text:
Rap Sheet Blog
The Denver Post's crime and courts reporters take you beyond the press release with more Denver and Colorado crime coverage.
Tobias Gonzales reported he was homeless and living beside the stately brick homes in the 1300 block of Franklin Street, just north of Cheesman Park. Now, he says he's homeless in another residential neighborhood miles away, at West 48th Avenue and Tejon Street.
George Welch lists an alley one block south of the governor's mansion as his home address. Michael Hagin calls the busy corner of Broadway and Colfax — the intersection in front of The Denver Post building — his home. Anthony Sanchez describes himself as a transient living at 8 Fox St., but the man who answered the door said he's never heard of him.
All are convicted sex offenders — four of 162 in Denver alone who now say they have no fixed address.
Now, under a new state law, police departments are not required to verify their locations. And while the law instructs law enforcement agencies statewide to report their numbers of homeless sex offenders every six months, state officials acknowledged last week that no such reports exist.
"It just seems like a loophole to me," said Larry Valencia, who managed the sex offender registration program for the Denver Police Department until last September. "If you don't know where they're at, why bother trying to register them?"
A state audit earlier this year criticized sex offender treatment programs in Colorado prisons, finding that many prisoners waited years for treatment, then received inadequate treatment when they got off a waiting list.
That poses a risk to Colorado communities, Valencia suggested, especially if offenders register as homeless once they leave prison.
With the new law, tracking sex offenders "seems like it went from good to worse," he said. "They start talking to each other: 'Hey, just go down to Denver and tell them you're homeless.' "
In Denver alone, 16 homeless sex offenders are missing and are wanted for failing to register. Half have been missing since 2012 or earlier. Among them: Justin Aldrich, Michael Covert and David Enders, each convicted of sexually assaulting a child; Samuel Gilpin and John Means, convicted of attempting to sexually assault a child; and Kevin Tindall, convicted of aggravated criminal sexual assault.
The new state law was intended to cut down on false claims of homelessness by requiring sex offenders to "self-verify" their locations more often. Depending on the severity of their crimes, homeless offenders now must report to a local law enforcement agency either monthly or quarterly.
But at the same time, the law lessened the burden on police departments that complained their resources were strained by hunting for sex offenders under interstate bridges or in riverside tents.
"A local law enforcement agency shall not be required to verify the physical location" reported by a homeless sex offender, it says.
Rep. Bob Gardner, the House sponsor, said he did his best to tackle an intractable problem, and that particular provision was a police request.
"I will tell you that local law enforcement agencies wanted it to be clear that they had no obligation to do this," he said. "Is that ideal? No."
The law contains provisions to test its effectiveness. But The Denver Post found state compliance with the reporting requirements has ranged from sketchy to nonexistent.
For example, the Colorado Bureau of Investigation and each local law enforcement agency was supposed to report the number of transient sex offenders every six months, beginning in July 2012.
The state does not have the three reports that should exist by now. Susan Medina, a bureau spokeswoman, noted that the reporting requirement is "subject to available resources" under the law.
Medina said that as of Tuesday, the bureau listed 722 adult and juvenile sex offenders as homeless. That "is the only data CBI has at this time," she said.
The state Sex Offender Management Board also conducted an informal count in February concerning homeless sex offenders. But it received only a partial response from law enforcement agencies and a statewide total of 341 offenders that did not break down where they lived.
The board also asked whether homeless sex offenders are reporting their whereabouts to police departments more often, as the new law requires. But its survey did not seek hard numbers.
Instead, it asked law enforcement agencies whether "people are generally coming in and doing this or not," said Chris Lobanov-Rostovsky, the board's program manager. "It's more of a qualitative analysis than a quantitative analysis, if you will. Give us your impression, not a calculation."
In general, most law enforcement agencies reported compliance was about the same.
In Colorado Springs, the state's second-largest city, detectives are seeing a steady growth in the reported number of homeless sex offenders, despite the new law. The city police department counts 64 now but could not provide past numbers.
Most of them report living at intersections.
Sgt. Steve Noblitt said Colorado Springs offenders were "given a lot of leeway" in the first months after the law required more frequent appearances at the police station. His department has issued five arrest warrants in the past three weeks, however, for people it can't find.
"Here's the problem: What if they're not there?" Noblitt asked. "There's no set guideline that you have to be at this intersection between midnight and 5 a.m."
Jeff Shay, a detective in Pueblo, also sees the number of homeless sex offenders growing despite the stricter "self-verification" requirement.
"We're putting a bigger burden on those who say they're homeless. You'd think that would lead to a decrease, but it hasn't," he said.
Aurora police spokesman Frank Fania, on the other hand, said his department is seeing a steady number of homeless sex offenders — 50 or so — and good compliance with the new law.
"We have a pretty high success rate," he said. And "even though the law says we don't have to verify their locations, we do."
In Denver, Valencia estimated that 50 to 55 of the sex offenders he tracked actually were homeless. Yet the reported numbers of homeless sex offenders in the city have nearly doubled in two years, from about 85 to 162.
"I think it goes without saying that a lot of services are provided to homeless people in Denver," said Lt. Catherine Davis, who oversees the Denver police department's sex crimes section.
She said Denver police continue to check the locations given by transient sex offenders, and "this group does actually self-regulate" by reporting periodically.
But "it's challenging. It's one of the more challenging aspects of our entire list," she said. "You obviously can't expect them to be standing there 24/7."
Today, 23 of Denver's 162 homeless sex offenders are either wanted or back in custody.
Of the rest, 85 percent report living in the vicinity of two homeless shelters.
Eighty list their transient address as the 1100 block of Park Avenue West, the location of the Denver Rescue Mission. Thirty-eight others list the 1900 block of 29th Street, the location of the Salvation Army Crossroads shelter.
How many actually stay at the Denver Rescue Mission?
"I have no idea. Since they're not registered to our physical address, we don't track those folks," said Josh Geppelt, the shelter director. "I can't confirm if that's accurate."
He noted that the Denver Rescue Mission is an emergency shelter for homeless men, not a long-term residence. "We're there as a stopgap to help meet their needs today," he said.
Warren Dabis, a Salvation Army official in Denver, said that "these people are shunned by the public in general and are trying to make their way," sometimes without a home.
"We really wouldn't know," he said, how many sleep regularly in its shelter beds.
David Olinger: 303-954-1498, email@example.com or twitter.com/dolingerdp


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So the newspapers are finally realizing what Slashdotters have known for 10 years -- nobody RTFAs.
My guess is that the newspapers that switch to a "pay model" are going to try to provide an aggregator feed that their editors will fill only with teaser headlines: "The Massachusetts Election" instead of "Brown Wins in Massachusetts." We'll see how that flies when the aggregators continue to display free news sources, such as NPR headlines.
By the way, for the rest of you who never RTFA, the summary above really contains all the useful information in TFA. There isn't a need to click through in this case.
By the way, for the rest of you who never RTFA, the summary above really contains all the useful information in TFA. There isn't a need to click through in this case.
So this proves that !RTFA is a viable and profitable strategy. Why criticize?
By the way, for the rest of you who never RTFA, the summary above really contains all the useful information in TFA. There isn't a need to click through in this case.
This alone is the reason people don't click through. The Fine Articles are often overstuffed piles of crap that are best condensed into a single cut-and-paste-able paragraph. After a certain number of wasted clicks, people become conditioned to only click when they really, really want to know more AND believe that the source in question is going to deliver more.
Actually, I only click-thru for the comments.
(For those of you too young to get the joke, it was originally said by a comedian who claimed to read Playboy only for the articles.)
And as further help, the parent describes that their comment was actually a joke. (Parenthesis are used to mark where the description begins and ends, like I'm doing right here and right now) --see?
Also, on a more metaphysical level, the parent is also suggesting that all content online is pornography. HTH
Haven't you ever heard of infoporn [urbandictionary.com]?
Get your infoporn NOW by reading Wired!!! [wired.com]
That's what those articles, stuff with ads and "Prev | 1 2 3 4 | Next | Last" links displayed are all about! I could go on an on about infoporn, but that, in itself, would be infoporn, right?
Actually, I only click-thru for the comments.
(For those of you too young to get the joke, it was originally said by a comedian who claimed to read Playboy only for the articles.)
Why else would you read Playboy?
I am glad you mentioned it was a joke because I would not have guess it was since I actually do that (click-thru for the comments.)
The comments are (like here) usually more informative than the article. And for political articles, it proves a nice temperature check to the mindset of my peers.
What if they have two sources: one that costs money to read, and one that doesn't? How much extra trust does someone have to have in the news source to actually pay money to read the entire thing? In other words - how much would Fox News have to charge before a conservative reader decides that he's better off reading the NPR article?
I think we're going to have a very interesting shake-up coming in the world of news organizations. My belief is that if they stick to news as entertainment, they're going to be eaten alive by free, ad-supported blogs. Their only chance is in 60 Minutes style in-depth reporting on a topic. Note: this is not a comment on how trustworthy 60 minutes is, but merely on its format and marketing message.
You mean, like the media used to do?
Carried over multiple days?
The NYTimes is being money squeezed by the darkside.
All of the traditional news media is being squeezed.
The darkside does not want in-depth investigative reporting.
They want fluff.
They want mis-informed, dis-informed, and un-informed
readers, because the readers are the public, the same
public that can stop their attacks on the readers freedom.
Oh look! Britney Spears!
Fucking gag me with a spoon.
Fucking gag me with a spoon.
But... I thought there was no spoon ?
Exactly right. It's not that often that I see an article I really want to carefully read the full text of; most of the time I just end up skimming stuff because it's not hard to open a bunch of articles in separate tabs, then skim and close each one. Off the top of my head, it seems like only astronomy or astrophysics-type articles are the ones I read carefully. Most "news" stories just aren't very interesting, and even if they might be interesting, the "journalists" do such a crummy job of writing and r
This is one of the problems with America these days, people just want sound bites and could care less about facts surrounding a situation.
This is one of the problems with America these days, people just want sound bites and could care less about facts surrounding a situation.
sure - but it's unlikely that you'll get relevant facts out of your average newspaper. -- which is why I hardly ever click to read the actual article - most newspaper journalists either can't write, or don't know what they are talking about. I only click one out of every 10 slashdot stories
That's no different than reading the paper. You scan the titles and spend time on the few articles that seem worth reading or pique your interest. This just changes the front page into something that more resembles a table of contents.
Papers can complain that these indexing services are taking half of their traffic. In reality, far fewer people would go to their site specifically to scan for those same headlines. Half of all aggregator readers clicking through to a story seems astonishingly high - I'd have expected closer to 10-20%
Those on Google aren't even reading article summaries, just headlines. I'm seeing a whole new trend in journalism. Just post one sentence, unsubstantiated statements and you have news! Hurrah!
Wait, what's that you say? This is already going on? It's called Twitter? I guess I'll have to check it out.
Nrly hlf of ggl nws usrs dnt click thru to articles. News sites upset. Only 10% of usrs wllng to pay. Click Here [slashdot.org] for full article. ($10)
Bad news for us hacks who are paid by the word
I often don't click through to the articles. The reason is because I can see from the summaries that there is nothing there I want to read. I use Google News to search for articles about a particular topic, and often there aren't any relevant recent articles about that topic.
> So the newspapers are finally realizing what Slashdotters have known for 10 years -- nobody RTFA
The only problems with this if that, like on Slashdot, the titles are sometimes misleading. It occurred to me several times that I found points in the article that contradicted the newspaper title
In newspapers, the title is often chosen by another person than the writer, mostly for marketing reasons I would assume.
So in the end, we end up with people being misinformed on some topics
At least
So the newspapers are finally realizing what Slashdotters have known for 10 years -- nobody RTFAs.
Um, ever hear of a little thing called the Slashdot effect? Post your website URL, let's see if we'll read it
So the newspapers are finally realizing what Slashdotters have known for 10 years -- nobody RTFAs.
Um, ever hear of a little thing called the Slashdot effect? Post your website URL, let's see if we'll read it
Oh, we click on them, sure, but we don't read them.
By the way, for the rest of you who never RTFA, the summary above really contains all the useful information in TFA. There isn't a need to click through in this case.
*suspicious glare*
How'd you figure that out?
How'd you figure that out?
From the RSS feed.
A bit of data to add to all the correlations they are trying to do.
My interests include much of the world. I find things in Bangladesh as interesting as happenings in MessyTwoShits. But, worldwide, there are so MANY things happening, I can't even dream of keeping up with everything.
There are only 24 hours in a day - and I can't spend all of them reading news.
I scan headlines, choose the MOST interesting, and click those. When I've actually read somewhere between 6 and 30 articles. I've got tend to my own
My guess is that the newspapers that switch to a "pay model" are going to try...
Well to me this raises a bunch of other potential problems for the for-pay newspaper market. What are the chances that you can get people to pay for the ability to read your articles if they're not even willing to read them when they're free? People can get "Brown wins in Massachusetts" for free-- you can't copyright that information. If people don't want to RTFA, then the newspapers don't have a business. There's no way around it.
We'll see how that flies when the aggregators continue to display free news sources, such as NPR headlines.
As someone who does occasionally click through to RTFA (on google, not slashdot), I've noticed recently that FT.com articles are getting pushed to the top more often than they used to, despite their new policy of one free article per month.
Outlook found that only 10 percent of those surveyed would be willing to pay for a print newspaper subscription to gain online access.
The article says the same thing but what they probably messed up is that it's Outsell not Outlook:
With a number of US newspaper owners considering charging online, Outlook found that only 10 percent of those surveyed would be willing to pay for a print newspaper subscription to gain online access.
For its annual News Users' survey, Outsell asked 2,787 US news consumers in July about their online and offline news preferences. The survey had a margin of error of plus or minus three percent.
Outsell found that 57 percent of news users looking for "news right now" go to digital sources, up from 33 percent a few years ago.
I'm guessing that was a spell checking/slip up. Not to be blamed on the submitter or slashdot editors but instead the IB Times.
how many people read or skin the slashdot summary, but don't read the article?
kdawson ?
Or even the other comments.
Slashdot has comments now?
how many people read or skin the slashdot summary[?]
Very few of us find the summary big enough to skin. It would be like skinning a vole - too small to be worth the effort. However, skimming the summary is a tact[sic] usually taken by Slashdot readers, many of whom cannot seem to write a reasonable sentence (i.e., using capitalization, proper spelling, using the words they mean, plausible grammatical construction, etc.).
I think a number of slashdotters skip the summary also and go straight into the comments.
In other news, 99% of people read the headlines off newspapers in vending machines and in checkout lanes but don't buy the paper.
That's the blatantly obvious parallel in print media. I can't understand why anybody would think this is surprising or remarkable in any way.
Because if I was going to unscientifically guess at the number of times I go to Google News and don't see any headlines that garner my interest enough to click, ~50% would have been it. This value would be lower when exciting news is breaking, and higher when it's just more of the same BS about whatever is occupying the current news cycle magnifying glass. "Tiger Woods also revealed to have bunions!"
What's next? "44% of people scan front page headlines of newspaper in newspaper vending machine without making a purchase, clearly indicating that Seven Eleven is stealing revenue from the newspapers." Noooooo, Seven Eleven is making their product more readily available, and if people aren't interested enough to buy it, whose fault is that?
What's next? "44% of people scan front page headlines of newspaper in newspaper vending machine without making a purchase, clearly indicating that Seven Eleven is stealing revenue from the newspapers."
Exactly. I think newspapers were selling on the album model, before the internet you bought it just in case there was any interesting news. Now that there's a track = article model like with music, and people just aren't interested in 90% of what's in it, In any case, I'd love to see them try eradicating free news. The only thing that'll do is kill those who try so maybe the reminder can survive on the concentrated ad revenue.
if I was going to unscientifically guess at the number of times I go to Google News and don't see any headlines that garner my interest enough to click, ~50% would have been it
My sentiments exactly. But I'd also like to comment that usually the headline plus the two-sentence blurb tell me as much as the entire story. So rarely is the actual article a 'trove' of information, that my habits have been trained to [i]not[/i] read the article.
Because if I was going to unscientifically guess at the number of times I go to Google News and don't see any headlines that garner my interest enough to click, ~50% would have been it.
The question is, then, how many users do you count as? The article seems to claim that 50% of users just don't actually read any articles. Presumably the remaining 50% don't read every article but read articles sometimes. So if you visit Google News multiple times and 50% of the time don't read any articles, do you count as a single visitor who reads articles sometimes, or does each visit count you as a "user" and some of those users never read articles?
Ah, who knows? Lies, damned lies, and statistics.
Tiger Woods has bunions? Why wasn't I informed about this!
Make them worth my time and I will click through and read them. That's essentially the problem. Let's take a look at the current international news: "New quake in Haiti." Ok. Whatever. "Obama signals he's ready to compromise on reforms." I already knew that and I might read it when we have a compromise, 'til then it's hot air. "Killing spree murderer in Virginia turns himself in." Don't care. "Geert Wilders in court." Don't care about a right wing asshole in Holland either. "Obama's first year" wake me when it's been his third, 'til then I can't do jack about it anyway (not that I could anything either then 'cause, well, I can't vote in the US). "Weapon lobbyist's testimonial threatening CSU" Duh. Who'd have though... Not interesting enough to click, though. "Italy's senate passing 'Lex Berlusconi'" He got promoted from King to God? He gets his way in Italy any way he pleases, how is this news? "Poland puts Patriot missiles to Russian border" Ok, that might be interesting enough to actually read it.
So, after reading all the "news", only one story was actually interesting enough (and could have some sort of impact on me) that it's something I might read. Everything else is either drivel, opinion or just plain pointless.
When covering daily news, there is only so much the papers can do. The impact on the Massachusetts Senate election on the health care bill, Haiti, and the Virginia shooting really are the big stories of the day. The problem isn't the theme of the stories; it is that most articles are puff pieces that provide little additional information above what is in the headline. They throw in a few predictable quotes from the press conference and call it a story. There is no depth or investigation or significant b
I agree fully.
I don't just want to know what happened. I want to know why it happened and what impact it will have. Just dropping a fact on your head it meaningless if you don't get the information how this came into existance and what context to put it in. Mas Senate election has an impact on the health care bill. How? Why? Were they elected because of that impact? Is it some sort of side effect? That's what I'd be interested in.
What bothers me is that most newspapers today are some sort of Reader's Digens
The findings give further ammunition to publishers who insist that Google and other news aggregators are linking to their stories without paying any advertising revenue.
You don't need ammunition to support painfully obvious facts. yes, Google and other news aggregators link to stories without paying any advertising revenue. Brilliant sleuthing Sherlock.
Relatedly, if they hate having Google do so, it's trivially easy to get off the page. Why don't they? Because for all their whining, they know that Google does drive traffic to them. "I don't have a business model, and you do," isn't a valid reason to ask for Google's money.
"Though Google is driving some traffic to newspapers, it's also taking a significant share away," Doctor said. "A full 44 percent of visitors to Google News scan headlines without accessing newspapers' individual sites."
Those two sentences have absolutely nothing to do with each other, despite Doctor's and the article's author's implication that they do. What really matters is, what portion of those 56% visitors would not have visited the news site in the absence of Google News. I'm guessing the answer is less. New result: Google is a net win for news sites.
...only 10 percent of those surveyed would be willing to pay for a print newspaper subscription to gain online access.
In related news, almost no one is willing to pay for a DVD to gain online access to the movie. If I wanted to read the physical edition, I'd subscribe to that. If I want to read the online edition, asking to subscribe to the physical edition is insane. At my last apartment I got the Sunday paper for free. I did get some small amount of value from it, but I ultimately specifically requested to not get it because it wasn't worth the hassle to throw it away.
The effect of aggregators have been particularly challenging for the media industry, particularly among the recent downturn of advertising revenue.
The article has shown nothing of the sort. It's entirely possible that in the absence of Google News that total news consumption would drop.
Relatedly, if they hate having Google do so, it's trivially easy to get off the page. Why don't they? Because for all their whining, they know that Google does drive traffic to them. "I don't have a business model, and you do," isn't a valid reason to ask for Google's money.
Google has drawn away direct traffic to these news sites into their own service. I don't believe its so much "hey, thanks for the traffic!" as "Well, a little bit is better than nothing..". Removing yourself from what has become your only option is not helpful when it just hurts you. Of course, we're both playing on opinions here since there is no evidence either way.
"Though Google is driving some traffic to newspapers, it's also taking a significant share away," Doctor said. "A full 44 percent of visitors to Google News scan headlines without accessing newspapers' individual sites."
Those two sentences have absolutely nothing to do with each other, despite Doctor's and the article's author's implication that they do. What really matters is, what portion of those 56% visitors would not have visited the news site in the absence of Google News. I'm guessing the answer is less. New result: Google is a net win for news sites.
The implication is that if the users were not skimming Google News' headlines, they would instead be skimming them on the content provider's s
The implication is that if the users were not skimming Google News' headlines, they would instead be skimming them on the content provider's site, and whether or not they actually found an article of interest, the provider would end up with the view and the ad dollar.
The funny thing is that they are dead wrong in this. There is no way I would regularly browse the websites of my local news sources. Why? They are crappy sites. They throw popups at me and have these silly flashy animating ads that are of no interest to me. Why would I subject myself to that? Google provides an excellent alternative to that horrid experience. Without Google (or some other reasonable news aggregator), I would just go without those sources. I can do that because there are plenty of pl
It's a great time to be the next Nostradamus, though. I'm fairly sure I can make a few predictions that will come true. And I will even be more accurate and to the point than old Nossy ever was!
Here's my predictions for 2010. Bookmark it in case you want to find out if they come true.
Something will emerge that shows how some three letter agency abused anti terror laws to break constitutional rights.
The economy declines more and more and even the bailouts won't save anyone, actually, they make matters worse.
When I go to an actual newspaper's website, I click FAR fewer links than 50% of those available to me. Does this mean the newspaper is taking a significant share away from itself?
This has been a long time coming. The key to survival will be those papers who know how to adapt. The WSJ has adapted under one model successfully. The NYT will fail if they pick up the WSJ model, though some similarities may work. What will end up happening is sites that provide free news will be doing it as a loss leader for other content. That news though will be vapid and likely filled with advertising bias and other impurities. Those behind larger pay walls like the NYT, Salon, etc will find limited niche markets of those wanting more substance in their news reporting.
That news though will be vapid and likely filled with advertising bias and other impurities.
Like a newspaper, in other words?
The problem is that newspapers have had a lock on their content for a long time and this content has been of sufficient value to support the entire organization. They deliver readers to advertisers and the advertisers pay.
One problem today is the advertising budget is spread over many different local venues, the newspaper being only one. Also, the value of the ads in a newspaper is much less than is used to be.
The idea that news could be a loss leader for other content is interesting, but the problem is t
The very fact that The Family Circus is still in print is a testament to the utter incompetence and out-of-touchery of newspapers.
Either that or, truly, the end times are upon us and Little Billy is the Antichrist.
A huge portion of newspaper articles (though not as large as the portion of television news segments) are fluff, not worth reading. If you can get all the information you need from the headline, maybe the article wasn't much worth writing anyways.
[Citation needed]
As for the last part of what you wrote: Ever consider that the decline in human attention span [wikipedia.org] and the commoditization of news media might account for what you wryly observe as "get[ting] all the information you need from the headline"? And you wo
[Citation needed]
Click on some of the links here, then read the articles. [google.com] Seems to be about 50/50.
As for the last part of what you wrote: Ever consider that the decline in human attention span and the commoditization of news media might account for what you wryly observe as "get[ting] all the information you need from the headline"? And you would suggest that this is a good thing?
They are related, but different. I get all the information from a headline when the story has very little news to offer. Visiting Google News, some examples from the first page, and my reactions in parens:
I can't speak for everyone else who uses Google News, but a lot of the time that I go there it's because I'm looking for a particular story. A lot of the time I can't find it or it's probably too recent for the story to make its way through the cycle to end up referenced at Google. If that's the case, I don't click on anything, and I'll come back later or find the article through some other means.
Just because someone doesn't click through it doesn
So Google News, which is stealing content from other news sites without payment or permission, is actually sending half of its readers to the sites themselves? This will probably get modded redundant, but Murdoch is an idiot.
I know of a lot of advertisers who would kill for a 44% clickthru rate
Fine, if newspapers are finally waking up to the 21st century, and wish to put content behind a paywall, then they should go for it. And Google should send them a huge bill every month for referrals to paid content.
In fact, if Google did this for all paywall sites, maybe there'd be less useless crap in the results. Tired of seeing search results for pages that when you clickthru to them, turn out to be behind a paywall / login page.
Isn't this cheating anyway, presenting one version of the page to Googlebots, but putting a wall in place for regular users ?
Cheat back. Use a browser that lets you identify yourself as Googlebot.
may hurt some of the big sites but most sites are probably helped out. I visit the CNN homepage less since Google News came out, but there are dozens of other sites that I've visited that would never have heard of if they didn't show up on Google News.
And that's exactly the reason why CNN, Fox News and other big news networks are so heavily against it. It's threatening their opinion monopoly.
You mean to tell me that 44 percent of visitors to Google News aren't actually interested in the listed headlines, and therefore don't click through!? Let me put this to the test...
"Democrats see Mass. message: Jobs, jobs, jobs" - boring, pass.
"Alternate supply routes could open Haiti aid bottleneck" - just got all info I needed.
"Americans See Economic Recovery a Long Way Off" - no duh.
"Airstrikes Target al-Qaida in Yemen" - woot, bombs, but I'll pass.
"Netanyahu turns fire on Abbas as US envoy flies in" - whattahootey?
"Powers 'shifting to sanctions' in dealing with Iran" - invasion timer started.
"Intel chief concedes errors in Christmas bomb case" - and?
"Michelle Obama to launch initiative fighting child obesity" - by dressing fashionably?
"Alleged dinner crashers invoke Fifth Amendment" - reality TV series coming to NBC in spring.
Didn't click on anything, until I got to my custom filter:
"Twisted Physics: Scientists Create Knots of Light" - Oh wait, this is from fox news. Never mind.
I dunno, I'm pretty interested in finding out what errors Intel could have made with regards to the Underpants Bomber. Is it related to the FDIV bug?
I'm actually astounded 50% of people would click through anything. The fact the conversion rate is that high means that the news sties would be insane to cut out Google.
If for some inexplicable reason, the news industry starts going insane and declares that they are putting up pay-walls everywhere, then Google could head 'em off at the pass by agreeing to split their advertising revenue from news.google.com to the publishers whose article blurb's are shown for a given page view. Of course, the assumption here is that news publishers could be made profitable with just a bit more advertising revenue. If they are out by an order of magnitude, then this "solution" won't save them either.
As an aside, I'm a keen Google news lurker, however I will sometimes click on a link belonging to a news publisher other than the main one whose article blurb is shown. That's because I choose to boycott certain publishers. I'm not sure if gNews is adaptive or not (I read while logged in) however so far it doesn't seem like it.
No, what google should do is charge them to be included in the listing. They don't have to be mean about it either. If it's behind a pay wall, then they just don't spider it unless the owner specifically requests to be added, which, for a fee, is always possible.
The question of just who is trying to eat who's lunch would be solved pretty quickly I should think.
Though Google is driving some traffic to newspapers, it's also taking a significant share away
Newspapers don't own traffic, so nothing is being taken. Google is providing a competing product that half of users prefer to that the newspaper provides. Newspapers can easily provide a robots.txt which instructs Google to remove them from their news pages, if they think they would be better off that way.
The benefit Google is deriving is that they get the content for free and post it. Now they may not be posting all of the content - although in some cases they do. Even with the limited snippet they show on search pages, this is seeming to satisfy 50% of the potential readers.
Now, if all news sources were to take the action of blocking Google there might be a point to using robots.txt to do so. However if only 99% of news sources were to do so it would be a pointless and futile exercise that would result
Depending on the headlines and the news day, some of these thief's might come around and buy a newspaper(here is another amazing thing, once you put your money in, you could take as many as you wanted!).
This is no different. In many ways it is better. Instead of seeing only the above-the-fold headlines, users can see many headlines which may increase the chance that the user will 'buy a newspaper', in this case view the ads. The newspaper no longer has to deliver the physical product, procure space to market the product, and deal with broken machines. Furthermore,the user does not get to read more than a few sentences of content. All those costs are handled by the news aggregator.
Of course, if your headlines are crap, no one will buy. And, of course,there are many more headlines to write as each article must sell itself. More work for those that are willing to do the work to reach readers.
First off, that 50% is a fantastic click-thru rate, though I'm sure they'll find a way to make the glass half empty.
There are so many great comments here that collectively sum up the news industry, especially reliance on AP and every paper having essentially the same content. However, I'm surprised that no slash-dotters have mentioned the obvious fact of many "articles" simply being paid ads. I'm sure many Americans are aware of this.
Last summer I attended the Mayborn Literary Non-Fiction Conference in Dallas (and hosted by my alma mater, UNT) and had my suspicions confirmed by fashion "reporter" Joy Sewing of the Houston Chronicle. In a presentation which essentially boiled down to a defense of her paper's increased emphasis on fluffy content, she let the truth come out with the following quote about fashion top-ten and gift lists: "If Macy's buys an ad in my paper, then guess what? Macy's is in my article."
Since hearing Ms. Sewing's admission, I've made it my personal goal to quote her to the world -- please pass it on! People like her are willingly turning journalism into a farce, even as they admit to knowing better. Shrugging shoulders and saying it's "Nature of the business" is saying you don't care about quality as long as you're getting paid. It also makes it more difficult for people like me to get work.
I also scan the headlines of the local newsrag in the newspaper machine before going into a restaurant. Haven't paid for one of those in the past decade either.
When Yahoo and Google started giving click-thru data for advertising, as opposed to page impressions, advertisers were shocked that viewers ignored most of their ads. When Tivo starting giving viewing statistics to the networks they were shocked at how ineffective their ads were. Are newspapers only now learning that there's a huge difference between seeing a headline (an ad) and actually paying attention to it? Seriously?
Google is on record pretty much saying, "live with it or add a simple header to your stuff so we ignore you." It couldn't be more straightforward.
Rupert Murdoch has a pretty impressive media empire, and he's whining about Google News, but even he doesn't have the balls to add the header, because so many of his readers find his content through Google News. He's trying to get a coalition of major publishers to all pull out simultaneously, so that Google News loses most of its content and the users go away. I just don't see that working though. The absence of Murdoch material would hardly be noticeable on Google, and suddenly his competitors would be getting all the Google clicks while Murdoch gets none. That's not just less revenue. That's a real downgrade in relevance of his media empire as an opinion setter. Google is here to stay.
One thing I expect them to try: The linked articles will only be article-teasers, which all end with "to continue reading this article, please log in and make [some micropayment]." At that point, people like me would just use the mouse gesture for "back" and learn to not click on links to that source, scouring the other related links to get the same information without a paywall. But in the short term, that kind of move might generate a bit of revenue.
So like others have said, the present arrangement is as good as it's going to get for the article-producing media online.
People skim magazine covers at a newsstand or the grocery store checkout, and the publishers must know this or they wouldn't put enticing headlines on the cover.
People look at the headlines in newspaper racks, that's why the newspaper put those headlines there.
And guess what? There's even a newspaper-specific piece of jargon for this: Above The Fold [wikipedia.org].
Do these modern day publishers have any institutional knowledge? It looks like NOT.
In other news, users of Google News click through to the aggregated news outlets an outstanding 50% of the time. It is estimated that this brings more traffic to these outlets than any other single website.
... turns into:
Wow, doesn't that sound better? Not only that, but it makes the next step easily seen: how many people scan Google News? What's 55% of that number? How many clicks is that? Isn't that a gigantic portion of a news site's revenue?
But hey, the stat sounds much more evil when you say it the other way around.
Why would anyone Read The Fucking Article when the heading and introduction/opening paragraph give us everything we need to know...
Here is an example from a real headline...
Michael Jackson's Giraffes Murdered?
(RTTNews) - Bizarre events surrounding the late Michael Jackson's continue to unfold, this time with the death of two giraffes that once lived at the King of Pop's Neverland Ranch.
Ok so by seeing this on my RSS reader I now know that Michael Jackson's Giraffes were indeed murdered and that cops are still incompetent and much like myself don't really care enough to delve deeper into this topic. On the other hand if the news blurb had come across my reader as "Michael Jack's Giraffe Murderer Found - The Giraffes were killed as part of an illegal Giraffe fighting operation ran by Michael Vick" then I probably would actually take the time to read the article...
Who knew that people would only click what they're really, really interested in or what sounds really really crazy? Anyone for watching the "Sanctity of Marriage" oh I mean "The Bachelor"...
Google, in light of these statements, I'd like to make a feature suggestion. I already have an account to log in, preferences to set on which articles I want to see and where they are displayed at for the page.
For the love of god, please, please give me the ability to filter out articles by news organization.
Nothing makes me madder then to click to nytimes.com, read half of a 2 page article, and then be required to register and sign up for an account to read the second half of my story. Half the time, the s
I honestly would pay a few dollars a month to have full stores that were JUST a concise listing of pertinent info with no ads or fluff. So many sites today have the article in a thin column down the middle of the page, somehow stretch things out to multiple pages and have nothing but ads on the right and links on the left. And to make it worse, are formatted with screens stuck in the late 90's at 800px wide. There's no wonder people won't click through to them.
Personally I find that a story can be summed up in 100-250 characters and be just as useful 90% of the time. Sure there are cases that more info might be intersting, and links could be given to that effect (like a link to the actual study for instance), but when I'm reading news I'd like more than the short summaries on Google News or RSS feed titles, but less than the full, fluff laden articles. I don't care what Joe Blow on the street thinks. I don't care what other reporters say. In fact, I don't even want opinions most of the time, I just want the story, short and sweet. Title: "Is Apple working on ____?" Article: "Yes, but we don't have any details." Nuff Said.
Q: How many IBM CPU's does it take to execute a job? A: Four; three to hold it down, and one to rip its head off.


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Dr. David Carl Hayman, 77, of Newburgh, Ind., passed away Saturday, May 26, 2012, at his home. He was born March 24, 1935 in Oak Creek, Wis.
David graduated in 1959 from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa. He was in private practice for 40 years. He was an avid hunter and fisherman.
David was preceded in death by his wife, Shirley Ann Hayman.
He is survived by his daughters, Micah Elizabeth Hayman-Rubin of St. Louis, Deborah Ann Taliaferro of Ridgecrest, and Dr. Stephanie Diane Hayman-Hale of St. George, Utah; sons, David George Hayman of Wapakoneta, Ohio, Bryant Keith Hayman of Sandwich, Mass., Dr. Loren Scott Hayman of Ridgecrest, Dr. Charles Mitchell Hayman of Newburgh, Ind.; grandchildren; David, Garrett, Stephanie, Demetria, Myles, Zackery, Robert, Wyatt, Lauren, Samuel, and Andrew Hayman, Morgan and Roslyn Taliaferro, Parker, Sydney, and Cray Hale; great grandchildren, Wyllie and Olivia Hayman; sister, Marlene Worm; brother, Daniel Hayman; 16 nieces, and nine nephews.
There will be no services at Alexander Newburgh Chapel.
Memorial contributions may be made to The American Cancer Society, 6301 Old Boonville Hwy., Evansville, IN 47715.
Condolences may be made online at www.AlexanderNewburghChapel.com.


text:
Posted on February 29, 2012
So it is Leap Day, that day when dedicated snow-haters grumble, "Of all the months to make longer…." I'm trying to start up a tradition of reading Mark Twain's Jumping Frog and having a barbecued rib fest on Leap Day, but people just kind of look at me when I suggest it. So never the twain shall meat.
IN ANY CASE, he said, hurrying right along, as people cheer the oncoming spring just as if we'd really had winter this year, I am going to go public with the fact that I like winter. No, before you ask, I don't like the ice underfoot, and I'm none too crazy about slushy snow in my boots. I will admit the possibility that Richard Adams was right when he claimed people say they like winter because they can come in out of it and that makes them feel clever. I like winter all the same, and I especially like snow, in proper quantities and in proper places.
I wonder if you've ever considered the special advantages (and disadvantages) of winter for Book Fair work, both donating and receiving. I hope not, because I'm about to review those for you.
Disadvantages for you
1. That snow that caked up on the roof and back window will all fall in on the books when you open the back hatch.
2. Scraping your knuckles on the concrete as you lift books onto the dock always seems to hurt more in cold weather.
3. You may have to wait a bit longer before I come to the door. It's not that I'm fetching my coat; it's that I have to cuss more when I realize I left my coat is in another room.
4. After you have carefully edged your way down the ramp from our door to your car, you have to watch me walk cheerfully down the stairs on the other side of the dock. (The ramp is well-salted, but the gradient is steep enough that no one trusts the salt. They also never see the stairs.)
.Advantages for you
1. If you have to put a box down to get a better grip on it, there's usually a frozen snowdrift not far away for you to set it on.
2. If you bring a banana box full of National Geographics, you probably will get away unharmed when I slip on the ice while coming after you.
3. That moldy smell from the basement is harder to detect when the books are frozen from being in your car trunk.
4. If you realize your copy of "Breast Implants for Dummies" is on the top of the box, your coat is buttoned all the way up.
Disadvantages for me
1. Filling out the receipt standing on the dock while the donor has a coat on and I don't makes my shivering signature at the bottom unrecognizable.
2. I stand a good chance of catching a cold while out on the dock sorting your old economics textbooks to toss into recycling.
3. If you set the boxes down in the snow, some snow will always stick to the bottom of the box and get into the box I set it on top of inside. Sometimes I do not notice this until it gets warm enough to melt.
4. The longer we stand and chat at the door, the longer it takes the temperature inside the room to rise above freezing again once you've left.
Advantages for me
1. My experience is that it takes at least sixteen inches of snow in a twenty-four hour period to keep donors and their books away entirely. But I can dream, can't I?


text:
Coventry City have the following hospitality available for the home game with Brentford on Saturday.Jaguar Restaurant VIP Hospitality Access to the Jaguar Restaurant Reserved padded seat located in the corporate area Four course meal Man of the Match presentation Complimentary matchday programme and teamsheet Complimentary half time tea and coffee VIP car parking (one per four places booked) Cash bar facilities Season ticket holder discount available £79 + vat per person Season Ticket holder discount available! Executive Suites (for 12 people) Exclusive access to you pitch view executive suite Reserved luxury padded seats directly situated in front of your suite VIP car parking (three per suite) Complimentary matchday programmes and team sheets TV £450 + vat per executive box (no dining) £700 + vat per executive box (buffet) £800 + vat per executive box (Two Course Dining) £900 + vat per executive box (Three Course Dining) Season Ticket holder discount available! To book your match day experience please or email firstname.lastname@example.com
Source: Coventry MAD
Source: FOOTYMAD


text:
GODORT Events and Happenings
From GODORT
- 2010 ALA Midwinter Meeting
- GODORT Happy Hour Friday January 15th, 2010 6:00p.m. to 8:00p.m.
- M.J. O'Connor's Irish Pub. 27 Columbus Avenue; Next to Boston Park Plaza Hotel
- Our group will be in the "Park Room"
- 2009 Annual Reception
- note the new date and time: Friday July 10, 2009, 6:30 PM – 8 PM
- 2009 Annual ALA Conference - Preconferences and programs (PDF)
- 2009 Spring DLC Meeting, Tampa, FL, GODORT Program, Tuesday, April 21, 2009 7-9 PM
- Government Documents Librarianship: Reflections from Mid-Career.
- Speaker: Cass Hartnett, U.S. Documents Librarian, University of Washington Libraries
- Depository Library Council -- Hyatt Regency Hotel, Tampa
- Room: Regency V
- Tuesday, April 21, 2009, 7:00-9:00pm
- Join GODORT in Tampa as our current Chair reflects on her 20-year career to date. Cass Hartnett shares personal and professional anecdotes since 1989. She invites attendees to consider the special mix of experiences, preferences, and fate that lead us to work in government information. If traditional "gov docs" librarian positions are disappearing, what will the future hold for our "edgeless" specialization?


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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.
Termites Vs. Tongues
series: Wild Kratts
air date: 1/13/14 4:30 PM
When Aviva and Koki accidentally miniaturize themselves and get carried away by termites, Martin and Chris must split up to search for them.
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:
While I was reporting on the earthquake in Haiti, I was often taken aback by people singing. Walking down the street, a nun stretched her palms to the sky and seemed to be singing a question to the heavens. And on my last night in Port-au-Prince, I recorded quake survivors singing at 3 a.m., as they danced around a tent camp– no toilets, no air conditioning, little food– singing.
In this audio extra, Rev. Reginald Jean-Mary of the Notre Dame D'Haiti Catholic Church in Little Haiti listens to that recording and responds. He translates the songs, and then finds himself… singing.
"Lift your feet," the song says. "Don't stay on the floor crying."


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VIGOR++ Workshop 2013 - Advances in VPH Technologies and the VIGOR++ Tools
Workshop organised by Vodera Ltd on behalf of the VIGOR++ Consortium.
Tuesday, 12 February 2013 from 09:00 to 16:30 (CET)
Event Details
Workshop Overview
This workshop is the second in a series (visit also Workshop 2012 page) that aim to explore latest advances and remaining challenges in the integration of clinical data and MRI image analysis, classification and visualization in the context of the Virtual Physiological Human concept. These are enabling the development of a multi-scale, personalized GI tract model-based diagnostic tool deployable on a cloud computing platform.
The VIGOR++ Workshops serve as a forum for a diverse and rich mix of innovators - both technologists and clinicians. Attendees have a wide range of backgrounds representing all parts of the supply chain including: researchers in universities and hospitals; diagnostics and device companies; public health authorities; private healthcare providers; market analysts and patient groups. The VIGOR++ Workshops are a place to exchange knowledge, share experiences, debate current issues, and meet colleagues and friends active in the field.
Reasons to Attend
Benefit from a programme featuring leading experts covering best practices, efficient algorithms, insights and take-home messages that will help you improve your research and patient outcomes. The VIGOR++ Workshops offer opportunities to learn about the:
a. latest screening protocols used for the diagnosis bowel diseases from medical professionals
b. newest algorithms designed to process efficiently and accurately multi-scale data
c. paradigm shift in GI modelling in the context of Virtual Physiological Human and prepare your strategy
d. innovative ICT systems handling medical data in real-time by attending the planned demonstrations
e. emerging portals that empower patients towards self-care
The programme has no parallel sessions – you will get access to all the key presentations but there are several breaks where you will get the best opportunities to make contacts and network.
09.00-09.30 Arrival, Registration, Refreshments & Networking
09.30-09.40 Welcome and Overview of the Day
Dr Costis Kompis, Vodera
Session 1 - Chair: Prof Jaap Stoker, AMC
09.40-10.10 VPH - Sharing and Visualising Multiscale Data and Models
Dr Debora Testi, SuperComputing Solutions
10.10-10.40 Challenges in Diagnosing Bowel Diseases
Prof. Geert D'Haens, AMC
10.40-11.00 Clinical Data Acquisition and Data Management
Dr Jesica Makanyanga, UCLH
11.00-11.30 Break & Refreshments
Session 2 - Chair: Dr Frans Vos, TU Delft
11.30-12.00 State of VIGOR++ Platform
Mr Laurence Bourn, Biotronics 3D
12.00-12.20 GI Wall Thickness Measurements
Mr Robiel Naziroglu, TU Delft
12.20-12.40 Modelling and Automatic Classification
Mr Peter Schüffler, ETH Zurich
12.40-13.00 Interactive Visualization in the Context of Abdominal Imaging
Dr Alexander Wiebel, ZIB
13.00-14.10 Lunch, Demonstrations & Networking
Session 3 - Chair: Prof Andrea Laghi, "Sapienza" - University of Rome
14.10-14.40 Recent Advances in Medical Image Analysis and Pattern Recognition
Prof Joachim Hornegger, Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg
14.40-15.10 Using Atlas-based Segmentation to Tackle Problems of Anatomical Variability
Dr Akinola Akinyemi, Toshiba Medical Visualization Systems Europe
15.10-15.40 Visualisation using Knowledge Assisted Sparse Interaction
Prof Eduard Gröller, Vienna University of Technology
15.40-16.00 The Patients' Perspective
Mr Chayim Bell, European Federation of Crohn's & Ulcerative Colitis Associations
16.00-16.30 Open Discussion
16.30 Wrap up and close
For further details including speakers' biographies visit
When & Where
Academic Medical Centre
Coster Zaal
Meibergdreef 9
NL-1105 AZ Amsterdam
Tuesday, 12 February 2013 from 09:00 to 16:30 (CET)
Add to my calendar


text:
stahrgazer wrote:thegreekdog wrote:It appears that, currently, your beef with Romney is that he said the words "12 million jobs."
That's what started me looking.
As to your accusation that I keep changing...Nope. I just didn't give every detail of every reason right away.
Romney's claim of 12 million jobs without having analyzed his numbers was a clear sign to me that he was lying just to get elected, and had no clear plan. It started me looking into other claims, and I found almost all of them equally false or facts-twisting.
I don't like all of Obama's policies, but they make more sense than trusting in Romney's lies.
I think you'll find after a period of time following politics that most, if not all, politicians lie to get elected. I'm not sure if Romney lied or not, but his plan made as much sense as the president's plan. As I indicated above (and in the portion that you did not quote), the president made at least one (and probably more if I cared to check) claim that was patently ridiculous. As I indicated above a few posts ago, it appears that you fell for the president's rhetoric (which is fine, lots of people did). And a viable alternative was certainly not Mitt Romney.


text: JOAD Nationals National archery competition draws hundreds, including Olympians By Tana Weingartner • Jul 11, 2013 Holly Yurchison They stand in a long line, a sea of pensive faces stretches across a wide green field. Every eye is trained down range at small yellow, red and blue targets. The giant archery competition being held this weekend at Joyce Park in Hamilton is actually three competitions in one: The U.S. National Target Championships, The U.S. Open and the Junior Olympic Archery Development (JOAD) Nationals. More than 700 people from across the country are competing. If you want to be nationally ranked, or make it to world or Olympic competition, you must shoot here.


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USADA to Strip Armstrong of Tour de France Titles
AUSTIN, Texas (AP) – Lance Armstrong says it's over – and the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency agrees.
The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency says it will strip Armstrong of his unprecedented seven Tour de France titles after he declared he was finished fighting the drug charges that threaten his legacy as one of the greatest cyclists of all time.
Travis Tygart, USADA's chief executive, said Armstrong would also be hit with a lifetime ban on Friday.
Still to be heard from was the sport's governing body, the International Cycling Union, which had backed Armstrong's legal challenge to USADA's authority.
Armstrong says he will no longer fight the charges because he's tired of it. Says Armstrong: "There comes a point in every man's life when he has to say, "Enough is enough." For me, that time is now."
Armstrong called the USADA investigation an "unconstitutional witch hunt."
Armstrong's longtime coach says the seven-time Tour de France winner is the victim of an "unjust" legal case that could cost him his victories in cycling's greatest race.
Johan Bruyneel says he's "disappointed" for Armstrong, who denies doping but chose to not pursue arbitration in the drug case brought against him by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency.
Bruyneel says "Lance has never withdrawn from a fair fight in his life so his decision today underlines what an unjust process this has been."
The Belgian has his own legal battle with USADA. He opted for arbitration to fight charges he led doping programs for Armstrong's teams.
Bruyneel says that case "should never have gotten as far as it has."
Meanwhile, the International Cycling Union says it will wait for the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency to explain why Lance Armstrong should lose his seven Tour de France titles before commenting on the case.
The sport's governing body says it wants USADA to "submit to the parties concerned (Mr. Armstrong, WADA and UCI) a reasoned decision explaining the action taken."
The UCI says the World Anti-Doping Code requires USADA to do this in cases "where no hearing occurs."
The UCI and USADA have engaged in a turf war over who had jurisdiction for the case.
Alberto Contador has declined to comment on the possibility of Lance Armstrong being stripped of his seven Tour de France titles, instead paying tribute to his former teammate's skill on the bike.
Contador, who hesitantly partnered Armstrong during the American's comeback in 2009, says he has not followed the case and "I'm not thinking about it."
The Spanish cyclist, speaking before the start of Friday's seventh stage of the Spanish Vuelta, says Armstrong "always showed such strength, great intelligence and spectacular physical conditioning."


text:
By GEORGE O'GORMAn
LAWRENCEVILLE — A year ago the Lawrenceville School girls paid a high price for not being able to finish off a game they seemed to have under control.
Letting visiting Hun come from behind to win the semifinal game of the NJISAA Prep A state tournament cost L'ville a chance to play for the state title three days later.
When the Big Red went into the final quarter against Hun with a lead in yesterday's semifinal at Lavino Fieldhouse they didn't flinch.
Instead they showed how much they've matured this season by staging two second-half rallies that led to a 63-51 win over the Raiders and a spot in Tuesday's Prep A state title game at 2-time defending champion Blair, which advanced with a 50-36 win over Peddie in the other semifinal.
Blair, which beat L'ville (70-53) in the Mid-Atlantic Prep League playoff final a week ago and 64-50 in a regular-season game in January, is seeking its third straight Prep A state crown.
It's likely to see a different L'ville team this time, one playing as confidently and as dominating as it has at any point in recent years.
Credit that to an improved schedule that has showed the Big Red it can hold its own with the elite teams if it plays four strong quarters.
"They played a tougher schedule this year than last season and it's showing now," said Hun coach Bill Holup. "Last year we played even for three quarters then won in the fourth. This time we couldn't."
The reason there was no repeat was juniors Jacquie Klotz and Megan Reilly each had a big finish. Klotz hit half her game-high 24 in the third period to get L'ville a 52-32 lead with 12 points in a 9-0 run after Hun closed within eight.
When Hun (14-11) came from 18 down to get within 57-51 with 2:56 to play Reilly sealed it with five straight foul shots,helping save Big Red after it had lost guard Amanni Fernandez to an ankle sprain in the third period.
"We needed to learn to play hard for four quarters," said Reilly, who finished with 19 by shooting 9-for-11 at the time. "Something we've learned is how to get the job done. We had to come out strong in the third and finish. We're doing that better then we did early in the season."
L'ville had just enough left to witn 58-48 at Hun on Dec. 11 in a MAPL thriller, but this time stayed ahead with 8-0 and 11-2 runs in the first half only to see Hun keep stay close led by Carey Million's nine first half points that helped offset 11 by Klotz and three field goals each by Reilly and Kennedy Guest-Pritchett.
Klotz's biggest basket was a 3-pointer under heavy pressure with 4:35 left after Hun got within six on 3-pointers from Mullen and Anajha Burnett.
"What we're going to do now is take what we learned from this game and put it together when we play Blair again," said Klotz. "As you can see from the boxscore a lot of girls contributed today. It's going to be essential we do that. What we learned again today is how to keep fighting for four quarters."
"That 3-pointer Jacquie hit when they started to come back in the fourth kind of said 'we're going to settle down and finish this," said L'ville coach Len Miller. "We did it on defense, too.'
"Bill's team (Hun) played well. It was a different team from what we saw earlier. Both teams were kind of feeling each other out in the first half.
"I'll tell my girls we've played three good quarters now we have to put together a strong fourth quarter (against Blair). They (L'ville) are going to need to have a lot of things go there way, but they can definitely do it," said Holup.
Million 2-4-9, Dwyer 0-0-0, Johanna Johnson 5-3-13, Brown 2-4-8, Mullen 6-0-16, Caldwell 0-0-0, Burnett 1-0-3, Jessica Johnson 1-0-2. TOTALS: 17-11-51
Klotz 11-0-24, Reilly 5-9-19, Fernandez 1-2-4, Guest-Pritchett 4-2-10, Barnes 0-0-0, Bretz 0-0-0, Jensen 2-0-4, Smith 1-0-2. TOTALS: 24-13-61
Hun School (14-11) 14 7 15 15 — 51
Lawrenceville (14-5) 17 13 22 11 — 63
3-pt. goals: H-Mullen, Million, Burnett; L-Klotz 2,.


text:
...were they giant spiders?
The article doesn't say!
Of COURSE they're GIANT spiders. If they weren't would it be News for Nerds? And would it matter? I think not.
Both Cryptomartus hindi and Eophrynus prestivicii were around the size of a 50 pence piece
Well... that's just your opinion. I bet these pre-historic spiders are HUGE! Maybe even close to the size of spiders from the future.
BUT! 3M years ago, 50 pence pieces were fucking huge!
Due to the exponential nature of inflation, say a meagre 5% per year, for 3x10^8 years, that's 1.05^(3x10^8)... and GNU Octave overflows.
Okay, let's try something a bit smaller, say 0.0001% per year inflation. That's an increase of 1.942x10^130. That's around 10^50 times as many atoms as there are in the known universe. So your golden boulders are about 10^50 times as big as the universe. Yep, that's pretty huge.
Let's go really small, say 0.000001% per year inflation. That's better, they've only increased t
I salute you, Sir. I've no idea if you're right, but I wish I even had the confidence in my math skills to start running calculations from ancient imaginary scenarios, getting astronomical numbers for results, and then to post my workings out on slashdot.
As a maths graduate, I'm confident that the methodology is correct, and the major point was to show the ballpark that the golden boulder would be vastly bigger than the known universe. I could improve the accuracy though.
Price of gold = £9.80/g, density of gold = 19.3g/cm^3, atomic weight of gold = 196.97g/mol. So 50p of gold has a mass of 0.5/9.8 = 0.051g, a size of 0.051/19.3 = 2.64x10^-3cm^3 or 2.64x10^-9m^3, this lump of gold has 0.051/196.96xL = 1.56x10^20 atoms (L is Avogadro's constant).
We prev
I blame decimalisation
"Both Cryptomartus hindi and Eophrynus prestivicii were around the size of a 50 pence piece and they roamed the Earth during the Carboniferous period, 359 - 299 million years ago. This was a time before the dinosaurs, when life was emerging from the oceans to live on land."
At that age, I'm amazed they look so much like the spider I killed on my driveway the other day.
"Both Cryptomartus hindi and Eophrynus prestivicii were around the size of a 50 pence piece
So, if they were not Volkswagen-sized spiders, why is this news?
How would you improve on a spider's general design?
What would you point to as an obvious weakness?
Shit like spiders and sharks have stayed relatively the same for hundreds of millions of years because what they have works.
It's about 1.36x10^-14 the size of Alaska.
What was the name of that documentory again? "Them", or some other such stupid name.
It does say. the size of a 50 pence piece. Now I have never seen a 50 pence piece, so I will assume they are the size of an SUV.
Yes, the article does say what size they were.
Both Cryptomartus hindi and Eophrynus prestivicii were around the size of a 50 pence piece and they roamed the Earth during the Carboniferous period, 359 - 299 million years ago.
[my emphasis]
50 pence piece== 27.3mm, or a 'hair bigger than an inch'[for those in the USA].
A one inch spider hardly qualifies as being 'giant'.
I think it's a giant tick. check the first link.
It does look very tick-like! I wonder if they are more closely related to tickspiders [americanarachnology.org] than true spiders(of Araneae). Although a lot of Arachnida look very similar (includes ticks, spiders and ricinulei).
Ticks, Lice, Crabs, Spiders share a common ancestor. So it is not surprising at all that a 300Myo spider might look like a tick or a louse.
Human brains are really, really good at visual pattern recognition. Having this kind of model to play with is very useful in understanding the anatomy of the creature we're studying. Looking at individual images of the fossils, or even the fossils themselves, is just not the same thing; there are patterns in the totality of the reconstructed image that we might miss looking at things one at a time.
Also, I don't remember playing any video games that looked that good in the 80s.
Try spraying it with acrylic first.
Or using any of the commercial products used to kill bugs without destroying their shape.
They address this point somewhat in the paper which TFA abstracts
Traditional approaches rely on splitting concretions and studying the portion of the fossil thus revealed; morphological data recovery is typically incomplete. In arachnids, for example, the hydraulically extended legs (Parry & Brown 1959) curl underneath the body after death owing to the absence of haemolymph press
Try a small vesuvian eruption.
Do what these guys did. Squish it between two rocks for 300 million years. That should make it sit still long enough to take its picture.
At least to me.
Housespider, animated stone ancient dino-facehugger-tick... what's the difference?
They, should as they are both part of the Arachnida family. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arachnida [wikipedia.org]
The Earth is only 6000 years old. Clearly this "fossil" is the work of the Devil.
Either that, to Adam had to squish these for Eve (and his other two rarely mentioned wives).
The Earth is only 6000 years old. Clearly this "fossil" is the work of the Devil.
Right, because you know for a fact that the fossil is older.
Just like you know, for a fact, that the Earth isn't older than about 6000 years.
How many regressions/reductions do we need to hit absurdity?
Are you the best troll ever?
We could always go by the word of the guy who's been here all along.
Oh wait, you don't believe God exists. Nevermind, this argument's going nowhere.
Yes, it is.
I'm sorry time's up, if you want to go on arguing you'll have to pay for another 5 posts.
Meh. You started the trolling, I just thought I'd counter-troll for grins.
No one has ever shown any good evidence of God. It's not a matter of 'not believing' it's a matter of no evidence.
Actually, I have done many tests for God, and the all failed.
Really, there is no God.
Actually, I have done many tests for God, and the all failed.
You can only test for something specific - your experiment can only be as good as your model. Therefore, your statement pre-supposes a definition. This is what the theological non-congnitivists are always on about.
I used to think there was no god, now science points towards us living in a simulated universe, which portends a creator. He may be a dork in a computer lab, though, which ain't gonna make the holy rollers happy.
now science points towards us living in a simulated universe
AFAICT, the "simulated universe" is a fun idea to play with, but there's no evidence for it (if you have real citations to the contrary, as opposed to uninformed pop-sci speculation, I'll be glad to see it.) Now, it is true that we are increasingly able to simulate certain aspects of the universe with impressive accuracy
but there's no evidence for it (if you have real citations to the contrary, as opposed to uninformed pop-sci speculation, I'll be glad to see it.)
I don't know where you draw that line. The original article I read went offline. Here's a bad synopsis:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/02/090203130708.htm [sciencedaily.com]
the theorist in question: http://astro.fnal.gov/people/Hogan/ [fnal.gov]
The basic idea is that gravity waves are missing. The detector we built to find them hasn't, but has found noise that is a near-perfect ma
Yes, I remember that article, and I think it's an interesting area of research. But "projected holographic universe" != "simulated universe". There's no support in Hogan's work that I can see for the quasi-creationist viewpoint that we're all living inside someone's video game.
There's no support in Hogan's work that I can see for the quasi-creationist viewpoint that we're all living inside someone's video game.
As I remember, there are two pieces: the gravity waves are missing, and Plank length is shorter than it should be.
It looks like a giant tick to me.
I was playing with the model after pulling it out of a scanner using a radioactive isotope, and it bit me. Now I find myself sticking to the walls, and having to rescue assorted nubile females from strangely dressed characters while wearing amusing cosplay uniforms. Anyone else having this problem?
now we are really fucked:
http://surbrook.devermore.net/superpics/beasts/spiderbear.jpg [devermore.net]
C. hindi's front pair of legs were angled toward the front, suggesting they were used to grapple with prey, an 'ambush predator' like the modern-day crab spider, lying in wait for prey to come close.
Maybe they weren't ambush predators. They are extinct after all; maybe their progeny were eventually ambush predators, but C hindi could have been a poorly designed hunting spider.
How can these spiders be 300 million years old when the earth is only about 10,000? Did they exist out in space until the earth was created?
The question was an attempt at humor.
But probably not nearly as funny as a Kent Hovind video.
And I meant to thank you for politely pointing me towards Kent, just in case I was sincere.
How is this amazing news? What does it prove? that spiders existed 10 zillion years ago? That they looked like spiders do now? Or is it just the fact that they made the 3D model? If so, big deal - they've done it before with other fossils.... *shrug*
I, for one, welcome our new digital, 3D modeled, prehistoric, giant spider overlords.
Well, maybe they weren't giant, but it's creepier this way.
Thus spake the master programmer: "When a program is being tested, it is too late to make design changes." -- Geoffrey James, "The Tao of Programming"


text:
The mantra out of the north country is all about starting the 2012-13 season guns blazing, with the aim of reassuring snow-starved customers that everything — especially the trails — will be covered this year.
Coming off an abysmal business season thanks to last year's winter-that-wasn't, New England resort operators didn't simply slink into hibernation over the summer praying that skiers and riders would robotically flock back once the calendar hit November. Instead, the region's mountains have invested a staggering amount of money in snowmaking infrastructure and upgrades.
This is the time of year when ski resorts roll out capital improvement press releases touting what's new and exciting. For the past few years, there's been a focus on strategic alliances, mergers, corporatization, and social media. This season, "snowmaking" is the lead item on almost every single scrap of marketing material, ranging from the $4.7 million in enhancements at destination-vacation kingpin Stowe Mountain Resort in Vermont to the $500,000 invested by far smaller (but no less scrappy) Black Mountain in New Hampshire, which relies on day-trippers and locals.
No official estimate exists, but a quick calculation based on press releases shows that New Englanders can expect at least $15 million in snowmaking improvements. Throwing around that large a chunk of change doesn't guarantee Mother Nature will cooperate (it still needs to get consistently cold before those thousands of new high-efficiency, low-energy tower and fan guns can be fully fired up). But the attitude displayed by mid-sized Burke Mountain in Vermont pretty much sums up the region's cautious preparedness:
"We'd pay $1 million to open the day after Thanksgiving," reads the attention-grabbing headline that greets online visitors to Burke's home page. Underneath, in smaller script and with a wryly hopeful tone, it continues, "Now that we have, it's up to the weather."
On Tuesday, Tim McGuire, Burke's general manager, had just finished overseeing the final system inspection on "Marge," the resort's 14,000-pound electric compression engine that will be the driving force behind an arsenal of new snowmaking lines and guns. In May, Burke was acquired by QBurke Mountain Resorts, LLC, a company that owns significant land in the Northeast Kingdom and has ownership ties to Jay Peak Resort.
"This brings it up to the next level for Burke," McGuire said, adding that the revamped technology will replace equipment that dates to the 1980s. "Last year was obviously a terrible winter. These are upgrades that have been needed, but last year really accentuated it."
Smugglers' Notch in Vermont and Ragged Mountain in New Hampshire are two other resorts that reported spending at least $1 million to boost snowmaking (numerous other ski areas listed snowmaking upgrades but did not report dollar figures).
A seven-figure investment is a massive outlay for any mid- or small-sized mountain, especially coming off a bad business year. But larger resorts, especially those with corporate backing, have the luxury of formulating master plans that extend 5, 10, and even 20 years into the future. So when you see New England's top-tier properties stepping up to make snowmaking investments at an even higher scale, it's a safe bet that those large expansions are related to a long-term plan and are not just a knee-jerk reaction to a single season of snow drought.
"I would say almost none [of the widespread upgrading] is a direct reaction to last year," said Karl Stone, marketing director for the industry trade group Ski New Hampshire. "It's more of a result of the competitive environment in New England. If anything, last year just reinforced the idea that a modern ski resort has to have an impressive snowmaking infrastructure."
A good example of that is in Maine, where the two dominant resorts are Sunday River (known for opening early) and Sugarloaf (a stalwart of late-season skiing). Both are owned by Boyne Resorts, and filling each of those mountain-specific niches requires laying down a deep base as soon as possible. To that end, Boyne supplied each property with 300 state-of-the-art snow guns as part of the company's master plan.
"Snowmaking is what we do," said Darcy Morse, director of communications at Sunday River. "It's part of our DNA. It's something that our pass holders and guests expect from us. And every year we reinvest back into it because it's that important to us."
The good news for resort operators is that every dollar spent on snowmaking technology today brings additional savings through more efficient use of resources. So not only is the quality and quantity of the snow better, it's becoming increasingly cheaper to produce while being easier on the environment.
"You can look at the long-term energy savings and compare them to the actual costs, and there's a value proposition there," said Jeff Wise, marketing and communications director at Stowe. "This summer's improvement alone will eliminate the need for 100,000 gallons of diesel fuel."
But Wise doesn't stop there with the benefits. He reasons that better snowmaking pays for itself in terms of marketing, because we live in an era when skiers utilize the immediacy of social media to broadcast from a chairlift how awesome (or not) conditions are.
"A customer testimonial like that is a lot better than a resort-generated daily snow report," Wise said.
Or, as McGuire put more bluntly, "Ski areas can't fake it anymore."
Sifting through spreadsheets of statistics, Stone offered an optimistic prediction as to what might happen this season, regardless of whether Mother Nature or high-tech artillery provides the white stuff. Last year, he said, New Hampshire registered only 1.88 million downhill skier visits, the lowest number since 2006-07. But on each of the previous three occasions that number dipped below 2 million, "the following winter produced phenomenal business."
It's anybody's guess which, if any, sectors of the snow sports industry will have a banner season in 2012-13. But Burke's GM has a hunch.
"It's a great time to own a snowmaking equipment company," said McGuire. "That's a pretty good line of business to be in right now."


text:
hmmm...he waited 18 years to talk about this? Makes me think back to 1994 and the girl who showed me her Meadowlands after a Jets game.Jean-Claude Van Damme admits to affair with Kylie Minogue, report says
Jean-Claude Van Damme has revealed he had an affair with Kylie Minogue on the set of 1994s Street Fighter while he was still married.
While promoting his new flick The Expendables 2, the Muscles from Brussels confessed to The Guardian "I tell you what, you should ask her. She'll have a better memory. I'm 51 years old, do you know how much I was punched in the face on 'The Expendables?' No, no. No. And let's just say it happened, so what? Who wants to know? ... Sometimes you let go of stuff ... I don't know, maybe. Yes. OK. Yes, yes, yes. It happened. I was in Thailand, we had an affair."
Going into perhaps too much detail, he continued, "Sweet kiss, beautiful lovemaking. It would be abnormal not to have had an affair, she's so beautiful and she was there in front of me every day with a beautiful smile, simpatico, so charming, she wasn't acting like a big star. I knew Thailand very well, so I showed her my Thailand. She's a great lady."
Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment...#ixzz23YFIYSnN
How is this news?
In for the Meadowlands Muffiness.
Did she find a place for your obelisk?
If it has to do with JCVD, its news.How is this news?
The Muscles from Brussels now looks like The Wrinkles from Sprinkles.
Can't wait for The Expendables 2
Van Damme, Arnold, Stallone, Willis, Norris, Lundgren...
F*ck yeah!
mandatory gif needed
I banged Kylie Minogue, *****es!!!!
Expendables 2?
Seriously, how bored must you be to go see that?
Action movies are so stupid.


text:
Auburn Bean and Grain building new facility in Standish area
LINCOLN TWP. — Auburn Bean and Grain has announced plans to build a grain and agronomy facility in Lincoln Township, just south of Standish, with an eye toward completion by the summer of 2013.
Construction is scheduled to begin in the fall, and the facility will initially be able to store 2 million bushels of grain, with room to grow as business increases. The company has purchased 17 acres of land off Old M-10, with another six and a half on US-23.
Auburn Bean and Grain President Clifford Vennix said the facility would service existing and new customers that are producing more grain in the northern end of the state.
"As better, shorter-season corn and soybean varieties have become available, farmers have stretched their growing area further north in our state," Vennix said in a press release. "We have seen grain production increase significantly over the past several years from our customers in Northern Michigan, and this facility will provide a full-service point of delivery for their grain, as ultimately supplying their crop production needs."
"The new plant will help farmers in Northern Michigan be more competitive and make it easier for them to do business," Vennix added. "Being located in Standish, the facility will reduce the number of miles farmers need to travel to deliver grain."
The facility will be located a quarter mile south of Standish proper, in Lincoln Township, though it is still referred to by the company as the Standish facility.
Vennix said being close to a railroad line was a major consideration in choosing the facility's location. He said Lake State Railway has been cooperative, and the new plant will be able to load 90-car trains with 40,000 bushels of grain per hour load out capability.
According to construction plans, the plant will be ready to receive wheat in the summer of 2013, with corn and soybeans following in the fall.
"We have always had a loyal customer base in northern Michigan," Vennix said. "This new plant will cement that relationship and help these producers continue to grow."
Curt Hillman, chairman of the Arenac County Economic Development Corporation, said he was contacted by members of Auburn Bean and Grain about the project about four months ago.
"So the mayor (Mark Winslow) and I sat down with the principals and had a discussion about what they wanted to do," Hillman said. "We agreed to help any way we could."
Hillman was able to get a meeting together to hash out some of the details to make the facility a reality. It consisted of Auburn Bean and Grain, Michigan Department of Transportation's highway and rail sections, Lake State Railway, Dave Hertzberg of Lincoln Township, and Consumers Energy, and was hosted by the city of Standish.
"They had three locations picked out, and we told them this one was the best choice," Hertzberg said. ""We decided the present location would work best for the area after they told us what they had in mind."
Hertzberg said it would be a "huge complex" once completed, estimating the investment of around $6 million for the grain-hauling complex. He said it would haul grain supplies south to Flint, where they are then disbursed throughout the country. Hertzberg said the company seemed interested in expanding into fertilizer down the line, as well.
Hillman believes it will create about 10 jobs —six full-time positions, with four seasonal — in addition to the construction work required to build the facility and the associated rail spurs. However, the increased truck traffic could help bring more business activity to the area, Hillman said.
He said truck drivers could buy fuel at local gas stations, stop to eat at local restaurants, and otherwise support area businesses. It would also be better for farmers not just in Arenac County, but throughout Northeast and Northern Michigan, as they would be able to spend less money and time transporting their goods to the facility.
"It can save 40 to 45 miles one way, so that means a lot for some of those trucks in mileage not spent," Hillman said. "It's an economic thing for the farmers, and allows them to be more profitable."
"It's not a lot of jobs, but it's still jobs," Hillman said. "I think it shows the economy is still moving, and that's the important thing."
Hertzberg agreed, adding the facility would help Lincoln Township's tax base and improve its state equalized value.
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