text:
Friday, August 24, 2007
They copied my auction word for word. :::shaking head:::
122 comments:
- Mrs. F said...
Wow, not cool at all. Is there anything you can do about it? )=
- August 24, 2007 at 10:45 PM
- Cherokee said...
I would report them to Ebay
- August 24, 2007 at 10:46 PM
- Michelle said...
OMG, what the hell??!!
Can you contact eBay and have them remove it? Or contact the seller and bitch them out?
I would be beyond angry!! - August 24, 2007 at 10:49 PM
I hope you reported them for plagiarizing!
- August 24, 2007 at 10:49 PM
- Chryshelle AKA Mommy, Mama, Babe said...
THAT is absolutely disgraceful! You should take legal action.
- August 24, 2007 at 10:49 PM
- Lisa said...
OMG!! I can't believe anyone would do this. I just saw your auction and read some of your blog and then I saw this post. There's got to be something you can do...tell E-bay. Maybe you can get it yanked. I would be really pissed if it were me.
- August 24, 2007 at 10:49 PM
- Unknown said...
That is just NOT RIGHT! We all know where it really came from! I am loving reading your blog! Keep up the good work -- both at being such a great mom and a creative writer!
- August 24, 2007 at 10:50 PM
A girlfriend sent my your origional. I thought it was so funny I sent it to Ellen DeGeneres' e-mail -who knows if she'll read it. But if she does, I hope she outs the fool who tried to steal your words. Thanks for sharing the comedy of kids. p.s. love the chocolate covered one
- August 24, 2007 at 10:51 PM
You can go to the bottom of their auction page and click "report this item" and let eBay know they copied your auction. I imagine eBay would remove it...
- August 24, 2007 at 10:53 PM
- Lisa-Anne said...
Some people are just awful, sorry this happened to you!
- August 24, 2007 at 10:54 PM
yes, please contact eBay and hopefully they will remove the listing. That is just so awful that someone would do that :(
- August 24, 2007 at 10:54 PM
- Dina said...
ohhhhh that is just dirty, I would so be reporting that to ebay.
- August 24, 2007 at 10:55 PM
I hope you reported this person to ebay. I hope ebay removes their auction and puts them on probation. I guess you need to hurry up and copywrite your blog so that nobody else can try and steal your creative writings. It makes me mad too that somebody would do something like this.
- August 24, 2007 at 10:56 PM
You have GOT to be kidding! Unbelievable. Nice.
As a I writer, your story made me laugh, and I've been back to read it several times, and of course been to your blog a bunch too. So, all that said, as a writer, plagiarism really gets me! Grrring right along with you. - August 24, 2007 at 10:57 PM
I loved your auction, and I've sent it to almost everyone I know. The writing was so witty and fresh, no wonder someone copied it. Stealing someone else's intelligence is about as low as you can go, so I'm sorry that happened to you. On the bright side, it's quite a compliment that someone wanted to be as great as you! Have a great weekend!
- August 24, 2007 at 11:00 PM
I'm pretty sure eBay will shut down the auction if you report it. I bought from someone who did that, and eBay made them return my money. I had no idea the person was 'faking it'.
Perhaps if enough of 'us' message the fake seller with a message something along the lines of:
You're obviously a dishonest seller since you have no qualms about plagiarizing, and I'd like to tell you I'm not buying anything from you/..and I'd like to let you know I'm spreading the word about your wrongful actions/..[or] and I'd like to give you advance warning I'm going to let eBay know what you're doing/have done. Have a great day :)
Thanks for all the laughs BTW. - August 24, 2007 at 11:02 PM
What comes around goes around - they will regret it I am sure
- August 24, 2007 at 11:03 PM
- Julie P. (babyofmine) said...
I second (or is it fifth?) the plan of reporting them via the button at the bottom. To quote the Weasley's, "Give her Hell from us!"
- August 24, 2007 at 11:03 PM
I just got your "e-bay" pokeman link from a friend of mine--VERY Funny! Thanks for sharing and I agree you should write a book. Great story!
- August 24, 2007 at 11:03 PM
As a regular e-bay user and now regular reader of your blog, I was outraged to see such outright plagiarism. So, here's a copy of the message I sent that person:
Seriously, what do you hope to accomplish by plagiarizing someone else's (now very renown) e-bay listing? Entrance into the "Plagiarism Hall of Fame"? If you can't come up with a witty, well-written listing on your own, then just keep it brief or don't list at all. The person who ACTUALLY wrote those words is talented and beyond funny. You're just sad. Very sad.
I don't expect to hear back from this person, but wanted to let them know that what they did was unacceptable.
I love, love, love your writing. I haven't laughed so hard in a long time. As a mother and a teacher, I see the truth in your subject matter!
Keep it up -- I'm now a subscriber! - August 24, 2007 at 11:04 PM
- MJAZ said...
I agree, you should at least bring it to eBay's attention. I'm not sure if there's anything that they can do, but it's worth a try.
- August 24, 2007 at 11:04 PM
Use this link to report copying of a listing. All your readers should report it too. eBay will act if they get enough reports.
http://cgi1.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?MfcISAPICommand=InlineSelfHelpWebform&wftype=2029&rcode=VE%25X00135&subject=Report%20link&bcrumb=+Home+%3E+Help+Topics+%3E%A0Rules+and+Policies%A0%3E%A0Rules+for+Sellers%A0%3E%A0Rules+about+Intellectual+Property%A0%3E%A0Item+Description+and+Picture+Theft&instruction=&expirationDate= - August 24, 2007 at 11:05 PM
- Karen L. Reese said...
She's right -- only you as the copyright owner can report it, we can't. The person who copied it can lose their ability to sell with Ebay.
REPORT THEIR SORRY ASSES!!!! - August 24, 2007 at 11:06 PM
- Cherokee said...
I went and looked at Ebay and was going to try to report them for ya, but it will only let you report if someone is using descriptions or images from an auction that I have listed myself, but you can indeed report them for using your description without your permission.
- August 24, 2007 at 11:07 PM
this is SO not right! I sent the seller a question and asked if they would steal YOUR story and description, what does that say about their item? I don't use eBay much, but I was hoping my "question" would be visible on the page for others to see ...
- August 24, 2007 at 11:09 PM
to bad some peeps have so little respect for them selves, dont let it get to you.
remember just when you think people arnt that way some one blows you out of your shorts - August 24, 2007 at 11:13 PM
Pretty sure it's against ebay policy for them to do that. Do what that person said and report their listing. And maybe include your listing number so thay can see yours was first. Honestly, some people bite. Super funny auction, BTW!
- August 24, 2007 at 11:14 PM
Hello Dawn,
e-Bamazon here (my eBay ID) - It was actually my husband who found the UK seller who copied your listing. I pulled up your listing so my husband could read it - I never saw the man crack up from reading on eBay. His favorite line was "the 7th child." Of course. It's something he identifies with.
P.S. I reported the copied listing.
(My 2nd day reading your blog)
Annjanette - August 24, 2007 at 11:15 PM
Please please click "report this item". If you do it one of the options is that they stole your text or image. Ebay will hopefully pull the listing. I'd hate for it to stay out there a minute longer. What a loser!!
- August 24, 2007 at 11:15 PM
I reported them to ebay for you and contacted the seller asking how they could possibly do something so awful! Hopefully ebay will pull their listing and remove them as a seller...you really should write a book, for real. I bet you DO end up on Oprah with a book contract! You're hilarious! :)
- August 24, 2007 at 11:16 PM
- Tautchia said...
You really should report them to eBay. Those were your words, not theirs. They have no right to copy your listing.
BTW - Your listing made me laugh so hard my sides hurt. - August 24, 2007 at 11:17 PM
- Neverland Scraps said...
:O How rude! I can't believe they copied your auction WORD FOR WORD! What a bunch of immature children! Im sorry they stole your words right out from under your nose! I hope you are able to do something to bring them to justice. Who knows what else they've "stolen"
*shakes head in disgust* - August 24, 2007 at 11:17 PM
I just read your original Ebay auction - what a riot and good for you getting over $100 for your Pokemon cards. I would do what Michelle said and report them to Ebay as well as send them a nasty email telling them you are the original!
If it is at all satisfying, as of right now NO ONE is bidding on it - perhaps out of protest for you! - August 24, 2007 at 11:17 PM
We could flood the seller with comments by using "ask seller a question" and tell them what we think of them stealing other people's ebay listings.
- August 24, 2007 at 11:18 PM
- Lisa C. said...
I saw this too and couldn't believe someone would do that, obviously you have already reported them..lol. Some people are so damn lazy and can't even think for themselves!
- August 24, 2007 at 11:18 PM
- Jodi Lansink said...
REPORT THEM TO E-BAY!!!!!!! That is pretty sad! I would for sure take action. That is SOOOO not cool!
- August 24, 2007 at 11:19 PM
Yep...you need to report it. I've seen people try to do this before and because your auction was very widely published, and with all the traffic to your blog regarding it, you have a very solid case against the little thief.
Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but stupid is as stupid does. SICK 'EM Tiger!! - August 24, 2007 at 11:22 PM
- Muggle Mom said...
mockery is the highest form of flattery, right? i actually hate that saying. just report them and they'll get their auction shut down. i've had someone steal my pics before, but never my words. guess i'm not that interesting of a writer (not on ebay at least).
- August 24, 2007 at 11:22 PM
Well, that is just plain SAD. I reported them to Ebay and sent them a very lovely message. Us moms have to stick together.
Mom of 4 going on 5
Karen - August 24, 2007 at 11:23 PM
Just wanted to let you know that I sent the "eBayer" a question asking why they copied and pasted your auction. I'm hoping that it gets placed below the description for others to read... Crazy people!
- August 24, 2007 at 11:27 PM
Absolutely use the "report this item" route on e-bay! As for your fans, I'm thinking it's time that fraud reads what we think of plagiarizing..."contact seller" is our route.
Suz - August 24, 2007 at 11:27 PM
What gall!!! I bet you can file a complain with EBAY! I would!!!
I have to tell you..............I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE reading your blog!!! Your auction made me spew my coffee on my laptop monitor......you really cracker me up!! I shared it with a few friends who also appreciated it.
Keep blogging! - August 24, 2007 at 11:28 PM
- Unknown said...
Anonymous above is right. Just follow the directions on the bottom of the auction and "report this item" and inform eBay that "longdogg77" with "100% Positive Feedback" had copied your auction that ended. I'm sure eBay is aware of your auction that has generated tons of traffic for them. Good luck.
Aloha to you. . . - August 24, 2007 at 11:28 PM
- Lloyd said...
That sucks! >:(
Unfortunately I doubt there is anything that can be done about it, since eBay' "Report this item" thingy is probably only intended for use if the item in the auction itself violates their terms of service.
Lets just hope that nobody falls for it and bids on this. - August 24, 2007 at 11:29 PM
I sent them a message saying copying isn't nice:) haha.
- August 24, 2007 at 11:30 PM
- Steph said...
I just sent that seller an email letting them know that they were plagiarizing and should be ashamed!
And I reported it to ebay. - August 24, 2007 at 11:31 PM
- Brockman Family said...
Go to ebay.com, click on live chat, you will connect with an ebay rep. Report the auction and it will be removed with 24-48 hours usually! Do it. That's just wrong!!!
- August 24, 2007 at 11:34 PM
- Lucy Wilson said...
wow... I cant beleive someone would do that... how tacky.... please do report them I would hate for someone to be making money from your original words and thoughts when I truly beleive that was not even your original intention.
- August 24, 2007 at 11:34 PM
- Melissa Ann said...
Can you let me know how you have gotten so many people to read your blog? I keep one too and I think it's kind of fun..www.lifeafteruptown.blogspot.com.
I am a new mom..Thanks! Melissa - August 24, 2007 at 11:34 PM
- Trish said...
What a rat fink. May his gentitals shrivel up and fall of and wash down the drain while he's showering tomorrow morning. Jerk!
- August 24, 2007 at 11:34 PM
LOVED your auction! You are a great writer. And yes, you can report the item to eBay. It may take them a couple of days, but they will remove the other party's auction.
- August 24, 2007 at 11:37 PM
I would definitely report this! that's just crazy! It's one thing to switch up things but to cut and paste? is their own life THAT boring that they couldn't think of something up themselves?
- August 24, 2007 at 11:38 PM
you need to report this item, they are reprinting your material without expressed or written consent. You need to make a little note in any auction you post claiming rights to the descriptions and photos and asserting that you will go Medieval on anyones ass who dares to swipe your stuff.
- August 24, 2007 at 11:38 PM
- Kim said...
What a moron! Some people are so incredibly stupid! Report them to eBay and forget about it. You have too many good and fun things going on in your life to let one idiot get to you!
- August 24, 2007 at 11:41 PM
- Tricia Goyer said...
That's NOT nice! That's the worst thing you can do to an author. P.S. my webdesigner pointed me to your page. FUN! Except this post ... which is NOT fun.
- August 24, 2007 at 11:41 PM
I agree that it should be turned in to Ebay. I am sure they looked at the finished auctions for pokemon cards and thought 'hey, if she can get that much....'. Turn them in. It's just wrong.
- August 24, 2007 at 11:42 PM
I so hope they have to take this down. I am so mad at them for you!!!
What nerve!!!! - August 24, 2007 at 11:43 PM
i tried to report the listing, but it looks like only the owner of the material (image or description)
from ebay "Note: You must own the rights to the text or images you are reporting for unauthorized use." - August 24, 2007 at 11:43 PM
- Summer said...
That is completely aweful and i agree with the the others you should definatly report them. On a side note....a good friend sent me your auction and I absolutly LOVED it. I think you're awesome....I only have 3 children but I can totally simpathize with you. Sometimes you just have to roll with it and just laugh.
- August 24, 2007 at 11:44 PM
- Charlene Austin said...
THAT is so not cool and I know it is not my place to do so but I reported it to eBay and showed them how they copied your original post. I hope you report it also. I am sure they will remove it. You are so funny! Thanks so much for the laughs. Have a great weekend!
Charlene Austin - August 24, 2007 at 11:45 PM
If you scroll down, like someone else said, at the bottom of the "new" listing, you will see "Report this listing". Click on that, and you select that your listing was copied. I really hope you will report them - copying listings like that isn't allowed, and they shouldn't get away with using your words as their own to make more money.
- August 24, 2007 at 11:45 PM
- Pat M said...
Don't let them get away with it. It's your "Talent" not theirs and although no one ever said life was fair, I think that unethical comes into play here. Love you blogs..you are a HOOT...Keep me changing my pads-it's worth the expense.
- August 24, 2007 at 11:46 PM
- Pat M said...
Better yet maybe we can all go their auction page and report them...Now wouldnt that be a hoot....LOL
- August 24, 2007 at 11:51 PM
- April said...
Please do report it. It is very quick and easy to do. eBay will yank the auction and take disciplinary action against the seller.
- August 24, 2007 at 11:53 PM
Notify Ebay that this aution poster is violating your copyright. The Digital Millenium Copyright Act ("DCMA") provides a way for you to complain the Ebay about a poster's infringing activity. It's easy.
Go to this link and download the form. Fill it out and fax it to them. It's the Notice of Calimed Infringement ("NOCI"). http://pages.ebay.com/help/tp/vero-rights-owner.html
Don't hesitate. Protect your writing and do it now.
Thoughts from an Intellectual Property Lawyer, mom of 2 boys, who now has to change her underwear from laughing so hard at your blog. - August 24, 2007 at 11:54 PM
You can go to their site and report it by clicking "report this item" it ask if the listing was copied and it takes you through the steps. You need to do this so they will yank this right away.
The nerve of some people!!!
Keep on keeping on! - August 24, 2007 at 11:54 PM
- Bridgette said...
I hope everyone that reads this post will email the seller and complain about their immorality. Also, I hope ebay takes action after you report the item. Really, I would report it everyday until something is done...Good Luck!
- August 24, 2007 at 11:59 PM
- Susan said...
I think I have "lurked" 'round these parts before and was happy to come back to find your ebay story.
Not so happy about the one who plagiarized!! This should be reported to ebay, AND leave a comment in their ebay comments to let them know of their theft!!
good luck! - August 24, 2007 at 11:59 PM
- Josh said...
No one is supposed to be this funny! Thanks for the laughs.
- August 25, 2007 at 12:00 AM
I'm posting this here because there aren't as many comments or emails and such to wade through, but thought you might be interested in this publisher who is looking for humorous submissions like what you are SO good at writing! Good luck! http//:www.meadowbrookpress.com/aboutus.aspx?nid=288
- August 25, 2007 at 12:04 AM
- morninglight mama said...
I must say that I do SO appreciate your humor and outlook on life. My name is also Dawn, I also have a blog through this service, and I also have a Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde son-- his teachers love him as well... wish they could see him at 7:45 pm as he's slapping a washcloth against the shower wall, effectively splashing water across every blasted surface in the bathroom. Ugh. Life is bittersweet sometimes, huh? :) Keep up the writing- I will definitely be reading regularly!!
- August 25, 2007 at 12:04 AM
- Annecourager said...
I sincerely hope nobody bids on it.
- August 25, 2007 at 12:05 AM
- Donna G said...
As a Brit, I'm embarrassed to see some twit in the UK is pulling this stunt. I really hope you manage to get this pulled by eBay and that said twit gets what's coming to them--and a few months' worth of poo-filled-nappy finger painting "adventures" to clean up on top of that, totally solo, wouldn't go amiss either. Ugh. People! :(
And regarding your previous post about brightening people's days, you're NOT tooting your own horn in the slightest. Your posts have brought more than smiles to so many of us since these links hit the net. Thanks for giving us all a laugh, a lift, and the realisation that some humour can make the difference sometimes.
Finally, to the lady with 5 kids ... just wanted to say a very hearty THANK YOU to you, your family, and all the other military families back home, here in the US, and in the other allied countries for your sacrifices. From us to you ... well, thank you just doesn't seem good enough. Bless you all, and may your loved ones come home safely soon. - August 25, 2007 at 12:07 AM
I haven't read the other comments, but I wanted to make sure you knew about this.
I think you should report it!
~ Melodie
(mom to 5 - 2 by birth, 2 by birth, and 1 still gestating) - August 25, 2007 at 12:07 AM
OMG!!!! I hope you have reported that to ebay IMMEDIATELY!!! They'll pull it soon! That's just CRAZY!!!!
- August 25, 2007 at 12:12 AM
- Amelia Antwiler said...
After you gave everyone such laughs I guess they're trying to steal the idea. Too bad for them....people already know about you!! They heard about you first!!
Maybe people will speak up for you first!! - August 25, 2007 at 12:12 AM
You should report the person and leave negative comment on feedback link.
I sure hope that nobody bids on their item! - August 25, 2007 at 12:13 AM
ewww people suck.
May the fleas of a thousand camels invest that plagariser's armpits.
And I hope you have a good day Dawn!
Lee :) - August 25, 2007 at 12:14 AM
Wow! That's just tacky. I hope your 257,760 new friends bombard the seller with outraged emails. And I hope those cards don't sell! Thar's just amazing gall; the theif even used the same font that you did!
You know, you should just put up anything and everything in your house for sale. People would buy stuff just because of your funny descriptions/stories. - August 25, 2007 at 12:15 AM
- Judy said...
Hope you catch the bast$#ds. People stink...especially this episode. A great story about a mom and her kids. Hope it works out. Thanks so much for the fantastic laugh.
- August 25, 2007 at 12:15 AM
Wow I would be GRRRRRRing too! I hope your writings are published in a book someday! I would Definitely Buy it! Good luck honey!
- August 25, 2007 at 12:17 AM
- Tamara said...
Call me insane...but I just sent them a "question" and asked them if they wrote their own description...I'm interested to see what they have to say for themselves...that is SOOO wrong!
- August 25, 2007 at 12:18 AM
- Unknown said...
Oh, yeah, and thanks to your sweet baby with the chocolate all over it's face, my 2 year old thinks it's a great idea. I will send her to your house for clean - up, mmmkay?
- August 25, 2007 at 12:18 AM
I cant believe this! People want to be cool like you. So they are Selling on ebay but using what you wrote up on the cards. Thats frickin crazy! I think your pretty funny. And are a crazy awesome writer. Go you! =)
- August 25, 2007 at 12:18 AM
Ebay will remove it if you report it. I sent him an email and said he's a jerk! LOL!
- August 25, 2007 at 12:19 AM
For what it's worth, I reported it already...just cuz it bugs me. Nope you don't know me but enjoyed the original greatly.
- August 25, 2007 at 12:19 AM
- Paul said...
That's pretty rude...
- August 25, 2007 at 12:19 AM
- Kitti said...
Ebay does not allow that. If you contact them with all the info from your previous auction they will shut theirs down.
How rude though...you should e-mail them and tell them to get their own story! - August 25, 2007 at 12:21 AM
I hate to say this, but I'm not at all surprised. You can write like there's no tomorrow, and considering the commotion you've caused it was just a matter of time....well alright, days...before someone copied your stuff.
I certainly hope Ebay does the right thing assuming you reported the issue to them. That said, this incident happening so soon should give you perspective on how good you really are... - August 25, 2007 at 12:21 AM
Here ya' go! ebay will fix it if you report it.
Loved your auction, love your blog! - August 25, 2007 at 12:25 AM
I just want to say that your auction and this blog have brought alot of smiles and even tears of joy to alot of people. Myself and my wife included :) I hope there is something you can do about the lowlife that has plagarized your great story. I've also already sent an email to ebay and commented to the seller via the "ask seller a question" route about how awfull I think their actions are. I think all your blog followers should do the same. Keep the great blog entries coming please.
- August 25, 2007 at 12:30 AM
- c-mama said...
You can report this to ebay. There is a specific "reason" about someone copying your description.
I sent the seller a message telling them that they are wrong for copying your auction.
This is low and totally stinks. - August 25, 2007 at 12:30 AM
Some fun quwstions to ask the seller:
Did you know that you are a plagiarizer?
Did you know that plagiarism is wrong?
Did you know that everybody is on to you and no one is going to bid on your item?
Do you know how many enemies you just made?
Do you know that the real Dawn is on to you, and she is preparing a nice package of poopy diapers for you?
Do you know that you are a poopy head? - August 25, 2007 at 12:33 AM
- Marissa L. Swinghammer said...
That is really sad. Somebody riding on your coattails I guess? Or trying to.
You should report them to ebay and have the listing removed. - August 25, 2007 at 12:34 AM
I love your writing! Report that person for sure.
http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/vero-image-text-theft.html - August 25, 2007 at 12:37 AM
Unfortunately this happens too often. I have had my text copied and pasted, also, and even my photos, for ebay auctions. Each time I let the plagiarizer know that I was aware of it and asked them to "please, remove my material and use your own!" BAD KARMA, MAN!
Rest assured that too many of us fans know you are the original author to the Pokemon story! Keep on writing!!! - August 25, 2007 at 12:38 AM
I reported it too. :)
- August 25, 2007 at 12:39 AM
- Lynette said...
Ooo.....that makes ME mad! I guess you could try to sue them, but that would take too much time, energy and money. Maybe you could send them a message telling them how much you don't appreciate them stealing your words. Nah...it probably wouldn't make them feel guilty.
Keep up the humorous writing. I'm sure it helps you keep your sanity. :-) - August 25, 2007 at 12:39 AM
- *Tanyetta* said...
Imitation is the best form of flattery!!!!!!!!!!--NOT! :)
- August 25, 2007 at 12:51 AM
OMG you're popular! I swear I wrote my comment somewhere up there, and it was #2 or 9!
After I left here, I sent the "faker" a 'question' on eBay, and here's what I wrote (tried to keep it polite...):
Hi there,
I just wanted to let you know that if I didn't know any better I'd probably be interested in this auction, however, knowing that you plagiarized word for word (completed auction reference #130144061675), it indicates to me that you're not an honest seller. I would never risk doing business with you.
*snicker again* - August 25, 2007 at 12:58 AM
- Christi said...
This is outrageous! Go to the bottom of the listing and click on Report this item. Ebay can pull the listing and suspend the person's account. Funny... they even copied the part about insurance, yet they don't offer it.
- August 25, 2007 at 1:04 AM
- Amanda said...
I'm sorry that happened. let ebay know, the auction will get shut down.
- August 25, 2007 at 1:07 AM
I sent the scumbag a question too and blasted him/her for stealing your words. What a creep! I hope it doesn't sell, and at this point it doesn't have any bids. What a crock!
If it wouldn't incur bad feedback, I'd bid it up myself and then NOT send any money :p
I have a daughter with ADHD too. In the mornings she's not so much like Mork on Speed as she is Oscar the Grouch without his garbage can. CRABBY!!! Woah! But her teachers love her too, because the meds have kicked in as well....lol. The other 3, including her twin brother, just stay out of the way.
Thank you for the laughs!! You rock! - August 25, 2007 at 1:15 AM
What a jerk that person is!!!!!
By this time I think everyone in the world knows it's your writing...;o) You go, Girl...I sent your links to just about everyone on my addy list...even some that haven't heard from me in years...LOL
I had 5 kiddos and got asked that same durn question when I went shopping...they were all born within 7 years...and I breast-fed for 10 months each with nothing else but me for 6 mo. each...they just kept coming...;o)
My oldest just turned 50!!!
I adore having adult children...yours will have a wonderful time together when they are grown.
(((BIGGG HUGGGS))) - August 25, 2007 at 1:29 AM
- bucketgirl said...
Click on "report this item" near the end of the auction page. Everyone here should do the same to bring it to eBay's attention!
- AC - August 25, 2007 at 1:44 AM
- bucketgirl said...
I did an "ask this seller a question" and simply said, why are you ripping of someone else's auction?
Maybe if we all do that, they will take it down. - August 25, 2007 at 1:47 AM
- Heike said...
What a moron. Really.
I think you should punish this person by making him/her do your grocery shopping for the next 3 months. With the whole family :).
Oh darn, they are in the U.K.
Hmmm...I wonder if there is an "extended" visa option for morons? - August 25, 2007 at 2:02 AM
Not sure if anyone pointed this out, but they didnt copy it exactly. they changed the total bill for the shopping, they said Squirtle was a funny word not the one you said. They also added 1p shopping, and a few other things.
Some people are idiots. - August 25, 2007 at 3:27 AM
oh, he says at the bottom "sorry if I have made anyone unhappy". How sweet. That should just make everyone feel better, right? All forgiven, he just wants some attention so he has to go steal someone's great writing. I mean, he didn't just steal the idea, he cut and pasted your whole story! I loved the story and love your blog. It's nice to know I'm not the only mom that spends most of her day doing 'damage control'. I'm not up to 6 kids (yet) but my three keep me plenty busy. Thanks for making us all laugh after a long, hard day. God bless!
- August 25, 2007 at 4:45 AM
I went to click on the link....and as everyone has wished, the post has been taken down. How rude of someone to just take what took you time and energy to write and do and copy it. I wish you the best of luck in your writings, I thought that your e-bay actuion write up was hilarious!
- August 25, 2007 at 8:26 AM
looks like it has been shut down! You go girl (and everyone else who was outraged!)
You have cracked me up multiple times over the past few days! I'm a mom of Irish Twins with a husband away thanks to the military...so I need a good laugh every once in a while! - August 25, 2007 at 9:27 AM
- Jeremy Machetta said...
Ebay finally removed the Plagiarizer
- August 25, 2007 at 9:39 AM
- Cam said...
They must have taken it down, because it's not there anymore.
- August 25, 2007 at 9:57 AM
They must have taken it down, cause it's not there anymore! Yea for Ebay for doing something right!
Sorry this had to happen to you...You are funny beyond belief!!!!
Keep writing, and I will keep checking this blog out, (and I don't read blogs!!) - August 25, 2007 at 10:18 AM
It's gone! Yay!
- August 25, 2007 at 11:37 AM
- Mrs Mike said...
As of this morning, the page is no longer viewable on ebay, so it appears they took it down!
- August 25, 2007 at 11:41 AM
- ThriftyMommy said...
People sometimes copy and paste my articles from Thrifty Mommy. Then they put a small link at the bottom of their blog post showing where they got it from. It's so annoying!
www.thriftymommy.com - August 25, 2007 at 11:41 AM
- ThriftyMommy said...
P.S. Looks like ebay took it off. I tried to click on the link and it was gone.
- August 25, 2007 at 11:42 AM
IMMITATION is the highest form of flattery! SO not right for someone to steal your words, thoughts and life experiences. I, too, clidked the link and it was gone. So that is a good sign! Have a GREAT weekend! :)
- August 25, 2007 at 1:43 PM
Geez how pathetic. I'm glad Ebay removed it.
- August 25, 2007 at 11:34 PM
This is the second time i have tried to leave you a comment. It was a friend of mine brought your Ebay blog to my attention, I have never laughed so much in my life. As for the copycat, it has gone now so i think ebay might have been on at them. I hope they get booted off ebay. Anyway i clicked through and found you here, i do not have a blog on this site but would like to keep reading yours if that ok. I have a blog myself on yahoo360. Although i got to tag this anonymous i wil sign off with Realnutty01 saying keep up the great fun writing.
- August 26, 2007 at 11:28 AM
Hi Dawn
My daughter brought both your ebay auction and your blog to my attention, for which I am profoundly grateful! She said to me, Mom, I've found the newest Erma Bombeck. You are hilarious. Don't stop writing, and don't think that you couldn't be a writer. I can see it, because I am also a writer. Give it a try and keep believing that you have it. I may even try it myself someday, writing professionally that is. LOL.
catmagyck - August 27, 2007 at 6:28 PM


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Ever since we moved to our new apartment (about a month in a half ago) - we've been sitting on the floor. My back has been KILLING ME & watching tv was a hassle. Amazing.... the things we take for granted.
Now I know how BLESSED we are to say, we FINALLY have our sofa! It's a gorgeous tufted gray velvet beauty from Jayson Home & Garden.
Aaaah, what a great New Year's gift! If you recall, I posted about it here & even ran a poll on my blog for a few weeks asking YOU to choose a color. Even though the charcoal won the poll, I ended up choosing the 2nd favorite - gray! The sofa is called Rockefeller sofa - and it comes in many colors. I've always wanted a velvet sofa & so did my husband, so this was an easy choice. I'm debating on whether to replace the painting over the sofa, to something a little more muted or to match the rug? Hmmm.
What do you think? Of course, I would have to S-E-L-L the painting that's already there if that was the case. Below are some resources for most of the items below.
By the way- the large abstract painting below used to be the large lipstick dots painting- remember? You can see it in my las vegas home.
Please leave a comment - let me know what you think. It's amazing how much can fit into a 975 sq foot NYC apartment! I'll say it before & I'll say it again, we are very blessed & I thank God for the home we have.
-images by jen ramos

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Providing a Distinctive Customer Experience: The Power of Customer Communications Management
Optimizing the customer experience has become essential for banks, and consumers expect to be able to interact with their banks quickly and easily — whenever and from wherever. To deliver on customer expectations, banks must enhance document creation and delivery capabilities to provide clients with a consistent, personalized experience across the expanding variety of channels. As document management has evolved into customer communications management, what's required for banks to produce and distribute targeted, relevant multichannel customer communications? And how can banks capitalize on advances in document creation, output and delivery?
For USAA, Customer Comunications Means Staying Connected
By Michael Baublit, Assistant VP of Marketing & Channel Operations, USAA (San Antonio)
USAA takes an outside-in view of the needs of our members — the men and women of the military and their families — and we strive continually to anticipate and develop innovative solutions to help meet them. Our goal is to build on our legacy of excellent customer service to make it simple and easy for our members to manage their everyday financial matters by providing access in any channel they choose to transact with us.
We invest in infrastructure that provides an integrated platform for the entire duration of a marketing campaign to ensure consistent, relevant and timely messaging to our members across all outbound communication channels. This interactive marketing approach incorporates customer and web analytics, centralized decision making, cross-channel campaign execution, and integrated marketing operations in a manner that can be automated and delivered across multiple channels, according to each member's preference. This approach helps ensure members receive the same exceptional, personalized level of service, consistency and quality, regardless of channel.
Today, USAA members can use their smartphones, tablets or the Internet to access their accounts, transact business and purchase many of our products and services. They enjoy best-in-industry service when they call USAA to talk with one of our representatives or licensed financial advisers, and they can walk into one of our USAA Financial Centers and enjoy the best of USAA in a face-to-face environment.
Peggy Bresnick Kendler has been a writer for 30 years. She has worked as an editor, publicist and school district technology coordinator. During the past decade, Bresnick Kendler has worked for UBM TechWeb on special financialservices technology-centered ... View Full Bio


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Road Show
March 13
May 4, 2014
Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare
music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
book by John Weidman
directed by Gary Griffin
March 13
May 4, 2014
Upstairs at Chicago Shakespeare
music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim
book by John Weidman
directed by Gary Griffin
Highly recommended! Fierce, funny, and heartbreaking… a revelation
Chicago Sun-Times
On the heels of his widely acclaimed Gypsy earlier this season, Associate Artistic Director Gary Griffin returns to the genius of Stephen Sondheim with Road Show. Get-rich-quick schemes fuel this freewheeling musical adventure of two gifted, mismatched, endearing charmers: brothers Addison and Wilson Mizner—one a dutiful entrepreneur, the other a hotshot opportunist. The two men's pursuit of the American Dream spans forty years—from the Alaskan Gold Rush to the Florida real estate boom in the 1930s. With great depth and musicality, this exceptional ensemble of actor-musicians invokes the spirit of resilience and reinvention that shaped our American roots.
Sondheim's fascination with the Mizner brothers, which he describes as a "mild, if sporadic, obsession," contains its own saga.
Read More
Director Gary Griffin and Hedy Weiss discuss Gypsy and Road Show with the music directors of each show.
Read More
This free series of audience enrichment programs offers introductory and in-depth studies of ideas embodied in the play.
Read More
Creative Team
Stephen Sondheim Music and Lyrics
John Weidman Book
Gary Griffin Director
Scott Davis Scenic Designer
Mara Blumenfeld Costume Designer
Greg Hofmann Lighting Designer
Ray Nardelli Sound Designer
Michael Mahler Music Director
Melissa Veal Wig and Make-up Designer
Larry Adams Papa Mizner, Ensemble
McKinley Carter Myra Yerkes, Eva Stotesbury, Ensemble
Matt Deitchman Piano, Ensemble
Jim DeSelm Stanley Ketchel, Servant, Winthrop Tippet, Ensemble
Anne Gunn Mama Mizner, Mrs. Cosden, Ethel Mudd, Ensemble
Derek Hasenstab Prospector, The Businessman, Paul Armstrong, Real Estate Agent, Edward Stotesbury, Ensemble
Robert Lenzi Jockey, Hollis Bessemer, Ensemble
Regina Leslie Sophie Wanamaker, Boca Girl, Ensemble
Michael Aaron Lindner Addison Mizner
Jake Mahler Mr. Cosden, Excited Man, Ensemble
Andrew Rothenberg Wilson Mizner
Bri Sudia Mrs. Trumbauer, Mary Monahan, Ensemble


text:
Your ticket to elegant code is the lens library. You define your data types as usual, but you prefix each field with an underscore. For example, I can define a Game:
data Game = Game { _score :: Int , _units :: [Unit] , _boss :: Unit } deriving (Show)... full of Units:
data Unit = Unit { _health :: Int , _position :: Point } deriving (Show)... whose locations are represented by Points:
data Point = Point { _x :: Double , _y :: Double } deriving (Show)We prefix these fields with an underscore because we will not be using them directly. Instead, we will use them to build lenses, which are much more pleasant to work with.
We can build these lenses in two ways. Our first option is to define lenses manually using the lens convenience function from Control.Lens. For example, we can define a score lens to replace the _score field accessor:
import Control.Lens score :: Lens' Game Int score = lens _score (\game v -> game { _score = v })A Lens is like a map which you use to navigate complex data types. We use the above score lens to navigate from our Game type to its _score field.
The type reflects where we begin and end: Lens' Game Int means we must begin on a value of type Game and end on a value of type Int (the score, in this case). Similarly, our other lenses will clearly indicate their starting and ending points in their types:
units :: Lens' Game [Unit] units = lens _units (\game v -> game { _units = v }) boss :: Lens' Game Unit boss = lens _boss (\game v -> game { _boss = v }) health :: Lens' Unit Int health = lens _health (\unit v -> unit { _health = v }) position :: Lens' Unit Point position = lens _position (\unit v -> unit { _position = v }) x :: Lens' Point Double x = lens _x (\point v -> point { _x = v }) y :: Lens' Point Double y = lens _y (\point v -> point { _y = v })However, we don't have to write out all this boilerplate if we're lazy. Our second option is to use Template Haskell to define all these lenses for us:
{-# LANGUAGE TemplateHaskell #-} import Control.Lens data Game = Game { _score :: Int , _units :: [Unit] , _boss :: Unit } deriving (Show) data Unit = Unit { _health :: Int , _position :: Point } deriving (Show) data Point = Point { _x :: Double , _y :: Double } deriving (Show) makeLenses ''Game makeLenses ''Unit makeLenses ''PointJust remember that Template Haskell requires these makeLenses declarations to go after your data types.
Initial State
The next thing we need is a test initial game state:
initialState :: Game initialState = Game { _score = 0 , _units = [ Unit { _health = 10 , _position = Point { _x = 3.5, _y = 7.0 } } , Unit { _health = 15 , _position = Point { _x = 1.0, _y = 1.0 } } , Unit { _health = 8 , _position = Point { _x = 0.0, _y = 2.1 } } ] , _boss = Unit { _health = 100 , _position = Point { _x = 0.0, _y = 0.0 } } }We've enlisted three valiant heroes to slay the dungeon boss. Let the battle begin!
First Steps
Now we can use our lenses! Let's create a routine for our warriors to strike at the boss:
import Control.Monad.Trans.Class import Control.Monad.Trans.State strike :: StateT Game IO () strike = do lift $ putStrLn "*shink*" boss.health -= 10strike prints an evocative sound to the console, then decrements the boss's health by 10 hit points.
strike's type indicates that it operates within the StateT Game IO monad. You can think of this as a DSL where we layer our pure game state (i.e. StateT Game) on top of side effects (i.e. IO) so that we can both mutate our game and also print cute battle effects to the console. All you have to remember is that any time we need side effects, we will use lift to invoke them.
We'll test out strike in ghci. In order to run strike, we must supply it with an initialState:
>>> execStateT strike initialState *shink* Game {_score = 0, _units = [Unit {_health = 10, _position = Poin t {_x = 3.5, _y = 7.0}},Unit {_health = 15, _position = Point {_ x = 1.0, _y = 1.0}},Unit {_health = 8, _position = Point {_x = 0 .0, _y = 2.1}}], _boss = Unit {_health = 90, _position = Point { _x = 0.0, _y = 0.0}}}execStateT takes our stateful code and an initial state, and then runs that code to produce a new state. ghci automatically shows the return value as a convenience so we can inspect the newly returned state. The output is a bit of a mess, but if you strain your eyes you can see that the boss now only has 90 health.
We can view this more easily by storing the new state in a variable:
>>> newState <- execStateT strike initialState *shink*... and then we can query newState for the part we actually care about:
>>> newState^.boss.health 90
This syntax very strongly resembles imperative and object-oriented programming:
boss.health -= 10What is going on here? Haskell is decidely not a multi-paradigm language, yet we have what appears to be multi-paradigm code.
Amazingly, nothing on that line is a built-in language feature!
- boss and health are just the lenses we defined above
- (-=) is an infix function
- (.) is function composition from the Haskell Prelude!
This is where the lens magic comes in. Lenses are actually ordinary functions, and our "multi-paradigm" code is actually functions all the way down!
In fact, Lens' a b is actually a type synonym for a certain type of higher-order function:
type Lens' a b = forall f . (Functor f) => (b -> f b) -> (a -> f a)You don't need to understand the details of that. Just remember that Lens' a b is a higher-order function that accepts a function of type (b -> f b) as an argument, and returns a new function of type (a -> f a). The Functor part is the theoretically-inspired "magic".
Armed with that knowledge, let's make sure the types check out by expanding out the Lens' type synonyms for boss and health
boss :: Lens' Game Unit -- expands to: boss :: (Functor f) => (Unit -> f Unit) -> (Game -> f Game) health :: Lens' Unit Int -- expands to: health :: (Functor f) => (Int -> f Int) -> (Unit -> f Unit)Now let's review the definition of function composition:
(.) :: (b -> c) -> (a -> b) -> (a -> c) (f . g) x = f (g x)Notice that if we specialize our type variables to:
a ~ (Int -> f Int) b ~ (Unit -> f Unit) c ~ (Game -> f Game)... then this has exactly the right type to compose our two lenses:
(.) :: ((Unit -> f Unit) -> (Game -> f Game)) -> ((Int -> f Int ) -> (Unit -> f Unit)) -> ((Int -> f Int ) -> (Game -> f Game))If we put the Lens' type synonyms back in, we get:
(.) :: Lens' Game Unit -> Lens' Unit Int -> Lens' Game Int boss . health :: Lens' Game IntSo function composition is also lens composition! In fact, lenses form a category where (.) is the category's composition operator and the identity function id is also the identity lens:
(.) :: Lens' x y -> Lens' y z -> Lens' x z id :: Lens' x xWhat's so beautiful about this is that Haskell lets us remove the spaces around the function composition operator so that it looks exactly like object-oriented accessor notation!
Categories make it really easy to connect and group components on the fly. For example, if I anticipate that I will be modifying the Boss's health frequently, I can just define a composite lens:
bossHP :: Lens' Game Int bossHP = boss.health... and now I can use it wherever I previously used boss.health:
strike :: StateT Game IO () strike = do lift $ putStrLn "*shink*" bossHP -= 10... or similarly use it as an accessor:
>>> newState^.bossHP 90
Lenses are grounded in some really elegant theory, and as a result they get a lot of things right that imperative languages normally don't!
For example, let's say that our boss is a dragon and breathes fire, which damages all heroes. Using lenses, I can decrement the entire party's health using a single instruction:
fireBreath :: StateT Game IO () fireBreath = do lift $ putStrLn "*rawr*" units.traversed.health -= 3This makes use of a new lens!
traversed :: Traversal' [a] atraversed lets us "dig in" to the values in a list so that we can manipulate them as a single unit instead of manually looping over the list. However, this time the type is a Traversal' instead of a Lens'.
A Traversal is a like a Lens' except weaker:
type Traversal' a b = forall f . (Applicative f) => (b -> f b) -> (a -> f a)If you compose Lens' with a Traversal', you get the weaker of the two: a Traversal'. This works no matter which order you compose them in:
(.) :: Lens' a b -> Traversal' b c -> Traversal' a c (.) :: Traversal' a b -> Lens' b c -> Traversal' a c
units :: Lens' Game [Unit] units.traversed :: Traversal' Game Unit units.traversed.health :: Traversal' Game IntIn fact, we don't need to figure this out. The compiler will infer the correct type all by itself:
>>> :t units.traversed.health units.traversed.health :: Applicative f => (Int -> f Int) -> Game -> f GameThat's exactly the right type to be a Traversal' Game Int!
Actually, why not just compose these lenses into a single lens:
partyHP :: Traversal' Game Int partyHP = units.traversed.health fireBreath :: StateT Game IO () fireBreath = do lift $ putStrLn "*rawr*" partyHP -= 3Let's also use partyHP lens to retrieve the new party hitpoints:
>>> newState <- execStateT fireBreath initialState *rawr* >>> newState^.partyHP <interactive>:3:11: No instance for (Data.Monoid.Monoid Int) arising from a use of `partyHP' Possible fix: add an instance declaration for (Data.Monoid.Monoid Int) In the second argument of `(^.)', namely `partyHP' In the expression: newState ^. partyHP In an equation for `it': it = newState ^. partyHPOops! This is a type error because there is no single health to get! This is why a Traversal' is weaker than a Lens': traversals may point to multiple values, so they do not support a well-defined way to get just one value. The type system saved us from a potential bug!
Instead, we must specify that we actually want a list of values using the toListOf function:
toListOf :: Traversal' a b -> a -> [b]This gives the desired result:
>>> toListOf partyHP newState [7,12,5]... and there's an infix operator equivalent to toListOf: (^..):
>>> initialState^..partyHP [10,15,8] >>> newState^..partyHP [7,12,5]Now we can clearly see at a glance that fireBreath worked the way we intended.
Now I want to get really fancy. I want to define a traversal over a geographic area. Can I do that?
around :: Point -> Double -> Traversal' Unit Unit around center radius = filtered (\unit -> (unit^.position.x - center^.x)^2 + (unit^.position.y - center^.y)^2 < radius^2 )Sure I can! Now I can limit the dragon's fire breath to a circular area!
Edit: filtered is apparently not a theoretically valid traversal because it does not preserve the number of elements. See this /r/haskell thread for details.
fireBreath :: Point -> StateT Game IO () fireBreath target = do lift $ putStrLn "*rawr*" units.traversed.(around target 1.0).health -= 3Notice how expressive that code is: we want to decrement the health of all units around the target. That code conveys our intention much more clearly than the equivalent mainstream imperative code and it leaves much less room for error.
Anyway, back to breathing fire. First, let's see where the units are located:
> initialState^..units.traversed.position [Point {_x = 3.5, _y = 7.0},Point {_x = 1.0, _y = 1.0},Point {_x = 0.0, _y = 2.1}]Hmmm, the latter two units are close by, so I will aim the fireball in between them:
>>> newState <- execStateT (fireBreath (Point 0.5 1.5)) initialState *rawr* >>> (initialState^..partyHP, newState^..partyHP) ([10,15,8],[10,12,5])Nailed it!
We can do more unique things with lenses, like zoom in on subsets of our global state:
retreat :: StateT Game IO () retreat = do lift $ putStrLn "Retreat!" zoom (units.traversed.position) $ do x += 10 y += 10As before, we can combine these lenses into a single lens if we want to reuse it later on:
partyLoc :: Traversal' Game Point partyLoc = units.traversed.position retreat :: StateT Game IO () retreat = do lift $ putStrLn "Retreat!" zoom partyLoc $ do x += 10 y += 10Let's try it out:
>>> initialState^..partyLoc [Point {_x = 3.5, _y = 7.0},Point {_x = 1.0, _y = 1.0},Point {_x = 0.0, _y = 2.1}] >>> newState <- execStateT retreat initialState Retreat! >>> newState^..partyLoc [Point {_x = 13.5, _y = 17.0},Point {_x = 11.0, _y = 11.0},Point {_x = 10.0, _y = 12.1}]Let's look at the type of zoom in the context of this particular example:
zoom :: Traversal a b -> StateT b IO r -> StateT a IO rzoom has some nice theoretical properties. For example, we'd expect that if we zoom using two successive lenses, it should behave the same as zooming using the composite lens:
zoom lens1 . zoom lens2 = zoom (lens1 . lens2)... and if we zoom in on the empty lens, we end up back where we started:
zoom id = idIn other words, zoom defines a functor, and those equations are the functor laws!
Combining commands
So far I've only shown a single command at a time, but now let's take all of these concepts and imperatively assemble a battle from them:
battle :: StateT Game IO () battle = do -- Charge! forM_ ["Take that!", "and that!", "and that!"] $ \taunt -> do lift $ putStrLn taunt strike -- The dragon awakes! fireBreath (Point 0.5 1.5) replicateM_ 3 $ do -- The better part of valor retreat -- Boss chases them zoom (boss.position) $ do x += 10 y += 10Let's try it out!
>>> execStateT battle initialState Take that! *shink* and that! *shink* and that! *shink* *rawr* Retreat! Retreat! Retreat! Game {_score = 0, _units = [Unit {_health = 10, _position = Poin t {_x = 33.5, _y = 37.0}},Unit {_health = 12, _position = Point {_x = 31.0, _y = 31.0}},Unit {_health = 5, _position = Point {_x = 30.0, _y = 32.1}}], _boss = Unit {_health = 70, _position = P oint {_x = 30.0, _y = 30.0}}}I guess people really aren't joking when they say Haskell is the finest imperative language.
This really just scratches the surface of the lens library, which is one of the crown jewels of the Haskell ecosystem. You can use lenses for pure programming, too, and compress very powerful and complex computations into very readable and elegant code. When I have more time I will write even more about this amazing library.


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Tupac Shakur Biopic To Be Filmed In 2014
A new biopic on slain rapper Tupac Shakur is coming.
Morgan Creek Productions and Emmett/Furla Films announced in a Thursday news release they are in final negotiations to partner on the production of "Tupac." The picture will begin filming next year in Atlanta.
Gunned down in 1996 in Las Vegas, Shakur's murder has not been solved. He remains a towering figure in rap music, the subject of Elvis-like conspiracy theories and one of two slain symbols with Biggie Smalls of the East Coast-West Coast beef that ruled rap for a time in the 1990s.
The film will be executive produced by Shakur's mother, Afeni Shakur.
Photo: AP Photo/File
1993 photo.
The news release says the film will center on Shakur's life, but makes no mention of who will star as the rapper or who will direct.


text:
Your laptop is your biggest gateway to the online world and beyond (except for your smartphone, of course). And we all have different priorities:
- Performance laptops for creators, professionals, or gamers we've got powerhouses that rival what desktops deliver.
- Ultraportable laptops for folks who are always on the go.
- Budget laptops that give you value and performance in a single package.
- Innovative 2-in-1s part laptop, part tablet, part nothing you've seen before for those who want to tap the untested power of the new.
Business Laptops
Our ThinkPad laptops set the standard for business computing. Tough as nails and reliable, these laptops and 2-in-1s keep you productive in any environment. And it gives you the tools you need from high-end processing and graphics to cutting-edge touchscreen technology, from pen support to epic battery life, ThinkPad keeps you productive and engaged wherever you are.
Gaming Laptops
Gamers don't have to feel bound to their desktops anymore. Legion by Lenovo lets you dominate your competitors wherever you are. Are you hardcore? We've got you covered with laptops that boast powerful discrete graphics and overclockable CPUs. We've also got budget options for casual gamers. But whatever laptop you choose will let you lose yourself in immersive audio and vivid displays.
Convertible Laptops
Ready for something different? Our groundbreaking Yoga laptops, tablets, and 2-in-1s will definitely turn heads and you'll find new ways to do what you love. Vibrant displays and immersive audio? Check. Tablets that work as movie or presentation projectors. Yep. Pen support for artists and designers and a Halo Keyboard that's seriously like nothing you've ever seen before? It's all yours to explore.


text:
HealthDay Reporter
WEDNESDAY, May 5, 2021 (HealthDay News) — Nearly one in four American teens has suffered at least one concussion, according to new research.
And though more teens are self-reporting sports-related concussions, visits to the emergency room for these traumatic head injuries fell between 2012 and 2018.
"One reason that could explain why adolescents who participate in sports saw an increase in self-reported concussion could be due to greater awareness of these types of injuries," said study author Philip Veliz. He is an assistant research professor at the University of Michigan School of Nursing, in Ann Arbor.
For the study, his team looked at nearly 53,000 students in grades 8, 10 and 12, and found that self-reported concussions rose between 2016 and 2020. Specifically, in 2016, 19.5% of teens said they'd experienced at least one concussion; by 2020 that number had risen to 24.6%, the findings showed.
"Self-reported concussions could be increasing given that both children and parents have greater knowledge with respect to these injuries," Veliz said. "We have seen a greater effort in the U.S. to educate the population regarding the risks associated with head injuries, and may have greater knowledge with respect to symptoms associated with these types of injuries."
Self-reported concussion, however, did not increase across all groups. There was no increase, for instance, among teens who did not participate in sports.
Veliz said these new findings do not contradict studies based on emergency department data that have reported a decline in these types of injuries.
"More adolescents may be seeking care for these injuries, including care from health professionals outside the emergency department who have appropriate diagnosis and management skills," Veliz explained.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention describes a concussion as a type of brain injury that happens when a blow to the head or body causes the head and brain to move rapidly back and forth, causing changes in the brain.
While they may not be life-threatening, concussions can still be serious. Symptoms may include a headache, neck pain, nausea, ringing in the ears, dizziness or tiredness. More serious symptoms include convulsions or seizures, an inability to wake up and loss of consciousness, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.
Major sports organizations, including those governing youth sports in the United States, have taken steps to reduce concussion risk in recent years.
Veliz said it is important, with the increase in reports of teen concussions, for the public to be aware of these injuries and the best ways to prevent and treat them.
"Concussions appear to be a common injury among adolescents. Roughly one in four have indicated this type of injury," Veliz said. "Continued efforts to educate the population on both the risk and management of these injuries should still remain a priority as it relates to adolescent health."
Dr. Teresa Murray Amato, head of emergency medicine at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills in New York City, reviewed the findings. She said more awareness of concussion among teen athletes is important for keeping healthy.
"It is unclear if the actual number of concussions are increasing or if increased education and awareness of what concussion symptoms are leads to increased self-reporting," Amato said.
She noted that many school districts are educating students and parents about the danger of not reporting symptoms.
"As we learn more about long-term side effects of childhood concussions, it is important to track both increases in the number of concussions as well as self-reporting," Amato said.
Reporting concussions may lead to development of ways to keep athletes in tip-top shape, she added.
"Increased self-reporting may also help public health officials and school officials create safeguards to keep student athletes as healthy as possible while partaking in organized sports that may be at a high risk of concussions," Amato said.
The findings were published May 4 in the Journal of the American Medical Association.
The researchers stressed that continued efforts to monitor and prevent concussion are needed. One limitation of the study was use of self-reported measures of concussion, they noted.
More information
To learn more about concussion, visit the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
SOURCES: Philip Veliz, PhD, assistant research professor, University of Michigan School of Nursing, Ann Arbor; Teresa Murray Amato, MD, chairwoman, emergency medicine, Long Island Jewish Forest Hills, New York City; Journal of the American Medical Association, May 4, 2021


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#1.No weapons of any kind. This includes Firearms and Knives. Specialist stores cater for these items and this is where you should go to purchase such items.
#2. Fixed reasonable price...since ebay exists already so if you want an auction you have somewhere else to go.
#3.Locations....this would help if a personal collection is to be encouraged...this will also promote AO as a group with AO members getting to meet others with similar interests that might not otherwise meet.
#4. A single "up" "to the top" post per day...(if your post is not already on the first page)
This means you CAN'T up your Thread IF it is still on the first page.
#5. If item is sold then the user is to report the post they made or delete it themselves...strict adherence to this will keep the bandwidth (storage costs are reduced for AO)
#6. Scams and Pyramid Schemes. Do this and you WILL be banned...already covered within the other B/S/T forums.
#7. Linking to other forums/ebay etc NOT ALLOWED. If you have taken the time to list a sale on AO then make it all here
Maximum width is 600 and maximum height is 450 (You can link your pictures like this thoughThis will make it so that your picture will only be 600x450 but if someone clicks on it, it will bring up the full sized picture.PHP Code:

You have PLENTY of places to find a reliable host for your pictures here are some of the current "free" servers (*Free* can actual cost you if you get heavy viewing of your thread so be warned that you picture linking may indeed cost you something) You are also encouraged to contact your own ISP since the majority supply their users with a limited amount of free space
#8. If a trade IE a swap is to take place then this must be CLEARLY stated in the listing.
#9. WTB (Want To Buy posts allowed but use this sparingly...if someone has it hidden in their already posted offering then look at the other posts already in place.
#10. No bidding, see Rule #2. This is NOT an Auction style listing section, if you want that then use an Auction site to buy your items.
#11. Offers, again this must be CLEARLY stated in the listing otherwise NO Offers to be made in a users thread, see Rule#12.
#12. No disruption of a users For Sale thread, if you don't like the price then DON'T Post anything. Be respectful of their thoughts as to the items value
#13. Selling as a 'hobby' means you are a DEALER so you must use the Dealer section, Bulk selling items means you are a DEALER. Simply selling items you no longer have a use for is allowed but even the most avid paintballer collectors have a finite limit of what is in their closet, so it is very obvious to which 'title' someone is.
#14. ALL B/S/T section threads are now considered 'out of date' if the last post is 120 days ago. This was decided via a Poll of the users and although 90 days was the most wanted result enough also wanted 180 day longevity. Using 120 days is a compromise that takes in both people. If you forget about a thread or your item is SOLD then delete the thread yourself, ALL users have this option it is not just the moderators that can delete a thread failing that report the thread yourself as sold (little red triangle in the top right corner) and we (mods) will delete the thread completely.
Edit.......If these rules are to hard for you to follow your thread and or post in a thread can and WILL be removed and NOT subject to any warning OR notice. If you choose to disrupt a thread with BS OR not FOLLOW the RULES you are subject to a Five Day ban without notice or warning.
If you see your thread is gone you did it wrong. Reread the rules and try again to do it right.
We cant see it all so if you see the crap in any forum, Please use the report button and state the reason. No one will know who you are and if there is a problem it will be dealt with.


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I don't have too many photos of the insides of these because I think zines are kinda special and something feels wrong about sharing that. And some of these are my recommendations, and some are just really awesome and I'm excited about them.
Belle made this one, this might be my favorite spread visually. I dunno if she's selling it but look at how pretty it is! It's like a sandwich/sundae of all her best outfits. In collage form.
Pamflet was sent to me by its creators, but I swear I actually like it! Like, a lot. They're funny and honest and write about fashion with feminism so I'm obviously all over it. And this part struck me especially, and I started making my own zine again: (to read, click on the photo and then "all sizes" on the Flickr page.)
And then these are a couple other things where I'm like "HELL YEAH!!" (from issue X only, you'll have to be surprised by the others!)
You know what else? How talk show hosts are always like, SO TELL ME FEMALE ACTRESS, HOW DO YOU JUGGLE BEING A MOM WITH A CAREER?!?!?! but men are never asked about their parenting. So much sexism! For both sides! Blahhh.
Lastly, First Kiss, which is done most justice when alongside the goodies that zine co-creator Marisa (who wrote Girl Power and co-wrote the Sassy book) and I bonded over when she visited my hotel room last time I was in NY.
So the zine -- a bunch of their friends and readers of Elizabeth's blog sent in stories of their first kisses and the whole thing is so angsty and beautiful.


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Rule #1 - Be Patient - Rule #2 - Don't ask when, if you don't contribute - Rule #3 - You have coding skills - LinuxMCE's small brother is available: http://www.agocontrol.com
We have released the new Dianemo UI1 style UI skin today. See the attached Home screen image for a sample of the new look and feel. This UI like our previous 'Red Line' UI is optimised for use with touch based devices and in addition the new Dianemo UI skin is also optimised for use for on screen Orbiters. The Dianemo UI skin features a complete redesign of the graphical look and almost every screen has undergone major layout improvements. We've taken on-board a lot of user feedback and have incorporated that into the design of the new UI. We have additional UI enhancements in the pipeline for the Dianemo UI so look out for these in the future.Simply run the update script as normal to get this and any other pending updates for your system. Then in Web Admin go to Wizard->Devices->Orbiters and select 'Dianemo' from the Skin drop down. Now click 'Update' and then click 'Full Regen' in the green bar beneath any Orbiter you want to convert to the Dianemo UI. We will be updating the Dianemo S wiki page in the next few days with more details of the new UI and how to configure it.As with all other Dianemo updates this update is freely available to all our customers running Dianemo S on 11.10 or later OS releases.
Hi Andrew,This new UI looks pretty sweet! Another great update for my Dianemo system, just one question, I'm unable to control Live TV from it? Is this correct?Kind RegardsReint.
Hi Andrew,Can we use HDMI-CEC w/ pulse-eight to control Samsung LED D8000 series?Thanks Hernan
Hi Andrew,There is mention that Dianemo S supports Android phones and tablets. Where do i get the app for this or is it the qOrbiter? I have a sony tablet S that I want to connect.gadget
Dear Andrew,like written in the wiki i did a fresh install of 12.04.After that i used the license and installer 1.11 (self updating?), to start dianemo installation.it suddenly stops with installation failed. Just before it couldn't fetch some things from ppa.launpad.net/nkoegler/Maybe you have a newer installer?
Yes, the installer is self-updating - the idea is to run the latest installer no matter what. Unfortunately, this happens after that PPA is added. It is no longer added in installer 1.16, but if you have it, you must remove it yourself. Just remove all /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mkoegler* files. You should have the new installer in your /usr/pluto/deb-cache right now (it was downloaded before the PPA was added).


text: Browse through our collection of virtual gifts available to be sent to your favorite performers. When you send a gift the performer will receive the gift virtually, along with the message you include. Sending virtual gifts is a great way to show how you feel or to express deepest and most personal desires.


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Story highlights
NEW: House lawmakers are also said to be working on a bipartisan immigration plan
NEW: President Obama will not present legislation, but call for action, during a speech Tuesday
Eight senators, four from each party, unveil a "first step" toward an agreement
Conservatives reject the senators' plan as "amnesty"
Millions of undocumented immigrants would get immediate but provisional status to live and work in America under a compromise plan proposed Monday by a bipartisan group of eight senators.
While temporarily removing legal uncertainty for the nation's 11 million undocumented immigrants, the senators' outline also called for strengthening border controls, improved monitoring of visitors and cracking down on hiring undocumented workers.
Only after those steps occurred could the undocumented immigrants already in the country begin the process of getting permanent residence – green cards – as a step toward citizenship, the senators told a news conference.
"They would no longer be deported, provided they don't have a criminal record. They would no longer be harassed, they would be allowed to stay here and work," said Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer of New York in describing the immediate impact of the framework if crafted into legislation and enacted.
The outline for a possible immigration bill reflects a new willingness by mainstream Republicans to compromise following their party's defeat in November, when President Barack Obama got strong backing from Latino voters.
"Elections, elections," answered Republican Sen. John McCain of Arizona, a veteran of past immigration battles in Congress, when asked to explain the push now for a bill that proved unattainable two years ago.
"The Republican Party is losing the support of our Hispanic citizens," McCain said. "We realize that there are many issues on which we think we are in agreement with our Hispanic citizens, but this is a preeminent issue with those citizens."
His party and all Americans now realized that "we cannot continue as a nation with 11 million people residing in the shadows," McCain added.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, a tea party-backed conservative considered a rising star in the Republican party, said the goal was to create a "modern immigration system" that treated everyone fairly – both the undocumented and those waiting to come to America legally.
"None of this is possible if we don't address the reality there are 11 million people in this country who are undocumented," Rubio said.
However, another tea party-backed Republican, Sen. Mike Lee of Utah, objected to the framework by his colleagues, saying the guidelines "contemplate a policy that will grant special benefits to illegal immigrants based on their unlawful presence in the country."
Other conservatives immediately voiced their opposition to what they called amnesty, a code word on the political right for providing undocumented immigrants a path to legal status.
"When you legalize those who are in the country illegally, it costs taxpayers millions of dollars, costs American workers thousands of jobs and encourages more illegal immigration," said Rep. Lamar Smith, R-Texas, who serves on the immigration subcommittee in the House. "By granting amnesty, the Senate proposal actually compounds the problem by encouraging more illegal immigration."
NumbersUSA, a group seeking to reduce U.S. immigration, called the Senate plan an attempt to "out-amnesty Obama" and said it was activating its 1.3 million members to push for congressional opposition.
House Speaker John Boehner's office was noncommittal, saying he looked forward to learning more about the senators' plan.
A similar effort on immigration is said to be under way in the House, involving a group of Republicans and Democrats.
Two senior House Democratic sources briefed on the effort told CNN the group was working to release some sort of outline of its plan soon, possibly as early as this week, but concede "they are not as far along as the Senate."
Like the Senate framework, the House plan will include a path to citizenship, but details of how that will work are still being discussed.
McCain and Rubio, joined by three Democratic colleagues at the news conference, acknowledged the political challenge, with Rubio calling the legislative process ahead "enormously complicated."
Obama is expected to deliver a speech in Las Vegas on Tuesday to discuss comprehensive immigration legislation, which he calls a priority of his second term.
According to senior administration officials, the president will say the senators' plan represents progress and argue that now is the time to act. He will lay out his vision for immigration reform, which is consistent with the Senate plan, they said.
Obama is not expected to present legislation during his speech, nor anytime this week.
At the White House, spokesman Jay Carney said the president welcomed the senators' framework, calling it a "big deal" because it included an eventual path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants.
"He is encouraged by the progress we have seen from members of both parties in the Senate, and looks forward to working with members of both parties to reach a point in the hopefully not too distant future where we have a bill that has bipartisan support, that is very specific, and that he can sign because it meets his principles," Carney said.
Path to citizenship: Senators outline bipartisan immigration plan
Meanwhile, a litany of left-leaning advocacy groups spoke out on the senators' plan, praising it as a good first step but cautioning against harming the rights of workers.
"The people of this country are ready for us to be one country again without second-class people being mistreated simply because they lack paper even though they are already contributing to our economy and our tax system," noted NAACP President Ben Jealous.
Democratic senators backing the plan include Schumer, Dick Durbin of Illinois, Robert Menendez of New Jersey, and Michael Bennet of Colorado. On the Republican side, McCain and Rubio were joined by Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Jeff Flake of Arizona.
What you don't know about Latinos in America
The eight senators based their framework on four "pillars," described as:
– A "tough but fair" path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants already living in the United States, but only after bolstering the nation's border security;
– Overhauling the country's legal immigration system, including attaching green cards to advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering, or math from U.S. universities;
– Establishing an employment verification system that holds employers accountable for hiring undocumented workers;
– Creating a guest-worker program for positions that Americans are either unable or unwilling to fill.
Lawmakers: GOP needs to back immigration overhaul
A source familiar with how the eight senators came up with the plan told CNN that Graham called Schumer after the November vote to restart work on an immigration bill that broke down in 2010.
Soon, a core group of six senators formed and met five times in the following weeks in the offices of Schumer and McCain, the source said, adding that Flake and Bennet also took part in some of the meetings and were the last to agree to the proposal.
Opinion: Worker visas are the key to immigration reform
Schumer said Monday that an initial timetable called for delivering the text of a bill to the Senate Judiciary Committee by March, and Senate passage by late spring or in the summer. He and Durbin called Obama on Sunday to tell him of the agreement by the senators, Schumer said, describing the president as "delighted."
DREAMer's clout increases in immigration debate
Obama came under criticism from Latino activists for failing to deliver on 2008 campaign promise to make immigration reform a priority of his first term.
Last year, as his re-election campaign heated up, the Obama administration announced a halt to deportations of some young undocumented immigrants in a move that delighted the Latino community.
Exit polls in November indicated Latino voters gave overwhelming support to Obama over GOP challenger Mitt Romney, who had advocated a policy that amounted to forcing undocumented immigrants to deport themselves.
Five reasons why time may be right for immigration reform
iReport: Under deportation, above fear
CNN's Jessica Yellin, Deirdre Walsh, Kevin Liptak, Catherine E. Shoichet and Matt Smith contributed to this report.