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(CONTINUED) I considered my options. There was plenty of good food around, but I wasn't hungry. I could take a walk down to Sutro baths, but I was tired. I turned on the TV and flicked through some channels. Oprah came on and I muttered, "Fuck it," and flicked the set off. I got my phone out and made the call. Anne answered on the second ring.
"Hi. It's me. How are you?"
"I'm fine. You've been away?"
I couldn't read her voice. Not entirely surprised, not entirely unsurprised. A little bit upset, maybe a tiny bit pleased. Maybe.
"Yeah, I just got back in town. I've been in the desert."
It seemed like the line had gone dead. I wondered if she'd hung up. I was about to say something when she asked, "Writing?"
"Trying. It's not going so well though."
She coughed. "Well, it hasn't gone well for a long time, has it?"
That was a bad sign. I decided to just get to it.
"Listen, I want to see you. "
More silence.
"Will you see me?"
A few moments passed. There was some rustling on the other end. I expected that she'd ask why I wanted to see her, but she did not. Just: "Okay."
"Tonight?" I asked.
"The park. The usual spot."
"I need an hour."
She hung up without saying goodbye. I didn't know what I felt but it didn't feel good.
It would take me the better part of an hour to get to Stow Lake on foot, so I headed out the door. As usual, the park was filled with people and I was continuously stepping to the side of the small paved trail to let bikers and joggers pass. A tattered brown plastic tarp had been hung in some bushes and four homeless men sat staring out sullenly from underneath it at the passersby. Two men were smoking, one was taking a pull off a bottle in a brown paper bag, and the fourth was looking out at the path with a startling intensity, as if the mundane proceedings before him were nearly beyond his belief.
I arrived at the lake before Anne and sat on a bench by the boat rental. It was strange to be in this spot, this lake that had once served as a place of respite and now seemed anything but comforting. When Anne approached I stood up and we embraced quickly, the familiar made awkward.
"It's nice to see you," I said finally, as we began to walk around the lake.
"'Nice,' huh? Well, it's good to know where I stand at the moment. I can't always be sure."
"You know that's not true," I replied. "You know how I feel."
"I guess I do," she said, but didn't say anymore.
We walked for a few minutes in silence. I wasn't sure what I wanted to say. It was hard to recall why I'd come in the first place. All the words that had been so clear and definite, so important, suddenly threatened to vanish into the air.
"I just wanted to say goodbye…" I began, but she interrupted.
"I'm pretty sure you've already said that."
I took a second to regroup. "No, I mean, I want to say goodbye. For good."
She stopped walking. "Where are you going?"
I looked out at the lake. A few ducks were bobbing back and forth on the water. A blue paddle boat was out, its occupants pedaling in silent complicity. The air was getting cooler as evening approached. The park seemed a picture of serenity, everything within it wheeling and flowing and pumping in unison.
When Anne and I had been married and I was becoming relatively successful I used to tease her about the dark side of being a writer, warning her of the day my artistic temperament would inevitably take a turn for the hopelessly morose. "It's the prerogative of all writers to occasionally go off the deep end," I'd say. "It's really the only way to maintain your status in the literary community. And if someday you find yourself unable to come back from the brink, at least you know it'll be a boon for your estate. Hell, death is the only hope some authors have of ever getting their books back in print. You'll become very rich when I flip out."
Anne would laugh and tell me to shut up and get back to work. But she knew my family history—an uncle who hanged himself, a grandmother committed to an asylum, a father whose only form of entertainment was drinking cheap gin until he felt moved to throw the furniture through the windows—and, though she never said it, I'm sure she was sometimes afraid I was serious. And I WAS serious. Or I'd at least convinced myself I was serious. I considered the poison in my blood to be the source of my deepest inspiration and my twisted genes my greatest literary gift. If I couldn't bleed that madness onto the page then I might as well pack it in and wait out the rest of my days in bed with a bottle of cognac in one hand and a .38 special in the other. At least I'd be in good company.
Anne seemed to be searching my face, then, she laughed: "God, you can't be serious."
I felt a little bit hurt by that, but tried not to let it show. "I'm not saying I'm going to put a gun in my mouth. I'm just saying the road looks like it might be heading over a cliff and maybe I won't be able to stop the car."
She started walking again, quickly. "Or maybe you just don't want to."
We continued on. In all the years we'd been together I'd seen her upset many times. I'd seen her weep for two days straight when her father died and all I could do was hold her in my arms. I'd heard her use language that would make a sailor blush when someone cut her off in traffic. But always there was some outward manifestation, some obvious expression of her feelings. Now she was silent, uncommunicative, and I regretted coming. Ruben had been right; I should've just left her alone.
She crossed over the footbridge, a little bit ahead of me, then turned and leaned against it, watching the water. The ducks paddled and quacked a bit. I watched a kite dip and bob above the trees.
"I'm pregnant."
The red kite spun and dove, then rose again, its yellow tail fluttering behind.
"You've been seeing someone?"
She turned to me and looked into my eyes. She was a foot from my face but the distance between us had vanished. I knew at that instant that we were bound together for eternity, that whatever may come, be it separation, death, or nameless oblivion, that somehow, in some terrible, wonderful, incomprehensible way, our destinies were one. I could leave her, but she would never be gone from me.
"It's yours," she said, but by then I already knew.
I turned back to look at the water. I couldn't see the kite for a moment then it rocketed up from behind a tree. "Two months?" I asked.
"Fifty-eight days."
The divorce had already been finalized by then. Whether we'd made love out of sorrow or desire or fear or anger or just plain habit I couldn't have said. She'd lain in bed crying as I'd put my clothes on and walked out one last time.
"You should've told me."
"Would you have answered the phone?"
I would've liked to have said that yes, of course, I would've answered the phone. But I couldn't say that. "You could've left a message."
She shook her head, livid. "I have some dignity left, you know. You didn't get everything."
Minutes passed during which I felt despondent, jubilant, angry, hopeful, ecstatic, and fearful, until it all seemed to blend and I couldn't tell one from another.
"I'm going to have it," Anne said, finally.
"I know."
"So you can decide how involved you want to be. I will only ask that for the sake of your unborn child you not write yourself a final chapter that our baby will someday be ashamed to read."
My head ached. I felt sick to my stomach. I took Anne's hand in mine and held it. "Okay," I nodded. "Okay."
We walked back to the dock, the paddle boats all tied up and rocking slightly on the lake. Some were red and some were blue. Anne and I embraced again, but it felt different, inevitable, unavoidable.
"I need to think about this," I said. "I need a little time."
"Do whatever you think you need to do. I'm prepared to raise this baby by myself."
I nodded and started to leave. I'd gone about 20 feet when I turned around, and watched her walk away. After a few moments she looked behind her and waved weakly. A sad smile crossed her face for a moment then she continued on into the deepening dusk. (CONTINUED)
All photos of SF, CA.


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Welcome to the Twins by the Bay Club!
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Due to COVID-19 concerns, we are cancelling all in-person events until California's shelter-in-place mandate has been lifted.
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Twins by the Bay is a non-profit support group for parents of multiples in Oakland, Berkeley and the surrounding area.
Our mission is to educate, support and assist parents in the raising of multiple-birth children.
We offer support meetings for all East Bay new & expectant parents of multiples, no club membership required! These meetings happen the 2nd & 4th Friday mornings of every month from 10am-12pm & the 4th Tuesday evening of every month from 5:45pm-7:30pm at Bananas in Oakland.
More details here.
Member benefits include
Reminders to attend the new and expectant parent support groups
Advice and discussion forums to seek and share wisdom
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Classified forums for selling and searching for items, as well as find or recommend childcare
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subset: commoncrawl


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I've said elsewhere that this was probably the last election where the Republicans stood a real chance of gaining the American Presidency with a program that mainly appeals to prosperous suburban whites and holds little appeal to most women and almost no appeal at all to racial minorities.
If the GOP is to survive, what do you think it would have to look like? What could it possibly look like?
Views: 2047
All of the people I see in that picture look like Mitt Romney supporters, except that their shirts aren't brown.
@Alejando M - The problem with GOP is that they don't care what happens to their country, as long as they make money. Romney is a coward, and uses loop holes, as did George W. Romney evaded the draft by going on a' Mission' for the Mormons to Paris.
He evades tax, sends it offshore by the millions to no less than three tax havens, supports the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and wants anybody but him and his wealthy republicans to pay for it, let the stupid middle class to pay for it. He will send kids from poor families off to war, just as long as his don't go.
As a practicing Mormon he believes in Armageddon - he wears magic underpants, his wife wears a magic bra, totally controlled by religion, they baptize dead people, even if they were Atheist, as Ann Romney's father was.
His knowledge of Foreign Affairs was truly scary - there was a very good chance that this man. and his cohorts could have been elected to the most powerful position in the world, wandereing the earth, insulting people, as he did in England, a supposed Allie.
George W. and his cronies put America and the world into a spin, that was not free enterprise, but rampant greed, as long as the republicans make their personal fortune, no matter what the cost to the country. Then the republicans stymied and filibustered at every turn, once again, not caring about their country. And the really sad thing, is Obama will be stymied at every turn, once again, with the republicans and the likes of you, saying he gets nothing done.
Somebody one said, these Republicans could lie in bed, throw darts at the wall all day, and still make money off the back of others. Nothing they do is innovative or good for the country.
These men are just thick. The next three mistakes they made was underestimate his religious senators coming out about the rape statements. So women were put back 200 years, the marginalizing of the young voter, and the Hispanics and Latinos.
Immaculate conception, I presume?
RE: "I don't mean to come across as cynical, irreverent, and disrespectful of Bush"
Why not? I believe it's a general consensus --
I did not vote for the fellow. After 8 years of painful crap, and revolting details, retiring back to the ranch, surrounded by an unadoring public, seems a just thing.
WMD's were never the issue and they all knew that. There is a crisis of unprecedented proportions coming soon and for there to be any chance of us western powers to come through it we need a toe hold in the middle east. So while i dont like what they did , it is nevertheless completely understandable and i don't think i can blame them for doing what they feel needed to be done. The real issue here is one of survival and when that is the case being ethical or nice is no longer a major consideration.
So, basically, Jason, you're espousing situational ethics?
Not really. I am just being pragmatic. It in no way makes what they did as being ethically right but it does make it understandable. a simple analogy would be if there where two people stuck in a situation where there is only enough water for one of them to survive and make it out of that situation. Now if one murders the other it does not make the murder ethical but it does make hes actions understandable and i would hesitate to blame him for doing so. ( now maybe you would not do that but what if you had to do it to so you and your son or daughter would survive?)Unfortunately in reality our choices are often not between good and bad but between bad and worse.
Oh, please, you're not bringing up that old chestnut "It's all about oil" are you? Between Canadian oil, Mexican oil, and oil from locations outside the Persian Gulf area, we don't need Middle Eastern oil. Oil is a commodity. We buy it from aggregators who sell it in bulk and not "This oil came from Saudi Arabia but that oil came from Venezuela," etc.


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Arkansas man accused of chaining daughter to bed (video)
ASH FLAT, Ark. -- A Sharp County man accused of chaining his 11-year-old daughter to a bed has been released from custody after posting a $1,000 bond.
Authorities say Michael Gilman is accused of false imprisonment and first-degree endangering the welfare of a minor after officers found the girl chained to her bed by her ankle.
Detective Sgt. Ken Guidry told KAIT-TV that Gilman said the girl would get up at night, get into food and sometimes go to other people's homes. Guidry says Gilman told them he started chaining her to the bed at night to prevent her from getting into trouble, and would release her the next morning.
She and her siblings were taken into the custody of child welfare officials.
A telephone listing for Gilman couldn't be found on Tuesday.


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- Sort by Default Order
Have you ever wanted dial in your consciousness or hack your brain? Then prepare to dive into the whole new world of binaural beats. This Ableton Live Set gives you all the tools and resources you need to start dialing in your brain waves. The pack includes example live sets, templates, Video course, and more.


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I'm currently traveling and do not often have a wifi connection that will work to sync my notes and user tools. Starbucks, McDonalds and hotels have it blocked so you cannot access other peoples computers/mobile devices. Unfortunately, this stops my iPhone and Mac Book Pro from talking.
I found out you can make a network on you Mac and use it to sync your stuff... The trick is to have iTunes open and syncing while you do this, (otherwise it does not work for me...)
This will only work if you meet the following conditions.
1. you have your laptop with you (just want to make that clear...)
2. you have wifi sync enabled for you iPhone or iPad
3. you create a network with a 40bit WEP password on you mac
Check out this link if you need a step by step
4. you have iTunes running while trying to sync. Your iPad/iPhone will show up in iTunes (it works best while you iPhone is syncing with iTunes, it can do both at the same time)
Note: your iPhone/iPad will most likely not show it has a wifi connection... if it shows up in iTunes it will work.
Hope this helps someone
Edited by Joseph Landaw, 08 September 2012 - 11:32 AM.


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Moody's Microblog Daily Digest 150629 - http://moodysmdd.blogspot.com/2015/06/150629.html yesterday's tweets as a single page
The Trans-Pacific Partnership is bad for #Australia - http://www.smh.com.au/comment/excluding-china-makes-flawed-transpacific-partnership-economic-folly-for-us-20150628-ghycvm people are waking up to #TPP's danger: not too late to stop it
#TPP - what we don't know may hurt us - http://www.smh.com.au/comment/tpp--what-we-dont-know-may-hurt-us-20150629-gi04s9.html good analysis of past trade agreement failures #AU
Urge Ecuador to Take Urgent Action to Stop the Catastrophic Levels of Shark Killings - http://www.thepetitionsite.com/261/025/125/ ban this butchery
#TPP ministerial meeting set for last week of July: source - http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/06/29/us-trade-tpp-idUSKCN0P92G820150629
#NZ Trade Minister: Anti-#TPP activists 'politically irrelevant' - https://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/trade-minister-anti-tpp-activists-politically-irrelevant-2015063009 staggering contempt for big swathes of public
Cinco cuestiones que las Pequeñas y Medianas Empresas deben plantearse sobre el #TTIP - http://attaccastello.blogspot.com.es/2015/06/cinco-cuestiones-que-las-pequenas-y.html good stuff (v @encovert)
EU plans to destroy #netneutrality by allowing Internet fast lanes - http://arstechnica.co.uk/tech-policy/2015/06/eu-plans-to-destroy-net-neutrality-by-allowing-internet-fast-lanes/ also allows zero-rating; but no open spectrum
Das Ende der Netzneutralität in EU - https://www.reimon.net/2015/06/30/das-ende-der-netzneutralitat-in-europa/ "Wir haben eine wichtige Schlacht verloren, aber noch nicht den ganzen Kampf"
"In den Verhandlungen konnte keine Partei eine Anwendung nennen, die diese Spezialdienste braucht und die es nicht jetzt schon gibt"
U.S. Chamber Works Globally to Fight Antismoking Measures - http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/01/business/international/us-chamber-works-globally-to-fight-antismoking-measures.html time to press decent companies to leave it...
#NetNeutrality: Trialogue betrayed European Parliament's vote - https://www.laquadrature.net/en/net-neutrality-trialogue-betrayed-european-parliaments-vote "Net Neutrality deserves more guarantees"
Ben Goldsmith: The Government has a duty to engage us all in #TTIP - http://www.standard.co.uk/comment/comment/ben-goldsmith-the-government-has-a-duty-to-engage-us-all-in-this-trade-deal-10354817.html good to see this coming from a Conservative
IMF: austerity measures would still leave #Greece with unsustainable debt - http://www.theguardian.com/business/2015/jun/30/greek-debt-troika-analysis-says-significant-concessions-still-needed well, quite #grexit
heroic UK couple who gave first aid to Tunisia victims - http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/30/heroic-uk-couple-gave-first-aid-to-tunisia-victims-brian-harrison "It is what we trained for and it is what we do."
EU Moves To Create Internet Fast Lanes, Pretends It's #NetNeutrality By Redefining Basic Words - https://www.techdirt.com/blog/netneutrality/articles/20150630/06594931497/eu-moves-to-create-internet-fast-lanes-pretends-net-neutrality-redefining-basic-words.shtml words, words, words
EU decides to both protect and undermine #netneutrality - http://accessnow.createsend1.com/t/ViewEmail/d/2CA5D3CE632A49AB it's a mess - a dangerous one; we must fix it
NSA -- Despite Claiming It Doesn't Engage In Economic Espionage -- Engaged In Economic Espionage - https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20150629/16134031494/nsa-despite-claiming-it-doesnt-engage-economic-espionage-engaged-economic-espionage.shtml look at that
remember: nations can never "win" an #ISDS case, they just don't lose them. it's a completely tilted playing-field
Brazil announces massive reforestation & renewable energy plan with US - http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jun/30/brazil-us-reforestation-forests-renewable-energy welcome, but better not 2 burn it down first
#NetNeutrality: Europe Slips Into Reverse - http://webfoundation.org/2015/06/net-neutrality-europe-slips-into-reverse/ "our initial response is one of disappointment"; me too...


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In today's merciless real estate market, you need all the help you can get. How do you put your house out there to attract serious buyers? You're going to need to do more than just posting a For Sale sign on your lawn and putting an ad in the paper. For decades, the most effective way to do that has been to hire a real estate agent to help sell your house. He or she will list your property on a multiple listing service.
A multiple listing service is a collection of private databases used by real estate brokers who agree to share their listing agreements with one another to locate ready, willing and able buyers for properties more quickly than they could on their own. Brokers earn sales commissions from the sale of properties they listed and properties they help sell as a buyer's representative.
So what advantages does a multiple listing service offer to the consumer? As a seller, you can expose your property to thousands of potential buyers you would otherwise never reach. As a buyer, you enjoy the benefit of instant access to listings that match specified criteria, beyond price range and location. Maybe you want to see homes with a big yard, a garage and a lake view, or homes in a certain school district or close to public transportation. Many multiple listing service sites can also tell you how much you should expect to pay in real estate taxes, mortgage payments, and utilities on a particular property. This service has saved everyone involved in real estate transactions -- buyers, sellers and their agents -- time and legwork in sorting through the millions of properties on the market.
For more than five decades, the broker-controlled MLS® system has been the primary marketplace connecting buyers and sellers of real estate in the United States. But recently its dominance has become threatened by communications technology -- chiefly the Internet -- and the ability of consumers to easily share information with each other without the need for a middleman.
But before we look at this revolution in the real estate industry, let's look at how multiple listing services have historically worked until the turn of the millennium.
What is a Multiple Listing Service?
If you've ever bought or sold a home, you've probably heard your agent talk about comps. He or she is referring to comparative market analyses (CMA) -- what similar properties in an area are listing and selling for. Your seller's agent will do such an analysis before suggesting an appropriate asking price for your home. If you're a buyer, comps help your agent determine what properties you should be shown based on your price range. Agents get this data from the multiple listing service.
The listings also offer the advantage of timeliness: They are updated daily and continually display new properties coming on the market. Technology has only enhanced this benefit, making information even more up-to-the-minute. In a competitive market, this allows you to get a jump on other buyers who may notice the property by driving by a "For Sale" sign.
Most multiple listing services require that a member agent release new listings to the service within a short time frame of obtaining the listing. Your broker must have your written consent to include your property on a multiple listing service.
Usually, brokers and agents who use the MLS® in the United States must be members of the National Association of Realtors (NAR), a real estate trade association. The NAR has long had domain over the MLS®, but successful antitrust challenges to this member requirement have been mounted in several states, and currently non-NAR member brokers in Alabama, California, Florida, and Georgia must be allowed to participate in the MLS®.
Multiple listing services are organized and operated by professional, licensed real estate agents. Until recently, you couldn't get your property listed on an multiple listing service unless you wanted to pay a 5 to 6 percent sales commission. But some brokers and listing services are beginning to allow flat-fee listings by FSBO (for sale by owner) sellers, along with other a la carte services.
Keep reading to find out how the Internet is changing the real estate industry -- and putting more power in the hands of buyers and sellers.
Sharing Multiple Listing Service Data: Consumers Take Control
The advent of the Internet in the 1990s has changed the way the Multiple Listing Service® (MLS) works. At one time, only brokers saw and controlled the listings on the service. Now the Internet has turned it into more of a consumer marketplace. This trend has leveled the playing field between buyers and sellers and their agents.
Through the Internet Data Exchange, the National Association of Realtors (NAR) allows limited listings to be viewed by potential buyers on its consumer Web site, MLS®. According to NAR, more than half of real estate buyers in 2006 used this site or another multiple listing service Web site to search for a home. For what it says are security reasons, NAR deliberately withholds some information from the public, including seller contacts, whether a home is vacant and showing times.
But buyers and sellers increasingly have less need of the MLS®. This is due to Internet search capabilities and a burgeoning number of online service providers specializing in real estate. With a spike in the number of American homebuyers now finding their homes on the Internet, the role of the real estate agent is transitioning from one of matching buyers with sellers to one of helping them navigate the paperwork and procedures involved in the transaction.
What the future holds for multiple listing services remains to be seen. But few agents would deny that they'll have to evolve to avoid becoming obsolete. They'll have to become more transparent and accessible to compete with rival services, and they'll have to keep pace with the rapidly changing demands and expectations of an Internet-savvy public.
Whether you're buying or selling, the links on the next page can help you join the revolution of enlightened, well-informed real estate consumers.
Related HowStuffWorks Articles
More Great Links
- Galaty, F., Allaway, W. and Kyle, R. Modern Real Estate Practice in Illinois, 4th edition. Dearborn Financial Publishing: 2001.
- National Association of Realtors: Talking Points: Multiple Listing Service http://www.realtor.org/press_room/public_affairs/tpmls
- Cook, John. John Cook's Venture Blog. "Zillow's Rich Barton Storm's The Data Bastille." http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/venture/archives/137881.asp?from=blog_last3
- Knox, Noelle. "Home Shoppers Do Their Hunting Online." USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2007-02-08-net-real-estate-usat_x.htm?POE=TECISVA


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We want to thank you all who entered the last challenge!
Thank you to Kim for that fabulous Anything Goes Challenge!
We have chosen 2 winners this time as it was so hard to choose:
78. Letisha
78. Letisha
Do not forget to add your badge
To obtain your winners Badge Click Here, it will bring you to the button page to choose.
Please email us at sdelights(AT)tiscali.co.uk to claim your prize within 2 weeks!
Please email us at sdelights(AT)tiscali.co.uk to claim your prize within 2 weeks!
*Remember you need to add this challenge image to your post or sidebar and linked back to this challenge:
This week's challenge is brought you by Gloria!
It's an "Thankful" challenge!
-you need make a project giving or saying thanks.
-You do NOT have to use Scrapper's Delights Digi Stamps to play along,
but we would love to see them.
-If you do use one of Scrapper's Delights products you may add your project twice so as to have another chance at winning some fantastic gifts!-
You need to share a direct link to your creation, not just your main blog
page this makes it a lot easier for us to comment on your project too,
using the Linky Tools feature at the end of the post.
-If you'd like to be considered to be a Guest Designer with us then please add GD/ before your Title.
If you would like to use one of Scrapper's Delights products you can click on the badge....
All products are fantastic quality and at wonderfully affordable prices XXX
Here are some projects made by the DT's & Guest.
DT Ria
DT Kim
DT Gloria
GDT Claire


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(Reuters) - AOL Inc reported higher-than-expected revenue and profit on the strongest advertising growth the company has seen in seven years.
AOL said on Tuesday that third-quarter revenue was flat at $531.7 million, ahead of analysts' average estimate of $521.6 million, according to Thomson Reuters I/B/E/S.
Advertising revenue rose 7 percent to $340 million, while subscription revenue for AOL's dial-up services fell 10 percent to $173.5 million.
Subscription revenue had its lowest rate of decline in six years.
AOL shares rose 11 percent to $39.61 in morning trade.
"Things look great," RBC Capital Markets analyst Andre Sequin said. "This company is continuing to make steps in the right direction."
These trends are helping AOL since its turnaround hinges on the success of getting more online advertising dollars and reducing its reliance on the lucrative but moribund dial-up business.
AOL Chief Executive Tim Armstrong said in an interview with Reuters that the main focus next year will be to focus on advertising and video, which tends to command higher prices from marketers.
Still, there are troubling signs in the results. Domestic display advertising, where AOL is making a big effort, including splashy acquisitions such as the Huffington Post, fell 3 percent in the quarter.
That compares with the overall U.S. display ad market estimated to grow more than 20 percent to $14.98 billion, according to research firm eMarketer.
AOL's advertising revenue was lifted by search revenue and double-digit growth in third-party network revenue.
Display ads are big, pricey units on Web pages favored by brand advertisers. Third-party network consists of AOL's Ad.com, which helps sell ads across other properties. These types of ads typically are lower-cost than those ads known in the industry as premium display.
"We weren't exactly 100 percent drilled and focused on the advertising strategy the first half of the year. But we are now," Armstrong said on a call with analysts.
"I think overall, what you're going to see is an operational improvement around advertising as we get into 2013."
The company, however, has taken a number of steps over the year, including selling some of its patents to Microsoft for $1 billion and returning those proceeds to shareholders.
Shares are up 137 percent year-to-date.
Net income was $20.8 million, or 22 cents per share, compared with a year-earlier loss of $2.6 million, or 2 cents per share.
AOL's third-quarter EPS of 22 cents was well ahead of analysts' forecast of 17 cents.
The company raised its estimate for 2012 adjusted OIBDA to about $400 million from $375 million.
Reporting by Jennifer Saba in New York; Editing by Lisa Von Ahn, Maureen Bavdek, Sofina Mirza-Reid and Dale Hudson


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Mad troop worshipers say we need martial law to improve things. A kind reminder for them:
a) This war mess is a gift from Musharraf martial law.
b) The initial mistake of jumping into cold war was made by military and Ayub's martial law regime and the same policy was followed by Yahya, Bhutto (A civilian martial law administrator appointed by army and trained by General Ayub) and Gen Zia.
c) 90s, despite corruption and mismanagement was much safer and better.
d) Many national institutions like SUPARCO,NESCOM, NLC (the collapsed bridge fame) etc are under direct or indirect control of army. In most countries such institutions are run by civilians. SUPARCO is a failed organization when it comes to research and development in real space sciences and astronomy. Most of the time they do some missile work and some work with Chinese companies. The reason is simple that instead of being led by top level scientists it is being run by former or serving khakis with no brain.
e) Even the biggest city of Pakistan i.e. Karachi is directly or indirectly under administrative control of occupied armed forces in the form of DHAs, military cantonments and civil cantonment areas who have to pay extortion not only to local political and land mafias but also to military mafias (in the form of absurd charges and taxes) who milk money from civil cantonment areas, put restrictions on civilian liberties and don't do shit to improve things there.
f) Not only that, army is doing everything from running marriage halls, banks, factories and it has occupied a great deal of land and other economic resources of this country.
g) Army ,ISI and MI waste resources on spying journalists, judges and creating puppets in media (like Zaid Hamid) and politics or shutting down channels like Geo.
It shouldn't be hard to see why we continuously see intelligence and security failures or why we are still stuck in this war on terror mess? The prime security institution was never designed to be a defender of people or constitution, it was designed by British to work as proxy rulers. Cantonment areas are a reminder of such mindset. It will be interesting to see how much area of Newyork, Shanghai, Mumbai, London or even #Moscow is controlled by army like the so called Pakistan army and air force control or occupy Karachi.


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Hypertouch, Inc. v. Azoogle.com, Inc., 2010 WL 2712217 (9th Cir. July 9, 2010)
Pleading in federal court is generally a straightforward matter. Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 8 requires only that the plaintiff set forth a short and plain statement as to why that party is entitled to relief. But in cases involving fraud, there is a heightened pleading standard imposed by Rule 9.
In the case of Hypertouch, Inc. v. Azoogle.com, Inc., the plaintiff sued the defendants in federal court over almost 400,000 allegedly spam email messages. Hypertouch brought claims under California law (California Business and Professions Code § 17529.5(a)) but did not meet the heightened pleading standard of Rule 9. So the district court dismissed the case.
Plaintiff appealed to the Ninth Circuit. On review, the appellate court affirmed. It found that not only does the California statute speak in terms of commercial e-mail advertisements that contain "falsified," "misrepresented," "forged," or misleading information — terms common to fraud allegations — but the complaint repeatedly described the advertisements and their content as "fraudulent." The court held that plaintiff could not circumvent the requirements of the Rules by arguing that it did not plead all of the allegations sufficiently to set forth a claim of fraud.
It's important to note that the court made clear, despite its holding, that it was not articulating a standard for pleading under this California statute. It merely found that in the circumstances of this case, the claim was not pled with the requisite particularity.


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Brennan: It's all over but the kiss'n and cry'n in ice dance
- USA%27s Meryl Davis and Charlie White began to pull away from Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir on Sunday
- The judges spoke in a big way%3A They liked Davis and White more. A lot more
- The Canadians were given 76.33 points%2C more than a point off their season best of 77.59
SOCHI, Russia — Two and a half points doesn't sound like a lot, but in ice dancing, it's a mile. That's the lead that six-time U.S. national champions Meryl Davis and Charlie White take into the free dance, meaning that barring a major mistake, they will win the nation's first-ever Olympic gold medal in ice dancing Monday night at the 2014 Olympic Games.
That's a momentous thought, and a precarious one, because even though ice dancers don't perform the treacherous jumps of the sport's other three disciplines, their lightning quick footwork, looking so effortless, is anything but.
Still, it's 2½ points — 2.56 to be exact — in a sport where decimal points really matter. That's the difference between Davis and White and their Canadian rivals, training partners and good friends, Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir.
Is it too much? Let's ask the Canadians.
"We feel like we can make it up," Moir began at the skaters' news conference. "There's a lot more elements in the free program. So it's doable."
Then came the reality check.
"But we know with the team that we're sitting beside that they're going to bring a great skate," he continued. "We train with them every day so it's a task, but we think we're up to it and we just can't wait to get out there."
Translation: It might not be completely over, but it almost is.
Moir vowed that he and Virtue would "bring it tomorrow, bring everything we have." Problem is, they did that Sunday night in the short dance, and it wasn't enough. They made a slight error in a compulsory set dance, not receiving the highest level of difficulty on a step sequence, which cost them nearly a point.
But they still were pleased with how they performed. So that other 1 ½ points? It was the judges basically saying they liked Davis and White more. In this way, ice dancing becomes like the Academy Awards. Picture the Canadians as "Gravity" and the Americans as, well, "American Hustle." You get the picture.
Whatever happens Monday night is the ending of a four-year journey for these two teams who share a rink in suburban Detroit, a coach, a long friendship and an incomparable rivalry. They have traded world titles since the 2010 Vancouver Olympics, where the Canadians won the gold medal and the Americans, the silver. They have matched each other step for step, day by day, for the past four years on their way to the Sochi Games.
But once they arrived, Davis and White began to pull away. In the team competition more than a week ago, the Americans won the short dance by three points and were nearly seven points ahead in the free dance as the Canadians were not on top of their game.
And then came Sunday night. Davis and White soared to their highest score of the season — 78.89 points — while the Canadians, clearly better than they were in the team event, did not reach their season's best, managing 76.33.
There are tea leaves to be read in all of this, if one wanted to go there.
"I think we're really focused on the moment and the task at hand, the free dance," White said. "We're not looking to the future. We're not looking at colors of medals. We've had a really great start to this event and we're going to treat it just like every other event and that's going out to compete like how we practice and enjoying being out there together. It's a special moment but I think throughout our whole career, a lot of the success we've had is because we just stay centered in the moment and don't think of the past, don't think of the future, but just enjoy what we have now."
Davis and White started skating together in 1997, when they both were 10. It's as if everything in their lives has been building to this moment: two nights in mid-February 2014, one after the other.
One is done. The other is waiting for them.


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With "Fringe's" ratings leaving the show on the fringe of cancellation, Joshua Jackson says he's confident the producers have a plan in place to satisfy the otherwise acclaimed sci-fi show's faithful core audience if a forced finale comes this season.
Jackson, who plays timeline-lost Peter Bishop on Fox's critically hailed cult favorite, tells PopcornBiz that as the more obtuse and enigmatic elements of "Fringe's" ambitious but occasionally impenetrable Season Four are finally coming to light and putting higher stakes storylines into play. And while he's hoping for more "Fringe" in the future, Jackson says he's got every reason to believe that if low ratings bring the series to a close – as Fox executives have suggested in reluctant terms – the creative team will be able to execute the endgame they've always had in mind.
Season by season, "Fringe" has just got more ambitious, taken bigger risks, and they always do pay off within the context of the show. But ratings don't always equal the creative successes. Are you guys at a point where maybe you're starting to think about the ending of the show, so we can all have the satisfaction of getting there, before the ratings make us say goodbye?
The truth of the matter is, we already had that conversation last year. I think sort of we peaked ratings-wise, in Season Two – it was our most solid year. And I actually think creatively that was our most consistently solid year. But it wasn't our most ambitious year – I would say Season Three was an extremely ambitious year, and a lot of people tuned out last year. So we were prepared that last year might've been the end. I'm not involved in those conversations, frankly, but I think [the producers] are prepared for it, if that was going to be the case, how they would implement that ending. And they've always said – and I believe them – that there is an ending to the show. I'm guessing you heard what [Fox programming president] Kevin Reilly said, and I don't think you can be any more honest and upfront and still be a network executive. So if this is going to be the end of the show, if we are not making the money or they're losing money on us, I just want to believe him when he says that he will give our guys enough time to implement whatever the end game is. Because as much as I don't want to lose my job, at this point the thing that we have to do as a show, and as a network supporting the show, is satisfy the people who have so passionately stuck with us, and been so rabidly and passionately involved in our show. We cannot just go out in blink. It has to finish, whether it's now, whether it's next year, whether it's five years from now, it just has to get to its end.
What can you say at this point about where the current season is heading?
This is the first time on 'Fringe' – and I've said this before tonight – where we're this deep into the season and I have absolutely no clue where we're going. Because there was sort of a natural place that the show had to go last year to satisfy the story that had been introduced. But there's no necessary ending to the story we've introduced this year – It could go a bunch of different ways. So I have no clue.
Do you feel that in a way, even though you were absent in much of the beginning of the season, that this is gradually turning out to be Peter's season?
U.S. & World
Not really. I feel like the function of the Peter character, beyond who he as a man, is to reflect the other characters back – and this is a constantly changing thing, so this is my opinion today! – but it seems to be, getting two-thirds of the way into Season Four now, that what this season and last season really are, and I think ultimately what this show is about now, is a woman finding herself. I feel like this show is about Olivia Dunham coming to know herself. In Season One and Two I really thought it was about the family, right? This Bizarro family. But as we've gotten out of the family dynamic and definitely more into the romantic dynamic between Peter and Olivia…Last year the entire season was about us, as an audience, coming to understand what Olivia was, by seeing what she wasn't – that whole Olivia/Bolivia dynamic. And this year I think, as an audience but also for her character, it's her coming to know herself, in the grand sense, who the real Olivia Dunham is. So I think that that's what this season and ultimately the whole show is about. So every prediction I've ever made on this show is wrong, so we'll see.
How do you envision Peter now, overall?
Peter has been kind of a boy hero right from the very beginning. Peter is the one that gets brought into the world from the pilot on, but as that character, he's the boy hero. He's the thing that makes the machine go, but he's not the central story of the show.
He's like a living MacGuffin, in a way.
And we talk about that all the time. He was definitely the MacGuffin for the first two seasons. And then the last half of last season he was the MacGuffin as the battery of the machine, so definitely we've used him as that. But in his dynamics with other characters, what he seems to have always served, is in the 'Fringe' world that we've created, we don't need to get to know Peter's story, because it's NOT Peter's story. We need to get to know how people relate to Peter, and it sort of shows them back to themselves. In the beginning it was just Peter with Walter, right? We would never have been able to know Walter if he didn't have Peter there to allow him that view inside. And I think that's a lot of what Peter serves with the Olivia relationship as well: you get to see the human side of her, because of her relationship with Peter.
Peter's developed a dramatically different dynamic with his real father, Walternate, in the alternate timeline.
Totally, and what's interesting is Peter is carrying the baggage. You know, in every other relationship, Peter has been shifting his dynamic as he comes to understand that these are not his people. But Peter is clearly carrying the baggage of not trusting Walternate at all. So even though we've been criticized – and legitimately I think – this year for some of the things that haven't worked and it's been a bit of a bumpier season this season, one of the really cool things that has come out of this new timeline is that we have, you can redo all of the dynamics between the characters. And I think that's actually a great opportunity for the show. It forces Peter to be honest with himself, that these are all new dynamics, and it opens up the possibility for the relationship thought he was getting at the end of Season Two.
You've also gotten to explore the relationship Peter has with his real mother, after his alternate world mother took her own life.
I just feel like in a different version of this show, where Peter's emotional storyline was more central to what 'Fringe' was, it's such a crucial and kind of underexplored relationship: the guilt that this guy feels over his mother – who in his timeline committed suicide – pretty directly links to the fact that he ran away from home. To have this woman present in his life again, that would be a watershed moment. And we've explored the father-son bond, but that motherly bond, that sort of love that can maybe…cross a universe, say. Or cross a timeline, say. To have her be the first person to actually see him, I think is a really big deal for him.
The Observer's put it into Olivia's head – the Olivia of the current timeline – that she may be facing an imminent and unavoidable death. How is Peter going to react when he hears this news?
I think if any Olivia Dunham – potentially even any 'Bolivia' Dunham – was in real jeopardy, Peter would be there for her. I don't know that one precludes the other, and if you really listen to what the Observer says, it's incredibly ambiguous.
You've written a storyline for a "Fringe" comic book – What was the fun for you in doing that?
I did, it's already published online. I think the actual physical comic book comes out in March, I believe. Creatively, it's fun to just be able to tell a story, that's what I like doing as an actor. But because the Peter character, as I understand him now in Season Four, is mostly a device that reflects the other characters back to themselves, I feel like there's so much interesting stuff that we've introduced about Peter that we've never really explored. We never really get inside Peter's emotional life. He's the guy that other people talk to, but he doesn't have a buddy to be like, 'Oh dude, I'm so screwed up because I just went through da-da-da...' So, that being the case, the comic book was a chance for me to sort of write the big Peter story that I would want to write.
"Fringe" airs Friday nights at 9 PM ET on Fox


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The bumper is made of ultra-thin aerospace aluminum and manufactured with chamfered edges; the same sort that the iPhone 5 boasts. It weighs just 16 grams, so it won't be turning your slim and light iPhone into something hard to carry around.
With iPhone 5′s aluminum body and redesigned antenna layout, Apple didn't see the need to make a new bumper for its latest flagship smartphone. However, a small company called Designed by m took it upon itself to fill the void and created the AL13.
Check out the introductory video of the AL13 bumper and see its makers reveal all details about the product.
The case will be available in red, gray, black and special Kickstarter green for early backers. Keep in mind that the AL13 will reduce your signal by 5-10%, so it's probably not recommended to those who live in areas with spotty coverage.
AL13 Prototype Front for iPhone 4 and iPhone 5
For a limited time only, the AL13 iPhone 5 bumper sells at $45 a pop, a special price for early Kickstarter backers. When it starts selling in April this year, the regular price of the bumper will be $80.


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BERLIN — The Worcester County Sheriff's Office has received several recent calls from citizens about an attempt to extort money from them while using the Internet.
It is believed that this is part of a widespread scheme to extort money from certain personal computer users.
The FBI has reported that this Citadel Malware delivers "Reveton Ransomware" to your personal computer. A victim is lured to a drive by download at which time the "Ransomeware" is installed on the user's computer. Once installed, the computer freezes and a screen is displayed warning the user that they have violated federal law.
The message further states that the user's IP address was identified by the Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section as visiting child pornography or other illegal content.
To unlock the computer, the user is instructed to pay a fine using prepaid money card services. In addition to the "Ransomware", the virus continues to be active on the computer and may be used to commit online banking and credit card fraud.
If you are a victim, it is suggested that you contact your banking institutions and file a complaint at www.IC3.gov.


text: AllOutdoor.com Outdoor Blog Story : Posted 08-31-2015 Dealing With Poachers Life was good for the new country landlord until one morning he heard a gunshot, then two, three, five and more. They were close–on his property. Read More Story : Posted 06-01-2015 5 Summer Hunting Species If you are a hardcore hunter, summer is the one time you get a slight break. From the close of turkey season until the first day of early archery, there is a three-month lull where you can reacquaint with the family, get the house in shape, and the yard mowed. Read More Story : Posted 05-06-2015 The Three Ultimate Bass Rigs Many of today's anglers all too often seem to have the enthusiasm to get themselves all psyched up for a big day of fishing only to find themselves coming in at the end of the day with only one or two bass. Read More Story : Posted 04-27-2015 Crankbaits 101 I don't know another lure with more size, shape, and color variations than the crankbait. Read More Story : Posted 03-03-2015 Live Lining for Stripers Rockfish (more commonly known as Stripers) are abundant in the Chesapeake Bay right now, want some tips on how to catch them? Read More HowTo : Posted 12-18-2014 Rabbit Hunting Musts! Although most rabbit hunters bag a few cottontails or swamp rabbits on each trip afield, certain techniques can bolster your success. These tips should help you better enjoy the experience of rabbit hunting this season. Read More Gear : Posted 12-05-2014 Handguns for Deer Handgun hunting for deer is the ultimate challenge for a firearms deer hunter. Is it the extreme test of hunter stalking and shooting skills, so if you are looking for a new deer hunting experience to reinvigorate your hunting, then give handgun hunting a go. Read More Story : Posted 12-01-2014 Getting Started with a Crossbow Deer hunting with archery gear was something I always wanted to try. I did, too, for several years until I lost my hand grip coming down a wet tree stand ladder and pulled my shoulder doing a lunge grab just before falling. Read More HowTo : Posted 11-26-2014 How to Find the Right Draw Weight for YOUR Bow Yanking a heavy bow back is a badge of honor for some bowhunters. However, if you shake like you're suffering from hypothermia when drawing or holding your bow, consistent arrow groups will elude you. Read More HowTo : Posted 11-24-2014 Photography Tips: How to Take a Good Shot With Your Trophy You've just killed the buck of a lifetime and now you've got the chance to capture the moment for all of your friends and family to see. Don't blow it with amateur photography. Follow these tips to take better field photos. Read More Page 1 of 4 Prev 1234 Next Categories News Stories Recipes Tips Gear Videos Photo Galleries Viewer Photo Galleries Features Deer Season Outdoors 365 with Lynn Burkhead Everything Deer with Jeremy Flinn Short Stories by Larry Potterfield Opening Days Live Hunts Explore the United States. Find information about and activities within your state. Get Started


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Tagged: Pine Tar
Baseball and bad decisions…
A swing and a miss, another miss, yet another miss…
This morning, I saw a post on the MLB Trade Rumors website (http://www.MLBTradeRumors.com) that asked the poll question of which MLB team had the best draft in 2002? Of all the examples shown, no Yankees were anywhere to be found. For a draft that started with Bryan Bullington and B.J. Upton, there was some great talent uncovered in the 2002 draft. Jon Lester, Zack Greinke, Matt Cain, Prince Fielder, Cole Hamels, Joey Votto and a guy who would eventually find his way to the Bronx, Brian McCann, were among the great choices by their respective teams. But sadly, not a single Yankee selection stuck that year.
Number 26 selection Phil Coke is a major leaguer but with the Detroit Tigers. He had his moments in the Bronx but was never anything special and was sent to the Tigers as part of the Curtis Granderson-Austin Jackson trade.
But removing Coke, there are 50 rounds of names that Yankee Stadium never heard from. I really do not recognize any of the names outside of the first round selection and that's only because he was later the starting quarterback of the Cleveland Browns (Brandon Weeden).
I know that there are many sad tales among the 2002 draft picks, like 2nd round pick Alan Bomer, a pitcher, who reinjured his shoulder after a previous injury several years earlier, bringing an end to his major league hopes.
But it's also a testament to the drafting ability of major league teams and 2002 was clearly not a good vintage for the Yankees. I know the team's re-focus on the minor league system didn't occur until a few years later but hopefully barren draft years like 2002 are a thing of the past. But looking ahead a few years, it's not too pretty.
2003 really wasn't much better with top pick third baseman Eric Duncan long gone from baseball. The only name that stands out to me from that draft is Washington Nationals reliever Tyler Clippard.
2004 was the year the Yankees selected pitcher Phil Hughes and can only wonder what could have been. Time will tell if he can fulfill his promise in the Twin Cities or if he was simply one of the most overhyped young players of our time.
For the Yankees, solid draft picks do not appear until 2005 which Brett Gardner and Austin Jackson were chosen. Interestingly enough, the Yankees also chose pitcher Doug Fister that year but he opted to return to college for his final year, and was taken by the Seattle Mariners the next year. Granted, Fister is currently on the Nationals' DL, but he'd certainly look good in the Yankees rotation about now.
In 2006, the Yankees made some good choices, but it's rather humorous that the first round pick went to Joba Chamberlain, a journeyman reliever for the Detroit Tigers, while current Yankees closer, David Robertson was selected in the 17th round. Ian Kennedy and Zach McAllister were both chosen after Chamberlain, and they are solid starting pitchers for the San Diego Padres and Cleveland Indians, respectively. Dellin Betances was also taken that year and after years of hype, he's finally contributing as a force in the Yankees bullpen. Mark Melancon, currently the closer for the Pittsburgh Pirates due to Jason Grilli's injury, was also a draft selection.
Of the decisions the Yankees made regarding trades, the one I didn't like was dumping McAllister. He went to Cleveland in 2010 for Austin Kearns who only stayed in the Bronx for the remainder of the season. That trade felt like the foolish ones that we had grown accustomed to in the 1970's and 80's. McAllister is having a very solid year for the Indians and is another guy who would have looked great in the Yankees rotation.
I will never find fault with the decision to trade Ian Kennedy even though he almost won the Cy Young after leaving the Yankees. I just never found him to be a good fit in New York.
2007 was another disappointing draft year as the Yankees really only have catcher Austin Romine, currently at AAA Scranton/Wilkes Barre, to show for it. Top pick Andrew Brackman was coming off a major injury at the time of the selection and was never able to find his way back.
As I advance to 2008, it's disappointing to see how poor, outside of 2006, the draft has been for the Yankees. Atop the list in '08 is a pitcher the Yankees were unable to sign and who is now entrenched in the starting rotation for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Gerrit Cole. Talk about another guy who would have been a brilliant option for the Yankees rotation. What could have been…
This really shows how incredibly difficult it is to determine those who will be able to achieve results and success at the Major League level. It also shows how many people fail to find their way for whatever reasons.
It's a small wonder that the Yankees have had to spend so much in the free agent market to ensure the team remains competitive. In a statement of the obvious, the Yankees would be smart to improve the quality of their scouting and development to ensure that the older players are replaced by younger, cheaper talent with high ceilings.
The Tampa Bay Rays and Kansas City Royals are solid teams because of their drafting ability. For the Yankees, they are successful despite it. I get why owner Hal Steinbrenner believes in the power of the farm system. This is not rocket science. Sustainability will only be maintained through youth and controlling costs.
Stupid is as stupid does…
The fans of the Boston Red Sox took great delight when Michael Pineda was tossed from a Yankees-Red Sox game last week due to the blatant smear of pine tar on his neck. After the fiasco caused during his previous start against the Red Sox in Yankee Stadium ("brown dirt"), he had to have known he would be under the magnifying glass. Yet, he risked detection by continuing the use of pine tar and ended up applying a more generous amount than he had intended to. So, Boston manager John Farrell had absolutely no choice but to call out Pineda. This is one instance where I felt the Red Sox were 100% correct in a controversial decision involving the Yankees. Pineda's 10-game suspension hurts the Yankees, at a time when they've already lost starter Ivan Nova for the season due to an elbow injury that requires Tommy John surgery.
For a rotation that looked so strong and full of promise for a few starts, the Yankees now have to replace both Nova and Pineda, plus the top of the rotation has been questionable at times with CC Sabathia and Hiroki Kuroda. The only source of consistency has been Masahiro Tanaka, who faces an incredibly difficult challenge today against the Los Angeles Angels and the likes of Albert Pujols and Mike Trout.
Baseball is a team-first sport and Pineda made a "me-first" decision. I hope that he learns a valuable lesson during his suspension and comes back with choices that are for the good of the team.
For the record, I do believe that Major League Baseball should allow pine tar to some degree for gripping purposes only in colder temps. But until the rules are changed, it's a violation and should be handled accordingly. Baseball has been tolerant of discreet behavior regarding its use, but to blatantly violate the policy warrants the appropriate punishment until such a time the rules are changed.