text:
To these companies: why are you saddling your machines with software that makes it less enjoyable to use?
Because they get paid a fortune to do so
The problem is that you shouldn't have to do that with an OS that you're paying for. It's not that big a deal if you're intending to wipe out the OS in favor of something else, but the problem is that the bloatware tends to get included on the install media. Meaning that everytime you reinstall you're stuck with the same bloatware.
I remember having PC-Cillin running at 99% immediately upon boot with my Vaio laptop. And because Sony insisted on not shipping a proper install CD it ended up being a real pain.
you shouldn't have to do that with an OS that you're paying for
And, happily, you don't. You can buy PCs from any of thousands of vendors (or roll your own) without that experience. The OS is just part of what most people buy from a typical large retailer. If they don't like that experience any more than they like having an activated-for-one-year OnStar system in the car they just bought, they can shop for their computer (and their car) somewhere else. It's called a market, and it does offer more alternatives than you can count.
Rule #1 when buying a new PC: HDD low-level format. It's the closest thing you have to sterilize it.
It's the only way to be sure......
Rule #1 after the first generation of EIDE drives: Don't do a low level format.
>>>you shouldn't have to do that with an OS that you're paying for.
That's the thing - you're NOT paying for the Windows OS because the other bloatware from AOL, MSN, and so on is covering the cost. If you *were* paying for the OS, then instead of a $500 PC you'd be getting an $800 PC..... and at that point you might as well get a Mac.
Personally I like the bloatware since it does subsidize my PC (my last one cost only $200), and it's easy to uninstall using the add/remove programs icon. Not a
Do you want to pay $400 instead of $350 for the same machine? No, well say hello to bloatware! It isn't that these guys just decided "Hey,lets raise our support costs and piss off our customers but make a little scratch out the gate" no, it WAS US that demanded it thanks to the "race to the bottom".
There are literally thousands of places online you can buy bloatware free computers, or you can stop by your local mom and pop shop and have a nice PC custom built to YOUR specs (just finishing up a nice $579 quad core for a customer here myself) but all of these will cost more than the bottom of the barrel HP or Dell, because the bloatware allows for lower prices by paying the OEM upfront to install crap. Last I head the profit margin on a low end Dell was something like $8, yet the bloatware netted $50, that is because the bloatware lowers the selling price thus letting Dell undercut everybody but the other giant OEMs. Of course I love it because people get pissed and bring it to me to clean it, thanks Dell!
And OT but when is
You don't have to reinstall from that media. I never use it when I have to "format" people's computers, for that very reason. It puts back all the shitware. Using their product key on the sticker, I do a proper install of Windows and drivers, and I fix them up with free alternatives to things they may have had. (e.g. burning software for their dvd writer that may have come from the OEM, or OpenOffice). When they get it, they have a sensible, non crippling Antivirus program (Antivir is the one I mostly use)
Yeah, he can just do what I've.. sorry, what we've all been doing since the 90s:
Do a fresh install.
Spend the $100 and get the Windows DVD if it bothers you that much and you have to have Windows, or install Ubuntu / Kubuntu. Your family is probably only using it for Facebook and email anyway, so you can add a dash of security by using an OS where you don't have to be admin all the time.
The licence key that came with your PC is still valid, so if you've got a friend with a Win7 DVD, copy it and use the key. Edit / remove ei.cfg to choose the correct version for your CD key and you're golden.
Shovelware (which is, I believe, the correct term for the bundled crapola; bloatware refers to programs that take up more room and memory as time goes by) will never go away because:
1. You paid HP $200 for the computer.
2. MacAfee paid HP $1.5 million* to install the 30-day trial.
Thus, fuck you.
*This number was totally pulled out of my ass but I would guess that it is n x $200 where n is any large number.
Also, I have to ask why you're buying a branded machine anyway when you can get more power and a longer lasting machine for less money. I guess you have to with a laptop form factor, but that's really the only reason to not just pick up the parts and put the damned thing together yourself. And I'm saying this as a Canadian where I can't use the super-cheap deals you can get in the States.
The licence key that came with your PC is still valid, so if you've got a friend with a Win7 DVD, copy it and use the key. Edit / remove ei.cfg to choose the correct version for your CD key and you're golden.
Actually, Microsoft makes the Windows 7 DVD images available for download [mydigitallife.info] as part of Technet. Burn it to a DVD (or mount it with VMWare/VirtualBox) and you're good to go. You still need a valid key to activate though.
Also, I have to ask why you're buying a branded machine anyway when you can get more power and a longer lasting machine for less money. I guess you have to with a laptop form factor, but that's really the only reason to not just pick up the parts and put the damned thing together yourself.
Despite the bad rap Sony gets here, I rather like their solution to the problem. The Sony laptop I staged a few months ago shipped with the crapware installed. But the Restore DVD gives you two options - a total restore (Windows + drivers + crapware), or a minimal restore (Windows + drivers) with an option to pick and choose which extra apps to install. I did the minimal restore first thing after getting the laptop, and it yielded a clean fully functional system with all drivers working, and no crapware. Seems not everyone at Sony is evil.
Seems not everyone at Sony is evil.
False; they are evil by association, just like the contractors working on the Death Star in Return of the Jedi. Don't try and tell me they didn't know what they were working on!
Idealist, no. Batshit crazy, yes.
Windows Servers have no bearing on what clients you can use to access them. An ASP.NET website can just as easily be accessed using Firefox on Ubuntu as IE on Windows. In fact, it's all built to spit out valid XHTML and CSS, and uses jQuery nowadays rather than some proprietary library. And you can just as easily access Exchange with Thunderbird or Pine.
It's not just "get paid a fortune..." Every bit of space is advertising and real estate to be sold. Some of it is to instill name recognition. Does the average end user really care that the CPU is Intel or AMD? Nope. Do they care if it has a nVidia or ATI video card? Not really. They care about the price tag, and does it show web pages. If you ask your average consumer what they use their computer for, they'll tell you they check their email, and look at web pages.
The box and case a
Because they get paid a fortune to do so
Precisely that.
Although the OP seems to get a good flaming, it has a point, as not everyone is a Slashdot geek. And it just means that those of us who *are* Slashdot geeks get tasked by neighbours/acquaintances/co-workers-outside-of work-time to remove all the dodgy resource hogs, Norton Virus etc (and horrible floaty UI bullshit in the case of Toshiba laptops). Great if that's how you earn your living but a pain when you move on from it.
The thing is, indeed, it's about the money. Duh
Pre-built machine
Your wish has been granted.
Microsoft Works has been discontinued, and instead you get a defeatured nagware adsupported version of Office 2010 "Starter".
I use works on my netbook.
It's free, and I don't need a FULL version of office. It works great. I don't know why you have to apply the hate to Works. It does a passable job for what it is intended to do. Most of the bloat, doesn't. I tried to use Google Docs, but found my connection at school wasn't reliable enough. So, Works + Dropbox lets me have access to my notes everywhere, and backs them up on the fly.
Get rid of that MS Windows POS too.
The problem is that PC makers have pursued the lowest common denominator so long that their very slim profit margins probably only exist because of the third party software. I look at the price of some of the systems out there, and I can only assume that without 30-day Office 2010 trial editions and all the other crap they'd probably be in the hole.
Eh. Buy the business versions of computers instead. They're comparable in price to their home equivalents, and lack the trialware.
I still remember when I got my first computer though. There were some demos preinstalled, but there were also full versions of software as well on CDs - a few games, Encarta, etc. Plus, it came with a thick book with detailed technical descriptions of the computer (keep in mind this was a "home user" system) that was comparable to a textbook. Good stuff.
Eh. Buy the business versions of computers instead. They're comparable in price to their home equivalents, and lack the trialware.
I still remember when I got my first computer though. There were some demos preinstalled, but there were also full versions of software as well on CDs - a few games, Encarta, etc. Plus, it came with a thick book with detailed technical descriptions of the computer (keep in mind this was a "home user" system) that was comparable to a textbook. Good stuff.
That requires informed consumers. What about all the people that "just need a computer" so they can go on Facebook or whatever? Although they aren't savvy enough to know they should get the business PC, they still hate how slow their new computer is, and it upsets them.
Sure, slashdot users know how to get around the bloatware, but the article is talking about getting rid of it for everyone, for the sake of the PC industry. And its a worthy suggestion I think.
Yup, I had an original IBM PC and one of the coolest things was the manual came with the complete schematics and source code of the BIOS in the manual. I even used them to track down and replace a chip on the board. I am sure that helped jumpstart the early PC clone market
Well, they could install it by default, but give the end user the ability to not install it in the future. Which is a pretty reasonable compromise, people that don't want it could just put the install CD in immediately and never have to worry about it. The main problem I have with it is that they would make it impossible to install the OS again without including the bloatware or going to ridiculous extremes to avoid it. If you're reinstalling the OS and you're opting not to install the bloatware, I think th
Bloatware is generally on a computer to help subsidize the cost down to "commodity item" prices. Removing the bloatware will increase the price of a computer. As the majority of people would prefer a cheap computer (with bloatware) over one with no bloatware, this is something unlikely to change.
That aside, and possibly also related to this, bloatware of certain categories helps fund the support marketplace. Most notably are things like trial antivirus software, that numerous computer purchasers let the trial expire and no longer receive definition updates, putting them at risk of malware infections. I've had a lot of customers come in with infected machines and tell me "but I had CrappyTrial 2011 installed" - at which point I find that the trialware subscription service expired 3 months ago. As sad as it is, I know it helps our business gain tech work. And I am sure it helps the big box places as well.
Other options include having a machine custom built - which of course will mean paying more, since there are generally no bloatware subsidies. At least on a PC, it's pretty easy to remove the bloatware.
Some of the cheapest machines come without any OS at all. It's also pretty easy to beat name brand OEMs with quasi-DIY sellers on the web.
So the idea that all machines need to be subsidized through shovelware and bloatware is a little absurd.
The OS itself plays a large part in this.
Some stuff is just bloated by itself even if you install it off of OEM disks without adding any other nonsense.
Some of the cheapest machines come without any OS at all.
But are pieces of crap I would not wish on my worst enemy. Virtually NO Windows machine built by any decent sized OEM comes without bloatware.
It's also pretty easy to beat name brand OEMs with quasi-DIY sellers on the web.
As I suggested. Though I beg to differ on the pricing - except, as noted, when one buys an el-crappo machine. I can build one for $200 - but it will barely run Windows 7 and decent sized apps like Office 2010 and say... Quickbooks 2010 at the same time.
So the idea that all machines need to be subsidized through shovelware and bloatware is a little absurd.
The OS itself plays a large part in this.
Some stuff is just bloated by itself even if you install it off of OEM disks without adding any other nonsense.
Because the OEM disks often include the bloatware slipstreamed into them. One notable exception, back in the day,
Apart from the obvious reasons, one of the things that vendors should take seriously is the initial impression a bloated system has on their reputation. Joe Average is going to get a bitter taste in their mouth when that fancy new laptop is bugged down with crap.
What they should really do is have a Startup menu on first boot that shows a list of special deals & promotions with quick and easy download links for popular free and commercial software and/or have the installation files on the drive that one
We get paid by the vendor to put it there, so that's money to us regardless of the price you pay for the machine. You'll buy the machine regardless of what we put on the desktop, so there is no economic reason to remove it.
You can remove it yourself using the normal software uninstallation process. You can remove the entire operating system if you like. People with opinions like yours have been doing that for decades, now, to put alternative operating systems on the machines. How did that affect our sales? It didn't. So don't expect it to now.
The only thing that could make us change our ways is if it actually starts costing us money, and since boot time is your time, not ours, it doesn't cost us a thing.
The economic reason is Apple (and soon, linux. This is the year of the linux desktop, right?) I have lost count of how many people have talked about how much better apple is than windows and faster etc. (I don't want to get into a flame war about which is actually better, for my purposes here lets just say they are within range of each other; both w/ strengths and weaknesses.)
I used to wonder why I never ran into any of the problems 'everybody' has w/ windows. I always blew away everything and laid down
Consumers hate bloatware. They also like getting computers for less than the price of the parts that go into it.
Companies don't change their policies because of letters, open or otherwise. Companies change their policies when they see consumers buying something else. Sometimes that "something else" is a lower price. Sometimes that "something else" is a nicer set of features, which might just include not having bloatware.
As long as the OEMs are being paid to include bloatware, they'll be able to score that lower price point. The bloatware may aggravate, but it's not driving the customers away fast enough to make it go away, either.
It's much like web sites. You're getting something cheap because you're looking at ads. You don't like it, go elsewhere.
The first thing I do with a new PC is blow the HDD and rebuild. Yeah, all this bloatware is inconvenient for my parents and relatives (and thus me), but even that is only occasionally bothersome. I fail to see why the majority of the
The first thing I do with a new PC is blow the HDD and rebuild. Yeah, all this bloatware is inconvenient for my parents and relatives (and thus me), but even that is only occasionally bothersome. I fail to see why the majority of the
The article isn't talking about doing this for the sake of Slashdot users, its talking about doing it to keep Joe Consumer happy, which is for the sake of the PC industry. Which is indirectly for the sake of the Slashdot user. Also, it means slashdot users don't have to fix our parents computers as soon as they buy them.
Honestly people hate how slow their computers are, and there will be plenty of people who leave PCs for Macs for just this reason, I bet.
The companies that put that bloatware on your machine pay to get it there. Without these deals, the manufactures and retailers will now be selling each machine for less profit, and who do you think they'll be passing the "cost" on to?
On the other hand, feel free to buy a Linux or OS X machine. I can't remember hearing about "bloatware" for those.
"Bloatware" is usually spelled "KDE" or "Gnome" when used in reference to Linux.
Do you find the windows tax equally easy to ignore?
Try PC Decrapifier. http://www.pcdecrapifier.com/ [pcdecrapifier.com]
Rather then cracking open that Add/Remove program list, just run this program and it will run through the process for you.
Then you can go here http://ninite.com/ [ninite.com] to batch install the useful stuff you do want.
Build your own computer. Free yourself from bloatware.
Otherwise, GET OFF MY LAWN!
It's crapware, not bloatware. Bloatware is shit like Microsoft's apps which are huge and slow but are at least 'functional' in some sense of the word.
Crapware is all the toolbars and trial virus checkers and other rubbish which is responsible for your machine taking 20 minutes to boot up and the drive light to never quite go out.
They not only add the bloat, they do what they can to prevent the crap from being removed.
Just yesterday I helped a cousin reinstall Win7 on a near-new Sony Vaio after their utilities decided to "helpfully" blow away the whole system including all data (fortunately, nothing vital was lost). I admit I have very little experience with Windows these days, but hunting down the needed drivers from Sony's website shouldn't take four freaking hours for someone doing IT for 25 years. They assume their recovery partition is the be-all and end-all and can never be wrong -- or perhaps, they are afraid someone may want to get rid of their precious crapware.
The U.S. Postal Service delivers my paper waste recycling material twice a week, in the form of "Coupons" and "Specials" and so forth.
I made strenuous efforts to remove myself from the distribution list. Found the advertising agency's phone number, in the very fine print; called repeatedly; got no reply.
Postal regulations provide a mechanism for "take me off your list, stop sending this junk!"
What tics me off about the post office is that the government can mandate a do not call list and institute the can-spam act to keep businesses from harassing me, but then they won't play by the same rules. The 5-10 lbs of junk mail I get a week requires FAR more effort for me to deal with than filtering e-mails or hanging up on telemarketers. Especially since they don't require envelopes and everything is just one big mess. Sometimes I even miss legitimate bills because they get lost in all the junk. At lea
You pay your taxes in one way or another.
Just shop at a Microsoft store (online or at retail). The PCs they sell are part of their "Signature" program whereby they remove all crap/bloatware and optimize the Windows install to run its best on that hardware.
Of course it's a bit more expensive, but it looks like it's worth it for the performance improvements and lack of hassle that you get.
No, i don't work for MS. I just think it's a good option.
http://signature.microsoft.com/ [microsoft.com]
They remove the bloat, don't allow trials because they piss off the user, set up one anti-virus that doesn't need a subscription, will sort out your iTunes if you ask, make sure all of the codecs are installed out of the box, and get rid of duplicate applications that do basically the same thing. They make things "just work."
In other words, they've reinvented the old school computer store. I give them a year or two before somebody 'improves' the experience. Before that, I'm going to look at what they're sel
I can vouch for this. Signature isn't exactly a vanilla install (Microsoft wants you to have the OEM drivers and some software) but it gives you no bullshit, Live Essentials, and Security Essentials, arguably the best AV program on Windows.
If you're suggesting a friend buy a laptop or, don't want to deal with PC Decrapifier, I highly recommend it.
"stick it all on a thumb drive and include it with every new machine"
To quote Neo, the problem is choice.
The solution being proposed involves giving consumers a greater choice. The aim of bloatware is to discretely deny choice. In the eyes of the PC makers, the solution and the aim are incompatible.
If I'm punching you in the face, me stopping punching you is not a solution I'm interested in. You need to start thinking about moving away.
If I'm punching you in the face, me stopping punching you is not a solution I'm interested in. You need to start thinking about moving away.
I have a lawyer. You punching me in the face is, in the end, going to make her and I a fair bit richer at your expense.
Mr. Willington's fevered rantings. In fact please put MORE bloatware on new computers! You see, I'm a computer consultant, and derive a significant sum of money each time a neighbor/friend/referral asks me how to remove your products from his new computer. Since your software causes considerable delay at each bootup if left untouched, they are amazed at how it responds when I am through, and are very eager and grateful to pay my fees! If you could perhaps slip in a few easy-to-clean viruses or computer
You know the first thing people ask them when they buy a computer?
"Does it come with MS Office?"
Mojo kid may be annoyed but the vast majority of consumers who pay money for these computers don't expect to come with nothing.
I can understand where he's coming from, but wouldn't Firefox, Open Office, etc also count as "bloatware" under this definition? I don't know about anyone else, but I often find that a bare operating system isn't really all that useful. If it were, then we'd still be using MS DOS 5.0 or BSD 4.4-lite/System V UNIX. I like the idea of having a few essential utilities (SiSoft Sandra, 7zip, Lavasoft AdAware), applications (Mozilla Firefox), and eye candy (extra fonts and desktop backgrounds) preinstalled on
Don't blame the computer assembly company....blame the actual authors of the code. Put up a hall of shame and make sure that you are very specific about which tool sucks and why it sucks. And what personal problems the authors must have to create such monstrosities. If its phoning home, clearly document what its doing.
When the refrain becomes "XYZ company sucks because this POS stuff they load on computers does this...", then they will fix their code. If your computer boots 15seconds faster witho
The solution seems pretty simple. If you still wish to include loads upon loads of third-party software, stick it all on a thumb drive and include it with every new machine. Problem solved.
This is about as naive a solution as I've seen suggested on Slashdot in a long time. How did this story even get accepted? The suggested solution is to reduce the effectiveness of the advertising, thus reducing the amount of money the PC manufacturers can charge to the advertisers, and increase the cost of the delivered product by requiring an additional bit of hardware to be included that would also require a coordinated documentation for installation instructions and training for customer service.
Right. That there is a top quality suggestion by someone who is savvy and experienced in the ways of the world.
The crapware is there because the crapware authors pay Dell/HP/et. al. to put it there, subsidizing your low hardware prices. Smart people don't bother booting the default config and just throw an install disk in the drive from the get-go.
If you don't have an install disk and only "restore" disks, you're on your own. Disabling bloatware isn't generally hard.
Microsoft tried this over ten years ago... Do people have no sense of history when it comes to computers?
Go look up the monopoly case against Microsoft, a large portion of the case was Microsoft's restrictions on OEMs on what modifications could be made to the OS. Microsoft supported bootup customizations (logos, support info, etc.) but the line was drawn in the sand when Microsoft started requesting 3rd party applications to be something that the OEM did not load and instead the user could optionally install them.
OEMs didn't want to lose this gravy the installed application money they received, and is why there was no lawsuit against Corel/Wordperfect for having the same contract that required the OEM to put Wordpefect Office on all systems sold, yet there was a lawsuit against Microsoft for the same contracts for both Windows and Microsoft Office.
(OEMs only got a better deal of about $5 per copy off of Windows if they included Windows with every system sold, and the greedy OEMs that went along with this, were also the ones that later on were in court testifying against Microsoft for offering them 'cheaper' deal that they willingly took. Smart OEMs paid the extra $5 for OEM copies of Windows and didn't have to bundle Windows with each computer sold.)
Anyway, this won't happen soon, as the money the OEMs make far out weighs the poor image of the crap that gets loaded on their computers creates about their computers.
Microsoft is stilly trying to get OEMs to reduce or make the 'optional' software a user initiated installation, and has even created an installation platform for OEMs and 3rd party software to use so that people get a true Windows experience on first boot, and can add all the crap they want that the OEM gets a kick back for by installing or using the software which initiates the install. (Microsoft's own software even uses this with Office and even Live Essentials which was formerly OS applications are optional installs for users.)
However, getting OEMs to stop taking 'bribe' money for loading crap, dream on... And with the Monopoly ruling against Microsoft, Microsoft no longer has any authority or say in how Windows is deployed. (Go read up on the lawsuit, why it really was a scam, and even people like the former CEO of Netscape later admitted it was a bad ruling, that he had previously testified and supported until he got to see the money and intent behind the ruling that came from the USA and the EU out of it.)
An elephant is a mouse with an operating system.


text:
Calling all students: Help design new classroomsUniversity of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa
UH Mānoa is planning now for future classrooms, deciding how classrooms of the future should be designed and furnished to provide the best possible learning environment.
On Tuesday, April 19, architects from Ushijima Architects, Honolulu, and YGH Architecture, Portland, Oregon, will be in the Campus Center to learn from UH Mānoa students how they feel about existing classrooms and to listen to their suggestions and creative ideas for improvements.
Input from students will be used to help develop classroom design guidelines for renovations of existing classrooms and for the design of new classrooms.
Stop by the tables in the Campus Center near Jamba Juice on Tuesday, April 19 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. to let UH Mānoa's architects know what you think!

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Guns N' Roses are about to unload some unwanted musical equipment.
According to the Daily Express, the band want to spring-clean their warehouse ahead of their upcoming Las Vegas residency.
The band will be using ebay.com to sell the gear that includes instruments and sound equipment in late September.
Look out for random items under the eBay seller name of dvamp2u according to Northwestohio.com.


text:
GameDay Cram Session: Oklahoma State
KUSports.com online editor Jesse Newell & Journal-World sports editor Tom Keegan take a look at what to expect from the Kansas men's basketball team's game against Oklahoma State.
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How European researchers are building biofuels with bacteria
Most people associate bacteria with disease and contamination, leaving the microorganisms with few saving graces. Yet their reputation could be about to change over the next few years: researchers are engineering bacteria to provide alternative energy sources to replace fossil fuels. And if they succeed, it will be thanks to projects like MicroGen, a European Union (EU) research project looking at new ways to generate renewable fuels from microorganisms.
The four-year MicroGen project, which began in December 2006, was one of the EU's Marie Curie Actions (MCAs), a programme supporting the mobility of European researchers. The aim was to build research capacity around the National University of Ireland (NUI) in Galway to explore the potential for microorganisms to generate energy from organic sources like wastewater. "We felt that novel microbiological approaches could be combined to create energy efficient and sustainable wastewater treatment and bioenergy systems," says MicroGen's project coordinator Vincent O'Flaherty, Head of Microbiology at NUI Galway.
Project details
See also


text:
Successful testing and validation of the bridge structure under various axle loads commenced Friday, February 24, and regular service to Darwin will resume on Wednesday, February 29.
Over the past week, the river receded to a level that permitted three intermodal containers that remained in the river to be removed safely and without incident. The river banks were patrolled and cleaned of debris for five kilometers (3.1 miles) downstream of the bridge. GWA will continue to monitor the site and if needed, conduct further cleanups as water levels decline over the coming months.
The bridge reopening was twice delayed by discovery during the repair process of hidden damage to the bridge structure, which required additional strengthening and restoration work.


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The job market is tough, and for Vietnamese students, it's unlikely that non-governmental employers hire based on applicants' understanding of class consciousness or state socialism. That could explain why Vietnamese authorities are offering free tuition to students who spend four years taking courses in Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh studies.
Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung signed a decree last month waving university fees for philosophy students who study "communist sciences," which focus on the teachings of the nation's founding father Ho Chi Minh, German philosopher Karl Marx, and Russian revolutionary Vladimir Lenin, the BBC reports. The new policy also applies to medical students focusing on tuberculosis, leprosy, mental illnesses and surgical science. In boosting culture, the Communist Party also supports traditional Vietnamese opera and drama students, who will receive a discount on school fees.
(MORE: LGBT Rights Blossom in Repressive Vietnam, but No Sign of Further Freedoms)
Though currently all students take at least three compulsory courses in Marxism-Leninism and Ho Chi Minh studies, Pham Tan Ha, head of admission and training at the Social and Human Sciences University in Ho Minh City, said his school has been struggling to attract students to go beyond the minimum requirement. Annual school fees typically range from $250 to $400 at state-backed schools to $5700 at private universities.
Students are bypassing the major in part because of limited job opportunities following graduation. Competition for employment is intense, and often international companies are seeking out employees for factories and the service industry, not experts in the country's political ideology. Vietnam refuses to abandon its authoritarian Communist regime, yet embraces capitalism in an effort to modernize its economy.


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BANDA ACEH, Indonesia -- Thousands of people on the ruined west coast of Sumatra island remained missing after last week's tsunami and rescue workers Sunday turned their full attention to getting aid to the living. A week after the world's worst earthquake in four decades pushed the Indian Ocean on shore, U.S. forces pressed ahead with one of their biggest-ever relief missions with the death toll likely to hit 150,000.
An Indonesian fisherman was found trapped under his beached boat and severely dehydrated Sunday, officials said. The 24-year-old man, identified as Tengku Sofyan, was rushed to a hospital in Banda Aceh, where doctors gave him intravenous fluids. He could barely speak and suffered cuts, doctors said.
Hungry Indonesians welcomed a dozen American Seahawk helicopters delivering biscuits, energy drinks and instant noodles to devastated villages on the west coast of Sumatra, the Indonesian island closest to the epicenter of the world's largest earthquake in four decades and the first place hit by the walls of water it sent surging across the Indian Ocean.
More than 80,000 were killed on Sumatra, and officials say the toll could surpass 100,000.
Relatives of the missing gave agonizing descriptions of their loved ones on television Sunday, clinging to hopes the missing had not been fatally crushed by rubble or taken by the sea.
Officials were pessimistic.
"There is very little chance of finding survivors after seven days," Lamsar Sipahutar, the head of Indonesia's search team, said before the fisherman was found. "We are about to stop the search-and-rescue operations. If you survived the earthquake, you probably were killed by tsunami."
Elephants were brought in to help remove debris in the ruined provincial capital of Banda Aceh and in southern Thailand, where resorts were destroyed and thousands killed along a world-famous tourist strip near Phuket island.
Around the devastated Indian Ocean rim, $2 billion in promised international aid began to reach survivors. U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, Secretary of State Colin Powell and Florida Gov. Jeb Bush will arrive in coming days. President Bush decided Friday to increase U.S. aid to $350 million.
This is "one of the most massive relief efforts ever mounted in response to one of the worst catastrophes the world has ever seen," Powell said on NBC's "Meet the Press."
"This trip is to figure out the best possible way logistically for the United States to offer help and also show the heart of our country in this really tragic time," Gov. Bush said in Miami before departing.
The American military was mounting its largest operation in southern Asia since the Vietnam War, delivering supplies from the aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln stationed off Sumatra and sending a flotilla of Marines and water-purifying equipment to Sri Lanka.
In the wiped-out coastal village of Kuede Teunom, where 8,000 of the 18,000 residents were killed in the disaster, haggard survivors caught bottles of drinking water tossed from a U.S. Navy helicopter.
"The need is desperate. There is nothing left to speak of," Lt. Cmdr. Jeff Vorce said.
Four Indonesian navy frigates loaded with supplies arrived off the coast of the fishing village of Meulaboh, one of Aceh's worst-hit spots. About half the town of 40,000 was destroyed. An Associated Press reporter who visited saw residents stepping over dead bodies to scrounge for food and scavenge pots and pans from destroyed homes.
In India's devastated Andaman and Nicobar Islands, some villagers said they still had not received any outside help, despite government claims that aid was reaching all affected sites. Officials said most of the island's jetties had been destroyed, making it difficult for boats to dock.
The first aid-laden Indian naval supply ship arrived in the archipelago Sunday.
On Bambooflat island, a short ferry ride from the islands' capital Port Blair, about 2,000 families desperate for food and shelter waited for help, and some grew angry. Late Saturday and early Sunday, half a dozen aftershocks, the biggest a magnitude 5.9, jolted the islands, where nearly 4,000 people were missing.
"There is no food, no kerosene, no matches, no rice," said rice farmer J.L. Tak. "Everything is gone and we got nothing from the government."
India was insisting there still was hope for survivors, though the search was essentially over in Tamil Nadu state, which bore the brunt of the country's sea surge.
"About 500 to 600 people are on our missing list, but in due course we will be declaring them dead," said Veera Shanmuga Moni, a top administrator of Tamil Nadu's Nagappattinam district.
India's official death toll topped 9,000 Saturday.
Overall, the death toll surpassed 123,000 and was climbing. U.N. officials said they expected the tally to surpass 150,000, though the final total may never be known. Five million people were homeless.
In Sri Lanka, where almost 30,000 died, flood waters that had added to survivors' misery receded. About 2,000 people were evacuated from refugee camps near the island nation's devastated eastern coast Saturday after days of steady rain triggered flash floods.
They returned to government-run centers, and there were no reports of casualties, police said. Hundreds of thousands were living in unsanitary camps, but some returned to homes that escaped serious damage.
Health officials said no medical crisis has yet emerged, though getting clean water and sanitation to hard-hit areas was an urgent priority to prevent outbreaks of disease.
"We need water. Our children are sick, they need food and medicine," said Riswan Ali, a resident acting as aid coordinator in the village of Bireun, 60 miles east of Banda Aceh. "Please, help us."
The 18,000 refugees there had gotten only one aid delivery, he said.
Washed-out roads, collapsed bridges and fuel shortages have made distribution difficult in Sumatra. Several improvements came Saturday, including the partial opening of Meulaboh's airstrip, and the clearing of some debris-strewn roads, said John Budd, a UNICEF spokesman in Indonesia.
The agency plans to establish 600 schools to serve 120,000 children in stricken areas of Sumatra, Budd said.
In Thailand, where the death toll approached 5,000, Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra visited tsunami-ravaged Phuket island, hoping to prop up a tourism industry that is critical to the country's economy. He pledged to set up a tsunami early-warning system that scientists say could have saved many lives had it been in place a week ago.
In the Maldives islands, 80 people died and more than two dozen are missing, President Maumoon Abdul Gayoom told CNN International on Sunday. Fourteen islands in the chain have been evacuated.
"A lot of our social and economic infrastructure is in ruins," he said. "We need a lot of regional and international help."
Experts also were concerned about survivors' emotional health. Thousands were grappling with horrific images of the death and destruction. Health professionals said some survivors cannot sleep or eat, or are afraid of the dark, the water or being alone.
"People are here with their loved ones on holiday ... it's just the day after Christmas and the next minute their loved ones are gone," said Jason Young, a British psychotherapist who set up a makeshift clinic at Phuket City Hall.


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In my experience the Dell Latitude line (with the notable exception of the D400) has been pretty good with thermal issues. That is, they generally don't overheat and rarely get too warm to touch, despite a metal base construction and general thinness compared to similar business class laptops.
They are also a dream to upgrade or repair when something does go wrong. I could take one apart and put it back together blindfolded, and that's no exaggeration.
The only downside to that line is the persistent lack of good GPUs. You could get a D600 series with an Nvidia Quadro NVS, but even that chip was severely underpowered and really didn't deserve the Quadro name. Otherwise you were left with Intel integrated video. That was fine if you were using the machine just for presentations and email/browsing, and it was a boon for those who sought a pure open source environment, but for the rest of us it made for some lackluster performance.
Still, I wish I had held onto one of those D620s I had in my collection.


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|2003-11-08, 15:43
|Link #1
in silent opposition
Fox Demon Fan Art
Whoo my first Naruto fanart!! (be excited with me!) I cant draw people so I drew the ninetails..hes the reason I started watching naruto in the first place..if 'fox demon' wasn't in the synopsis, I would have never even bothered..what a touching story!
Anyway, I originally went into this trying to draw the fox from the anime..honest!! But I just couldn't draw some skinny rabbit thing..so you get this instead!..sorry. I also was listening to M-flo on obsessive Tzurial repeat so he's not as evil and demon-y as I would have liked..-sigh-..ohwell
There's a lot wrong with this but I don't feel like typing, so that privilege I leave up to you! Be as cruel as you want..Im a masochist
(and yeah I know his tails look like asparagus..It looked cool in my head..really)
-Im frightened!
-ooh, as well you should be, starting a thread is scyary! Its a blast of cool wind that burns your face to wake you up
|2003-11-08, 16:12
|Link #3
Don't use animesuki now..
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: London, UK
Age: 28
lol that thing is weird but its really good ^_^ well done sakura chan
[EDIT] OMG SUMMIMASEN i meant Tzurial...ever since you two had similar avatars i have mixed ya's up quite a bit ^_^ P.S thats really good for your first time, i wish i could draw, i can only draw stick ppl ^__^
|2003-11-09, 15:39
|Link #11
in silent opposition
Whoo thanks everyone for commenting, I dont deserve such kindness!! ;_;
Its inspired me to keep showing my stuff here! (wich eventually I think will be a bad thing..sorrry in advance!!)
|2003-11-11, 13:42
|Link #12
Earth Died Screaming
Join Date: Nov 2003
Location: Thrushcross Grange
Good show, I say.
|Thread Tools


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Welcome to Ultimate Subaru Message Board, my lurker friend!
|Welcome to Ultimate Subaru Message Board, an unparalleled Subaru community full of the greatest Subaru gurus and modders on the planet! We offer technical information and discussion about all things Subaru, the best and most popular all wheel drive vehicles ever created.
We offer all this information for free to everyone, even lurkers like you! All we ask in return is that you sign up and give back some of what you get out - without our awesome registered users none of this would be possible! Plus, you get way more great stuff as a member! Lurk to lose, participate to WIN*!
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Bumper touch-up
Posted 30 April 2006 - 01:11 PM
Posted 30 April 2006 - 04:55 PM
You should be able to buy touch up paint at your subaru dealer. It probably won't be perfect, but it should be good for touch up.
Posted 02 May 2006 - 01:22 AM
Posted 02 May 2006 - 10:31 AM
My bumper DIY link here will either invite you to do it yourself or scare you aware from doing it.
how about a better write up on the headlight polishing?
you can leave out the HL removal...
Posted 02 May 2006 - 10:36 AM
there's an identical legacy to my 96 ('cept his is 95) and his left is perfect and right is yellow...just like mine
Posted 02 May 2006 - 09:51 PM
Keep in mind that the clearcoat layer (if there is any that hasn't already flaked off) is going to change the feeling of the sanding process. Once you break through this layer, then you will hit that nasty yellow stuff. Use 800 for this phase. Once you have knocked all this off, you should switch to the 1000 or 1500 grits. This will take forever - get a bucket and watch your favorite TV show while doing it.
Then move to the 2000 grit. You will finish this labor intensive stuff with a buffing compound.
Once tip, wet sand only in linear directions. Sideways, then up and down, then at various angles. Do not sand in circles as this is the most difficult to unscuff. This applies to the buffing compound as well. It is tempting to do it in circles - must resist!
You have to put a new clearcoat to protect the plastic. The reason why "cleaned" lenses turn yellow quickly is because they are usually polished and then exposed to the elements. I used an acrylic (rattle can). The trick is that most buffing compounds contain a lot of chemicals that result in fisheyes - kind of like badly prepped paint jobs where the paint won't stick. Some degreaser is appropriate to get the stuff off.....but you have to be very careful not to actually eat the plastic. Rubbing alcohol is a good "safe" alternative.
Posted 02 May 2006 - 11:47 PM
yup, you scared me away from doing it myself .
My bumper DIY link here will either invite you to do it yourself or scare you aware from doing it.
I'm more impressed that you got that done with a 1 and 3 y/o in the house.
When you sell the car, make sure you have the "before" pics on hand. If I saw that car with the "new" headlights and repainted bumper, my first instinct would be to think the car was in an accident.
Posted 03 May 2006 - 09:13 AM
yup, you scared me away from doing it myself .
I'm more impressed that you got that done with a 1 and 3 y/o in the house.
When you sell the car, make sure you have the "before" pics on hand. If I saw that car with the "new" headlights and repainted bumper, my first instinct would be to think the car was in an accident.
interesting thought
Posted 03 May 2006 - 10:34 AM
Then I take it in to a cheap paint place like Earl Schieb. They won't bother to do bodywork or much masking but if you do that first you can get a pretty good job. You end up polishing and removing over spray and a few drips, but by the time you get the lights and trim back in it feels like a whole new car.
My last Jeep got compliments most times I drove it and the paint lasted better than the paint on my BMW and Subie.
Posted 03 May 2006 - 01:27 PM
I'm glad this headlight thing came up. My headlights (96 obw) are just starting to turn yellow, only on the top it seems. I will be taking care of this very soon so it doesn't get any worse.
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I'd have to say the most listened to albums in my car are the ones from Robot Koch. His beats is the go to stuff while i'm cruising along driving into the city or going out to party. His beats hypnotize in this sick ill way. If you're into the Doshy stuff I posted earlier this week check this out! Robot Koch is the producer behind all these tracks and the ridiculous flow of John Robinson on top of each track. John does an incredible job on spitting verses and hooks. I'm usually quite not too big on MCs or rappers but man I'd totally let this guy drop some words on top of my set and if anyone knows how I feel about that it's saying A LOT!
One thing that really cheered me up about this release is that it was pressed to vinyl. I need to figure out how to order this here to the States. This needs to be in my vinyl collection. I'm listening to this whole thing over again and seriously wow. I'm totally blown away by this. This really is the next level stuff. There's a line John drops where he goes "Robot is the future" and I could not agree more. These insane beats with a sick flow is what I think is the next phase of electronic music. I also believe the sexy melodic idm stuff has a huge future coming back as the heavy aggressive bass lines will eventually get old very quickly and the complete opposite is what everyone will be hoping to hear. Big ups to Robot Koch and John Robinson!
Be sure to check out the video for the single!


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Holiday Inn Leamington Spa - Warwick
Holiday Inn Leamington Spa - Warwick
Olympus Avenue Tachbrook Park Leamington Spa
Olympus Avenue
Tachbrook Park
Leamington Spa
Leamington Spa
United Kingdom
Check In: 2PM
Check Out: 12PM
Check-in Age:18
Distance from Airport
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How To Get There & Get Around
Book With Us Advantage
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We promise you access to the guaranteed best available prices, or your first night is free.
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IHG takes your privacy seriously and works to protect you. All personal information you provide is encrypted and secure.
Welcome to Holiday Inn Leamington Spa - Warwick
A modern hotel near Leamington Spa and Warwick Castle, with free WiFi and on-site parking
Holiday Inn® Leamington Spa - Warwick hotel lies ten minutes by car from the medieval Warwick Castle and the Victorian-era baths of Leamington Spa. The town of Stratford-upon-Avon, birthplace of Shakespeare and home to the Royal Shakespeare Company, is 20 minutes' drive away.
The hotel's location in Tachbrook Park is especially convenient for business guests. Its eight well-equipped, flexible meeting rooms with free WiFi and optional catering are a great place to plan a conference or event for up to 60 people, with help from our dedicated conference host.
Those in town to relax can enjoy three nearby golf courses, as well as an abundance of shopping opportunities in Leamington. Kenilworth Castle, seven miles north of the hotel, is a less visited alternative to Warwick Castle, and visitors will find Leamington's parks and gardens, including Jephson Gardens, Mill Gardens and Victoria Park, particularly charming.
Wake up with a workout in the hotel's fitness room, and once you've worked up an appetite, indulge in an English breakfast. You can enjoy an evening meal with family or colleagues at Spa's Restaurant, which offers outdoor seating in summer, and have a cocktail at the hotel bar. Kids stay and eat free.
Kids Stay and Eat Free
Kids ages 17 and under stay for free when sharing their parents' room. Up to four kids ages 12 and under eat free any time of the day in any Holiday Inn® on-site restaurant.
|Kids Stay Free
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Free High-Speed Internet
- Standard wired internet service is free for all IHG® Rewards Club members
- Wireless Internet Available in Rooms, Suites, Business Centre, Public Areas and Meeting Spaces.
- Standard Wireless internet service is free for all IHG® Rewards Club members
- Standard Wireless Fee: 0 GBP
Shuttle/ Parking
- Car Parking Available
- Complimentary Daily Self-Parking is available
- Large onsite car park. Accessibility parking spaces available. Car parking complimentary. Guests on arrival need to register their car at reception. There is a terminal on the reception desk for the guests to register their cars
Pet Policy
- Pets allowed
- Guide Dogs Allowed
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- Pet Deposit per Stay: 10 GBP
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- Well behaved house trained dogs accepted, one per room. Ground floor accommodation will normally be allocated. Charge is 10 pounds per dog per night. Dogs must not be left unattended in the room & damage will be chargeable. Please contact hotel for detail
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- Number of Floors: 3
- Total Number of Rooms: 91
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You can be assured that when you stay at an IHG Green Engage Hotel, you are participating in an advanced, world-wide sustainability effort. We understand that it is important for you to have an active role in protecting our environment and that's why we've made it easier for you to choose a hotel that matches your sustainable values.


text: The panorama is taken over a 16th century Ottoman built bridge over the Miljacka river. One side faces the recently reconstructed National and University Library of Bosnia and Herzegovina (NULBIH, Vijecnica), which was designed during the Austro-Hungarian period more than a century ago. It was destroyed in 1992 by the Serb nationalists. 155 000 rare books and manuscripts were irreversibly destroyed during the shellings. The "old lady" looks great now. On the opposite side of the bridge one can see "Inat Kuća" (translated as "The Spite House") - a traditional Bosnian restaurant and many mosques around the view.


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Opening Day at the Races in Del Mar
Del Mar's favorite day of the year is just around the corner: Opening Day (at the Del Mar Race Track). Don your fascinators and party hats and join us for San Diego's most exclusive summer event: The L'Auberge Opening Day After-Party!
WHEN: Wednesday, July 17, 2013 from 5:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.
WHERE: L'Auberge Del Mar, 1540 Camino Del Mar, Del Mar CA 92014
NOSH: Culinary treats from award-winning KITCHEN 1540
TUNES: Southern California DJ FishFonics (link) and three-time winner of San Diego Music Award for Best DJ, DJ Gabe Vega (link)
SEE AND BE SEEN: Enjoy fabulous people watching and stunning ocean views.
TICKETS: $100 per person – must be 21 years or over
Tickets for are on sale now and can be purchased online at L'Petite Boutique. VIP your experience with private cabanas and tables with bottle service. Call 858-259-1515 for more information.
On Opening Day, scope our social media table! We'll be keeping you up-to-date with tweets, photos, Facebook posts and more. We hope to see you there.
No comments yet!


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Newcomers will compose nearly half the bracket at the PIAA Class 3A Northeast Regional wrestling tournament, but the unknown doesn't necessarily make District 11 coaches uneasy.
"I kind of like it, really," Nazareth's Dave Crowell said. "You just go out, wrestle and don't think about scouting or records or whatever. It's more fun."


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Monthly archives: October 2011
That's Not Spam: False Positives and Ham
Everyone loves a good comment. Readers benefit from the shared information and authors appreciate the conversation and feedback. But you gotta keep the spam out. Akismet and other anti-spam plugins do an excellent job of automating the process, but it's a good idea to watch out for false positives: legitimate comments marked as spam. Rescuing ham comments from the spam pile promotes healthy comment threads and improves the quality and reputation of your site. In this DiW post, we explain how WordPress & Akismet deal with spam, discuss anti-spam strategy, and share some ham-saving tips and tricks.


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Star Designs
An emblem seen the world over in decoration, especially in synagogues. It is common in the Caucasian and Turkoman products, especially in the form of the elongated eight-pointed star. This eight-pointed star in the centre of an octagon is said to have represented the Deity of the ancient Medes. In all probability the six-pointed star was an adaptation of the Shield of David. It is supposed to have been symbolic of divinity. To it may be traced scores of Turkish patterns.
G. Griffin Lewis The Practical Book of Oriental Rugs (Philadelphia: J. B. Lippincott Company, 1913) 133


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About 20 local governments and other agencies will share more than $1.1 million in grants to develop and maintain recreational trails across Kentucky. The money will also help pay for the acquisition of easements and for trailhead facilities for motorized and non-motorized use.
Examples of trail uses include hiking, cycling, inline skating, equestrian use, off-road motorcycling and all-terrain vehicle riding. Governor Steve Beshear says recreational trails help spur economic development, increase property values and aid in land conservation. The Recreational Trail Program is funded by the U.S. Department of Transportation's Federal Highway Administration.


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Diabetes insipidus - central
Central diabetes insipidus is a rare condition that involves extreme thirst and excessive urination.
Causes of Diabetes insipidus - central
Central diabetes insipidus occurs when the body has a lower than normal amount of antidiuretic hormone (ADH). ADH is also called vasopressin. ADH is produced in a part of the brain called the hypothalamus. It is then stored and released from the pituitary gland. This is a small gland at the base of the brain.
ADH controls the amount of water excreted in urine. Without ADH, the kidneys do not work properly to keep enough water in the body. The result is a rapid loss of water from the body in the form of dilute urine. This results in the need to drink large amounts of water due to extreme thirst and to make up for excessive water loss in the urine (as much as 4 gallons a day).
The reduced level of ADH may be caused by damage to the hypothalamus or pituitary gland. This damage may be due to surgery, infection, inflammation, tumor, or injury to the brain.
Sometimes the cause is unknown. In rare cases, central diabetes insipidus is caused by a genetic problem.
Diabetes insipidus - central Symptoms
Symptoms of central diabetes insipidus include:
- Increased urine production
- Excessive thirst
- Confusion and changes in alertness due to dehydration and higher than normal sodium level in the body, if the person is unable to drink
Tests and Exams
The health care provider will ask about your medical history and symptoms.
Tests that may be ordered include:
- Blood sodium and osmolarity
- Desmopressin (DDAVP) challenge
- MRI of the head
- Urinalysis
- Urine concentration
- Urine output
Treatment of Diabetes insipidus - central
The cause of the underlying condition will be treated.
Vasopressin (desmopressin, DDAVP) is given either as a nasal spray, tablets, or injections. This controls urine output and fluid balance and prevents dehydration.
In mild cases, drinking more water may be all that is needed. If the body's thirst control is not working (for example, if the hypothalamus is damaged), a prescription for a certain amount of water intake may also be needed to ensure proper hydration.
Prognosis (Outlook)
Outcome depends on the cause. If treated, central diabetes insipidus usually does not cause severe problems or result in early death.
Potential Complications
Not drinking enough fluids can lead to dehydration and electrolyte imbalance.
When taking vasopressin and your body's thirst control is not normal, drinking more fluids than your body needs can cause dangerous electrolyte imbalance.
When to Contact a Health Professional
Call your health care provider if you develop symptoms of central diabetes insipidus.
If you have central diabetes insipidus, contact your health care provider if frequent urination or extreme thirst return.
Prevention of Diabetes insipidus - central
Many of the cases may not be preventable. Prompt treatment of infections, tumors, and injuries may reduce risk.
Robinson AL, Verbalis JG. Posterior Pituitary. In: Melmed S, Polonsky KS, Larsen PR, Kronenberg HM, eds. Williams Textbook of Endocrinology. 12th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Saunders; 2011:chap 10.
Verbalis JG. Disorders of water balance. In: Taal MW, Chertow GM, Marsden PA, et al., eds. Brenner and Rector's The Kidney. 9th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Elsevier Saunders; 2011:chap 15.
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Current Population Survey, August 2002: Public Participation in the Arts Supplement (ICPSR 3971)
Published: Apr 22, 2011
Principal Investigator(s):
United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census; United States Department of Labor. Bureau of Labor Statistics; National Endowment for the Arts
Version V2
Alternate Title
CPS, August 2002
This data collection is comprised of responses from two sets of survey questionnaires, the basic Current Population Survey (CPS) and a survey administered as a supplement to the August 2002 basic CPS questionnaire. The supplement, on the topic of public participation in the arts in the United States, was sponsored by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The CPS, administered monthly, collects labor force data about the civilian noninstitutional population aged 15 years old or older living in the United States. Moreover, the CPS provides current estimates of the economic status and activities of this population which includes estimates of total employment (both farm and nonfarm), nonfarm self-employed persons, domestics, and unpaid helpers in nonfarm family enterprises, wage and salaried employees, and estimates of total unemployment. The basic CPS data are provided on labor force activity for the week prior to the survey.
The Public Participation in the Arts questions were asked of all persons in month-in-samples four and eight who were 18 years of age or older, as applicable. The CPS instrument determined who was eligible for the Public Participation in the Arts supplement through the use of check items that referred to basic CPS items for age and month-in-sample. Proxy responses were allowed if attempts for a self-response were unsuccessful. The supplement contained questions about the household member's participation in various artistic activities from August 1, 2001 to August 1, 2002. It asked about the type of artistic activity, the frequency of participation, training and exposure, musical and artistic preferences, length of travel for trips to artistic events, school-age socialization, and computer usage related to artistic information.
Demographic data collected include age, sex, race, Hispanic origin, marital status, veteran status, educational attainment, occupation, and income.
Export Citation:
Subject Terms
Geographic Coverage
Time Period(s)
2001-08-01 -- 2002-08-01
Date of Collection
2002-08-18 -- 2002-08-24
Data Collection Notes
ICPSR removed all FILLER and PADDING variables from the data. As a result, the column locations in any ICPSR-released data product (e.g., codebook and setup files) will have column locations that are not consistent with locations described in the User Guide.
The universe statements for each variable are defined in the basic or supplement record layouts found in Attachment 7 and 8, respectively, of the User Guide.
Users are strongly encouraged to refer the User Guide (produced by the Principal Investigators), which contains the questionnaire for the supplement, as well as additional detailed technical documentation regarding the study design, sampling frame used, and response rates.
A multistage probability sample based on results of the 2000 decennial Census was used for selecting the housing unit.
The universe for the basic CPS survey consisted of the civilian noninstitutional population, aged 15 years or older of the United States living in housing units, and members of the Armed Forces living in civilian housing units on a military base or in a household not on a military base. The August 2002 supplement universe represented one quarter of the full CPS sample comprised of all persons 18 years of age or older.
Unit(s) of Observation
individuals within housing units
survey data
Mode of Data Collection
Original Release Date
Version Date
Version History
2011-04-22 The ASCII data for this collection have been completely replaced. The data collection has been updated to include SAS, SPSS, and Stata setup files for use with the new data. Also included in the update are a corresponding SAS transport (CPORT) file, SPSS system file, Stata system file, and a tab-delimited version of the new ASCII data.
The data contain seven basic CPS weight variables:
- Household Weight -- HWHHWGT -- Used for tallying household characteristics.
- Family Weight -- PWFMWGT -- Used only for tallying family characteristics.
- Longitudinal Weight -- PWLGWGT -- Found only on adult records matched from month to month (used for gross flows analysis).
- Outgoing Rotation Weight -- PWORWGT -- Used for tallying information collected only in outgoing rotations.
- Final Weight -- PWSSWGT -- Used for most tabulations, controlled to independent estimates for (1) States; (2) Origin, Sex, and Age; and (3) Age, Race, and Sex.
- Veteran's Weight -- PWVETWGT -- Used for tallying veteran's data only.
- Composited Final Weight -- PWCMPWGT -- Used to create BLS's published labor force statistics.
The data also contain one supplement weight -- PWSUPWGT -- associated with the August 2002 Public Participation in the Arts supplement. Use this weight for tallying the supplement items.
Users are strongly encouraged to refer to the User Guide for detailed information on how to use the weights, as well as how they were derived.
Data in this collection are available only to users at ICPSR member institutions.
This study is provided by Resource Center for Minority Data (RCMD).


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WHEN Julia Gillard was prime minister and her embittered predecessor Kevin Rudd was hovering offstage, and intrigue abounded and Labor was enduring a string of cost blow-ups and shredded budget estimates, and it was flat-lining in the polls, it cooked up one of the great political con jobs.
Labor announced a series of major spending initiatives on education, social welfare and health care. They were untested, uncosted and unallocated. To pay for these national schemes Labor announced ... almost nothing.
The cost was safely postponed to beyond the budget forward estimates, past two election cycles, to 2017 and beyond.
As per plan, when the Coalition confronted these costs in government and said it would not commit to them, it was savaged by Labor and much of the media.
It is why Labor rushed out a TV campaign about Tony Abbott's "lies". Because it deflects from Labor's much bigger con.
This budget has some bungles. It was badly sold, the groundwork was poorly laid, and the anxiety inflicted on young people who lose their jobs is an example of an avoidable blunder.
I'm offering an exchange I had on radio this week with a figure subject to even more reflexive hatred than Tony Abbott, because I think it foreshadows a coming debate. It was with Alan Jones.
Jones: "There is no surprise in the polls. They show support for the Abbott government plunging. And the Labor Party, the arsonists, would be back in charge. That is, the crowd that gave us $190 billion in deficits in five years ... we're told if an election were held the Labor Party would romp in ... no admission of the financial disaster that Abbott inherited and ... promises to spend more for university students, the unemployed, the welfare recipients ...
"The arsonists, if you are to believe the polls, are still in control. What to make of all this? Paul Sheehan is on the line."
Sheehan: "Alan, we now have a leader willing to sacrifice his career for the good of the economy. We have an opposition leader willing to sacrifice the economy for the good of his career ..."
Jones: "I think we can end the interview now ... You can't do any better than that. That is exactly where we are ..."
Sheehan: "Bill Shorten spoke for 33 minutes in Parliament and I listened very carefully for how he was going to pay for his compassion ... And I did not hear a single syllable, not a sentence, not a nanosecond of air saying: 'These are the sacrifices we will make, these are the hard decisions, these are the choices, these are the taxes, these are the cuts and these are the efficiencies ..."'
Jones: "According to the International Monetary Fund, and I will say this slowly, in the six years to 2018, Australia is forecast ... to have the third-largest increase in net debt, as a proportion of GDP, among 17 rich nations, and the highest spending growth. Something's got to give."
Sheehan: "This budget process has only just begun. The budget is going to be absolutely whacked by the small parties ... The new mantra of Australian politics is show me the money, how are you going to pay?"
Jones: "When you look at polls, let's be blunt about it, we want the mob back who presided over the border protection debacle, who presided over the building of the education revolution extravaganza. We want the mob back who presided over the home insulation program ..."
Sheehan: "Well, we've reached the point in society where the demographic change and the ageing of the population and — here's the rub — the expectations of the public ... [means] there is a tremendous amount of generosity with other people's money."
You may think me, quoting myself, agreeing with Alan Jones, in defence of Tony Abbott, is a self-indulgent provocation to a certain kind of reader. Of course it is. But it's time for the outrage to grow into a discussion about how we are going to pay for this compassion and fairness.


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Posts Tagged 'white-list'
InAppBrowser (based on ChildBrowser) in Cordova 2.3.0
The inclusion of the InAppBrowser in iOS and Android will be new for Cordova 2.3.0. You can play with the InAppBrowser today if you download the latest code and help us test.
The InAppBrowser is a built-in web browser for your app that has an API that follows web standards. It follows the window.open API, except for a new window target that we introduced: "_system". Read our simple specification.
Does this mean the ChildBrowser is going away? Not really. These two plugins can co-exist, and ChildBrowser has added features that are not present in the InAppBrowser, particularly events. [UPDATE: see below]. InAppBrowser also has no dependencies on a .xib or external images, so it is easy to integrate for upgrades.
What's also new with the InAppBrowser implementation for iOS is, the white-list is not applied application wide anymore, the white-list will only apply for the main Cordova UIWebView only. Now you can load non-white-listed URLs into the InAppBrowser and the ChildBrowser.
There are several enhancements for plugins related to this new white-list exception functionality as well – please see issue CB-1889. The enhancements should land before the final 2.3.0 is released.
Please help us test by downloading the latest code or RC and giving this new feature a spin!
var ref = window.open('http://google.com', '_blank'); ref.addEventListener('loadstart', function(event) { alert(event.type + ' - ' + event.url); } ); ref.addEventListener('loadstop', function(event) { alert(event.type + ' - ' + event.url); } ); ref.addEventListener('exit', function(event) { alert(event.type); } ); // also, you can do ref.removeEventListener('loadstart', myfunc) .. etc
[Update Nov 30 2012]: Changes for InAppBrowser events for Android are in cordova-android now.
[Update Jan 7 2013]: If you have a multi-page app, and you use InAppBrowser, and you use iOS 6, you must use iframe bridge mode. More details here.


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I'm having a love affair – with Trader Joe's.
We have a secret rendezvous at least twice a week. Well, not that secret since I usually have to bring my toddler and sometimes my 5-year-old twins, too.
But my children are supportive. They love Trader Joe's as much as I do. The clerks there are trained to give them stickers and free samples.
Furthermore, my kids have figured out that the place has not just one but two kinds of cinnamon rolls: the raw-dough-and-frosting-in-a-cardboard-tube kind and the ones ready-made to pop right in the microwave. (I'd recommend 15 seconds on high.)
I'm addicted to Trader Joe's wasabi-flavored almonds. The edamame hummus pairs perfectly with the "Reduced Guilt" pita chips. And I find it so hard to resist a barnacle-covered pumpkin this time of year.
True, Trader Joe's bread goes stale within about two days. But that's only because, as the "Trader Joe's Promise" outlines, none of its eponymous products use artificial flavors, colors, preservatives or "GMOs." The store clearly has my back if it's protecting me from genetically modified organisms I didn't even know existed.
But I love Trader Joe's for more than just its organic delights. I also admire how the store poses questions that were on my mind and then answers them with signs.
"Trader Joe's bells: Why do we ring them?" queries one such posting. Enamored as I am, even I will admit that all the clanging was getting to me. However, reading that three bells meant "captain or mates ahoy" – i.e. "manager come running" – soothed my jangled nerves.
In fact, I generally find the store's atmosphere to be courteous, and this is no accident. I noticed a hiring sign this week instructing that applicants "must be nice and tell funny jokes." One of my favorite cashiers even recently cried out, "go girl," before joining me in the chorus of "I Second That Emotion" while expertly scanning my groceries.
However, I must confide that my romance with Trader Joe's may be on the wane. I blame a recent, tragic event that started as an innocent game.
"Try guessing how much your bill will be," a clerk coyly propositioned the other day.
I guessed $168.37. The total came to $168.13.
"That's the closest anyone's ever gotten!" he exclaimed, genuinely impressed.
"Really?" I gushed. "What do I win?"
"Just my undying admiration – and some stickers," he said, extending a sheet to my 2-year-old.
Well, sweetheart. That may no longer be sufficient. You may have to toss in a free box of vanilla Joe-Joe's to keep me coming back.
Views: 43


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Watch for depression during and after menopause
The risk for major depression more than doubles while women are going through menopause and afterward, according to research presented this week at the annual meeting of the North American Menopause Society in San Diego.
Recent studies have suggested that the risk for depressive symptoms in women increases in midlife, around the time of menopause, perhaps because of the effects of reduced estrogen on the mind, and the stress of hot flashes and other symptoms. However, less is known about the risk for major depression.
To investigate, the University of Pittsburgh's Dr. Joyce T. Bromberger and colleagues analyzed follow-up data on 221 African American and White women enrolled in the ongoing prospective Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN).
When they entered the study, women were between 42 and 52 years old, premenopausal and taking neither hormone replacement therapy nor birth control pills.
Over 9 years, more than half of the women -- 129 - went through menopause, and about a third - 69 -- experienced at least one major depressive episode. Not surprisingly, those who had a history of major depression were more likely to have such an episode.
Women were more than twice as likely to have a major depressive episode as they were going through menopause, and almost four times as likely after menopause, compared to before menopause.
Based on this analysis, it looks like, indeed, there is a doubling of risk for major depression as women go through the menopausal transition, said study co-author Dr. Karen A. Matthews.
Matthews had this advice for doctors: When women come in and are thinking that they have some extra difficulties with life


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Rachel Silva Charged With Drug Offense, DUI, Felony Child Endangerment
SAN DIEGO--The California Attorney General today charged Rachel Silva, 27, with felony child endangerment and five misdemeanors including driving under the influence of alcohol, driving with a suspended license and driving while in possession of marijuana.
In a declaration in support of Silva's arrest warrant, Special Agent Stephen Duncan said, "I believe that Rachel Silva's driving and actions on March 15, 2008, willfully put her son, Johnny Silva, under circumstances likely to produce great bodily injury or death…"
The state's charges follow an investigation into Rachel Silva's driving and the automobile collision with off-duty police officer Frank White that she caused at approximately 9:15 p.m. on March 15, 2008 in Oceanside, California. During that incident, Silva was driving in an erratic and aggressive manner with her eight-year old son in the car, while under the influence of alcohol, with a suspended driver's license, and in possession of marijuana.
After nearly causing a collision with another car, Silva pursued off-duty police officer Frank White in his car and struck his vehicle with her vehicle. During the incident, Officer White fired five rounds into Silva's vehicle, striking her twice in the arm and her son twice in the leg.
The incident was thoroughly investigated by the Oceanside Police Department. After an extensive briefing about the incident by the Oceanside Police Department, the California Attorney General's Office and the San Diego County District Attorney's Office agreed that it was appropriate for the Attorney General's Office to analyze and make any criminal filing decision as to Rachel Silva and for the San Diego District Attorney's Office to retain the investigation of Officer Frank White.
During the investigation, California Department of Justice agents reviewed 2,500 pages of documents, including an accident reconstruction report. The circumstances surrounding Rachel Silva's car striking Officer Frank White's car were insufficient for the filing of a charge of assault with a deadly weapon or any other assault charge against Rachel Silva.
The state's complaint was filed today and an arrest warrant was obtained. Silva has agreed to formally surrender at her arraignment at 1:30 p.m. on July 9, 2008, in Department 12 of the Superior Court in downtown San Diego.
The state's criminal complaint and declaration in support of the arrest warrant are attached.


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Dan Polansky (Talk | contribs)
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Latest revision as of 11:29, 25 February 2011
What follows is useful mainly for FreeMind 0.7.1. Since FreeMind 0.8.0, you can edit the user preferences in graphical dialog.
There are several options you can change in the menu Edit > Preferences. However, there's a lot of options customizable in the text file user.properties. If you are using Windows installer, this file is created automatically, and you only need to find it.
On Linux, the file user.properties is stored in the folder .freemind in your home directory (~/.freemind or $HOME/.freemind). [This would certainly be consistent with other Linux apps, but (for me at least) FreeMind created ~/freemind and wasn't going to have anything to do with ~/.freemind.]
On Windows 2000 and XP, the path should look like
C:\Documents and Settings\(your user name)\freemind\user.properties
On German Windows setups it should be "Dokumente und Einstellungen" instead of "Documents and Settings".
On Windows 95 and 98, the path should look like
To find out about your home folder, run the command
echo %HOMEPATH%
in your shell, which you can enter by running command or cmd. (this is not true in all installations. If you relocate your Desktop folder the FreeMind-dir will be right next to it, whereever you put it.)
You can change the 'user.properties' using plain text editor like Notepad. Note that every line starting with # will be ignored.
If you are using plain binary distribution without installer, you have to copy 'user.properties' to its proper destination yourself.
See also


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Former Texas football coach Darrell Royal passed away on Wednesday.
He was 88 years old.
Royal, who is Texas' all-time winningest coach and for whom the team's stadium
is named after, had been suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
He took over the Longhorns' program in 1957 after spending two years at
Mississippi State (1954-55) and one at Washington (1956), and guided Texas to
a 167-47-5 record, winning two National Championships (1963 and 1969) and 11
Southwest Conference titles in his time in Austin.
Texas also won a share of the UPI national championship in 1970 before losing
to Notre Dame in the Cotton Bowl.
The Hollis, Oklahoma, native finished his coaching career with a 184-60-5 mark
and never had a season with a losing record.
Royal retired from coaching in 1976, but remained as Texas' director of
athletics until 1980, when he became a special advisor to the UT president on
athletic matters.
He was voted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1983.


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Maui Oral Health Center receives $5,000 from Lifeguard Charitable Fund
Gift will benefit Maui Community College's Center and Mobile Dental VanMaui College
UH Foundation
Administrators at Maui Community College (MCC) and the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation have been notified of a $5,000 gift from the Lifeguard Charitable Fund. The donation will be utilized to purchase specialized digital x-ray equipment for the Maui Oral Health Center and its Mobile Dental Van.
"There is a strong correlation between overall health and dental health," said Lifeguard Charitable Fund President Mark Hyde. "The Maui Oral Health Center provides critical oral health services to people in need while providing training for MCC students pursuing a career in the dental profession."
"We are extremely grateful to Mark and the Lifeguard Foundation for their support," said MCC Chancellor Clyde Sakamoto. "Their gift will expand and extend services to those who are the most in need of oral care services in Maui County. Our faculty and college express our gratitude for this generous gift and precious encouragement."
The Maui Oral Health Center, which opened in 2002, provides general dental care and cleanings, fluoride supplements, dental sealants, x-rays, nutrition counseling and health screenings for low income families. It also serves as a classroom for MCC students enrolled in the Dental Assisting Program.
The Mobile Care Dental Van is a retrofitted 40-feet Airstream mobile unit equipped with two dental operatories, separate sterilization and patient intake space. The van travels throughout Maui to reach economically disadvantaged community members in need of dental services.
The Center is located at 752 Lower Main Street in Wailuku.


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Various and even seemingly contradictory expert knowledges got integrated into a public action that pushed forward the desegregation of the Roma, the integration/mainstreaming of the socially disadvantaged (incl. but not limited to Roma), and the inclusion of all. The hitherto exclusive remedial medicalpsychological model has been replaced by sociological insights, progressive educational economy ("mainstreaming is worth"), pro-inclusion special education, as well as by neuropsychology limiting its own domain of competencies. The aim was to provide for a better diagnosis (assessment) and a better therapy (development) of SEN, pseudo-SEN, proto-SEN and ex-SEN students in order to reduce misdiagnosis, over representation, social and territorial inequalities. Knowledge dissemination (trainings for practitioners, methodological centres, new IQ-test) and prevention programs (early child development) were launched as well.
The Public Action included the "From the Last Desk Program" (FLDP), the supporting actions launched as part of the (EU-financed) operative programs of National Development Plan I and II, as well as the re-examination (control testing) of thousands (2004) and tens of thousands (2007) children diagnosed with special educational needs during the previous years.
It also included the invention of relatively new, post-bureaucratic forms of regulation through knowledge: (1) the use of scientific research as a regulation tool (showing evidence of trespass, misdiagnosis and segregation on the local level) and above all, (2) the dissemination of knowledge in various forms toward street-level bureaucrats.
ERÖSS Gábor & KENDE Anna (2009), All against misdiagnosis - Sociologists, neurologists, economists, psychologists and special educators for inclusion, KNOWandPOL report, 3-4.
BAJOMI Ivan, BERÉNYI Eszter, ERÖSS Gabor, FERNEZELYI Bori, KOLTAI Julia, LEVENDEL Sara, NEUMANN Eszter & VIDA Julia (2010), Integration Report, Orientation 2 Public Action 1, KNOWandPOL Report.


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ECM Publishers, a media company based in Coon Rapids, Minnesota, has signed a Letter of Intent to acquire the Minnesota Sun Newspapers from American Community Newspapers II located in Dallas, Texas. While ACN has accepted the Letter of Intent, purchase agreement negotiations are ongoing.
"This potential combination promises vital hometown journalism for scores of suburban communities," said Julian Andersen, CEO and Chairman of ECM. "Both of these newspaper groups are staffed and led by talented and effective associates, who will bring vim and vigor to the opportunities and responsibilities of a larger media enterprise."
"ECM is always looking for ways to grow as an information company," said Marge Winkelman, president and chief operating officer. "ECM has grown over 35 years from a weekly newspaper in Princeton, Minn., to a company with 21 publications delivered to more than 300,000 Minnesota homes." "Opportunities of this magnitude rarely happen and ECM is looking forward to working with all the associates at the Sun Newspaper Group and to continue to provide quality newspapers and an online presence to all the communities that we serve", Winkelman emphasized that no final agreement has been reached with ACN, but hopes a signed agreement will happen before the end of this year.
Jeffrey Coolman, vice president and group publisher for Minnesota Sun Newspapers states "The greatest resource we have are the people who work for us, the merger will bring our talented staff from both companies together to create one of the strongest community newspaper groups in the region. The future will bring us great opportunities to serve our readers and advertisers, grow our market share, and develop new print and digital products. Both companies have a very strong commitment to community journalism and combined will add tremendous synergy to the marketplace."
Both ECM and the Sun Group are composed of newspapers, shoppers, and websites. ECM publishes 15 newspapers and six shoppers with total weekly circulation of 155,000 and 191,000 respectively. The Sun Group publishes 32 newspapers and two shoppers with total weekly circulation of 357,000 and 38,000 respectively. ECM websites attract 1,000,000 page views a month, and Sun Group websites attract 461,000 page views per month.
ECM was created in 1976 by Elmer L. Andersen, who started this newspaper company after a successful career as businessman, state legislator, and governor. The company began when Andersen bought competing weekly newspapers in Princeton and combined them into the Princeton Union-Eagle. Subsequently, ECM added a commercial web printing plant in Princeton and acquired an independent delivery company that now operates as a division of ECM. In a sequence of transactions over the past 30 years, ECM acquired additional newspapers.