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State Sen. Larry Grooms landed two high-profile endorsements Thursday as South Carolina congressmen Jeff Duncan and Mick Mulvaney endorsed his bid for the 1st District in a joint announcement.
Duncan, R-SC3, cited Grooms' background as a small-business owner operating a chain of convenience stores, his show of 2nd Amendment support in the Firearms Liberty Act and his potential to maintain a unified conservative front within the state delegation.
"While there are several good candidates in the 1st Congressional race, Larry Grooms has the record, values, and conviction best suited to represent the Lowcountry in Congress," Duncan said in a statement.
Mulvaney, R-SC5, struck a similar chord, praising the field of Republicans vying for the coastal district but arguing Grooms stands above the rest.
"When it comes to reducing taxes, cutting wasteful Washington spending and protecting our liberties, I believe Larry Grooms is the right man for the job," he said.
Grooms has represented Charleston and Berkeley counties since 1997, and he currently heads the Transportation Committee.
To local media Grooms has touted a provision in his bill restructuring the State Ports Authority that directed the agency to "expeditiously develop a port in Jasper County" as well as language that allows the governor to fire board members for neglecting duties. Grooms led a charge last summer to override vetoes against a newly designed Jasper Ocean Terminal panel rule that would force South Carolina appointees of the two-state board to vote in near uniformity and another provision challenging a Savannah harbor deepening seen as a threat to the Jasper project by some.
In the five-county 1st District, Charleston and Berkeley counties accounted for about 60 percent of the GOP turnout in November's race between now-Sen. Tim Scott and Democratic challenger Bobbie Rose,
In a 16-candidate Republican field that's likely to spur a runoff after the March 19 primary, the key is securing a position in the top to serve as an alternative to former Gov. Mark Sanford, who, despite the damage from his extramarital affair, is still considered a frontrunner, said Mark Tompkins, a professor of political science at the University of South Carolina. Sanford's challenger could pick up droves of disaffected voters, he added.
"This adds some weight to his claim to be the strongest alternative to Mark Sanford," Tompkins said. "If it enhances his ability to raise money for the race, then it becomes even more important."
And while endorsements might not sway large swaths of voters in a general election, they matter to primary voters, donors and other key blocks, said Shell Suber, a South Carolina political consultant.
"It's seen as an indication of credibility and momentum among insiders," he said. "In a race with this many candidates, having two of our state's current congressmen say they want Sen. Grooms in the seat next to them is a significant win for him."


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Holition's main strategy is focused on digital engagement - technology meets human experience. Our projects are constantly evolving to keep up with the ever-changing face of technology, fashion and design. It's important as much for us as the client to select the right technology to deliver the creative idea. As a result we have deployed global projects using a wide range of technologies, such as unique augmented reality applications for use online, in-store and at live events as well as producing holographic fashion shows and in-store touch-table installations.
All / Augmented Reality / Digital Content / Holographic / Projection / Virtual Try-on / Wearable Technology
Jenny Holzer SOFTER
Augmented Reality, Digital Content, Projection
'Viewing Art from a Different Perspective '
The Store of the Future - Hema
Virtual Try-on
'UX design is a commitment to build projects with customers in mind.'
Alexander McQueen - LCF
Augmented Reality, Projection, Virtual Try-on
'Holition Creates Virtual Looks Inspired by Alexander McQueen's Catwalk Shows'
Nails by Holition
Augmented Reality, Virtual Try-on
'WORLD'S FIRST EVER mobile app for Virtual Nail Colours in Real-Time'
Investigating Digital Anthropology at the English National Opera
Virtual Try-on
'Human to Technology Interaction'
Brazil's National stadium hosts holographic tribute to Renato Russo
'The legendary Renato Russo '

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Car News: 2014 Detroit Auto Show
Audi Crossover Concept Teased Ahead of Detroit Show
- New Audi crossover concept previewed ahead of Detroit
- Sketches show a crossover mixed with a sports car
- Concept will likely use fully electric or plug-in hybrid powertrain
Audi has officially released three sketches of an all-new concept car scheduled for release at the upcoming Detroit Auto Show. The sketches show a futuristic vehicle that boasts several Audi design cues and looks like a cross between a sport utility vehicle and a sports car.
On the outside, the concept combines SUV traits -- roof racks, raised ground clearance, 2-tone paint and Quattro logos that suggest all-wheel drive -- with sports-car features such as a 2-door bodystyle, aggressive headlights, large alloy wheels, and short front and rear overhangs for improved handling.
Audi also included a sketch of the concept car's interior. It looks a lot like the brand's high-end R8 sports car, which boasts a mid-engine design and exotic-car performance. The similarities come from the unique gear lever, a flat-bottomed steering wheel, heavily bolstered sport seats and a stylish dashboard.
Unfortunately, Audi hasn't announced what's under the hood of its crossover concept. Our only clue is an "e-tron" logo directly in front of the rear wheel. That suggests the concept will be an electric vehicle or a plug-in hybrid, like many of Audi's recent concept cars.
So does Audi's unusual crossover concept stand a chance of seeing production? It's hard to say, but we find it difficult to believe there's much of a market for a plug-in hybrid 2-door SUV mixed with a sports car. Still, Audi might see this vehicle as a successor to the famed 1980s Quattro sports car, which earned huge success in rally racing. That car still has a large following and many devoted fans, which means a modern-day successor could prove popular.
Keep checking back for updates on the new Audi crossover concept, as we'll have more details when the Detroit Auto Show rolls around in a few weeks.
What it means to you: We're not sure if Audi's latest crossover concept previews an upcoming model, but based on the sketches, we're certainly excited to find out.


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All Staten Island Ny Locksmith & Lock Out Service is located at 960 Bloomingdale Rd, Staten Island, NY. This business specializes in Hardware & Tools.


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BOSTON — Sometimes it looks like Johnny Boychuk's at an amusement park taking five shots for a quarter.
He loads up, fires, and then he tries again without much pause.
Unlike most carnival games, the NHL is not rigged to make you miss. Boychuk finally took advantage of that tonight and beat Philadelphia goaltender Sergei Bobrovsky 2:42 into the third period to break a 1-1 tie and send the Bruins on their way to a Game 4 victory that completed a sweep of the Eastern Conference semifinal series with the Flyers.
Boychuk one-timed a shot from the right point after a pass back by Michael Ryder. It might've hit someone in front or just curved as it beat Bobrovsky to the glove side high.
"The puck came back to me. It was kind of rolling, and I just shot it towards the net and I think it probably dipped a little bit or curved, did something," said Boychuk, who for the night registered eight shot attempts but just three on goal.
Boychuk's series was filled with shots that went wide or were blocked. His goal couldn't have come at a better time because just seconds before he scored center Patrice Bergeron suffered an injury and left the game. He didn't return.
"I didn't really see him go off but after that it was kind of just, as soon as we scored, everybody, we just started to go again," said Boychuk. "We needed that."


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DTP Build Transition
← Back to DTP Release Engineering
This page describes the changes that will occur when the DTP build transitions from the current system to a PDE based build infrastructure. While the output of both build systems is functionally equivalent, there are some details that will impact both DTP committers and consumers of DTP.
Map Files
The new DTP build process will use map files. These files specify the features and plug-ins to be included in the build. Further, map files specify a CVS tag for each plug-in and feature. The use of map files is fairly common among Eclipse Foundation projects and brings a number of advantages:
- Committers can use tags to manage which code appears in which build.
- Committers can update the map files to add or remove plug-ins.
- Consumers of DTP interested in duplicating the build process have a specification of exactly what code was used for a given build.
The map files for DTP will be kept in the org.eclipse.datatools.releng CVS module, to which all DTP committers have write access.
Naturally, with power comes responsibility. Aside from the obvious requirement to keep the map files and CVS tags current, committers should be very care when adding or removing plug-ins, since doing so can introduce dependencies and build breakage. Therefore, aside from update the existing tags used in the map files, we encourage committers to file bugs with proposed changes (additions/removals/etc.) for review by the release engineering team and PMC before making such changes.
Use of ".qualifier"
As described in the DTP Plug-in Versioning Policy, "A DTP plug-in version number has four fields, separated by a ".": Major.Minor.Service.Qualifier"
Previously DTP committers where required to update the qualifier field with each plug-in change. Starting with the new build system, the time stamps in all DTP 1.6 plug-ins will be changed to ".qualifier" and the DTP build process will control update of these values. Thus, no further action in this area is required by DTP plug-in owners.
For nightly build, the ".qualifier" field will be set to a current time stamp.
For integration/milestone build, the ".qualifier" field will be set to the tag name specified in map files.
Format of Distribution Version Stamp
Currently DTP distributions (end user and extender zips) have the following format:
- dtp-sdk_1.6M6_20080227.zip
- dtp_1.6M6_20080227.zip
with the exact time stamp varying according to the build date. In the new build system, the format will be like:
- dtp-sdk-1.6M6-200802251143.zip
- dtp-1.6M6-200802251143.zip
again, with the exact time stamp varying according to the build date. Consumers relying on a specific format (say for automatic consumption in a build process) might need to update their matching patterns for this change.
Build Schedule
Note: Using Shanghai time.
Nightly builds take place from Monday to Thursday. Integration builds takes place on Friday.
Contacting the Build Team
There are a number of ways to contact the build team:
- Create a Bugzilla entry for DTP, using the "releng" component
- Send mail to the DTP development mailing list


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Law Reinstates EEOC Position on Timeliness of Filing Wage Bias Charges
WASHINGTON - Hailing a victory for working women and all victims of pay discrimination, Stuart J. Ishimaru, the newly designated Acting Chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), today congratulates Congress and President Obama on the final passage and enactment of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. The Act reinstates the EEOC's longstanding position on the timeliness of filing pay discrimination charges, a position that had been overturned by the Supreme Court's decision in Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co., Inc.
The EEOC receives upward of 5,000 wage bias charge filings nationwide each year under all the statutes it enforces. The bill, signed into law today by President Obama, extends the time frame for employees to file pay discrimination cases based on the most recent allegedly discriminatory paycheck or other pay-related action, such as a decision setting a raise amount. The measure (S.181) was passed by the Senate on January 22 and approved by the House of Representatives on January 27.
"The Commission celebrates this important piece of civil rights legislation, especially because it was the first bill signed into law by President Obama," said Chairman Ishimaru. "The Act is a victory for working women and all workers across the country who are shortchanged by receiving unequal pay for performing equal work. The EEOC intends to enhance enforcement in this area, in addition to increasing public outreach and education."
The new law overturns the Supreme Court's May 2007 decision in Ledbetter, in which the Court held that the period for filing an EEOC charge of pay discrimination begins when the pay-setting decision is made and that charges under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act challenging discriminatory pay, therefore, ordinarily must be filed within 180 days of the allegedly discriminatory pay decision.
The Ledbetter Fair Pay Act states that the Supreme Court's 2007 decision is "contrary to the intent of Congress" because it "significantly impairs statutory protections against discrimination in compensation that Congress established and that have been bedrock principles of American law for decades." The Act states that with respect to pay discrimination, an unlawful employment practice occurs "each time wages, benefits, or other compensation is paid, resulting in whole or in part from [a pay] decision or other practice."
The EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting employment discrimination. Further information about the EEOC is available on its web site at www.eeoc.gov.
This page was last modified on January 29, 2009.
Return to Home Page


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The Ladies of Curling
Curling is far from the most popular winter sport in the United States, so it doesn't get much attention on television during the Winter Olympic broadcasts. But if you take the time to sit down and really get to understand the sport, it's actually quite intriguing. Wikipedia describes it as such:
Curling is a team Olympic sport in which stones are slid across a sheet of carefully prepared ice towards a target area. It is related to bowls, boule and shuffleboard.
What you'll likely notice if you watch any of the women's curling, is that many of the ladies are actually quite cute. While they aren't dancing around in little skating dresses, there is something kinda hot about watching them get their curl on. Take a look at the sexy curling gallery below as we attempt to prove our point.


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The Amazing Life of Sean Smith, the Masterful Eve Gamer Slain in Libya
The headlines around the world about Sean Smith last year were mostly about how he left this Earth. But this is a story about what he did while he was here. This is a story about Sean Smith's life—about what he did in the so-called "real" world and what he did in a virtual galaxy where he was a Machiavellian legend.


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49ers coach Jim Harbaugh said earlier this week that he had a "leader in the clubhouse" in the competition between David Akers and Billy Cundiff to serve as the team's kicker against the Packers.
Harbaugh revealed his choice on Thursday and it turned out to be the same guy who has been kicking for the team all year. Akers will be kicking against Green Bay while Cundiff won't be suiting up. He will remain on the roster pending any change of heart over the remainder of San Francisco's run this season, however.
Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group reports that Harbaugh said Akers gives the team their "best chance to win" on Saturday. He's battled a pelvis injury this season and missed at least one field goal in all but one of the team's second half games. Akers set NFL records by trying 52 field goals and making 44 of them in 2011, but he slumped to 29-of-42 this season.
That wasn't enough for Harbaugh to make a change heading into the postseason, where Akers has made 35-of-42 field goals over the course of his career with the Eagles and 49ers.


text:
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Telemark – nature experiences all year
When staying in a NOVASOL holiday home in Norway in the region of Telemark you should visit the town Rjukan situated below the National Park Hardangervidda between Mjøsvatn and Tinnsjøen. The city and the area is most known for Gaustatoppen, with its great skiing and hiking possibilities in addition to the heavy water sabotages during 2.nd world war. Rjukan is situated in a valley and during winter you hardly see the sun, but a 100 year idea has been realized by building 3 big mirrors on the mountain side providing sun in the market square of Rjukan.
To stay in a holiday home in Telemark region is beautiful all year, go across country skiing, down hill skiing or ice climbing during winter at either Gaustatoppen, at Rauland or Vierli. During the summer season there are many possibilities for fishing in the lakes in Telemark. You can go hiking in the mountains, where you can choose challenging trips or just go looking for berries and mushrooms. And if you are lucky you might find some of the tasty and rare cloudberries.
Take a day trip from your holiday home and go hiking in the Gaustatoppen Mountain preferable in August and September when the nature stands in its magnificent autumn colors. At the top of the mountain you have a panoramic view to one sixth of Norways mainland and you have access to a small hut. This is a perfect day trip for most people and is fitted for families as well.
Collecting crownberries is one of the preferred activities in autumn. This species grows preferred in Scandinavia and marmelades and chutneys are made of it. It is very healthy due its vitamins. Collecting them is a good opportunity to see the fabulous landscapes of Telemark.
Rent a NOVASOL holiday home at Rauland, Vierli or Rjukan and experience the region Telemark inland.


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|My Kids
|Standing Guard
May is National Pet Month and pets have always been a part of the family in many parts of our culture. In fact, ceremonial burial of pets has been practiced in every part of the world at some point in time throughout history
|Gretta's 'Green' Grave
|Rauls' Grave at Home
Today we consider burial options for them just as we do for humans. And nowadays there are many options to consider – from the traditional pet burial at home, to cremation, to green burial, to pet cemeteries.
|Mummified Cat
|Egyptian Cat
In Ancient Egypt, pets were mummified, just like people. Sections of land along the Nile were designated for the burial of animals. It was also acceptable for pets to be interred in the tomb of their owners. In 1888, an Egyptian farmer discovered a tomb outside of Beni Hasan that held over 80 thousand mummified cat remains, dating from 1000-2000 BCE.
|Ashkelon National Park
|5th Century Remains in Dog Cemetery
|Beloved Pets
|Entrance to Cemetery of Dogs
The Cimetière des Chiens et Autres Animaux Domestiques is located in the northwest Paris suburb of Asnières-sur-Seine, Île-de-France. Established in 1899, the name literally means "Cemetery of Dogs and Other Domestic Animals" and it is the burial ground for cats, horses, fish, moneys, even lions – all pets. The French government declared the cemetery a historical monument in 1987, but due to a lack of interest and tourism, it may have to close.
|Dr Samuel Johnson
|Pet Funeral Procession
(Johnson was also active in founding the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA).
|Hartsdale Canine Cemetery
|The Entrance today
The Hartsdale Pet Cemetery also holds the cremated remains of over 600 people who did not want to be separated from their faithful friends. Although the state of New York ruled in June 2011, that placing human remains in a pet cemetery was illegal, a tremendous outcry from pet owners caused them to re-evaluate the law and reverse it in December 2011.
|Landscaped Pet Cemetery
Traditional burial is still the most practiced of burial options, but green burials, inurnment, and cremation are catching on. And there are other options –
|Mummified Birds
|Mummified Poodle
|"The Boys" Headstone
|Tanner's Headstone with Photo
Burial is a way of honoring an animal, of expressing love and respect for a faithful friend, and of the belief that we will continue to share our journey, even in the after life, with our pets. It shows a compassionate and caring attitude for our non-human companions in a world that is becoming increasingly impersonal.
This newer version of the poem, The Rainbow Bridge, seems to sum up our hopes and wishes for a continued journey with our furry family members.
The Rainbow Bridge (inspired by a Norse legend)
Is a lush, green meadow where time stands still.
Where the friends of man and woman do run,
When their time on earth is over and done.
For here, between this world and the next,
Is a place where each beloved creature finds rest.
On this golden land, they wait and they play,
Till the Rainbow Bridge they cross over one day.
No more do they suffer, in pain or in sadness,
Their limbs are restored, their health renewed,
Their bodies have healed, with strength imbued.
They romp through the grass, without even a care,
Until one day they start, and sniff at the air.
All ears prick forward, eyes dart front and back,
Then all of a sudden, one breaks from the pack.
For just at that instant, their eyes have met;
So they run to each other, these friends from long past,
The time of their parting is over at last.
The sadness they felt while they were apart,
Has turned into joy once more in each heart.
They embrace with a love that will last forever,
And then, side-by-side, they cross over… together.
~ Steve and Diane Bodofsky
~ Joy
For information on pet cemeteries or for assistance with pet bereavement contact the International Association of Pet Cemeteries & Crematories (IAOPPC) http://www.iaopc.com/.


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Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson believes James Milner's opener in the Manchester derby should have been disallowed for offside.
Carlos Tevez was in an offside position as Milner shot but David de Gea was not unsighted.
Roberto Mancini's side eventually ran out 2-1 winners thanks to a terrific Sergio Aguero goal and reduced the deficit at the top of the Premier League to 12 points.
Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel is desperate to return to the Champions League next season.
The Nigerian said playing in the Europa League does not provide him with sufficient excitement.
Arsenal goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny returned to action last night as the Gunners Under-21 side were beaten 3-2 away at Liverpool.
An entertaining clash was lit up by a wonder goal from promising Arsenal youngster Serge Gnabry.
Tottenham Hotspur will turn to blood-spinning in a bid to rush Gareth Bale back from injury as quickly as possible.
The Welsh winger went over on his right angle in the Europa League clash with Basel last week and Spurs will look to use the controversial technique to try and get him back in time for the clash with Manchester City on April 21.
Barcelona superstar Lionel Messi will have final tests on Tuesday to see if he will be fit enough for the Champions League quarter-final second leg against PSG on Wednesday.
The score is 2-2 from the first leg and Messi was withdrawn at half-time with the hamstring injury – the Argentine is rated as 50/50 to breakdown again if he does end up playing.


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Happy Cinco de Mayo! 5 Drinks to Celebrate
While Cinco de Mayo, which commemorates the Mexican army's victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, might not be a major holiday throughout Mexico, the Fifth of May has become an important day of pride for many in the Southwest and other parts of the US. Those of us who live in California, Texas, or anywhere, really, love an excuse to celebrate and what better way to do it than with spicy, cool, and colorful drinks? Here are five recipes to enjoy today or any warm day.
1 Blood Orange-Jalapeño Margaritas – Spicy, cool, and absolutely gorgeous
2 Classic Margarita – A recipe for the classic version, plus everything you need to know about margarita styles and ratios
3 Margaritas Made with Beer – This may not be classic, but it's perfect for a quick drink (no lime squeezing necessary!)
4 Michelada – Another beer cocktail, this time with chili powder, pepper, and hot sauce!
5 Mango Michelada – A refreshing blend of beer, lime, and mango
Need something to snack on with those drinks? Check out our Guacamole roundup.
(Images: Nora Maynard, Nora Maynard, Elizabeth Passarella, Nina Callaway, National Mango Board)


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For those that follow this opinion column, you read that several weeks ago that my aging parents were dealing with the ravages of getting old � and living through it.
For those that follow this opinion column, you read that several weeks ago that my aging parents were dealing with the ravages of getting old � and living through it. Major heart surgery saved my mom�s life.
Because of advancements in medicine, we can live longer. But while medicine has enhanced our potential for age, medicine hasn�t necessarily enhanced � and really can�t enhance � our potential for aging gracefully.
Mom had her aortic heart valve replaced in June. At 85 years old, she survived the surgery that sliced into her chest, cracked and spread open her rib cage, and opened her heart. She had mobility issues before the surgery, enduring bad knees and hips for years. She has diabetes. She has reduced kidney functioning and she has COPD from years of smoking (given up 30 years ago but the damage was done).
She would have died in days without the heart surgery. The surgery prolonged her life who knows how many years. With her aortic heart valve replaced, she has a heart functioning at 20 years her junior.
And then she had a post-surgical stroke that could have been far worse but nonetheless has afflicted the right side of her body. Her right arm �won�t obey her� as she puts it and neither will her right leg. She reluctantly uses a walker now � �an old person�s crutch,� she says.
It�s funny how one�s chronological perspective doesn�t change with age. Mom�s 85 and in her eyes she�s not yet old.
So my 89-year-old dad, a blessing in many ways, not the least of which is that he has become my mom�s arms and legs, has become her primary care-giver. But they live in a home not set up for elder �care-giving.� There are stairs. The laundry is in the basement. There is an old bathroom with a bath tub (no shower head) and low toilets and sinks that are not conducive to supporting the needs of people with disabilities.
I sent my dad an ad for one of those walk-in bath tubs they advertise in AARP and in veteran�s magazines. He turned his nose up at it. �Too expensive to install,� he says.
I was not really surprised that he would think this after all. Dad and Mom are part of what newscaster and author Tom Brokaw called the �Greatest Generation.� Both Mom and Dad survived and then thrived following the Great Depression. They became accustomed to getting by with what they had. Dad, too, is one of a quickly declining number of World War II veterans who dealt with thrift and doing without his whole life.
Luckily, Mom�s recovery has been nothing short of miraculous. Even with her compound medical problems, except for a scar that peeks out of her blouse just below her neck, a need for some supplemental oxygen time to time still, and her right leg and arm that won�t �obey her� to the degree she would like, she is her ornery old self.
Still, in their children�s eyes, both Mom and Dad would do better if the house in which they were living were designed with walker-accommodating spaces, bathrooms set up for those with disabilities and an upstairs laundry. They can afford it and we would do it for them if they couldn�t.
But both frustratingly and blessedly, this isn�t going to happen. Frustratingly, my mom and dad have strong opinions. They aren�t going to let their kids � or anybody else for that matter � run their lives. Blessedly, my mom and dad have strong opinions and aren�t going to let their kids run their lives.
They attend to their personal needs and get up and go every day. On their daily shopping forays � a great joy to them both � Mom drags herself into their van by stepping up on a rickety, old step stool Dad places near the passenger door, pulling herself into her seat using her left �good� arm with Dad�s help. Exiting the van, Dad fetches her walker from the back seat and positions it so Mom can brace herself on it sliding out of the van.
Dad is still a good driver. If he wasn�t, finding a way to get the keys from him would be difficult � at best � for both Mom and Dad and their kids. But as my dad always said, �We�ll cross that bridge when we come to it.� I�m glad we haven�t come to that bridge yet.
So Mom and Dad, even with the ravages of old age, chancy surgery and sometimes incomprehensible stubbornness, frugally survive with what they have as they have done their whole lives. So, as a matter of fact � at least for now � they may actually have �graceful aging� down to a science regardless of what their kids think.
Barry Fetzer is a columnist for the Havelock News. He can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com.


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September jobs report: Where do these numbers come from?
Posted by Dylan Matthews on October 5, 2012 at 12:40 pm
The September jobs report is already spurring a number of conspiracy theories, alleging that the numbers have been tampered with for political gain. Ezra has dispatched with those quite nicely. But it raises a broader question. How does the Bureau of Labor Statistics derive these numbers? How accurate is that process? And how susceptible is it to tampering?
The jobs report actually compiles the results of two different surveys: the Current Population Survey (CPS), which is commonly dubbed the "household survey," and Current Economic Statistics (CES), or the "employer survey." The household survey produces the unemployment rate, and the employer survey produces the "nonfarm payrolls" number, which is the most common measure of jobs gained.
Household survey
The CPS is a monthly survey of households that asks which people in the household have worked (or were temporarily absent) in the past week; which have actively looked for work in the past month but did not work; and which neither looked for work nor worked. It's jointly run by BLS and the Census Bureau and has been conducted since 1940.
The number of people who either worked or looked for work is defined as the "labor force". The CPS calculates both the "labor force participation rate" — which is the fraction of people over 16 and not in prison who are in the labor force — and the "unemployment rate", which is the percentage of the labor force not working.
It also calculates a number of "alternative" unemployment measures by asking if members of the household have concluded that no work is available (the "U-4″ measure), have given up looking for work but would still like a job (the "U-5″ measure), or are working part-time but would like to be working full-time (the "U-6″ measure). These tend to be higher than the regular unemployment rate. This month, U-6 was unchanged because a lot of the job gains came in part-time work, but all the others went down.
BLS also asks if members of the household lost their jobs in the month in question, and if they've been unemployed more than 15 weeks. Both of these measures went down last month, which is another sign that the labor market is recovering.
The CPS sample includes about 66,000 households. Every month, 25 percent of the sample is changed, so that the sample is not just studying the same group of people. The response rate is very high – usually more than 90 percent. By contrast, opinion polls have a response rate of around 9 percent, and contain samples a fraction of that size.
But even still, there is a lot of room for error. This is most apparent when the BLS releases "revisions" to the data, which showed the initial numbers to be off by almost 400,000 last year. The BLS estimates that the standard error for the unemployment rate is 0.1 points. That means that the margin of error, like that you'd use for polls, is about 0.196 points:
It's higher for changes in the unemployment rate – the standard error is 0.12, so the margin of error is around 0.2352. But the drop in unemployment last month was 0.3 points – so outside the margin of error, and statistically significant. As former Labor Department economist Betsy Stevenson explains, that's a clear improvement.
Employer survey
What about the CES? That surveys 141,000 employers, both private and public, at 486,000 worksites and asks for the number of employees, hours worked, and earnings. "Employees" includes both part-time and full-time labor, and is a snapshot taken at the twelfth of the month. "Employment is the total number of persons on establishment payrolls employed full-or part-time who received pay for any part of the pay period that includes the 12th day of the month," BLS explains. It excludes the self-employed, volunteers, farm workers, and domestic workers. But it includes workers who are on strike, and those working for two different businesses are double-counted.
The standard error for CES is enormous - 55,254 for monthly change. That means the margin of error (at a 95 percent confidence level) is 108,293 – nearly the total number of jobs gained last month. So this month's job gain was statistically different from zero, but many past ones were not:
What's this about the seasons?
Both the CPS and the CES use a process called "seasonal adjustment." They figure that employment usually follows certain seasonal patterns. Construction workers don't work in the winter, high school and college graduates get hired in the spring, teachers get laid off for the summer, etc. They then adjust the number of employed and unemployed people by what you'd expect to change due to seasonal factors.
As Brad has noted, there's some evidence that the adjustment formula has gone awry, as there is a wide divergence in the summer and winter jobs numbers, with the latter usually stronger, as you can see in the above figure.
How secure is it?
As my colleague Eli Saslow notes, the BLS process is highly confidential. Economists are put on an eight-day security lockdown in advance of the report, signing confidentiality agreements every morning. The computers they use feature heavy encryption, and data is placed in a safe even for bathroom breaks. The Wednesday before the release, the CPS data comes in, followed by the CES data a few days after.
On the day before the release, three copies of the report and a CD-ROM are placed in a safe and taken to downtown Washington from the secure location where they were prepared, and presented to the few White House officials who have permission for a sneak peek at the numbers. Journalists are given access to the information 30 minutes before release but have to connect to a secure network that prevents them from sending out the data ahead of its official release.
As nonpartisan as government gets
The BLS is a highly nonpartisan operation, existing since 1884 and headed by Jack Galvin, a career employee who ran the employment and unemployment statistics division from 1998 to 2011, and has held a variety of positions there since 1978. Prior to him, Keith Hall headed the agency from 2008 to 2012, following career positions at the Council of Economic Advisors and the International Trade Commission. It's normal for BLS commissioners to span administrations and parties. Janet Norwood headed the agency from 1979 to 1991, spanning Carter, Reagan, and Bush I, while her predecessor Julius Shiskin headed it under Nixon, Ford and Carter.
Hall has told the Wall Street Journal that it is "impossible" to alter the numbers for political gain. But that hasn't stopped some from harboring conspiracy theories about their political manipulation. Former GE chief Jack Welch today tweeted that "these Chicago guys will do anything…can't debate so change numbers," implying the Obama administration artificially inflated the figures.
But presidents themselves have worried about the agency in the past. Richard Nixon infamously asked his aide Fred Malek to count the number of Jews working in BLS, based on his delusion that Jewish liberals were trying to sabotage him through bad jobs numbers. Suffice it to say, none of these conspiracy theories — be they anti-semitic or anti-Obama — have any truth to them.
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September jobs report: Debunking the jobs report conspiracy theories
Weve hit that moment in the election when people begin to lose their minds. Case in point, within minutes of the jobs report, Twitter filled with Republicans claiming the books were somehow cooked, the numbers arent real, etc.
Lets take a deep breath. Jobs reports are about the economy, not about the election. Confusing the two leads to very bad analysis.
This is a good jobs report in a still-weak economy. The 114,000 jobs we added in September arent very impressive. The revisions to the last two months, which added 86,000 jobs to the total, were much more impressive. Those revisions also suggest that Septembers jobs could get revised up or, of course, down. So be careful about reading too much into that number. Still, these are, at best, good, not great, numbers.
The controversy, if its worth using that word, is over the unemployment rate, which dropped from 8.1 percent to 7.8 percent. Thats three-tenths of one percent. Thats what all the fuss is about.
Lets get one thing out of the way: The data was not, as Jack Welch suggested in a now-infamous tweet, manipulated. The Bureau of Labor Statistics is set up to ensure the White House has no ability to influence it. As labor economist Betsey Stevenson wrote, anyone who thinks that political folks can manipulate the unemployment data are completely ignorant of how the BLS works and how the data are compiled. Plus, if the White House somehow was manipulating the data, dont you think they would have made the payroll number look a bit better than 114,000? No one would have batted an eye at 160,000.
The fact is that theres not much that needs to be explained here. Weve seen drops like this and even drops bigger than this before. Between July and August the unemployment rate dropped from 8.3 percent to 8.1 percent two-tenths of one percent. November-December of 2011 also saw a .2 percent drop. November-December of 2010 saw a .4 percent drop. This isnt some incredible aberration. The fact that the unemployment rate broke under the psychologically important 8 percent line is making this number feel bigger to people than it really is.
The number could, of course, be wrong. The household survey is, well, a survey, which means its open to error. But the internals back it up. The number saying they had jobs increased by about 800,000. That seems high, but its counting 582,000 who say they got part-time jobs.
Theres precedent for this. As Daniel Indiviglio notes, part-time jobs increased by 579,000 in September 2010 and by 483,000 in September 2011. It might simply be seasonal hiring. You dont need to resort to ridiculous theories like Democrats across the country suddenly deciding to lie to surveytakers in order to help Obama.
Which leads to another argument: That U6, the broadest measure of labor-market pain, didnt move, which should make us skeptical of the fact that U3, the normal unemployment rate, did move. Thats just misunderstanding what U6 is.
U6 is not an unemployment measure. It includes part-time workers who want full-time work. So it doesnt count the increase in part-time work. But every measure of actual unemployment U1, U2, U3, U4, and U5 went down. You can see them all here. Again, theres no mystery.
This is an encouraging report. What it tells us is that the labor market has been a bit better over the last few months than we thought, and that the recovery hasnt slowed in the ways we feared. What the response to it tells us is that the election is driving people a little bit crazy.
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ShadowStats is your friend.
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Republican PR machine going full conspiritard on this one. I just wish they'd make up their minds on whether these numbers are fake great numbers, or real numbers that aren't actually that good. Get your talking points aligned guys.
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The number is the number (relative to all the other reports that have come before this one).
Fact of the matter is that it is just now down to where it was at the beginning of the presidency. Shouldn't that number have started coming down sometime way before now???????
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The jobs report is made up of two SURVEYS. One of businesses (in which 410,000 businesses report) and a large phone survey of households (in which 60,000 homes are called).
The latter survey is much more volatile than the first. It tends to have lots of noise in it, and big swings. But even so, this big spike is notable for being bigger than recent swings.
It's this last survey that informs the actual unemployment figure. The first number, the payroll survey, tells us the net job creation in a month.
Now, according to the household survey, 873,000 jobs were created last month. Very close to one million jobs. That's not unprecedented; it happened last in 1983.
Only thing is, when that happened in 1983, that was in the first blast of the Reagan boom, and the country's Gross Domestic Product was growing at a blistering 9.3% rate.
Current rate of GDP growth? Something like 1.3%.
Jumps almost as big as this one (but not quite) have happened when the GDP growth rate was 5% or so.
But at the 1.3% level? At this level of economic growth -- not even enough to keep up with population growth-- what exactly would be driving the employment train?
If anyone's too young too know, let me explain to you what a 1983 economy feels like: It feels like the movie Wall Street. As Adam Carolla says, "pre-AIDS, mid-coke." Poppy music on the Blaupunkt. People buy plastic watches to wear on their ankles and in their hair. The world is your Cinnabon's.
It's the kind of economy where you sort of have some leverage with your boss because the economy's so hot that labor is a seller's, not buyer's market.
Not just for good jobs. For crap jobs too. A sizzling economy makes a lot of crap jobs. So you can quit your job and have a pretty good idea you'll have a new one in a couple of weeks.
Is that the way the third quarter of 2012 feels to people?
So. You can buy that this number is real, and we all just missed the signs of a 9.3% growth spurt, or you can wonder if maybe this isn't just an "implausible statistical quirk," as one analyst calls it. Every poll -- and that's what the household survey is, a big poll -- is subject for the occasional outside-the-MoE error.
You don't even have to think Obama cooked the books (though Jay Cost reminds that that does happen) to look at the number with suspicion.
The economy simply did not add 873,000 jobs last month. It simply did not. The payroll survey says it added a mere 114,000.
There is absolutely no confirmatory data suggesting that the 873,000 number is right and the 114,000 number is wrong. As one guy asked on Twitter -- did payroll taxes jump up past month?
It's either a lucky outlier for Obama -- or luck had nothing to do with it -- but it doesn't represent current economic conditions.
If Obama and Solis really believed the economy grew 873,000 jobs, why aren't they celebrating that? Why aren't they bragging about it? Why aren't they doubting the 114,000 figure, and noting the 700,000 in undercounted jobs they should be getting credit for?
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Sometimes when I am working in the yard, my children will ask me "Do you need any help?"
I will usually reply, "No. I don't need any help."
Based on my response, they will usually go about their business. Most men my age and older will think, "I do not need any help. I can do it myself."
But my children are asking the wrong question. They should ask, "Can I help you?"
To this, I might reply, "You can help if you would like to."
Or better yet, they should just starting helping without saying anything at all.
I have found that same applies in many situations in life. Especially with Sensei, it is best to help or at least ask if you can help. Don't ask if your Sensei needs any help, because he will probably say, "no."
At work, take the initiative and do what needs to be done. Don't wait to be asked. By then, someone else might have taken the assignment.
When I practiced Aikido with Sensei Sadao Yoshioka, we were taught to respond to a need not only before you were asked, but before the person in need even thought of asking for any help. If you waited until you were asked, it was already too late. Perhaps this is an example of sen sen no sen. See Making Sense of "Sen."
If we can respond to a need before the person is aware of his or her need, perhaps we can also respond to an attack before it is initiated. Anticipation is a great skill in Karate.
Charles C. Goodin
Can I Help You?
Sometimes when I am working in the yard, my children will ask me "Do you need any help?"
Posted by Charles C. Goodin on Saturday, November 25, 2006


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EU budget vote: Rebel MPs defeat government over spending cut call
The government has been defeated in Parliament on the EU budget after 53 Conservative MPs defied their party over the issue.
Tory rebels joined with Labour to pass an amendment calling for a real-terms cut in spending between 2014 and 2020.
The coalition says the budget must be frozen in real terms as a very minimum.
The amendment, passed by 307 votes to 294, is not binding on ministers, but is a blow to David Cameron's authority on Europe before key talks next month.
The defeat, the most significant since the coalition came to power in May 2010, came despite efforts by ministers to woo rebels and Mr Cameron earlier saying he would veto any budget deal if he could not get a good deal for Britain.
The rebel amendment calling for a real-terms reduction in EU spending was passed after a stormy debate in Commons on the 27-member union's next seven-year budget and UK contributions.
The European Commission's proposed budget for 2014-2020 would see a 5% increase in spending on the current seven year period.
'Fed up'
Government supporters said it would be "nigh on impossible" to negotiate a budget reduction given the lack of support among other EU nations and urged MPs to back Mr Cameron's call for an inflation-linked rise as the minimum acceptable outcome.
But Conservative rebels said Parliament would send a clear message and strengthen Mr Cameron's hand if they backed a spending cut.
"If you think the EU has too much money, its budget is too large and it needs to be cut, then vote for the amendment," Conservative MP Mark Reckless, who spearheaded the rebel position, told MPs.
After the vote, Mr Reckless told the BBC that the UK was "fed up" of giving more money to the EU every year and MPs had made clear a budget cut was the "only thing" they would accept.
"What this is about is our constituents' money," he said. "Parliament has spoken very clearly that unless there is a deal which is a cut in the budget which gives money back to taxpayers in this country, it will not get through Parliament."
Amid heated Commons exchanges, Tony Baldry - who was a minister in the government of John Major that was riven by splits over Europe in the 1990s - accused rebels of "self indulgence" reminiscent of past divisions.
"If this party hopes to be in government after the next general election it has just got to get a grip and start supporting the prime minister," he said.
But fellow Tory Conor Burns rejected analogies with the 1990s. "This is not Maastricht. The Conservative Party is united over Europe."
'Toughest line'
Foreign Secretary William Hague said ministers would "take notice" of Parliament's views, which reflected the "real concern" among MPs and the public about the size of the UK's financial contribution to the EU.
"MPs on both sides of the argument wanted EU spending to be kept down as effectively as possible," he said.
"The difference in this debate is over the tactics. The prime minister has made it clear that we are already going for the toughest position that any prime minister has gone for in EU budget negotiations."
It was "hard to see" other EU nations agreeing to cut spending since most were net gainers from the budget, he added: "Yes, we would love it if that budget went down but all the other countries have a veto as well."
And he rejected suggestions that the defeat showed the government's weakness over Europe and the leadership's inability to control its MPs.
"I would say a government that is trying to deliver the toughest budget settlement in Europe in history is strong and purposeful and doing the right thing for the country."
He also accused Labour of "very cheap politics" by voting for a budget cut after supporting huge increases in EU finances over the last decade.
But shadow chancellor Ed Balls said there had been cross-party support for the idea of reducing EU expenditure at a time of austerity at home.
"It is not about party politics, it is about the national interest. Parliament has spoken and David Cameron has got to listen and deliver.
"He has to put the national interest first if he is strong enough. I fear he may be too weak."


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Ohio County Histories
The following county histories are located in the microfilms area on the second floor of the library. Please ask a librarian at the microforms desk or the reference desk if you need assistance with these materials.
Title: Ohio County, Indiana index of names of persons and of firms.
Author: Broadhead, Juanita.
Published: Indianapolis : County History Indexing Project, Family History Section, Indiana Historical Society, 1979.
AGLL Reel 11
Reel 50 No. 186
Title: An atlas of Switzerland and Ohio counties, Indiana.
Author: Griffing, B. N.
Published: Philadelphia : D.J. Lake & Co., 1883.
Reel 24 No. 126
Title: History of Dearborn, Ohio and Switzerland counties, Indiana. From their earliest settlement. Containing a history of the counties; their cities, townships, towns, villages, schools, and churches; ... biographies; preliminary chapters on the history of the Northwest territory, and state of Indiana, and the Indians.
Published: Chicago : Weakley, Harraman & Co., 1885.
Title: Historical sketch of Rising Sun, Ind. and the Presbyterian church. A fortieth anniversary discourse, delivered Sept. 15, 1856.
Author: Morris, Benjamin Franklin, 1810-1867.
AGLL Reel 11
Title: History of Ohio county, Indiana, in the World war.
Author: Harris, Lucian and Ricketts, William D.
Published: n.p., [1923?].
Reel 33 No. 125
Title: History of Dearborn and Ohio counties, Indiana. From their earliest settlement. Containing a history of the counties; their cities, townships, towns, villages, schools, and churches; biographies; preliminary chapters on the history of the North-west territory, the state of Indiana, and the Indians.
Published: Chicago, F. E. Weakley & Co., 1885.
Title: Brief history of the building of Methodist Episcopal churches in Rising Sun, Indiana.
Author: Stewart, Stephen H.
Published: Rising Sun, 1903.
Title: The prominent facts connected with the history of the Presbyterian church in Rising Sun, Indiana.
Author: Rising Sun, Indiana--Presbyterian Church.
Published: Pepper, Charles, and Scott, printers, 1851.
Title: Review of ten years service with the Main Street Presbyterian Church and congregation, of Rising Sun, Indiana; from April, 1844, to April, 1854.
Author: Morris, Benjamin Franklin, 1810-1867.
Published: [1854].


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Tucked away on the south side of County Road 30A, just off Seaside's Cinderella Circle rests a shop that can boast of its own Cinderella story.
Once upon a time, there was a young girl growing up in the small town of Brundidge, Ala., who says she was always creative.
"You had to be if you grew up in a small town," says Stephanie Carter. "You had to make your own garments to get what you wanted because there weren't that many options. I grew up doing creative things and even did some modeling."
Carter studied marketing in college and was given an assignment her senior year (2003) to create her own company. She created Deja Vu fashion line. No particular reason for the name, she said, "I had to come up with something quickly and it was French, so, I chose it."
To fund the project she sold the Mustang she got when she was 16 for $4,000.
Carter discovered that there was a market for her unique fashions and she began selling to country clubs and sororities.
She obtained her degree in marketing in 2004 and continued establishing Deja Vu.
She spent that first year working on her line and her first shipment sold out.
That New Year's Eve Carter was in South Walton and looked for a top to wear, but couldn't find what she needed.
She wondered if her clothes would sell here.
She came down to the next West Indies Market at Rosemary Beach, put up a tent and sold out.
In 2005 she opened Deja Vu in a kiosk at Seacrest, but her clothes were so popular that she had to restock three times a day.
With the demand being centered here, Carter moved to the beach to be closer to her business in 2007.
From Seacrest, Deja Vu then opened at Pier Park, then Seaside, which now serves as Carter's base.
Not one to feel secure with all her eggs in one basket, however, the designer felt she needed another outlet and a plan B in addition to her retail venture of Deja Vu.
She founded her wholesale line "Judith March" in 2009, which she now sells to 1,100 stores around the United States and ships 15,000 garments a month under that label. March is her birth month and Judith is her mother's given name.
Carter typically sells to a target market from college-aged to mid-30s, but she also has found fans in the younger junior set and among the mod moms.
"We sell to ages between 13 and 60, and over. It just depends," she said.
A popular seller, especially during football season, is her game day collection of dresses.
In the 10 short years since she founded Deja Vu, 31-year-old Carter now has 87 employees, four physical stores, and one warehouse on County Road 393 North, which serves as the company office.
Carter's childhood best friend, Christy Smith, has moved here from New York to help her friend and is now CEO for Carter's new umbrella company called Southern Fashion House. In New York, Smith worked for Kay Unger Corporation.
The women will be unveiling a new line in spring: Jaques and Janis.
"Women like to dress in different styles and not the same style all the time. These are throwbacks to the looks of Jackie Kennedy and Janis Joplin. Some days you might want to be Jackie, and some days, you might want to be Janis. This line gives you the option," she explained.
Jaques will be a more tailored look and Janis will feature more embroidery and beadwork.
For more information about Deja Vu, visit www.shopdejavu.com.
"I didn't always want to design, and I absolutely could not have seen this coming," said Carter. "I didn't have time to think about it. It's been a blur. I worked hard opening doors and God put it in front of my face. I love my job and we are all one big creative family."
Designer Stephanie Carter will debut her new line during South Walton Fashion Week in October.
"I am thrilled to be involved with the inaugural South Walton Fashion Week as an Exclusive Runway Sponsor," she said. "This show will give me the opportunity to showcase 30 unique looks from my company Southern Fashion House's two clothing lines Judith March and Jaques and Janis."
Carter will also host a trunk show and party in conjunction with the events Oct. 10 at 5 p.m. called "Boots and Bubbly," offering guests an insider sneak peek of her headquarters while shopping, sipping champagne from mason jars and listening to live music by Duke and the Bulls.
"It is going to be an amazing opportunity for not only myself as a local designer, but other local designers, boutiques, emerging designers and our area as a whole to gain regional and national recognition," she said.
South Walton Fashion Week will be at Grand Boulevard Oct. 11 - 13. The multi-day event celebrates fashion by featuring rising regional designers and models, chic local boutiques, runway shows, retail shopping experiences and VIP parties.


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Our Favourite Micro Amps for Christmas 2012
Our Favourite Micro Amps for Christmas 2012
They're portable, convenient, most importantly lightweight. Not to mention capable of producing a great sound despite their petite dimensions. The micro amp was simply created to make life easier for the guitarists and other amp users of the world.
We've rounded up our favourite mini amps for this Christmas. Weather you're looking for a great gift for a friend this season, or you just wanna give yourself a little treat, any one of these 5 little monsters is bound to do the trick for you.
Orange Micro Crush
Not designed to be a novelty item. Micro Crush is the smallest amp in Orange's combo series and is a superb companion for at-home practising, road trips or wherever else you want it to tag along to.
With an integrated chromatic tuner, volume and tone controls (although seemingly basic), you have just what you need from a mini amp. Just to add... the Micro Crush has of course been built to Orange's high quality specifications, and it will still spit out that British tone you love.
The Roland Micro Cube White is a genuine Limited Edition Roland Cube Amplifier with most of the features of its big brothers. This portable battery or mains powered, 5 inch speaker packs quite a punch for such a small guitar practice amp. Listen to these sound clips to hear the quality of this baby bad boy.
MUSTANG series guitar amps offer up-to-date features and loads of fun . . . at unbelievable prices. Aimed at guitarists from beginner to weekend warrior, these high-performance machines contain highly accurate amp modelling, a stellar collection of effects courtesy of an all-new DSP platform, and many "hidden" capabilities, yet they are easy to use right out of the box!
Strap a screamin' stack to your belt! You can take it with you with the Marshall MS-2 Mini Amp. Classic Marshall grille cloth; crunchy distortion; and plenty of volume for good, clean fun.
Controls for overdrive, tone, and volume. Powered by one 9V battery. The Marshall MS-2 Mini Amp includes belt clip and headphone jack. 5-3/4" high.
Introducing the amPlug – the headphone guitar amp that lets you enjoy serious guitar sound, fast. The NEW amPlug 'Acoustic' version quickly creates shimmering, rich acoustic guitar sounds using your solid-body electric guitar.
Get great tone in a tiny package, with 11 authentic amp models and 8 effects. The portable solution, battery or AC powered amp for guitars, vocals and keyboards.
A broad palate of effects including compressor, chorus, flanger, tremolo and reverbs, delays
The Yamaha THR5 has incredible tone, outstanding effects, unbelievable stereo playback sound and is small enough to fit on a crowded desk or in your carry-on.
You have your big amp that sounds great cranked up to ten, your practical smaller amp for rehearsals, and now you have the perfect third amp. The amp for everything else!
The Mini '57 Twin-Amp captures the vibe of '50s era Fender®. For the player who can't afford a real or reissue tweed amp, this lets them buy their piece of Fender history!
A super-cool little jammer with a realistic vintage visual vibe. The genuine tweed-covered wood cab contains built-in distortion; power, volume, and tone controls; plus one serious watt of power and 2 - 2" speakers. A 9V power adapter jack can be used in place of the 9V battery.
"The new fender mustang raises the standard for modern guitar versatility and muscle." This go anywhere, play anywhere amp is portable, compact, lightweight and above all, powerful.
It packs state-of-the-art Fender tone technology into a diminutive yet amazingly versatile amp.


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Mai Kai 50th Anniversary X Eyes Green Tiki Mug from the Collection of tikipakaMint Green with Gold Lettering on Back that Reads. 50 Years on left and 1956-2006 on right.
Back to Gallery
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Learn how to get your mug collection in Ooga-Mooga -- it's fast & easy!


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Melbourne Anime Festival Announces 2012 Dates and Theme
posted on 2012-03-29 08:21 EDT by Georgia Blair
"Manifest the 13th" will be held from Friday, August 18 to Sunday, August 19 at the Melbourne Showgrounds, with a discount offered for early preregistration.
Long-running Melbourne anime convention Manifest (Melbourne Anime Festival) has launched its website for its 2012 convention with a horror theme titled "Manifest the 13th". This year's event will run from Friday August 18 to Sunday, August 19 and will once again take place at the Melbourne Showgrounds, hosting traders and activities in the Exhibition Pavilion.
Manifest has opened online preregistration for the 2012 convention and will give a special discount within the next week, through a discount code provided on its website's front page.
More details on preregistration and events planned for the convention is available on the website and Manifest's Facebook page.
Classroom of the Elite BD/DVD
This slice-of-life drama where rich kids must grapple with a meritocratic system has some fascinating ideas, but ultimately can't come together into a greater whole. Nick Creamer has the details. ― There's a certain subgroup of anime high school dramas that I've come to essentially see as "Catcher in the Rye shows." Echoing the defiantly cynical yet extremely naive perspective of Catcher's Holden Cau...
This Week in Anime - Does Too Much Fanservice Distract From SSSS.Gridman's Story?
This imaginative reboot has a strong story and a confident style, but do its safer and more marketable anime hallmarks dampen the show's potent edge? Micchy and Andy hash out the show's highs and lows. ― SSSS.Gridman has a strong story and a confident style, but do its safer and more marketable anime hallmarks dampen the show's potent edge? This week, Micchy and Andy hash out the show's highs and lo...
This Week in Games - Pokemon Fever!
It's a big week for everyone's favorite pocket monsters as both Pokemon: Let's Go, Pikachu! and Let's Go, Eevee! hit shelves and the trailer for Detective Pikachu lit the internet aflame. PLUS: this week's new releases and more! ― Hi again, everyone! I'm back at home and comfortably setting back into my normal routine. I also played through Deltarune part 1 last night. That game was very, very fun an...
SNK 40th Anniversary Collection
SNK delivers a history lesson with an anthology of early arcade and NES titles. Todd finds out how well these games have held up in this new game for the Switch. ― What made SNK a cult favorite game company? Was it the Neo Geo, which delivered arcade-perfect games at home for just two hundred dollars per cartridge? Was it the Neo Geo Pocket Color, a well-made and vastly underappreciated handheld syst...
A Brief History of One Piece Video Games, Part 1
We journey through the lineage of One Piece games, uncovering brawlers, baseball, and something called the WonderSwan! ― One Piece had a short voyage to success. Creator Eiichiro Oda devised the pirate epic as a series of one-shot stories in 1996, and One Piece was a prominent Shonen Jump manga by 1997, an anime OVA by 1998, and a TV series by 1999. And from there it took the next logical step for an...
This Week in Anime - What the Hell is Happening in Conception?
This odd series combines isekai adventure with sex comedy hijinks in one of the most baffling ways possible, but is it a trainwreck worth watching? Nick and Steve find out the hard way. ― Conception combines isekai adventure with sex comedy hijinks in one of the most baffling ways possible, but is it a trainwreck worth watching? This week, Nick and Steve find out the hard way. Disclaimer: The views ...
Answerman - When Is It OK To Adapt An Anime Dub Script?
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text:
CinsoTenaka asks: "What's the weather like over there?"
Dominic replies:
Will attempt to tweet a picture in a second (@domfifield), but seems OK. High cloud. No rain at present. Can even make out the top of the mountains that circle Podgorica. So that is encouraging.
Actually, on the IT front, it may be wishful thinking to suggest I'll be able to tweet that. I've already knocked the wifi out once today by attempting to post a link to this web chat, hence James Dart kindly helping me out via email to get the responses across. Will give it a go, but if Montenegro disappears off the grid, don't come looking for me ...
Enjoy the game tonight, all.
kpateldf24 asks: "Do you think the result (in terms of possession, shots etc) would be any different if we played Italy now? I mean, shouldnt we be looking to build a new Pirlo/De Rossi instead of thinking of beating Montenegro ? ...What I mean is, why is there a lack of desire to build a signatory style...the kind where Carrick and Gerrard (quality midfielders) knock about the ball as if to mock Montenegro's talk?"
Dominic replies:
I think Roy Hodgson has a style that has worked for him over the years, and that's what we should expect him to implement with England. Ideally, we would see a midfield here this evening that resembles that against Brazil in February: Gerrard anchoring, with Jack Wilshere and Tom Cleverley utilised slightly further upfield in a trio. That would have given the whole side a progressive feel. But Wilshere is injured and absent, and England can't really afford to lose this match. So pragmatism comes in. If they don't qualify for the World Cup, is Hodgson ever likely to be offered the opportunity to stamp his own style on the team? Surely he'd find himself either out of a job or, at best, ripping the whole thing up and starting again.
He's fairly honest about the process he's taken on. He's brought in a sprinkling of youngsters who are gaining valuable experience while the team progresses through their qualification campaign (there will be plenty who play in the glamor friendlies already arranged for 2013). The style is not as defensively-minded as it was at Euro 2012, when he had to go back to basics having been parachuted in late to take up the reins. I think he would point at the whole system and suggest things are looking up. "An international team takes a bit of time to mould together," he said. "I get the feeling, as a group, we are moulding better together the more we play and have a chance to work together. It's up to the players to show that on the field of play. But I don't think there's any coach in the world who says: 'That's it, we are there.' You are always looking to continue the process and move it on slightly. I bet even Del Bosque is hoping to move it on a bit and keep it going, and that is where we are too." In time, hopefully that "signatory style" will emerge.
MurrayOstril asks: "Have the England 'band' got lost on the way/stuck at customs/banned from the ground/been involved in an unfortunate trombone related accident? Or will I have to watch the game on mute? I actually soundtracked the San Marino match with Aphex Twin's - Drukqs, any musical suggestions for tonight's game?"
Dominic replies:
Mute, I'm afraid. At least I think so. They were playing Swedish House Mafia on a loop prior to the San Marino game in Serravalle. Personally, I found that preferable ...
CaveatLektor asks: "How important is it to England that they avoid losing? And should we not see the relative quality of the current Montenegro squad as a kind of once in a generation anomaly, in much the same way as Slovenia had in qualifying for the World Cup in Korea/Japan? Also, have you tried the loze yet?"
Dominic replies:
Hodgson was asked about the importance "not to lose" last night and offered up the anticipated "it depends upon the context of how a draw is achieved" response, which was fair enough. England will certainly look at the fact three of their last four games in the group - Moldova, Montenegro and Poland - are at home and spy that as cause for optimism, even if the national team hasn't always been at its fluent best when the pressure is upon them at their home ground. A draw would not be disastrous, even if Montenegro beat Ukraine in June and went five points clear. That could still be clawed back. But I think there's an appreciation within the group that a victory is needed here. They all want to avoid those last three home games becoming "do or die" and will want the Wembley crowd firmly with them, carrying them through at the top of the section. In order to achieve that, they have to prevail here.
As for the progress Montenegro have made, I hope time doesn't prove it to have been an anomaly. There's such a fierce desire to excel here - that much was obvious even yesterday as Brnovic spoke - and huge pride at what has been achieved. I remember the scenes at the final whistle 17 months ago all too well, the locals ecstatic that a play-off place was theirs, even if they did go on to lose to the Czech Republic. They have top quality players, excelling in Serie A, and the hope must be others come through, albeit in a country with a population matching that of Sheffield. "It would means such a lot," said Brnovic. "Both for the players, for us, and the people here in general if we were to reach Brazil. We have covered a large distance to get here, but there is still some way to cross. We will certainly cross the other half if we play well against England. If not, we face a more difficult route to get to Brazil, but we will still hope for success." I guess prolonged success feels unlikely with the resources and population at Montenegro's disposal, but the desire is clearly burning.
Loze … now you've got me feeling properly ignorant.
Ideologue asks: "Do you think the Montenegro coach has a point when saying he is surprised Hodgson would call up players who do not play regularly for their clubs such as Lescott/Young etc? Do you think players would fight harder for England if they had to truly earn their place in the squad?"
Dominic replies:
That was Vucinic's comment on the involvement of Smalling and Lescott. The Juventus striker had been asked whether he was surprised that both John Terry and Rio Ferdinand had effectively opted out of England (a question asked in the context of the fierce patriotism that will be very evident at the City stadium tonight), and he responded: "They must have their personal reasons for that, but I'm sure the match would be better and more interesting if they played too because they are certainly among the best defenders in the world today. I certainly do see (Smalling and Lescott's inclusion instead) as a source of weakness because, if they're not playing regularly for their own clubs, I don't see why their national coach should be picking them."
Did he have a point? Well, Lescott wasn't in the original party for precisely that reason and is only here because Dawson, Cahill and Ferdinand withdrew. He's gone from a key member of the Premier League title-winners and mainstay of England's back-line at Euro 2012 to a fringe player at Manchester City reliant upon others dropping out to get a game for his country. Which is quite a descent. But Hodgson does know he can rely upon him. He did so in Ukraine last summer. The issue will be if he's rusty tonight, and whether he can inspire a youngster at his side who is only starting out at this level.
I guess it's an anomaly of the Premier League, where England players can find themselves on the fringes at clubs crammed with foreign talent. There are plenty of players in this party who feel more like fixtures in the national team than their club sides: Lescott, Young, Cleverley, Oxlade-Chamberlain, even Cahill at times. But I'm not sure that affects the hunger. It perhaps suggests there aren't alternatives out there who are featuring every week in the topflight, leaving Hodgson to pick from the fringes. Indeed, that's something he's been forced to confront all season: it was an issue after the Italy friendly back in Berne in August, if I remember correctly, as he considered selecting a squad for the qualifiers ahead with so few of his players likely to be first-choices for their club sides.
johnny5eyes asks: "Would the likes of Italy, Holland, Spain and France be as tentative as England seem to be going into this fixture?"
Dominic replies:
No, probably not. Which is probably a reflection of where England are in terms of this team's development. I do think there's a quiet confidence behind the scenes with this squad. Certainly, they seem united and content, which has to bode well. And they should be bolstered by the reality that Roy Hodgson has only, technically, lost one game in charge to date - that friendly in Sweden last November (I know people will point to the penalty shoot-out against Italy etc) - which suggests some level of progress and quality. But some caution is required. This does feel like a match outside the team's comfort zone, and those draws with Ukraine and Poland are not easily forgotten. They have something to prove here. It could be an uncomfortable evening in a tight, noisy stadium; the hope is they produce a performance similar to, say, that in Bulgaria in qualification for Euro 2012 (3-0 in Sofia in September 2011).
CredeSigno asks: "Does Hodgson deserve credit for gradually eroding away unrealistic expectations of this England side or has it now gone too far the other way? Montenegro deserve to be respected, but should words like' fear' really be banded around when lining up against such opposition?"
Dominic replies:
Have people been calling for that for years? I think there's a sense of realism about this England set-up under Hodgson, and, to be honest, there has to be. The national team has had three turkey shoots (San Marino twice and Moldova away) in this group, and two more awkward games against Ukraine (ranked 48 in the world) and Poland (ranked 61). Neither of those were won. In fact, both were drawn rather unconvincingly. Montenegro, as group leaders and ranked 28th, come into that latter category so Hodgson and his players have to prove this evening that they have what it takes to win contests like this in qualification.
When it comes to specific comments about "fear", Steven Gerrard was asked to respond to Brnovic's comments earlier in the day, or to consider the prospect of facing Jovetic (who had scored against Liverpool a few years back for Fiorentina), which prompted him to insist England were "not scared".
mike65ie asks: "What's the pitch like? Long ball friendly or will Montenegro have to play some actual football?"
Dominic replies:
The pitch didn't look the best last night, admittedly. It's very patchy in parts, even if Hodgson claimed to be encouraged and satisfied after taking a detour after the afternoon storm to check on it personally. Since then, of course, it's rained heavily again - most of the night, in fact - but we're told the drainage from the surface is excellent and it shouldn't be an issue, unless of course the thunderstorms return later on (which is conceivable). Looking out of the window now, it's high cloud... not that that means anything at present, clearly.
The long-ball issue seemed to rile Roy a bit. Brnovic had a point to the extent that he has a team who would prefer to play on a pristine surface themselves. He'd launched into that stuff about direct play unprovoked. The question, from a local, had been something along the lines of 'What are your objectives for tonight?' Five minutes later he was still talking and offered up this: "As far as I know, the English have always favoured long passes, so who should complain about this (the pitch)? Us, with Vucinic, Jovetic, Basa... or England?" Cue Joe Hart punting down the middle, Rooney flicking on and Danny Welbeck converting on the run...
ReyLuis asks: "Should Roy start attacking and go for a couple of early goals, in order to knock the stuffing out of the crowd? Or should England start defensive and look to attack with fresh legs in the last 20 mins? Personally, I would go with the first option."
Dominic replies:
Well, England were 2-0 up here back in October and that's when their problems actually began. I suspect they can't afford to sit back too much in the opening stages, and therefore risk handing Montenegro the early initiative. Brnovic spoke yesterday about how he has been at odds with his own national press in recent times: they've been urging him to be less gung-ho and questioning why he's gone into big matches playing an attack-minded 4-3-3; then they come to this game and his instinct is to shut up shop, "park the bus" as he put it, only for the local media to be calling for all-out attack to knock England completely out of contention for top spot. He's got a dilemma there. As for the visitors, they will feel they can still impose their quality on the game. They'll be wary of the threat posed by Vucinic and Jovetic, as Hodgson pointed out last night. "Montenegro's tactics don't vary that much," he said. "They are reliant on the quality of their front players. There are some very good technicians in their team and they obviously feel, with those players, they can create goal chances often enough." His implication was 'stop those two and you most likely blunt Montenegro'.
As for the crowd, I honestly don't remember it being that intimidating the last time we came here 17 months ago, until the pitch invasion at the end, of course (!). I don't think that will prove too much of an issue, for all that there have been incidents - Poland and San Marino, with chairs and flares thrown - that have marred recent games in this ground.
JacquesCustard asks: "Should the comments calling England arrogant be taken with a pinch of salt? I mean who are Montenegro anyway? I've never heard of them let alone know where the hell it is. Do they even speak English there?"
Dominic replies:
You could imagine them high-fiving each other under the table. English arrogance? Please ... In truth, I think a large dose of salt might be appropriate. Yesterday's Montenegro press conference, as press conferences go, was entertaining with Brnovic and Vucinic appearing to delight in trying to out-do each other with provocative answers to the questions lobbed at them (largely by the visiting press). It was almost as if the striker would offer up the "Smalling and Lescott can't be all that given they're not in their club sides", then glance over at his coach who would duly respond with "England are running scared". I may have been mistaken, but I'm pretty sure they shared mischievous looks at each other as the questions were interpreted (yes, it was done through an interpreter), and you could imagine them high-fiving each other under the table. The reality is, though, that it was hard to disagree with a lot of what they said. Steven Gerrard and Joleon Lescott have both mentioned the spoiling tactics they expect, and the level of intimidation they anticipate, but, as Brnovic pointed out, it was Wayne Rooney who kicked one of their players and was sent off the last time England played over here. And as for the pressure involved in this game, surely the team playing catch-up will feel it most.
Good morning. Dominic Fifield will be online from around 11.30am GMT in Podgorica to take part in a live webchat.
Montenegro coach, Branko Brnovic, believes his side will confront an England team running scared on Tuesday, suggesting the visitors have been arrogant in their attitude towards progress to Brazil and dismissing their apparent concerns over the state of the turf at the City Stadium by claiming the English have "always favoured long passes".
"We respect and appreciate the English team, but even more so we appreciate our own qualities," said Brnovic. "I'm sure we'll make the most of them. I've read statements from some English players about the way the pitch will look. As far as I know, the English have always favoured long passes, so who should complain about this? Us, with [Mirko] Vucinic, [Stevan] Jovetic, [Marko] Basa, or England? They're also intimidated by our fans. All these stories are coming from their side. That shows they're more scared of this game than we are."
But Steven Gerrard has dismissed Brnovic's pre-match criticism and suggested the Montenegro coach's comments actually revealed the visitors have their hosts "right where we want them".
"With those comments it just shows we've got them exactly where we want them," said Gerrard. "They seem to be more interested in saying things and doing all the talking. But talking doesn't win you football matches. I'm not really too interested in what they've had to say in their press conference. I'm more interested in how the lads train at the ground on the night before the game and when the first whistle goes in the match itself."
If you have any questions for Dominic, drop them into the comments section below.