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Remember study hall in school? Wouldn't it be nice to have one hour every day in the workweek to devote to "homework"—that is, to complete all those deliverables and other documents you couldn't quite finish between case status meetings and conference calls.
Reading and answering e-mail takes up approximately 28 percent of the average workweek for employees, reports a 2012 study by McKinsey & Company. Communicating and collaborating internally takes up 14 percent of the workweek, and searching and gathering information just 19 percent.
That means, the time that's left for role-specific tasks—the tasks your employees were actually hired to perform, for which your employees were trained—take up only about a third (39 percent) of the average workweek.
So why does coordinating effort between employees and communication take up so much time and dry up so much productivity?
In many ways, e-mail has transformed menial labor into a performance-eating monster.
E-mail, once a more efficient way of communicating from your law firm in New York to its client in Shanghai, has now become the most abused way of communicating from your law office on Floor 1 to its counterparts on Floor 2.
What's the solution for this time-sucking glut of a technology? Some experts are calling for a total elimination of the culprit.
Is e-mail over?
Recently in an article with Wired Magazine's Marcus Wohlsen, Facebook co-founder Dustin Moskovitz admitted he had trouble keeping up with the 180 employees he oversaw.
"I would spend weeks collecting information about the state of the world," explained Moskovitz.
"And by the end, it would be a couple weeks out of date."
The world has come a long way in terms of digital communication—Twitter feeds, Facebook status updates, Instagram photo posts. Moskovitz left Facebook to establish a single application to combine project management with a communications system. He co-founded such a technology with Justin Rosenstein in their San Francisco start-up company Asana.
Although both Asana founders still use e-mail, "Rosenstein says that, with Asana, he needs just 15 minutes a day to get through the email that needs his attention. The rest of his time, he says, he can devote to real work," writes Wohlsen in his article for Wired.
"All the email and meetings, all that work about work, all this soul-sucking effort, is not real work. It's a distraction," Rosenstein says.
"If we can get rid of that distraction so we can actually get some work done, that just totally opens the doors."
It may be a couple of years before Asana's product reaches law firm doors. And, who knows if a new communications platform will ever—in our lifetime—replace the golden standard of e-mail.
Nevertheless, it's time to stop wasting billable hours on inefficient e-mail habits. Come up with a friendly and effective e-mail guidance policy. One with rules such as:
- E-mail across U.S. states or national borders, not walls
- Never use "reply-all"
- Face time with firm partners goes farther than Facebooking
- Monday mornings are a firm-wide e-mail blackout. Whatever needs to be said should be conducted in-person or on the phone
Perhaps it's time law firms and businesses reinstate the school study hall. Choose an hour, an afternoon, or a day to black-out technology and write-in work. A meeting-less morning, a conference-call free afternoon, or e-mail-less day goes a long way in productivity for the firm and project deliverables for your clients.
E-mail is not dead yet, but innovative time-management ideas for your employees might be the next best thing.
Still got a lot on your plate? Read C4CM's guide: Effective Time Management: Take Control, Tackle Work Flow Chaos and Overcome Productivity Challenges.


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Best Sacramento hotels
Sacramento HotelsWhilst many visitors to California flock to LA, San Fran, or the other better-known cities, the state's vibrant capital certainly shouldn't be overlooked. From vintage locomotive rides to its immaculately preserved old district, Sacramento is steeped in pioneer history, whilst a flourishing art and cultural scene keep things firmly in the present. Surrounded by verdant farmland, the city's also a foodie's delight, with fine restaurants serving up delicious farm-to-fork cuisine. After hours, you can party in a trendy club, or play it cool in a craft cocktail bar.Things to seeSet beside the gently rippling river, Old Sacramento lives and breathes the past, with its 1800's architecture, boardwalk-style sidewalks, and horse-drawn carriages trundling with tourists. Alongside restaurants and souvenir shops, the district also boasts the Sacramento History Museum, which thoroughly details the city's past, from its disastrous fire to the famous gold rush. A must-see for any train enthusiast, the California State Railroad Museum is also located on-site. Featuring over 20 historic locomotives and railroad cars, the captivating museum is also home to a replica of the 1870's Central Pacific Railroad station. During the summer visitors can take a scenic 45-minute ride along the Sacramento Southern Railroad, in one of several vintage passenger cars. Nearby in the heart of downtown, the California State Capitol building sits grandly among 40-acres of lush and leafy gardens. The hub of California's government, the 1800's neoclassical masterpiece features an equally lavish interior, which is available for tours.Hotels in SacramentoWhether you're here for work, play, or a balanced blend of both, the hotels in Sacramento can accommodate any type of stay. Those with a taste for the finer things will find them in quintessentially luxuriant Californian style, in chandeliered manors, luxury high rise establishments, and even a historic riverboat. The more modest hotels in Sacramento often come in the form of chain name lodgings, many of which feature swimming pools, business centers, and fitness facilities. In-room, you can expect plush bedding, WiFi and cable television. For a cheaper stay you'll find no shortage of cost-effective crash pads, though they usually place you out of the downtown buzz.Where to stayA cluster of multistory towers beside the gentle Sacramento River, Downtown Sacramento is the city's beating heart. Alongside a cornucopia of gourmet restaurants, it's where you'll find the opulent California State Capitol building, and Downtown Plaza – an open-air shopping haven, packed with big name stores. A hotel in Sacramento's downtown also puts you just east of the attraction-packed Old Sacramento, with its many museums and historical monuments. North Sacramento is home to many of the cheaper brand name hotels the city has to offer, as well as the Arden Fair Mall if you want to blow your savings.How to get to SacramentoSacramento International Airport is the city's closest gateway, situated just 10 miles from the vibrant downtown district. It provides year-round connections to many major US cities, including Los Angeles, Chicago, Dallas, and New York, as well as flights to Mexico. When you've arrived getting into the city is a piece of cake, with plentiful taxis and Bus 42A providing a cheap link from the airport to the city's core. Sacramento is also served by the Amtrak train and Greyhound bus, whilst drivers will find the city at the intersection of Interstate 5 and Interstate 80.
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subset: commoncrawl


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|MLBPA/MLB News Release
NEW YORK -- More than 30 Major League Baseball players will gather in the San Diego area this week to mix a little business with pleasure when the Major League Baseball Players Trust holds its annual board meeting and fundraising events Wednesday-Friday, Jan. 8-10, 2014, at The Lodge at Torrey Pines and Del Mar Country Club.
The Players Trust is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, created by the players in 1996. Through the Players Trust, Major Leaguers raise awareness and funds for charitable causes around the world and encourage others to get involved in their own communities.
The players will kick things off Wednesday, Jan. 8, at The Lodge at Torrey Pines, with their annual Players Trust meeting, as they gather to review 2013 and plan the nonprofit's 2014 programming and grant-giving activities.
On Thursday, Jan. 9, current big leaguers and supporters of the Trust will be joined by some legendary former players when they tee off at Del Mar Country Club. Following golf on Thursday, the Players Trust will host a fundraising dinner at The Lodge at Torrey Pines featuring the music of urban hip-hop violinist Damien Escobar as well as silent and live auctions.
On Friday, Jan. 10, members of the general public are invited to join the players when they tackle the legendary South Course at Torrey Pines. For a $600 contribution to Players Trust (a portion of which is tax deductible), golfers will enjoy a round of golf with a current or former Major Leaguer, receive an autograph baseball and enjoy a post-golf luncheon on the lawn at The Lodge.
For more information, please contact the Players Trust at (888) 714-0755 or e-mail the Players Trust at email@example.com.
Current and former Major Leaguers scheduled to attend the activities include: Heath Bell, Adrian Beltre, Geoff Blum, Marlon Byrd, Chris Capuano, Royce Clayton, Kevin Correia, Rajai Davis, Chris Dickerson, Jermaine Dye, Tim Federowicz, Steve Finely, Eddie Guardado, Jeremy Guthrie, Aaron Harang, Brett Hayes, Clay Hensley, Trevor Hoffman, David Huff, Paul Janish, Gerald Laird, Kenny Lofton, Mark Loretta, Fred Lynn, Donnie Murphy, Frank Robinson, Reggie Sanders, Tim Stauffer, Drew Stubbs, Mike Sweeney, Steve Trachsel and Kevin Young.


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Since its inception in 2007, the Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has focused on creating opportunities for the commonwealth's youngest children to develop and learn to their fullest potential. This goal is accomplished through a framework of supports and systems that help ensure that children and their families have access to high quality services.
OCDEL works with many partners to create opportunities for the commonwealth's children. Parents, schools, child care, early intervention, Head Start, libraries, community organizations and other stakeholders have joined with the Office of Child Development and Early Learning to provide high quality early childhood programs and effective prevention strategies to mitigate challenges faced by families that affect school readiness and academic success.
OCDEL strives to build a strong foundation for children, starting in infancy, through the establishment of a statewide standard for excellence in early care and education and the creation of financial and technical supports to achieve that goal. The success of the commonwealth's efforts today will be seen in the development of Pennsylvania citizens who are strong, independent and well prepared for the future.
OCDEL is jointly overseen by the Department of Human Services and the Department of Education. Offices are located in Department of Education at 333 Market Street in Harrisburg.
ELRC Procurement Library
Please use the links below to find information on the individual bureaus within OCDEL.


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Extract DOCX, PPTX, And XLSX EXIF Information On Backtrack Linux
I personally use exiftool to extract EXIF or Exchangeable Image File data from files including Microsoft Office files such as .doc, .xls, and .ppt. The newer versions of Microsoft Office have new file extensions as you know which are .docx, .pptx, and .xlsx. The version of exiftool on Backtrack Linux doesn't extract EXIF data from the latest MS Office file formats however you can easily download the latest exiftool for use on Backtrack Linux 5. Use the information below to download the latest exiftool on Backtrack, install a necessary Perl library, and then start extracting EXIF data from the newer Microsoft Office file versions.


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Sometimes Classical
with Richard Epstein
Richard Epstein –
By training I am a classical musician – a professional bassoonist, and sometimes sax player. I am lucky enough to have a day-job as a dentist which makes living in Fairfield County possible. This allows me the time to pursue my real love – music and sound, in all forms. You name it – I have explored or played it on or off the air. The introduction to the new, the (re)discovery of something old or unfamiliar, is what interests me. What makes being on WPKN rewarding is the joy of exposing those less familiar with the depth of classical music to the standards and the wayward repertoire. Today the world of "Classical" music and musicians is Sometimes Classical, Oft-times Not.
My personal website is: http://www.thefamilydentist.com
Upcoming Shows
04-09-2019 AT 1:00 PMSometimes Classical
Archived Shows
Click here to listen to Richard Epstein's past episodes.
NOTE: Use the Archives "Search" option to find a Host, or Show not displayed.


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Washington, D.C. (May 9, 2011) — The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) today announced that Rod Hunter has been named Senior Vice President of International Advocacy, effective June 10, 2011. Hunter will report to Executive Vice President of Advocacy Chip Davis.
In his new role, Hunter will be responsible for leading and overseeing PhRMA's international advocacy functions. He comes to PhRMA from IBM, where he served as Vice President, Governmental Programs, Europe.
"We are thrilled to have someone of Rod's caliber join PhRMA's integrated advocacy team," Davis said. "With his broad international trade experience in both the private and public sectors, Rod brings to bear a keen understanding of the complex policies and market dynamics inherent to an increasingly global economy. As we continue our work to advance sound policies that recognize the value of medical innovation and ensure patient access to medicines throughout the world, Rod's leadership will be a tremendous asset."
"This is a great opportunity to join PhRMA at a time when innovation and globalization are spreading prosperity and changing the way health care is delivered around the world," Hunter said. "The biopharmaceutical industry has a critical role to play in advancing medical innovation and improving the quality of life for people around the world."
Prior to heading up IBM's governmental programs in Europe, Hunter served in senior roles in the U.S. government and as a partner of an international law firm. During his government service, Hunter served as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director of the White House's National Security Council under President George W. Bush, where he coordinated the Administration's international economic agenda, including trade, intellectual property, investment, energy and environmental policies. Before joining the NSC, he served as Special Counsel in the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative.
Prior to 2001, Hunter was a Brussels-based partner with Hunton & Williams, and led the firm's European regulatory practice. Earlier in his career, he served as an assistant to U.S. Senator John Warner, and as a judicial clerk for Judge Boyce Martin on the U.S. Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals and Australian Chief Justice Sir Anthony Mason. He received a B.A. from Hampden-Sydney College and a J.D. from the University of Virginia.
The Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) represents the country's leading pharmaceutical research and biotechnology companies, which are devoted to inventing medicines that allow patients to live longer, healthier, and more productive lives. PhRMA companies are leading the way in the search for new cures. PhRMA members alone invested an estimated $49.4 billion in 2010 in discovering and developing new medicines. Industry-wide research and investment reached a record $67.4 billion in 2010.
Find PhRMA Online:
Website – http://www.phrma.org
Facebook – www.facebook.com/PhRMA
Blog – www.phrma.org/catalyst
Twitter – www.Twitter.com/PhRMA and www.Twitter.com/PhRMApress
YouTube – www.youtube.com/PhRMApress
For information on how innovative medicines save lives, visit: http://www.innovation.org
For information on the Partnership for Prescription Assistance, visit: http://www.pparx.org
For information on ensuring the flow of medicines during public health emergencies, visit http://www.rxresponse.org


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Sundance Filmmaker & Press Breakfast
Event details and contact information
Thursday 30th May 2019
This event has now finished!
Get full access this and 7,500+ other exclusive events
- Event calendar with 7,500+ events (Launches, awards, openings, premieres & more)
- 127,000 full celebrity agent, manager and publicist contacts
- Intelligence on celebrities, search by profession, age, gender, social reach nationality
- ... and much more
Event overview
Filmmakers and press are invited to a special breakfast to celebrate the opening of Sundance Film Festival: London.
Invitation only.
To see full details of this event click here to register for full access


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Hello there to any who might remember me.
I've recently starting playing around with WC3 to make a custom map as a hobby/escape/something to keep me from going crazy and I'm revisiting some of the quandries that I could never really tackle before in a new light.
One such thing that I've come across which I thought was quite interesting (maybe not 100% new but I can't find anything similar on forum searches) was a "trick" to that I could use to manipulate what I would use as projectiles in my map.
Now we all know about the SetUnitLookAt command and what it does and to some extent they've tried using it to create responsive projectile tracking but nothing has gone past being able to instantly set the projectiles initial facing using this method. Every instance after that appears to cause issues, so real time adjustment was not considered to be an option.
BUT, I was playing around with this and I "discovered" that if you lock the head to look at another unit and manipulated that unit, the head motion tracked the unit movement perfectly. The only limitation/inefficiency seemed to be from the model head motion itself (some model heads provided a better tracking for some reason).
What's even more interesting is that this tracking is instantaneous, or as close as I can tell.
Currently the best way I knew how was using the dummy model available to best track arcs (i.e. see animation to mimic a certain angle so you can simulate the missile moving in a certain trajectory, i.e. an arc) and other vertical motions and to adjust unit facing angle for horizontal. We all know this is sluggish and limited at best so things like reflecting a projectile this way would look bad (the missile needs time to turnaround).
However, with this new setup of having the missile unit and tracking unit, you can achieve a response that's essentially instant and what's more you can completely control the motion through the wc3 editor to do anything you want.
I've attached a testmap to showcase this with 2 test spells.
1) the first creates a rotating object that the head tracks to show that this can be used at any angle and still be accurate
2) the second shows that this is 100% responsive as there is no lag or "freezing" which would result from the setups slow ability to adjust instantaneously (there's no smooth blending or moving from one orientation to another).
In any case, I'd like to know if this is in fact news to anyone, and if indeed it would be a viable way to control projectiles in an AOS style map similar to TOB or other similar map sizes. I understand you need 2 units for every projectile so this severely reduces the number of projectiles on the field but I figure there can't be more than 100-200 units at most at one time and even if they all attack at once, that's around 200-1000 projectiles, maybe (if attack speeds are godly fast on all these units) so I figured it would be ok.
Anyone have any thoughts? Does this seem like a promising method or a waste of resources? (keep in mind I mean in the context of making the map, not in the use of my personal time)


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Swimming Pool Blog
by John Galcius
, April 4, 2009
Dirt, rocks, grass and plants. Everything you don't want around your pool. Right? Not anymore. Forward thinking, green minded homeowners are using these things to filter and clean their swimming pool water. They're called Natural Pools and they are becoming more and more popular, especially in Europe.
Natural pools are swimming pools, just like in your backyard or community center which do not use chlorine or traditional pool filters. Natural Pools are filtered by pulling the water through a "regenerating" section. A standard pool pump and some plumbing pipes provide the circulation needed to push the pool water through the pool's adjacent natual filter of dirt, rocks and regenerating plants. It's kind of like having your own "wetlands". Also friendly to the surrounding micro environment, Natural Pools create a swimming pool that nurtures the surrounding nature.
Is the pool completely chemical free? Some are, and some aren't. Natural Pool Chemistry makes several products that are made from organic materials that will keep the pool clear and free from bacteria. Natural, living enzymes are being used more and more to break down organic waste, and oils in not only natural pools, but in regular, chlorinated swimming pools as well.


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Sex-determination system
A sex-determination system is a biological system that determines the development of sexual characteristics in an organism. Most sexual organisms have two sexes. In many cases, sex determination is genetic: males and females have different alleles or even different genes that specify their sexual morphology. In animals, this is often accompanied by chromosomal differences. In other cases, sex is determined by environmental variables (such as temperature) or social variables (the size of an organism relative to other members of its population). The details of some sex-determination systems are not yet fully understood.
This text uses material from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA


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Trasllats a l'Aéroport de Nîmes
Per què reservar amb nosaltres?
- Excel·lent reputació
- Sense càrrecs per pagaments amb targeta
- Peatges inclosos
- Cancel·lació gratuïta
- Conductors professionals
Per què reservar un trasllat
El conductor t'estarà esperant passi el que passi
Gaudeix de serveis de trasllat d'alta qualitat a preus sorprenentment baixos
Sense cues, sense retards: arribaràs al teu destí ràpidament
Perquè no hagis de preocupar-te de res, et portem directament a la porta del teu hotel
Nimes Airport Private Taxi Transfers
Are you looking for low-cost taxi transfers from Nimes Airport? We have a range of options to suit every budget. Don't waste your time in the airport hauling your luggage around trying to organize an airport shuttle, bus, or taxi, instead, jump straight into your private taxi transfer to your hotel or destination from Nimes Airport.
Suntranfers.com has over 10 years experience in airport transportation services, transiting thousands of passengers to and from hotels from Nimes Airport.
Our door to door airport taxi transfer service gets you to your destination in comfort at affordable prices. Unlike a standard airport shuttle, our drivers will meet and greet you in the arrivals terminal.
Airport Taxi Transfer From Nimes Airport to your Hotel
If you are looking to travel from the airport to your hotel, resort or holiday rental property and want to avoid the stresses of navigating an unfamiliar public transportation system, language and culture, or are just after ease and comfort, then booking an airport transfer is for you.
Suntransfers provides a great solution for those of you looking to make the journey to or from Nimes Airport with a wide range of options, we can cater to all your needs. If you're traveling solo or with family and friends, our great value private cars, airport shuttle buses, minivans, and coaches can accommodate you.
Once your flights touched down, you've disembarked and collected your luggage from baggage claim, let us take over. An airport transfer from Nimes Airport with Suntransfers means you can rest assured that you're in good hands.
All our passengers are met in the arrivals terminal at Nimes Airport by one of our professional, courteous drivers. Hand over your luggage and let them escort you to the vehicle you have pre-booked and settle into a comfortable private taxi.
Book your Nimes Airport Private Taxi transfer
Online Book your Airport Pickup
We pride ourselves on being the best at Nimes Airport resort transfers and work hard to provide a reliable service, that's quick, easy and comfortable. We work with the best suppliers whose drivers have years of professional experience and who make your safety and comfort their number one priority. An airport taxi transfer with Suntransfers is the best way to start a holiday.
To book an Nimes Airport transfer simply add in your destination, arrival time and passenger numbers, then head to the next set of booking options.
Our services are great value and cater to a wide array of needs. We offer coach transfers, minivans and minibus taxi transfers for larger groups. We can also provide baby seats, space for wheelchairs or other special requirements. Simply add them to your booking before to check out.
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After you have enjoyed your trip and ready to go home round your trip off with a taxi transfer to Nimes Airport. We will pick you up directly from your hotel and get you to the airport in no time at all.
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Satisfacció del Client 4.5/5 amb més de 15,152 opinions
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Booked transfers with car seat included to go from Burgas to Sunny Beach. All went smoothly, car seat was correctly fitted on both occasions, drivers were polite spoke English and arrived on time.
We have used Suntransfers every year for the last 6 years and have never let us down the vehicles have all been good, clean and on time


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- Người liên hệ: Ms. Sarah jia
- Xem chi tiết liên lạc
Dây Tungsten Tinh Khiết - nhà sản xuất, nhà máy, nhà cung cấp từ Trung Quốc
The tungsten products usage and raw material rise
Tungsten products include the pure tungsten, tungsten alloy, the pure tungsten include tungsten bar, tungsten wire, tungsten tube, tungsten plate, tungsten screw and other tungsten parts, which is...
The tungsten electrode rod
The thorium tungsten electrode rod is a tungsten electrode product which is prepared by adding powdered metallurgy and calendering and polishing process to the tungsten rod. It is the earliest...
The tungsten products information
Tungsten is a rare metal, an important strategic material, and a rare domestic resource.We can supply the tungsten rod, tungsten sheet, tungsten wire, tungsten tube, tungsten parts and soon on....
tungsten alloy rivet top rods
Before discussing the application of tungsten alloy rivet top rods in aviation, let's find out what rivets are. Rivets are a type of connecting part and they have a wide range of uses. In addition to...
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Microsoft has sure been excited to show off its latest gaming console in hundreds of press photos, but have you noticed that the Xbox One has remained horizontal? According to Microsoft, that is how the unit is supposed to be used and if you turn it on its side vertically – you are on your own.
CNET's sister site GameSpot sat down with Albert Panello, Microsoft's Senior Director of Product Management and Planning for the Xbox team, who stated that Xbox One doesn't "support vertical orientation" and users who do it, will "do it at [their] own risk".
Panello claimed that the unit was not designed to be placed vertically and that while "it couldn't be a cooling problem", "we just didn't design the drive for vertical. Because it's a slot loading drive, we just didn't design it for both". It certainly is an odd statement, as the PlayStation 4 (or even the last generation model) has no issue being on its side.
Will not being able to put the console vertically affect you?
Source: CNET


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After Reese Witherspoon was arrested for disorderly conduct following her husband Jim Toth's DUI in Atlanta Friday, the actress has released a statement saying she "had one drink too many" and is "embarrassed about the things I said."
According to the police report, Witherspoon told the officer: "Do you know my name? You're about to find out who I am ... You are going to be on national news."
Monday, the 37-year-old mother of three apologized for her words and actions in a statement via her rep:
"Out of respect for the ongoing legal situation, I cannot comment on everything that is being reported right now. But I do want to say, I clearly had one drink too many and I am deeply embarrassed about the things I said. It was definitely a scary situation and I was frightened for my husband, but that is no excuse. I was disrespectful to the officer who was just doing his job. The words I used that night definitely do not reflect who I am. I have nothing but respect for the police and I'm very sorry for my behavior."
Just two days after the Friday arrest, Witherspoonstepped out at the New York premiere of her new movie "Mud" on Sunday.
Witherspoon was joined by Toth at the premiere, which took place at the Museum of Modern Art. It's as if she knew the news was about to break:
Witherspoon's new movie "Mud" co-stars (from left) Jeff Nichols,Matthew McConaughey and Sarah Paulson.


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>>>PBC Web site
MARTINEZ, Ga. – Senior Joe Young (Cochran, Ga.) of the No. 7 Georgia College golf team was named Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Co-Golfer of the Week Thursday. Young shares the honor with Columbus State University's Rourke Van der Spuy.
Young's season-low 67 in the final round of the 2011 Bobcat Invitational was the lowest score recorded in the third round of action. Young tied at four strokes off the lead, posting rounds of 71 and 73 on day one to finish at one over par. He now leads the PBC with a 71.4 stroke average, bettering the rest of the conference by nearly a full stroke.
He is the 12th Georgia College golfer all-time to take home the honor in just the fourth season of the weekly award, and the third different GC golfer to take the honor this season.
The Bobcats are back in action at the final regular-season tournament of 2011, the Bearcat Invitational March 28-29 in Greenwood, S.C., hosted by Lander University.
The Georgia College Department of Athletics, back-to-back winners of the PBC Commissioner's Cup, sponsors 10 varsity athletic programs at the NCAA Division II level. As a Division II program, Bobcat Athletics prides itself on balancing the life of the student-athlete, evidenced by the teams' multiple appearances in post-season competition as well as documented academic success and community-service involvement. Sign up at www.twitter.com/BobcatSports and www.facebook.com/gcbobcats for up-to-the-minute reports, and visit www.GCBobcats.com for more information, and to nominate your favorite former Bobcats and Colonials to the GC Athletics Hall of Fame.


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Building America from Scratch
In a letter from Thomas Jefferson to fellow Republican Delaware Governor David Hall, the first-term President declared that the United States is an experiment "to shew whether man can be trusted with self-government." Jefferson's deeds followed his lofty words. During the summer of 1802, amid the possibility of war against the Barbary Coast and uncertainty about Napoleon's intentions in New Orleans, Jefferson devoted himself to the construction of the national capital. Deriving from his own study of urban planning, Jefferson worked toward a city with wide and open streets, a spatial arrangement that he considered not only aesthetically pleasing but also a deterrent to the spread of epidemics such as yellow fever.
Besides his involvement in the planning of the national capital, Jefferson also prompted American investment in the future of self-governance by personally ordering a purchase of books for the Library of Congress, recently founded in 1800. In his letter to the U.S. Consul in London, George Erving, and former Ambassador to France, William Short, Jefferson asked his friends to order from Paris and London books that were "good editions, not pompous ones" and had "neat bindings, but not splendid." He even directed them on transportation, "They [i.e., books] should be packed in trunks, covered with oilcloth, to preserve from damp." Such detailed demands were typical of Jefferson, a president who believed that public money must be spent with as "rigorous economy as that of an individual."
In both projects—planning the layout for the national capital and purchasing books for the Congressional library—Jefferson exhibited his mastery of detail and promoted self-governance as the high form of government. In the latest volume of The Papers of Thomas Jefferson, modern readers can glimpse how President Jefferson spent a summer personally building the institutions of a great nation.
The Papers of Thomas Jefferson is a sixty-volume editions project housed at Princeton University under the direction of Barbara O. Oberg and supported by NEH. The project aims to produce a comprehensive and authoritative edition of the over 70,000 documents (mostly letters) written by Jefferson. Since the start of the edition in the late 1940s, thirty-eight volumes have been published following the chronological order of the documents. Volume 39 covers July 1 – November 12, 1802.


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The US Supreme Court on Tuesday is set to review the constitutionality of a law that allows the government to continue to detain any person in federal custody the authorities suspect might engage in a future act of sexual violence.
The law applies to any federal detainee, including inmates who are about to complete their entire prison terms and regardless of whether the suspected future act is a federal crime.
At issue is a provision of the Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006. Section 4248 of the law provides for the civil commitment of any individual deemed by the federal government to be "sexually dangerous."
Lawyers are challenging the law as a violation of due process. In addition, they argue that Congress exceeded the limits of its federal authority by attempting to prevent sex crimes.
It is the second issue of federalism that the Supreme Court has agreed to examine.
The civil commitment of individuals deemed dangerous to society is an area largely controlled by state governments, which are authorized in the Constitution to enforce broad police powers to protect state and local residents. In contrast, the federal government's powers are limited to specific areas of national concern such as interstate commerce.
The key question before the high court is whether congressional authority to enact legislation is broad enough to encompass prevention of future sex crimes.
Violation of federalism?
A federal judge in North Carolina and the Fourth US Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond have ruled that Section 4248 violates principles of federalism and the structure of government as laid down in the Constitution.
"The power claimed by Section 4248 – forcible, indefinite civil commitment – is among the most severe wielded by any government," the Fourth Circuit declared in a January 2009 decision. "The Framers, distrustful of such authority, reposed such broad powers in the states, limiting the national government to specific and enumerated powers."
The Obama administration is asking the Supreme Court to overturn the appeals court decision and uphold the constitutionality of the law. In her brief to the court, Solicitor General Elena Kagan says Congress may pass laws related to the federal criminal justice and penal system. She says Section 4248 is a "necessary and proper" use of federal power to protect the public.
"Necessary and proper to the enforcement of federal criminal law and to the operation of a federal penal system are certain incidental powers, including resort to civil commitment of ill and dangerous persons who could pose a threat to the public if released," Ms. Kagan writes in her brief.
Lawyers challenging the law say the government is engaging in an unconstitutional power grab. "The government characterizes Section 4248 as an exercise of Congress's powers to enact criminal laws and operate a prison system. Those powers are not enumerated anywhere in the Constitution," writes Jane Pearce, an assistant federal public defender in Raleigh, N.C.
Detainees certified as 'sexually dangerous'
Under the new law, mMore than 60 individuals have been certified as "sexually dangerous" and are being held in indefinite detention in a federal prison in North Carolina.
Among them is Ms. Pearce's client, Graydon Comstock.
Mr. Comstock was sentenced to three years in federal prison after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography. Six days before his scheduled release from prison, federal authorities moved to have him certified as a "sexually dangerous person." To date, Comstock has spent six years in federal custody.
He is one of five individuals who sued to overturn Section 4248.
There is no indication in public court files what precisely led federal authorities to conclude that Comstock was sexually dangerous. All five men "have an extensive history of sexually deviant behavior beyond the crimes for which they have been charged or convicted," a government filing says. It adds that "mental health professionals who have special expertise in sexual deviancy have certified that the respondents are 'sexually dangerous persons.' "
The government filing added: "Releasing such individuals would likely cause great danger to the communities into which they would be released."
The specific evaluations are not publicly available in court files.
A friend-of-the-court brief submitted on behalf of the libertarian Cato Institute argues that Section 4248 has nothing to do with running the federal penal system. "The true aim of the act is not to support the operation of the prison system at all, but to protect the public at large by continuing the confinement of potentially dangerous persons after the conclusion of their sentences," wrote Washington lawyer C. Allen Foster in the Cato brief. "However well intentioned Congress may have been, it has no power to legislate for the purpose of protecting the public from dangerous persons," he said.
Some states support federal position
Thirty state attorneys general submitted a friend-of-the-court brief supporting Section 4248. They said the provision does not intrude in any way on state police powers. "Section 4248 is a model of cooperative state and federal efforts; the statute neither imposes a federal mandate on unwilling states nor does it preempt any of the states' traditional police powers," wrote Kansas Attorney General Steve Six.
The decision in US v. Comstock is expected by late June.
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Kayseri is a city in the Turkish region of Central Anatolia.
Kayseri is an old and large city with a strong economy. It carries lots of monuments from the days of Seljuks and Ottomans, and is also the home town of the most accomplished architect Mimar Sinan. Population has been steadily increasing and nowadays is around 800,000 in the urban center.
Kayseri was also on the Silk Route and Karatay and Sultanhanı posts on this route reside in Bünyan town's borders. Bünyan is also famous for its carpets which makes Kayseri a popular purchase-stop for tourists visiting Cappadocia.
Get in
By plane
Turkish Airlines and other domestic airlines have daily flights from Istanbul to Kayseri.
By train
Trains from Ankara and Sivas run to Kayseri but they are not very popular as other means of transport are more comfortable.
By car
Getting to Kayseri from other major cities is quite comfortable. The new 2x2-lanes roads make car travel much safer. Ankara to Kayseri takes 4 hours, Konya to Kayseri takes 5 hours.
By bus
It is very easy to get to Kayseri from other major towns. Among other Kent Seyahat is a Kayseri based bus company, and many other cities that have a route through Kayseri also offer quality service.
Get around
Hunat Hatun Camii is the most famous mosque in the city that dates back to Seljuks. Seljuks have also left a number of schools (medrese), tombs (kumbet), and hospitals in the city.
Mount Erciyes is the second highest mountain (3916 m) in Turkey and a popular domestic skiing location. Nowadays, foreign tourists have also started to visit the location. Erciyes Ski Center is 25 km. from the city center.
Handwoven carpets are the major touristic merchandise in Kayseri, but they can be quite expensive as some of them are silk.
Kayseri Mantısı is the most famous dish Kayseri is known for. It's made from minced meat, wrapped in tiny bits of dough and boiled. It's served with a special sauce and yogurt. It's pretty difficult to find a restaurant to eat it as locals always eat this at home and they are prepared much better. However, Kaşıkla has now established a well deserved name in the city also for locals and if you can't get a local to invite you home, is definitely worth trying.
Pastırma is Kayseri's another well-known product. It's dried, salted beef covered with çemen, prepared by a special process. Pastırma is served both as a spicy starter or used in dishes (e.g. in pastırmalı kuru fasulye) or böreks. Kayseri is the major source of production in Turkey. If cannot afford the restaurants, try buying 100 grams from a large supermarket or from old shops in the old shopping district behind the castle (Kale).
İskender is a kebap variant, and its name is associated with Alexander the Great. It's meat is prepared similar to that of döner, but is server in dish, and with a butter sauce. Although others come quite close, a local restaurant called İskender is the best place to eat this, and is located on the opposite side of Hunat Hatun Camii.
Gilaburu juice is a tradational drink from middle anatolia. Gilaburu (viburnum opulus) is a tiny, red fruit. It has lots of benefits to human body. You can drink Gilaburu juice in Elmacıoğlu İskender (one of the biggest restaurant in the city).
Hilton Kayseri is so far the only 5-star and international hotel in Kayseri.
Stay safe
Get out


text:
Top Items:
David Brooks / New York Times:
President Obama Was Right — Americans don't have a common ancestry. Therefore, we have to work hard to build national solidarity. We go in for more overt displays of patriotism than in most other countries: politicians wearing flag lapel pins, everybody singing the national anthem before games …
Discussion: Hit & Run, Taegan Goddard's …, The Week, No More Mister Nice Blog and The Huffington Post
Matt Welch / Hit & Run: 7 Libertarian Arguments About Bowe Bergdahl
Matt K. Lewis / The Week: David Brooks sides with Obama on Bergdahl swap
Steve M. / No More Mister Nice Blog: DEAR DAVID BROOKS: YOUR ALLIES DESTROYED THE NATIONAL SOLIDARITY YOU DESCRIBE
Katherine Fung / The Huffington Post: Charles Krauthammer Supports Bergdahl Swap
New York Times:
The Rush to Demonize Sgt. Bergdahl — Four months ago, Senator John McCain said he would support the exchange of five hard-core Taliban leaders for the release of Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl. "I would support," he told CNN. "Obviously I'd have to know the details, but I would support ways of bringing …
Dylan Byers / Politico: John McCain against the media
Anne Gearan / Washington Post: Sources outline conditions on Taliban leaders' release in exchange for Bergdahl
Maha / The Mahablog: What's the Difference Between Today's GOP and a Bunch of 5th Grade Playground Bullies?
Laura Clawson / Daily Kos: Conflicting reports on Bergdahl disappearance highlight that many reported 'facts' aren't
Zack Beauchamp / Vox: 8 conservatives who hated Obama for not releasing Bergdahl — and now hate Obama for freeing him
William A. Jacobson / Le·gal In·sur·rec· tion: NY Times Editors Rush to Demonize Republicans over Sgt. Bergdahl
Pamela Leavey / The Democratic Daily: The Appalling Demonization of Bowe Bergdahl
Ruchi Parekh / Just Security: News Roundup and Notes: June 6, 2014
Pete Kasperowicz / TheBlaze.com: McCain hits New York Times for 'shameful' editing of his statement on Bergdahl
Mark Hemingway / Weekly Standard: New York Times Editorial: Bergdahl's Unit 'As Much to Blame' For His Disappearance
Brendan Bordelon / The Daily Caller: Far-Left Media Buries Their Heads In The Sand Over Bergdahl Scandal
Ritika Singh / Lawfare: Today's Headlines and Commentary
Amanda Terkel / The Huffington Post: GOP Congressman Criticizes Own Party Over Bowe Bergdahl Response
William Saletan / Slate: Trading Taliban prisoners for a POW doesn't reward terrorism. It keeps our promise to our troops.
Glenn Kessler / Washington Post:
Did John McCain flip-flop on the Bergdahl deal? — "Now this idea is for an exchange of prisoners for our American fighting man. I would be inclined to support such a thing depending on a lot of the details." — "We were never told that there would be an exchange of Sergeant Bergdahl for five Taliban."
Discussion: Talking Points Memo, Weekly Standard, Hot Air, Booman Tribune, Daily Kos, Politico and New York Times
Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo: Fact Checker: Despite What McCain Says, He Flip-Flopped On Bergdahl Swap
Jeryl Bier / Weekly Standard: State Dept. in January: Giving In to Terrorist Demands 'Perpetuates the Action' of Kidnappings
Ed Morrissey / Hot Air: WH sales pitch on restrictions for released Taliban leaders not exactly a confidence-builder
BooMan / Booman Tribune: John McCain is a Former POW
Laura Clawson / Daily Kos: John McCain flip-flops on Bowe Bergdahl, then lies about it
Burgess Everett / Politico: John McCain aide disputes flip-flop charge
Jim Acosta / CNN:
Susan Rice defends Bergdahl comments, calls his service 'honorable' — Colleville-sur-Mer, FRANCE (CNN) — President Barack Obama's national security adviser said Friday that her full-throated praise of Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl was appropriate given the former Taliban prisoner's willingness …
Discussion: Hot Air and The Gateway Pundit
Stephen F. Hayes / Weekly Standard:
The Unraveling — How the Obama administration's story on Bowe Bergdahl and the Taliban fell apart — Late in the afternoon of Saturday, May 31, Barack Obama strode confidently to a lectern in the White House Rose Garden flanked by the parents of Sergeant Bowe Bergdahl …
Discussion: The Daily Caller, The Daily Beast and New York Times
Jeff Bell / Wall Street Journal:
43 beats 44, 48% to 42%. — This has to hurt: A plurality of respondents in a new Fox News poll "believe the administration of former President George W. Bush was more competent [than] the Obama administration," the Hill reports. "Forty-eight percent say the Obama administration is less competent …
Discussion: Associated Press, RedState, The Hill and Washington Post
Charles Krauthammer / Washington Post:
Free him, then try him — (Uncredited/AP) - In this image taken …
Free him, then try him — (Uncredited/AP) - In this image taken …
Discussion: Wall Street Journal, The Dish and National Review
Andrew Sullivan / The Dish: Sanity Breaks Out On The Right On Bergdahl
David Conti / Greensburg Tribune-Review:
In Pittsburgh, Leon Panetta questions prisoner swap with Taliban
In Pittsburgh, Leon Panetta questions prisoner swap with Taliban
Discussion: National Review, Human Events and New York Times
Brian Beutler / The New Republic:
An Anatomy of the Right's Bergdahl Overreach
An Anatomy of the Right's Bergdahl Overreach
Discussion: American Spectator, Washington Post, Taylor Marsh, Talking Points Memo, Hullabaloo and Little Green Footballs
Matt Purple / American Spectator: The Left's Hackish Response to Bowe Bergdahl
Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo: Scarborough And Todd Get Into On-Air Shouting Match Over Bergdahl's Dad
Digby / Hullabaloo: MSNBC's Chuck Todd and Joe Scarborough got into a shouting match Thursday on "Morning Joe" …
Bowe Bergdahl handover shown in Taliban video
Bowe Bergdahl handover shown in Taliban video
Discussion: The Federalist, RedState, Slate, The Gateway Pundit, TIME and Politico
Mollie Hemingway / The Federalist: The 8 Stupidest Arguments Being Made About Obama's Bergdahl Swap
Loren Heal / RedState: The Obama Administration's Shifting, Turning Bergdahl Narrative Shifts and Turns Ugly
David Weigel / Slate: Here's How Quickly Conservatives Turned on Bowe Bergdahl
Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit: Obama on Bergdahl Deal: Never Surprised by Controversies "Whipped Up" in Washington (Video)
Kendall Breitman / Politico: Duncan Hunter on Bowe Bergdahl: John Kerry 'turned his back'
Catherine Thompson / Talking Points Memo:
Obama And Putin Have Totally Awkward D-Day Encounter — Things got awkward when President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin found themselves in close quarters Friday. — The leaders were attending a luncheon hosted by French President Francois Hollande after the morning's D-Day ceremonies.
Discussion: Mediaite
Andrew Kirell / Mediaite: Obama and Putin Share Uncomfortable D-Day Memorial Encounter
Jennifer Epstein / Politico:
Obama, Putin share 'informal' talk
Obama, Putin share 'informal' talk
Discussion: Outside the Beltway
Doug Mataconis / Outside the Beltway: Obama And Putin's Awkward Encounter
Seattle Pacific University shooting: Multiple victims, 2 shooters — Quick Facts: — At least six people shot at Seattle Pacific University. — At least one suspect in custody. Police initially said two. — School is about 10 min. from downtown Seattle with about 4,000 students.
Melissa McEwan / Shakesville: In the News — Here is some stuff in the news today...
Taylor Berman / Gawker: Seattle Gunman Reportedly Obsessed With Columbine
Lindsey Bever / Washington Post: Seattle shooter was obsessed with Columbine, report says. Student who stopped him hailed as hero.
Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit: One Dead, Three Injured in Shooting at Seattle Pacific University - SHOOTER ID'd Aaron Ybarra
Sarah Pulliam Bailey / Religion News Service: Shooting takes place at Christian university in Seattle
Caitlin MacNeal / Talking Points Memo: Police: At Least 4 Victims In Seattle Pacific University Shooting
The Seattle Times:
Hero's quick thinking likely saved lives at SPU
Hero's quick thinking likely saved lives at SPU
Discussion: NPR, Religion News Service and Clayton Cramer
The Seattle Times:
1 dead, others hurt in shooting at Seattle Pacific University before student tackles gunman
1 dead, others hurt in shooting at Seattle Pacific University before student tackles gunman
Discussion: The Raw Story, Religion News Service, Washington Post and Gawker
Amanda Marcotte / The Raw Story: Turns out the thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a hall monitor with pepper spray
Kevin Eckstrom / Religion News Service: Sister Cristina * Seattle shooting * Baptist beer : Friday's Roundup
Mark Berman / Washington Post: One person killed, three others injured in shooting at Seattle Pacific University
Gabrielle Bluestone / Gawker: One Killed, Two Wounded in Seattle Pacific University Shooting
Fox News:
EXCLUSIVE: Bergdahl declared jihad in 2010, secret documents show — U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl at one point during his captivity converted to Islam, fraternized openly with his captors and declared himself a "mujahid," or warrior for Islam, according to secret documents prepared on the basis …
Discussion: protein wisdom, ThinkProgress, The PJ Tatler, Fox News Insider, Blazing Cat Fur, Infowars, Little Green Footballs, The Dish, Talking Points Memo, The Daily Caller, Right Wing News, The Gateway Pundit, susiemadrak.com, Mediaite, TPNN, National Review, Independent Journal Review, Hot Air, The Huffington Post and Politico
Bryan Preston / The PJ Tatler: VIDEO: SIX of Bergdahl's Platoon Mates Speak Out Together
Steve Watson / Infowars: Reports: Bowe Bergdahl Declared Jihad In 2010
Little Green Footballs: Fox's Bergdahl Jihadi Story: "Secret Docs Based on a Purported Eyewitness" Supplied by a Shady Right Wing Group
Andrew Sullivan / The Dish: The Best Of The Dish Today
Tom Kludt / Talking Points Memo: Fox News: 'Secret Documents' Claim Bergdahl Became A 'Warrior' For Islam
Brendan Bordelon / The Daily Caller: Krauthammer: New Rosen Report 'Argues Against Speculation' Bergdahl Tried To Join The Taliban
Samuel Gonzalez / Right Wing News: HUGE REVEAL: Sgt. Bowe "The Deserter" …
Jim Hoft / The Gateway Pundit: BREAKING: Haqqani Network Wanted Ransom - Obama Gave Them Top 5 Taliban Detainees Instead (Video)
Noah Rothman / Mediaite: Bergdahl Reportedly Converted to Islam, Declared Himself a 'Mujahid' in Captivity
Kyle Becker / Independent Journal Review: Explosive Report on Obama's Gitmo Terror Trade: Secret Docs Show Bergdahl Declared Jihad Against US
Igor Bobic / The Huffington Post: Senator: Officials Had Reason To Believe Bergdahl May Have Been Killed Had Deal Been Leaked
Kendall Breitman / Politico: Charles Krauthammer backs Bowe Bergdahl deal
George R.R. Martin / Prizeo:
WIN A WOLF SANCTUARY TOUR AND HELICOPTER RIDE WITH — SUPPORT WILD SPIRIT AND FOOD DEPOT … 59 DAYS TO GO — $173,635 — GEORGE R.R. MARTIN — THE PRIZE — It's George R.R. Martin, and I'm here to raise money for the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary and The Food Depot of Santa Fe.
Discussion: The Week, Guardian, The Daily Caller, The Verge, Business Insider, CNN, Grist, Mashable, KRQE-TV and Mediaite
Alison Flood / Guardian: George RR Martin (probably) won't add eighth volume to A Song of Fire and Ice
Seth Richardson / The Daily Caller: For Just $20,000, George R.R. Martin Will Kill You!
Rich McCormick / The Verge: Pay $20,000 for a grisly 'Game of Thrones' death
Karyne Levy / Business Insider: For Just $20,000, You Could Get Violently Killed In An Upcoming 'Game Of Thrones' Book
Lisa Respers France / CNN: 'Game of Thrones' author wants to kill you — for charity
Max Knoblauch / Mashable: George R.R. Martin Wants to Kill You for $20,000
Chelo Rivera / KRQE-TV: Win a day with Game of Thrones author
Matthew Continetti / Washington Free Beacon:
Dialing It In — One evening in March, during a visit to Italy, President Obama asked the U.S. ambassador to round up a bunch of—and I quote—"interesting Italians" for a dinner at the ambassadorial residence. The history of the property, the Villa Taverna, goes as far back as the tenth century.
Discussion: Washington Monthly, alicublog and The PJ Tatler
Stephen Green / The PJ Tatler: The Burden of Abdication — Matthew Continetti reports …
Daniel Strauss / Talking Points Memo:
Tea Party Group Flips To Attacking 'Liberal' MS Dem Before Runoff — The U.S. Senate runoff election between Sen. Thad Cochran (R-MS) and state Sen. Chris McDaniel (R-MS) is still weeks away but the pro-McDaniel tea party-aligned Club for Growth is already directing some fire at Democratic nominee Travis Childers.
Discussion: Washington Monthly
Bill McBride / Calculated Risk:
May Employment Report: 217,000 Jobs, 6.3% Unemployment Rate — From the BLS: … Click on graph for larger image. — The headline number was at expectations of 213,000 payroll jobs added. — The first graph shows the job losses from the start of the employment recession …
Discussion: Wall Street Journal, New York Times, msnbc.com and Outside the Beltway
Nelson D. Schwartz / New York Times: U.S. Added 217,000 Jobs in May; Unemployment Rate Remains 6.3%
Steve Benen / msnbc.com: Job creation remains steady, 217k jobs added in May
70 years later, D-Day vet Jim 'Pee Wee' Martin jumps again — Normandy, France (CNN) — Jim "Pee Wee" Martin acted like he'd been here before, like jumping from a plane is as easy as falling off a log. — Maybe that's because he had — 70 years ago. — "I'm feeling fine," …
Discussion: protein wisdom, Outside the Beltway, AMERICAN DIGEST and Gawker
Aleksander Chan / Gawker: Watch A 93-Year-Old WWII Vet Recreate His D-Day Parachute Jump
Wall Street Journal:
Schumer Drops by Graduations to Tell Same 'Loser' Story — New York Senator Often Arrives Unadvertised but Colleges Aren't Complaining; 'It's a Tradition' — New York Sen. Chuck Schumer likes to show up unannounced at college commencements in the state, and he often tells this story about the summer after he graduated from Harvard.
Discussion: Business Insider and Capital New York
David Ignatius / Washington Post:
Edward Snowden took less than previously thought, says James Clapper — As the intelligence community continues its assessment of the damage caused by Edward Snowden's leaks of secret programs, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper says it appears the impact may be less than once feared because …
Discussion: Firedoglake, The Hill, Wall Street Journal, Guardian, Prairie Weather and Business Insider, more at Mediagazer »
Kevin Gosztola / Firedoglake: James Clapper Somewhat Concedes Claims About How Many Documents Snowden Took Were Incorrect
Mario Trujillo / The Hill: Clapper: Snowden files might be smaller than expected
Siobhan Gorman / Wall Street Journal: Senate Panel Cool Toward Bill Passed by House to Overhaul the NSA
Spencer Ackerman / Guardian: Edward Snowden, a year on: reformers frustrated as NSA preserves its power
Michael B. Kelley / Business Insider: The US Now Thinks Snowden 'Probably Downloaded' 1.5 Million Documents That Haven't Been Found
New York Times:
Memories From Normandy — Beginning on June 6, 1944, more than 150,000 Allied troops landed on a broad stretch of beaches on the coast of Normandy, in German-held France. Entrenched behind concrete walls and bunkers were more than 50,000 German soldiers. Seventy years later …
Discussion: Daily Kos
Georgia Logothetis / Daily Kos: Abbreviated pundit roundup: Remembering D-Day, bringing home Bergdahl and more
Juliette Garside / Guardian:
Vodafone reveals existence of secret wires that allow state surveillance — Wires allow agencies to listen to or record live conversations, in what privacy campaigners are calling a 'nightmare scenario' — Vodafone, one of the world's largest mobile phone groups, has revealed the existence …
Discussion: The Daily Caller, Techdirt, PandoDaily and The Verge
Giuseppe Macri / The Daily Caller: Vodafone Admits Multiple Governments Directly Access User Phone Data
Glyn Moody / Techdirt: Vodafone Reveals Government Agencies Have Direct Access To Its Network Around The World, No Warrants Required
Nathaniel Mott / PandoDaily: Vodafone shows the limits on "transparency reports" even as it reveals secret surveillance programs


text:
From medicine to the military, lasers have infiltrated almost every part of our existence, including death.
Since 1994, the monument industry has experimented with lasers and they've gotten extremely skilled in what they can do with a slab of black granite and a beam of light.
Life-like portraits, extensive quotes and striking images are all possible now that lasers have made their way into the graveyard. And these creative designs can be etched easily in a few hours, not painstakingly by hand for days.
It's a game-changer for monument companies that are struggling against a rising number of cremations. Yes, it all sounds so macabre, but, hey, that's part of life (and death) in this crazy world of ours. [The Atlantic]
You can keep up with Kelly Hodgkins, the author of this post, on Twitter or Facebook.


text:
Operational Permits
Amusement Buildings
To operate a special amusement building.
Carnivals and Fairs
To conduct a carnival or fair.
Covered Mall Buildings
Placing retail fixtures, displays, concession equipment, displays of highly combustible goods and similar items. The display of liquid or gas-fired equipment. The use of open-flame or flame-producing equipment.
Exhibits and Trade Shows
To operate exhibits or trade shows.
To manufacture, store, handle, sell, use of any quantity of explosives, explosive material, fireworks or pyrotechnic special effects. Exception: Fireworks allowed by NCGS 14-414.
Flammable and Combustible Liquid
To operate tank vehicles, equipment, tanks, plants, terminals, wells, fuel-dispensing stations, refineries, distilleries and similar facilities where flammable and combustible liquids are produced, processed, transported, stored, dispensed or used.
Fumigation and Thermal Insecticidal
Fogging - To operate a business of fumigation or thermal insecticidal fogging and to maintain a room, vault or chamber in which a toxic or flammable fumigant is used.
Liquid or Gas-Fueled Vehicles or Equipment in Assembly Buildings
To display, operate or demonstrate liquid or gas-fueled vehicles or equipment in assembly buildings.
Private Fire Hydrants
To remove from service, use or operation of private fire hydrants. See Fire Code for exceptions.
Pyrotechnic Special Effects Material
For use and handling of pyrotechnic special effects materials. Exception: Fireworks as described in NC General Statute 14-414. The permit application process must be approved by the Board of Commissioners. Please allow 21-30 days for the approval process.
Spraying or Dipping
To conduct a spraying or dipping operation utilizing flammable/combustible liquids or combustible powders.
Temporary Membrane Structures, Tents, Canopies
To operate an air-supported temporary membrane structure, tent greater than 200 square feet or a canopy greater than 400 square feet. See Fire Code for exceptions.
Open Burning
Lot clearing for development.


text:
AMAG Technology, Inc., a G4S company headquartered in Torrance, Calif., announced this week that Kurt Takahashi, senior vice president, sales, has been promoted to president.
Takahashi, who began at AMAG in February 2015, successfully grew the business through his management of the sales, sales engineering and business development teams.
Prior to AMAG, Takahashi was the vice president of global sales and marketing at Quantum Secure, helping increase the global pipeline and revenue growth.
Takahashi told Security Systems News that he looks forward to helping AMAG Technology sustain the strong 20 percent year-over-year growth the company experienced from 2015 to 2016.
"We had a great year and part of the reason why we have had good growth is because the industry is now starting to understand that AMAG is more than just an access control company," he explained. "That message is really starting to resonate, because if you look at the growth of the company, we grew in every category of our business."
Last year, AMAG released its Symmetry product line with Symmetry GUEST, the company's web-based visitor management system, and Takahashi said he will continue to focus on delivering unified solutions that will help end users mitigate risk, meet compliance requirements and reduce costs.
"Our visitor management solution, which is a hosted service, is more than just a basic visitor management system—it is a policy-based system that has lots of full-featured integrations with third party products with calendaring systems," he noted. "It automates how we manage different types of visitors, whether international visitors or different types of MBAs or safety certifications or acknowledgements, and things like that—really automating the experience of how companies actually manage their visitors."
This year, the company is going to be releasing a rewrite of its Symmetry Connect platform. "We are looking forward to releasing that this year and that is going to help us to automate all of the onboarding and off-boarding and audits and compliance requirements for a lot of our customers."
He pointed out that the success of these products can be attributed partly to the effort the company has put toward understanding the needs of its customers.
"We spend a lot of time sitting down with our customers in the command center next to the guard or the officer watching every click, asking, 'How do I simplify it?' These are the things that we are building into our application to simplify that process, whether it is through Connect or through new applications that we are building to augment things within Symmetry."
He said that the company also gets a lot of great feedback and direction from customers at its annual AMAG Security Engineering Symposium. This year, the event is being held from Feb. 17-20 at the La Cantera Resort & Spa in San Antonio, Texas.
"That is really a big event for us that helps us determine if we are on track or if we need to make some adjustments," he said. "We invite consultants, integrators and end users all to the same event and we feel that the collaboration of all three entities brings tremendous value to us in terms of how we define what features need to be changed within our application, what new types of technology or products need to be looked at, from either developing it ourselves or seeking out another third party to enhance their experience."
In the spirit of new ideas, the company is releasing around mid-year 2017 a new Linux-based security panel called Crypto, which Takahashi said is "moving toward a much more nimble, flexible API that is incorporating more Web services, so it makes it easier for us to make updates and add new integrations with other third party companies," he explained. "So it gives us more flexibility down the road and puts a lot more technology in the panel. We are looking at some good increases in that area for our business."
He continued, "Overall, we are going to continue to look at the industry as a whole and see where we can enable new technology."
HAGERSTOWN, Md.—Throughout the past year, Dynamark entered some new areas: it moved into a new 24,000 square-foot facility, launched a funding program for its dealers, and entered the mPERS space through working with Numera's Libris device. Company CEO Trey Alter looks ahead at 2017 as the "year of improvement."
"This year our theme is it's all about service, both for Dynamark customers and helping our dealers provide better service to their customers. It's easy to create accounts in this industry, but it's hard to fulfill the expectations of the customer," Alter told Security Systems News.
"It's a more competitive marketplace than it's ever been," Alter said, pointing to the cablecos and DIY offerings. "[We're] trying to help our dealers understand that it's going to take more each and every year to both get new customers and keep the customers you have."
The company grew by 36 percent in 2016, which is somewhat consistent with Dynamark's previous growth according to Alter. He also said that dealers have been showing interest in the new funding programs since its release.
The company previously said that it is looking to acquire another central station, and Alter said it's a "must do" for 2017. "We're very focused on finding a second central station this year—whether it means opening a new location or purchasing an existing location—and adding it to Dynamark," he said.
"I think, ideally, we'd like to see something more in the Western market; but, we would never overlook a quality central station," Alter said. Purchasing an existing central, instead of building one, "gives us the chance to meet a bunch of new dealers, to roll out some new technology to them, and to just make more relationships."
What is the company looking to improve on? "Helping dealers understand early warning signs of bad customer behavior." Alter gave a couple of examples, "If your customer's not arming their system, and has not done so in a month, they will cancel on you—earlier than you'd like them to—because it means they have not found value in the system."
Alter continued, "If you are not talking to your customers about the new offerings, about the camera systems that are available today, about the ability to integrate home automation devices, someone else is going to take your customers."
LAS VEGAS—With the 2017 edition of the Consumer Electronics Show wrapping up on Sunday, it is always fun to see what technology trends are coming out of the show and how these will influence the security industry.
Over the past few years, the smart or connected home has made its way into the fabric of the show, growing in size and presence each year. Many prominent companies in the industry made big announcements at the show this year, including some notable unveils from ADT, Vivint, Alarm.com, Nortek Security & Control, Bosch, and Z-Wave Alliance, which featured its Z-Wave Experience Smart House demo area.
Vivint CMO Jeff Lyman told Security Systems News, "The show was marvelous for us—we doubled the size of our presence there this year having learned a lot from doing it last year for the first time in 2016. We were really pleased with how the show turned out. There is a large smart-home presence at CES, and it is a growing section of the show."
Lyman also talked about the company's big announcements at CES, most notably Vivint Sky, the company's new smart home assistant that uses artificial intelligence, or AI, to manage all of the devices in a connected home. Vivint Smart Home also announced a new Flex Pay option with Citizens Bank, as well as partnerships with Airbnb and Vivint Solar.
Steve Connor, director of product marketing for Nortek Security & Control, like Lyman, pointed to the growth of the smart home at CES, telling SSN, "The Smart Home section had solid traffic and this time we saw a lot of our dealers, which was nice, and different from past years. The show went very well for us and we had some big announcements."
Most notably, Nortek Security & Control unveiled its new 2GIG Vario Hybrid Security System, which Connor said is the culmination of "a lot of hard work and innovation." The complete Vario system consists of a security control panel with on-board hardwire inputs and outputs, which can add wireless capabilities to take advantage of 2GIG's existing wireless solutions. [Note: An article on this is coming soon, so check back on the site over the next few days for my full interview with Connor.]
Another top provider on the residential side, ADT, made a big splash at CES this year as well, making several announcements including expansions to its Canopy platform, which brings the company's professional monitoring to various smart device partners in an on-demand offering, as well as new integration partners and ADT Anywhere. ADT also announced that its Canopy offering will be available with the launch of LG's Smart Security product—an all-in-one security and home automation device with video capabilities. Also at CES, ADT announced integrations with Samsung's Gear S2 and Gear S3 smart watches.
CES also offered glimpses at the future, with self-driving and autonomous cars, including one unveiled by Bosch with biometric capability, as well as drones and robotic technology as part of an overall security system solution.
Speaking of drones at CES, Alarm.com announced at the show plans to develop autonomous, video-enabled drone applications to extend the capabilities of smart home and business security systems. Alarm.com's multi-sensor awareness and property intelligence, together with the Qualcomm Snapdragon Flight drone platform, will deploy drones to investigate unexpected activity. The drones will be designed to autonomously navigate through the property and provide a high-resolution video feed to the property owner. Alarm.com also unveiled at CES its Insights Engine, a multi-sensor learning capability that recognizes and proactively responds to unexpected activity around a property.
I look forward to speaking with Alarm.com's chief product officer Dan Kerzner later this week to get more on this interesting development for the company.
And while we are on the topic of new and emerging technologies, I would be remiss if I did not get in a shameless plug for SSN's TechSec Solutions show, where we will be looking at how to leverage new technology over a day and a half of educational sessions, networking and product displays. Click here to register and get the early bird discount!
Hope to see you at TechSec in Delray Beach, Fla., Feb. 27-28!
ESX just recently opened early registration for the 2017 show, to be held June 13-16 at the Music City Center, in Nashville, Tenn., as well as nominations for ESX 2017 Innovation Awards.
Yesterday, ESX announced a heavily discounted rate for early registration as celebration for the show's 10th year; early registrants will only pay $199 for ESX's Premium Pass. Last year, the Premium Pass early rate was $700.
"We are thrilled to extend the special pricing for ESX 2017! To celebrate our 10th year, we really wanted to expand the opportunity of experiencing ESX to even more integrators, dealers and monitoring professionals," George De Marco, ESX chairman, told Security Systems News in an email exchange.
"We plan to highlight all the best of what the industry has to offer – technology, education and networking – and to take a trip down memory lane, showing off the best of ESX over the years," De Marco said.
ESX has a strong focus on providing useful education each year; this year the program expands with new "CounterPoint Forums," De Marco said. "The interactive format will encourage security professionals to explore and discuss opposing views freely and passionately. We'll be discussing topics, such as: Should you sell your security company? Cable service companies are here to stay - what impact are they having on the industry? DIY Security: Passing fad of real opportunity?"
"We believe the Counterpoint Forum will become a strong anchor in our program for 2017 and beyond," De Marco continued.
Vendors and service providers can submit their nominations for Innovation Awards up to March 17.
Alongside these announcements, ESX posted its educational session this year. Glancing at some of the session, I see some key trends for the industry.
"Video Verification - Can You See Me Now?" one of the sessions in the Grow Your Business track, will look at video verification, why it's important and how to upsell customers to gain more RMR.
In the Monitoring Center track, "Critical Steps to Understand and Combat the Growing Cyber Threats to your Monitoring Center Data," plans to address the now ubiquitous concern of cybersecurity and tell attendees how they can educate their staff and identify proper resources to support their IT organization.
"Must Know Future Trends of the Industry," a session in the Rethink the Future track, looks at a variety of industry topics, including cloud-based services, new players in the market, and the "pros and cons" of forming third-party partnerships.
In the Run Your Company track, "Five Tips for Managing Millennials" session seeks help attendees tap into potential talent in younger generations, through understanding common millennial career views and motivations.
Security Systems News is excited to announce this year's TechSec Solutions educational program and keynote speaker—Jack Wu, co-founder and CEO of Nightingale Security, an innovator in the area of robotic aerial security.
In his keynote, Wu will look at the current and future role robotics has in security and potential applications across many different verticals. Wu co-founded the company with John Hsu, whose vast experience in aeronautics and astronautics, Ph.D. from Stanford University and work at SpaceX on Falcon's navigation system provide the technological vision and know-how that helps drive the company's advancements in aerial robotic technology. Come see the company's latest security drone up close and personal in Delray Beach, Fla., Feb. 27-28.
Beyond the keynote, we are tackling some of the bigger technology trends that are impacting the security industry today and will continue to shape the industry in the future, from IoT and big data to biometrics and mobile access. And, of course, cybersecurity and the cloud will make it into many of the conversations as well.
As a new and emerging technologies conference, the underlying theme for the educational program is looking to the future of technology—where we are and where we are going and how the industry can leverage these advances. We will also be looking at where the industry is in terms of standards and best practices.
For example, this year's session entitled, The Future of IoT: Taming Security's Wild West, will delve into how the Internet of Things or IoT is a virtual wild west, and is transforming into the Internet of Everything (IoE). This session will try to make sense of it all, looking at what is being done in the area of standards, best practices, interoperability, cybersecurity and more, led by panelists Neil Lakomiak, director of business development & innovation, UL; Mitchell Klein, executive director, Z-wave Alliance; Jon Lewit, communication committee chair, ONVIF, and director of technology leadership, Pelco; and integrator Jim Coleman, president, Operational Security Systems, Inc.
For more details on TechSeec Solutions and to register, click here.
Parks Associates recently released a whitepaper that discusses key trends in the IoT space for 2017.
"The Internet of Things is driving the reinvention of consumer technology and entertainment markets," Brett Sappington, senior research director, Parks Associates, said in the announcement.
"New players and product categories are emerging that challenge traditional players with established business models and distribution channels. Online giants have the scale and technology to take risks in new areas of innovation. In some cases, these innovations are transforming whole sectors of the connected home," Sappington continued.
According to Parks' research, the average U.S. broadband household has "more than eight connected computing, entertainment, or mobile devices, plus another two connected home devices such as networked cameras, smart thermostats, or smart lighting."
That strikes me as very interesting, as my household contains only about five—and, as a millennial, I feel more is expected of me there.
"Consumer interaction with the devices and services in their lives – at home, in the car, on the go – will continue to evolve in 2017 to be more personal and targeted," Jennifer Kent, director, research quality and product development for Parks Associates, said in a prepared statement. "Approximately 50% of U.S. broadband households plan to buy a smart home device in the next 12 months, and they will tie these devices to their mobile platforms, broadband connections, and other devices to create a singular but ever-expanding user experience."
Below are the 10 trends Parks Associates noted on in their announcement:
1. Voice control is vying to become the primary user interface for the smart home and connected lifestyle.
2. The smartphone market plateaus, and mobile carriers experiment to retain subscribers, which will threaten fixed broadband services.
3. CE manufacturers focus on new product categories and ecosystem strategies to compensate for stagnation in a mature market.
4. Virtual and augmented reality gain a foothold in niche operations and greater awareness among early adopters, creating opportunities for social VR experiences.
5. The differences between on-demand and live viewing continue to blur as consumers embrace a variety of OTT video services.
6. Consumers increasingly expect connectivity in their cars, but pricing, safety, and data privacy concerns inhibit market growth.
7. To cross the chasm, the smart home industry will continue to develop new use cases for security, peace of mind, and energy management.
8. Insurers are exploring new business opportunities in smart home products and services and will continue to launch trials and new partnerships.
9. Wearables and smart watches are expanding as healthcare tools and will be integrated with other IoT applications.
10. Consumerization of healthcare services and devices drives integration with smart home ecosystems and new business models.
The whitepaper also includes a list of "Players to watch in 2017" for a variety of categories, including voice control, security and the smart home, connected health devices, and insurance and the smart home.
KING OF PRUSSIA, Pa.—Wearable Health Solutions, formerly Medical Alarm Concepts, is moving from its original direct-to-consumer model to a dealer-only model with its new mPERS offering, the iHelp + 3G.
"The goal of this product and our company is to sell to dealers and to give them everything that they would need to help them to sell this product, and that includes the dealer portal," Jennifer Loria, Wearable Health Solutions COO told Security Systems News.
The company is looking to roll-out its new mPERS in the end of January 2017. The company is currently sending out demos—"We're ready and we're excited about it," Ronnie Adams, company president and CEO, told SSN.
Adams said that the company's new name, unveiled in June, aligns it with the wearable field, a key aspect of medical alert devices.
The iHelp + 3G mPERS stands out through its new dealer portal, according to Adams, which will give dealers the ability to upsell and turn on certain features. "It gives them the ability to offer features and functionality where they couldn't do it before," Adams said. He also lauded the product's light weight—1.5 ounces—and its small size.
The new device works on a 3g network and includes fall detection, geo-fencing and tracking capabilities in addition to its main help button. It device can also emit sound to help locate it if it is lost. The unit can notify specifically identified contacts if the user leaves the geo-fenced area; it will also notify these contacts when the user reenters the zone, Adams said.
"If somebody pushes the SOS [button], that's the only time that it goes to a monitoring center—or if somebody falls," Adams said.
"If the dealer wants us to brand it, we will brand it for the dealer," Adams said. In certain events, key contacts will be sent a map, showing the user's location and even this map can be white-labeled for the dealer, Adams said.
The company's first solution, a PERS device called the MediPendant, was sold direct to consumer through big box stores and is being phased out over the next six months. While Wearable Health Solutions will services MediPendant, "The business going forward is going to be strictly with dealers, and with a dealer program, for the iHelp + 3G," Adams said.
The company had a middle step between selling the MediPendant direct to consumer, and it's 3G device to dealers. "In the interim, while we were developing this [3G] product, we came out with a 2G product, which got us into the field and enabled us to understand … the cellular space a little bit better and the dealer space a little bit better," Adams said.
The company had a dealer portal for its 2G offering, originally called the iHelp, to learn more about the needs of the company's dealers, Loria said. The original iHelp is no longer being sold.
The Z-Wave Alliance, an open consortium of global companies deploying the Z-Wave smart home standard, is adding a security requirement to its long-standing interoperability certification.
According to Mitchell Klein, Z-Wave Alliance executive director, the Alliance Board of Directors voted to mandate all devices receiving Z-Wave Certification after April 2nd, 2017 to include the new advanced Security 2 (S2) framework, an important addition to the Alliance's certification program that will require manufacturers to adopt a stronger level of IoT security.
"The recent spate of hackings and DDoS and other things going on are more or less happy coincidences and not motivation on our part, and the reason I put it that way is because something as complex as the S2 Security protocol that we've established has been in development for more than four years," Klein told Security Systems News. "No one can afford to sit on their hands and wait—consumers deserve IoT devices in their home to have the strongest levels of security possible. IoT smart home technologies that don't act will be left behind."
Klein said that the update is backwards compatible, so any devices that are running on the current chip sets can be firmware updated to include S2 without having to make any hardware changes, and the updates can be pushed.
"The reason why we moved forward with it is because we wanted to ensure that as we got more and more complex devices, and more and more complex systems, that security becomes a base part of all devices and everything in the system," Klein explained. "In order to achieve that, we had to take it up a level and make sure that it is going to run on the current chip set, so that our members don't have to go and change or redesign hardware."
Z-Wave's S2 framework was developed in conjunction with cybersecurity hacking experts, giving the already secure Z-Wave devices new levels of impenetrability, according to Klein. "We are so confident that this is hack proof, that we actually post the S2 protocol on the website and it is publically available," he said.
Klein said that by securing communication both locally for home-based devices and in the hub or gateway for cloud functions, S2 also completely removes the risk of devices being hacked while they are included in the network. By using a QR or pin-code on the device itself the devices are uniquely authenticated to the network as well. Common hacks such as man in the middle and brute force are "virtually powerless" against the S2 framework through the implementation of the industry-wide accepted secure key exchange using Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH), he said.
Finally, Z-Wave also strengthened its cloud communication, enabling the tunneling of all Z-Wave over IP (Z/IP) traffic through a secure TLS 1.1 tunnel, removing vulnerability.
By changing the way security is implemented, Klein said that there are a number of improvements. "You will find that the response time from things like door locks, which actually had to require authentication, is much quicker, and with much less overhead (single exchange as opposed to a back and forth exchange)," he said.
For 2017, from a technology perspective, Klein said there will be discussions about a new generation Z-Wave chip. "We have a lot of things up our sleeve on what that is going to do and I think that is going to put a lot of smiles on people's faces," he said.
BALA CYNWYD, Pa.—Connect America, a large provider of PERS products, recently announced two acquisitions through its Healthcare Division; Racine's Medical Alert, based in La Junta, Co., and Spirit Homecare's Medical Alert Division, located near Des Moines, Iowa.
"We acquire… local providers that really have a regional reach and the opportunity to grow those businesses by cultivating referral sources in the geography where they operate," Richard Brooks, president of Connect America's Healthcare Division, told Security Systems News.
By acquiring Racine's Medical Alert, Connect America's Healthcare Division expands into Colorado. The company will continue to use it's Racine's brand.
Brooks said that the purchase of Spirit Homecare's Medical Alert Division opens the company's opportunities in the Des Moines. This division will fold into Connect America's network in the Des Moines area.
These acquisitions complement the company's July acquisition of Home Buddy, based in Kansas, Brooks said.
Brooks described the company's approach to incorporating acquired businesses, "We enhance the sales and marketing operation, we take some of the back office functions and move them to our headquarters, and emphasize a sales effort on a local basis."
Connect America's Healthcare Division has finalized four acquisitions in the past 12 months and expects a similar rate for the next year, according to Brooks.
The Healthcare Division grows both organically and through acquisition; 70 percent of the division's growth comes organically and 30 percent is through acquisitions. The company did not announce the number of subscribers included in the deal.
News continues to pour in on the portential of cloud-based services, especially on the heels of Security Systems News' Cloud+ conference, which brought early adopters of the cloud together in Austin, Texas, to look at how the security industry will continue to adopt and leverage the cloud, not only to increase RMR but to provide better and more cost-effective solutions for customers.
Many of the Cloud+ speakers, from integrators and consultants to end users and manufacturers, highlighted the many challenges of educating people on the benefits and solutions the cloud can provide within security, such as in the management of data and video, two areas expected to see tremendous growth over the next few years.
According to new findings from global research firm IHS Markit, based in London, the video software market is expected to rise from $6 billion in revenue in 2015 to more than $9 billion in revenue by 2021.
According to the new Video Software, Security, and Analytics Intelligence Service from IHS Technology, the atomization of media distribution and the switch from hardware-based technology solutions to cloud implementations are key drivers for the $3 billion in revenue growth over the next five years.
"Taken together, these two forces have created a market where value is shifting towards the frontend," Cecilia Zhu, analyst at IHS Technology, said in the announcement. "A superior user-experience has become fundamental to securing increased consumer spend."
Globally, content security accounts for 32 percent of the digital video software market, according to IHS.
"While demand for robust security solutions is unlikely to deteriorate, particularly in the presence of high-value UHD and HDR content, the segment is effectively saturated," Zhu said.
By contrast, Online Video Platform solutions will continue to generate large, year-on-year returns through 2021. "The necessity of online distribution backed by a platform pre-integrated across a rich ecosystem of partners, means demand for OVP solutions will rise over the next five years," Zhu said.
According to IHS, North America is the key region for the video software market, generating roughly $2.9 billion, and the region's value relates primarily to confluence of three factors: the presence of large media companies, their outright scale, and their sheer number.
"The region's economic dominance should not, however, overshadow the existence of cutting-edge video services in Europe, Asia, and the Middle East, and the technology demand that these services generate," Zhu said.
According to the research firm, Cisco has a 15 percent share of the video software segment, the largest globally. "The company has proven adept at transitioning into the video space, and at using its longstanding presence in core, metro, and access-network infrastructure to cross and upsell video-specific software," Zhu said.
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SANTA CRUZ, Calif. – The winning streak reached six on Sunday as the Puget Sound women's basketball team cruised past UC Santa Cruz 70-52. The win avenged the Loggers only loss of the season, which came against the Banana Slugs in the season-opener.
The Loggers (6-1) once again poured on the defense, holding the Slugs to just 32.7 percent shooting in the game. Meanwhile, the Loggers shot 42.9 percent, including a 46.2 percent effort from the three-point line.
Sarah Stewart led the Loggers in scoring with 15 points. She also pulled down eight rebounds. Kelsey McKinnis had nine points, marking the first game she has not reached double digits in scoring this season. Katy Ainslie had had six points and seven rebounds.
The Loggers used a big first half to build a 19-point halftime lead as they never trailed in the game. The Logger's bench came through with a big first half, outscoring the Slugs' bench 15-5. Allie Wyszynski's eight points led the effort from the bench.
The Loggers had 12 turnovers while only forcing 11 from the Slugs but came away with a big 12-2 advantage in points off turnovers, including a 10-0 advantage in the first half.
No Banana Slugs reached double digits in scoring but Leah Parrish and Ryane Ortiz each tallied nine points.
The Loggers will return to the court to open Northwest Conference play with the long trip to eastern Washington next week. The Loggers face Whitman on Friday at 6 p.m. in Walla Walla, Wash.


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Pachyderm Power Doesnt Come any Sweeter than Harold Sullivans Paternal Twins
Hemi: aka The Elephant. You gaze upon two of the rarer elephants in captivity, both belonging to Motown Mopar maven, Harold Sullivan (whom you may remember as owner/restorer of Jimmy Addison's beastly Silver Bullet GTX street racer featured on the first of our Collector's Signature Series of posters in your Sept. '98 issue). Let's get right to the heart of the matter: While there is no such thing as a common Hemi model, according to Sullivan (and he should know), our Bright Yellow example is one of only 17 Elephant-equipped '67 GTX convertibles produced. Ten of those had TorqueFlite automatics; the other seven were four-speeds like this one.
Scarcer yet, Harold's Dark Red Metallic '67 Coronet R/T convertible had only one similar sibling optioned with an A833 manual gearbox, and one more with an automatic.
Logically, there's good reason for this scarcity. Plymouth's GTX and the Dodge R/T were introduced in '67 as luxury performers, each lavishly outfitted for the day and featuring a torque-rich, 375hp 440 as standard equipment. The 480lb-ft 440 was ideally suited to the weighty B-Bodies, and also suited the overwhelming majority of R/T and GTX buyers just fine. In just its second year of availability, the much-revered but marginally civilized 425hp Street Hemi was the only optional step up over the 440and it was a steep step at around a $564 premium. That so few Hemis were ordered in the convertible models should really come as no surprise based on price alone. Besides, the average Hemi guy wouldn't normally saddle his Elephant with a heavy (about 4,200 pounds) convertible body. He'd also normally team his Hemi with steep gearing for maximum ballistic effect.
In contrast to this norm, both of Sullivan's two drop-dead drop-tops have 3.54:1 Sure Grip (Track Pak) assemblies in their 9.75-inch Dana 60 housings. Relying on the 7.75×14 tires of the day, we shudder to think of the top speed a 426 Hemi driving through 3.54 gearing was capable of. This trepidation is only amplified by the thought of nothing but a fabric roof overhead and, at best, a lap belt to secure one's fragile bones in place.
This mild gearing and convertible corpulence didn't seem to bother the Coronet's ability to accelerate, however. In the course of its restoration by Jeff Reif, a couple of timeslips from the quarter-mile track at Gainesville, Florida, were found in the glovebox. These revealed the brawny R/T was capable of a 13.60 e.t. at 103.1 mph, proving that it takes more than a little weight and soft gearing to slow a stampeding Elephant.
Sullivan was able to track down and speak with the R/T's original purchaser, Jimmy Piland, as well as its selling dealer, Kelly McCard, in Quitman, Georgia. From these conversations, Harold learned that Mr. Piland entered O'Steen-McCard Motors in late 1966 with just three simple stipulations for the new car he was about to order: First of all I want a four-speed, and then I want the biggest engine I can order, and it has to be a convertible. With the Hemi R/T, he got all three for $4,509.25serious coin for the day.
Less is known about the GTX's history. With its virgin-white top, it looks almost too innocent to pack a menacing Hemi, but option-wise it's a near copy of its Dodge counterpart. In addition to identical powertrains, each of these St. Louis-built twins-under-the-skin was originally optioned with power disc brakes (heavy-duty drums were standard R/T and GTX fare), AM radios (as if they could be heard over the baritone bark of the Hemi), and 5.5-inch wide Road Wheels, though the R/T lacks the GTX's console and tach. Naturally, each has the Hemi suspension consisting of firm-ride shocks, 6-leaf left rear spring with 5+2½ on the right, a .94-inch front sway bar, and .92-inch torsion bars.
Though only a sampling of Sullivan's growing herd of Hemis, these two are particularly fine examples of a rare breed. Some elephants never forget; others are just unforgettable.


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