seventh pick up today. (The campaign also announced CA DNC Member Vernon Watkins, but we did not add him into our count, because he was already on our list.)
So far today, it's a net of Obama 7-0.
OBAMA (7): Weahkee, Hirono, Wilmer Lee Jeffcoat, Edward Espinoza, NC DNC Member John Gage, Reps. Donald Payne of NJ and Peter DeFazio of Oregon (+7).
Clinton (0): Rep. Chris Carney of PA (+1), but she lost lost Payne (-1).
The NBC delegate counts:
PLEDGED: Obama 1,590, Clinton 1,426
SUPERS: Clinton 273.5, Obama 269
TOTAL: Obama 1,859, Clinton 1,699.5.
* There are 252.5 undeclared superdelegates (about 50 of which are not named yet).
* Since the Indiana and North Carolina primaries on Tuesday, it's a net of Obama 13-1 in superdelegates.
* Obama has picked up 99 since Super Tuesday to Clinton's 13.5.
* Obama is 166 away from the magic number of 2,025.


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The following audio is from a conference call that will begin on July 24, 2014 at 17:00 PM ET. The audio will stream live while the call is active, and can be replayed upon its completion.If you would like to view a transcript of this call, please click here.
Q2 2014 Republic Services, Inc Earnings Conference Call (Webcast)
| About: Republic Services, (RSG)


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Fire Ignites Propane Tanks in Cheektowaga Garage | News
CHEEKTOWAGA, N.Y. - Firefighters were able to contain a garage fire on Lucid Drive that they say could have turned into something worse.
A number of our viewers posted messages on our Facebook page Sunday afternoon, saying they could see the smoke from the fire from I-90.
Multiple fire departments in Cheektowaga were called out to help put out the flames in a detached garage.
"We did have reports of a couple of explosions when we were in route, a couple while we were here," U-Crest Fire Chief David Passalugo told 2 on Your Side. "There were some propane tanks in the garage - two of them that definitely let go. There was a vehicle in the garage as well."
Firefighters say that no one was hurt and estimate $80,000 in damage.
The cause of the fire is still under investigation.


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Me and My Sister Designs's patterns
- About the Designer
Designers Barbara Groves and Mary Jacobson of "Me and My Sister Designs" have had their hands in almost every aspect of the creative crafting industry. These sisters and one time shop owners have expanded their love of quilting and crafting into a business that now includes designing fabrics for Moda, developing the SideWinder portable bobbin winder, and producing and designing patterns and books for their company. They have great fun taking what they like to call "Everyday Color" and infusing it into their fabrics for Moda. Moda Fabrics have been the leader in the quilting and notion industry for the past thirty years. The sisters have been members of the Moda family for the past six years and have designed 18 lines of fabric. In 2009 the sisters teamed up with Wrights and Simplicity to produce one of the biggest and most exciting new sewing notions to hit the industry, the "SideWinder" portable bobbin winder. Due to its huge success the "Deluxe SideWinder" was introduced internationally this spring. Barbara and Mary are authors of many patterns and seven quilting books. They have over 40 patterns that continue to sell in specialty shops and the larger Jo-Ann's and Hancock stores across the United States. Their book publishers include top names in the crafting industry such as Martingale and Co. and Leisure Arts. Most recently they have worked with Current Inc. producing the new 2011 Quilt Calendar that features twelve of their exclusive designs. Address labels and other paper products are to follow. They have been featured in several national quilting and sewing magazines. The most recent being Better Homes & Garden's Quilting August 2010 issue. There is hardly a trade magazine that does not feature fabrics, designs or advertisements for their products. Look for more good things to come from these two! www.meandmysisterdesigns.com


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TrueCrypt is an open source program to create and mount virtual encrypted disks in Windows Vista/XP/2000 and Linux. It provides two levels of plausible deniability (hidden values / no signatures to make a distinction from random data), on the fly encryption and supports various encryption algorithms (AES-256, Serpent and Twofish).
Forensic Acquisition
If you encounter a system that has a mounted TrueCrypt drive, it is imperative that you capture the contents of the encrypted drive before shutting down the system. Once the system is shutdown, the contents will be inaccessible unless you have the proper encryption key generated by a user's password. You may also need an additional datafile.
The only option for acquiring the content of a TrueCrypt drive is to do a brute-force password guessing attack. AccessData's Password Recovery Toolkit and Distributed Network Attack (DNA) can both perform such an attack, but DNA is faster.
TrueCrypt also supports keyfiles (it uses the first 1024 kilobytes of any file, but can also use it's PRNG to generate such keys). It is important to look for anything that might be used as a keyfile (such as a 1024k file on a USB stick).
The existence of a FAT volume may be an indication of the existence of hidden volumes (a hidden volume can only be created within a FAT TrueCrypt volume).


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It's an age-old question: What should we do about downtown?
The question probably has been asked hundreds of times over the past 30 years in DeKalb. Last week it was asked again at a meeting sponsored by Re:New DeKalb, the city of DeKalb and the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce.
About 50 community leaders showed up to share ideas about improving downtown and discuss its future. Some of the suggestions included expanding the core both eastward and westward and integrating Northern Illinois University.
While we think discussing the future of downtown is essential, there needs to be realistic expectations. This is not Naperville and we don't have a riverwalk. We're not Geneva and we're not St. Charles and we shouldn't expect to be.
Downtown DeKalb has its obstacles. It's centered on a state highway and the railroad tracks running through it don't exactly help the aesthetics. There is no proper gateway to the downtown area when coming from the east.
And it has a perception problem. When the Chronicle publishes stories about downtown, we hear plenty of comments from readers – mostly complaints. There are too many empty storefronts downtown. There's nothing but thrift stores. There are too many bars. There's not enough parking.
But we would argue that those who complain about downtown DeKalb haven't actually been there.
The area has plenty to crow about and maybe we just need to do a better job of marketing it.
There is a beautiful theater, an art gallery, entertainment venues, more than 15 restaurants offering a wide range of cuisines, offices, and shops carrying everything from sporting goods to chocolate to skateboards, not to mention the multitude of gift shops and thrift shops.
And yes, there are a couple of bars. But there's not an overabundance of them and not any more than downtown Sycamore.
Rather than complain about downtown, we need to support it. Go there. Get out of the car and walk around. And shop. That will be the best investment in the future of downtown DeKalb.


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Hewlett-Packard CEO Meg Whitman left no stone unturned this week at the company's Global Partner Conference in her mission to make sure HP's top management, sales reps and partner business managers understand just how important HP's channel commitment is to growing sales.
Whitman met at 7 A.M. on the first day of the conference with HP's top vice presidents with a no-nonsense endorsement of the channel and then again at 7 A.M. on day two with HP partner business managers giving them strict deadlines on coming up with business plans to drive partner sales growth.
Behind the scenes, Whitman also met with solution providers, including a dinner with a select group of partners, hammering home the company's commitment to drive a simplified compensation and account engagement strategy aimed at ensuring that partners make more money selling HP's full portfolio than any and all competitive offerings.
[Related: Whitman's Partner Profitability Pledge Has HP Partners Literally Cheering]
If that wasn't enough, Whitman laid down the law on a strict new rule that prohibits HP direct sales reps from poaching customers from HP partners. That new initiative was one of several items that drew thunderous applause at a general session Tuesday during Whitman's keynote.
"Importantly -- and I want you to hear this from me -- we now have a very clear policy about taking business away from our channel and going direct," she said. "My message to you is this simply will not be tolerated. Everyone in the HP organization is crystal clear on the behavior we expect. And I am holding myself and our senior executives accountable for behavior that is befitting of HP and recognizes the value you have brought to this company over many years."
Doug Oathout, vice president, channel and alliance marketing for the HP Enterprise Group and a four-year HP veteran, said the difference at this year's partner conference versus previous years is "the [channel] commitment from the top from Meg, and she is personally enforcing it."
Partners that attended the conference see the changes in HP's partner model as a sign of reinvigorated channel charge. They praised Whitman's channel commitment as the key to driving dramatic increases in partner profitability and sales in 2013, but also stressed that they will be watching closely to see if Whitman's channel commitment leads to long-lasting changes in the sales trenches.
Rich Baldwin, co-founder and chief strategy officer of Nth Generation Computing Inc., a San Diego, Calif.,-based HP enterprise partner with $50 million in annual sales, said he was heartened to learn that Whitman is taking the channel message into the sales trenches.
"It feels like Meg is laying down a new channel law within HP," said Baldwin, who believes his HP business could double from $40 million to $80 million this year if the channel charge takes root with HP reps in the field. "She means business about engaging the channel. The message I have heard loud and clear here is they can't do it without us. Meg is going to hold her team accountable for driving more business through the channel. It's the new HP. They get the channel and want to work with us. It's a huge change. The pendulum has swung 180 degrees from what I can tell."
NEXT: Partners Praise Whitman's Channel Charge


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A pair of admen from Memphis will be in Austin, Texas, presenting at the South by Southwest Interactive Festival that starts later this week.
Archer-malmo chief creative officer and principal Gary Backaus, along with archer-malmo associate creative director and copywriter Justin Dobbs, will be there during the five days' worth of presentations from leaders in emerging technology.
Their presentation at the high-profile SXSW festival Monday, March 11, will focus on something their agency has seen over and over again in the course of its 60 years of working on names for brands, products, campaigns, nonprofits, startups and more.
"When bad names happen to good startups," is the name of their presentation. There are plenty of common "namehacks" they'll address, like dropped vowels and multiple domains, but they'll also go beyond that and encompass much more than concepts like search engine optimization and grabbing the right Web address.
Because even if it's for a hot, high-growth emerging technology company, they'll tell the audience that there's a lot about naming an enterprise that hasn't changed over the years.
"We're investing all this creative capital into early stage startups, and one of the things we've seen is how many don't have a clue about how to name their startup," said Patrick Woods, director of a-m ventures, the division of archer-malmo that invests money and creative capital into digital startups.
Woods won't be on stage, but he's organizing and helping put the presentation together for Backaus and Dobbs to present.
"One of the problems we've identified is that it seems like early stage entrepreneurs think they're naming a startup, when in reality they're naming a brand," Woods said. "So they get focused on what the thing does rather than what the brand should say, what it should be, what it should inspire people to do."
The presentation will look at examples from history as well as the company's own portfolio about what makes a great name. The speakers also will provide a handful of questions, tips and how-to's that startups can apply to start thinking about how to name their brand in a more disciplined, interesting and meaningful way.
Woods said the inspiration was the culmination of many different things archer-malmo and a-m ventures have experienced, not anything around one startup in particular.
A lot of them, Woods explained, have struggled with names that not only sound odd but end up taking the target audience in the wrong direction.
"We've seen founders struggling to explain what their names mean rather than what their companies are about," Woods said. "One company in our portfolio has a founder that would spend 10 minutes talking about the name of his company and what it really meant before he could even get into his pitch.
"One of the things our folks here are really good at is taking an offering that a company has and distilling it down to its essence and really building a great brand around that. So one of the more valuable services that a-m ventures is providing is the naming element."
Some common mistakes he says that are made repeatedly include going straight to a service like GoDaddy.com and typing in potential startup names and grabbing whatever is available. Founders also mistakenly think they have to have their company name somehow embedded in their Web address for their enterprise to be successful.
"Another fault is naming your product based on what you do, not who you are," Woods said. "We're hoping we can help founders think big about the context they're creating around their name. Their name should create a rich set of creative hooks on which to hang a brand story and creative execution and Web design."
Woods said a-m ventures is ramping up for a 2013 that rivals the "exciting" 2012 the division experienced.
"We're spending a lot of time around Tennessee and Austin and heading to Boulder (Colo.)," he said. "We're sort of at a point in our model where we feel like it's working. We've figured out how to work with early stage startups. Even though we're a 60-year-old agency, we've developed a process and a set of tools that really work well. Now that we've got that machine fine-tuned, we're ramping up to tell that story at a national level."