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Easily Phone An Entire Congressional Committe
Committee Caller is a free service that lets you easily call an entire congressional committee. Just select the House or Senate committee, or subcommittee, and entire your phone number. Click the "put me in touch with democracy" button to activate. The system then calls you after it's connected your call to that representatives front office. Press asterisk to end the call. Then rate the call by pressing 0-5, 5 being the best, and the system moves on to calling the next committee member. A neat way to make your voice heard, (like telling them to support the Arbitration Fairness Act), though our primer on writing to Congress is pretty great, too.
Committee Caller [via BoingBoing]
Want more consumer news? Visit our parent organization, Consumer Reports, for the latest on scams, recalls, and other consumer issues.


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Pink came under attack when her Sydney house was "egged" last night.
The singer received a rather nasty surprise when she woke yesterday to discover her home had been hit by 12 eggs.
She is living on Sydney's Northern Beaches while she tours Australia.
She also received a more friendly welcome to her new neighbourhood in the form of some home baked Australian biscuits.
"We got a lovely welcome to the neighbourhood last night with a dozen eggs thrown at our door!" Pink tweeted. "But we also got an Anzac slice so it's all good."
The down-to-earth songstress later joked that she felt the egging was justified. When she was challenged by a follower on the social networking site for allegedly giving Australians a bad name she replied that the incident did not really bother her that much.
"@Pink giving the Aussies like us who adore you a bad name" to which she replied. "aww not true:) I would egg me too hhahaha. (sic)"
The singer is in Australia promoting her new album The Truth About Love.
She seems to be enjoying her time in the country and shared a photograph of one of Australia's sunny beaches along with a caption describing it as an ideal location.
"Little slice of heaven:)" Pink gushed.

subset: commoncrawl


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Mexican chocolate has a rich, full-bodied, complex flavor and contains sugar crystals, cinnamon and often times brown sugar, vanilla and chiles. It has a zingy flavor my Dad compares to cinnamon red hots. Even when melted, little specks of chocolate remain intact giving it a grainy texture that is unique for chocolate. We always have Mexican chocolate on hand for making hot chocolate, the inspiration behind these corn muffins.
Dutch-process cocoa powder forms the chocolate backdrop for the chopped-up pieces of Mexican chocolate floating around in the muffins. The best part of eating them is biting into those crunchy little pieces of spicy, chocolate goodness. They are harder than regular chocolate chunks with more heft to them and don't melt as completely. Similar to what happens when you use chopped up candy bars for baking. In keeping with my resolution to use a wider variety of spices I picked allspice for these, a smart choice as it enhanced the cinnamon flavor.
This batch of muffins wasn't entirely eaten yet before my Dad was inquiring over whether I had plans to make them again?! My first time baking with Mexican chocolate was so successful I can't wait to produce more baked goods with it! The taste it brings is something extra special that I
wish think everyone could should experience.
I used Nestle Abuelita chocolate which I found in the Goya food section of my market. The muffins aren't very sweet made as is, if you're looking for a sweeter muffin add more sugar. Also adding a teaspoon of instant coffee powder into the batter will kick up the chocolate flavor even further.
1.Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease a 12 cup muffin pan or line with paper liners.
2. In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon, allspice and a pinch of salt. In a separate mixing bowl whisk together eggs, milk, butter, sugar, sour cream and vanilla extract. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and mix just until combined, add chopped chocolate and mix in.
3. Use an ice cream scoop to fill the cups 7/8 of the way full. Bake for 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean from center.
4. Remove pan to a wire rack to cool. After ten minutes remove muffins from pan and cool completely on wire rack.
5. For topping melt the chocolate with 1 tablespoon of milk or heavy cream, whisk together adding more heavy cream if needed to make a smooth frosting. Add the frosting to a small plastic bag, cut off the corner and pipe over top of each muffin.
Makes 10-11 muffins
foodie_views_link_url = 'BLOG_POST_URL';


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IMF Urges Congress to Increase Borrowing Limit
Says U.S. Should Avoid 'Confidence Shock' From Prolonged Debt-Ceiling Debate
WASHINGTON—The International Monetary Fund on Thursday weighed in the approaching need for the U.S. to again increase its borrowing limit, urging Congress to act quickly to avoid unsettling the country's economic recovery.
"It's essential to reduce uncertainty by raising the debt limit promptly," IMF spokesman Gerry Rice said at a press briefing. "The last thing the U.S. economy needs right now is another confidence shock such as a prolonged debate about whether the U.S. will honor its obligations."...


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Student-athletes officially reported to campus today, as the University of North Dakota football team begins preparations for the 2014 season.
Move-in, meetings, equipment check-out highlight a busy two days before the first practice at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday.
Stay tuned for complete coverage of camp on UNDsports.com, on Twitter at @UNDfootball, Facebook.com/UNDfootball and Instagram @UNDfootball


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The Lee County Sheriff's Office Traffic Unit will target at least one of the following three locations for enforcement Thursday, August 22:
- Sunshine Boulevard, Lehigh Acres
- Cypress Lake Drive @ U.S, 41, Fort Myers
- Buckingham Road, Fort Myers
Locations are selected based upon high incidents of crashes, traffic surveys and citizen complaints. The Sheriff's Office is committed to promoting traffic safety and enforcing the law. By focusing on violations such as red light running, speeding, DUI and others, motorists become more alert and are encouraged to obey traffic laws. The Sheriff's Office Traffic Unit and District Patrol Deputies enforce our traffic laws each day by issuing citations and warnings. Preliminary results from their cumulative activity yesterday are as follows:
Citations Issued: 79
Written Warnings Issued: 272
Citizens can help by letting us know if they observe problem areas, aggressive or impaired drivers and by their compliance with the rules of the road. To get in touch with one of our traffic deputies call (239) 477-1000. If you see a reckless or drunk driver while you are traveling in your motor vehicle in Lee County, dial 9-1-1.
This traffic enforcement advisory is available each day on the Sheriff's Office website at www.sheriffleefl.org.
Everyone is reminded to "Fasten Your Seat Belts, be courteous to drivers and pedestrians and together we can reduce traffic related fatalities, injuries and property damage.
Note: Red light running is one of the leading causes of traffic crashes. As you drive up to an intersection controlled by a traffic signal, remember to approach cautiously and be prepared to stop!


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Originally posted on The Algonquin Books Blog.
Intrepid former Algonquin intern David Bradley and his trusty sidekick, Lucky the Leprechaun, hit the road for a tour of (almost all) the coolest, hippest, greatest indie bookstores in the United States. Join us for the journey…
LOS ANGELES — Hustle and bustle. Glitz and glamour. Movie stars and, well, more movie stars. You know you're in Los Angeles rather immediately. Mostly because the already hectic California traffic ramps up to a truly absurd clogged disaster, but also because L.A. has that iconic feel that's rare even among the major cities. It's not just the tall buildings or the crowded streets or the flashing lights or the Walk of Fame or the giant "Hollywood" sign looking over it all. Heck, I don't really know what it is. But Los Angeles has it.
Los Angeles has it, but Book Soup has more of it. Sitting in West Hollywood just underneath the Hollywood Hills, Book Soup has a unique design and a beautiful entrance that stays true to its L.A. roots, with magazines and newspapers lining one of its outside walls. Meanwhile, the inside is so supremely decorated that you have to wonder how every movie doesn't find an excuse to shoot a scene there (after all, we all need more bookstores in our movies). Their selection is top-notch, too. When I reached Book Soup I had literally gone coast to coast in search of a particularly strange book of poetry, Alien Vs. Predator by Michael Robbins. I had almost given up hope of finding it until, lo and behold, the Book Soup staff not only had it in stock but were totally familiar with it. If you're in L.A. and you haven't been to Book Soup, then you're doing it wrong.
Former Store Manager Paige Ferguson answered the Algonquin Questionnaire before handing over the reins to current Manager Greg Tower.
When did Book Soup originally open?
Book Soup first opened in 1975.
What was in the current location before Book Soup?
There were some interesting things going on here a few years back. Next door used to be a funeral parlor and this location used to be a clothing store, but not just any clothing store. There were a lot of rumors that the store was owned by the mob although, obviously, I never got that confirmed.
What is the oddest non-book item that you sell in the store?
We actually have Book Soup condoms available for purchase. But I want to throw a disclaimer out there that the condoms are mostly a novelty item and we do not claim responsibility for their effectiveness (or lack thereof).
What is your favorite Algonquin book? And your favorite summer read?
I thought Amy Stewart's recent book The Drunken Botanist was great. My personal favorite summer read is actually a classic, The Godfather by Mario Puzo.
Are there any staff members with odd or unique talents?
One of our booksellers, Dustin, is a professional comedian who has actually performed in the store on occasion.
Is there a staff cocktail of choice?
Coffee. Always coffee.
Next stop: Skylight Books in Los Angeles.
*Note: The Lucky Tour posts are not in real time. David and Lucky have returned from their travels with great tales and many, many books. Stay tuned for more road stories…


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After several problems throughout this season, the scoreboard at the Roby Dome officially clocked out on Friday night during the Knights game against Taylor County, leaving the teams in the dark about the score and time remaining.
"This is my third year as athletic director and I've never had any clock issues as a coach or an athletic director," Stacey Hall, Marion County High School athletic director, said. "I've had floor issues but never clock issues."
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Here's the video of the people, machine, and recording [timesunion.com]
Where is the audio of Edison, the last few seconds? What about Einstein were his recordings ripped too?
Law firm representing NBC has filed suit alleging their client's copyrights have been violated for unauthorized rebroadcasting of the film content. "The audio programs recorded on those films are wholly owned intellectual properties belonging to our client, and their unauthorized rebroadcasting over the web is a willful theft of our client's intellectual properties. We fully intend to pursue this matter for the maximum payou... punitive damage under our law... ahm, the law."
But Edison is dead. His copyright should have expired with him. Or 14 years - whichever came first.
And I'm not sure what the big deal is about optical recording on film? That's how most films of the 1920s, 30s, and 40s record their sound and is commonly understood. Maybe it took the engineers two years to decode the precise format.
Link to actual recording that was recovered:
You need the Flash 10.2 beta which accelerates pallophotophone files.
The "joke" is getting about as old as the reality. Please don't drag it along.
You need the Flash 10.2 beta which accelerates pallophotophone files.
That's why I will only buy an Android phone!
Weren't we talking about this in the chatroulette story a few days ago?
That's great and all, but I wanted to hear Edison...
(The video is a short clip of the story on what it took to create the machine and there's about 3 seconds of the radio program at the end.)
There's a lot more than three seconds---
The longer recording is available at:
http://link.brightcove.com/services/player/bcpid1578001794?bctid=96943642001 [brightcove.com]
This is neither the only recording of the broadcast, nor the best. A recording of the broadcast made by Edison's own technicians on his then-state-of-the-art 30 RPM radio transcription system was restored by Professor Mike Biel and released by Mark 56 Records three decades ago.
Even so, they mentioned seven canisters. Assuming 1000 ft canisters at what would be 24 FPS, we get approximately 77 minutes of audio? I don't know how long the broadcast was, but if that is longer than the broacast, perhaps it has additional material.
If not, there still could exist other audio reels in this format someplace or other, which could benefit from the machine designed to recover the audio.
The film has multiple (8-10) tracks per roll. This would account for the 20 hours of audio recovered.
It's probably true that analog formats are more lasting if they're forgotten about for a while, as in this case, because they degrade relatively gracefully.
Digital media will be saved by digital virtues, principally the ease of making many perfect copies. You back up your JPEGs, right? Robust digital data is data for which there are many copies.
Teac and Crutchfields for Reel to Reel units. Yes they are still being made.
It happens all the time. Part of it is that something that seems unimportant at the time becomes considerably more valuable in retrospect. Just off the top of my head, such things have included a Benny Goodman album (wax cylinders found in a box in the attic), NASA space probe data and moon footage, and all of the early Dr. Who episodes (deliberately erased to save tape!).
Add to that the army of attack lawyers that have sprung up since that time, all ready to sue anyone who even thinks about copying anythin
Analog data, including your film negatives, degrade over time, and can never be recovered. If people care about your stuff, it's much more likely to be around a hundred years from now in digital format than in analog format as long as it isn't locked up in DRM.
I sometimes worry about the 'lasting-ness' of all my JPEG photography compared to my film negatives through this same issue.
What you need is a distributed, persistent, peer-to-peer file system. Luckily, just such a thing can be built cheaply, using commodity hardware and software. Include a 19 year old woman who isn't wearing a shirt in each of your photographs, and you can be guaranteed that you will have 100% retention and worldwide availability of your photography hundreds of years into the future.
In support of your point: One of my prized archives is a CD, cut from a cassette tape, cut from a wire recording [wikipedia.org] of my dad's family when he was young.
I remember being young myself as we all gathered around the old wire recorder that Grandpa had produced from the nether regions of the basement. He turned it on, and we waited a few minutes for the tubes to warm up, and then he engaged the play mechanism. Lo! Sound came forth from 40 years prior. As far as anyone could remember, nobody had ever list
Is there any reason you wouldn't just make a high resolution scan of the film and attempt to process it from there? Certainly I understand the satisfaction in making a physical machine, but doesn't that risk a lot more damage to the original media?
My thoughts exactly. IIRC, for the old wax-cylinder recordings that wouldn't survive a playback, they used a laser "stylus" to measure the exact depth and variation of the grooves down to fractions of a mm, and were able to play it back no problem. They got a higher-quality sound off the drum then even the destructive stylus would've managed.
That's the thing about digital formats going obsolete - as long as the information can be represented as a series of bits on whatever the current computer is, anybody c
Yes and no. While you can do it with a $200 laptop, the skills required to decode something like an mp4 file are going to be far in excess of what these two guys needed.
Fortunately the file specificiations will hopefully be preserved digitally too
A $100 prize to the first person or best reproduction wouldn't hurt, either.
On the other hand, building the machine was probably the whole point, and hopefully quite rewarding for these engineers. That's the same reason someone would probably decode a digital version for free: it's a challenge that's very unique and fun to solve.
the skills required to decode something like an mp4 file are going to be far in excess of what these two guys needed
Yes and no... In 100 years it will probably go something like this:
"Hey, Computer."
"I found this 100 year old computer file. Can you decode it for me?"
"Sure, just a second."
"Done. It appears to be a video of a caucasian human singing a song from the year 1987."
"Really? What song?"
"Never Gonna Give You Up..."
I suspect 100 years from now reading the data off a thumb drive, CD or DVD will be a bigger challenge that actually decoding the file...
I suspect 100 years from now reading the data off a thumb drive, CD or DVD will be a bigger challenge that actually decoding the file...
100 years from now we will probably have desktop universal disassemblers that can record the position of every atom in an object. That will take care of thumb drives. CDs and DVDs will be even easier, use that high-resolution ultraviolet scanner to read the surface.
Is there any reason you wouldn't just make a high resolution scan of the film and attempt to process it from there? Certainly I understand the satisfaction in making a physical machine, but doesn't that risk a lot more damage to the original media?
I used to live down the street from John Schneider (one of the engineers who worked on this). He's actually a multi-millionaire who started his own company a few years back and it's pretty cool that he's still getting his hands dirty with things like this.
Here's a bio.. http://www.spoke.com/info/pOzZMi/JohnSchneiter
Although he's a really smart guy, he's not really super computer savvy - as is common for a lot of MechEs so it makes sense that he would try to solve this problem using hardware since that's what he knows. Naturally myself (and likely most software guys) would get a high resolution scanner out and write some code to "playback" the stored audio. I've seen similar applications for playing old records that don't require actually touching the record with a needle. Regardless, you really only need to play it once and digitize the audio so the concern of multiple playbacks ruining the film isn't that big of a concern.
All in all a really cool hack!
The machine they built winds the film onto reels, and then plays it back in front of a light source, that's shining onto some sort of photocell that re-creates the sound. The sound is clearly put into a digital computer feed (note the obvious sound wave on the monitors in the background of the video.) Likely, each reel was only run through once, or maybe twice, and converted into a useful, digital version.
In other words, they scanned the film and then decoded it.
In fact, I wouldn't doubt that they duplicate
You still need all the mechanism of the machine to transport hundreds of feet of film past the scanning head at a constant speed without breaking it and keeping it nicely spooled. If the 35mm film had sprockets perhaps they could have used the mechanism from an existing 35mm film projector instead of having to make their own constant speed mechanism for the sprocketless film.
The phototransistor (photodiode, CCD etc) method is a long established technique for playing back an optical analog sound track from f
and you'll be reading a story about engineers building a machine to play old 8-Track recordings, or old CD's they found in the bottom of a desk in a museum.
I doubt that. The widescale use of technology will pretty much ensure it can be read well into the future.
Granted i have nothing in my house that would play an 8 track recording or a vhs tape, but I could find one in a day or two on ebay or craigslist.
I'm sure in 30 yrs, CD players will be far more obtainable than 8 tracks are now
And a week later, the markets crashed.
1929? So the entirety of the content from those things would still be under copyright, right?
Eh, torrent link plz.
Copyright of a radio interview is more likely owned by the radio station.
> Copyright of a radio interview is more likely owned by the radio station.
By whoever made the recording.
It is during instances and moments like these that we should be reminded of exactly how bad it is to protect content and patent data processing methods. These are the surest ways for us to lose the historical data we are creating today. Already, losses of great works have been lost due to lack of republication because copyright has not expired before the last copies were lost forever. If it were not for a few brave individuals, Disney's "Song of the South" would be lost forever today as they will never EVER publish it again and it is not available for sale anywhere.
And more and more, we are seeing technologies phasing out... floppy disks... anyone got an 8" floppy drive laying around? What about 5 1/4" No? I still have a few USB 3.5" floppy drives but that was only to make a floppy disk RAID for fun. We might find some paper tape somewhere in an archive out there in a dark closet, but will we find a reader for it?
The push for "open formats" is precisely about better guaranteeing that data will be available in the future and so few people are willing to listen or understand. "DOC" is the standard right?
Patent rights only last 20 years from filing. Copyright however, is much longer. Don't get your IP protections schemes all tied in a bunch!
Old file formats are a problem for individuals too. I booted up an old computer and copied some old stories and papers I had written which were in Multimate or ProPrint format. I was lucky enough to be able to recover the text of one of them, but some of the others might take a lot more effort. If these were in OpenDocument format, I'd be able to decompress them and pull the XML-text (worst case scenario). Since they are long-forgotten proprietary formats, though, I'm forced to piece together what text
Old file formats are a problem for individuals too. I booted up an old computer and copied some old stories and papers I had written which were in Multimate or ProPrint format. I was lucky enough to be able to recover the text of one of them, but some of the others might take a lot more effort. If these were in OpenDocument format, I'd be able to decompress them and pull the XML-text (worst case scenario). Since they are long-forgotten proprietary formats, though, I'm forced to piece together what text I can see and hope that the gobbledygook is just formatting information being lost. (Of course, if someone knows how to import Multimate or Proprint into OpenOffice.org, I'd love to hear it.)
I believe that Multimate was one of the filters supported by StarOffice 5.2. You should still be able to find a version of it as Sun offered it for free (as in beer). You can then save it as a star office format file which openoffice can read in directly.
This is how I was able to bring in my wife's Masters Thesis which was written in Word Star.
AFAIK it was also released on LaserDisc in Japan. I'm pretty sure I've seen it up on EBay in the past and I'm sure there are people selling laserdisc dubs onto DVD.
AFAIK it was also released on LaserDisc in Japan. I'm pretty sure I've seen it up on EBay in the past and I'm sure there are people selling laserdisc dubs onto DVD.
It's usually fairly easy to find a torrent and it's often posted to that other place we won't talk about. IIRC I have an SVCD.
Yes, I am quite aware of the formats it was released in and where. But it will never be released again. Never on DVD, never on Bluray or in whatever format that may come next. So how long ago was it that it was last published? In that format, how long will a viable copy last or be available for playback? Beginning to see my point?
Do you seriously believe that it has not been digitized by many people and stored in hundreds of different places?
I seriously believe it has been. I have it archived myself. But that is an exception, not the rule. And that was my purpose for using "The Song of the South" as an example. If Disney had their way, we wouldn't be able to protect such works through copying in this way. The unfortunate reality is that many other important works are lost.
Already, losses of great works have been lost due to lack of republication because copyright has not expired before the last copies were lost forever.
Wouldn't losing a loss be a good thing?
Finally, the full audio. Really exciting to think of all the audio they can save this way, and bring forward for more permanent storage.
I remember some long-ago speculation that drying paint could capture sounds. Some guy was going find Michaelangelo coughing or something like that. I couldnt find a reference on google.
I'm pretty sure that's some April Fool's Joke by a scientific journal (Nature?) being run amok by "journalists".
Link to actual project at General Electric [gereports.com], including access to the Edison audio.
A more informative video can be found here [youtube.com] with one of the engineers describing its function while it plays back some old recordings.
Edison was a scam artist that took credit for other peoples work. His own personal work was mediocre at best. Now, if this was a lost Tesla recording or something, THAT would be news worthy.
And ya, i expect to be modded down, but if you are objective and do some research, you will see I'm right.
Edison was a scam artist that took credit for other peoples work. His own personal work was mediocre at best. Now, if this was a lost Tesla recording or something, THAT would be news worthy.
And ya, i expect to be modded down, but if you are objective and do some research, you will see I'm right.
No. If you are objective and do some research, and then make a lot of money from it like Edison did, you can be sure that some worthless troll will come along and claim that you stole their ideas.
My point was that Edison was a business man first, and a poor inventor second. Who really cares about the historical impact of a business man's artifact?
That he continues to get direct credit for his employees work is dishonest.
Finding some history for a true inventor like Tesla would be far more news worthy. ( Or a host of others like Bell if you don't like Tesla, its just that Tesla got screwed by Edison so its appropriate to have used his name here )
Aren't audio tracks still encoded as an optical trace on 35mm film? I mean, sure, different format, but the basic principle is not that different.
"Screwed over Tesla"? How do you figure that?
It's neat and all, but wouldn't it have been much easier to just scan the film and create audio from the waveforms?
You just don't grasp the concept of a cool hack, do you?
They spent 2 years resurrecting the audio because it was in an obsolete nonstandard format that not everyone can play and then they put that audio on the Internet in an obsolete nonstandard format [Flash] that not everyone can play!
Obscure technology? HUH? Optically recorded audio tracks have been in use as long as movies with soundtracks have been around. The easiest way to reproduce the soundtrack was to have it on the film - that's why. Surely there have been magnetic strips in use as well, but optical track on the edge of the film is in widespread use. Even for digital sound [wikipedia.org]! Of course the recordings in question weren't in a standard physical format, but I bet you could coax a contemporary movie projector to play those, as long as
Two GE engineers -- working nights and weekends for two years -- were able to construct a machine to replay the old tapes
This surprises me some. At work we have been tasked with retrofitting a device manufactured by GE (technically, a company GE bought), and need to sign an NDA with them to obtain critical specs on the device. So far it has taken 8 months and counting for them to even send the NDA for us to sign, not to mention numerous manhours playing phonetag and going up the chain of supervisors (and ev
Loose bits sink chips.


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I think the NFL is in a pretty bad spot with a lot of these suits from retired players, but this specific case is going to be thrown out.
and if the family wins this, they should return all the money Jr made playing a game.
A shameless money-grab by the family, and they haven't got a shot in hell of collecting. Seau made his choices, he knew the game he was playing was a physical one. If Seau's family is entitled to a big payday then Muhammed Ali's family is entitled to one by professional boxing, and Dale Earnhardts family is entitled to megabucks from NASCAR.
When you get into this stuff you know full well you can have something bad happen to you. Take some of that big contract you just signed and make sure you leave enough for a really good medical policy for the rest of your life because you're gonna need it. If you don't want to take the risk then don't play the game, simple and plain.
As much as I think some of the current rule changes have taken away from what pro football used to be the NFL was wise to take some steps to protect the health of the players. If they lose even one of these lawsuits the floodgates will open and it will be game over for the NFL.
Even if they find a whacky Judge that disregards years of case law that would indicate that this falls under the "assumption of risk" category they would likey appeal and win at the appellate level.(not to mention finding a link between the hits he took in the NFL vs. college vs. high school vs pee wee football.) The NFL will want this case adjudicated to its most likely outcome to put and end to this nonsense.
Some excellent points were brought up about the suicide rates of law enforcement officers. Dentists are high on the suicide probability list too. Great points about NASCAR crashes, and waves upon waves of frivolous lawsuits for everyone. Bull riders? Step right up! Skydivers - form a line over here.
Football players make a lot of money because this is a physically punishing sport. Let's face it - they wouldn't make this kind of money if it WASN'T. It's one of the reasons we accept the ridiculously huge sums these guys are paid. If they got paid this much for playing flag football, us FANS would go on strike.
Anyway, I don't see how they could prove it was the NFL that dunnit .... and not peewee football, or junior high football, high school, college, neighborhood soccer games, that fall in the skating rink when he was 10, etc. etc. etc. I wish the McDonald's Hot Coffee lawsuit hadn't succeeded - that's where the tide turned in America for personal responsibility. Sheesh, I remember my Dad spilling hot coffee on his crotch while driving the car more than once, and he didn't blame anybody but himself. Coffee's supposed to be hot, just like football's supposed to be physical and the modern-day equivalent of gladiators and tourneys.
I think this has the possibility of becoming an interesting case.
98% sure it gets thrown out.
However, if the family can find evidence that the NFL knew these injuries were occurring and hid the findings, thereby not disclosing all possible risk to the athletes and negating the assumption of risk defense, then I think it moves forward. Probably not going to happen given the Seau played football at all levels and you wouldn't be able to say definitively that the injuries occurred at the NFL level.
NFL takes it to trial and wins to set a precedent so that no one else tries this.
Last edited by JetBidi; 01-24-2013 at 03:27 AM.
What I meant was the NFL knew that concussions sustained during play could lead to CTE and suicidal thoughts/death. That they either commissioned studies or were informed of the link by other sources (scientists, researchers, doctors, etc.) and chose to hide and/or not divulge the findings to the players.
This is unlikely and even if true, the family would have to prove that Seau's CTE was in fact caused by playing football in the NFL and not at any time prior or through some other non-football related event.
I feel bad for his family, but the NFL absolutely cannot and will not settle this case. They have to win it and set the precedent, otherwise hundreds of players/families would bring suit.
A ridiculous suit. Physical contact is an integral part of the game.
Now, if a specific team/coach taught players to lead with your head - that is a different story.
When I started playing in 9th grade ( a long time ago) we were taught to lead with the crown of the helmet on a hit. Let me assure everyone, THOSE helmets were garbage compared to current ones. We also weren't allowed to drink water during practice. Things change.
If it is not already being done I am assuming the NFL/teams will require all incoming players to sign a waiver accepting and acknowledging the risk of head injury should they choose to play in the NFL.


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Thursday May 26th, 2016
One day veterinary track with 6 free RACE approved clinical C.E credits for veterinarians and veterinary technicians. Presenters will be Dr. Sandra Newbury and Dr. Jennifer Broadhurst from the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Veterinary Medicine
The online version of the complete conference brochure and registration is at this link http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?eidk=a07ecehjrkd832a5685&llr=aygncpwab
Registration fee waived for Veterinarians and Licensed Veterinary Technicians. Use the promo code: VETERINARIAN
Conference Lodging: If you plan to stay overnight, please call Best Western Kelly Inn directly for reservations at 320-253-0606 and ask for the MN Animal Welfare Conference rate of $94.00


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Sorry, no. We do accomplish the hope listed in that quote. Any company which directly challenges the government will be slapped down. The problem is that the people running the companies have figured this out and simply move behind the scenes to take control of key elements of government important to their industry. It's subversion not war.
Sorry, no. We do accomplish the hope listed in that quote. Any company which directly challenges the government will be slapped down.
This is a government of the people (even though it sometimes doesn't feel that way) and every time that a company isn't held to legal federal / state regulations (the banks and SEC of most recent memory) or that company bribes a member of congress (because that's what a decent part lobbying is) they are directly challenging the people of the United States.
...which is a sign of a failed state. Regulatory Capture is when government agencies become run primarily for the special interests they are supposed to regulate.
This CNN article shows how corporations can become too big to punish (which is similar to the oft cited "too big to fail"). The same conditions which put monopolistic corps and cartels beyond market accountability (lack of competition for those at the top of an industry) probably add to the effect of being "too big to nail" at the same time.
Corporatism has emerged in our society and become monopolistic and wildly out of control. The best remedy we may have is stringent application of antitrust law (break 'em up), although other measures (such as limiting their spending and ties with the media) will probably be necessary as well.
The best remedy we may have is stringent application of antitrust law (break 'em up)
The problem in this case stems directly from pro-trust law. Without patents, there wouldn't be a problem with kicking Pfizer out of Medicare (nor would they wield monopoly-level revenue that underlies issues here ranging from buying doctors to making the legal system its bitch).
There are much better, and vastly more efficient, ways to pay for research than these monopoly rights whose side effects are damaging to the free market, the political system and the legal system all at the same time.
>Without patents, there wouldn't be a problem with kicking Pfizer out of Medicare
In that case, it sounds like a better way of achieving justice would be to seize their patent assets (some or all) and then nullify them.
This is a very good idea. I'd vote for you, if I lived in your county and if I'd vote.
I think eminent domain at the federal level would be quite appropriate.
Putting a fair price on the patents however might be a bit tricky.
I have a better solution, one that provides better self regulation...
Corporate Death Penalty.
Corporations are a creation of the state, and exist only under permission of the state. The solution for dealing with such abuse of laws is to have the state dissolve the corporation and auction all the assets, and release all "intellectual property" back to the public as public domain.
If we actually enforced corporate death penalty, the company's owners (stock holders) would be much more careful about how the company they own is operated.
No company is too big to fail, and failure is the only alternative we have. The whole idea that failure is not an option is itself a really bad idea.
Patents didn't keep the US from cashing in Bayer's patent for the Anthrax cure. Or, rather, give them the hint that they will invalidate it due to "national emergency" if they didn't offer the antidote at the US government mandated price.
Why's that impossible with Pfizer?
It's easy to seize one specific, high profile patent. It's anthrax, damn it! If you can't seize that in a case of emergency, you can't do anything. The situation with pfizer is quite different: we're talking loads of individually "small" patents. You can't seize that portfolio without falling prey to accusations of communism.
although other measures (such as limiting their spending and ties with the media) will probably be necessary as well.
You can't really do any of these things without a new constitutional amendment that says companies are not people and do not deserve human rights. SCOTUS said so, very clearly.
SCOTUS has never reached the decision that corporations are "deserving" of human rights. A passing remark included by a court reporter in the case of Santa Clara County vs Southern Railroad is usually the basis for that belief. It is, frankly speaking, one of the most harmful beliefs in modern law.
Yeah, what happened to men like John Adams?
"Let justice be done, though the heavens fall."
Easy solution, hold the CEOs accoutable for fellonies carried out by corporations. And carry also on some death penalty if needed, you'll see things change in a snap.
Easy solution, hold the CEOs accoutable for fellonies carried out by corporations. And carry also on some death penalty if needed, you'll see things change in a snap.
Hey, the US can't follow China's lead, it can't execute corporate honchos.
Why not? It works for domestic spying, it works with limiting civil rights... ok, to a lesser degree, but how about doing the same with holding CEOs accountable, also to a lesser degree? Like, giving them a fair trial before popping their lid?
It could be a tad bit difficult to find an "unbiased" jury, I give you that, but else...
Easy solution, hold the CEOs accoutable for fellonies carried out by corporations. And carry also on some death penalty if needed, you'll see things change in a snap.
Better than that, because the Supreme Court said corporations have the same rights as citizens then their punishments should be the same. Through the corporation in jail, lock them down so they can't move anything around, no producing, freeze their assets, etc. for the amount of time that a typical jail sentence would last.
Now, I know that this is a stupid idea, all those people out of jobs, all needlessly lost productivity, but maybe it will make the Supreme Court realize that corporations can't and shoul
Anyone else here think that we are not in a corporatocracy yet? Events like this are just plain fucking insulting.
You don't even need to destroy the company. Just take every asshat involved in the fraud and lock them away for life. Or better yet, take a chunk of their patent portfolio and invalidate it, then forbid the company from downsizing anyone below a certain level/pay grade.
Why doesn't anyone have the balls to put some HURT on these assholes? This is like punishing a two year old for sneaking a cookie by letting him keep the cookie.
Actually by keeping the cookie and looking at him kindly while trying to reason with him why it's not ok to take the cookie. What will the 2 year old learn? That he can take the cookie, keep the cookie and that you're a joker that he needn't take serious.
Odd, I think I just realized what's wrong with our economy and our parenting at the same time...
Why doesn't anyone have the balls to put some HURT on these assholes?
Two answers.
1 - Nobody in congress has any spine, let alone balls.
2 - The people who should be leveling the punishment are the people who get all the kickbacks and perks from these companies. Nobody has the guts to loss some of those free dinners and cars to do the right thing.
"I hope we shall crush in its birth the aristocracy of our monied corporations which dare already to challenge our government to a trial by strength, and bid defiance to the laws of our country."
Nope, the corporate aristocracy listened to Thomas Jefferson. Now they just buy lawmakers and those who enforce the laws.
And is a cop-out by prosecutors. Crimes are committed by individual people and that is who should be prosecuted for them. And no, there is no shield, exemption, or veil protecting employees of a corporation against prosecution for crimes they commit on the job.
That's what I was going to say.
When an individual is convicted of a 'hacking' crime, the punishment is often, 'No access to computers.'
When an male is convicted of rape, there is often a cry for him to be castrated.
I say when an individual is convicted of mis-using his corporation and corporate power that he have it be removed from him, (as well as any profits he might have earned at the time.)
Follow the signature trails, and get the people on both sides. The people responsible for oversight need to be held liable and the people who accepted the order need to be held liable. The further away from the central figure, the less their individual punishment would be. (However, emphasis goes UP, not down. We don't want any sacrificial lambs.)
Instead of a whole corporation paying for the actions of it's management, the management pays, and the punishment for the corporation is simply dealing with a management shift. (Hopefully a more carefully ethical one this time.)
I say when an individual is convicted of mis-using his corporation and corporate power that he have it be removed from him, (as well as any profits he might have earned at the time.)
I say that fines should be measured in percentages rather than in numbers: Speeding ticket? You pay 1% of your wealth; Fraud? You pay 200% of the fraudulent gains; etc.
No. That's not what he's saying. He's saying, and I agree with him completely, is that it's people making these decisions, and it's those people who need to be held responsible. Find them and execute them--figuratively speaking of course--on a regular basis and this problem of corrupt decision making inside corporations, and government regulatory agencies, will disappear in a hurry.
Hold these jackasses accountable.
Not necessarily figuratively.
If a corporation's actions lead to deaths in a jurisdiction that has a death penalty for those actions if committed by a person, then the people within the corporation responsible for those actions should be eligible for that as well.
"I was just following orders" isn't acceptable in a war crimes trial, it shouldn't be here either.
If we treat Corporations as persons in any context, they must be treated as persons in every context.
I hope you don't think that corporations should have the vote.
and then just find some moron among your employees to use as a scapegoat
Well, it depends how high up the organisation you start looking for that "moron". I'd suggest starting at the very top and charging that individual. If they are cleared (in court) go down to the next layer
Maybe if you can make it legal to suspend bonus payments and share dealings of all those under investigation (until someone goes t
I disagree, because it puts people between getting paid money to feed their children and walking out and getting nothing. Since corporations are "owned" in the sense that they have shareholders, I think that any corporation that commits a crime just gets partiallt or totally claimed by the state. For small infractions, say, take 20% ownership(equally from shareholders), which is a fine of millions/billions depending on the size of the company. For more serious things, the govt should just take complete o
Your proposal fails to meet due process or Fourth Amendment concerns. As someone who owns 120 shares of BIGCO, why should I lose 20% of my money in the company because some branch chief bribed an Elbonian government official? (The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act bars American companies from doing that kind of thing.)
That is called risk, starting a company or having stocks is risk taking business.
You do not have the right to be exempt of risks.
Why shouldn't you lose your money if you've invested in a company with insufficient internal controls and ethics to prevent such behaviour? Stocks are not bonds, they confer control and responsibility; perhaps not much, but you have the option to sell them if you disagree with the board and executive over the running of the company.
Such might perhaps encourage more active boards and engagement even from the most lazy institutional owners. Losing significant parts of your customers holdings because you were
"I was just following orders" does not work. Ever. Even when disobedience might mean death, let alone just getting fired.
Now, if you want to pass a law requiring triple damages for employees who are discharged based on refusal to follow an illegal or unethical request, and establish a system whereby they can get that redress without a drug out court battle, I'll be behind you 100%. But if you perform the unethical act, you are responsible for doing so, regardless of whether it was your idea or not. The people who "gave the order" are also responsible, but to avoid complicity yourself, you must disobey it and blow the whistle.
The only case where this would not be possible is if, for example, ten people are each instructed to do one thing, each of which in itself seems innocuous but when put together add up to something sinister. Since it would not be reasonable in this case for the individuals to know what they're doing is unethical, they could not be expected to disobey and/or blow the whistle. In a scenario like that, only those who developed, approved, and/or orchestrated the scheme are responsible. But most of the time, that's not the case:
"Oh, come on, John, you know how flighty investors can get, and there's really no need to worry them. If we just count things a little differently, I'm sure we can ease their concerns..."
"Well, sure, there is a safety flaw in the product, but at this point it appears that it would be cheaper to pay off the lawsuits than to fix it."
"Well, we want to cut the workforce by half, but not deal with unemployment. Go find even the most minor flaws in whatever someone's doing, and say they were terminated for cause."
Anyone who goes along with these practices is responsible for them. People need to grow a backbone. Maybe if we start throwing some people in jail, people will worry less about having to job hunt and more about doing it right. The people you're helping cheat (or in some cases even kill, see the exploding Pinto case) may have families to feed, too. There's absolutely no excuse for not blowing the whistle when you become aware of something like this.
Why shareholders aren't punished for the actions of a corporation is completely beyond me.
The problem with that is that you're penalizing all stockholders, even those who try to clean up the corporation. Or are you one of those who believes in guilt by association? One of the most effective ways to change corporations today is via stockholder activism [wikipedia.org]. Sure investors can use socially [wikipedia.org] responsible [greenatworkmag.com] investing [socialinvest.org] but that's what shareholder activism is. Of course my way, corporate charter revocation [sonic.net] also hurts activist investors.
IANAL, but aren't all the salespeople guilty of conspiracy? I think it might prevent this type of behavior in the future if the Pfizer sales force was gutted as a result. It would also be interesting to watch if the Pfizer legal department decides to help any one of those salespeople.
So it's time we treat them like persons under the law and arrest them.
That can backfire easily in case of "disposable" employees.
Example: Oil gets dumped into the sea instead of disposed correctly. You want to fine the captain of the ship, if I read you right. In that case, you are breaking the captain's back without hurting the company that pretty much forces him to do so at all. They will simply hire another one. And he'll have to take the job because he needs to.
Or, easier and more accessible example, how about speeding truck drivers?
If my boss tells me to kill a person, and I do, I should go to jail for murder. My boss also goes to jail for murder. Why should it be any different for employees of a corporation?
While one may not agree with the particulars, this seems like a pretty standard case of prosecutorial discretion. The reality of the law is that the maximum penalty prescribed by law - and sometimes even the minimum penalty prescribed by law - is not appropriate for the crime committed. And prosecutors plead out criminals for sentences less than those allowed by law all the time.
And in this case, some sales agents in the army of sales agents misrepresented one product out of an arsenal of products. Ok? Of course not. Deserving of a big fine, and probably one larger than the company got? Sure.
But cutting off access to Medicare/Medicaid for the entire company, even if it is an available legal penalty, is not the appropriate legal penalty in this case.
The real problems here are that:
1) The law is not appropriate. A better penalty would be loss of patent protection on a lucrative drug, or 10x profits made on the drug that was mis-marketed.
2) Those selling drugs in a manner that can harm patients are not personally liable for their actions. If your doctor prescribes you a drug that they should know might harm or kill you, they are liable. And if a pharma rep orchestrates or participates in a sales campaign designed to hide the hazards of a drug, they should also be personally liable. If all the pharma reps knew that off-label marketing got 30 days in jail the practice would be curbed considerably.
3) Corporations are designed to separate business assets and actions from personal assets and actions. There is value to this. But using shell corporations to protect parent corporations seems to have gotten a bit crazy.
One and two could be fixed by competent legislation. Three is probably a ship that has sailed.
This case was a really badly handled one in particular, though. How the hell are you going to let someone make a 1.7 dollar profit off of doing something illegal, and when the time comes to fine them, only fine 1.2 billion?? Not including legal fees, Pfizer came out 500 million ahead because they committed a crime.
I pretty much say that on top of the fine being larger to account for all of that profit, they lose their patent on the drug, which doesn't get sold, it becomes public domain. You played irrespons
basically, to many medical care eggs are in one basket market pfizer...
I suppose the other scenario is:
1) government goes after Pfizer
2) Pfizer declares bankruptcy
3) another company comes along and acquires all of Pfizer's assets
4) other company renames itself to Fizer
5) ???
6) Profit!
I agree. It's disgusting too.
Can I incorporate myself? I was born a human and in our society we're second class citizens, let's look at some facts:
- We have to pay tax
- We have to follow the local laws
- We have to deal with issues like morality and ethnics
- We are second class citizens in terms of political power (even as a group)
Also, if I put on enough weight can I become "too big to fail?"
Perhaps. But then you could be bought and made a slave.
That's about the closest thing to self ownership.
Actually, you can incorporate yourself although in the area I'm in you'll also need to have another employee to get decently priced health insurance. I know some people who do that and then add their spouse as an employee.
Welcome to last century. It's just becoming so obvious that the densest people are finally realizing what's going on.
Plausible? Hell, where have you been the last twenty years?
Nobody cares for cyberpunk anymore, because the corporations quietly took control. It's just not as blatant as it was in any of the games and stories; who needs standing armies when you've got lawyers?
Many people have very valid cases that can not be dealt with simply because the costs are so great that the injured party will never have access to the justice system. And that doesn't even include the lawyer's fees. For example the documentation, research, depositions an typing may well go past $100,000 and then there is the lawyer on top of that.
So just why is it a revelation that justice may be rare when large companies are involved? It is even mor
Slow down there, skipper. You're under the misapprehension that Pfizer exists to make pharmaceuticals. Pfizer exists to make profit with advertising, and they happen to sell pharmaceuticals.
Should clarify the mind and make directors / VPs realise that they must take responsibility for the organisations they run id they want to keep earning the big bucks.
While an organisation may be too big to prosecute, the people in it never are. Crimes are commited by individuals and it's them who should be identified and prosecuted, not the companies they work for. The easiest way to do this is for the police to send a note (summons?) to the CEO listing the charges and stating that either he/she turns over the individuals responsible, or takes the hit themselves.
Should clarify the mind and make directors / VPs realise that they must take responsibility for the organisations they run id they want to keep earning the big bucks.
You had me until the "or takes the hit themselves". I'm hoping you mean "be arrested for obstruction of justice if you fail to cooperate" rather than "take punishment for a crime if you can't tell me who did it."
You're right on the key point, though: responsibility. Just as we want to take credit for our achievements (billions in profits) we must take responsibility for our failures (i.e. crimes).
You had me until the "or takes the hit themselves"
What I meant was to be charged with the crime, themselves if no-one else comes forward (or is discovered). There is a precedent for this in vehicle crime (at least in this country, can't say about yours) where the keeper of a vehicle which has been recorded doing something naughty - but not stopped at the time (e.g. going through a speed camera or red-light camera), where the keeper gets a summons to either identify the driver or be charged[1] themself: there's no third option. Just do the same with "anonym
Simply create new stock in the company that is owned by the government. The new stock would be a significant fraction of existing stock even to a multiple of the current existing public stock.
1) This potential loss/shock to stock holders would have the incentive to make stock holders pay attention and keep the company from violating laws
2) Government would be a stock holder and able to provide direction and observation
3) Government would eventually be able to sell the stock "release from jail" and realize a profit
Minor offenses less than 100% of stock is newly created as government stock
Major offenses 101% of current stock is newly created at government stock, instantly making the government the majority share holder and causing 50% loss to current stock holders.
Even higher multiples 200% etc for more grievous actions.
This does not hurt employees, customers or any other corporate relations. It directly damages share holders and executives who are responsible for company behavior . It encourages proper oversight and control. The government eventually gets some money back for enforcement.
Employees are typically shareholders, through 401k and stock options. There's no way to not hurt employees if the company is hurt. See Enron - I know it's a wild example, but I know if my company gets into legal trouble and the stock price goes down, it can affect my stock price.
Now, I can move my stock out and transition it to non-work-related stock, but by the time the employee catches wind of anything happening it's pretty typical for the stock to already have taken a hit.
Prosecutors said that excluding Pfizer would most likely lead to Pfizer's collapse, with collateral consequences: disrupting the flow of Pfizer products to Medicare and Medicaid recipients, causing the loss of jobs including those of Pfizer employees who were not involved in the fraud, and causing significant losses for Pfizer shareholders
Any other company would fill that space in an instant. As there are many competitors, and they would buy Pfizer out. And need new employees to handle the new bigger workload.
Also, a collapse of a evil company is a GOOD thing! It is an essential part of a free market.
Also, 90% of the products that Pfizer, Eli Lily & co sell, aren't needed at all, since they are only symptom suppressors, taken with total ignorance of the actual causes of the diseases, that will only make people think they are health
Remember the Enron debacle? Aurther Anderson didn't make the "too big too fail" cut, but the banks did.
If a financial institution gets found guilty of even on felony then they can no longer do business with the feds.
Citibank, a few years ago, paid a 600 million dollar fine for breaking the law and "admitted no wrong doing" because
if they had admitted any wrong doing and been convicted of a felony, goodbye Citibank.
No institution should be so big it can break the law with impunity. The "company" paying a fin
...now "too big to prosecute"?
What's next, "too big to not be allowed to make laws"? I mean, 'til now they need proxies, but politicians should be wary, corporations have always been very keen on cutting corners to eliminate waste and slack.
A corporation is essentially above the law if you cannot "afford" to hold them accountable for their crimes.
So the basic problem is that a large corporation is like a hydra, and can just generate a new subsidiary to be lopped off by the authorities, then move on unharmed.
To deal with this problem, maybe the courts need a corporate decapitation remedy. The idea is that the court could impose a requirement that the entire senior executive and board of the corporation be replaced by unrelated people. The corporate identity and product line could continue, but the top leadership of the overall corporation would be fi
Every time I see a story like this, it reinforces the idea that there should be a hard limit on the size of corporations. Number of employees, amount of revenue, whatever. Exceed the number and we break you into tiny little pieces.
Too big to fail means too big to exist.
Wish there was a way for the people to organize and pass judgement on these sorts of criminal organizations....Of course, if the people could deal with criminal organizations effectively, then we'd likely have 4/5ths of the government locked up as well...
Just put the people in jail, who were involved in the decision making process (the longest terms for these), and those who would, or should, know it was a crime, knew what the company was doing, and failed to block and/or report it. That should be everyone involved from the top to the bottom. If people start going to jail for their actions that manifest in crimes happening under the name of a corporation, maybe others will think about what they are doing in other cases. That won't get everyone to stop, w
"How many teamsters does it take to screw in a light bulb?" "FIFTEEN!! YOU GOT A PROBLEM WITH THAT?"


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Submission + - Hands On With Samsung Series 5 Chromebook
adeelarshad82 writes: Amongst some of the coolest things revealed at Google I/O, Samsung unveiled one of the first Chrome OS notebooks called the Samsung Series 5 Chromebook. Priced at at $429 for the 3G version and $499 for the Wi-Fi/3G option, the 1280 x 800 display notebook is said to carry dual-core Atom N570 and a battery that supports 8.5 hours of active use. Unlike the Cr-48, the 480p and even 720p video plays back decently on the 1280 x 800 display, thanks in part to improvements in Flash and the faster chip. Also unlike the Cr-48, the touchpad doesn't require jamming it down to make it work. While no official confirmations were made about what's inside the Series 5; there's clearly a GPU and a solid-state disc (SSD). The notebook also includes 802.11b/g/n which is complemented by a two-year 3G subscription to Verizon with 100 MB/s per month for free.


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Ginette Caron
She was born in Montréal in a family where her grandfather and oncle were graphic designers, her father architect, her aunts painter an theatrical costume designer. Very early she started looking at the world through their eyes. At the age of 7 she was already designing her school newspaper.
She graduated in Graphic Design at Concordia University and after 3 years working in different advertising and graphic design studios in Montréal she backpacked throughout Europe for a while where she met many famous graphic designers in their own studios. She settled in Venice where she designed a poster for the Venice Carnival and then started freelancing in Milan. In 1985 she joined the Gregotti Associati International multidisciplinary studio where she met her mentor, Pierluigi Cerri with whom she worked for more than ten years taking care of corporate image for B&B Italia, BTicino, DePadova, FontanaArte, iGuzzini, Molteni&C and Unifor (Italian ADI Compasso d'Oro 1995). In the early Nineties, she opened her own graphic design/communication studio in Milan, specializing in corporate identity, art books, exhibit design, packaging and branding for different clients such as: Barilla, Bulgari, Chase Manhattan Bank, Grand Théâtre de Provence, Knoll, LualdiPorte, Moleskine, Natuzzi, San Carlo (nomination at Italian ADI
Compasso d'Oro 2004), Swatch and TV5. In 1997-98 she is also design director at Benetton Group where she develops with a group of 12 designers, corporate/graphic design, design and visual merchandising projects for: United Colors of Benetton,
Sisley, Playlife/Nordica, Kastle, Prince, Killer Loop, Roller Blade, all the subsidiary companies and nearly 70 licensees. She is also in charge of all the graphics for Oliviero Toscani's advertising campaigns. In 1999 she is head of graphic design department at Prada Group taking care of corporate identity for Prada, MiuMiu, Helmut Lang and Church. She is also responsible for Prada Fondation art books.
She was invited at Université du Québec in Montréal, Libera University of Bolzano and Perugia University for seminars and lectures. She participated in different exhibitions such as "Poster Biennale" in Warsaw and "Milano Made in Design" in Toronto.
For Ginette Caron, graphic design is first of all working on an overall coherent concept, a guideline to translate into graphics and communication. In her studio -- a consolidated network of experts with different competences -- graphic design becomes multidimensional, creates environment, becomes architecture: "è una grafica in ascolto, le cui narrazioni nascono nel tessuto dell'esperienza e delle relazioni".


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Announcement - Meeting Announcement for H.R. 2898 and H.R. 3038
The Committee on Rules will meet Tuesday, July 14, 2015 at 3:00 PM in H-313 The Capitol on the following measure:
- H.R. 2898—Western Water and American Food Security Act of 2015
The Committee on Rules will also meet on the following emergency item:
- H.R. 3038—Highway and Transportation Funding Act of 2015, Part II


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SOAP ROLES: Roxanne "Roxy" Balsom, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (2001-present); Madeline Thompson, ANOTHER WORLD (1995); Norma Gilpin, LOVING (1990-1991); Georgina Whitman, ONE LIFE TO LIVE (1982); Delia Reid, RYAN'S HOPE (1975-1978, 1982-1983, 1986-1989)
2005 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
2004 Daytime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series
2003 Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Favorite Return
1989 Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Villainess: Daytime
1988 Soap Opera Digest Award nomination for Outstanding Comic Performance by an Actress: Daytime
1978 Afternoon TV Award win for Best Actress
Lynn Liccardo: I know she's talks about how much fun she's having playing Roxy on ONE LIFE TO LIVE, but it was her portrayal of RYAN'S HOPE heartbreaking, and infuriating (often at the same time), Delia that put her on my list.
Connie Passalacqua Hayman (Marlena De Lacroix): Jill Larson and Ilene Kristen. Notice how both actresses started in (comic) character parts on their current shows (AMC and OLTL) and have now become the hearts of and truthtellers of these shows? That takes terrific acting skills. (And for your LOL pleasure--remember Kristen as RH's immortal Delia?)
Roger Newcomb: I have been an Ilene Kristen fan for decades so when I had the opportunity to cast her in my film, Manhattanites, I jumped at the chance. Seeing her up close and personal on set crying on command, playing a huge range of emotions and making every scene she was in better, I couldn't have been more impressed. But what I love most about Ilene is her unmatched heart, her passion and her desire to make the world a better place. It is with her in it.
Damon L. Jacobs: I have always been awed by the insights and talent this phenomenal woman has displayed. As Delia on RYAN'S HOPE, she knew how to channel every subtle nuance of a woman struggling with Borderline Personality Disorder, before such disorder had been classified in the manuals! Fans are aware of what a dazzling actress/singer/songwriter she is. But what they may not know is how intelligently and thoughtfully she approaches every character choice. From Delia's anguish to Roxy's wisecracks, there is a brilliant intuitive mastermind behind it all. And as the person who gave me my first soap interview, I am eternally grateful for her generosity as well!
Daniel Hugh Kelly: (worked with Kristen on RH) Never a dull moment. A wonderful listener with a built-in joy of life. Never one to avoid a challenge, or shy away from committing 1000% to a scene, a song, a show, no matter how difficult. Absolutely fearless. Ilene was not one to ever let grass grow under her feet, always curious, always growing, always warm and fun. Another beautiful and talented actress from RYAN'S who never walked through a scene in her life and whose interests still run the gamut from rock music to new age vitamins.


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Escape the city and enjoy the summer sun with P&O Ferries
Some centuries back, Lord Byron observed that the British winter ended in July only 'to recommence in August.' It was a fair complaint. Back then England was mired in the Mini Ice Age with its people shivering through gloomy winters that were studded with snowstorms, frosty mornings and even – in one frightful occurrence – an avalanche in Lewes.
Two hundred years on and two months into a sticky, sweat-ball of a summer, England seems quite a different place altogether. We're a week or so shy of August and the beginning of Byronic winter, but there is no sign of anything more on show in London than nodding desk fans, long evenings out in simmering pubs, summer dresses and over-size sun glasses.
Not, of course, that all of this is particularly comfortable. As a city, London is about as well equipped to withstand a warm spell as a Goth on the beach. The buildings are cut out of thick Portland stone, air conditioning is a Mediterranean myth and – no matter how much the windows are opened up – the heat lingers in a room like a drunk at a party.
P&O Ferries offer a remedy to all of this. Just think about it for a moment: a short train or car ride out of the city to the coast where you can relax with a sharp breeze at your back.
From there you can enjoy a bracing jaunt across the Straights of Dover; you can pick a mini cruise or take advantage of one of their new summer vouchers. France – a country far more accustomed to heat and perfectly equipped to show you a fine time of it, is just a few miles and a few pounds away.
Here's a quick snapshot of the summer offers available with P&O Ferries at the moment:
Dover to Calais Day Trip
Dover to Calais Day Trip from £25 for up to 9 people & Car
Bagatelle amusement park is just 45 minutes from Calais situated off exit 25 on the A16 motorway near Berck sur Mer just south of Le Touquet. The park has 30 attractions and a new 3D movie show.
Aqualud is situated on Le Touquet Plage just 45 minutes drive from Calais. It's one of the largest water parks in Northern France with a giant pool with waves, slides, jacuzzis and a solarium. There is also an outdoor section open in summer with 3 more pools, flumes and rides.
Image credit: Maschinenraum


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- Austrian GP - Race
Strategy needs improvement - Massa
Felipe Massa says Williams did not do the "perfect strategy" in Austria as he finished fourth in a race he started from pole position.
At the end of the first stint Mercedes pitted both its drivers before Williams after closing in on the leading pair, before Massa emerged between Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton from his own stop. Hamilton immediately got by at Turn 2, before Williams team-mate Valtteri Bottas emerged from his stop ahead of Massa the following lap.
Massa believes he was unlucky in how the first pit stop window played out and thinks it ultimately cost him the final podium spot.
"Feet on the ground, I think third was maybe our best position today," Massa said. "There was not [plans to pit before Mercedes]. I think it was also that we didn't do the perfect strategy. Anyway, that is part of the improvement."
"I think I was not lucky when I came back on the track as I was behind one Mercedes and the other was close to me with hot tyres so passed me easily. I lost a lot of time with cars going slowly before pitting. It was a little bit of a shame."
Massa believes the difference between he and Valtteri Bottas was something outside of his own control.
"He was much quicker than me, yes, but he did not have a mistake, so it was just a slow pit stop, there was no mistake from my side. He just had the perfect pit stop. On the out lap I hit traffic too."
In the closing stages Massa just had to bring the car home for fourth but he says he was concerned he would not make it to the finish.
"I had a problem at the end of the race. The car was starting to bother me, I had a problem with the suspension, the rear went out completely. That bothered me massively. In the last ten laps, the rear left started vibrating massively, so I was really scared that I was not going to finish the race."


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Constitutional expert Michael Behiels predicts that neither man is going to be in a hurry to clarify where he stands.
"(Harper's) going to be very, very cagey. He's not going to play his cards on this question of devolution until he has a majority."
It is Dion's job to force Harper to "play his cards" in the next election campaign for a number of reasons. First and foremost, Canadians deserve an airing of the various viewpoints on federalism, to better understand the party visions. More importantly, from a tactical perspective, Stephane Dion has the potential to dominate in this arena. Credentials, pedigree, all in defense of the nation, Dion looks the leader, demonstrates passion and conviction. Harper speaks of "taking it" to the Liberals in the election campaign, but any serious discussion on this issue will surely put him on the defensive.
In a sense you play the fear card again, but if Dion puts some urgency in his definition of Canada, it could be the sleeper issue in the campaign. Harper will do everything in his power to avoid talking about federalism, in any substantive way. The only caveat, Harper will surely makes some broad statements on federalism, during his Quebec campaign, to help his chances. This resistence means Dion and the Liberals must make this a central theme to force federalism to the frontpage. Just as Harper will have his singular themes, I can't think of a better one than a vision of federalism for the Liberals. The issue plays to Dion's natural strengths, reminds Canadians of his service and focuses the spotlight on Harper's agenda. Bring the hidden agenda to the light of day, with a powerful advocate at the helm.


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Two schools in Sweden have been forced to close after students participated in a second day of rioting over an Instagram account which outed 200 local 13 and 14 year olds as "sluts".
Students in Gothenburg turned violent after an anonymous user of the photo sharing network posted names and pictures of teenage girls and boys, labelling them "sluts" and "whores". The Instagram member, who is reported to attend Plusgymnasiet high school which is at the centre of the rioting, also detailed the alleged sexual activities of the teens.
The allegations on the Facebook-owned app have been described as "racist" and "extremely offensive".
Several bottles and rocks were thrown at police who tried to intervene after the schools were barricaded by "unruly" students, according to Swedish paper The Local.
The 17-year-old girl believed to be behind the original account shared the incriminating pictures after asking for details on the "sluts in Gothenburg" and promising anonymity to those who submitted information.
Although the Instagram account has since been shut down, the allegations then appeared on a Facebook page, amid threats to beat up the 17-year-old girl. The teenager, who protests she is innocent, is currently being formally investigated for slander by police.
Jörgen Frohm, headteacher at Framtidsskola high school, the second school to shut, told TT news agency: "There are rumours that they'll be coming at us, but we have no idea why."


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By Trevor Kuss, sports information assistant
VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 16 Georgia College men's tennis team (2-0) continued their strong start to the season with a 6-3 upset victory at No. 13 Valdosta State University (0-2) Wednesday afternoon.
Senior Johan Wadstein (Helsingborg, Sweden) and junior Andreas Ainalides (Huesenstamm, Germany) came up short in their doubles match, losing 8-6 to Konstantin Kutschenko and Mario Navarro in first doubles.
In the second doubles slot, senior Wictor Andersson (Kalskoga, Sweden) paired with freshman Yannick Hass (Troisdorf, Germany) but the duo would fall 8-5 to Tammo Haake and Sebastian Jasyk.
Freshman Taylor Powell (Martinez, Ga.) and junior Alex Schubert (Frankfurt, Germany) put the Bobcats on the scoreboard with an 8-5 victory over Joachim Schemm and Andrew Harvin.
The Bobcats went into singles play down 2-1, but that would quickly change. Andersson played in the fifth position but finished first and evened the score for the Bobcats, coming away with a 6-3, 6-2 win over Haake. Hass followed him shortly after in the fourth position with a 6-2, 6-1 victory over Jasyk.
Powell, playing in the sixth position, made quick work of Harvin 6-0, 6-3, to give the Bobcats a 4-2 lead. Ainalides played in the second spot and won a close match against Navarro 7-5, 6-3 to clinch the victory for the Bobcats.
National No. 47 Wadstein played against National No. 11 Kutschenko. Wadstein would battle but fall 6-1, 7-5. Schubert won his singles match in the third position 3-6, 6-4, 6-0 over Schemm.
The Bobcats will be back in action Saturday, Feb. 9 when they take on No. 11 Saint Leo University for a neutral site match in Savannah, Ga.
The Georgia College Department of Athletics, two-time winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 11 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at www.twitter.com/BobcatSports and www.facebook.com/gcbobcats for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit www.GCBobcats.com for more information, and to nominate your favorite former Bobcats and Colonials to the GC Athletics Hall of Fame.
No. 16 Men's Tennis Downs No. 13 Valdosta State, 6-3
By Trevor Kuss, sports information assistant


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In his first season at Towson, Pat Skerry's squad labored through a 1-31 campaign. Then came the well-documented 17-game turnaround, a single-season NCAA Division I record.
So what can be expected from the Tigers in Skerry's third year? In all likelihood, probably an even better season than 2012-13.
Towson returns four starters – senior power forward Jerrelle Benimon, senior small forward Marcus Damas, senior shooting guard Mike Burwell and sophomore point guard Jerome Hairston – in addition to valuable rotation players in junior wing Rafriel Guthrie and sophomore forward/center Timajh Parker-Rivera.
Skerry spoke to The Baltimore Sun last week about his returning core, the Tigers' newcomers, different expectations and more.
After two offseasons of lots of turnover, this year should be different for your team. The only departures were center Bilal Dixon (graduated) and guard Kris Walden (transferred). How does it feel to bring back the vast majority of your roster?
It's good. We're actually in practices right now because we're going up to Canada in August. We're much further ahead in terms of schemes and habits and experience. All those types of things.
You're bringing in two freshmen in John Davis, a 6-foot-5 forward from Philadelphia, and Walter Foster, a 6-foot-8 forward from Atlanta. What have you seen out of them so far, and given that you return so much production, how likely is it that either of them will make an impact?
Also in the fall we have a transfer from Vanderbilt, A.J. Astroth. He's a big guard. He'll sit out this year.
I've been really excited with both of the [freshmen]. Both are very, very physically ready for our level. Foster is a shooter and scorer around the basketball. Davis is kind of a 4-man that we're transitioning in the summer to the wing. Hopefully he'll be a versatile, hybrid-type guy for us. Those guys have a chance to help us immediately.
Four McGlynn is another newcomer after redshirting last season following his transfer from Vermont. He was the America East Rookie of the Year and is known for his outside shooting. Do you see him filling a similar role this year for Towson?
He's gotta shoot 3s. We were [tied for 258th] in the country last year in 3-point shooting. I think he's going to be [what we need]. He's a quick, accurate, deep shooter – there's no doubt about that. That should help our spacing. Anytime a guy sits out, there's high expectations. So hopefully he can deliver on some of those. Our hope is that he can.
What have you seen, in terms of growth and development, from guys like Benimon, Damas, Hairston, Burwell and Guthrie?
Hairston and Guthrie have been here also and had great summers. Their bodies have improved. Those guys expect to make big jumps. Jerrelle has gotten better – his ball-handling is better. We've got a pretty focused and motivated group that is extremely competitive. For us, basketball-wise, we've got to take care of the ball better. We've got to continue to rebound at the top of our league, which we've done. We struggled for a while early in the year. We weren't on the same page. Maybe we were growing a lot as a group. But the chemistry has improved dramatically. The chemistry and leadership is there.
Is Parker-Rivera going to be the guy to replace Dixon at the 5?
Parker will step right in at the middle. He came in this summer at 230 – last year he was 197. He's going to make a big jump. He's a young guy in the program, and guys usually make the big jump starting in their sophomore year. We need a couple of guys to [make jumps] – [junior forward Jamel] Flash, [sophomore forward Barrington] Alston. We should be much deeper than we've been.
That leads right into my next question. Barrington Alston, Jamel Flash and redshirt freshman shooting guard Marquis Marshall round out the roster. Any expected jumps from that group?
Yeah, I think Flash and Alston absolutely have a chance if they can defend and rebound. We need size and length. Marquis has a tougher deal. Physically, he's still a work in progress, but he can really shoot the ball. Plus, we have our entire perimeter back, plus McGlynn.
At least in the beginning of CAA play last year, you probably snuck up on some teams. With so many returners and coming off an 18-win season, that won't be the case this year. What's the overall expectation and how do you think the team will be able to handle that?
There are so many good coaches in this league. The league will be back at a high level. From a program standpoint, obviously we've made a lot of gains and I'm proud of the fact that we're not an afterthought anymore. But I told our guys, with expectations comes responsibility. I think we're ready to handle that. I'm real excited for it. But it's a different deal when you have expectations. When you're recruiting guys and trying to build a program, that's what they're signing up for.
With more success, your name will continue to be linked with other jobs, like Minnesota last spring. What do you tell your team and recruits about your future at Towson?
I would be very surprised, based on what's going on at Towson, if we're not able to be here a long time and build something. I'm more motivated than ever. We're building something special. I love my president, love the people around the program. We've got a great athletic administration staff and there's going to be a good AD in there. I'm working at a good place and working with good players.


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Well, here's the build thread on it,
In short, I bought the car, tried to drive it to work, it over heated, and I limped it to General Disorders house where it's sitting now, getting the engine worked over.
So lets take it from here: We got the car to GD's house, pulled the motor, and have got it partly apart, the cams have been sent in for a regrind, and we're still waiting on some parts I think before GD starts sealing back up and getting it ready for the install. I think the heads are going in for a resurface as well, GD can update more on that stuff, I'm kind of leaving it to him as he knows best what it needs.
Included are a few pictures of the tear down, and where we're at now, and what our plans are (always subject to change).
Edited by Stubies Subie, 27 September 2011 - 03:48 AM.


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Dear Editor;
Representative Pat Grassley holds a listening post in every town in his district every year. This is just one of the many ways he keeps in touch with us and listens to our concerns about the issues we care about. Some elected officials go down to Des Moines to pursue their own agenda. Pat isn't like that.
Out of control government spending, jobs and the economy are the number one issues in Iowa right now. Representative Grassley is Chairman of the Economics Development Committee and in that role he has been standing with Governor Branstad to push a pro-jobs, pro-growth agenda that will ensure Iowa remains the best place in the country to live and work.
On June 5th I am voting for Representative Pat Grassley because he fights for the issues we care about.
Duane Nevenhoven
Aplington, Iowa


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Help Me Help You: UPDATE
If you have any comments, questions, criticisms - anything to say about the site at all, I would love to hear them.
If there's a feature you'd like to see, let me know.
Want to see more of something in particular? I'm all ears.
More giveaway? Sure, who wouldn't want that.
I appreciate anything you have to say, this blog wouldn't be around if it weren't for you readers, and I would like to make it a better place.
Edit - I will stick a link to this post on the sidebar - if you think of something, go ahead and comment.
15 comments:
- Nicole said...
I love the site!
In fact, more than one of your found bookmarks has inspired a snippet of writing or a character sketch, so thank you!
Although I think it would also be fun to hear a bit about your day-to-day at the shop.
- July 13, 2010 at 12:03 PM
- unmoderated said...
Thanks, Nicole - I do talk about the bookstore quite a bit on Twitter, it's just better for the quick conversations. If I find a cool book or interesting item, I will usually just post it there.
Maybe once a week or so I can give you all a little capsule of the greats things going on in the shop.
- July 13, 2010 at 12:10 PM
- Deb Salisbury said...
> Maybe once a week or so I can give you all a little capsule of the greats things going on in the shop.
That would be fun!
- July 13, 2010 at 12:24 PM
- GMR said...
Love your site and the fact that you tweet your recent posts...sometimes that's the fastest way for busy readers (including moi) to see it. I like the balance of "what I've found" posts and contests....no suggestions for improvement from me, just a great big "GOOD JOB". ^_^
- July 13, 2010 at 12:27 PM
- Michael said...
Thanks very much, GMR! I started the F.B. Twitter account just to tweet about new posts, but it has turned into an entirely new world for me and the site. I have talked to some fantastic people there and have been able to spread the word about the blog. Same goes for the Facebook page - I now run giveaways for all three places, trying to give something extra to the loyal readers.
- July 13, 2010 at 12:37 PM
- Lisa Douglas said...
I just found this blog a day or two ago. LOVE IT!
- July 13, 2010 at 12:55 PM
- Michael said...
Thanks, Lisa!
- July 13, 2010 at 12:57 PM
- MrCachet said...
Just keep on keepin' on - Your blog gets a daily visit from me!
- July 13, 2010 at 1:00 PM
- Ruthie C Jones said...
I'm a bookmark fanatic (I collect them in my travels, and I try to match the bookmark to the book I'm reading), so I absolutely love your blog. I'm amazed at what people use as bookmarks. Keep on doing what you're doing, but I like the idea of occasional posts about life in your bookstore as I love bookstores as much as I love bookmarks.
- July 13, 2010 at 2:00 PM
- Michael said...
Thanks, Ruthie.
What I should do is keep up with our bookstore site more. I switched it over to a blog format in 2006 but never got it rolling.
- July 13, 2010 at 2:05 PM
- jociegal said...
Honestly, I love the site and would not change a thing.
- July 13, 2010 at 2:07 PM
- Tricia said...
I like that this blog is so focused on the bookmarks and the books. When a new post appears, it always provides a quick little hit of interestingness. And if I need a bit more of a distraction, I can read some of the 'related posts'. I'm worried that if it became a blog about the bookstore, that content would overtake and dilute the bookmark focus. Just my opinion, though!
- July 13, 2010 at 10:33 PM
- Sphinxvictorian said...
I love this site. I used to work in an antiquarian/used bookstore myself in Ann Arbor MI and I loved all the cool stuff we found.
Love seeing the stuff, and hope to actually win one of your giveaways one of these days. Keep going with it, please!
- July 14, 2010 at 2:58 AM
- Adán said...
I love this site, it is great the way it is. I think it might be neat to offer readers a chance to purchase the books featured, including the bookmarks of course, if they are available.
I understand that you might not want to change the focus of the blog to a monetary/commercial slant. I think this would be different though, nothing overt, maybe a link to the bookshop's website with a "buy this featured item for $X" note. It would be a great opportunity to allow the readers to own a piece of the action so to speak.
Plus, I imagine that extra sales for the shop would be appreciated.
- July 17, 2010 at 10:47 PM
- Carmen said...
Sorry to have missed today's giveaway (The Larousse Gastronomique). Please remember your fans on pacific standard time! We'd love a chance to win, too!
- June 18, 2011 at 4:22 PM


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Lawyer up man
The insurance company knows you got them by the balls .
They will never admit it though and will act is if they are doing you a favor .
I see a slam dunk and a out of court settlement .
Holy shiite......That's damn near criminal to leave beasts like that out when service people are there. I'd have shot it.
Tough times don't last...Tough people do.
Midnight Sun Astrophotography
Rich, who do you think OWNS the insurance companies? The guys with J.D. after their names...
That sucks man hope you ok. You should make them put the dogs to sleep that can happen to someone else.
Originally Posted by Rich
........................... I carry health insurance but they won't pay because its the liability of the home owners. ..........................
That makes no sense to me. Your insurance company should cover all your medical expenses, subject to the policy limits, and then subrogate by suing the dog owners and their insurance company to recoup their losses.....
Thats why I make homeowners pit their pets up before I go in. I got my pants ripped by a old half blind dog. Luckily he didnt get my skin. The homeowner gave me $20 for em. I just wont chance it anymore.
Hope all this works out for ya. Looks bad.
Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2
If you don't know what you are doing.... ASK!! There is no such thing as a "Stupid" question.... Maybe.
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