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Democrats call for investigation of NSA wiretaps Sens. Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, and Russ Feingold, a Wisconsin Democrat, tell CNN hearings should be conducted. RELATED
QUICKVOTEYOUR E-MAIL ALERTSWASHINGTON (CNN) -- Democratic House leaders called Sunday for an independent panel to investigate the legality of a program President Bush authorized that allows warrantless wiretaps on U.S. citizens, according to a letter to House Speaker Dennis Hastert. "We believe that the President must have the best possible intelligence to protect the American people, but that intelligence must be produced in a manner consistent with our Constitution and our laws, and in a manner that reflects our values as a nation," the letter says. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi; Minority Whip Steny Hoyer; Rep. John Conyers, the ranking member on the House Judiciary Committee; and Rep. Henry Waxman, the ranking member on the House Committee on Government Reform, signed the letter. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice defended Bush's actions, telling "Fox News Sunday" the president had authorized the National Security Agency "to collect information on a limited number of people with connections to al Qaeda." On Saturday, Bush acknowledged he authorized the NSA to intercept international communications of people in the United States "with known links" to terror groups, and criticized the media for divulging the program. He said he has re-authorized the NSA wiretap program about 30 times "and I intend to continue doing so as long as we have terror threats." While the NSA is barred from domestic spying, it can get warrants issued with the permission of a special judicial body called the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act Court. Bush's action eliminated the need to get a warrant from the court. Asked why the president authorized skipping the FISA court, Rice said the war on terrorism was a "different type of war" that gives the commander in chief "additional authorities." "I'm not a lawyer, but the president has gone to great lengths to make certain that he is both living under his obligations to protect Americans from another attack but also to protect their civil liberties," Rice said on "Meet The Press." "And that's why this program is very carefully controlled. It has to be reauthorized every 45 days. People are specially trained to participate in it. And it has been briefed to leadership of the Congress, including the leadership of the intelligence committees." Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid said "Congress was never involved" in Bush's decision. "I think all you need to know is look at former Senate Intelligence Committee chairman Bob Graham -- he was never informed of domestic eavesdropping," the Nevada Democrat said on "Fox News Sunday." "There should be committees investigating this." Top Republicans also called for hearings. "We have to resolve the issue to show Americans we are nation of law not outcomes," Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina said on CBS' "Face The Nation." "I would like to see the intelligence committee look into it." "There is a theme here that is a bit disturbing," the Judiciary Committee member said. "If you allow him [Bush] to make findings, he becomes the court. You can't allow him or others to play the role of the court because then others adopt that model when they hold our troops." Sen. John McCain also said that if the matter goes to a congressional panel that the intelligence community should investigate. "You've got to be very careful about putting into the open situation" sensitive information "that would be helpful to al Qaeda," he said. Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, told "CNN's Late Edition with Wolf Blitzer" there were many questions but cautioned against politicizing the matter. "I'd like to inquire why they didn't go to the Federal Intelligence Security Act," [FISA] which sets up a special court to authorize national security wiretaps," the senator said. "That's a real question they have to answer." Sen. Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin, said he believes Bush's action violated the law. "FISA law says it's the exclusive law to authorize wiretaps," he said. "This administration is playing fast and loose with the law in national security. The issue here is whether the president of the United States is putting himself above the law, and I believe he has done so." Specter, however, said Feingold "is rushing to judgment." "The president did notify key members of Congress," he said, but he added that the matters of how much those members of Congress were told -- and what they should have done about it -- were unsettled. Sen. Carl Levin, a member of the Intelligence Committee, said it is possible the president's action was illegal, but that should be determined through hearings. "But I don't want to prejudge whether the president broke the law," the Michigan Democrat said on "Meet The Press." "We need an explanation. We need it fast. The American public is entitled to the protections of the law." CNN has not confirmed the exact wording of the president's order.
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United States presidential election of 2000
Our editors will review what you've submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
- Date:
- November 7, 2000
- Participants:
- Pat Buchanan
- George W. Bush
- Al Gore
- Ralph Nader
- Dick Cheney
- Joseph Lieberman
- Key People:
- Karl Rove
- Jeb Bush
- Chris Christie
United States presidential election of 2000, American presidential election held on Nov. 7, 2000, in which Republican George W. Bush narrowly lost the popular vote to Democrat Al Gore but defeated Gore in the electoral college.
The campaign
Gore, as Bill Clinton's vice president for eight years, was the clear favourite in the primary to win the Democratic nomination. He captured it easily, seeing off a challenge from Bill Bradley, a former U.S. senator from New Jersey.
Most of the excitement in the primaries came on the Republican side, as Bush faced a stiff challenge from John McCain, a U.S. senator from Arizona; other candidates included businessman Steve Forbes, diplomat and conservative commentator Alan Keyes, U.S. senator Orrin Hatch, and conservative activist Gary Bauer. Bush ultimately prevailed after a strenuous fight, including an especially brutal effort by the Bush campaign in the South Carolina primary.
Despite the continued economic growth that Gore could attribute to his economic stewardship with Clinton, early in the general election campaign it appeared that Bush might easily defeat Gore, who appeared wooden and dismissive of Bush in the campaign's debates and who was criticized repeatedly by the Bush campaign as an exaggerator. In late October, however, the gap in the polls between Bush and Gore narrowed dramatically.
On election night, no clear winner emerged. Print and broadcast media cited often contradictory exit-polling numbers, and the races in Oregon and New Mexico would remain too close to call for some days. Ultimately, the contest focused on Florida. Networks initially projected Gore the winner in Florida, but later they declared that Bush had opened an insurmountable lead. Gore called Bush to concede the election, but in the early hours of the following morning it became apparent that the Florida race was much closer than Gore's staff had originally believed. Fewer than 600 votes separated the candidates, and that margin appeared to be narrowing. About 3:00 am Gore called a stunned Bush to retract his concession.
Florida state election law required a mandatory statewide machine recount. By November 10 the machine recount was complete, and Bush's lead stood at 327 votes out of six million cast. As court challenges were issued over the legality of hand recounts in select counties, news stories were filled with the arcane vocabulary of the election judge. County officials tried to discern voter intent through a cloud of "hanging chads" (incompletely punched paper ballots) and "pregnant chads" (paper ballots that were dimpled, but not pierced, during the voting process), as well as "overvotes" (ballots that recorded multiple votes for the same office) and "undervotes" (ballots that recorded no vote for a given office). Also at issue was the so-called butterfly ballot design used in Palm Beach county, which caused confusion among some Gore voters—prompting them to inadvertently cast their votes for third-party candidate Pat Buchanan, who received some 3,400 (some 20 percent of his total votes statewide).
By late November the Florida state canvassing board certified Bush the winner by 537 votes, but the election still was unresolved, as legal battles remained. Eventually, the Florida Supreme Court decided (4–3) to order a statewide manual recount of the approximately 45,000 undervotes—ballots that machines recorded as not clearly expressing a presidential vote—and accepted some previously uncertified results in both Miami-Dade and Palm Beach counties, reducing Bush's lead to a mere 154 votes. The Bush campaign quickly filed an appeal with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking it to delay the recounts until it could hear the case; a stay was issued by the court on December 9. Three days later, concluding (7–2) that a fair statewide recount could not be performed in time to meet the December 18 deadline for certifying the state's electors, the court issued a controversial 5–4 decision to reverse the Florida Supreme Court's recount order, effectively awarding the presidency to Bush (see Bush v. Gore). By winning Florida, Bush narrowly won the electoral vote over Gore by 271 to 266—only 1 more than the required 270 (one Gore elector abstained). Gore, however, won the popular vote over Bush by some 500,000 votes—the first inversion of the electoral and popular vote since 1888.
For the results of the previous election, see United States presidential election of 1996. For the results of the subsequent election, see United States presidential election of 2004.
Results of the 2000 election
The results of the 2000 U.S. presidential election are provided in the table.
presidential candidate | political party | electoral votes | popular votes |
*One Gore elector from Washington, D.C., abstained from casting an electoral vote. | |||
Source: Federal Election Commission. | |||
George W. Bush | Republican | 271 | 50,456,002 |
Al Gore | Democratic | 266* | 50,999,897 |
Ralph Nader | Green | 2,882,955 | |
Patrick J. Buchanan | Reform | 448,895 | |
Harry Browne | Libertarian | 384,431 | |
Howard Phillips | Constitution | 98,020 | |
John Hagelin | Natural Law | 83,714 | |
James Harris | Socialist Workers | 7,378 | |
Neil Smith | Arizona Libertarian | 5,775 | |
David McReynolds | Socialist | 5,602 |

subset: commoncrawl


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New to RapidMiner?
Quickly learn the basics of RapidMiner Studio – the core of the RapidMiner platform – with this tutorial:
Getting Started with RapidMiner Studio
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Click a link below to browse the documentation for any of the RapidMiner products:
Want to see more?
Some popular additional resources:
- RapidMiner Community
Get help from RapidMiner experts in the Community - Operator Reference Guide
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Effects of Food Production on the Environment
We can survive without many things but we cannot survive without food, the production of which has become a serious environmental concern. Rapidly growing world's population requires increased food production which is of the greatest causes of environmental degradation throughout the world. Of particular concern is meat production as modern practices of animal raising directly contribute to water and air pollution and increase carbon dioxide emissions, while crop production for animal feed and the use of land for grazing threaten biodiversity and wildlife species. |
Factory farming reduced the amount of land needed for meat production, however, these farms are a serious air and water pollutant. The waste of these animals ends up in the nature and poses a constant risk of drinking water contamination and seriously affects the air quality of the nearby areas. One solution for the problem with animal waste lays in its use for production of biofuel which can then be used for production of electricity but this practice is the exception rather than the rule.
Mass meat production has also been shown to be one of the main contributors to carbon dioxide emissions which in turn are the main cause of the climate change. The meat industry is estimated to be responsible for about 9 percent of total carbon dioxide emissions which are a result of emissions of various gases from the farms as well as from the microbial activities after application of animal waste as fertilizers.
Lastly, animal husbandry poses a serious threat to the local ecosystems and biodiversity due to the use of the land for grazing and animal feed production. As much as one quarter of the Earth's surface is used for grazing and about one third of arable land is used to produce animal feed. As a result, the wildlife species struggle with lack of habitat, while some are even threatened with extinction.
Unfortunately, animal husbandry is not the only environmental problem of food production. Crop production negatively affects the environment too. It uses even more land, while the use of pesticides, artificial fertilizers and other chemicals seriously pollutes the environment and threatens wildlife species. Avoidance or reduction of meat consumption therefore does not solve the problem with the harmful effects of food production on the environment. |
The key to solution of the problem with food production and its effects on the environment also lays in choosing locally produced food as less fossil fuel is used for its transportation as well as choosing organic over non-organic food. Organic food supplements produced without the use of chemicals which means that it dramatically reduces water, soil and air pollution. Furthermore, organic food production reduces the pressure on the ecosystems by avoiding the use of the toxic agricultural chemicals as well as farming with the harmony with the nature. Rather than driving wildlife species away, organic farmers attract them to their land as they play the key role in pest prevention and management.


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BALTIMORE, Sept. 23, 2013 — US Lacrosse has named Virginia Beach, Va., as host city for the 2014 US Lacrosse Women's Collegiate Lacrosse Associates (WCLA) National Championships, presented by Harrow Sports. The Princess Anne Athletic Complex and Stadium will be the host site for the event, May 7-10, 2014.
The WCLA, a collegiate, non-varsity league, consists of more than 225 women's teams from across the country. The teams compete in 10 leagues that host roughly 4,500 players in two divisions. The Division I and Division II National Championships host 16 and 12 teams, respectively.
"The City of Virginia Beach is excited for the opportunity to host the 2014 WCLA National Championships and US Lacrosse," said Matthew Robinette, sports marketing events supervisor for the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau. "Our community is known not only for our wide beaches, great views, and nationally ranked boardwalk, but also for our world class sporting facilities. The fields are ready, the beach will be sandy, the sun shining, and our community smiling to welcome the event to Virginia Beach."
"We are fortunate to have had the Colorado Springs Convention and Visitors Bureau, as well as Colorado Springs Youth Sports, Inc., as our hosts for the past two years," said Beth Porreca, director of special events at US Lacrosse. "The enthusiasm the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau has for hosting the 2014 WCLA National Championships is contagious, and we look forward to working together to put on a first-class event."
The US Lacrosse WCLA National Championships began in 2001 and have previously been hosted in St. Louis, Minneapolis, Dallas, Denver, Scottsdale and Colorado Springs.
Harrow Sports has been a sponsor of the event since 2010 and is the presenting sponsor of the 2014 US Lacrosse WCLA National Championships.
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February 3, 2009
Two VIBCO VS-160s mounted on dust collection hoppers using an easy-mounting system and solenoid valve for hands-free operation |
"Small things can cause the biggest headaches," says Chris M., a maintenance manager in Ontario, Canada. "I'd always get frustrated whenever I'd see one of my employees have to walk out the door, go around to the back of the building, and bang on the discharge for the dust collector. I'd been meaning to do something about the clogging problem for a while, but it kept dropping down on the priority list. By some twist of fate, or luck, or whatever, I had just watched someone take 10 minutes to go clear the clog when I got an e-mail from VIBCO about eliminating 'sticky situations.' The timing couldn't have been better."
VIBCO's silent pneumatic turbine Model VS-160 |
Two VIBCO Model VS-160 silent pneumatic turbine vibrators were installed using the company's easy mounting system in order to best distribute vibratory force. The operation of these units needed to be hands free, so solenoid valves were added to run the vibrators for 30-second intervals throughout the day. This intermittent use provided the correct amount of vibration to prevent all clogs from disrupting the process. Instead of an employee going outside to bang on the hopper, this solution continues to keep the dust collection system free of problems. The entire solution—from the vibrator to the accessories—was in stock and ready to ship at time of order.
After installing the two vibrators, an engineered easy-mounting system, and hands-free solenoid automation, the customer received the following benefits: a fast solution to a consistent problem; no more downtime as clogging and buildup inside the dust collection system was eliminated; no more costly time spent outside the facility unclogging the discharger; no more worrying about the safety of staff running outside in the winter to unclog the system; and an efficient dust collection system that is hands free and customized to fit the problem.
VIBCO manufactures high-quality, engineered vibration equipment and vibrators for industrial and construction applications, and has more than 40 years of vibration experience. The company has a manufacturing plant in Rhode Island and satellite locations across the United States and Canada. For more information, visit www.vibco.com.
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Parts Town has the most in-stock Hobart parts on the planet to keep any commercial or restaurant kitchen covered for the long haul. Search for Hobart slicer parts to repair all popular units, including 1612E or 1712E models. Need a new O-ring or gasket for a C44A/C54A industrial dishwasher? No matter what you need, we've got you covered.
Don't wait for your order. We offer same day shipping on in-stock Hobart service parts until 9 PM ET Monday-Friday and all online orders until 4 PM ET Saturday. Parts Town also has a huge selection of Hobart manuals, so you can find helpful info quickly. Look up everything from service and diagnostic tips to replacement parts lists and diagrams in one, easy place.


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DETROIT –Due to the conflict with the Kenny Chesney concert taking place at Ford Field on Saturday, August 17, Olympia Development Parking Services is holding all the lots it controls east of Woodward Avenue for guests attending the 7:08 p.m. Tigers game. Guests must show a ticket, parking pass, or have tickets at Will Call to the Tigers game to park in these lots. Tailgating will be prohibited to ensure there is ample parking. All parking lots located west of Woodward Avenue that are operated by Olympia Development will be available on a first come first serve basis to both Tigers and Ford Field fans.
Please plan accordingly as traffic in the area will be significantly higher than normal. Anticipate that guests will arrive early for the concert at Ford Field as the event begins at 4:30 p.m.
Read more https://www.michronicleonline.com/index.php/sports/196-sports-original/14050-tigers-traffic-advisory


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Hey Fellas, Depression Can Strike New Dads, Too
Men who are stressed or in poor health seem to be at special risk, study shows
Depression in and just after pregnancy is most often associated with moms-to-be, but a new study shows expectant dads can have similar symptoms.
Expectant and new fathers who are in poor health or have high levels of stress are at increased risk for depression, the New Zealand research showed.
Many men may not realize pregnancy-linked depression can hit them too.
"It is important to recognize and treat symptoms among fathers early and the first step in doing that is arguably increasing awareness," said a team led by Lisa Underwood of the University of Auckland.
The research involved more than 3,500 men, average age 33, who were interviewed while their partner was in the third trimester of her pregnancy. The men were then re-interviewed nine months after the birth of their child.
Elevated depression symptoms were reported by 2.3 percent of the men during their partner's pregnancy and by 4.3 percent of the men nine months after their child was born, Underwood's team found.
Men who felt stressed or who were in relatively poor physical health were more prone to elevated depression symptoms, the findings showed.
And after a child's birth, depression symptoms in fathers were associated with being stressed during the pregnancy, and being in poor health or having a prior history of depression.
Other, social or relationship factors -- no longer being in a relationship with the mother and/or being unemployed -- also increased the odds for being depressed after the birth of a child, the study authors noted.
Two experts in psychiatric care said the issue of depression in new fathers is understudied.
While much is known about postpartum depression in women, "far less information or attention has been paid to the role of paternal depression on the family unit," said Dr. Tina Walch. She is medical director at South Oaks Hospital in Amityville, N.Y.
Understanding and spotting the signs of paternal depression early "is the first step toward prevention or early treatment and improved health outcomes for fathers, mothers and their children," she said.
Dr. Ami Baxi directs adult inpatient psychiatric services at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City. She agreed that "this study should emphasize the importance of paternal well-being during and after pregnancy," and the importance of keeping expectant and new dads stress-free and healthy.
The study was published online Feb. 15 in the journal JAMA Psychiatry.


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Just another Dodgers victory, their 20th on the year, opening up a five-game lead on the second-place Giants. Tim Lincecum (2-3) took the loss and Jamey Wright (2-2) registered the win when Chad Billingsley failed to go a full five innings (85 pitches through four full).
In winning the rubber match against the arch-rivals this evening at the Stadium, it was all according to script: an 0-for-5 night from Matt Kemp (3 Ks, 5 LOB), and no RBI from #4 Andre Ethier or #5 Bobby Abreu (both went 2-for-4 and each had a double).
No, we got RBI from everyone you'd expect: one RBI from Juan Uribe (2-for-4 with a double) and James Loney (1-for-4), and three RBI from PH Tony Gwynn, who took a 0-2 count into the right-field corner for a bases-clearing triple. Just like Mattingly drew it up...in Bizarro World!
And that last RBI? From none other than Scott Van Slyke, who (according to the post-game show), woke up this morning in Tacoma expecting to play for Albuquerque. Van Slyke then took a 3p flight from Seattle-Tacoma Airport down to LA, landed at 6p, dressed for the game during the first pitch, was ushered into the game in the sixth inning to PH (his major league debut!), and hit a RBI single up the middle on an 0-2 count for his first hit in the majors, in his first AB. Welcome to the bigs, Scott!
oh, and you want to talk bizarro? kenny lofton is sharing the post-game show desk with lyons and o'neal. weird.


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It's no secret that video is becoming more important to any company's marketing strategy, and for many hosting these videos on YouTube makes the most sense. You can still feature your videos on your website, but it helps to also have a YouTube account and page. By letting your videos live on YouTube, people can subscribe as well as find your videos while browsing around that search engine. In fact, YouTube is actually the second largest search engine with over 30 million visitors per day. This opens up a ton of opportunity for connecting with new audiences and bringing your business to the next level.
However, because YouTube is such a large platform (100 hours of video added every minute), you have quite a bit of competition when it comes to ranking. Just like any other search engine, you want your videos to show up when someone types in a certain search term. This means you need to not only have a strategy for the types of videos you're going to create, but an SEO strategy to help make sure they get seen by the right people.
A Few Things to Keep in Mind about YouTube Rankings
Before jumping into optimization, it's important to remember that YouTube works very similarly to your other content—it has to be quality, targeted content that will make people want to link back. You should stay consistent and put a lot of thought into what types of videos you're going to create. This includes doing audience research and even creating personas so you know you're putting out videos that will earn clicks.
It also helps to know what YouTube looks for when it comes to ranking videos. All of the optimization techniques that will be discussed in the next section will help you rank, but there are certain things YouTube looks for in a video that you should keep in mind:
- The number of times a video has been viewed.
- The amount of time someone spends watching the video.
- The number of times a video appears in a user's playlist.
- The number of positive ratings and user comments.
- The number of subscribers the video's creator has.
- How many times the video is added as a favorite or to a playlist.
- How many times the video was embedded on the web.
As you can see, some of the things YouTube looks for are factors that will only come about if you have a great video. SEO is incredibly important and is a way to help bring you traffic and help you earn the things on this list, but YouTube pays attention to what happens when people get there. Moral of the story: Your video has to deliver.
Top 6 Ways to Improve Your YouTube Rankings
Now onto the actual optimization, below are six different ways you can help your video rank on YouTube:
1. Keywords
Being able to find video keywords will help you figure out what you want your video to be about as well as help you know how to optimize that video. In other words, this is usually a definite first step. The YouTube Keyword Tool is an excellent place to try out a few different keywords in your industry and see where there isn't much competition but there is a need for a video. Below is an example of what the keyword tool looks like:
As a side note, you can also focus on video keywords and use video rich snippets to help your videos rank on a Google SERP. Sometimes videos will outrank other results just because they are videos, so it's a good idea to take some of these terms and plug them into Google as well as YouTube to see what the competition is like.
2. Title
The title of your video should be short and grab a reader's attention. You have 120 characters to get across what the video is about and make people want to click. From an SEO standpoint, you also want to add in a one or two of your keywords in the title, but of course without keyword stuffing. It has to appear natural.
It also helps to put your keyword phrase at the beginning of your title if you can help it. For example, if you're trying to rank for "riding a bike," then you would want your title say something like "Riding a Bike: Learn How in 10 Easy Steps" as opposed to "10 Easy Steps to Learning to Ride a Bike."
3. Description
When the YouTube bots crawl your webpage with your video, you have to remember that they can't actually watch the video and listen to the words. This is why your description is so important. You want to make sure your keywords are included (but again, not stuffed) as well as a few other, similar words to help with semantic search. This not only helps YouTube classify your vide correctly, but gives viewers more information.
It's also a good idea to put your link at the top of your video because descriptions do get cut off (only about the first 55-70 characters, or approximately 22 words, are usually shown). Many companies also choose to add in a transcript of the entire video if it's not too long.
4. Tags
Tags simply allow you to put in a few keywords that will help YouTube learn about your video. You can usually have as many tags as you'd like, so try to be extra specific and add in your location, categories, the names of people in the video, etc. I usually say that 10 tags is a good rule of thumb.
5. Links
Building links back to your YouTube video works the same way it works with traditional link building. You want to have a good link profile with lots of authoritative pages linking to your video. This means links that you find on the web as well—not just backlinks found on YouTube. In other words, if someone links back to your video on their blog, that links still improves your YouTube video ranking. Remember, Google owns YouTube after all!
It's tough to say if the links you build on social media have anything to do with your rankings, but they will promote your video, which will hopefully help you build some of those links. After all, the more people who know about your video, the more people who will reference it when writing something on the web.
6. Thumbnail Optimization
Your CTR (click through rate) will improve if you have a quality thumbnail image, so I suggest creating a custom thumbnail for each of your videos. A custom thumbnail gives you control over what people see before they decide to click. Your thumbnail should have a resolution of 1280?720, .JPG, .GIF, .BMP, or .PNG form, and use 16:9 aspect ratio. You can visit this page to learn more about creating and uploading the perfect custom thumbnail.
Author: Amanda DiSilvestro
Courtesy: www.seo.com
Image credit


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I'm at Kellogg Technology Conference today, listening to Jeff Bell, Corporate Vice President of Global Marketing at Microsoft, talk about interactive entertainment. What I found interesting is the business model considerations and big launch marketing insights. Here's an impressionary transcript.
Specifically with Xbox. 41.1% of households own at least one gaming console, with an 18.5% increase in the last two years. Largest genre Action and Adventure, was surpassed this year by family and social games. The primary demographic driver is no longer young white males, the average age is moving into the mid thirties and a balancing of genders (now 60/40, and in teens its 50/50). As the hardware evolves, so does the software and usage.
$18 billion industry in 2007. Looking to not just be a market share leader, but a wallet share leader. Like Windows, Xbox 360 looks to be an ecosystem leader, with the most partners of this generation. By the end of this year we will have 300 games for $3-5 that you can download and play from the Arcade. We don't have as many first party or exclusive titles as our competitors, so when we win everyone wins.
The average Xbox household has 7 games attached to it, with 4 accessories (controllers, etc.). Rock Band and Guitar Hero are exciting because they are evergreen franchises, because you can download additional content over time. 3 million songs downloaded for Guitar Hero 3. Packs like the Brady Bunch. In the future you bring any content, including what you generate, onto the Xbox and it suddenly becomes more fun.
What if you were the person to generate dance steps or riffs and upload them into the community and gain monetization? Games for Change says gaming is where film was in the 1920s and 30s, it is just coming into its own for a diversity of content Games for Change has 5k teams trying to develop the best game about global warming.
I came to Microsoft to develop some consumer marketing muscle. Xbox Live has 10 million members globally. We get community. 60-70% of users connect to it. Just launched movie downloads in Canada and Europe. Fundamentally a great brand has to be an external and outrageous promise. The New Definition of Fun is a committment to continual newness. Promises let us segment our customer targets, which have regional differences and lets us go after them with different messages:
- Xbox 360 has more fun for your friends and family. Parental controls with all rating systems as a proof point, and then going after games that matter.
- Xbox 360 has the biggest blockbusters. Taking control of the Grand Theft Auto IV launch to also help explain the value of our platform.
- Xbox 360 has the most Choice and Value. We didn't put BlueRay or HD DVD in, but instead DVD because it is a global standard. I thank the Wii for broadening people's minds. Rock Band is the new Twister, we need to bring this kind of family entertainment back.
- Xbox 360 owns Sports. Fell over the last year from 25% to 20% of the market, and needs new innovation.
Three years ago these four statements had not been realized. Applying good business and marketing principles, partnered and focused, and seizing pricing and customer segmentation opportunities has realized two quarters of profit for what had been previously unprofitable.
We are the largest distributor of downloadable HD content. The only online distributor of Movies and TV in High Def (huh? Apple?), with 3k hours of movie and television content. Twice the hours of the leading cable provider.
On the launch of Halo 3, the largest consumer entertainment launch in history. They asked Peter Jackson about LotR 3 and he said, "You don't have to see the first two movies to enjoy the third, and the third time is a charm." Primary target was halo purchases, focus on the engaged. Secondary target was Next Gen Inenders, focus on PS swings and fence sitters, migrate Xbox v.1 owners. Broad target: Entertainment Enthusiasts, male gamers age 17-35, tuned in to entertainment hits. Grew the core with real world puzzles that were hacked in less than four hours. Shows a commercial, "Believe," for the masses that is about a hero, with the classic struggles -- man vs. man, man vs. self and man vs. environment. Reused the diorama in the commercial in different creative, one version viewed over 27 million times on YouTube. Launched the game without showing it. New definition of reach and frequency is showing a commercial once on tv and gaining 40 million online views. Biggest opening day in entertainment history with $170 million in day one sales, and over 10k retailers worldwide hosing midnight madness events.
In a closing recruiting pitch he talks about how Microsoft has changed, and how if you see them in the Silicon Valley they are open and constructive partners, not "we're going to beat you or buy you" -- and jokes, "except if you are Yahoo."


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As training with the new F-35B Lightning II stealth aircraft continues in Florida, USA, a Royal Air Force (RAF) pilot has described how impressed he is with the 'game-changing' jet.
Flight Lieutenant Hugh Nichols completed his first sortie in the next-generation stealth fighter at Eglin Air Force Base in Florida, United States earlier this month.
The Lightning II aircraft, together with the Typhoon FGR4, will provide the RAF combat air component essential to UK defence.
Flt Lt Nichols,the first RAF Number 1 Group pilot to fly the aircraft, said: "This is a notable step in the Lightning II story and one that marks a real shift in emphasis from development to employment.
"We're also just starting to train the first No. 1 Group engineers here at Eglin, which is another important milestone in the development of the UK aspect of the programme.
"Lightning II's advanced mission system sensors have done nothing but impress me so far and I have no doubt that this aircraft will deliver strategic, game-changing capabilities in future defence scenarios.
"To be the first No. 1 Group operational pilot is both an honour and a privilege and I look forward to helping stand up No. 617 (The Dambusters) Sqn in 2016 and bringing the jet back to the UK in 2018."
Three UK pilots and 13 engineers from the RAF and Royal Navy are learning to operate the aircraft at Eglin under a partnering agreement with the United States Marine Corps, as part of Marine Fighter Attack Training Squadron (VMFAT) 501.Another 12 engineers recently arrived at Eglin for five months of trade training at the Lightning Academic Training Centre prior to being posted to Marine Corps Air Station (MCAS) Beaufort, South Carolina, and Edwards Air Force Base, California, in mid-2014.
Lightning II will be the UK's 5th generation short take-off and vertical landing Joint Strike Asset. The multi-role supersonic stealth aircraft is planned to achieve initial operating capability in a land-based role from RAF Marham in 2018 and, alongside the Royal Navy, aboard the future HMS Queen Elizabeth aircraft carrier in 2020.
Flt Lt Nichols, who is 35 and was born in Epsom, Surrey, joined the RAF in April 2000 and has flown the Hawk and Harrier GR9 aircraft, as well as flying the F-16CJ on exchange with the U.S. Air Force.
He will go on to qualify as an F35B Instructor Pilot and will remain on VMFAT-501 Sqn until the UK stands up its first squadron at MCAS Beaufort in 2016.


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Haas, Michael | |
Wagner, Karen | |
Nunez, Alberto |
Submitted to: Journal of the American Oil Chemists' Society
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal Publication Acceptance Date: 12/20/2002 Publication Date: 3/20/2003 Citation: HAAS, M.J., MICHALSKI, P.J., RUNYON, S., SCOTT, K.M., NUNEZ, A. PRODUCTION OF FAME FROM ACID OIL, A BY-PRODUCT OF VEGETABLE OIL REFINING. JOURNAL OF THE AMERICAN OIL CHEMISTS SOCIETY. 2003. V. 80. p. 97-102. Interpretive Summary: In the U.S. and throughout the world there is interest in the development of renewable engine fuels, that is, fuels made from agricultural products, whose feedstocks are thus renewed each crop season. "Biodiesel' is the name for a renewable fuel for diesel engines. It is made from fats and oils, and has been shown in hundreds of experiments not only to be an acceptable substitute for petroleum-derived diesel fuel, but also to reduc engine emissions of hydrocarbons, particulates, carbon monoxide and sulfur. As a result, biodiesel technology is presently in transition from an experimental to a commercial status. Early biodiesel research focused on the production of fuel from refined fats and oils. There is a need, however, to increase the supply of biofuel by using additional feedstocks, and interest in development of technology to produce biodiesel from feedstocks less expensive than refined edible oils. Thus, researchers have eexpanded the scope of their investigations, developing methods to synthesize biodiesel from other, often less expensive, lipids such as waste greases. Here, we have extended these studies further, identifying conditions to produce biodiesel from 'acid oil', a low cost byproduct of the production of edible vegetable oil. Optimized reaction conditions are presented to achieve a rapid, high efficiency synthesis of biodiesel from acid oil. Adoption of this technology would provide additional uses for acid oil, additional income for oilseed producers and vegetable oil processors, and an increased supply of economically affordable biodiesel to consumers. Technical Abstract: Simple alkyl fatty acid esters have numerous uses, including serving as 'biodiesel,' a fuel for compression ignition (diesel) engines. The use of acid-catalyzed esterification for the synthesis of fatty acid methyl esters from acid oil, a byproduct of edible vegetable oil refining produced from soapstock, was investigated. Soybean acid oil consisted of 47.9 wt% FFA, 21.8 wt% TAG, 7.2 wt% DAG and less than 1% MAG. Experiments were conducted to identify reaction conditions giving maximum esterification of these species within 26 h incubation at 65 C. Reaction conditions predicted to yield a minimum amount of remaining unesterified fatty acid species were 26 h incubation and a molar ratio of (total fatty acids) / (methanol) / (sulfuric acid) of 1 / 15 / 1.5. The predicted content of residual unreacted species, as a fraction of their content in unesterified acid oil, was FFA: 6.6%; TAG: 5.8%; and DAG: 2.6%. In an alternative approach, all acylglycerol species of soapstock were hydrolyzed by saponification prior to acidulation. The resulting High Acid acid oil had a FFA content of 96.2 wt%, and lacked TAG, DAG or MAG. Conditions for its optimal esterification at 65 C were a mole ratio of FFA / methanol / acid of 1 / 1.8 / 0.17 and a 14 h incubation. The yield of FAME under these conditions was 89% of theoretical, the residual unesterified FFA content was 51 mg/g, and TAG, DAG and MAG were absent. The FFA content of this material exceeded that permissible for biodiesel, but was readily reduced to an acceptable level by a simple washing with aqueous NaCl and CaO solutions. |


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Forum Post: "Social Security is Strong" : by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
Posted 11 years ago on April 25, 2012, 5:54 p.m. EST by shadz66
This content is user submitted and not an official statement
''Social Security is Strong''
by Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)
A new report today by Social Security trustees showed the program's trust fund has $2.7 trillion in reserves and will grow to $3.06 trillion by 2021, enough to maintain the unbroken record of paying every nickel owed to every beneficiary in full for another two decades.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) has introduced legislation to strengthen Social Security and guarantee benefits for 75 years by extending the payroll tax that most Americans already pay to those who earn above $250,000 a year.
"The most effective way to strengthen Social Security for the next 75 years is to eliminate the cap on the payroll tax on income above $250,000. Right now, someone who earns $110,100 pays the same amount of money into Social Security as a billionaire. That makes no sense," said Sanders, the chairman of the Defending Social Security Caucus. He also chairs the Senate aging subcommittee.
Under the proposed legislation, the wealthiest Americans would pay the same payroll tax rate already assessed on those with incomes up to $110,100 a year. Social Security officials have calculated that the simple change would keep the retirement program strong for another 75 years. The legislation also follows through on a proposal that President Barack Obama made in 2008 when he was running for president.
The Keeping Our Social Security Promises Act is cosponsored by Sens. Daniel Akaka (D-Hawaii), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Al Franken (D-Minn.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), Barbara Mikulski, (D-Md.), Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D- R.I.).
Since it was signed into law 76 years ago, Social Security has kept millions of senior citizens, widows, widowers, orphans, and the disabled out of poverty. Before Social Security, about half of senior citizens lived in poverty. Today, less than 10 percent do.
"I strongly disagree with some of my colleagues who want to balance the budget by cutting Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid and other programs that are of enormous importance to seniors and the working families of our country. There are ways to address the deficit crisis without attacking some of the most vulnerable members of our society. As chairman of the Defending Social Security Caucus, I will do everything in my power to make sure that the promises made to seniors will be kept."
Social Security provides support for 55 million people, including 38 million retired workers, 6 million widows, widowers and orphans, and 11 million disabled workers. The most successful government program in our nation's history has not contributed one dime to the federal deficit.
fiat lux ...
[Item copied verbatim under "Fair Use" from : http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article31164.htm ]


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Freedom of speech is essentially dying by the day here in the modern world. Threats are real and slippery slope test cases have been piling up to where we must seriously address this issue if we are to avoid slipping into Orwellian double-speak and mandated speech stripped of unacceptable ideas. For it is about the ideas, not the words themselves. The words spoken are merely a fixed form that represents the underlying thoughts to be communicated. Censoring out speech means censoring out ideas that one finds objectionable for whatever reasons.
And that's unconstitutional.
Amendment One: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.
This bad movie trailer, "The Innocence of Muslims," essentially 14 minutes of terrible acting and visual effects with deliberately offensive situations and dubbed dialogue, is now being used as evidence in order to change the law of the land in the United States. More than a few commentators have suggested that the United States clamp down on such expressions, as it may offend people.
So what?
Yes. So what? As the line goes, "Maybe you need to be offended."
The answer to speech you disagree with is … (drum roll) … MORE SPEECH. If people are in disagreement with the historical situation portrayed in that film, they have an opportunity to present their own case, their own historical evidence, their own version of the matter. By rendering this topic to the realm of sacred cows, it would eliminate all dissenting discussion and ideas.
Who gets to decide then what the actual historical record is?
Who gets to decide how much we can question this dogmatic interpretation?
We don't rewrite the U.S. Constitution based on the possibility that someone somewhere might be offended by something. Nor should we. That truly is akin to religious fundamentalism, to Sharia Law. These are bedrock principles of our nation that are not negotiable, despite the endless assaults on freedom of expression, which we should be well aware of and actively oppose.
I don't agree with the messages of that movie trailer, but in America we have a right to put the ideas out into the world without fear of government crackdown (at least we used to; we're supposed to). Other less free regimes and societies respond that what is good for their citizens should be enforced here as well. Examples will follow.
What has been proposed, since time immemorial, is to create sacred cow issues around religion and – of course – Israel, whereby American citizens, previously protected by the First Amendment, would face legal repercussions for uttering unacceptable speech. And that's just plain unacceptable. As an American, raised from birth on this notion of "freedom" which is beamed from every transmitter, you should find wholesale assaults on First Amendment "freedoms" to be problematic at the very least. Once the framework for establishing sacred cows is put into practice, it is only a matter of time before the list of unacceptable ideas grows into an abomination that warps the very fabric of our culture. I could argue that it is already happening.
In my days hanging out on the ACLU forums, we debated a lot of free speech issues. These were the days of the "Communications Decency Act," (1996) a patently unconstitutional law that was passed by the house and senate and signed by none-other-than William Jefferson Clinton. The Act was immediately struck down by federal courts for infringing on citizen's First Amendment rights. But first it passed the congress. Then the president's desk. It was blatantly unlawful in this country, and yet it passed without reservation. That was a frightening moment, a watershed moment that could have gone either way. It was clear then that unconstitutional laws could pass the congress and the president's desk (ie. PATRIOT ACT). Our rights were under attack and would continue to be, into the foreseeable future. Like today.
One of the popular articles currently circulating on this topic is by "peace activist", "radio commentator" and "columnist" Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich. She makes a quasi-legal case for quashing free speech in regard to Islam:
"There is a precedent to curbing free speech when deemed harmful. In a landmark Supreme Court hearing — Schenck v. United States, 249 U.S. 47 (1919) , the actions of Schenck, an anti-war individual who had printed and distributed leaflets in order to discourage enlisting servicemen, was not afforded protection under the First Amendment. The issue before the court was whether Schenck's actions (words, expression) were protected by the free speech clause of the First Amendment."
Of course this is a mind-numbingly terrible Supreme Court decision. Such an assault on freedom of expression has scarcely had such glaring cases as this to point at. How much damage resulted from prohibiting military recruits from hearing the arguments against going off to fight wars? This is a fascistic ruling, in contravention of the spirit of the First Amendment, and should clearly be struck down, not praised and regurgitated.
Notably president Wilson himself campaigned on the platform of keeping the United States out of the war in Europe. A deceit, a Big Lie. This period is a dark stain on America where propaganda was institutionalized, financed by the government; surveillance of citizens was instituted; mail was opened; people were arrested for political crimes. That a self-professed peace activist would cite this case in a positive light is a bit baffling.
The ruling itself was a so-called violation of the recently passed "Espionage Act" (1917). Mailing flyers was now considered the trumped-up act of "conspiracy to obstruct the recruiting and enlistment service." Telling the people who would go kill, die and be maimed the truth about the war could now be considered a "conspiracy." This is a clear eradication of ideas that the government decided should not be spread. This sort of mind-control could lead to good things in the world? Seriously?
Soraya continues with another monumentally terrible development that should have all of California on the phone to the capitol, screaming into their ears:
"August 2012, California passed a resolution (House Resolution 35) against criticism of Israel. What is perhaps more revealing than the Resolution itself, is the desire and the power to curb "free speech" (read Resolution)."
This corruption has not yet been tested in the courts, and could likely be struck down, like the Communications Decency Act before it. This bill creates a specially selected group and grants exceptional, extraordinary rules in relation to this group. The law attempts to regulate speech on the campuses of California, whereby criticism of Israel is equated with anti-Semitism and officially condemned.
"(2) speakers, films, and exhibits sponsored by student, faculty, and community groups that engage in anti-Semitic discourse or use anti-Semitic imagery and language to falsely describe Israel, Zionists, and Jews, including that Israel is a racist, apartheid, or Nazi state…"
Granted, it doesn't seem to apply if the "racist" or "apartheid" charge isn't "falsely" applied. So, perhaps former president Jimmy Carter can still talk about his book, Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid at the colleges of California. But then again, that isn't particularly clear from this vague, broad wording that attempts to prohibit negative descriptions of the policies of a foreign country. This is an example of the slippery slope continual chipping away at bedrock freedoms, here in the U.S.
What Soraya has revealed is the tendency to use bad precedents to enact more bad laws based on bad reasoning.
"Perhaps for the protestors [in the Middle East], it is hard to understand that the [American] President's kill list allows the assassination of American individuals " based merely on patterns of behavior " yet he is not able to exercise power to curb speech denigrating Islam. Why has there been no will to put a stop to these insults and the ensuing violence?"
Besides using Obama's war crimes and felony murders as a legal precedent, Soraya brings up several other issues at once. A little clarification is in order here. Killing American citizens without due process is murder and an impeachable crime. We should be clear on that, and not accept excuses to the contrary. The constitution is very clear about due process, warrants, various amendments establishing the rights of the accused and the right to a fair trial. Violating this is criminal. We should not tolerate these abuses at all.
As for the "insults" and the "ensuing violence" these are obviously two different things. Someone can insult without violence becoming the response. Why is violence not the responsibility of the perpetrator of said violence? Why is the alleged culprit here only the one doing the insulting? Standard legal norms place the blame for violence on those committing it. Stretching such blame to others may work in an organized crime setting, where underlings are part of a conspiracy, a hierarchical organization that issues orders. However, this linkage does not extend to such random connections as those who watch videos that someone else posted, the two having no personal connection whatsoever to one-another. In no way is a movie trailer to be used as a causative factor in the perpetration of violence half a world away. That has no basis in any law, as far as I am aware.
Further, there is quite a lot of evidence that the violence at the Benghazi, Libya embassy, and the murder of the American diplomats had nothing whatsoever to do with the film trailer at all, and was a coordinated military attack in revenge for the killing of Al Qaeda's "number two" commander in June of this year – a Libyan. Benghazi has been a seething cauldron of radical Islamist violence since the days when Qaddafi quite rightly told us so. These were casualties in an ongoing war, and quite unrelated to this free speech debate over a "film."
If it was just Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich, I may have not been inspired to respond. But, we see other more notable figures pressing for a U.S. government crackdown on speech. Of course the Muslim Brotherhood's new president of Egypt, Mohammad Morsi, has weighed in on the film. Morsi personally told Barack Obama to impose, "legal measures which will discourage those seeking to damage relations … between the Egyptian and American people." Another report quotes Morsi demanding "assurances from the U.S. government to prevent any infringement on the sacred." Arrest warrants have been issued in Egypt for the filmmaker, as well as for the pastor Terry Jones. Some reports claim that the "blasphemy" charges carry the death penalty there.
One might expect such a response from Egypt, but from the Russian parliament? Aleksey Pushkov, the Russian chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Foreign Affairs has also weighed in on U.S. freedom of speech:
"This has nothing to do with freedom of speech. The freedom of speech is not covering a lot of other things that are considered banned in the West. Otherwise they would not be so eager in attempts to put Julian Assange in jail … Attacks on Islam and its sacred things – this is not the freedom of speech but the freedom of hatred …"
In fact it is most certainly a freedom of speech case. Freedom of speech protects unpopular ideas, the views we oppose. It is not selectively restrictive. Pushkov's point about Julian Assange is well taken, and there is no U.S. case against him that should stand. Rumors of secret grand juries and, of course, the covert manipulation to get him on the false Swedish charges of "rape" are in play. Assange is another case entirely, in a league of his own.
As for the "freedom of hatred", we actually retain that right in the United States. You can hate whomever you want. Don't believe me? Post a Youtube video about anything. You will be hated on. The inverse, the outlawing of "hate" carries more problems than it solves. You have the right to express your hatred, thus exposing your arguments to scrutiny in the light of day. They can then be countered. The resulting synthesis is understanding. To eliminate the bad ideas through government repression is to attempt to circumvent the natural debates and discussions that ideas carry. Bad ideas can be refuted, not by the guillotine, but by presenting their antitheses. We call this civilization, and I'm for it.
Violence has erupted across the Middle East this week, and that's unfortunate. Is the motivation for this violence confined to the "Innocence of Muslims" film trailer? Or are there myriad other factors involved? Are sections of the Middle East pissed off about a lot more than bad Youtube videos? I think the evidence is unequivocally going to support that thesis.
Let's not get muddy in our thinking and accept that people are burning U.S. embassies solely because of this movie. It was not produced by the U.S. government, nor even by an American director. The creator is Egyptian!
The U.S. though has been a perpetrator of violence, coercion, covert support and numerous machinations for a long, long time. Engaged in war after war, sometimes covertly supporting these same groups that wish to burn U.S. embassies today, the foreign policies of the U.S.A. should take center stage here. They are conflicted, scattershot, always intrusive and often destructive of entire societies (sanctions, bombing campaigns, including NATO's extensive bombardment of Libya). Imperial meddling tends to make a lot of enemies, and this number has steadily increased since the escalations 11 years ago essentially declared war on Islam. U.S. military personnel routinely referred to Middle Easterners as "Hadjis", "ragheads" and even "sand niggers" as they decimated Iraq and Afghanistan. Even torture, rape and murder were broadcast across the globe, as Americans at home turned the channel to something more lighthearted.
People saw and felt how Islamic populations were treated as compared to other populations, even here in the U.S. itself, where people of south Asian descent were summarily rounded up after 9/11. In a move reminiscent of the rounding up of Japanese Americans in World War Two, the federal government pointedly imposed a racist us versus them dichotomy that persists to this day.
It's far easier to discuss bad movies and how we should punish the bad filmmakers than to attempt to reconcile massive war crimes that span numerous countries and several administrations, both Republicrat and Demogogue. But isn't that how it always plays out? You can't talk about the bipartisan rampage. You can't call out where both the Dems and the Repugs agree in their imperial ambitions. It's better to focus on other issues, side issues like bad filmmakers and too much free speech.
Joe Giambrone is a filmmaker and author of Hell of a Deal: A Supernatural Satire. He edits The Political Film Blog, which welcomes submissions. polfilmblog at gmail.


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DARK SHADOWS was a pop culture phenomenon when it ran on ABC Daytime from 1966 to 1971, spawning movies, comic books, a primetime remake several years later and even (in part) inspiring Ryan Murphy to create AMERICAN HORROR STORY. Now, a new, big-budget film version of the show, directed by Tim Burton and starring Johnny Depp as the vampire Barnabas Collins, is scheduled to be released on May 11, 2012.
Good box office receipts are sure to lead to future films, another television revival and (who knows?) possibly interest in movie versions of other classics. What's more, a higher profile for the DARK SHADOWS brand will be yet another factor motivating outfits such as Soap Classics. Any demonstration of the ability of "retired" daytime series to make money in 2011 strengthens their business plan.
Of course, DARK SHADOWS was unique - odd, even - but but we'd argue that it's the more distinctive franchises that tend to attract star power (such as Burton and Depp) to such projects. So, what other soaps would make a good 21st century feature film? First to pop into our heads is a big budget movie version of THE EDGE OF NIGHT!
Tell us your ideas in the Comments section, below. And no reason to stop at TV: decades worth of all-but-forgotten radio soaps could be a treasure trove for today's production companies. Hollywood has shown time and again (and more and more frequently) that it favors films featuring tested characters and concepts, especially those that arrive at the studio with their narratives already fleshed out, as well. If the last successful mega-trend was movies based on comic books (a couple Incredible Hulks, five X-mens, a million Batmans) is it such a leap to think classic daytime soaps may start being optioned left and right in 2012?
Spring 2012 will also bring momentum to project that is, in a way, everything the DARK SHADOWS movie isn't. RAGGED ISLE is a totally new, young & contemporary, only-on-the-web kind of project. However, it, too, is eerie and unique. It's been described, in fact, as TWIN PEAKS meets DARK SHADOWS, and it is nominated for several Indie Soap Awards, including Best Drama.
When it returns for its second season, RAGGED ISLE will have a stronger brand identity, and more importantly, the general public's awareness of the pleasures of the Indie Soap universe will have evolved. Building on the momentum of a DARK SHADOWS fueled fascination with eerie soap concepts, and releasing substantial (15-minutes long, that's how long our TV soaps used to be) episodes on a regular basis, RAGGED ISLE might hold its own this spring against the four daytime series left on TV.
Key Dates:
April 11th CALIFORNIA HEAVEN Season Premiere
May 11th Dark Shadows movie release from Warner Bros.
Primetime soap DALLAS is back, this time on TNT, with even more delicious drama as JR, Bobby and Sue Ellen Ewing return to Southfork. The next generation of Ewings are joining them, and we can expect them to take ambition and deception to a wicked new level. After the success of REVENGE, a triumphant return by DALLAS will have the networks looking for the Next Big Night Soap. Will it be a 21st century DYNASTY, KNOTS LANDING or FALCON CREST?
Univision's new 24/7 soap channel, Univision Telenovelas (UT), will draw from a library featuring hundreds of Spanish language soaps (spanning over three decades) and stars that viewers know and love. In addition to Univision titles, the channel will also serve up soaps from Las Novelas de Televisa, TV Azteca and Telemundo.
What is it that Spanish language, American, daily soaps have figured out, that English language, American, daytime soaps just don't seem to get? That's a subject for it's own article! For now, let's agree that 2012 is bound to be huge for US fans of Spanish soaps: El Año de la Telenovela en América, if you will.
As you can see, The Year of the Soap will continue into the spring and summer of 2012, with previously "retired" series starting to spark rekindled interest in the form of feature films (blockbusters, even) and web soaps beginning to give TV a run for its money. At the same time, big night soaps such as DALLAS will return form a years-long hiatus and a huge segment of America, the Spanish speakers, will have more daily soaps and more options for viewing them. What will happen in the second half of 2012? The Year of the Soap will continue, Look or The Year of The Soap Part 3 this Thursday.


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• wampumpeag •
Pronunciation: wahm-pêm-peeg • Hear it!
Part of Speech: Noun, mass
Meaning: Beads made from shells and used by the Algonquian tribes as money for trade at the time the first Europeans arrived in Massachusetts; usually shortened to wampum in English.
Notes: Today's word was used widely by early settlers in New England but later it was cut into wampum and peag, which were used with the same meaning as the original. A similar currency of less value, called roanoke, was used by the Native Americans in Virginia. Roanoke today is a lovely city located in central Virginia.
In Play: It is difficult to believe that the first settlers in the North American colonies used the monetary system of the Native Americans. The early colonists traded a lot with Native Americans, but initially had no means of securing printed money. So article 154 of the General Laws of Massachusetts of 1643 reads as follows: "Wampampeag shall pass currant [sic] in the payment of Debts, to the payment of forty shillings, the white at eight a penny, the black at four, so as they be entire without breaches or deforming spots."
Word History: Wampumpeag came from one of the Algonquian languages, probably Abnaki. The original was probably wampampiak "white beads". This supposition is based on the existence of related words such as Abnaki wambambiar "string of beads" and Delaware wapapi "white wampum". The word is a compound of two elements, wamp- "white" + *ampi "bead" + the Algonquin plural ending -ag. The division of the word into wampum and peag resulted from Europeans misanalyzing the compound under the influence of English syllable structure.
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Fever apparently has a calming effect because they were angels at the store, listening (miracle) and just sort of meekly following me around as I grabbed the essentials - you know, milk and shampoo and chocolate.
We stopped in the Christmas aisle where I let them hang out for a while, pushing every button on every dancing, singing, bum shaking Christmas "decoration" they could find. (Who actually buys those things? I can't believe the market for those monstrosities is so vast, and yet they appear to be a huge profit center, since every grocery store and corner market on earth carries them.) I idly watched as some teenage girls, young and dumb and having a blast, pushed each other around in carts, squealing and laughing.
When my head was ready to explode we got our caravan moving again, with Carter inside the cart and the girls holding onto either side as they walked. We steered toward a check-out lane and WHAM. The teenage girls came out of nowhere, ramming their cart smack into Abby at full speed, knocking her flat and pushing Sarah over for good measure.
I immediately went into full mama bear mode and yelled at the twits as I picked up my sobbing little girls. "What are you DOING?! This isn't a playground, GROW UP!"
Abby had a nice purple lattice mark engraved on her face (that deepened over the course of the afternoon into a rich, rough bruise) and a pinched finger, but Sarah seemed none the worse for wear, just a little shocked and upset.
"Is there something I can do? Are they alright? I'm so sorry," the blond babbled on and on and ON. I shot her a dirty look thinking, NO, you idiot, there's nothing you can do. You've done enough.
After a minute or two of hugs, Sarah and Abby calmed down, and tears wiped away, we stood up. Somewhat impressively, the teenagers were still standing there, waiting to take their medicine.
I cocked my head to the side and put a hand on my hip, ready to let loose a few choice, cutting words of reprimand – my unfortunate specialty. I narrowed in on the cart driver.
She had tears in her eyes. I softened a little. She clearly felt awful about what had been, after all, an accident.
"Can I do something?" she asked plaintively. "What can I do? I'm so sorry." She crouched down next to Abby and said, "I'm so sorry."
As I tried to figure out what the right thing to say would be, something that would satisfy my maternal anger without completely crossing the line, Abby took over. She apparently had things SHE wanted to say and she drew herself up to her full four year old height.
Tears dripped out of her big green eyes as she looked at the girl accusingly. "You made me fall down," she said shakily, holding my hand.
The injustice of the accident was too much for her to take and she started to cry again, her words punctuated with little sobs.
The teenager burst into tears. For a minute I thought she might dissolve into a sad little puddle right there in front of me.
Abby looked at the girl somberly for a minute. She nodded, then looked up at me and whispered, "Mom, she's sorry now. You should give her a love." She pushed me forward a little.
And that's how I ended up hugging a random teenager at Smiths today.