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I have wanted to make this apron for a while now. It has taken the Ucreate "create with me" challenge for February to motivate this project into action. Thank you Ucreate!
A friend told me about an awesome deal at a local discount store. They had eyelet bed skirts on for $5.00. At the time, we were making pioneer clothes for a pioneer trek, so I thought I would check out this good deal. When I got to the cashier, the bed skirt ran up at 50 cents. I had to go buy the rest of them. I have been thinking of projects to make with my eight bed skirts and one of those projects was going to be an apron. I have another outdated bed skirt that would also make a good apron too. Maybe another day.
I went to the blog that had the apron tutorial that was issued in the February UCreate challenge to get the inspiration on how to make an apron. Check out that tutorial BY CLICKING HERE!
Keeping that tutorial in mind, I set off to do my own apron made from a bed skirt. Here is how I did it:
The measurements are for a medium sized apron (size 5/6). Adjust measurements accordingly.
Make the bottom half of the apron:
1. Measure and cut a 20" wide piece from the bed skirt ruffle. Cut at the top of ruffle, just above the gathered seam. Cut a second 20" wide piece from the bed skirt, cutting 6 inches above the gathered seam.
2. Iron ruffle. Press in sides to finish seams. Top stitch.
3. Place short ruffle on top of the ruffle with 6" top. Pin 4 inches above the other ruffle. Sew.
You could stop here for short apron. Add a ribbon for a tie.
Make the top:
1. Cut out a piece of the bed skirt ruffle for the top. I cut just underneath the gathered seam and ironed it flat. I fancied up the top with lace. I finished all the edges. The finished measurement of the top of my apron was:
BODICE LENGTH - 10 inches
Adjust the measurements to fit you. I kept holding up the pieces to me to make sure they would fit. I started bigger than these measurements and adjusted accordingly.
Join the top to the bottom.
1) On the front of the bottom ruffle, I folded the unfinished fabric a 1/2 inch and pressed it. I turned the top and bottom around (back facing you) and pinned the top on to the bottom making sure the top was centered as it is a little more narrow than the bottom piece. Sew.
2) Flip the apron over to the front. Sew on your tie. I purchased ribbon for my tie. You need to make sure the ribbon is wide enough to cover the middle of the apron as there will be unfinished seams you will need to hide with the tie. The ribbon for the tie for my apron was 1 inch ribbon. This is the minimum you can use. A little wider would give you a little wriggle room. I used 72 inches of ribbon and finished the ends by folding them over and sewing the ends secure.
Finish up:
1) I cut two 20 inch pieces from my ribbon. I finished an end on each one.
2) I hand sewed the unfinished ends to each side of the top.
From a bed skirt to a pretty apron... why don't you give it a try?
Linked up to....


text:
Thus Rama showed to Janak's child
The varied beauties of the wild,
The hill, the brook and each fair spot,
Then turned to seek their leafy cot.
North of the mountain Rama found
A cavern in the sloping ground,
Charming to view, its floor was strown
With many a mass of ore and stone,
In secret shadow far retired
Where gay birds sang with joy inspired,
And trees their graceful branches swayed
With loads of blossom downward weighed.
Soon as he saw the cave which took
Each living heart and chained the look,
Thus Rama spoke to Sita, who
Gazed wondering on the silvan view:
'Does this fair cave beneath the height,
Videhan lady, charm thy sight?
Then let us resting here a while
The languor of the way beguile.
That block of stone so smooth and square
Was set for thee to rest on there,
And like a thriving Kes'ar tree
This flowery shrub o'ershadows thee.'
Thus Rama spoke, and Janak's child,
By nature ever soft and mild,
In tender words which love betrayed
Her answer to the hero made:
'O pride of Raghu's children, still
My pleasure is to do thy will.
Enough for me thy wish to know:
Far hast thou wandered to and fro.'
Thus Sita spake in gentle tone,
And went obedient to the stone,
Of perfect face and faultless limb
Prepared to rest a while with him.
And Rama, as she thus replied,
Turned to his spouse again and cried:
'Thou seest, love, this flowery shade
For silvan creatures' pleasure made,
How the gum streams from trees and plants
Torn by the tusks of elephants!
Through all the forest clear and high
Resounds the shrill cicala's cry.
Hark how the kite above us moans,
And calls her young in piteous tones;
So may my hapless mother be
Still mourning in her home for me.
There mounted on that lofty Sál
The loud Bhringráj 1 repeats his call:
How sweetly now he tunes his throat
Responsive to the Koïl's note.
Or else the bird that now has sung
May be himself the Koïl's young,
Linked with such winning sweetness are
The notes he pours irregular.
See, round the blooming Mango clings
That creeper with her tender rings,
So in thy love, when none is near,
Thine arms are thrown round me, my dear.'
Thus in his joy he cried; and she,
Sweet speaker, on her lover's knee,
Of faultless limb and perfect face,
Grew closer to her lord's embrace.
Reclining in her husband's arms,
A goddess in her wealth of charms,
She filled his loving breast anew
With mighty joy that thrilled him through.
His finger on the rock he laid,
Which veins of sanguine ore displayed,
And painted o'er his darling's eyes
The holy sign in mineral dyes.
Bright on her brow the metal lay
Like the young sun's first gleaming ray,
And showed her in her beauty fair
As the soft light of morning's air.
Then from the Kes'ar's laden tree
He picked fair blossoms in his glee,
And as he decked each lovely tress,
His heart o'erflowed with happiness.
So resting on that rocky seat
A while they spent in pastime sweet,
Then onward neath the shady boughs
Went Ráma with his Maithil spouse.
She roaming in the forest shade
Where every kind of creature strayed
Observed a monkey wandering near,
And clung to Ráma's arm in fear.
The hero Ráma fondly laced
His mighty arms around her waist,
Consoled his beauty in her dread,
And scared the Monkey till he fled.
That holy mark of sanguine ore
That gleamed on Sítá's brow before,
Shone by that close embrace impressed
Upon the hero's ample chest.
Then Sítá, when the beast who led
The monkey troop, afar had fled,
Laughed loudly in light-hearted glee
That mark on Ráma's chest to see.
A clump of bright As'okas fired
The forest in their bloom attired:
The restless blossoms as they gleamed
A host of threatening monkeys seemed.
Then Sítá thus to Ráma cried,
As longingly the flowers she eyed:
'Pride of thy race, now let us go
Where those As'oka blossoms grow.'
He on his darling's pleasure bent
With his fair goddess thither went
And roamed delighted through the wood
Where blossoming As'okas stood,
As S'iva with Queen Umá roves
Through Himaván's majestic groves.
Bright with purpureal glow the pair
Of happy lovers sported there,
And each upon the other set
A flower-inwoven coronet.
There many a crown and chain they wove
Of blooms from that As'oka grove,
And in their graceful sport the two
Fresh beauty o'er the mountain threw.
The lover let his love survey
Each pleasant spot that round them lay,
Then turned they to their green retreat
Where all was garnished, gay, and neat.
By brotherly affection led,
Sumitrá's son to meet them sped,
And showed the labours of the day
Done while his brother was away.
There lay ten black-deer duly slain
With arrows pure of poison stain,
Piled in a mighty heap to dry,
With many another carcass nigh.
And Lakshman's brother saw, o'erjoyed,
The work that had his hands employed,
Then to his consort thus he cried:
'Now be the general gifts supplied.'
Then Sítá, fairest beauty, placed
The food for living things to taste,
And set before the brothers meat
And honey that the pair might eat.
They ate the meal her hands supplied,
Their lips with water purified:
Then Janak's daughter sat at last
And duly made her own repast.
The other venison, to be dried,
Piled up in heaps was set aside,
And Ráma told his wife to stay
And drive the flocking crows away.
Her husband saw her much distressed
By one more bold than all the rest,
Whose wings where'er he chose could fly,
Now pierce the earth, now roam the sky.
Then Ráma laughed to see her stirred
To anger by the plaguing bird:
Proud of his love the beauteous dame
With burning rage was all aflame.
Now here, now there, again, again
She chased the crow, but all in vain,
Enraging her, so quick to strike
With beak and wing find claw alike:
Then how the proud lip quivered, how
The dark frown marked her angry brow!
When Ráma saw her cheek aglow
With passion, he rebuked the crow.
But bold in impudence the bird,
With no respect for Ráma's word,
Fearless again at Sítá flew:
Then Ráma's wrath to fury grew.
The hero of the mighty arm
Spoke o'er a shaft the mystic charm,
Laid the dire weapon on his bow
And launched it at the shameless crow.
The bird, empowered by Gods to spring
Through earth itself on rapid wing,
Through the three worlds in terror fled
Still followed by that arrow dread.
Where'er he flew, now here now there,
A cloud of weapons filled the air.
Back to the high-souled prince he fled
And bent at Ráma's feet his head,
And then, as Sítá looked, began
His speech in accents of a man:
'O pardon, and for pity's sake
Spare, Ráma, spare my life to take!
Where'er I turn, where'er I flee,
No shelter from this shaft I see.'
The chieftain heard the crow entreat
Helpless and prostrate at his feet,
And while soft pity moved his breast,
With wisest speech the bird addressed:
'I took the troubled Sítá's part,
And furious anger filled my heart.
Then on the string my arrow lay
Charmed with a spell thy life to slay.
Thou seekest now my feet, to crave
Forgiveness and thy life to save.
So shall thy prayer have due respect:
The suppliant I must still protect.
But ne'er in vain this dart may flee;
Yield for thy life a part of thee,
What portion of thy body, say,
Shall this mine arrow rend away?
Thus far, O bird, thus far alone
On thee my pity may be shown.
Forfeit a part thy life to buy:
'Tis better so to live than die.'
Thus Ráma spoke: the bird of air
Pondered his speech with anxious care,
And wisely deemed it good to give
One of his eyes that he might live.
To Raghu's son he made reply:
'O Ráma, I will yield an eye.
So let me in thy grace confide
And live hereafter single-eyed.'
Then Ráma charged the shaft, and lo,
Full in the eye it smote the crow.
And the Videhan lady gazed
Upon the ruined eye amazed.
The crow to Ráma humbly bent,
Then where his fancy led he went.
Ráma with Lakshman by his side
With needful work was occupied.
204:1b This canto is allowed, by Indian commentators, to be an interpolation. It cannot be the work of Valmiki.
205:1 A fine bird with a strong, sweet note, and great imitative powers.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
So much going on out in NYC between Wimbledon starting next week and folks drumming up interest for the U.S. Open. If there ever was an argument for me to move out east, it's how much tennis-mania hits the city in the summer!
You're already gawking at LES tennis fashion this Saturday, and stopping by the HSBC event on Monday (of course!). One more thing to add to your list: our favorite non-profit, Housing Works (which I'm still waiting for L.A.'s Out of the Closet to mimic), is hosting a tennis tournament this Tuesday at the Roosevelt Island Racquet Club. $50 to play, $20 to watch.
More info: All the details after the cut…
Wimbledon on the Water 2011 – A Tennis Tournament Benefiting Housing Works
Tuesday, June 21 at 6:00 pm
Roosevelt Island Racquet Club, 281 Main Street
Join Team Housing Works for our second annual Wimbledon-themed fundraiser at Roosevelt Island Racquet Club, sponsored by A+E Networks. Proceeds from this round-robin tennis tournament support Housing Works' advocacy efforts to fight AIDS and homelessness.
All England Club treats, including champagne and strawberries, will be served. Creative white tennis dress strongly encouraged.
Featuring a special appearance by Mayor Dinkins!
(image courtesy of Housing Works)


text: Beijing Zoo, situated to the west of Beijing Exhibition Center, was known for a short time after the founding of the People's Republic as the Western Suburbs Park (Xijiao Gongyuan). The grounds combine cultivated flower gardens with stretches of natural scenery, including dense groves of trees, stretches of grassland, a small stream, lotus pools and small hills dotted with pavilions and halls. In the 18th century, the zoo was known as the Sanbeizi Gardens, supposedly named after the third son of Emperor Kangxi, Prince Cheng Yin. Another explanation is that Sanbeizi refereed to the Qing courtier Fu Kang' an and the Gardens the site of his villa. In fact, as early as the Ming Dynasty, an imperial mansion called the Garden of Happiness and Friendship constructed for Prince Kang stood here, and during the Qing, part of the Sanbeizi Gardens called the Garden of Continuity (Jiyuan) became the private property of an official in the Bureau of Palace Affairs. In 1906, during the reign of Emperor Guangxu, the park area became an agricultural experimental farm and a zoo. Known as the Garden of Ten Thousand Animals (Wanshengyuan), it opened to the public in 1908. Under the successive rule of the Northern Warlords, the Japanese and the Kuomintang, the park became increasingly desolate. The only elephant died in 1937, and the Japanese, under the pretext of protecting themselves against air raids, poisoned the remaining lions, tigers and leopards. On the eve of the founding of the People's Republic of China in 1949, the park housed only 12 monkeys, two parrots and a blind emu. The park was reopened to the public in 1950, and on April 10, 1955 formally named the Beijing Zoo. The zoo has developed rapidly and by 1987 it covered an area of over 40,000 square meters. Bears, elephants, pandas, lions, tigers, songbirds, hippopotamuses, rhinoceroses, antelopes and giraffes were brought in the late 1950s, and a gorilla cage, leaf-monkey cage and aquarium house, was opened, containing specimens of over 100 species of reptiles from all over the world, including crocodiles and pythons. At present, the zoo houses over 7,000 creatures of 600 different species, including the giant panda, red-crowned crane and Pere David's deer-all unique to China-as well as the African giraffe, rhinoceros, chimpanzee and antelope; American continent; wild ox from Europe; and elephant and gibbon from India. Entry ticket: 15 yuan (Excluding 5 for panda site);Opening hours: 07:30 to 18:00; Recommended Time for a Visit: One hour; Traffic: Bus No.s 7, 27, 103, 105 and 111.


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Hello, my name is Julie and I'm a cookbook addict. I absolutely adore cookbooks; and you might even say that I collect them. It's not that I'm a big-time cook or anything, but I love looking at recipes and pictures of food. I think it's genetic because my 86 year old grandmother still enjoys looking through cookbooks too! We will even sit together and go through separate cookbooks talking about what looks good (and easy!)
Needless to say, I was thrilled to have the opportunity to look through KATIE BROWN CELEBRATES: SIMPLE AND SPECTACULAR PARTIES ALL YEAR ROUND. I will admit that I haven't tried any of the recipes (yet), but this cookbook is beautiful. I just keep looking through it, and I notice something new every single time. Trust me when I say that this book will make a wonderful gift for your favorite entertainer this holiday season.
I'm not sure where to start in describing this cookbook! The photography and colors are just beautiful. It really looks like a book you could display on your coffee table. The cookbook is divided into sections for each month with instructions and recipes for a specific party theme. For example, January is "A New Year's Evening," April is a "Kids' Day," and December is a "Holiday Brunch." There a a type of party for every occasion you can think of!
Not only are there yummy recipes for you to make for each festivity, but there are also loads of decoration ideas. What I love most about this book is that everything seems pretty simple, yet it will look like you spent a ton of time (and a ton of money) on your event. We've all thrown parties where we are so tired and busy that we can't even enjoy the party -- I think KATIE BROWN CELEBRATES will help eliminate that problem. The decorations are so unique and do-able and the recipes are super easy and made with normal (translatation: easy-to-find) ingredients.
Now for the fun part: I am going to be giving away up to five copies of KATIE BROWN CELEBRATES courtesy of Hachette Book Group USA! For every ten entries I receive, I will give away one cookbook. For example, 10 entries = 1 cookbook, 20 entries = 2 cookbooks, etc. up to 5 cookbooks. All you have to do is leave a comment (with your e-mail) telling me why you want this cookbook -- it shouldn't be very hard! To double your chances, blog about this contest with a link back to this post. The contest will be open until Friday, December 5th at 11:59 p.m. EST. I will announce the winners on the following day. This contest is open to those of you with U.S. or Canada mailing addresses only (and no P.O. boxes.) Good Luck!


text:
Zhongtian Lianke International Information Industry Park, surrounded by several high-speed, five-dimensional integrated transportations such as Huanguan, Guangshen, Guanshen, Guangshen Port, and Chaoyang, allows Linkage to link the Pearl River Delta resources with speed
Located in the beautiful Songshan Lake National High-tech Development Zone, the International Financial Innovation Park is the only financial theme industrial park in Dongguan with a total area of 170,000 square meters, a total construction area of about 350,000 square meters and a total investment of 2.5 billion yuan.
With new materials, new energy, high-end electronic information and intelligent equipment as the leading industries, it integrates R&D, office, trial, high-end production, testing, display, logistics and life support into a new city of Dawan District.
As one of the major projects in Nanning, Guangxi, Jianye Zhizhao Base actively responded to the national strategy and promoted the call for the development of fabricated buildings.
The project is located in Guantai Road, Guancheng District, Dongguan City. It is located in the business center of Dongguan City, with a total construction area of 41,800 square meters. It was formerly known as Lianfeng Industrial Zone. Later, it was introduced into Zhongtian Creative Valley due to the change of urban development. Make it a creative park that brings together animation, design, art and other companies.
The project is located at the intersection of Baoba Road and Gongnong Road in Guancheng District, Dongguan City. It covers an area of about 15,000 square meters and is a red brick square located on the east bank.
The project is located at the intersection of Wennan Road and Dongcheng Middle Road in Wancheng District, with a construction area of approximately.


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IP in Depth: Preparing for First-to-File
On March 16, the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will switch from the current "first-to-invent" system to a "first-to-file" system. The first-to-invent concept was effectively incorporated into the second Patent Act of 1793 (although not expressly spelled out until the Patent Act of 1836). After 220 years, the change to a first-to-file system now conforms the USPTO to systems used in all other countries around the globe.
Current Practice
The nearly obsolete first-to-invent system allows the USPTO to go to great lengths via interference procedures to ensure the actual first inventors receive the right to be granted patents for their inventions when disputes arise. Cost estimates for such interference procedures range as high as $400,000-500,000. Accordingly, the first-to-invent system is believed to favor large companies over small inventors. Less than 1% of patent applications end up in interference proceedings. From 2004 to 2011, more than three million patent applications were filed; of those, only one small inventor was successful in winning an interference procedure.
The change to a first-to-file system is one of many changes set forth in the Patent Reform Act (or America Invents Act) of 2011 that President Obama signed into law in September. The first-to-file system is one of the last provisions of the act to be implemented.
In general, patent practitioners have followed the enactment of the Patent Reform Act and have studied the various provisions of the act over time. However, companies may be less familiar with provisions of the act, including the first-to-file provision, which may well affect their business' R&D and intellectual property rights and strategies.
Under the first-to-invent system, the first person to invent something could be reasonably confident in their priority in time over a later inventor—as long as uninterrupted due diligence could be established from the date the invention was conceived until either a patent application was filed or the invention was reduced to practice. During the examination of a patent application under the first-to-invent system, the applicant could overcome a prior art reference by "swearing behind" the reference—i.e., swearing that the applicant had conceived of and worked on developing his/her invention before the date of the prior art reference.
Essentially, under the first-to-invent system, the first applicant to file for an invention wins over the second inventor to file, unless it can be shown that the first applicant derived the invention from the second applicant. One day could literally make a difference in obtaining or losing rights to an invention.
Upcoming Changes
The first-to-file system will only apply to applications that have an effective filing date of March 16, or later. Accordingly, the first thing companies should consider before the first-to-file provision becomes effective is to prepare and file patent applications before March 16 on any new technologies or inventions currently in development. Applications filed before that date, including provisional applications, will remain under the current first-to-invent provisions.
Companies should also consider revamping their invention review and patent decision-making procedures to accelerate the preparation and filing of patents on inventions that merit protection. It is not uncommon for companies to take excessive time to prove and sometimes over-test new technologies and then procrastinate when it comes to the process of drafting invention disclosures and working with patent counsel to draft and file patent applications.
Under the current first-to-invent system, patent counsel typically determines patent filing due dates on the basis of anticipated public disclosures, offers to sell, and the 12-month grace periods offered to inventors between disclosing their inventions and applying for patent protection. Under the first-to-file provisions, patent counsel will need to set more immediate filing deadlines and increase communication with clients.
Patentability search times, which can take up to three to four weeks, may need to be ordered earlier during the development or conception of new technologies; in some cases, the drafting of applications might need to begin before the results of patentability searches are obtained. In the case of provisional applications, companies might consider developing internal invention disclosure forms that can be reviewed and filed by patent counsel as provisional patent applications to expedite application filing (and reduce costs) while waiting for the results of patentability searches.
Companies or their patent counsel can develop invention disclosure forms that include an explanation of how the inventive concept was conceived. Under the first-to-file provisions, such a form could be used to establish that an invention was not derived from another patent applicant.
Patent practitioners have been studying the changes brought about by the Patent Reform Act for some time. It is now time for companies to become familiar with how the changes will impact the lifeblood of their businesses: R&D, intellectual property rights and strategies.
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text:
Three months after Islamist bombers killed 32 people in Brussels, police searched dozens of houses across the country and arrested 12 people the night before Belgium's Euro 2016 game against Ireland.
Nine of them were released after questioning but three Belgian nationals identified as 27-year-old Samir C., 40-year-old Moustapha B., and 29-year-old Jawad B., were charged with "having attempted to commit a terrorist murder and for participation in the activities of a terrorist group", the federal prosecutor's office said in a statement.
Some media reports said the suspects had planned attacks against fans watching the Euro 2016 games in Brussels, and had possibly been targeting Saturday afternoon's Belgium vs Ireland match.
Earlier on Saturday, Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel chaired a meeting of the government's security council, which includes the ministers of defense, foreign affairs, home affairs and justice, after the raids and said soccer-related events would go on as planned with extra security measures.
"We want to continue living normally," Michel told a news conference. "The situation is under control."
"We are extremely vigilant, we are monitoring the situation hour by hour and we will continue with determination the fight against extremism, radicalization and terrorism," he added.
No weapons or explosives were found during the overnight searches, which also involved 152 garage lockups.
Soccer matches targeted?
Flemish public broadcaster VTM said the people arrested overnight were suspected of planning an attack in Brussels this weekend during one of Belgium's soccer matches.
Areas where fans watch matches in Brussels were potential targets, as well as other crowded areas such as shopping centers and stations, Belgian media reported.
The Belgian crisis center in charge of coordinating security responses decided not to raise the security level to the maximum that would indicate an imminent threat of attack, Michel said.
Public broadcaster RTBF said Belgium's crisis center on Friday had placed several government ministers, including Michel, under heightened protection.
Michel said extra security measures had been taken for some people but did not name them.
With the Euro 2016 soccer tournament underway in neighboring France, Europe is on high security alert. March's deadly attacks by Islamist suicide bombers in Brussels followed attacks in Paris last November in which 130 people died.
Investigators have found links between the Brussels and Paris attackers, some of whom were based in Belgium.
On Monday a French policeman and his police officer partner were stabbed to death outside their home in Paris in an attack claimed by Islamic State. In a video posted on social networks, the attacker, Larossi Abballa, linked it to the soccer tournament, saying: "The Euros will be a graveyard."
Two suspected associates of Abballa were placed under investigation on Saturday for membership of a terrorist organization.
Separately, a judiciary source told Reuters on Friday a 22-year-old man suspected of planning attacks on tourists had been jailed on terrorism charges after being arrested at the start of the week.
On Wednesday Belgian police received an anti-terror alert warning that a group of Islamic State fighters had recently left Syria en route for Europe planning attacks in Belgium and France, security officials said.
Related news:
> French police commander murdered in front of his home, Islamic State claims responsibility
> French government backs police after Euro 2016 fan violence


text:
Let the crucifixion of Dirk Nowitzki officially begin.
You know the story: The Dallas Mavericks won 67 games this season -- which tied for the sixth best win total in NBA history -- but still got eliminated in the first round by the Golden State Warriors, a team that won only 42 games and qualified for the playoffs on the last day of the regular season. And the Mavs weren't just eliminated, mind you. They personally established several new "greatest playoff upset" records that will be talked about and rehashed for years to come. That's humiliation on a grand and historic scale.
Mr. "MVP-to-be" Nowitzki averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds in the series, but he shot 38 percent from the field and 21 percent from three-point range -- 12 and 20 percent dropoffs from his regular season totals. The final game of the series was also his worst: 8 points on 2-for-13 shooting, 0-for-6 from beyond the arc, 10 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 turnovers. But the numbers don't really tell the whole story. Dirk was a non-factor througout the series, and most of the time you could hardly even tell he was on the court. He played a total of 239 minutes, but he looked like an MVP for only three of them. That 3-minute tour de force staved of elimination and produced a couple days worth of "Dirk earned his MVP" stories, but in the end it only delayed the inevitable.
Make no mistake, though. This was a team loss. Only Josh Howard picked up his game (21 PPG, 10 RPG, 51 percent shooting) in the playoffs. The rest of the Mavericks sunk like a turd in the toilet, both offensively and defensively. The Mavericks had more talent, more depth, and more playoff experience than the Warriors. They also had that "we should've been the champs last year" swagger that underscored their desire to win the championship this year. Then simply got outplayed.
Last summer, after disappearing in the NBA Finals, Dirk took some shrapnel, but he's definitely going to fall on the grenade for this one. In some ways, it's unfair. After all, he didn't establish the de facto rule that the MVP has to be the best player from one of the best teams in the league. And it's not his fault that the media seemed to decide, en masse, that Steve Nash simply couldn't be allowed to win a third straight MVP. If he is indeed named MVP, as everyone suspects, it will be by default. He didn't ask for the award, or the weight of expectations that go with it.
That's how it work, though, and this will forever be remembered as the series that in which the MVP didn't come through.
But I don't blame Dirk. Not completely, anyway. Yes, I do think he should have done more to expand his game this season, particularly by taking advantage of his size and playing closer to the basket. Everybody likes to compare Nowitzki to Larry Bird, who also had a dynamite outside shot but was terribly slow afoot. In 1984, the Lakers employed the same tactic against Bird that the Warriors used against Nowitzki: using a smaller, quicker defender to either deny him the ball or keep a hand in his face at all times. Bird's adjustment was the obvious one: take his defender, Michael Cooper, down low and beat the crap out of him. It worked.
Why didn't Dirk do the same thing? I guess it's just not his game. But that's when the coaching staff and his teammates need to step in and say, "Uh, Dirk, you're half a foot taller than the guy guarding you. Maybe you should get into the post." That's not rocket science, people. It's Basketball 101. How could they miss that?
I think the Mavericks got complacent. They made the NBA Finals last year and they rampaged through the regular season this year. But they did it with a lot of outside shooting and one-on-one play. Over the past three seasons, they've won 58, 60, and 67 games while being one of the worst passing teams in the league. Didn't anyone realize how much the Mavericks relied on Dirk shooting over people? And on Jason Terry and Josh Howard taking their man off the dribble?
And it didn't help that the team wasn't mentally prepared. They coasted through the last couple weeks, and the starters barely played in the last three or four games of the regular season. Meanwhile the Warriors were fighting for their playoff lives, winning nine of their last ten and 16 of 21 overall. They were psyched, their fans were psyched, and the Mavericks were just twiddling their thumbs waiting for the coronation.
It's happened before. The 1999-2000 Lakers also won 67 games but got pushed to the limit in the first round by the Sacramento Kings. But nobody remembers that because they managed to win the series and, a few weeks later, the title. But that's history for you. It's incredibly kind to the winners, and exceptionally cruel to the losers.
Labels: Dallas Mavericks, Dirk Nowitzki, Golden State Warriors, MVP, NBA playoffs


text: Showell Elementary Principal Diane Shorts, left, is shown receiving a $300 donation from the Republican Women of Worcester County Caring for America/Literacy Chair Lou Etta McClaflin for the "Paper Back Book Library Project", a program originated by RWWC. Students will be allowed to select new books from the project bag to enjoy during the year. Shown also is Curriculum Resource Planner Sandy Coates West, who is show receiving the club's annual American flag donation.


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It's a Love/Hate Relationship: Volume III
Posted by Jesse Baumgartner on December 4th, 2013Jesse Baumgartner is an RTC columnist. His Love/Hate column will publish each week throughout the season. In this piece he'll review the five things he loved and hated about the previous seven days of college basketball.
Five Things I Loved This Week
I LOVED…. Arizona's balance. So far, this year has been all about the fantastic freshmen and the individual talents that have really driven early-season interest in the college game. But I have yet to see a team that looked as consistently balanced across the floor as the Wildcats did against Duke last Friday night, particularly down low with stud freshman Aaron Gordon and veterans Brandon Ashley and Kaleb Tarczewski. That tripod of length, skill and athleticism spells two things — high quality shots in the paint, and rebounds galore. And it's really cleaning the glass that will be toughest on opponents in March and April, as we saw with Louisville's run last season.
I LOVED…. a reasonable contract extension. Dana Altman has done a great job at Oregon, no question about it — he's brought the Ducks back into the national picture, won NCAA Tournament games, and really put an exciting roster on the floor in Eugene (and hey, let's just assume for argument's sake that he had absolutely nothing to do with that horrific floor design). But while it seems like we see so many contracts these days that give out too much money/years on just a season or two of success, Altman's three-year extension seems just right. Good job, here's a cookie, and more to come as the program keeps growing.
I LOVED…. UMass back in the AP rankings for the first time in 15 years. You know, just another one of those programs John Calipari hit and ran on. Somewhere, someplace, Dr. J is smiling.
I LOVED…. seeing Villanova put in a solid performance in the Bahamas to outlast Kansas. I've always liked Jay Wright as a coach, and it seems like he's nearing the point where he needs a solid NCAA Tournament run to reinforce that the program isn't too far removed from the 2009 Final Four squad. For Kansas, that game seems to just reaffirm what is true for so many of these uber-talented, uber-young teams — any given night they can go down.


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Haake is noted for his technical abilities; his drumming style is characterized by heavy use of polyrhythms while often maintaining a steady 4/4 beat. This signature style has become one of the most recognized features in the music of Meshuggah.
The drumset Tomas Haake uses has been meticulously sampled in full for the software instrument Drumkit From Hell Superior made by Toontrack, with Haake performing all the drumming himself. It since has been used by many bands, including fellow metal act Clawfinger, Devin Townsend's Ziltoid the Omniscient, Dethklok on Adult Swim's TV show Metalocalypse (in several songs from the second season), and Ben Weinman of The Dillinger Escape Plan. The latter used it to program drum parts for the album Ire Works before The Dillinger Escape Plan found drummer Gil Sharone. Meshuggah later went on to use this software instrument to program all the drum tracks for their album Catch ThirtyThree, and the re-release of their album Nothing, using no live recorded drums by Haake. obZen also used the software as an auxiliary sound source as Haake played.
For years in a row, readers of Modern Drummer magazine named Haake the number one drummer in the Metal category. In 2012, Haake was named the 5th best Modern Metal drummer by MetalSucks.net.


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According to the US Army, "military law is part of military just and the administration of the Uniform Code of Military Justice." Furthermore, the purpose of military justice, as part of military law, is to "promote justice, to asist in maintaining good order and discipline in the armed forces, to promote efficiency and effectiveness in the military establishment, and thereby to strengthn the national security of the United States." (Citation: US Army military justice)
Some popular titles available for purchase relating to this topic include:
- Manual for Courts-Martial (2008 edition) - reduced list price while supplies last
- Air Force Law Review print subscription
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- Fundamentals of Military Medicine
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Check out this collection of research-backed official publications about Military Logistics, Engineering & Technology. You will find many military magazines and journals, plus resources about defense strategic planning and national security, cyberspace, data security, innovative technologies, such as robotics, drones, and more.
The Minerals Yearbook is an annual publication by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that reviews the mineral and material industries of the United States and foreign countries. The Yearbook contains statistical data on materials and minerals and includes information on economic and technical trends and development. The Minerals Yearbook includes chapters on approximately 90 commodities and over 175 countries.
- Volume I. -- Metals and Minerals. This volume, covering metals and minerals, contains chapters on approximately 90 commodities. In addition, this volume has chapters on mining and quarrying trends and on statistical surveying methods used by Minerals Information, plus a statistical summary.
- Volume II. -- Area Reports: Domestic. This volume reviews the U.S. mineral industry by State and Island possessions. It presents salient statistics on production, consumption, and other pertinent data for each State and is prepared in cooperation with State Geological Surveys or related agencies.
- Volume III. -- Area Reports: International. This volume of the Minerals Yearbook provides an annual review of mineral production and trade and of mineral-related government and industry developments in more than 175 foreign countries. Each report includes sections on government policies and programs, environmental issues, trade and production data, industry structure and ownership, commodity sector developments, infrastructure, and a summary outlook. This volume is typically split into multiple publications by specific geographical area.
Mineral Commodity Summaries
Also included under this topic are the USGS's annual Mineral Commodity Summaries reports.
Published on an annual basis, this report is the earliest Government publication to furnish estimates covering nonfuel mineral industry data. Data sheets contain information on the domestic industry structure, Government programs, tariffs, and 5-year salient statistics for over 90 individual minerals and materials.
You will find official resources about Mining & Drilling produced by various agencies within the Federal Government.
Some popular products include the print subscription -- Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission Decisions that offer monthly issues comprised of administrative trial and appellate review of legal disputes arising under the Federal Mine Safety and Health Act of 1977 (Mine Act).
You will also learn about mine emergency decision-making guidance and Mining Claims on Federal Lands and more
Shop our mining and minerals overstock sale. Reduced prices reflect a 50% discount on all books featured in this collection. Quantities are limited, so take advantage of this special offer today. New titles may be added to this list, so be sure to check back often!
Federal Government publications included in this diverse collection cover important topics about cultural differences, non-English languages, and minorities.


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ayushi5 days, 19 hours, and 18 minutes ago
★ 5.0Humne event management book kiya tha unhone sanjana ji ka profile share kiya tha... Aur inka profile itna acha laga tha kyuki inke profile me videos jyadatar family background ki thi which I think is the main USP of her isliye humne sanjana ji ko shortlist kiya tha. Unhone bade he patiently poore crowd ko handle kiya not only the crowd jo hamare senior citizens ki views aur fancies thi wo bhi unhone bhut he acche se tackle kiya... Really loved her work
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★ 5.0Very creative and professional Anchor . She is very co operative. She is really master in all wedding games and fun activities.she is the master of the ceremonies . Her presence, energy everything is appreciated.Highly recommended her work.
...See MoreKhyati1 week, 2 days, 2 hours, and 11 minutes ago
★ 5.0Hi People! I just wanted to tell you that I chose sanjana to host my sangeet. Aur sangeet night inhone bhut bhut bhut acche se host kiya. We had a brilliant brilliant time today and everybody enjoyed alot aur sb log kafi tareef kr rhe the mujhe alag se aake bhi bol rhe the. Thank you soo soo muchhhh for setting the stage for this event and making the night memorable for us
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Partial Quality Management
What we were saying 20 years ago about improving government performance.
From the archives of Government Executive...
April 1994—It has been almost five years since government began the push for total quality management and continuous improvement. Since then, agencies have spent millions of dollars studying just how to do it, and millions more setting up their systems.
There is no doubt that TQM has yielded results, whether at the headquarters level—the Department of Defense and Internal Revenue Service have both mad solid improvements—or in the field. Here in Minnesota, for example, the field servicing office of the Agriculture Department's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) has generated real gains in timeliness and service through a TQM effort designed with help from the 3M Co.
Yet, as government begins the quality management "basic training" for all employees that the National Performance Review report recommends, it must confront the barriers that have plagued past improvement efforts. In the spirit of quality guru W. Edwards Deming's 14 Points and the other lists of helpful hints that characterize TQM training, consider Four Fatal Frustrations that must be resolved if TQM is to have staying power as a reform tool.
Who is the Customer Anyway?
Many agencies have been unable to identify who their customers are and haven't known how to serve them once they've been identified. There is certainly nothing wrong with trying to become more user-friendly. The more serious problem comes when agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency or the Forest Service are asked to serve one set of customers today, while protecting another far out into the future. These "stewardship" agencies can get much better at delivering services quickly and with a smile, but they may find themselves unable to satisfy today's customers without denying tomorrow's.
Constancy or Confusion?
Government seems unable to achieve the "constancy of purpose" that Deming listed as the first of his 14 Points. TQM was simply added on top of everything else federal managers were asked to do.
Federal agencies and their managers can hardly be blamed if they wait for this reform, too, to pass. Twenty-five years ago, it was the planning, programming and budgeting system. Twenty years ago, the Inspectors General. Fifteen, pay for performance. Ten, Reform '88. Five, TQM. Today, it is a performance budgeting system that looks mighty similar to the old planning, programming and budgeting. Like sediment at the mouth of a river, these reforms have been added on top of each other without the old ever being dredged out.
Beyond this turnover of reforms, consider also the turnover of appointees. If past patterns hold, the Clinton Administration will replace roughly a third of its political leadership by June, and fully half by next January. TQM cannot be just the province of the career workforce.
How Fast Do the Savings Come In?
TQM cannot promise fast results or deep savings. In fact, TQM may cost money—for new equipment, better training and, dare one suggest, more front-line staff. Further, most TQM efforts take 7 to 10 years to provide payoffs. Yet, government all too often demands results in three years. What is remarkable about TQM efforts at the IRS, DoD and APHIS is not that they have produced results, but that they were able to keep their momentum. They have persevered despite persistent barriers to success.
For a small operation like the APHIS field servicing office, the barriers are doubly frustrating. The office was given no relief from personnel rules to create more room for team-building, no budget reform to carry over resources from year to year and no deregulation to free employees from mind-numbing paperwork. TQM is no easy process to begin with. It involves great commitment and energy. But it cannot be sustained without structural reform of the kind envisioned in the NPR report. Unfortunately, TQM in government is too often nothing more than exhortation and slogans. After two or three years, the employees figure that out and go back to business as usual.
Front-Line Empowerment, or Mid-Level Bulge?
TQM in government can create bureaucratic growth industries of its own, sometimes becoming a justification for positions and layers that do more harm than good. As middle managers get flattened out of their old jobs as cross-checkers and micro-processors, they may adopt TQM as their new raison d'etre .
In theory, TQM should be a virtually invisible part of the ordinary day, a natural way of thinking and doing. In practice, TQM in government can become an extraordinary bureaucratic system teetering under its own weight, a process nightmare. Meeting after meeting, training session after training session, a ton of paperwork and measurement. No federal employee has yet been TQMed to death, but thousands would likely swear they have come close.
Along the way, Deming's 14 Points have been whittled down by political reality. Everyone still loves a scandal, so his point about "driving out fear [of mistakes]" is struck from the list. Congress won't change the merit pay system, so his point about eliminating individual performance appraisals goes. Political appointees won't stay put, so there goes stability of leadership. Check off all the exemptions for government, and the 14 Points look more like three or four. TQM is no longer a way of being, but an occasional afterthought; no longer a system, but an infrequent call to arms.
These Four Fatal Frustrations can be tempered by setting realistic expectations about what TQM can and cannot do for government (it cannot, for example, substitute for careful policy planning upstream in Congress and the White House) and by preventing its capture by middle-level managers in search of new work.
Still, the future of TQM, indeed of any customer-driven reform, is clouded by one simple question: Is "customer" the right word to use in describing citizens? For decades, to be sure, citizens have been treated as less than customers. They were labeled "clients" or, worse yet, "targets"—units to be serviced by government analysis and engineers. The citizen was presented as a set of problems, often to be addressed by different agencies at different locations at different points in time (hence, the Vice President's horror story about the very different ways government agencies value assets in determining welfare benefits).
Redefining citizens as customers is no doubt a step in the right direction. It weakens the "government-knows-best" mentality that cuts into civic confidence. For the time being, however, most citizens cannot exercise any real power as customers of government. They cannot choose between Crest and Colgate, Campbell's Soup or Progresso, Dodge or Toyota. They are usually offered one brand, and one brand only, then asked how it could be improved.
TQM may also feed on an overly generous image of the brand-loyal, courteous, well-informed customers that Macy's would love to have. Anyone who has worked in retail knows that all customers are not created equal, nor do they all behave the same way. Some have more money than others, others have more information, still others have better access.
Marketers also know that customers do not always behave the same way in every setting—think of Macy's the day after Thanksgiving—nor do they use the same decision-making process on every product. The choice of toothpaste or toilet paper, for example, is more likely to depend on price and shelf placement than on brand loyalty, while the choice of a car or other durable good is more likely to turn on questions of performance.
Ironically, one way to cultivate this better customer is to stop treating citizens as customers altogether. The fact is, sometimes citizens are co-producers, creating value alongside government; sometimes they are catalysts, creating value before government; and most certainly they are problem solvers, creating value in lieu of government.
Government needs to ask whether its customers need to be customers at all—that is, whether they can solve problems on their own. That is something few, if any, private firms ask. Their interest, after all, is in keeping their customers. The government must never do for citizens what they can do for themselves.
Indeed, giving citizens a fuller stake may be the key to keeping agencies lean and fit. As customers, citizens can't be expected to care much about how tall, wide or rule-bound government is—they set their expectations by past performance, then act as passive receptors. But as co-producers, catalysts and problem-solvers, they care very much about bureaucracy: It limits their access and influence.
As America proceeds with reinventing government, it might consider reinventing citizenship, too. That's an idea already brewing with Bill Galson, White House domestic policy aide, and Harry Boyte here at the Humphrey Institute. In the search for a metaphor that asks citizens to take a greater role in governing themselves, thinking of citizens as citizens might be just what government needs.
In 1994, Paul Light was a professor at the University of Minnesota's Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs, a senior fellow of the Governance Institute and a visiting fellow of the Brookings Institution.


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Chris Brown vs. Drake Fight -- W.i.P. Nightclub Loses Liquor License
Chris Brown / Drake Fight W.i.P. Nightclub Loses Liquor License
From now on, the only bottles flying at W.i.P. nightclub will be of the non-alcoholic sort ... because officials in NYC have officially suspended the club's liquor license.
The New York State Liquor Authority (SLA) ordered the booze ban last night, citing "ten separate assault and altercations beginning on March 11 2012, and leading up to a large brawl at the club on June 14, 2012" -- the night of the Drake vs. Chris Brown fight.
The SLA says it has hit the club with 17 Alcoholic Beverage Control Law violations ... including drug activity (twice) ... lack of supervision ... using the name "W.I.P." without SLA authorization ... and "becoming a drain on police resources."
According to the SLA, the ban is "effective immediately ... no alcohol can be served or consumed on the premises."
Following the brawl, the club was shut down by the NYPD ... now it seems highly unlikely the place will ever open its doors again.


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More than 2 million residents along the Eastern Seaboard have been ordered to move to safer places as Hurricane Irene lumbers toward the Mid-Atlantic region.
Residents of low-lying areas of New York City and those in the summer resort towns along the 100-mile Jersey Shore were ordered to evacuate Friday. Hurricane warnings were issued from North Carolina to New York, and watches were posted farther north, on the islands of Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard off Massachusetts. Evacuation orders covered at least 2.3 million people, including 1 million in New Jersey, 315,000 in Maryland, 300,000 in North Carolina, 200,000 in Virginia and 100,000 in Delaware.
The massive Category 2 hurricane, which is expected to make landfall in North Carolina early Saturday, slowed down slightly. The National Hurricane Center said late Friday that the storm was moving at 13 mph, down from the 14 mph it was moving earlier in the evening. But it still packs 100 mph winds and remains dangerous. Some 65 million people from the Carolinas to Massachusetts could be in Irene's path.
"Don't wait. Don't delay," said President Obama, who decided to cut short his summer vacation by a day and return to Washington, where a state of emergency has also been declared. "I cannot stress this highly enough: If you are in the projected path of this hurricane, you have to take precautions now."
"This is probably the largest number of people that have been threatened by a single hurricane in the United States," said Jay Baker, a geography professor at Florida State University.
Rain and tropical storm-force winds of at least 39 mph were already pelting the coasts of the Carolinas on Friday as Irene tracked north, snapping power lines and flooding streets. Officials warned of dangerous rip currents as Irene roiled the surf. Thousands already were without power. By Friday evening 50 mph winds were measured at Wrightsville Beach, N.C.
Experts are forecasting billions of dollars in losses, though the storm's economic impact will depend on factors including its size and speed and where it makes landfall. Computer models from catastrophic-insurance provider ICAT put the estimated damage at $4.7 billion, a figure that includes destruction of homes, cars, public infrastructure and other property caused by high winds and flooding.
Escape From New York ... And The Jersey Shore
In New York state, where Obama declared a state of emergency, Irene has already prompted several firsts: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg on Friday issued an unprecedented evacuation order for residents of coastal areas of Staten Island, Brooklyn and Queens, as well as the financial district in Lower Manhattan, Governor's Island, and parts of Battery Park City, Coney Island and the Rockaways. The low-lying areas, scattered across the city, are home to about 270,000 residents.
But it was not clear how residents would get out or where they would go. Most New Yorkers don't have a car. On top of that, New York City officials also said they were shutting down the city's massive subway and transit system by noon Saturday, just hours after the first rain is expected to fall.
Michael Brennan of the National Hurricane Center in Miami said the geography of the coastline makes low-lying areas of New York especially vulnerable.
"Near ... New York City is an area where a lot of water can be funneled up into a very small area if you get a big surge of easterly flow," Brennan told NPR. "So that's an area where the storm surge can be enhanced."
Trains, Planes And Automobiles
Irene is also playing havoc with planes, trains and other forms of transit along the Eastern Seaboard.
The storm could strike major airports from Washington to Boston. In anticipation, more than 2,400 flights have been canceled through Monday.
Delta Air Lines is canceling 1,300 flights and will shut down at New York City-area airports on Sunday until the hurricane passes.
JetBlue is dropping 880 flights over the weekend, mostly in New York and Boston. American Airlines scrubbed 265 flights on Saturday and probably more than that Sunday. Southwest Airlines planned to stop flights to and from Norfolk, Va., beginning Saturday morning.
The five main New York City-area airports will be closed to arriving passenger flights beginning at noon on Saturday because of Hurricane Irene. The suspension includes John F. Kennedy International and LaGuardia airports in New York City, and Newark Liberty International in New Jersey — three of the busiest airports in the nation.
Mass transit in suburban Philadelphia will halt at 12:30 a.m. Sunday. And Amtrak has suspended service south from Washington.
Gasoline stations along the East Coast began to run dry Friday, as drivers rushed for a last-minute fill-up before the storm. Utility officials say millions of people are in danger of losing electric power, some for days. Analysts don't expect widespread or long-lasting gas shortages, though, nor do they expect prices for power and gas to rise.
'We're Going To Have Damages. We Just Don't Know How Bad'
Risks are many from Irene: Surging seas, drenching rains, flash floods, high winds and protracted power outages are all possibilities the Federal Emergency Management Agency director wasn't counting out.
"We're going to have damages. We just don't know how bad," said FEMA chief Craig Fugate. "This is one of the largest populations that will be impacted by one storm at one time."
Federal officials have directed Northeast residents to ready.gov for information on how to prepare for the storm.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano told CNN Friday afternoon, "We are reminding people today that they are part of our team — they need to prepare."
Irene comes on the heels of a magnitude 5.8 earthquake that rattled the East Coast on Tuesday. After the temblor, cellphone service was spotty at best in many affected regions, as people rushed to make calls, clogging networks. As Irene bears down on the Mid-Atlantic, "I urge people to use other forms of communication if you can," Napolitano said.
Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.


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I am setting up a server in Amazon EC2. I created an image from Amazon's provided images of Ubuntu x64 12 LTS. My goal is to set up a secure svn server there, where access is only possible by IP address, SSH and certificates. I also need to migrate existing public keys from an old server.
Having played with permissions I managed to add another user account, but somehow locked myself (ubuntu
) out of the server. Remote root
log in is disabled, and I locked ubuntu
user. Ooops.
This is why I would like to create a temporary user account, say FOO
. If I lock it out, I still have ubuntu
. I would like this user to have the same privileges as ubuntu
, i.e. I want to do something like
sudo apt-get install subversion
When I created a new user and sshed to the server, the server always asked me for sudo password, when I called anything starting from sudo
How to add a new user with the same privileges as ubuntu
, so I can call sudo ...
without being prompted with a sudo password?
This is what I have done so far:
# add user
sudo useradd -m -G ubuntu,adm,dialout,dip,plugdev,netdev,admin FOO
# add public key for ssh
sudo -s
cd /home/FOO
mkdir .ssh
cd .ssh
nano authorized_keys
Generate certificate in PuttyGen
Add public key to authorized_keys
#set permissions for ssh to work
chown -R FOO /home/FOO/.ssh
chgrp -R FOO /home/FOO/.ssh
chmod 0755 /home/FOO
chmod 755 /home/FOO/.ssh
chmod 644 /home/FOO/.ssh/authorized_keys
#add FOO to sudoers
sudo usermod -aG sudo FOO
##check permissions
ls -lha /home/FOO
ls -lha /home/FOO/.ssh


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Remarks With Swedish Prime Minister Fredrik Reinfeldt
Secretary of State
This video is available with closed captioning on YouTube.
At the heart of our relations are the core values that we share: freedom, democracy, respect for human rights. It's also the same values that Raoul Wallenberg stood up for. But the U.S. is also a key partner in trade and investment. Sweden is actually one of the largest investors per capita in the U.S. Sweden's foreign – Swedish foreign direct investment and trade with Sweden create around 250,000 jobs in the U.S.
During our talks today, we have stressed the importance of a EU-U.S. trade and investment agreement. It could actually increase trade flows with as much as 20 percent. It's together one third of the world trade, world economy, we are talking about. We also explained the difficult economic situation that many EU member-states now are experiencing and the measures that are taken to revert to growth and employment.
We have also talked about the disastrous situation in Syria and developments in Afghanistan. I've informed the Secretary of State about the discussions going on in Sweden at the moment of our engagement in Afghanistan post-2014. Afghanistan will be one of our most important partners in development aid in the coming years.
So there is a common understanding between Sweden and the U.S. on many of these questions. Your visit will help develop our shared views and relations even further. And so I wish you the best of luck both in Stockholm and now heading for Kiruna. I mentioned I made my military service there. It's a meeting with the Arctic Council, but it will also be a meeting with the Arctic climate, could actually be some snow as well, so be prepared.
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, Prime Minister Reinfeldt, thank you very much. I'm from Boston, so I'm prepared. (Laughter.) I'm really delighted to be here with you today and I look forward to getting to Kiruna later in the day. I didn't know you had done your military service there, so I'm going to check out just how safe you made it for us. (Laughter.)
PRIME MINISTER REINFELDT: Absolutely.
SECRETARY KERRY: It's a real pleasure for me to be back in Stockholm. I came here a number of years ago when I was traveling through this part of the world working on the issue of acid rain, and we made a lot of progress with respect to the Montreal Protocol. We now have to make a lot of progress with respect to the challenge of global climate change, and we talked about that earlier today.
But I want to thank – I want to begin today by just thanking the Prime Minister and the citizens of Sweden and your Foreign Minister Carl Biltd, who had to leave us to go up to Kiruna to prepare for the meetings, and I will join him there later. But I want to thank you for the very strong partnership with the United States of America. We are deeply appreciative. This is an important partnership that is based on our shared values and on a lot of shared aspirations for peace, for better relations between countries, and certainly for the combined security and prosperity of all of our people.
I really want to salute the Prime Minister and the people of Sweden for taking on some of the toughest challenges of our time. The Swedish people should be very, very proud, and I know they are, of the work of their government and their own contributions to significant challenges on a global basis. And this goes way back, from the Balkans to the great challenges of Afghanistan and Pakistan, the Middle East peace process, and now Syria, where Sweden is one of the great contributors, I think one of the more significant contributors to the humanitarian crisis in that area.
We also are very appreciative in the United States for Sweden's efforts with respect to Afghanistan. In fact, no country receives as much foreign assistance from Sweden as Afghanistan, no other country provides as much foreign assistance in Afghanistan as Sweden does. And it has significantly contributed to the efforts previously in Kosovo, Libya, through NATO, though not even a member of NATO, but it's made those contributions, and we appreciate it.
It is clear that the United States and Sweden share a common aspiration for the people of Syria. And given the sizeable Syrian community in Sweden, we know that the crisis of Syria is of particular concern to the people of Sweden, and Sweden has therefore been one of the generous donors of humanitarian assistance.
We're also grateful for Sweden's very strong stand on sanction and your appointment of a special envoy to the Syrian opposition, and Ake Sellstrom's significant efforts with respect to the determination of whether or not chemical weapons have been used in Syria is of great importance to all of us. We welcomed him to Washington the other day and we welcome that initiative to try to determine the facts for the world.
We also share a mutual vision for a diplomatic solution to the nuclear threat in Iran. And Sweden deserves great credit for its defense of human rights of the Iranian citizens, and we thank them for that effort, too.
I also want to say that we appreciate Sweden's partnership because these challenges in Europe and North Africa and Central Asia simply do not belong to one nation; they're shared by all of us and they affect all of us. And at the top of that list of shared challenges which does not get enough attention, and it's one of the principal reasons that I came here today to share bilateral meetings with the Prime Minister and the Foreign Minister but also will travel on to Kiruna to take part in the Arctic Council, a principal challenge to all of us of life and death proportions is the challenge of climate change. It is not a challenge that can be solved by any one nation, and in our discussions with the Prime Minister he pointed out to me that, in fact, Sweden's contribution to the problem of – to the problem of climate change is a tiny point percentage of the total problem. And yet Sweden's contribution to the solution is much more significant than anything that might be expected because of the level of its own contribution to the problem. So Sweden is way ahead of the curve.
And I have to say that I regret that my own country – and President Obama knows this and is committed to changing it – needs to do more and we are committed to doing more. And we come here to Kiruna with a great understanding of the challenge to the Arctic as the ice melts, as the ecosystem is challenged, the fisheries, and the possibilities of increased commercial traffic as a result of the lack of ice raises a whole set of other issues that we need to face up to. So it's not just an environmental issue and it's not just an economic issue. It is a security issue, a fundamental security issue that affects life as we know it on the planet itself, and it demands urgent attention from all of us.
I will have more to say about this tomorrow at the Arctic Council, but I want to thank Sweden for its invaluable leadership as we work to strengthen our cooperation throughout the Arctic and more broadly to try to address very real challenges of life on this planet itself.
Like the United States, Sweden understands the challenge of bringing universities, students, scientists, businesses, cities, a broad array of actors have to come to the table in order to meet this challenge. And we have to produce best practices which can then be translated to action in countries around the world. This is why recently in my trip to China we joined with the Chinese, who together the United States and China represent more than 50 percent of the global emissions of climate change. Recognizing that, we have come together to elevate the dialogue between our countries, and we will be continuing that dialogue in Washington in a very formal way in July in an effort to try to do more to address this issue.
So I come here aware of the challenge with humility but with great respect for what Sweden has been doing in leading on this effort, and we look forward to working together on that and on many other challenges, Mr. Prime Minister. So thank you for a generous welcome today, and I look forward to answering any questions.
MODERATOR: Okay. We have time for a couple of questions. Please state your name (inaudible).
QUESTION: My name is Rolf Forschwidt (ph) from Swedish TV 4. Mr. Secretary, will you please tell us how many number of American soldiers will be kept in Afghanistan post-2014? And also, what do you expect from the Swedish Government, how many people we should keep in the country after 2014?
SECRETARY KERRY: Well, let me begin with the second part of your question, Rolf (ph), and then I'll go to the first part. How many soldiers Sweden leaves is up to Sweden, not the United States, and I'm not going to announce any expectations, except to say that I know Sweden has already made an announcement about the number of troops that it expects to have on an ongoing basis. And we're very grateful. We're very grateful for whatever Sweden decides to do. We believe that as we have said previously, in together, out together. That is the philosophy that has guided us with respect to Afghanistan.
Now, on the number of troops that the United States will leave, I can guarantee you it will be enough to get the mission accomplished that the President has defined, which after 2014 will be to continue to train, equip, and support the Afghan army and also to conduct sufficient counterterrorism operations that Afghanistan cannot be used as a platform to attack people anywhere in the world. The President is in the process right now – this week, next week, the next days – of deliberating about this. And I can tell you that very shortly, not too long from now, the President does intend to make public what his plans are for post-2014. But I can tell you he will – he is committed to continuing to support the mission, he is committed to continuing to support the Afghan military beyond 2014. And I leave it to the President to announce the precise contours of what that will be, but I am convinced that it will be adequate to meet the mission and to complete the task.
The final thing I'll say is we have not invested in this, all of us together for all of these years, in order to invite failure as we begin to do the very thing we sought to do, which is stand up the Afghan military and capacity and provide a transition. We're in the middle of that now. This is the first fighting season as the Afghans take the lead, and thus far they're doing pretty well. So we need to finish this in a way that does honor to the sacrifices and the efforts of a lot of countries for the last 11, 12 years, and I'm convinced we will.
QUESTION: Kim Ghattas with the BBC. Mr. Secretary, first a question for you on Syria. You spoke a while back about needing to change the calculations that President Assad is making as you discuss the possibility of a political transition there. But Mr. Assad and his government forces seem to be making military gains on the ground, they seem to be regaining the upper hand, and it seems as though they are hoping that they can change your calculation about how this transition needs to go forward. They're not even interested in coming to the table at the moment.
Can you foresee a scenario whereby Mr. Assad will simply stay in power and the conflict will simply go on? He has no interest in coming to the table at the moment with the military gains he's making.
And Prime Minister, a question for you on North Korea. You represent U.S. interests in North Korea. Do you have any updates on access to Kenneth Bae or any sort of talks with the North Koreans on his status?
PRIME MINISTER REINFELDT: No, not really. As you know, we are present there and also helping a lot of other countries, but I don't have an update on these talks.
SECRETARY KERRY: With respect to Assad's calculation, if he decides not to come to the table it will be another one of President Assad's gross miscalculations. Now, I don't believe that that is the case at this moment. The Russians – Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has informed me that President Assad has already given him the names of people who will negotiate.
So I don't know where this information is coming from. You hear all kinds of reports right now. Let me just say to everybody point blank I have talked to the Secretary General in the last few days; I have talked to Special Envoy Lakhdar Brahimi. They are both making plans for this negotiation to take place. I have talked with almost all of the foreign ministers in the Core Group who will be meeting next week together in order to lay plans for this negotiation. The members of the opposition have been in touch. I talked as recently as this morning with General Idris, who is committed to this negotiation process.
And I keep hearing some people suggest somehow that – the process moving away, not closer. I just don't agree with that. Enormous plans are being laid. This is under the aegis of the United Nations. It's not up to me to announce a date or the process. It's up to the UN. But the talks we've had with them make it very clear that progress is being made. It's only been five days since this was announced, and a huge amount of work is already underway. When we announced it, we said towards the end of the month or early June. We expect it to be exactly that, somewhere in early June I would hope. And that's our current expectation. But as I say, it's not up to me to set a date.
We will continue to work. We are all in touch; meetings are going on every single day. We believe the only way to settle Syria is through – the best way to settle Syria - is through a negotiated settlement. And that settlement process was set out a year ago in the Geneva communique, which calls for a transitional government with full executive power by mutual consent. The Russians signed onto that, the United States, and many other countries. That is precisely the formula that we are now trying to pursue.
Now, if President Assad decides to miscalculate again about that, as he has miscalculated about his own country's future over the course of the last years, it is clear the opposition will be receiving additional support, there will be additional efforts made, and unfortunately, the violence will not end. But I know that the opposition and the support group, the Core Group of countries who have been engaged in this for some time, are deeply committed to trying to end the violence, to try to end the bloodshed, to try and save Syria, to keep a Syria as a united country which is available to all of the participants in the country. That includes Alawite, it includes Druze, Sunni, Shia, Christian. All elements of Syrian society should be protected and take part. And that is the approach which we are pursuing as a matter of conscience and also as a matter of practicality. And we hope we'll have a chance to be able to get to that table. If Assad decides not to come, the world will see how empty his rhetoric is, as well as his intent.
Thank you all very, very much.
# # #


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When they're not busy demanding miracles, a large number of militant atheists seem to spend their time haunting IMDB message boards disparaging the release of independent horror movies produced by evangelical Christian filmmakers, spewing vitriol into the forums as if their very lives were threatened by the existence of such films. Which is kind of unfortunate for the oh-so-eloquent "$@*% your religion!" crowd, because low budget Christian horror movies are appearing with more and more frequency these days, as evidenced by the following upcoming releases.
The Message's official website describes this film as "a psychological thriller of one woman's journey into the after life. Not since the movie "The Exorcist" has there been such a film that will journey into our darkest fears. For those who have faith there could be such a place to call your next life, but it may not be what you envision. For those who do not believe, hang on, you will not like what you see and may in fact change your beliefs after you see "The Message". A young wife and mother of two children is challenged to overcome her passive beliefs on religion after a serious car accident. Receiving haunting images of her past she is forced to make a decision that will decide her fate. Searching for the true meaning of our existence she comes to the end of her journey and believes she has only two choices in the eyes of God; do not have faith and die or have faith and....die." It's interesting to note that the movie promises to disturb Christians as well as non-believers. We'll see.
Another film that might actually make it's target market slightly queasy is Lucifer's Unholy Desire, the freshman effort from newspaper publisher and two-time Republican state House candidate Cody Knotts. Lucifer's Unholy Desire tells the the story of a college-aged teenager possessed by a demon who targets a minister (played by Knotts himself) for seduction. In an interview, Knotts described the movie as "a Christian horror film that deals with possession and ultimately, redemption… I like the idea of a movie about both stark Evil and Good — even if Good has problems… The response [to the trailer] has been overwhelming… They say, 'Wow. That's so much better than I thought it would be.' And I say, 'Uh, yeah!" Well, here's the trailer, so judge for yourself.
While Lucifer's Unholy Desires has raised some evangelical eyebrows due to its in-your-face depiction of sexuality, it is probably Harmless which has received the most pre-release scorn from non-believers. Why? Well, let's allow the filmmakers themselves to explain what the movie is about. "Harmless is a feature film shot in the popular found footage style. It's the story about a husband and father and his battle with a box of porn that is found in the closet. Once opened, the box of porn begins to torment the family, much like a poltergeist. It's sort of a social commentary on how pornography can destroy a family." Yep, it's an evangelical spin on Paranormal Activity & Insidious which attacks the use of pornography. And it seems (at least based on comments left at io9 and the Onion's AV Club) that while some atheists hate Christian proselytizing, they detest even more the idea that someone thinks porn and the objectification of other human beings might actually be bad for you (which, of course, it is). I guess you gotta draw your lines somewhere, right?
So, what does everyone think? Is there anything here that piques your interest enough to spend 80 or 90 minutes of your life watching it? It goes without saying that I'll eventually track them all down, but what about the rest of you? And what about this form of evangelization, any thoughts on that? I've got few myself, but being a blogger, I'm cheating and saving them for the next post.


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Palin latest to walk back criticism of GOP leader Limbaugh
Written by Dianna Parker
On Fox News Sunday, Sarah Palin became the latest Republican leader to walk back criticism of Rush Limbaugh's incendiary rhetoric, saying that he had been "satirical" in using the word "retards." In a prior statement about Limbaugh's comments, a Palin spokesperson had criticized the "crude and demeaning name-calling" of using the word, before later claiming that the statement was "not specifically aimed at Limbaugh" and, according to Limbaugh, calling his staffer "sort of in a panic" to explain it.
Palin says Limbaugh meant to be "satirical" in using word "retards"
From the February 7 edition of Fox Broadcsting Co.'s Fox News Sunday:
CHRIS WALLACE (host): OK, but, Rush Limbaugh weighed in this week, and he said this: "Our politically correct society is acting like some giant insult's taken place by calling a bunch of people who are retards, retards."
PALIN: He was satirical in that --
WALLACE: Wait, let me finish. "I mean, these people, these liberal activists are kooks." Should Rush Limbaugh apologize?
PALIN: They are kooks, so I agree with Rush Limbaugh. Rush Limbaugh was using satire to bring attention to what this politically correct --
WALLACE: But he used the "R" word.
PALIN: Using satire. Name-calling by anyone -- I teach this to my children. You teach this to your children and your grandchildren, too. Name-calling by anyone, it's just unnecessary. It just wastes time. Let's speak to the issues and again, let's move on.
WALLACE: But you know what some people are going to say, Governor, and have said. They say, look, when it's their political adversary, Rahm Emanuel, she's going to call him out -- he's indecent, apologize. But when it's a political friend like Rush Limbaugh, oh, it's satire.
PALIN: I didn't hear Rush Limbaugh call a group of people whom he did not agree with "f-ing retards," and we did know that Rahm Emanuel, it's been reported, did say that. There's a big difference there.
Palin spox originally criticized Limbaugh, calling his comments "crude and demeaning"
Responding to Palin-Emanuel controversy, Limbaugh says liberals who complained about health care reform "are retards." On the February 3 edition of his nationally syndicated radio show, Limbaugh said: "There's Rahm Emanuel out there, who is in big trouble for calling liberals -- for calling liberal activists 'f-ing retards.' Sarah Palin demanded that he be fired. Instead he has apologized to liberal activists. He was getting mad at them about health care. ... So now, I think the big news is, the crack-up going on -- but our political correct society is acting like some giant insult has taken place by calling a bunch of people who are retards "retards." I mean, these people, these liberal activists are kooks. They are loony-toons. I'm not going to apologize for it, I'm just quoting Emanuel. It's in the news." [The Rush Limbaugh Show, 02/03/10]
Limbaugh also assured listeners Palin would not denounce his comments. On his February 4 show, Limbaugh addressed his use of the word "retard," saying Palin "knows that I do this kind of -- Sarah Palin is a lifelong listener of this program. ... [T]hey're trying to goad her into denouncing me like they did Emanuel, but she knows that all I'm doing is quoting Emanuel and highlighting that it's these people who say this kind of stuff." [The Rush Limbaugh Show, 02/04/10]
Palin spokesperson responded to Limbaugh, saying his words amount to "crude and demeaning name calling." After Limbaugh's February 4 comments, the Washington Post Co.'s Greg Sargent posted a comment he received from Palin spokesperson Meghan Stapleton in response to Limbaugh's words. Stapleton said: "Governor Palin believes crude and demeaning name calling at the expense of others is disrespectful."
Stapleton told Politico she was not singling out Limbaugh. A February 5 Politico article reported that Stapleton "told POLITICO that the comment given to The Plum Line was not specifically aimed at Limbaugh." The article quoted her as saying, "The Washington Post is trying hard to take the pressure off the White House by creating a side controversy, but it is missing the point. ... As the governor has said, it doesn't matter who says the 'r' word. It should no longer be part of our lexicon."
Limbaugh says Stapleton called "sort of in a panic" to explain. On his February 5 show, Limbaugh said Stapleton called his chief of staff "sort of in a panic" over the Politico article saying, "I didn't mention Rush in particular. They kept asking me about Rush, and I kept answering generically. But they kept asking me about Rush, and I just wanted you to know." Limbaugh said he believed Stapleton over Politico, "no question about it." [The Rush Limbaugh Show, 02/05/10]
Sargent posts email showing he received Stapleton remark in response to question about Limbaugh. Following the publication of the Politico article, Sargent posted on his blog the "email I sent to Palin spokesperson Meghan Stapleton," which reads, "[Former Palin spokesperson] Jason Recher said...you'd be reaching out to me about Rush's use of the term 'retarded.'" Sargent added: "I subsequently emailed her to be absolutely certain that it applied to Rush. She didn't dispute this, answering that it applies to "anyone" who uses the term."
Palin's comment echoes Limbaugh's own explanation of his remark
Limbaugh: Remark was "satire, S-A-T-I-R-E." On the February 5 edition of his show -- after saying Stapleton had called "sort of in a panic" -- Limbaugh stated that he used the word "retards" as "satire," and that he used it "to wash their mouths [Harry Reid's and Emanuel's] out with soap and made an uncomfortable point." From the show:
Are you comfortable with the words, or with Harry Reid and Rahm Emanuel? I'm uncomfortable with the men and the manner in which they use these words. Words don't generally offend me. I try not to give people the power to offend me, but Harry Reid and Rahm Emanuel -- they do offend me, and they scare me, and they worry me. These men have cold hearts. They are statists. They have power over all of us. They are trying desperately to exercise that power.
In fact, my friends, I am so uncomfortable with these men I purposely chose to use a rhetorical tool -- satire, S-A-T-I-R-E -- to ridicule and humiliate them. That tool is an effective blunt object in breaking through walls put up by state controlled media to protect Democrats. Satire. For those of you in Rio Linda, here's the definition: the use of irony, sarcasm, ridicule or the like in exposing, denouncing or deriding vice, folly, etcetera.
I used Harry Reid's words and Rahm Emanuel's words -- not mine -- to expose and punish their behavior. I used satire to wash their mouths out with soap and made an uncomfortable point because the state controlled media would have run any Republican out of office, as in George Allen and macaca, if they had been caught saying what Reid and Emanuel said. Just as they're trying to run me off the radio for repeating what they said.
Many other Republicans have walked back their criticism of Limbaugh
Michael Steele walked back comment that Limbaugh is an "entertainer" and his show is "incendiary" and "ugly." On the February 28, 2009 edition of CNN's D.L.Hughley Breaks the News, Republican National Committee chair Michael Steele responded to Limbaugh's comment that he wanted Obama to "fail," by saying: "Rush Limbaugh is an entertainer. Rush Limbaugh, his whole thing is entertainment. Yes, he has this incendiary--yes, it's ugly." He later reportedly apologized to Limbaugh, telling Politico: "My intent was not to go after Rush -- I have enormous respect for Rush Limbaugh. ... I was maybe a little bit inarticulate. ... There was no attempt on my part to diminish his voice or his leadership."
Rep. Gingrey apologized after saying it's "easy" for Limbaugh to "stand back and throw bricks." After Limbaugh said on his show that Obama is "more frightened of me," than other Republican leaders, and that it "doesn't say much about our party," Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-GA) reportedly said that "it's easy if you're Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh or even sometimes Newt Gingrich to stand back and throw bricks. You don't have to try to do what's best for your people and your party. You know you're just on these talk shows and you're living well and plus you stir up a bit of controversy and gin the base and that sort of thing." Gingrey later apologized, saying he sees "eye to eye" with Limbaugh, that he and other conservative radio hosts "are the voices of the conservative movement's conscience," and that "we are inspired by their words and by their determination."
Gov. Sanford backpedaled comment that "anyone who wants Obama to fail is an idiot." In a February 25, 2009 interview with Real Clear Politics, South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford said of Obama: "I don't want him to fail. Anybody who wants him to fail is an idiot, because it means we're all in trouble." According to a Think Progress post, Sanford's spokesperson later said "the governor was not referring to anyone" and was speaking "generically."
Rep. Tiahrt hedges after saying Limbaugh is "just an entertainer." During an April 2009 interview with the Kansas City Star, Rep. Todd Tiahrt (R-KS) reportedly said Limbaugh is "just an entertainer," after being asked "by a Kansas City Star Editorial Board member whether Limbaugh was now the de facto leader of the GOP." The Wichita Eagle later reported: "Tiahrt spokesman Sam Sackett said Tiahrt was not speaking negatively about Limbaugh but was trying to defend him against the suggestion that Limbaugh could be blamed for the GOP's woes. 'The congressman believes Rush is a great leader of the conservative movement in America -- not a party leader responsible for election losses,' Sackett told The Eagle editorial board. 'Nothing the congressman said diminished the role Rush has played and continues to play in the conservative movement.' "


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Amazon has run tests on WiFi technology that could give Kindle users direct Internet connectivity, according to a recent Bloomberg report.
The technology uses spectrum controlled by satellite communications company Globalstar, which is perhaps best known as a global satellite phone service provider.
It is possible that the tests, which reportedly took place in Cupertino, Calif., were part of a series conducted jointly by Globalstar and wireless spectrum research and investment firm Jarvinian. The two companies used terrestrial low power service, which is a licensed 802.11-based 2.4 GHz service that's compatible with existing 802.11-compliant WiFi devices.
Jarvinian claims to have come up with the concept of TLPS and to be responsible for the massive engineering work the service requires.
Amazon currently offers WiFi access to Kindle users through Whispernet, a data delivery network for which it has signed up carriers in several countries throughout the world.
Neither Amazon nor Jarvinian responded to our request to comment for this story. Globalstar declined to comment for this story.
What TLPS Is About
TLPS will let wireless carriers deploy very dense and spectrally efficient mobile broadband access that leverages readily available wireless devices, Jarvinian says.
It will add a fourth, non-overlapping channel in the overcrowded 2.4 GHz band by combining 11.5 MHz of Globalstar S-Band spectrum with about 10 MHz of upper ISM spectrum to enable the use of Channel 14, which is currently barred from use by order of the Federal Communications Commission.
The additional 22 MHz or so will be carefully managed to control interference and retain its extremely high data speed and long-range characteristics.
TLPS Is Faster
In June, Jarvinian and Globalstar completed their TLPS tests after running them on their proposed 22 MHz channel within the 2.4 GHz band using carrier-grade equipment from Ruckus Wireless and existing smartphones given firmware updates to run on the system.
The tests resulted in a carrier-grade service whose performance exceeded public WiFi.
"Even in an indoor urban environment made difficult or otherwise unusable by spectral congestion, usable connections were established at three to five times the distance of public WiFi," said John Dooley, Jarvinian's managing partner. High-speed connections were maintained "much more uniformly and over significantly longer distances," he added.
Amazon's Lab126 subsidiary, which developed its Kindle e-readers, apparently participated in the tests.
Possible Plans
There is speculation that Amazon will build out its own branded WiFi network to offer the same services as cellular carriers. That possibility is bolstered by persistent rumors that Amazon is planning to launch its own Android smartphone.
However, it's more likely that Amazon might be planning a WiFi network to boost its customer base, suggested Rob Enderle, principal analyst at the Enderle Group,
Satellite "is more of a way to get data to people who don't have it right now," Enderle told TechNewsWorld.
It's not likely that Amazon will try to set up its own WiFi service as an alternative to wireless carriers in areas where there already is cellular coverage because "if you try to compete with in-place cable or telephony, you'll take a big performance hit," Enderle explained.
Instead, the company might use such a network to provide users in rural areas of the U.S. and beyond with access to the Internet that they don't already have, Enderle postulated.
"For Amazon, that gives them customers they can't now access," Enderle pointed out. "The more people that can purchase from Amazon, the larger their customer base, so they can justify their cost."