text:
The Massachusetts State Police photographer who leaked photos of a bloody, defeated Dzhokhar Tsarnaev during his capture is getting public support as he faces potential punishment from his bosses.
A "Save Sgt. Sean Murphy" group on Facebook had more than 34,000 "likes" on Sunday afternoon — three days after Murphy leaked the stark photos to Boston Magazine in response to Rolling Stone magazine's latest cover, which features the Boston Marathon bombing suspect.
Murphy, a tactical photographer, was suspended after the leak and faces a disciplinary hearing as soon as this week.
"This petition is to save Trooper Sean Murphy his job," the Facebook group's "About" section says. "He did what I think most of us would have liked to do or would have done had we had the same resources." It is unclear who started the group.
The Rolling Stone controversy has continued to provoke strong feelings in Boston and beyond, with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., weighing in against the cover Sunday. Critics accused the magazine of giving Tsarnaev, 19, rock-star treatment while not paying homage to the blasts' victims.
"It's stupid," McCain said in a CNN appearance. "I thought it was glorifying an individual that represents a great threat to innocent lives and was responsible for the taking of innocent lives."
Others responded that The New York Times ran the same Tsarnaev photo on its front page without receiving the same criticism.
The actual Rolling Stone story on Tsarnaev by Janet Reitman has been praised as solid examination of Tsarnaev's life as a wayward American college student who revealed only hints that he held radical views.
The debate was further complicated Thursday when Boston Magazine published Murphy's photos, along with a comment from Murphy.
Murphy, who said he knew firsthand that victims' families were disturbed by the magazine's cover, wrote: "What Rolling Stone did was wrong. This guy is evil. This is the real Boston bomber. Not someone fluffed and buffed for the cover of Rolling Stone magazine."
The release of the official photos was unauthorized, and some experts have expressed concern that their publication could interfere with the pending federal criminal case against Tsarnaev.
On the Facebook group, meanwhile, users rallied behind Murphy.
"As a military veteran I understand Sgt. Murphy broke the rules, however; I'm glad he did it!" one user wrote. "It is my opinion that he hit the nail on the head with his views on the Rolling Stone cover of that coward."
Distributed by MCT Information Services


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Linked by Igor Ljubuncic on Mon 2nd Apr 2012 15:41 UTC
You have just bought tickets to an exotic vacation spot. You board the flight, you land safely, you pull your netbook from your backpack, fire it up, and then check if there are any available Wireless networks. Indeed there are, unencrypted, passwordless, waiting for you. So you connect to the most convenient hotspot and start surfing. Being addicted as you are, you want to login into your email or social network just to check if something cardinal happened in the world during your four-hour flight. You're about to hit the sign in button. Stop. What you're about to do might not be safe.
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RE[2]: Linux most secure
by lucas_maximus on Tue 3rd Apr 2012 08:07 UTC in reply to "RE: Linux most secure"

subset: commoncrawl


text:
With Corey Nakatani aboard for the first time in the 5-year-old mare's 24-race career, City to City charged to a narrow lead in deep stretch before stoutly resisting the closing bid by Up In Time and jockey Brice Blanc on the extreme outside. It was another half-length back to Wild Mia and David Flores in the blanket finish.
The public was torn among splashy Chilean import Vamo a Galupiar (3-1 favorite), British newcomer Strawberrydaiquiri (3-1) and Irish-bred Grade I winner Cambina (7-2), whose odds continually fluctuated.
City to City, meanwhile, was looking for her second stakes victory in 13 starts -- after a span that included losing by one length or less on six occasions -- and her first since taking the Grade II Palomar Handicap on Sept. 5 at Del Mar. She gained little attention this day.
Nakatani kept the City Zip mare, co-owned by Hall of Fame trainer Jerry Hollendorfer, in the clear while running in mid-pack during the early going. He moved his mare three wide rounding the final turn to finally overtake Strawberrydaiquiri. The latter quickly dropped back to fourth. She was immediately followed across the line by Cambina and Vamo a Galupiar.
"We were hoping that there would be some legitimate pace in the race, and in a mile race, there always is," said Nakatani. "This filly was doing fabulous coming into the race. I couldn't have been in a better spot, and the way the race developed was perfect."
Nakatani felt certain his mount had crossed the finish line first. "But Brice's horse was flying at me," he added, "and I wasn't sure if we would hold on. When that filly came to her, she (City to City) actually started to run again. I just made sure I had enough horse to get to the position I wanted to be in, and she ran a big race."
Assistant trainer Dan Ward, deputizing for Hollendorfer, thought a shift in weights proved beneficial. City to City carried 119 pounds on Monday after having shouldered 123 in the Frankel. "She was carrying five pounds more than anybody else in the Frankel and that makes a big difference," noted Ward.
Those who retained faith in City to City were rewarded with payoffs of $19, $7 and $5.20. Up In Time returned $9 and $6.20. Wild Mia paid $5.80 to show. The victory was worth $90,000 to Hollendorfer and partners William DeBurgh and Mark DeDomenico. The winning purse boosted City to City's career earnings to $509,491 from an overall record of 7-5-5 in 24 races.
According to Ward, the Grade II, $150,000 Santa Ana Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on March 15 and the Grade II, $150,000 Santa Barbara Stakes at the same distance on April 21 would be considered for future starts for the Buena Vista winner.
One of the most popular fighters in Southern California boxing history, Danny "Little Red" Lopez, presented the Buena Vista trophy.
Following dark days on Tuesday and Wednesday, racing resumes on Thursday at Santa Anita with an eight-race program. First post is at 1 p.m.


text:
Makeover Red Velvet Cake Recipe
4.5 3 3
I've had this recipe for over 45 years and it has become our family's favorite cake, but I would love to see it get a light makeover. —Betty Selchow, White Bear Lake, Minnesota
Featured In: 19 Red Velvet Recipes
VERIFIED BY Taste of Home Test Kitchen
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- 1/4 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 bottle (1 ounce) red food coloring
- 1 teaspoon white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2-1/4 cups cake flour
- 2 teaspoons baking cocoa
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 4-1/2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup fat-free milk
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Line two 9-in. round baking pans with parchment paper; coat paper with cooking spray and sprinkle with flour. Set aside. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until well blended. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in the applesauce, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla.
- Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add to butter mixture alternately with buttermilk. Pour into prepared pans. Bake at 350° for 14-18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
- For frosting, in a small saucepan, whisk flour and milk until smooth. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Cool to room temperature. In a small bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in flour mixture and vanilla. Spread between layers and over top of cake. Yield: 16 servings.
Originally published as Makeover Red Velvet Cake in Healthy Cooking December/January 2013, p23
Reviews forMakeover Red Velvet Cake
My Review
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Any changes to your rating or review will appear where you originally posted your review
Average Rating
Reviewed Jan. 7, 2015
"I haven't tried this yet but I think I will try pureed beets instead of food coloring and applesauce. I'm a little scared of the amount of food coloring."
Reviewed Jul. 28, 2013
"I like the taste but not the texture. Overall, it is a good cake. Won 2nd place at my county fair!"
Reviewed Jul. 13, 2013
"My family and I love red velvet cake. I really liked this "made over" version. It is moist and delicious with less fat and calories."


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The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh today watched a parade of thousands of troops in Windsor Castle to celebrate the Diamond Jubilee.
Six massed bands led servicemen and women from the Royal Navy, Army and Royal Air Force (RAF) in the uplifting musical pageant.
Joined by other members of the royal family on a dais in the Quadrangle of Windsor Castle - her favourite residence - the Queen smiled and muttered comments to her husband during the parade.
Outside the castle walls thousands of people lined the streets to cheer and wave union flags as the 2,500 troops from the Armed Forces marched past on their way to a specially built arena in the grounds of the royal estate.
The parade and muster began with a flypast of RAF Typhoons in the Diamond Nine formation, which drew cheers and applause from the crowds in the arena and on the parade route.
The Queen wore a turquoise silk, lace and sequinned dress with a matching coat and hat by designer Angela Kelly.
Philip wore the navy blue uniform of Admiral of the Fleet with the Garter sash. He was made Lord High Admiral last year by the Queen.
Royal Borough Councillors wait outside Windsor ahead of the parade
As the troops gathered in formation on the parade arena in front of a stage designed to look like Buckingham Palace, the guests were treated to music played by the combined bands.
Once everyone for the Tri-Service Guard of Honour was in place, the Queen and Philip were driven in a State Bentley along the parade route to more cheers and applause.
The Royal Family took their positions in the grandstand in front of members of foreign royal families, including the Sultan of Brunei, the Queen and Prince of Denmark, the King and Queen of Lesotho, the Grand Duke and Duchess of Luxembourg, the King and Queen of Norway, the King of Swaziland, the King and Queen of Sweden, the Crown Prince and Princess of Thailand and the King and Queen of Tonga.
A short service of prayers, readings and hymns led by the Reverend Scott Brown, the Chaplain of the Fleet, followed.
He said: "With respect and affection, we give thanks for the example she (the Queen) has set her people, and we pray that, supported by the love and loyalty of her subjects, she may be given health and strength to continue her service and long to reign over us."
Sir David Richards, the Chief of the Defence Staff, said to the crowd and the Queen from the podium in the arena: "For six decades, your devotion to duty, sense of honour, and pride in our country have set the standards to which your Armed Forces constantly aspire.
"Your own family have added to the support you bring.
"Many ships, regiments and air stations have close connections with members of the Royal Family and I have the honour to have two of your grandchildren serving with me today.
"I know I speak for all those who have the privilege to wear your uniform and hold your commission when I thank you for your dedication to our service and to our country."
The Queen said from the grandstand: "It is a tradition of very long standing that the Sovereign, and members of the Royal Family, are intimately associated with the Armed Forces and have been proud to serve in all three services.
"We are very proud of the selfless service, and sacrifices made by servicemen and women and their families in recent years.
"It is very gratifying to celebrate and take pride in successful achievements, but the real test of character is the ability to maintain morale and a positive spirit in bad times as well as when things are going well."
The Queen was then given a stirring Three Cheers by the servicemen and women, who thrust their head-dresses in the air as they shouted "Hooray!".
Then new pieces of music written specially for the event were performed by the bands.


text:
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text: WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - Two top officials at the Securities and Exchange Commission announced Wednesday that they plan to leave the agency, a day after another high-level regulator announced she was stepping down. The SEC's director of the agency's division of trading and markets, Robert Cook, is leaving the agency, according to the SEC. Also, SEC General Counsel Mark Cahn plans to leave the agency. The announcement comes one day after the agency announced that SEC Division of Corporate Finance chief Meredith Cross said she is leaving the agency at the end of the year to return to the private sector. The announcements come after SEC Chairman Mary Schapiro announced her own plans to leave the agency later this month. Cook oversaw the SEC's ongoing review of market structure and its analysis of the "flash crash" that rattled the markets on May 6, 2010.


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On October 14, 2009, 21 great volunteers came to Markham Park for their annual Motorola Global Day of Service project. They did so much work in our unseasonably hot weather that it was amazing.
Park staff pitched in with the volunteers. Long Key staff dropped off shovels. Tree Tops provided weed wrenches. A park naturalist switched her schedule and got muddier and wetter than anyone! Nursery staff loaded plants, hauled everything to the site.
These 21 people, including one woman who was seven months pregnant, accomplished the following:
A special thank you goes to the Motorola employees who gave up a day of their time and plenty of perspiration in order to make our parks a better place for all of us.


text:
Want to remind yourself or a friend about this program? Fill out this simple form and klru will email you a reminder on the day that it will air.
Episode #101
series: Stephen Tompkinson Australian Balloon Adventure
air date: 2/15/13 9:00 PM
Stephen's bid to win Australia's biggest balloon competition kicks off in a dramatic fashion when his maiden flight over South Australia's Flinders Ranges ends in a crash landing at 40 mph.
WARNING: Email reminders for this program have already been sent out. Your reminder may not reach the intended address in time for this program's airing.
Back to TV Schedule


text:
Tue Jun 02, 2009 12:09 pm
Tue Jun 02, 2009 3:06 pm
Tue Jun 02, 2009 4:29 pm
Tue Jun 02, 2009 4:56 pm
Tue Jun 02, 2009 7:10 pm
Tue Jun 02, 2009 7:58 pm
Swingin-Little-Guitar-Man wrote:It's something never discussed but I've always wondered. Yeah, I know he had employees; cleaners, cooks etc. But Did Elvis actually ever do any kind of house work? Did he prepare dinner, no matter how basic, did he vacuum, do the dishes, sweep up, dust, or anything of that nature, or did he leave it for others to do? And was he ever physically involved with decorating Graceland? Did he actually paint any walls, doors etc. Or any DIY??
I'd like to think he did SOME stuff like this. I'm sure he did in the early days, but I'm wondering about the 60s and 70s here. Would be a groovy image of Elvis on the Graceland stair-well on his knees with a vacuum cleaner!!
Thanks in advance Sandi!
Tue Jun 02, 2009 10:11 pm
Wed Jun 03, 2009 5:04 am
Swingin-Little-Guitar-Man wrote:Superb stuff Sandi - thanks for your very swift and concise reply!
Would have loved to see him and charlie cleaning up the Chinese!
So, did he like Chinese food? What in particular? It's my favourite food in the world! i LOVE Chinese! Can't stand Italian though. Pasta, red and white sauces, lasagne, pizza ... yuk! LOL. What other foods did he like that aren't commonly discussed? I'm sick of hearing about fried banana, peanut butter and burgers. I'm sure he liked plenty of other stuff too.
Wed Jun 03, 2009 6:00 am
DutchLA wrote:His bedroom was always neat (clothes hung up) and his bathroom always cluttered but clean (cleaner than the other bathrooms in the house I might add!)
Wed Jun 03, 2009 12:04 pm
Wed Jun 03, 2009 10:02 pm
Thu Jun 04, 2009 1:24 pm
Fri Jun 05, 2009 3:39 am
Fri Jun 05, 2009 4:59 pm
Sat Jun 13, 2009 11:18 pm
drjohncarpenter wrote:For some reason, I really enjoyed this topic. Thanks for the replies, Sandi.
It's nice to imagine him just being a normal person once in a while. Palm Springs was a true sanctuary.
Sun Jun 14, 2009 4:34 pm
Hi Monique,Monique wrote:Are there pictures of the angels Elvis painted in the Hilton? (he did a nifty job of painting those figures in the showroom of the Hilton!!)
Sun Jun 14, 2009 5:15 pm
stranger wrote:Hi Monique,Monique wrote:Are there pictures of the angels Elvis painted in the Hilton? (he did a nifty job of painting those figures in the showroom of the Hilton!!)
Here a picture.
It is from the book Raised On Elvis!Elvis!Elvis! by Sandi Haynes Pichon.
It was great meeting you in Holland and hear stories about you and Elvis.
Was Denmark and Holland the only two meetings you went to in Europe ?
Where you involved with fanclubs in the '70's are were you a member of a fanclub back then ?
ps. Thanks for signing my books.
Sun Jun 14, 2009 5:52 pm
Here a quote from this great book.Monique wrote:What part of that painting did Elvis paint?
Mon Jun 15, 2009 11:44 am
stranger wrote:Here a quote from this great book.Monique wrote:What part of that painting did Elvis paint?
"For those of you who never went to the Hilton Showroom, there were two statues on each side of a man and a woman, in Louis XIV garb. Elvis wasn't too crazy about them, so Red tied a bucket of paint to his belt, climbed the security fence, stacked up a couple of tables and Elvis and company painted the lady on the left black. Elvis was mystified how no one with the hotel ever made a peep about it."
Wed Sep 09, 2009 4:24 pm
Wed Sep 09, 2009 4:33 pm
Thu Sep 10, 2009 3:05 am
riley wrote:i enjoyed reading this topic very much.
Sandi did you ever see Linda or Cilla do domestic jobs???
Thu Sep 10, 2009 3:07 am
riley wrote:who is the lady in the kitchen and was it in the Ladera House?????
Thu Sep 10, 2009 2:29 pm
Thu Sep 10, 2009 6:43 pm
riley wrote:thanks Sandi.
I guess Linda liked to cook. I saw her in the book of her friend also in the Graceland kitchen.
Yes I guess Cilla did some domestic work too..
What did she occupy her time with most of the day?????It would be neat to know what it really was to be Mrs Elvis Presley ....
Hosted by ElviCities


text:
"Do you think if you were still the coach this team would have been 10-2 this year?"
"Yep. At least." (laughs) "But that's again being confident and a lot of things going the right way, and certainly we had to make a few changes, needed alterations and had to play better defensively." [emphasis added]
Look, I don't want to beat a dead horse here but if you're gonna say that, then pardon me while I get my whip. Okay, got it. Thus...
You're out of your fucking mind. I'm just happy Michigan didn't have to go through a 4th year of The Dark Period to prove it. I'm glad we didn't have to watch another squad not only not improve during the course of a season, but get worse as the weeks wore on. I'm thankful to not have seen a great offense get stuck in the mud each time it played a team with a pulse.
I'm glad that's all behind us.
And now that Michigan is coming off the first 10-win season by a rookie coach in A2 since Fielding H. Yost in 1901, one that not even the most optimistic fan could've hoped for? Naturally, Rodriguez could have done just as well. At least.
No, that's not confidence, that's hubris. That's a man who hasn't learned from his mistakes like he claimed he has. That's a coach I'm glad is no longer leading our team.
So what should Rich Rod have said to the interviewer's question?
How about something along the lines of, "I don't want to get into that. It serves no purpose. I'm the head football coach at Arizona now, not Michigan anymore. But since I coached most of those guys, I'm happy for them, proud of them and wish them the best. They and the current staff did a tremendous job this season."
It's called the high road. With no subtext to deflect blame. No wink-wink to make sure folks "know" what "really" happened.
Instead, once again, Rodriguez sounds like an old lover who says he's moved on but then takes every opportunity to talk about why the relationship didn't work out and, more importantly, doing so via thinly veiled barbs explaining why the break-up wasn't his fault.
Contrast that with Brady Hoke's words.
When he was first hired, Hoke was asked about his expectations for the upcoming season. Now, it would have been very easy and understandable for him to say something about lowering expectations due to a new coach with new assistants coming in with new schemes, new plays and new ideas. He could have pointed out he was taking over the worst defense in the history of Michigan football. He could have asked for time saying Vince Lombardi couldn't make that much of an impact in one year. He could have said a lot of things like that.
But he didn't.
Instead, if you recall, Hoke said that the expectation is for Michigan to win the Big Ten championship. He said that's always the expectation at Michigan. And he stated that if they didn't do that, then he and his assistants will have failed the players.
When Michigan lost the MSU game played in the tornado scene from The Wizard of Oz, he could have shouted from the rooftops about how Michigan was robbed due to MSU's thuggish play. But he made no excuses.
And at the end of his inaugural 10-2 season which led to a BCS bowl berth, was Hoke basking in his success or pointing out how well he did? Quite the contrary. Hoke said his team didn't win the B1G and thus they still had a lot of work to do.
Rodriguez also mentioned in this interview (and others) that Michigan's players this season were "his guys." Really? Weren't contributors this season such as Hemingway, Herron, Huyge, Molk and Wolfolk all 5th year seniors who were recruited by and thus played a season for Carr? And, correct me if I'm wrong, weren't players like Demens, Floyd, Koger, Martin and Moore 4th year seniors who were initially recruited by Carr but still signed with Michigan when Rodriguez took over?
Point is, it's not "Rodriguez's team" any more than it's "Carr's team." It's Brady Hoke's team. It's Brady's team and he deserves the credit.
So good luck in Arizona, Rich. Really. Everybody says you're a nice guy. And the past has proven you're a good football coach. It just didn't work out in A2. Shit happens.
But if you have moved on as you claim, then please stop talking about it. And no, nobody wants to hear, "Well they asked me about it! I didn't bring it up." Fair enough. So in an effort to solve that problem, here's a crazy idea: stop doing interviews with Michigan-based media outlets for awhile. Because, going back to the old relationship example, you're gonna end looking like the dude who keeps hanging out with the mutual friend who lives down the hall on your ex's floor in her dorm. And that doesn't look good.
I'm just sayin'.
|According to Rich Rod's telling of the story, the bare cupboards
were the fault of the previous homeowner.


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Phillies Sign Pitchers Lannan and Adams
I am guessing that John Lannan and Chase Utley will never be BFF's, but Lannan signing with the Phillies may at least prompt a truce. In 2007, Lannan threw the pitch that broke Utley's hand, essentially ending his run for the MVP award that year.
In 5 plus years in the majors with the Nationals, Lannan has hit Phillies' batter's 11 times; 3 of those were directed at Utley. I would venture an educated guess that these two guys do not like each other.
Regardless, Lannan is on-board for 1 year and $2.5 million to take the place of Vance Worley, who was traded to the Twins earlier this month. It sounds like a low-risk, high reward situation, as long as Lannan can stop himself from whacking his new teammates with the ball. The temptation may linger until he gets used to his new location.
As for Mike Adams, this sounded like a good signing until I heard the terms. We will get to that in a moment. Adams is a very solid relief pitcher who has a lifetime 2.28 ERA over 8 seasons. However, he is 34 years old and coming off a surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome, a condition in which a rib bone presses against a nerve, causing pain and numbness in the arm.
Does this sound like a guy you would sign to TWO years and $12 million? Not so much. And yet, that is what the Phillies are giving him. While this is not fully in the range of a Freddy Garcia-type disaster (whom the Phillies gave $10 million to in 2007 to do basically nothing), the potential is similar. If Adams does not recover from surgery or comes back as a lesser pitcher, this deal is a huge bust.
But the Phillies are once again rolling the dice and praying for the best case scenario. Let us hope they come out on the winning end this time.
By the way, if you missed my 2012 Phillies Photo Tribute slideshow, here it is again for your entertainment. Enjoy!
"LIKE" us on Facebook for more updates & photos!
Lannan photo by Nick Wass (AP)
Slideshow photos by Jenn Zambri Photography


text:
CMOS power amplifiers (PA) are prevalent in today's WiFi and Bluetooth markets, yet extensive industry-wide development efforts for CMOS PAs for 2G and 3G mobile handsets have so far failed to yield a product that met the performance of incumbent GaAs PAs. However, a new CMOS PA from Javelin Semiconductor, the JAV5001, promises to outperform existing solutions with a patented power combiner that delivers the lowest average current under real world 3G operating conditions. The JAV5001 also features a "bandpass" PA architecture, which produces over 10 dB lower noise and includes attenuation outside the band of interest that can enable the Tx SAW filter to be removed on some mobile handset platforms. By outperforming conventional GaAs PAs and providing virtually unlimited manufacturing capacity, the JAV5001 represents a breakthrough in the industry that could initiate the long-anticipated shift in handset PA technology from GaAs to CMOS.
Growth of CMOS in 3G Handsets
Approximately ten years ago, the world's first 3G mobile handsets appeared on the market. Though the digital baseband processor was implemented in a standard CMOS process, the analog functions, including the various radio transceivers and amplifiers, were implemented in custom processes such as SiGe or GaAs. Since that time, CMOS has been steadily growing toward the antenna, as shown in Figure 1. Today, CMOS is the dominant process of choice for Bluetooth, WLAN and other peripheral radios in the handset.
Figure 1 Growth of CMOS in 3G mobile handsets.
There are multiple reasons for the growth of CMOS. Baseband platform vendors improve economies of scale by driving as many chips as possible in the same foundry. Furthermore, GaAs PAs run on more expensive and smaller volume foundry lines. Standard CMOS foundries ensure high quality and reliable supply, which is particularly important to a market that is often subject to allocation during peak demand cycles. Additionally, CMOS enables architectural innovations and key product features not possible with custom processes that have limited digital circuitry.
CMOS PA Challenges
While the PA has long been a major opportunity for CMOS, the technical challenges have been notoriously difficult to overcome. The first concern is the belief that CMOS transistors were not fast enough to support high frequency, low noise operation. In 2005, after the ramp of the Aero transceiver from Silicon Labs into a $250 M business quieted those concerns, the attention turned to breakdown voltage limitations of CMOS. In 2007, Axiom's GSM/GPRS PA showed that those voltages could be effectively managed using a clever architecture implemented in CMOS, but the product fell short on efficiency performance. The Silicon Labs GSM/GPRS PA marked a similar achievement in the laboratory, but also fell short on efficiency.
The structure of the 3G network presents an excellent opportunity for CMOS PAs. Unlike the 2G GSM/EDGE network, the 3G network requires the mobile handset transmit power to be very accurately controlled over a wide range from -50 to +24 dBm. The PA is expected to maintain efficiency over the entire range of output power, not just at maximum power. Furthermore, the power must be highly accurate over temperature, voltage, frequency and output load impedance. These system requirements force new types of PA circuit architectures and designs to be considered for a 3G CMOS PA to achieve best-in-class performance, as well a focus on device modeling and simulation.
Figure 2 Mobile handset block diagram including JAV5001 PA.
W-CDMA Mobile Handset Example Block Diagram
Figure 2 shows a block diagram of a single W-CDMA band of a mobile handset including the JAV5001 PA. The signal is transmitted and received by the transceiver and baseband (XCVR/BB). To minimize noise in the system, the transmitted signal is filtered by the Tx SAW before it is amplified by the PA. The coupler passes a weak version of the transmitted signal that is detected and used by the baseband for transmitter power control. The duplexer provides additional filtering in both the transmit and receive paths of the signal before it is connected to the antenna switch. The JAV5001 PA integrates complete circuitry for power regulation, PA bias, input and output matching, and power control.
ACLR, EVM and PCDE Measurements
While amplifying the signal, the PA must maintain strict linearity requirements. Signal distortion for W-CDMA is measured by adjacent channel leakage ratio (ACLR), error vector magnitude (EVM) and peak code domain error (PCDE). Typical ACLRs reach better than -40 dBc (ACLR1) or -55 dBc (ACLR2) at +24 dBm of handset output power. The EVM is typically around 4 percent and the PCDE is -33 dB, providing significant margin to the 3GPP specifications (see Figure 3).
Figure 3 ACLR, EVM and PCDE measurements in a commercially available smartphone.
Figure 4 Average PA current calculated from the GSMA DG.09 usage model.
PA Current Consumption
While maintaining linearity, the PA consumes significant current that has a direct impact on the talk time, standby time and battery life of the mobile handset. The actual average current consumed by the PA depends on where and how the handset is used. Today's 3G handsets and data cards operate occasionally at maximum power, but spend most of the time at medium and low output power levels. The PA average current is calculated by multiplying currents over all output power levels by a usage profile and summing the results. Each mobile handset operator develops its own usage profile based on histograms of output power measurements from handsets or data cards in the field. The standard profile used to benchmark W-CDMA PAs is published in the GSM Association official document DG.09 entitled "Battery Life Measurement Technique." Over this usage profile, typical PA average currents range from 30 to 40 mA, as shown in Figure 4. The JAV5001 features a unique integrated power combiner that delivers a low average current of less than 27 mA.
Bandpass PA Architecture
PA noise is an often-overlooked but critically-important parameter that impacts receiver sensitivity for W-CDMA and also for other systems in the handset such as Bluetooth or GPS. Unlike the GSM/EDGE 2G system, which is time division duplex, W-CDMA is a full duplex system, which means the mobile handset receives signal while its transmitter is turned on. To get a feel for the numbers, the W-CDMA receiver is typically specified to receive signals as low as -110 dBm at the antenna while the W-CDMA transmitter operates at 24 dBm. In practice the PA may operate as high as 28 dBm to overcome the front-end losses, which means that large isolation of around 138 dB between the PA output power and the receiver signal must be achieved. Furthermore, receivers for GPS and Bluetooth can be active during W-CDMA transmit, which places additional limitations on the W-CDMA transmitter power.
Figure 5 Javelin's bandpass PA architecture includes the function of the TX SAW filter.
The strategy employed in the handset is to filter out the unwanted W-CDMA power that leaks from the transmitter into the receiver frequency bands. Typically, the Tx SAW provides about 35 dB of filtering, but also reduces the signal by about 2 dB due to insertion loss. However, the Tx SAW filtering is counteracted by the PA gain. For conventional PAs, the counteraction is significant. For example, at the GPS frequency of 1575 MHz, conventional PAs provide 25 dB of gain. An alternative architecture, employed by the JAV5001 CMOS 3G PA, is to create a "bandpass" PA response, which provides significant attenuation outside the band of interest. At 1575 MHz, the JAV5001 attenuates the signal by 8 dB, corresponding to 33 dB of rejection compared to a conventional PA. This response essentially mimics the rejection of the Tx SAW filter and can enable it to be removed. Removing the Tx SAW not only saves the system bill of materials, but it also saves Tx current by allowing the transceiver and PA to operate at lower output powers. Figure 5 shows the gain measurements.
Industry-standard Footprint
Today's PAs are converging to a 3 x 3 mm package for single band designs. The JAV5001 is already implemented in a standard 3 x 3 mm footprint. The PA uses an industry standard digital power control using two mode pins.
Figure 6 The JAV5001 is implemented in a standard 3 x 3 mm package and requires only two external components.
The wireless industry has long enjoyed the benefits of CMOS solutions in Bluetooth and WLAN products, as well as in the baseband and transceiver portions of 2G/3G cellular handsets. After years of research and failed attempts, a power amplifier has finally been developed in CMOS that meets the stringent performance requirements, and outperforms the GaAs incumbents. Javelin Semiconductor's JAV5001 is the first product in a family of high performance 3G CMOS PAs to address the fast growing 3G mobile handset market. As RF complexity continues to increase in the mobile handset, including multiple frequencies, band sharing and multimode requirements, the JAV5001 represents a core technology that can initiate the long-anticipated industry shift from GaAs to CMOS.
Javelin Semiconductor,
Austin, TX
(512) 684-6350,
RS No. 300


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"Pricing is About Future Expectations" says Farm Bureau Economist
While the new record $21,900 per acre sale in Sioux County is not typical, it is a reflection of optimism in the economic strength of farming in Iowa," says Iowa Farm Bureau economist, David Miller. At a time when many parts of the country are struggling to climb out of a recession, Iowa's continued strong agricultural sector has provided a 'buffer' which has helped much of the state keep a lower unemployment rate than the national average (tinyurl.com/9rgv79z ) and provided financial sector vigor.
Despite drought-squeezed yields in many parts of the state, the price of farmland may continue its climb because multi-generational farm families are working together, pooling their resources and betting on a strong future for the next generation. "It's about the continuation of relatively-low interest rates which translate into high capitalization rates for farmland," says Miller, IFBF Director of Research and Commodity Services. "Seven dollar corn, $15 soybeans and 2% or less 10-year interest rates, all work together to push up the value of Iowa farmland."
While Iowa is unlikely to see many repeats of $21,000 per acre pricing, the state's farmers are likely to see farmland values continue to rise. "In general, there's no indication that Iowa land has topped out yet. We're likely to see good farmland, and I'm talking about the $8,000 to $11,000 per acre range, go up another 5 to 7 percent in Iowa on a year-to-year basis," says Miller.
There are many factors that influence farmland values, and sometimes those factors are thousands of miles away. "Weather problems are creeping into Argentina and Brazilian crops, so if crop prospects in South America deteriorate again like they did last year, that's another element that would support these higher-than-normal prices for another six months to a year. Out-of-state investors who show up at these farm auctions will also drive up prices for Iowa farmers, who have been saving and working for generations to buy land and bring their children into farming. But, capital asset pricing is all about pricing future expectations; $21,000 an acre at an auction means that at least two bidders were pretty optimistic about the future."