text:
The San Francisco 49ers (11-4-1 during the regular season) take on the Atlanta Falcons (13-3) in the AFC Championship game. Read a preview of the match-up including broadcast information, key players and an expert prediction.
Time and location
Sunday, Jan. 20, 3 p.m. ET at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Ga.
Online: NFL Audio Pass
Radio: Sirius XM Channels 92 and 86, Dial Global Sports
The 49ers are favored by 3.5 points via OddsShark.com. The over/under for the game is 49 points.
Atlanta Falcons
Seconds after it looked like the Falcons� season had ended at the hands of Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks, quarterback Matt Ryan led Atlanta down the field to kick a stunning 49-yard game-winning field goal in the divisional round of the NFC playoffs. Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch scored on a two-yard rush with 31 seconds left in the game that gave Seattle the lead, 28-27. On the ensuing drive, Ryan responded by hitting Harry Douglas for a 22-yard completion, then Tony Gonzalez for a 19-yard completion, setting Atlanta up at the Seattle 31-yard line. Matt Bryant proceeded to drill the game-winning field goal with eight seconds left, as the Falcons advanced past the Seahawks in the divisional round, 30-28.
San Francisco 49ers
Pregame talk surrounded Aaron Rodgers and his chance to prove that the 49ers had, in fact, made a mistake by not drafting him in 2005. Postgame talk surrounded Colin Kaepernick and his historic playoff performance. In just his second postseason game, the Niners� second-year quarterback threw for 263 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed for 181 yards and another two touchdowns, leading San Francisco to a 45-31 win over Green Bay. The 181 rushing yards by Kaepernick were a quarterback record, breaking Michael Vick�s mark of 173 rushing yards set during the 2002 regular season.
The Falcons and 49ers haven�t met since the 2010 NFL regular season. In the last meeting, Matt Ryan led the Falcons back from a 14-0 deficit to top Alex Smith and the 49ers, 16-14. Ryan passed for 273 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, while Smith threw for 188 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
Colin Kaepernick vs. Falcons linebackers
Following his team�s loss to the 49ers, Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk told reporters, �We just didn�t have an answer .� If the Falcons want to advance to the Super Bowl, they�re going to need their linebackers to find that answer.
Because Kaepernick combines great speed -- he was arguably the fastest player on the field when San Francisco was on offense -- with a strong arm, opposing defensive backs are often forced downfield in coverage. Michael Crabtree and Randy Moss are both deep threats, meaning on most passing plays, at least three defensive backs are dedicated to coverage more than 20 yards down field. What that means for Atlanta�s defensive game plan is that the responsibility of keeping Kaepernick in the pocket and limiting his yardage when he decides to run will be on the Falcons� linebackers.
In order for Atlanta to slow the 49ers� quarterback, one key will be the health of linebacker John Abraham. Arguably the most integral part of the Falcons� defense, Abraham is dealing with a sprained ankle. While he is expected to play, his mobility may be limited, and he�ll be at risk of re-aggravating the injury.
If San Francisco can again run the option effectively, and Kaepernick can pick his spots to run on designed passing plays, another game of 400 total yards for the second-year quarterback isn�t out of the question. And if Kaepernick puts up numbers like that, the 49ers will be punching a ticket to the Super Bowl. It will be on Atlanta�s linebackers to end the Falcons� postseason woes and get Matt Ryan to his first Super Bowl.
Stats are from this year�s postseason
Atlanta Falcons
QB Matt Ryan (24-for-35 passing, 250 passing yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions)
RB Michael Turner (98 rushing yards, 7.0 yards per rush)
RB Jacquizz Rodgers (64 rushing yards, 6.4 yards per rush)
WR Roddy White (five receptions, 76 receiving yards, one touchdown)
WR Julio Jones (six receptions, 59 receiving yards)
TE Tony Gonzalez (six receptions, 51 receiving yards, one touchdown)
LB John Abraham (0 tackles; expected to play vs. Falcons (sprained left ankle))
LB Sean Weatherspoon (eight tackles, one pass deflection, one forced fumble)
DT Jonathan Babineaux (three tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery)
S Thomas DeCoud (three tackles, one pass deflection)
S William Moore (five tackles, one tackle for loss)
San Francisco 49ers
QB Colin Kaepernick (17-for-31 passing, 263 passing yards, two touchdowns, one interception, 16 rushes, 181 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, 11.3 yards per carry)
RB Frank Gore (119 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, 5.2 yards per carry, two receptions, 48 receiving yards)
WR Michael Crabtree (nine receptions, 119 receiving yards, two touchdowns)
WR Randy Moss (two receptions, 25 receiving yards)
TE Vernon Davis (one reception, 44 receiving yards)
LB NaVorro Bowman (six tackles, two pass deflections)
LB Patrick Willis (seven tackles, one sack)
LB Aldon Smith (two tackles, one forced fumble)
S Dashon Goldson (seven tackles, one forced fumble)
S Donte Whitner (four tackles)
Many factors will influence the outcome, beginning with the effectiveness of three aching players: 49ers offensive tackle Joe Staley and defensive tackle Justin Smith, and Falcons defensive end John Abraham. But the game will be decided by the better defense, and that belongs to San Francisco � even without a fully productive Smith manning the interior line. The 49ers will force Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan to perform under constant pressure. I don�t think he will. Meanwhile, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is a dual threat � running and throwing � with more options than the Falcons can contain. San Francisco 31, Atlanta 21 -- Monte Poole, Bay Area News Group


text:
File information Canon PIXMA MX397 All-In-One Printer driver controller :
- Product match : Canon PIXMA MX327
- File name : mp68-win-mx390-1_00-ea32_2.exe
- File Size : 29 MB
- File Version : 1.00
- Relase Date : 31/01/2013
- File Contains : Setup aplication package MP and IJ Network Tool printers driver controller for Canon PIXMA MX327 series and supported windows 8
- File language : Arabic, Czech, German, Danish, English, Spanish, Finnish, French, Greek, Hungarian, ID, Italian, Japanese, Korea, Dutch, Norwegian, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Swedish, Traditional Chinese, Thai, Turkish, Simplified Chinese
Compatibility and system requirements :
- Windows 8
- Windows 7
- WIndows Vista
- Windows XP
Download link Canon PIXMA MX397 Printer drivers (Direct Link) : Download
How to install the drivers Canon PIXMA MX397 Printer for Windows :
1. Download the driver Canon PIXMA MX397 Printer, for link download see above
2. Make sure the printer usb cable unplugged from laptop or computer
3. Open the file has been downloaded, double click on the file
4. Follow the instructions that appear during installation
5. When finished plugged usb cable and wait detecting hardware
6. When done doing test print and scan test
7. If test print and scan test is not a problem, then we have succeeded driver installation
Note Scanner Driver:
1.When MP Driver installation was stopped by the following acts with the screen awaiting connection, install it again. The installation is not completed even if plugged-in the USB cable again or turned-on the power supply again.
- To cancel the installation.2.The scan from the scan button of the printer does not work when the connection is changed from the network connection to the USB connection. Install MP Driver again, and change the connection method.
- To plugged-out the USB cable. etc,
|Canon PIXMA MX397 Drivers

subset: commoncrawl


text:
I don't have a cat, because I'm allergic, but I do love them. I
know plenty of people with kitties, and have heard all
sorts of hilarious stories about the things they get
into, or things they steal to make their own. You might
as well give your kitty their own toy, or they're just
going to decide your fabric stash will be their new
Stuffies are perfect toys for little kitties, and add a
little (or a lot) of catnip to the mix, and you've got
the perfect cat toy! I'll show you how to make one for
your little feline friend.
So, I'm going to show you how to make the little
skeleton fish stuffie, but these directions will work for all of the in-the-hoop
stuffies. You will need:
Stuffie file
Printed or stitched templates
Felt or non-fraying fabric for the stuffie
Tearaway stabilizer
Temporary spray adhesive
Poly-fil stuffing (and/or catnip)
Needle and thread (optional)
First, let's start by cutting out our stuffie shapes. If you
have software, you can print the template files. If
you're unable to print them, hoop up your stuffie fabric
and "stitch" the dielines out.
Once you've got the dieline on your fabric, carefully
cut out both the back and front pieces. If you've
printed your dielines, it's best to add a little bit of spray
adhesive to the back of the paper to keep it in place
while you're cutting it out.
When you're done, you should have two little fabric shapes,
one for the front of your design, and one for the back.
Now grab your hoop and hoop up a piece of tearaway
your machine sewing. The first thing it will stitch is a dieline.
Grab your front fabric piece, and lightly spray the back with
some adhesive. Place it just inside the stitched dieline. Once it's in place, set your machine sewing
again. It will stitch a tack down seam all the way
around your fishie.
Next, your machine will stitch all the inside details on your
stuffie, like our little fishie's skeleton. Once all the
inside details are stitched, it's time to add the back.
Carefully remove the hoop from your machine, but DON'T unhoop
your design.
your hoop over. Take the back piece of fishy fabric,
lightly spray the back of it with adhesive, and gently
lay it inside the dieline on the back, like shown. Don't
press too hard on it from this side.
To secure your fishie in place, flip your hoop back over
again, and push on it from the front. If you push on it
from the back, you might tear the stabilizer out of the
your fabric is secure, carefully place your hoop under
your machine again. A note before you start stitching
again, since the stitches will be visible on both the
back and front of your stuffie, it's best to have
bobbin thread that matches your fabric for this last seam.
Let your machine stitch the final seam. You'll notice your
machine will sew around your fishie, but not meet all
the way back up. Stuffies will leave a small gap in the
seam for this final tack down so you have a small gap to
stuff it with.
Unhoop your stuffie and carefully tear away the stabilizer,
leaving just your fishie behind.
He's ready to be stuffed! You can see here the small gap you have
to work with. It's not much, but it's enough to fill him
nice and plump.
If you're just making a regular ol' stuffie, you'll want just
Poly-fil, but if you figure this is going to become a
cat toy anyway (as they often do) you might as well grab
some catnip too.
You can fill your fishie with stuffing...
... or a mix of stuffing and catnip, or if you want a crazy
happy kitty, just catnip.
Just a
warning... stuffing with catnip is messy. About as messy
as what will happen when the kitty gets a hold of it.
Stuff you fishie in a place where you can tidy up
Once your fishie is nice and plump, you can either close the
gap by sticking him back under the sewing machine, or if
he's too big to fit, stitch him up by hand.
Your finished stuffie! Cute and cuddly, and just waiting to be
pounced on. Especially since this one is filled with
nothing but catnip.
That's one happy kitty. Hey, this one might not last long,
but that's the beauty of these little stuffies. You can
always make kitty another one!
The thing about making cat toys (or dog toys, for that matter)
is that you're sending your lovingly crafted masterpiece to be
torn apart by the claws and teeth of a wild beast. But they're
so cute, how can you resist! Sew a
dapper mouse out
of menswear castoffs, follow
tiny patterns to
make a whole zoo of cute cat toys, and entertain your felines
yarn scrap toys.
people toys can
amuse the kitties!


text:
A Study on the Business Innovation and the Management Mode of Business Cooperation between Banks and Trust
Banking is an industry with high intensity and fast update of knowledge, information, and technology. Innovation is a key element for commercial banks' survival and development. In the self-development process, China commercial banks cooperate with trust companies in business and create new financial products, strengthening management and risks control. By this way, banks can find out new profit rising point and the state-owned commercial banks can improve their comprehensive competitive strength. This paper analyzes the present situation and problems of China's banking-and-trust operations, advancing effective business innovation and management mode.
Full Text:PDF
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5539/ibr.v1n3p63
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
International Business Research ISSN 1913-9004 (Print), ISSN 1913-9012 (Online)
Copyright © Canadian Center of Science and Education
To make sure that you can receive messages from us, please add the 'ccsenet.org' domain to your e-mail 'safe list'. If you do not receive e-mail in your 'inbox', check your 'bulk mail' or 'junk mail' folders.


text:
Concert of the Gewandhaus Orchestra
ConcertPrice: - €.
Conductor Riccardo Chailly
Programme of the Concert:
Olivier Messiaen (1908-1992) Ouverture "Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum"
Gustav Mahler (1860-1911) Simphony No. 6 in A-minor
The Gewandhaus Orchestra
The Gewandhaus Orchestra can look back with pride on its more than 250-year history. Sixteen Leipzig merchants founded and financed a concert society which has since made musical history and become one of the world's most renowned orchestras. Felix Mendelssohn, Arthur Nikisch, Wilhelm Furtwängler, Franz Konwitschny and Kurt Masur number among the most distinguished Gewandhaus Music Directors. They have left their imprint on this unique musical tradition, which Herbert Blomstedt carried forward into the new millennium. His successor, the 19th Gewandhaus Kapellmeister Riccardo Chailly, embodies tradition and change simultaneously.
The Gewandhaus Orchestra's schedule includes 70 Grand Concerts in Leipzig during each season. For over 200 years, it has also served as the house orchestra of the Leipzig Opera, in addition to its weekly performances of cantatas by Johann Sebastian Bach at St. Thomas's Church and 35 guest appearances each season throughout the world as well as numerous recordings. Leipzig's reputation as the city of music can be largely attributed to the varied activities of the Gewandhaus Orchestra and its standing as the world's oldest civic concert orchestra.
No one could have predicted the success story of the Gewandhaus when, in March of 1743, sixteen Leipzig merchants gathered to found a concert society of sixteen musicians with the name "Grand Concert."
After three decades in the Three Swans Inn in Leipzig's Brühl neighbourhood, increasing audience interest made it necessary to find a new home. In 1781 the orchestra moved into a 500-seat hall with superb acoustics in the assembly hall of the cloth traders, the Gewandhaus (Garment House), to which the orchestra and its Leipzig performance venue owe their name.
When this concert hall was no longer able to accommodate the large numbers of people eager to attend performances, a second Gewandhaus in classical style was dedicated in December of 1884. A large hall for 1,500 listeners and a chamber music hall reminiscent of the old Gewandhaus hall with 500 seats offered the musicians a home in keeping with their quality and international standing.
During a bombing raid in February of 1944, the concert hall was badly damaged, and, despite arduous efforts to preserve it, the ruins were finally demolished in March of 1968. For nearly forty years, concerts were given in temporary quarters in the Congress Hall near the Leipzig Zoo. Thanks to the untiring efforts of the then Gewandhaus Music Director, Kurt Masur, the orchestra was finally able to move into a modern performance venue ideally suited to its musical, acoustical and technical requirements - the third Gewandhaus on Augustusplatz.
To this day, the majestic Schuke organ in the Great Hall bears an inscription with a quote from Seneca the Younger which has been the motto of the Gewandhaus since 1781: "Res severa verum gaudium" ("True pleasure is a serious business").
The 1,900-seat, semicircular Great hall, Mendelssohn Hall, with 500 seats, and the light-flooded Gewandhaus foyer form a unique architectural ensemble, aesthetically enhanced by statues and busts of musicians, regularly changing painting exhibitions and, above all, the monumental, four-story-high ceiling painting "Song of Life" by the Leipzig artist Sighard Gille.
Over 600 events take place every year at the Gewandhaus. Of these, the Grand Concerts by the Gewandhaus Orchestra form the focal point, along with concerts by the Gewandhaus Chorus and Children's Choir, numerous chamber music ensembles, the Gewandhaus Quartet, Gewandhaus Wind Quintet, the organ concerts and popular Saturday afternoon organ recitals.
The Gewandhaus's "Grand Concert" series has been named "Best Concert Programme of the 2008/2009 Season." In the opinion of the Deutscher Musikverleger-Verband (Association of German Music Publishers) the Gewandhaus Orchestra presented the best programming during the 2008/2009 season.
Riccardo Chailly
Riccardo Chailly devotes himself to both concert and operatic repertoire. The native of Milan has conducted the Berlin and Vienna Philharmonics, the Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Munich Philharmonic, the London Symphony Orchestra, the New York Philharmonic, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and has appeared at the most important opera houses throughout the world: Milan's La Scala (where he made his debut in 1978), the Vienna State Opera, the Metropolitan Opera in New York, London's Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, the Bavarian State Opera in Munich, and the Zürich Opera. He opened the Salzburg Festival in 1984 and appeared as guest conductor at Salzburg's Easter Festival and at the Lucerne Festival.
Riccardo Chailly was Principal Guest Conductor of the London Philharmonic Orchestra from 1983 to 1986 and Chief Conductor of the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra from 1982 to 1989. From 1986 to 1993 he was Music Director of the Teatro Comunale di Bologna, where he conducted numerous opera productions with resounding success.
Since his appointment as Chief Conductor of the Amsterdam Concertgebouw Orchestra (1988 to 2004), he has also devoted himself increasingly to symphonic repertoire. He delights a steadily growing audience not only with his performances of the great standard works but with many twentieth-century works as well. He has led the Concertgebouw Orchestra on numerous tours to the major European festivals (Vienna Festival and London Proms, among others) and recently completed the Millennium Tour with concerts in the US, Canada, Japan, and Europe. Tours with his Dutch orchestra have also taken him to South America, China, Korea, and Taiwan.
In 1994 he was awarded the title of Grand Officer of the Republic of Italy, and in 1996 he was made an honorary member of the Royal Academy of Music in London. In November 1998, on the occasion of his tenth anniversary as Chief Conductor of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, he was awarded the title of Knight of the Order of the Dutch Lion by Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands. In 1998 he also became a Knight of the Grand Cross of the Republic of Italy.
In addition to his position in Amsterdam, on 1 July 1999 Riccardo Chailly accepted an appointment as Music Director of the Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi.
Under its new Music Director, this municipal orchestra, founded by citizens of Milan, has become an internationally acclaimed ensemble which has since recorded ten CDs for the prestigious classical label Decca. He left the orchestra in 2005.


text:
Linked by shmerl on Mon 10th Sep 2012 10:15 UTC
Several presentations about mobile Linux technologies, such as Mer, Nemo, and Jolla. Mer is openly developed and meritocratically governed mobile Linux core distribution, which was forked from the various components of the Meego project when it was abandoned by Nokia and Intel. Nemo is a community project which continues the effort of the Meego handset branch. And Jolla is a new startup company created by former Nokia Linux engineers, who participated in Maemo and Harmattan projects, and decided to continue on their own, when Nokia lost their interest in Meego. Their goal is to release end user products (initially handsets) using an operating system based on the Mer core and some components of Nemo, which will be providing their own user interface.
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RE[5]: One thing that bugs me most.
by winter skies on Tue 11th Sep 2012 22:27 UTC in reply to "RE[4]: One thing that bugs me most."
Would Google Maps work as an integration target? I haven't looked, but I have been under the impression that their web APIs are open.
Neither do I know, but it makes a lot of sense.
I was asking just because I am particularly fond of the offline maps and driving guidance, as they grant a much longer battery life and multiple times they have allowed me to save precious pennies when roaming as opposed to online solutions.
In my opinion Google Maps caching is still very limited compared to the possibility of choosing and downloading entire nations from your home DSL connection and permanently storing them on your smartphone.
Anyway, if losing offline maps is the price of freedom, I think I'm willing to pay.
[EDIT: corrected one of many typos]
Edited 2012-09-11 22:29 UTC


text:
Three Chimneys Not Consigning Yearlings
Under a business plan change at the farm, Three Chimneys will not offer a consignment at this year's Keeneland September yearling sale.
Under a business plan change at the farm, Three Chimneys will not offer a consignment at this year's Keeneland September yearling sale.
MAHUBAH'S CORNER
The great Secretariat is not exactly in Herod's position yet as a universal influence on pedigrees, but he may be moving in that direction.
Consignor John Stuart of Bluegrass Thoroughbred Services has 11 yearlings entered in the Aug. 5-6 Fasig-Tipton Saratoga yearling sale, including a half sister to multiple graded stakes winner Optimizer.
Sometimes it's nice to be a big fish in a small pond a couple of turns off the beaten path.
Two-time grade I winner Pure Clan delivered a healthy filly by Bernardini Jan. 10 at Robert N. Clay's Three Chimneys Farm near Midway, Ky., and is scheduled to be bred to Tapit this year.
The demand for quality bloodstock was in full force at the Keeneland November breeding stock sale, but the middle and lower markets were soft.
The Borges Torrealba family, among the leading buyers at the current Keeneland November breeding stock sale, has entered into a partnership with Three Chimneys Farm of Midway, Ky.
Esther Marr recaps Day 2 of the Keeneland November breeding stock sale, including the sales of Pure Clan and Changing Skies, who both brought more than $4 million. Sponsored by Taylor Made Sales Agency.
Wealthy buyers' enthusiasm for the young and the beautiful fueled the market again during the second session of the Keeneland November breeding stock sale.
Goncalo Torrealba, who operates TNT Stud in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, went to $4.5 million to purchase the millionaire Pure Clan during the second session of the Keeneland November breeding stock sale in Lexington Nov. 7.
Owner of Hill 'n' Dale Sales comments on sale of Pure Clan, a $4.5 million dollar mare.
Owner of Hill 'n' Dale Sales comments on sale of Pure Clan, a $4.5 million dollar mare.
Bob Holthus, a veteran Midwest trainer, died the morning of Nov. 22 at his Louisville home.
Pure Clan, a multiple grade I winner and millionaire for breeder/owner Lewis Lakin, has been retired from racing and sold.
Diagnosed with a bruised left front foot, stable star Pure Clan could return to training in early July, a relieved Bob Holthus said May 22.
Turf star Pure Clan was sent to Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital in Lexington on the morning of May 6 with a possible foot injury while preparing for her seasonal debut at Churchill Downs, trainer Bob Holthus said.
Young rider finished second in earnings with $18.5 million, won three Breeders' Cup events and seven other grade I races
Midday, who was bred in England, gave the Europeans their second win of the 26th Breeders' Cup World Championships. The 3-year-old daughter of Oasis Dream was making her first start in the United States. She is trained by Henry Cecil, a renowned English trainer who earned his first Breeders' Cup victory after many years.
It would be an understatement to say that Magical Fantasy heads the California contingent for the $2 million Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (gr. IT) at Santa Anita Nov. 6. After four consecutive major stakes wins locally, three in grade I company, she's nearly all that's left.
Looking to join Ouija Board as the only two-time winner of the Breeders' Cup Filly and Mare Turf (gr. IT), Forever Together is the likely pick in the $2 million event sponsored by Emirates Airline.
Several trainers from the Oct. 3 races at Belmont indicated which way they were leaning for next month's Breeders' Cup.
Pure Clan overtook Criticism in the final furlong to register a convincing win in the $600,000 Flower Bowl Invitational (gr. IT) at foggy, soggy Belmont Park Oct. 3.
Dynaforce wouldn't mind a little cut in the ground when she defends her crown in the $600,000 Flower Bowl Invitational (gr. IT) over Belmont Park's inner turf course Oct. 3.
Jockey Kent Desormeaux made it back-to-back grade I wins on a soggy Arlington Park turf course when he guided Dynaforce to victory in the $750,000 Beverly D. Aug. 8.
Two of the most prestigious turf races on the North American racing calendar, the Arlington Million and Beverly D., will be aired live Sat., Aug. 8, on ESPN from 4:30-6:00 p.m. ET.
European group winners Alnadana and Mad About You challenge top American-based runners Pure Clan, Black Mamba and others in the $750,000 Beverly D. Stakes (gr. IT).
Einstein, who stumbled at the start and finished fifth in last year's Arlington Million (gr. IT), drew the inside post for this season's prestigious turf race at Arlington Park, which will be held Aug. 8.
Lewis Lakin's homebred Pure Clan, making just her second start of the season, overtook pacesetter Tizaqueena in upper stretch and sailed to the wire for a 2 1/2-length victory in the $200,000 Modesty Handicap (gr. IIIT) July 11 on the Arlington Park turf.
Lewis Lakin's Pure Clan, fully recovered from a minor injury suffered earlier this season, seems primed to begin her run towards the top of the older female turf division and the climb will start July 11 in the $200,000 Modesty Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Arlington Park, where she will carry top weight of 122 pounds.
Helen Groves and Helen Alexander's Acoma repelled a late bid from Pure Clan and held on for a neck victory in the $109,000 Early Times Mint Julep Handicap (gr. IIIT) June 6 at Churchill Downs.
Multiple graded stakes-winning filly Pure Clan makes her much-anticipated 2009 debut June 6 in the $100,000 Early Times Mint Julep Handicap (gr. IIIT) at Churchill Downs, but will have to face accomplished rivals Acoma and Tizaqueena, both of whom have shown good form this year.
Tepid 3-1 favorite Wait a While faces a tough field in the Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf Oct. 24. The 10-horse field includes seven other grade or group I winners.
A sparkling group of female turf runners, representing both sides of the Atlantic, were pre-entered in the $2-million Emirates Airline Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf (gr. IT).
PORTER ON PEDIGREES, by Alan Porter
Sky Diva is at the crossroads of an improving sire and an improving family. Sky Mesa started slowly but now runners from his first crop have become graded stakes winners and his second crop of juveniles running this year already includes five stakes winners. At the top is grade I winner Sky Diva. The filly's family has also been improving over the past four years.
International Equine Acquisitions Holdings, (IEAH Stables), owners of 2008 Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands (gr. I) and Preakness Stakes (gr. I) winner Big Brown, will donate a percentage of winnings of all IEAH starters in next month's Breeders' Cup World Championships to Breeders' Cup Charities.
Paul Pompa Jr.'s Backseat Rhythm came with a five-wide move and rallied from fifth at the top of the stretch, eventually getting up in the final strides under Javier Castellano to win the $250,000 Garden City Stakes (gr. IT) by a half-length on Belmont's yielding turf course Sept. 6.
IEAH Stables' grade I winners Ariege and Pure Clan are the headliners in a contentious field of eight 3-year-old fillies vying for the $250,000 Garden City Stakes (gr. IT) Sept. 6 on the Belmont turf, but there is plenty of tough competition in the nine-furlong test.
Trainer Bob Holthus said American Oaks (gr. IT) winner Pure Clan is "knocked out" and won't be competing in the $350,000 Del Mar Oaks (gr. IT) Aug. 16.
Trapped on the inside coming down the lane, a patient Julien Leparoux guided favored Pure Clan through a narrow opening between horses and outfought French raider Satan's Circus in the final furlong to win the $750,000 American Oaks Invitational (gr. IT) at Hollywood Park July 5.
Carribean Sunset, a multiple group III winner in Ireland, leads a four-horse European contingent in a field of 12 3-year-old fillies contesting the $750,000 American Oaks Invitational Stakes (gr. IT) at Hollywood Park July 5.
Pure Clan, who was last seen finishing third to Proud Spell and Little Belle May 2 in the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I), bounced back with an impressive victory June 14 in the Regret Stakes (gr. IIIT) under the Twin Spires of Churchill Downs.
Pure Clan, third in last month's Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) for trainer Bob Holthus, returns to the grass in the $200,000 Regret Stakes (gr. IIIT) at Churchill Downs June 14.
With co-owner Lewis Lakin looking on, Pure Clan put in her final work for the June 14 Regret (Gr. III) by working five furlongs in 1:02.20 over "firm" turf June 5 under Julien Leparoux.
Trainer Larry Jones scratched the filly Eight Belles from the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I), and then proceeded to win the race with Proud Spell.
Trainer Larry Jones took it as a sign of better things to come when his Eight Belles drew the outside 12 post for the May 2 Kentucky Oaks (gr. I), but all was not lost for the Kentucky-born trainer when his Proud Spell drew post 8 in the 1 1/8-mile race for the lilies on the first Friday in May.
Pure Clan and jockey Edgar Prado met for the first time, while Awesome Chic went for a trip around the Churchill Downs oval, and trainer Dallas Stewart has yet to decide if he will start Honest Pursuit in the Oaks.
Bsharpsonata, Golden Doc A work together, Highest Class and Honest Pursuit still possible for Oaks, A to the Croft, Awesome Chic, and Pure Clan Gallop.
Bsharpsonata, Golden Doc A to work Wednesday, Awesome Chic, Pure Clan to work Friday, A to the Croft to work Saturday.
Jockey Edgar Prado will be in the irons when Pure Clan takes the gate for the Kentucky Oaks (gr. I) May 2 at Churchill Downs. The Oaks will make Prado's first mount aboard the daughter of Pure Prize. She was ridden in five of her six previous career starts by Julien Leparoux.
Fox Hill Farms' Eight Belles, who made the $250,000 Fantasy Stakes (gr. II) at Oaklawn Park her fourth consecutive victory, emerged as a narrow favorite as the third and final pool of Churchill Downs' 2008 Kentucky Oaks Future Wager concluded April 6.


text:
Linked by Thom Holwerda on Sat 25th Aug 2012 06:15 UTC
Microsoft's response to Apple's win is probably the most cringeworthy of all. Blatantly admitting Windows Phone can't make a dent in the market on merit, but instead requires the court room to do so, Bill Cox, senior director of Windows Phone marketing communications, said: "Windows Phone is looking gooooood right now." Nauseating.
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RE[3]: Comment by kaiwai
by segedunum on Mon 27th Aug 2012 12:45 UTC in reply to "RE[2]: Comment by kaiwai"
Maybe Apple needs to adopt the position that they took when it comes to the Mac - for Apple to succeed it doesn't mean that Android has to fail. Personally there is a tonne of room for growth so why Apple can't see this as an opportunity I'm befuddled.
What they did with the Mac was a disaster that almost bankrupted them. They managed to shove themselves into a niche with the Mac, but even today it is a very small niche that wouldn't sustain the company by itself.
They know Android is a serious problem for them because they know people are not going to continue paying over the odds for iPhones continually. Android phones have the supply and people have the choice - they can get a cheap one or an expensive one that's almost as much as an iPhone. People are not going to pay several times the price of an Android tablet for an iPad. In the early adopter phase they will do that, but as time goes on Apple is on a hiding to nothing that will not sustain a $600 billion company.


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NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Want to save money on your phone bill? Make sure you turn off the "autoplay" setting on Facebook videos.
Smartphone users are at risk of maxing out their data plans if they don't change this default setting in the Facebook app, which otherwise will automatically start streaming videos in the News Feed window.
The issue was flagged by consumer finance site MoneySavingExpert.com, which said it had "seen many complaints from people who have been stung with data bills after exceeding their monthly allowance and who believe it to be because of Facebook autoplaying videos."
Fortunately, the fix is an easy one. If you're an iPhone user, tap your "Settings" button and then scroll down and click "Facebook." From there, click "Settings," "Auto-play," and then choose "Wi-Fi only" or "Off."
On Android, bring up the Facebook app and go to your account settings. Click "App Settings," and then choose 'Auto-play only on Wi-Fi' or 'Off.'
Facebook did not immediately respond to a request for comment. If you think you've been hit with unfair data charges, contact your wireless carrier.
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Deconstructing Niggy: A Brief Exploration of Race and Hip Hop
Deconstructing Niggy
There is much talk in America these days around the issue of race. With Barack Hussein Obama as the elected President of the United States, we have begun to collectively reflect upon our relationship with race and racism—and the conversation seems to have polarized into two radically different positions. On one hand, Obama's viability as a presidential candidate across a wide range of demographics prompts liberals to proudly declare that, finally, we live in a "post-racial" America, no longer tethered to the racial divisiveness that has infected our political systems since the country's inception. On the other hand, a great number of people are still asking the question "are we ready for a black president?," which itself seems to indicate that a genuine "post-racial" America is still on the horizon of human evolution. The truth, of course, lies somewhere between, or beyond, these two extremes—we have certainly made some tremendous strides in our collective attitudes toward race and racism, but we cannot confuse our accomplishments with outright victory. There can be no singular victory over racism, but like peace itself, it is a victory that must be won again and again, perpetually into the future.
"Niggy Tardust is about what it means to look at history and the present as a whole, as opposed to running away in disgust or bowing one's head in guilt—saying 'yes' to all that has been, in full acknowledgement; saying 'yes, all of those things convene in me….'" -Saul Williams
In furthering the dialogue on race and racism, Hip Hop culture offers a fascinating means of exploring the subject, as racial identity has always been at the front and center of the art form. Just as in any genre of art, Hip Hop is capable of reflecting the entirety of the human condition—all of our beauty, all of our misery, all of our scars and scabs, all of our boundless creativity and limitless potential. Consider the wide range of conscious depth as expressed through Hip Hop—developmental studies have consistently shown that human beings develop through several distinct stages of consciousness and identity: from ego-centric consciousness ("me"), to ethno-centric consciousness ("others like me," in terms of race, religion, nationality, etc.), to world-centric consciousness ("all of us"), to Kosmo-centric consciousness ("all of existence").
Each of these broad stages of human development open us to radically different ways of perceiving ourselves and the world around us, with our entire sense of identity being the interface between the two. And we can find all of it within Hip Hop—from the power-driven thug mentality of ego-centrism, to the rivalries, racism, and misogyny of ethno-centrism, to the more conscious expressions of world-centrism often found in underground Hip Hop, to the rare but remarkable few who, like Saul, are using the art as a genuine means of embodied mysticism and Self realization.
Hip Hop culture includes all of these very different attitudes and altitudes of consciousness, which has made it one of the most controversial art forms in the modern world, and especially frustrating to those who want to either idealize it, demonize it, or dismiss it altogether. With roots extending deep into the core of African-American oppression, Hip Hop offers us a fascinating glimpse into the problems of race and racism in the world, as well as a means of overcoming our limited perceptions of reality by simply opening ourselves to all of the different voices the genre has to offer, and integrating these perspectives into a cohesive understanding of ourselves and each other. From this integration we can begin to see the subtleties that exist between, for example, the well-known Hip Hop groups N.W.A. and Public Enemy, the former offering a 1st-person account of life in the ghetto from an ego/ethnocentric point of view, and the latter offering a more 3rd-person view of the ghetto from a largely world-centric perspective. Both accounts are necessary for a full picture to emerge, which Hip Hop culture is more than happy to serve up.
While studying the Integral model, it can be easy to mistake "race" as a notion which, once we move past the ethno-centric stage of development, is something we no longer need to concern ourselves with. (Speaking in the context of the U.S., this is probably more true for whites than minorities, simply because minorities often report being subtly reminded of the color of their skin on a daily basis, simply from living in a white-majority mainstream culture.) But it is important to remember that even if we have moved beyond our exclusive identity with our own racial heritage, that aspect of our identity does not simply vanish, but instead becomes even more textured and nuanced than ever before. We also have the ability to more deeply explore other racial identities, cultures, and heritages, further enriching our own, and slowly peeling back many of the residual filters we unconsciously place over our perceptions of reality. The goal is not to be color-blind, as our politically-correct society often tells us to be, but to allow ourselves to see the entire spectrum of color, much more vividly than ever before. From this integral vantage point, we can see that our similarities are where we find Truth, our differences are where we find Beauty, and navigating between the two is where we find our Goodness.
There aren't many artists in the world today who more fully exemplify this integrative consciousness in Hip Hop than Saul Williams. His capacity to so fully engage the "language of the mystics" of the spiritual realm, to pull it down through the sounds and visions of the mental realm, and to push the transcendent clarity of consciousness through your entire body, is absolutely unparalleled. And while he is pushing spirit all the way down through our souls, through our minds, and into our feet, he is simultaneously pulling some of our darkest shadows up through consciousness, using art to disarm much of the fear and resentment that has prevented our collective dialogue around race and racism from moving forward for decades. I highly recommend you pick up his latest album, a collaboration with Trent Reznor from Nine Inch Nails, titled The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggy Tardust.
Here is a short clip of Saul and Ken Wilber discussing race and racism from an Integral point of view:
A Brief Exploration of Race and Hip Hop
Hip hop is a natural evolution of 20th century music, which is itself considered by many to have been derived almost entirely from the legacy of black music and culture. In the early 1950's, much of America was becoming fascinated by the new sounds they began to hear on local radio stations around the country, which were playing an exciting mix of black music, including gospel, blues, and boogie-woogie. In 1954, Sam Phillips, the head of Sun Records, was searching for someone who could translate these new sounds into something he could sell to white people. Despite the remarkable influence black music was having upon American culture, the Civil Rights movement had yet to hit its stride, and there was still as of yet no place for black artists within the newly-emerging mainstream of popular culture. To be blunt, black culture was simply not marketable. So Sam found the perfect man to help bring black music into the larger culture—and that man was Elvis Presley.
Remaining one of the most controversial figures in modern music, Elvis has been accused on the one hand of "stealing" black music and diluting it to the point where it was finally acceptable to the sensibilities of white America. Elvis himself is quoted as saying "The colored folks been singing it and playing it just like I'm doin' now, man, for more years than I know. They played it like that in their shanties and in their juke joints and nobody paid it no mind 'til I goosed it up. I got it from them." On the other hand, Elvis is credited as being a genuine step forward for black and white culture alike; as Little Richard said: "He was an integrator. Elvis was a blessing. They wouldn't let black music through. He opened the door for black music."
Whether or not we perceive Elvis as a thief or as an innovator, one thing remains certain—almost the entire legacy of Rock and Roll can be attributed to his magnificent wake. Rock music itself became the soundtrack to the Civil Rights movements in the late fifties and sixties, and its unique confluence of black and white art may have actually contributed to the culture of racial equality that was beginning to emerge at this time.
Fast forwarding through five decades of music culture, it isn't hard to see the natural progression of black music through many different forms of music, wildly mutating and undulating into almost as many different sorts of sounds as the human ear is capable of hearing. Blues and boogie-woogie became Rockabilly in the 1950's, which became Rock and Roll in the late 50's and 60's, branching out into soul, funk, R&B, and disco in the 70's. It was here that Hip Hop began to take its roots, naturally evolving out of Rock and Roll into an utterly novel genre of music—even though Rock and Hip Hop continue to share some very deep similarities, most notably in the verse-chorus-verse song structure and predominantly 4/4 timing (so much so that it might be said that the primary difference between them is in overall aesthetic directionality—while many prefer to Rock from side to side, Hip Hop moves your inner b-boy up and down….)
The massive success of Hip Hop as a global art form causes many people to proclaim Hip Hop to be the return of Rock and Roll to the people who created it in the first place. At the same time, Hip Hop has already escaped these sorts of ethnocentric notions of cultural ownership, and is currently blossoming as a genuine global art form. There are much-debated statistics that report 70% of Hip Hop sales coming from white people, one of the most significant examples ever of this sort of cross-pollination of perspectives through popular culture. But this is not as idyllic as it may sound, and continues to cause much uneasiness in black culture. Adding to the complexity of race in Hip Hop, many of the more "conscious" Hip Hop artists report a largely white turnout at live shows—which isn't a bad thing from a world-centric perspective, but can be very frustrating for black artists trying to convey a message to their own culture. At the same time, criticism from within black communities has also been leveled against certain so-called "Gangsta rappers" who, far from keeping it real, are creating larger-than life personas and exaggerated theatrics based upon negative stereotypes, for the sake of selling music to white people. This, these critics argue, perpetuates those stereotypes in much the same way the racist "minstrel shows" of the 19th and early 20th century did, in which whites and even blacks would wear "blackface" and perform extremely racist skits, acts, and songs. In fact, the parallels between much of mainstream Hip Hop and minstrelsy can be summed up in this quote from Wikipedia:
"Blackface minstrelsy was the first distinctly American theatrical form. In the 1830s and 1840s, it was at the core of the rise of an American music industry, and for several decades it provided the lens through which white America saw black America. On the one hand, it had strong racist aspects; on the other, it resulted in the first broad awareness by white Americans of aspects of black folk culture."
But let us not forget all those artists who, like Saul, continue to bring genuine artistry, creativity, and spirituality to the art, despite the fact that the radio is dominated by the same shallowness and superficiality that dominated the 80's music scene. While "conscious" Hip Hop artists like Saul, Blackalicious, Lyrics Born, Lupe Fiasco, The Coup, Talib Kweli, Immortal Technique, and many others are pushed to the wayside of a mainstream which once reflected our stream-of-collective-consciousness—but has now been reduced to lowest-common-denominator marketing—let's also remember that the music industry's grasp over mainstream culture is beginning to crumble, creating more and more ways for these more enlightened artists to bring their art to the masses.
Originally published on Integral Life: Introducing Niggy Tardust (w/ Saul Williams and Ken Wilber)
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July 22, 2009 at 4:38 pm
Bloody fantastic! I've had some ideas about Hip Hop and race which you expressed and others I hadn't even imagined were there at all. VERY nice piece! Very comprehensive. I don't listen to much Hip Hop or popular music in general (the shallowness juts depresses me to no end) but what little gets past my filters I've enjoyed musically even if the lyrics weren't the most enlightened. Saul Williams has literally blown my mind and really put Hip Hop in anew light for me. I'm glad you could speak to some of the difficulties I had with it and mainstream music in general. Very enlightening, bro.
August 9, 2009 at 12:28 pm
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To see the diversity of Houston one need only taste the many varieties of foods it offers. Many are familiar with the healthy and flavorful offerings of traditional Korean cuisine.
The University of Houston Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management (HRM) joins the General Consulate of the Republic of Korea for a Korean Food Festival, Tuesday, Nov. 16 at the college. The event begins with a 5 p.m. food demonstration by two of Korea's most respected chefs, Bokjin Han and Lara Chung.
The event is free and open to the public, but a reservation is required. To reserve a seat, contact Back at email@example.com or 713-743-2530.
"It is truly an honor to have chefs Han and Chung with us," said Kijoon Back, HRM associate professor and graduate program director. "Both are direct descendents of the late Heysun Hwang, the second holder of the 38th Important Intangible Cultural Property. We are learning from masters."
For the two weeks prior to the events, Chung will be a guest lecturer in HRM Food Production Management classes.
Many countries around the world have taken steps to preserve their "intangible culture," such as art, dance and food. Korea has many categories of intangible culture. The 38th is the Royal Cuisine of the Joseon Dynasty, the longest-ruling Confucian dynasty.
The menu for the evening includes:
- Bulgogi with skewered mini ricecakes
- Kimchi
- Oven-baked spicy sauce chicken with scallions
- Roasted pork belly with Korean barbecue sauce
- Korean sweets
"The food demonstration will include traditional Korean wines," Back said. "We'll also enjoy a taekwondo demonstration and traditional Korean music."
The food demonstrations will take place in the college's south wing kitchens in room 116; the reception is planned for Barron's restaurant, adjacent to the kitchens and classrooms. The taekwondo demonstrations will take place in the courtyard.
For more information about the UH Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management visit http://www.hrm.uh.edu/
|UH Conrad N. Hilton College of Hotel and Restaurant Management and the General Consulate of the Republic of Korea
|Korean Food Festival
Tuesday, Nov. 16
5 p.m. - Food Demonstration
6:15 p.m. - Cultural Event
6:30 p.m. - Reception
|UH Hilton College south wing kitchen room 116


text: UMW News BureauThe University of Montana Western men's and women's basketball teams open their home Frontier Conference season hosting the Lewis-Clark State Warriors and the Westminster College Griffins on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 15 and 16 in the Straugh Gymnasium. By Wally Feldt The University of Montana Western men's and women's basketball teams open their home Frontier Conference season hosting the Lewis-Clark State Warriors and the Westminster College Griffins on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 15 and 16 in the Straugh Gymnasium. The women tip off at 5:30 p.m. followed by the men at 7:30 p.m. Both games will be broadcast in southwest Montana on KDBM radio and webcast from a link on the Montana Western athletic department website. The Montana Western men are 13-5 overall, 1-1 in league play and ranked No. 25 in the nation. It is the first time since the 2004-05 season the Bulldogs have been ranked in the top 25. The Bulldogs opened their conference season with a road split losing at Rocky Mountain College and beating Carroll College in Helena, Mont. The win at Carroll was the Bulldogs' first win in Helena since the 1998-99 season when Montana Western won the regular season conference title. Four Bulldogs are scoring in double figures led by JaRon Brown with 17 ppg. Layne Glaus and Terry Hauser are averaging 12 ppg each and Brandon Lawson 11. Garrett Fink and JaRon Brown lead the team in rebounding with seven rebounds per game each. Montana Western leads the conference in scoring offense with 84 ppg. The Bulldogs also lead the conference in rebounding and are second in the nation with 42 rebounds per game. Lewis-Clark is 1-1 in the Frontier and 13-5 overall after splitting their first weekend of conference games. The Warriors beat the University of Great Falls and lost to Montana State University-Northern (MSU-Northern). Markus Monroe leads Lewis-Clark and the Frontier in scoring with 20 ppg. Also scoring in double figures are Tanner McIntosh with 12 ppg and Daniel Williams with 11. McIntosh leads the Warriors in rebounding with six per game. The Warriors average 74 ppg and give up 71. Westminster College is 12-4 overall, 2-0 in the Frontier and ranked No. 10 in the nation. The Griffins opened league play with home wins over MSU-Northern and the University of Great Falls. Last year, Westminster came to Dillon ranked No. 3 in the nation and lost to the Bulldogs 90-76. Blair Prowse leads the Griffins in scoring with 16 ppg followed by Weston Anderson and Ben Walker with 14 ppg each. Walker leads Westminster in rebounding with six rebounds per game. The Griffins average 72 ppg and are second in the Frontier on points allowed with 64 ppg. The Montana Western women are 4-11 overall and 0-2 in the Frontier after opening conference play with road losses at Carroll College and Rocky Mountain College. Jamie Lake leads the Bulldogs in scoring with 13 points per game (ppg) followed by Nicole Tams with 11 ppg. Tams leads the team in rebounding with six rebounds per game followed by Laura Geis with five. Montana Western is averaging 62 ppg while giving up 69. Lewis-Clark State is 16-2 overall and 2-0 in conference play after home wins over MSU-Northern and the University of Great Falls. The Warriors enter the weekend on a nine-game winning streak and are ranked No. 11 in the NAIA Women's Division I power poll. Jasmine Stohr leads the Warriors in scoring with 15 points per game followed by Nikki DePeel with 11. Kirsi Voshell leads Lewis-Clark in rebounding with eight per game followed by Alyssa Fierro with six. Voshell leads the team and the Frontier in blocked shots with 1.8 per game. The Warriors average 72 ppg, which is second in the conference. Westminster College is also riding a nine-game winning streak going into the weekend. The Griffins are 2-0 in league play, 13-4 overall and are ranked 15th in the nation. Last weekend, Westminster opened the conference season with home wins over MSU-Northern and the University of Great Falls. Four players are scoring in double figures for the Griffins led by McKenzie Jessop, Michelle Pace and Nicole Yazzie with 13 ppg each. Keshia Catten and Allie Eastman follow with 12 ppg apiece. Jessop and Pace share the rebounding lead with seven per game. The Griffins lead the Frontier Conference with an average of 79 ppg,


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Shakespeare is as relevant to the remix culture of the web as viral videos and cute cats, argues Tom Chatfield.
In his 1939 poem In Memory of WB Yeats, WH Auden described the strange immortality of literary legacy: "The death of the poet was kept from his poems. / But for him it was his last afternoon as himself... he became his admirers."
Admirers die just like poets, of course, and most authors can hope for only a brief literary afterlife. A few, however, become something else: a permanent part of culture and language. The mightiest of all such figures is William Shakespeare, who since his death at the age of 52 in April 1616 has become the closest thing the English language has to a presiding deity.
This April, the launch of the World Shakespeare Festival brings the greatest celebration yet of "the world's playwright". And alongside its readings, performances, commissioned art and gatherings, an intriguing digital counterpoint to events is taking place: My Shakespeare – a site dedicated to "measuring Shakespeare's digital heartbeat" some four centuries after his actual one stopped.
What, then, does an author's digital heart sound like – and how, in the words of the Royal Shakespeare Company's artistic director Michael Boyd, "can our understanding of a 17th century English playwright be transformed by new media"?
Above all, these questions are connected by the new kind of relationship being established online between artists and audiences. The theatre is, itself, a space defined by an audience: its energy and ritual driven by live performance. On the page, even words like Shakespeare's are only half alive.
Ghostly imprint
Online, however, a work comes alive in quite a different sense: not in performance, but in the drama of action and reaction that is the texture of 21st-century lives. If Shakespeare has, in Auden's phrase, become his admirers, then he is a composite of many millions of modern lives: taught in half the world's schools, performed more than any living writer, and quoted more than any other English language writer other than those who penned the King James Bible.
It's this audience that – along with artistic commissions, blogs, videos, discussions, and much else besides – the My Shakespeare site has set out to map, through an intriguing data visualisation tool dubbed Banquo (after the ghost in Macbeth). Where the original Banquo silently stalked the man who commanded his murder, however, his digital descendant is considerably more articulate, plotting Shakespeare-related keywords from Twitter, Flickr and eBay in real time onto a colour-coded graph.
My Shakespeare describes its Banquo as a ghostly emblem of the way "social media leaves a lasting impression of our comments, ideas, thoughts and activity that remain in cyberspace long after they initially existed". And there's certainly something uncanny about the waves of interest it charts, with captured images drifting against a background of mentions and invocations: book covers, pictures of castles, quotations, comments on performances, links, debates (dominated, the digerati may be interested to learn, by Twitter).
What this quantifiable sense of a work's passage through the world most suggests to me, however, is something that has always been true, but until recently never spelled out quite so bluntly: that even the greatest art and ideas are part of a vaster human ebb and flow; and that perhaps the most important way in which new media can transform our relationship with Shakespeare is, ironically, by taking him off the pedestal erected beneath his legacy, and restoring him to the present as an embodiment of what a truly vigorous creative culture should like like.
London's theatrical world was less than two decades old when Shakespeare began his career, with the first successful purpose-built theatre (called, simply, "The Theatre") opening outside the city walls in 1576. The medium was unruly, unstable; closer to the mob delights of bear-baiting than high literature.
It was a time, in fact, not entirely unlike our own: a volatile age of new words, new technologies and new ambitions. Between them, printing and playhouses were set to transform the way a nation delighted and described itself. Relationships between authors and audiences, creators and consumers, were profoundly in flux. The English language itself gained over ten thousand new words during the Elizabethan and Jacobean eras – not to mention some of the greatest literature in history.
Yet none of the young playwrights of the early theatre would have considered themselves "authors". They were actors, scriptwriters, entrepreneurs, innovators and crowd-pleasers. Shakespeare's own ambition and prolific rate of production meant much borrowing, adaptation and recombination. His plots and characters were brilliant mash-ups of recent, classical and European sources. His took universal human themes and reimagined them for his time – playing fast and loose with history, probability and conventional creative assumptions. He scarcely took any interest in his own literary legacy. And though he won fame, fortune and royal favour, he continued to be dismissed by some after his death as ill-educated, provincial and insufficiently aristocratic even to have written his own plays.
The lessons and opportunities for today, as the World Shakespeare Festival and its cornucopia of commissions suggests, are immense. His plays themselves are constantly reimagined, reworked and transposed – whether it is Richard III set in World War II or a Maori version of Troilus and Cressida complete with a Haka. New media, however, grant entirely new levels of freedom: not only to share the greatest works and words of all time instantly and universally; but to respond, remix and recreate, whether that means Othello through the Simpsons or Macbeth through the songs of Jonny Cash (you can find other mash-ups here and here). It's this that the My Shakespeare project promises most enticingly to tap into – from artist Emma Wolukau-Wanambwa's Nicely Turned tumblr blog, clothing Shakesperian lines and allusions in a 21st-century cultural context, to Will Power's forthcoming fusion project Hip Hop Shakespeare.
For some people, art shorn of old boundaries and hierarchies is a dangerously cheap commodity: devalued and debased to the level of the mob. This was the argument levelled against actors and playhouses four centuries ago by those who wished only the best possible taste to prevail. And it remains an argument we should gleefully ignore, delving instead into Shakespeare's work much as he delved into his sources: borrowing, adapting and augmenting; determined both to innovate and to delight; unafraid to be judged by popular taste.
Not every artist will win admirers, let alone become a Shakespeare. Yet perhaps the best lesson to take from the 17th century is a bluntly timeless one: past glories are little use unless you're prepared to grasp the present moment by the scruff of its neck.


text:
TASMANIANS prosecuted for gay sex could have their criminal records wiped clear by the end of this year, after the move won the backing of the state's three political parties.
Labor, the Liberals and Greens yesterday declared in-principle support for legislation to expunge criminal records related to homosexual sex after the Victorian government vowed to do so.
Tasmania was the last state to decriminalise homosexuality and men were still being arrested and fined for having consensual sex with another man up until the mid '80s.
Tasmanian Gay and Lesbian Rights Group spokesman Rodney Croome estimated 20 to 30 of the hundreds of men arrested under the law would still be alive.
Mr Croome has also called for an official apology.
"Expunging records will benefit those men who were arrested, but an official apology will go further by benefiting the far larger group of men who suffered, and still suffer, from the prejudice and stigma criminalisation fostered," Mr Croome said.
Tasmania's anti- discrimination officer Robin Banks has been researching the issue for several months and plans to publish a discussion paper on possible models that could be used to enable people convicted of homosexual crimes to clear their record.
However, Ms Banks said the process would not be easy and each case would need to be assessed to ensure people were not excused of genuine crimes.
Ms Banks said she hoped to put recommendations to the state government mid-year clearing the way for legislation to be passed by the end of the year.
Tasmania's Attorney-General Brian Wightman said he was committed to expunging old homosexuality convictions.
He expected it would require legislative change, which would follow public consultation in the first half of this year.
"It is a complex task, as a range of offences were previously used to prosecute people, including serious sex offences, and the changes to the law occurred relatively recently."


text:
Job growth in the United State stumbled in March according to a new report released Friday morning.
Employers added a total of only 88,000 jobs, according to the U.S. Labor Department, about half the number many analysts were expecting. The number is far below the 254,000 increase in February and is the fewest number of new jobs created in nine months. One area where job growth was strong was construction, as the sector added 18,000 jobs in March.
The nation's unemployment rate moved one tenth of a percent lower from the month before to 7.6%, but this also came as the nation's labor force fell by nearly half a million people.
The report came two days after the payroll processing company ADP said the private sector added 158,00 jobs in March, less than the number created in February and January.
Trucking shed 6,900 jobs in March after gaining an upwardly revised 5,700 in February. The March figure is the largest decline in four years and the first drop after five months of straight increases.
When compared to trucking employment from the same time a year ago, 34,500 jobs have been added. Figures for trucking include jobs the for-hire sector and not those with private fleets or trucking jobs in other industries such as construction.


text:
Kevin Magee of Legal Action of Wisconsin and farmer Dick Okray discuss the situation of farmworkers in Wisconsin from a legal standpoint. The event takes place at noon in the Foley & Lardner Courtroom (Room 3260). All are welcome!
Hosted by the Wisconsin Agriculture & Food Law Society and the National Lawyers Guild.
Submitted by Law School News on February 6, 2014
This article appears in the categories: Featured Events


text:
STOCKTON - It's been more than 45 years since Hall of Fame pitcher Rollie Fingers threw a pitch in Stockton as a minor leaguer, if you count the ceremonial first pitch the 66-year-old tossed before Friday's game between the Ports and Visalia.
STOCKTON - It's been more than 45 years since Hall of Fame pitcher Rollie Fingers threw a pitch in Stockton as a minor leaguer, if you count the ceremonial first pitch the 66-year-old tossed before Friday's game between the Ports and Visalia.
But Fingers didn't see the Ports relievers enjoy a successful night as Visalia rallied with five runs in the eighth inning for a 6-3 win in a California League game in front of 3,385 fans at Stockton Ballpark.
Fingers, who greeted fans and signed autographs, recalled playing at Billy Hebert Field as a member of the 1966 Modesto Reds that included such standouts as Reggie Jackson, Tony LaRussa and Joe Rudi.
"I remember the clubhouse (at Hebert) being way out in center field," said Fingers, sporting his signature handlebar mustache. "It was an old park and it was a long walk just to get to the dugout.
"This (ballpark) is very nice. It's a lot nicer than a lot of major league parks I played in. Detroit's Tiger Stadium was terrible, but the worst was Cleveland when I played there.
"They probably let cows graze out on the field between games, it was so bad."
Fingers said he hopes his success as relief pitcher in the 1970's is a legacy fans of the game will remember.
"I'd like people to think I was one of the guys who changed the game," said Fingers, who had 341 career saves and was the 1974 World Series MVP with a win and two saves for the Oakland A's against the Los Angeles Dodgers.
"There was no such thing as a closer in those days," he said. "You had guys like Robin Roberts who threw 33 complete games and pitchers throwing 340 innings a year. Sandy Koufax told me he threw 245 pitches in a 16-inning game. I once threw 100 pitches as a closer.
"It was harder for bullpen (pitchers) to do well because they were lucky to get 30 to 40 innings (playing) a year," Fingers said. "They could throw all the pitches they wanted in the bullpen, but it isn't the same as when you walk between the lines. You need work in a game to stay sharp."
In Friday's game, Stockton starter Deyvi Jimenez scattered three hits over five innings before reliever Jonathan Joseph (3-1) took the loss, giving up five earned runs to the Rawhide (19-9) in the eighth inning. Raul Navarro's three-RBI triple proved to be the game-winner for Visalia. Diogenes Rosario (3-1) earned the win for the Rawhide.
The Ports (15-13) got off to a good start when Josh Whitaker plated both Addison Russell and Max Muncy with a double to leftfield off Visalia starter Kyle Winkler for a 2-0 lead in the first.
The Rawhide's Yazy Arbelo scored on a bases-loaded walk from Jimenez to make it 2-1 before Ports catcher Ryan Delgado tagged Winkler with a two-out home run to right in the fourth for a 3-1 lead before Visalia rallied in the eighth.
Game 2 is at 7:05 p.m. today.


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A change in the LTBP4 protein gene reduces muscle-damaging signals in mice with a disease resembling LGMD2C
New research has shown that a change in a gene not previously connected to type 2C limb-girdle muscular dystrophy (LGMD2C) modifies the severity of the disease in mice and is likely to do the same in people with this and perhaps with related types of muscular dystrophy.
The gene, called LPTB4, influences two processes: muscle-tissue scarring, and fragility of the membrane that surrounds each muscle fiber, reports study coordinator Elizabeth McNally, who has MDA funding for related work at the University of Chicago.
Research was conducted using mice missing the muscle protein known as gamma-sarcoglycan, the same protein missing in people with LGMD2C. People with this disease and other muscular dystrophies, particularly Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), Becker muscular dystrophy (BMD) and the 2D, 2E and 2F forms of LGMD, have fragile muscle-fiber membranes and develop scar tissue in their muscles.
"In the families I see with muscular dystrophy, I have always been interested in trying to determine what makes one family member better and another person worse," McNally said. "Some patients continue walking much longer than others. We think this new gene, LPTB4, could help explain why some people do better. We also hope this new gene points to an angle we can develop as a therapy."
McNally has received several MDA research grants for related work and is a member of the Association's Scientific Advisory Committee. The study results were published online Nov. 2, 2009, in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
About LGMD, DMD and BMD
Some forms of muscular dystrophy (i.e., DMD, BMD and several types of LGMD) are due to deficiencies of proteins associated with the membranes that surround each muscle fiber. These deficiencies lead to membrane damage. McNally's group uncovered an apparent link between membrane damage and muscle-fiber scarring (fibrosis), another aspect of these diseases. Both these harmful effects can be mitigated by a change in the LTBP4 gene.
Limb-girdle muscular dystrophy types 2C, 2D, 2E and 2F are caused by a deficiency of any of four sarcoglycan proteins, all of which normally help protect the muscle fibers from damage during muscle contraction.
DMD and BMD are due to a deficiency of dystrophin, another protein associated with the muscle fiber membrane.
All of these types of muscular dystrophy cause damage to the membranes around each muscle fiber, followed by loss of muscle and its replacement by scar tissue. However, disease severity varies to some extent, even in people with the same primary genetic defect.
About the new findings
McNally and colleagues speculated that background genes could influence whether the mouse model of LGMD2C had a mild or severe disease course.
The research team wanted to learn what gene or genes influence disease severity. They used a "genome-wide" (all genes) mapping strategy to find genes involved in scar formation and damage to the membrane surrounding each muscle fiber in muscular dystrophy.
They found, to their surprise, that one gene, the one that carries instructions for the LTBP4 protein, seems to be responsible for making muscular dystrophy milder, at least in the LGMD2C mice.
LTBP4 sticks to another protein, called TGF-beta, releasing it a little at a time and regulating its activity in cells. TGF-beta, a signaling protein, is known to play a major role in stimulating fibrosis and, according to the new findings, exacerbates membrane damage as well.
McNally's team found that the milder muscle disease was caused by unique changes in LTBP4 that caused it to more tightly hang on to TGF-beta. Without as much TGF-beta, the surrounding muscle cells were more stable and less likely to become scarred.
"TGF-beta signaling has both beneficial and detrimental effects," the authors note, "and thus, exploiting TGF-beta for therapy has a complicated side-effect profile." They say reducing TGF-beta signaling indirectly, by targeting LTBP4, could potentially allow for good control of the location and level of TGF-beta signaling in cells.
Meaning for people with MD
Many strategies, including transfer of genes or proteins, modification of interpretation of genes by cells, and combating inflammation with corticosteroids and experimental compounds, are in development to treat muscular dystrophies.
Regulating signaling by TGF-beta could one day be a relatively safe way to stabilize muscle and reduce scarring, two critical problems in muscular dystrophy.
In addition, the human LTBP4 gene has a number of naturally occurring changes in it, and these changes may help predict whose disease will be milder and whose will be more severe.
"We are very interested in learning whether these normal changes in LTBP4 indicate the disease path in human patients with muscular dystrophy, and also in using this genetic information to design new therapies based on our findings," McNally said.
The results of the new findings will need further confirmation in laboratory animals and ultimately will need to be tested in humans before a drug based on this approach can be taken to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for approval.


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Summer Style: A Whole Lotta Terracotta
With the recent heat wave that stretched across the nation, we'd be excused for thinking we live in the desert when we're actually plunked in the middle of the city. All this desert weather has us turning an eye toward lovely terracotta accessories for the home. From trendy side tables to a cute little pig grill, check out these 10 terracotta finds from around the web.
• Cinch Terracotta Side Table from West Elm, $79.99
• Terracotta Drip Vase by Lizet Pottery Studio, $28
• Pig Terracotta Grill from Cost Plus World Market, $17.49
• Owl Dish Terracotta Pottery by Ron Philbeck Pottery, $30
• Terracotta Water Dispenser from Southern Cross Pottery, $259
• Handcrafted Terra Cotta Oven from Sur La Table, $1900
•Terracotta Ceramic Lamp from The Webstaurant Store, $9.99
• Initialled Terracotta Napkin Rings by Terracotta Toys, £6
• Dipped Terracotta Pot from Toast, £15
• Terracotta Oil Lamps from CB2, $14.95 - $19.95
(Images: As credited above.)


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CAIRO — Egypt's Islamist president warned against any unrest that could harm the drive to repair the country's battered economy in his first address before the newly convened upper house of Parliament on Saturday, urging the opposition to work with his government.
In the nationally televised speech, Mohammed Morsi said the nation's efforts should be focused on ''production, work, seriousness, and effort,'' now that a new constitution had come into effect this past week. He blamed protests and violence this past month for further damaging an economy already in crisis since the fall of autocrat Hosni Mubarak.
Morsi denounced those he said were spreading panic about Egypt's economy, saying that the country will ''not go bankrupt'' and that its banks were healthy, after a rush on dollars the past week.
He presented the country's foreign currency reserves, currently at $15 billion, as up slightly from last year, though he acknowledged they were down dramatically from around $36 billion in 2010.
Soon after Morsi's speech, the Central Bank of Egypt warned that foreign reserves were at a ''critical'' minimum level — that is, the minimum for meeting obligations like international debt and covering the costs of strategic imports. Currency reserves have been sliding as foreign investment and tourism dried up amid the turmoil of the uprising against Mubarak two years ago.
Citing the economy, Morsi pressed the opposition to drop its refusals to deal with his government, repeating his invitation for it to join a national dialogue he has been holding — and adding a warning that appeared directed at the opposition not to turn to protests that might cause unrest.
All sides must ''realize the needs of the moment'' and work only through ''mature democracy while avoiding violence,'' he told the 270-member Shura Council. ''We condemn and reject all forms of violence by individuals, groups, institutions, and even from the nation and its government. This is completely rejected.''
Last month, the largely secular and liberal opposition launched a wave of protests against decrees by Morsi grabbing new powers — since revoked — and against the draft constitution that his Islamist allies rammed through to finalization and put to a referendum, completed a week ago.
In response, Islamists also launched mass rallies, and the two sides erupted into violence several times. The worst violence came in clashes outside the presidential palace that killed 10 people, and though it was sparked when Islamists attacked a sit-in, Morsi's allies have blamed the opposition.
Opponents fear that Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, from which he hails, are monopolizing rule and that the new constitution will consecrate their power.
The charter allows for a stronger implementation of Islamic law, or Shariah, than in the past and includes provisions that could limit many civil rights and freedoms of minorities. It was passed by 64 percent in the referendum, though turnout was only around 33 percent.
Under the new constitution, the upper house of Parliament, which normally has few powers, is now serving as the law-making body until a new legislating lower house is chosen in national elections expected within a few months. The upper house, called the Shura Council, has an overwhelming Islamist majority, mainly from Morsi's Brotherhood and the allied ultraconservative Salafis.
Morsi said he aimed to give all factions a voice. The dialogue is supposed to draw up key legislation to put before Parliament, including a law organizing the parliamentary elections, and decide other issues.
The opposition has dismissed the dialogue initiative as disingenuous, and so far mainly Islamists are participating, along with a few small liberal parties.
Ahmed Maher, head of the activist April 6 Movement that helped engineer last year's uprising against Mubarak, said Morsi's speech offered nothing new beyond his acknowledgement of Egypt's economic woes.
He also said he would not enter into talks again with the president until the Brotherhood ''gives up some of their arrogance and stubbornness.''


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All of O'Reilly
When LaunchBar was announced as a winner
in the second Mac OS X Innovator's Contest, we received lots of positive
comments from readers who were fans of this software.
LaunchBar allows a user to enter a range of abbreviations for any term.
It analyzes the user's behavior and adapts rating criteria dynamically,
so search results become more accurate as LaunchBar "learns" how to
serve the user. Like so many good ideas, the concept for this software
has been around for a while. Its roots go back to 1995 and NEXTSTEP.
But I'll let Norbert tell that part of the story.
Derrick Story: When did the lightning bolt of inspiration first
strike about your award-winning idea? Was it in the shower, on a walk,
during conversation ...?
Norbert Heger: It was in 1995. We were doing NEXTSTEP/OPENSTEP
software development at that time, mainly custom applications for enterprise
customers. During my daily work, I realized that I spent a considerable
amount of time with task-switching activities -- searching for the very
same applications, documents, files and folders on my hard disk again
and again.
Norbert Heger began developing LaunchBar back in 1995 while developing software for NEXTSTEP.
The better those items were organized in hierarchical structures such
as folders and subfolders, the more time it took to reveal these items.
And even using graphical, Dock-like utilities that let you access your
frequently used items with a single mouse click hadn't been much help.
If you try to manage more than a dozen items, you have to organize
them in separate hierarchical levels, and again you have to dig around
for a specific item.
This led to the idea to be able to "talk" to the computer in a new,
simple, and efficient manner. I wanted to have one single access point
for all of the different kinds of information, put my request there, and
let the computer do the rest.
DS: Then what did you do? Work up a prototype, get some help,
let it ferment? How much time passed between when you had the initial
inspiration and the first working prototype?
NH: The very first "prototype" was not even an application. It
all began with dozens of little shell scripts and a tiny Terminal window.
Each of the scripts had a very short one- or two-letter name and just
opened one specific application or document. The Terminal window was
placed in one of the screen corners, allowing us to bring it to the front
quickly using the mouse. When we wanted to launch Interface Builder, for instance,
we just had to click that screen corner, enter "IB" (the name of the script
we've prepared to launch Interface Builder) and hit Return.
As you can imagine, this approach was not really practical. We had to
create a new shell script for each and every item that we wanted to
access, so we thought, hey, there must be a simpler way to accomplish
So we started developing a rating algorithm to determine the best matching
item for a given abbreviation automatically. This algorithm delivered
pretty good results "out of the box," but it turned out that the results
still needed some kind of fine-tuning. Different people use different
techniques to abbreviate names, so we tried to adapt to these different
usage patterns automatically. It took about two months until we were
satisfied with the quality of the algorithm. Even today, we're still
trying to improve and optimize that technology in order to achieve even
better search results.
Session by Andrew M. Duncan:
Taking the Plunge with Objective-C
With the introduction of Apple's Mac OS X comes a new library called Cocoa: foundation classes and an application framework for improving developer productivity. Apple recommends that all new applications use the Cocoa library and associated tools. But Cocoa is based on a language unfamiliar to many programmers: Objective-C. This session will introduce Objective-C to programmers who have some experience with Java, C++, or other object-oriented languages.
O'Reilly Mac OS X Conference
October 27-30, 2003
Santa Clara, CA
DS: What kind of comments and feedback do you get about LaunchBar?
I bet some of your mail is quite interesting.
NH: Yes, we do receive incredible feedback. It's a pleasure to
read so many positive emails and enthusiastic reviews on VersionTracker
or MacUpdate.
Many users tell us that LaunchBar totally changed the way they work
with their Mac. They feel lost whenever they have to work on a computer
without it. Some of them even told us that LaunchBar has been their
final reason to switch from Mac OS 9 to OS X.
And of course we receive a lot of feature requests and suggestions.
LaunchBar became an integral part of the people's daily workflow, so
they want to perform even more of their regular tasks with this efficient
interface. I'm glad to report that many of these requests will be considered
in the next major release.
DS: Do you have a mentor? Or maybe someone who helped you overcome
the technical hurdles involved with bringing your idea to life? Tell
us about that person and his/her role.
NH: There is no specific mentor. The most valuable source of
inspiration and help is the large community of users and developers.
If you've done your job right, users will tell you. If there's some
feature missing, they will tell you. If you've missed the point, they
will tell you. You just have to listen carefully.
DS: Have you worked with the same group of guys over the years
on this application? If so, who are they?
NH: Our core team members include Christian Starkjohann (the
author of Sharity), Karl Schwarzott (author of Little Snitch), and Johannes
Tiefenbrunner (WebYep). We've been working closely together on a lot
of projects over the past 12 years.
Johannes "invented" the Command-Space hotkey back in 1995. In NEXTSTEP
it was nearly impossible to implement a system wide hotkey, but Johannes
found a way to patch the Display Postscript Server (also responsible
for dispatching keyboard and mouse events), allowing us to activate LaunchBar
with a single keystroke. Fortunately, these things became much easier
to accomplish in Mac OS X.
DS: How many people did you tell about your idea during the development
phase? Was this something you kept under your hat, or did the Mac community
at large know you were working on this?
NH: The development of the very first NEXTSTEP version of LaunchBar
was an internal project at Objective Development. The more we used it
ourselves, the more it became obvious that such a tool would be quite
useful for many others as well. So we released the first public version
of LaunchBar in 1996.
When we started porting LaunchBar to Mac OS X in 2001, we released two
public preview versions of our application. This gave us the chance
to receive some very helpful user feedback.
DS: Which was harder: developing the application to the point
that it was ready for public consumption, or the "sales, marketing,
distribution" side of the equation? Why?
NH: Well, both sides take their time. Unfortunately (from a developer's
point of view) marketing and support is a never-ending task, requiring
an ever-increasing amount of time and resources. In contrast, the development
of a product usually reaches some kind of stable state from time to
time (not a final state, of course; there's always room for improvements).
At least in the field of support, there's a good chance to shift some
of the efforts into application development by making the user interface
more self-explanatory. Apple does a brilliant job in that respect. With
each release of Mac OS X, the system becomes more foolproof. You can
learn a lot from studying their applications and from reading the Human
Interface Guidelines.
DS: I'm glad you brought up Apple development. I haven't asked
this question before, but I'd like to know your thoughts on the development
of Mac OS X. Isn't the evolution of this operating system remarkable?
NH: Yes, it's indeed exciting to observe the development of this
In 1996/1997, when Apple acquired NeXT -- or was it the other way round?
;-) -- I've been thrilled when it became clear that the next generation
of the Mac operating system would be based on NeXT technology.
The very first developer previews of the new OS (a.k.a. Rhapsody) as
well as the first publicly available version (Mac OS X Server 1.x) left
us with some mixed feelings, though. It became pretty obvious that there
were quite a lot of problems to be solved. Especially, how would it be
possible (with reasonable efforts) to bring existing Mac OS 9 applications
to this entirely new environment?
But finally, Apple made the impossible possible. They managed to combine
a powerful and complex Unix operating system with a beautiful and easy-to-use graphical user interface. They provided the Carbon libraries
side by side with the Cocoa frameworks allowing developers to port their
existing code, as well as writing new applications using the API of their
choice. And not to forget the integration of the Classic environment
-- this has been a masterpiece of software engineering.
I'm also glad to see that the initial performance problems of OS X have
not just been addressed at the hardware level (telling people to buy
faster computers). It's enjoyable to see noticeable speed increases
with each major release of Mac OS X. Even today, OS X runs just fine
on an old 266 MHz iMac, and rumors have it that we'll see another performance
boost in the not-so-distant future.
DS: OK, back to your world of programming. What will you do differently,
and what will you do the same on your next big project?
NH: I'll wait for that brilliant genius that invents the 48-hour
day :-)
Seriously, as mentioned before, it is possible and necessary to reduce
support costs by developing a clean and simple user interface that is
as self-explanatory as possible. In case of LaunchBar, we are currently
working on a major redesign of the configuration interface to achieve
that goal.
DS: What one piece of advice that you've learned during the process
would you pass on to other Mac developers?
NH: The first impression of your work is a very important factor.
If your program is overloaded with lots of nice ideas but none of them
is implemented in a satisfactory manner, people will quickly stop using
your software, probably never seeing the real cool features you've invented.
It's difficult enough to get a potential user's attention, so don't
waste it!
Derrick Story
is the author of The Photoshop CS4 Companion for Photographers, The Digital Photography Companion, and Digital Photography Hacks, and coauthor of iPhoto: The Missing Manual, with David Pogue. You can follow him on Twitter or visit www.thedigitalstory.com.
Return to the Mac Innovators Contest
Return to the Mac DevCenter


text:
Was Tamar Braxton, mouth almighty and fifth wheel on the daytime chatfest, "The Real," missed by her show's producers when she fell ill last month? Well according to Page Six, the dramatic diva was reportedly not missed and as a matter of fact, The Real's producers, "seemed much happier without her."
The R&B songstress and star of the "Braxton Family Values" reality show was a top competitor on the wildly popular ABC-TV show, "Dancing With the Stars" when she had to drop out due to blood clots in both her lungs. Tamar was rushed to the hospital midway during dress rehearsals and was not present at the start of the live broadcast. The then ailing award-winning recording artist's reported initial diagnosis was pneumonia and even though her health was compromised, Tamar forged ahead, returning to the show, just in time to perform a team-up routine with fellow competitors. Upon completing the segment, it was clear, Tamar was exhausted after the showing.


text:
Deputy Prime Minister (Andrey) Kobyakov,
Minister (Nikolay) Snopkov,
Deputy Minister (Sergey) Aleinik,
Ambassador (Mikhail) Khvostov,
Mr. Antonius Broek, UN Resident Coordinator,
Distinguished Delegates,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The goal of this special session is to share, through the example of Belarus, how the UN Interagency Cluster on Trade and Productive Capacity is operationalizing the UN system´s coordinated contribution to the delivery of aid for trade.
In the context of the UN systemwide coherence reform, the Cluster is now recognized as an efficient mechanism to deliver country-specific and tailor-made assistance for responding to Governments´ development priorities. I am therefore pleased to co-chair this briefing and interactive debate with Mr. Andrei Kobyakov, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belarus; the distinguished Minister of Economy; the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs; and the Ambassador of Belarus to the United Nations in Geneva. Welcome to all of you.
The Cluster was established in 2007 with the primary goal of advancing the Aid- for-Trade initiative. Since its inception and operation in the One UN pilots and other UNDAF processes, the Cluster has emphasized in all its activities that its objective is to deliver concrete trade-related assistance and capacity-building in view of mainstreaming trade into the UN´s national assistance plans and ensuring policy coherence:
1) Regarding the mainstreaming of trade into the UN´s national assistance plans:
The Cluster is increasingly effective at facilitating the inclusion of trade and trade-related assistance in UN country plans. Until 2007-2008, trade-related issues were marginalized and seen as outside the core mandates and goals of the UN system in the majority of UN Development Assistance Frameworks. In order to comply with General Assembly resolutions on development operations, and to achieve the goals of the UN systemwide coherence process, it is crucial to that trade-related assistance and the UN development operations are envisaged as one.
We are very pleased that in Belarus, the formulation of the United Nations Development Framework 2011-2015, coordinated by the Government and the United Nations Resident Coordinator Office, led to the inclusion of an outcome of this plan focused on trade, in particular the implications of the international trade dimension for the national economy. We are also pleased that the UNDAF formulation has been inclusive and allowed for the best possible interaction between the CEB Interagency Cluster, the Government and the UN country team based in Belarus. Several interagency missions have visited Belarus and close contacts have been established, via audio conference, among the various participants, whether at headquarters, in Geneva or in the field. The active participation of the Mission of Belarus in Geneva in each step of the process has also been noteworthy. Interaction between the Cluster and partners resulted in greater transparency and constructive dialogue, which can serve as an example to similar efforts elsewhere. In fact, the example of Belarus is already being followed by the United Nations in Azerbaijan and Georgia. We would strongly advise the countries involved in the formulation of a new UNDAF to use Belarus as a model.
2) Regarding policy coherence:
The joint programmes designed within the Cluster aim at establishing and building on complementarities between the various mandates of the collaborating agencies. Coordinated activities in various sectors or areas of assistance are conducive to greater effectiveness and a wider development impact than small, unconnected operations. Assistance that addresses supply-side needs and productive capacities has to be formulated and integrated with policy advice and legislative instruments in all trade and trade-related issues. This approach is in line with the main concept of aid for trade, whereby supply-side weaknesses are placed at the core of trade-related assistance.
We are very pleased that this approach has been so well operationalized in the first outcome of the UNDAF of Belarus. This part of the UNDAF covers issues at both the macro and micro economic levels. In this regard, the contribution of the Cluster is crucial to achieving policy coherence because the Cluster´s member agencies intervene in an articulated manner in several dimensions of the economy. They offer a unique range of expertise with the potential to achieve the widest and deepest development impact.
UNCTAD operations, undertaken in coordination and coherence within the Cluster, will consist mainly of implementing the recommendations of the Investment Policy Review presented yesterday at the meeting of UNCTAD´s Investment, Enterprise and Development Commission. In brief, these recommendations involve:
I now invite the participating agencies of the Cluster who are here today - UNECE, UNIDO and ITC - to present the activities they propose to carry out within the Cluster.
Finally, we would like to reiterate the importance of donor support for the Cluster´s operations in Belarus and look forward to a fruitful dialogue and cooperation with you in the near future.
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
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To read all comments associated with this story, please click here.
The OEMs allowed themselves to become totally dependent on MS, now they get to reap what they sow.
The only laptop/desktop maker that isn't dependent on MS is doing well, with a strong brand and fat margins. Others could have differentiated themselves, but chose to remain entirely dependent on MS.
Can't for the life of me figure out why you got modded down for this, unless we've got more ms trolls than Linux lovers around here these days.
The sad thing is that while you are correct, and the OEMs did bring it on themselves, I'm not sure which would have been worse. Look at what OEMs have done to Android to try to "add value" to their platform. Remember what happened with the various Linux netbooks? The Windows bloatware situation was bad enough, and I'm not certain that having multiple OEMs with "value added features" to any operating system would have been better than what we got. At least, when you did buy a PC, you did know that your applications would definitely run as long as they ran on Windows. Can you imagine the disaster we'd have had if some OEMs customized with Linux, others with FreeBSD, and all incompatible with one another because of "added value?" It would be the Linux fragmentation situation multiplied across the entire PC industry. Had that happened, as bad as classic Mac OS was as a platform, we'd probably have ended up with that being the dominant system in use today for the same reason Windows ultimately dominated.