text:
|By PR Newswire
Article Rating:
|November 6, 2012 06:02 AM EST
MCLEAN, Virginia, November 6, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --
Increased New Booking Sales as well as Accelerated Execution on Next Generation Mobile and SaaS Security Solutions Highlight Strategic Advances
New Bookings More than Double Year-to-Date versus the Prior Year, Providing an Enhanced Foundation for Growth in 2013
Closing of FRISK Acquisition and Increased Investment Strengthens Antivirus Capabilities
Commtouch® (NASDAQ: CTCH), a leading provider of Internet security technology and cloud-based services, today announced its third quarter financial results for the period ending September 30, 2012.
(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120501/529254 )
Third Quarter 2012 Financial Results:
- Revenues totaled $5.6 million compared to $5.7 million for the sequential second quarter of 2012 and $5.9 million in the third quarter of 2011. The decline in revenue was primarily related to the low level of new bookings in the previous fiscal year and a modest decline in the level of activity among select customers who experienced a slowdown in their own underlying businesses.
- Net income in accordance with US Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (US GAAP) was $19,000, compared to net income of $804,000 for the sequential second quarter of 2012 and $887,000 in the third quarter of 2011. The decline in net income was primarily attributable to the impact of acquisition related costs as well as the planned higher level of investment in sales, marketing and engineering expenses associated with the ongoing support of Commtouch's "Software-as-a-Service" strategy rollout and upcoming launch, among other factors.
- GAAP earnings per diluted share were $0.00, compared to $0.03 for the sequential second quarter of 2012 and $0.04 in the third quarter of 2011.
- Non-GAAP net income was $744,000, compared to $1.3 million for the sequential second quarter of 2012 and $1.8 million in the third quarter of 2011.
- Non-GAAP earnings per diluted share were $0.03, compared to $0.05 for the sequential second quarter of 2012 and $0.07 in the third quarter of 2011.
- Commtouch announced the acquisition of FRISK Software International's Antivirus business, accelerating the company's launch of an expanded range of antivirus solutions for the OEM and service provider market. The acquisition closed on October 1, 2012 and will begin to be integrated into Commtouch's full quarterly results beginning in the fourth quarter of 2012.
- Cash used for operating cash activities during the quarter was $1.4 million which included $1.0 million as part of a pre-payment plan to secure a long-term technological supplier agreement which is projected to yield cost effective results in terms of reducing the company's cost of revenue and increasing gross margin.
- Cash as of September 30, 2012 was $17.3 million, compared to $19.8 million as of June 30, 2012. Cash usage during the quarter included the aforementioned $1.0 million pre-paid supplier agreement, $828,000 related to the company's share repurchase program activity during the quarter, as well as increased capital expenditures related to the execution of the company's new SaaS strategy and higher acquisition related expenses, among other factors.
Shlomi Yanai, Commtouch's chief executive officer, stated, "Commtouch made significant progress during the third quarter of 2012 in terms of both execution and advancing our corporate strategy as we anticipate returning to sequential revenue growth beginning in the current fourth quarter of 2012. In terms of execution, our focused sales and marketing efforts generated major success including a significant $2.2 million contract win in Latin America, a geography we've specifically targeted for growth this year. We've also seen increased sales traction across international and U.S. based customers. In fact, over the last two quarters we have successfully secured more new business wins than the preceding 12 months combined and our new bookings have more than doubled year-to-date. This provides, yet another proof point that our improved execution is yielding immediate results."
"This multiple-year backlog includes committed revenue and major upside for the company. Based on the positive impact of these contract wins and the nature of our long-term customer agreements, these multi-year contract wins are on track to begin more significantly contributing to our revenue growth and profitability in the coming quarters. While our third quarter financial results are not yet reflecting the positive impact of the sharp rise in new bookings due to the nature of our subscription based revenue model and the way those contracts ramp, we are making excellent progress with regards to setting the stage growth and improved profitability in 2013."
"In addition to enhanced execution and posting a sharp increase in new bookings activity compared to the year ago, Commtouch made significant progress towards our strategic evolution into a cloud-driven 'security as a service' solutions provider. We remain on track with the planned rollout of Commtouch's new Mobile Security SDK product for Android devices in the current quarter as well as our next generation cloud-based 'security as a service' offerings for web and email which are targeted for release in the first half of 2013. Our progress to date in the development of these new growth engines, and our continued success in significantly increasing Commtouch's new business bookings, are combining to provide us increased confidence in our strategy and a solid foundation for future growth," concluded Mr. Yanai.
Today the company also announced that Mr. Ron Ela has indicated his intention to transition out of his current role as Chief Financial Officer by December 31, 2012. The company has initiated a comprehensive executive search process and intends to appoint the new incoming Chief Financial Officer by year end.
Announced in May of 2012, Commtouch's Board of Directors authorized the initiation of a stock repurchase program of the company's ordinary shares in the open market, in an amount in cash of up to $2.5 million. During the third quarter Commtouch repurchased 297,000 shares at an aggregate cost of approximately $828,000. As of September 30, 2012, approximately 495,000 shares have been repurchased through the program at an aggregate cost of approximately $1.4 million.
For information regarding the non-GAAP financial measures discussed in this release, please see "Use of Non-GAAP Financial Information" and "Reconciliation of Non-GAAP to GAAP Financial Information."
Third Quarter 2012 Business Highlights:
- Commtouch announced the acquisition of FRISK Software International's Antivirus business, helping accelerate the company's strategy to deploy an expanded range of antivirus solutions for the OEM and service provider market, including private label solutions.
- Commtouch's enhanced global sales and marketing team continued to deliver sharply higher new booking activity during the third quarter. Overall, new booking activity over the last six months has already exceeded total new booking activity in the preceding twelve month period. Under Commtouch's long-term agreement model, the majority of contracts signed average approximately three years in length. These new multi-year contracts are expected to begin coming online and positively impacting Commtouch's revenue growth as they ramp in the coming quarters.
- Key new client wins during the quarter reflected our enhanced international sales and marketing penetration, including:
- Highlighting penetration into Latin America, a new managed service provider customer headquartered in Brazil awarded Commtouch a three year contract valued at $2.2 million for Internet security solutions supporting their customers throughout Brazil and Latin America.
- AVG Technologies, a leading vendor of security software, and Commtouch announced a strategic long-term partnership during the quarter. AVG has deployed Commtouch's GlobalView Web URL technology into AVG Family Safety and AVG CloudCare™ underscoring Commtouch's uniquely innovative approach to protection.
- One of the world's leading Internet search engine and web portal companies selected Commtouch to provide targeted URL filtering data services.
- Commtouch was selected by a French provider information security offerings and Unified Threat Management solutions to provide its GlobalView URL Classification Technology in a three year contract.
- In Germany, a provider of custom solutions for optimized security and workflow added Commtouch's Command antivirus solution to their suite of Commtouch solutions.
- Customer renewal activity during the quarter was strong with more than 95% of eligible customers renewing.
Business Outlook
Based on the company's nine month year-to-date results and the projected influence of the acquisition of FRISK Software International's Antivirus business which was announced late in the third quarter and closed on October 1, 2012, as well as current expectations for the remainder of 2012, the company is updating its current outlook for 2012. The company now anticipates full year 2012 revenue will be approximately $23.0 million, in line with the prior full year 2011. Commtouch expects to return to sequential revenue growth beginning in the current fourth quarter of 2012. Full year 2012 non-GAAP net income is expected to be greater than $4.0 million as the company accounts for the initial ramp of the FRISK business as well as higher costs associated with the company's investment and integration around FRISK within Commtouch, among other factors.
The above outlook is as of the date of this release, and the company undertakes no obligation to update its estimates in the future.
Use of Non-GAAP Measures
Non-GAAP financial measures consist of GAAP financial measures adjusted to exclude: share based compensation expenses, amortization and impairment of acquired intangible assets, deferred taxes, acquisition related costs and adjustments to earnout obligation related to the Command antivirus acquisition. The purpose of such adjustments is to give an indication of the company's performance exclusive of non-cash charges and other items that are considered by management to be outside of the company's core operating results. The company's non-GAAP financial measures are not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for comparable GAAP measures, and should be read only in conjunction with the company's consolidated financial statements prepared in accordance with GAAP. Company management regularly uses supplemental non-GAAP financial measures internally to understand, manage and evaluate our business and make operating decisions.
These non-GAAP measures are among the primary factors management uses in planning for and forecasting future periods. The company believes this adjustment is useful to investors as a measure of the ongoing performance of our business. The company believes these non-GAAP financial measures provide consistent and comparable measures to help investors understand the company's current and future operating cash flow performance. These non-GAAP financial measures may differ materially from the non-GAAP financial measures used by other companies. Reconciliation between results on a GAAP and non-GAAP basis is provided in a table immediately following the Consolidated Statements of Income. The presentation of this non-GAAP financial information is not intended to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for the financial information prepared and presented in accordance with GAAP. Management uses both GAAP and non-GAAP measures when evaluating the business internally and therefore felt it important to make these non-GAAP adjustments available to investors.
Financial Results Conference Call
The company has scheduled a conference call later today, November 6, 2012 at 10:00 a.m. ET to review the third quarter 2012 operational and financial highlights, as well as walk through a strategic overview of the evolution of the company's growth strategy.
To participate in the call, please dial one of the following access numbers ten minutes prior to the start time of the call:
US Dial-in Number: 1-877-407-9210
International Dial-in Number: +1-201-689-8049
Israel Dial-in Number: 00-800-4626-6666
10:00 a.m. Eastern Time, 7:00 a.m. Pacific Time,
3:00 p.m. UK Time, 5:00 p.m. Israel Time
The call will be simultaneously webcast live from a link on Commtouch's website at http://www.commtouch.com.
For those unable to listen to the live call, a replay of the call will be available from the day after the call in the investor relations section of Commtouch's website.
About Commtouch
Commtouch® (NASDAQ: CTCH) is a leading provider of Internet security technology and cloud-based services for vendors and service providers, increasing the value and profitability of our customer's solutions by protecting billions of Internet transactions on a daily basis. With six global data centers and award-winning, patented technology, Commtouch's email, web, and antivirus capabilities easily integrate into our customers' products and solutions, keeping safe over 350 million end users. To learn more, visit http://www.commtouch.com.
• Blog: http://blog.commtouch.com/cafe
• Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/commtouch
• LinkedIn: http://www.linkedin.com/company/commtouch
• Twitter: @Commtouch
Recurrent Pattern Detection, RPD, Zero-Hour and GlobalView are trademarks, and Commtouch is a registered trademark of Commtouch. U.S. Patent No. 6,330,590 is owned by Commtouch. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.
This press release contains forward-looking statements, including projections about our business, within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. For example, statements in the future tense, and statements including words such as "expect," "plan," "estimate," "anticipate," or "believe" are forward-looking statements. These statements are based on information available to us at the time of the release; we assume no obligation to update any of them. The statements in this release, including the company's expectations that i) new contracts will impact positively the company's revenues during the fourth quarter of 2012 and 2013, ii) the company is on track to release its new offerings, and iii) the company will meet its business outlook for 2012, are not guarantees of future performance and actual results could differ materially from our current expectations as a result of numerous factors, including business conditions and growth or deterioration in the Internet market, commerce and the general economy, both domestic as well as international; fewer than expected new-partner relationships; competitive factors, including pricing pressures; technological developments, and products offered by competitors; the ability of our OEM partners to successfully penetrate markets with products integrated with Commtouch technology; a slower than expected acceptance rate for our newer product offerings; availability of qualified staff; and technological difficulties and resource constraints encountered in developing new products, as well as those risks described in the text of this press release and the company's Annual Reports on Form 20-F and reports on Form 6-K, which are available through http://www.sec.gov.
COMMTOUCH SOFTWARE LTD. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (In US$ thousands, except per share amounts) Three months ended Nine months ended September 30 September 30 ---------------------- ---------------------- 2012 2011 2012 2011 --------- --------- --------- --------- Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Revenues $5,558 $5,855 $17,125 $17,066 Cost of revenues 917 1,019 2,983 2,967 --------- --------- --------- --------- Gross profit 4,641 4,836 14,142 14,099 --------- --------- --------- --------- Operating expenses: Research and development 1,462 1,342 4,096 3,966 Sales and marketing 1,564 1,138 3,994 3,847 General and administrative 1,550 1,209 4,265 3,106 --------- --------- --------- --------- Total operating expenses 4,576 3,689 12,355 10,919 --------- --------- --------- --------- Operating profit 65 1,147 1,787 3,180 Financial expenses (income), net (63) (15) (150) 44 --------- --------- --------- --------- Income before taxes 128 1,162 1,937 3,136 Income taxes (tax benefit), net 109 275 (95) (187) --------- --------- --------- --------- Net income attributable to ordinary and equivalently participating shareholders $19 $887 $2,032 $3,323 ========= ========= ========= ========= Earnings per share - basic $0.00 $0.04 $0.08 $0.14 ========= ========= ========= ========= Earnings per share - diluted $0.00 $0.04 $0.08 $0.13 ========= ========= ========= ========= Weighted average number of shares outstanding: Basic 24,355 23,605 24,358 23,541 ========= ========= ========= ========= Diluted 24,845 24,726 24,984 24,678 ========= ========= ========= =========
COMMTOUCH SOFTWARE LTD. RECONCILIATION OF SELECTED GAAP MEASURES TO NON GAAP MEASURES (In US$ thousands, except per share amounts) Three months ended Nine months ended September 30 September 30 ---------------------- ----------------------- 2012 2011 2012 2011 --------- --------- --------- --------- Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited GAAP operating profit $65 $1,147 $1,787 $3,180 Stock-based compensation(1) 386 281 1,098 865 Other acquisition related costs (2) 220 - 377 53 Amortization of intangible assets(3) 101 110 303 375 Adjustment to earnout obligation(4) - 196 - 196 --------- --------- --------- --------- Non-GAAP operating profit $772 $1,734 $3,565 $4,669 ========= ========= ========= ========= GAAP net income $19 $887 $2,032 $3,323 Stock-based compensation(1) 386 281 1,098 865 Other acquisition related costs(2) 220 - 377 53 Amortization of intangible assets(3) 101 110 303 375 Adjustment to earnout obligation(4) - 220 28 301 Income taxes(5) 18 275 (199) (187) --------- --------- --------- --------- Non-GAAP net income $744 $1,773 $3,639 $4,730 ========= ========= ========= ========= GAAP earnings per share $0.00 $0.04 $0.08 $0.13 Stock-based compensation(1) 0.02 0.01 0.04 0.04 Other acquisition related costs(2) 0.009 - 0.015 0.002 Amortization of intangible assets(3) 0.004 0.004 0.012 0.015 Adjustment to earnout obligation(4) - 0.009 0.001 0.012 Income taxes(5) 0.001 0.011 (0.008) (0.008) --------- --------- --------- --------- Non-GAAP earnings per share $0.03 $0.07 $0.15 $0.19 ========= ========= ========= ========= Numbers of shares used in computing Non-GAAP earnings per share (diluted) 24,845 24,726 24,984 24,678 ========= ========= ========= ========= (1) Stock-based compensation Cost of revenues $9 $5 $27 $17 Research and development 84 72 222 218 Sales and marketing 103 87 269 272 General and administrative 190 117 580 358 --------- --------- --------- --------- $386 $281 $1,098 $865 ========= ========= ========= ========= (2) Other acquisition related costs General and administrative 220 - 377 53 --------- --------- --------- --------- $220 - $377 $53 ========= ========= ========= ========= (3) Amortization of intangible assets Cost of revenues $48 $55 $144 $147 Sales and marketing 53 55 159 228 --------- --------- --------- --------- $101 $110 $303 $375 ========= ========= ========= ========= (4) Adjustment to earnout obligation General and administrative - $196 - $196 Financial expenses (income), net - 24 28 105 --------- --------- --------- --------- - $220 $28 $301 ========= ========= ========= ========= (5) Income taxes Deferred tax asset - tax benefit 18 275 (199) (187) --------- --------- --------- --------- $18 $275 ($199) ($187) ========= ========= ========= =========
COMMTOUCH SOFTWARE LTD. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS September 30 December 31 ------------ ------------ 2012 2011 ------------ ------------ Unaudited Audited In US$ thousands Assets: Current Assets: Cash and cash equivalents $17,334 $20,868 Trade receivables 4,328 2,838 Deferred income taxes 2,106 1,996 Prepaid expenses and other accounts receivable 1,147 463 ------------ ------------ Total current assets 24,915 26,165 ------------ ------------ Long-term lease deposits 45 40 Severance pay fund 974 1,031 Property and equipment, net 1,059 885 Deferred income taxes 2,978 2,889 Intangible assets, net 3,201 3,505 Goodwill 3,792 3,792 Investment in affiliate 1,227 1,227 ------------ ------------ Total assets 38,191 39,534 ============ ============ Liabilities and Shareholders' Equity Current Liabilities: Accounts payable 566 551 Employees and payroll accruals 1,439 1,215 Accrued expenses and other liabilities 538 628 Other short term liabilities - 3,372 Deferred revenues 2,631 3,058 ------------ ------------ Total current liabilities 5,174 8,824 ------------ ------------ Deferred revenues 659 694 Accrued severance pay 1,112 1,192 ------------ ------------ Total liabilities 1,771 1,886 ------------ ------------ Shareholders' equity 31,246 28,824 ------------ ------------ Total liabilities and shareholders' equity $38,191 $39,534 ============ ============
COMMTOUCH SOFTWARE LTD. CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED CASH FLOW DATA (In US$ thousands) Three months ended Nine months ended September 30 September 30 --------------------- --------------------- 2012 2011 2012 2011 --------- --------- --------- --------- Cash flow from operating activities Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Unaudited Net income $19 $887 $2,032 $3,323 Adjustments: Depreciation 155 136 432 414 Compensation related to options issued to employees and consultants 386 281 1,098 848 Amortization of intangible assets 102 111 304 376 Changes in assets and liabilities: Increase in trade receivables (794) (825) (1,490) (468) Decrease (increase) in deferred taxes 18 275 (199) (187) Increase in prepaid expenses and other receivables (848) (241) (684) (134) (Decrease) Increase in accounts payable (113) (126) 38 (177) (Decrease) Increase in employees and payroll accruals, accrued expenses and other liabilities (132) 460 162 562 (Decrease) Increase in deferred revenues (154) 537 (462) (89) (Decrease) Increase in accrued severance pay, net (26) 10 (23) 7 --------- --------- --------- --------- Net cash (used in) provided by operating activities (1,387) 1,505 1,208 4,475 Cash from investing activities Change in long - term lease deposits 6 9 (5) (2) Consideration paid for acquisition of Antivirus business - - (3,400) - Purchase of property and equipment (309) (91) (629) (422) --------- --------- --------- --------- Net cash used in investing activities (303) (82) (4,034) (424) Cash flows from financing activities Buyback of outstanding shares (828) - (1,441) - Proceeds from options and warrants exercised 29 151 733 163 --------- --------- --------- --------- Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities (799) 151 (708) 163 Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents (2,489) 1,574 (3,534) 4,214 Cash and cash equivalents at the beginning of the period 19,823 16,072 20,868 13,432 --------- --------- --------- --------- Cash and cash equivalents at the end of the period $17,334 $17,646 $17,334 $17,646 ========= ========= ========= =========
Company Contact
Ron Ela
Chief Financial Officer
Tel: (US) +1-650-864-2291
(Int'l) +972-9-8636813
[email protected]
US Investor Relations Contact
Christopher Chu
Tel: (US) +1-646-284-9426
[email protected]
IsraelInvestor Relations Contact
Iris Lubitch
Tel: +972-54-2528007
[email protected]
Media Contact
Matthew Zintel
Zintel Public Relations
Tel: (US) +1-281-444-1590
[email protected]
SOURCE Commtouch
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subset: commoncrawl


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What to Look For, Part 2
What were the judges at the 2009 AQHA Judges Conference taught to look for?
November 16, 2010
From The American Quarter Horse Journal
This is the second in a two-part series. Want to review part 1?
Every December, more than 200 judges gather for the annual AQHA Judges Conference, an event they're required to attend once in a two-year period to maintain their eligibility, according to the AQHA Official Handbook of Rules and Regulations.
Think of it as continuing education for AQHA's judges. Learn what judges were taught to look for in a winning western pleasure run.
Western Pleasure
David Dellin, Purcell, Oklahoma
Top-100 National Snaffle Bit Association money-earning rider
A couple years ago, the top western pleasure riders in AQHA and NSBA met, and there were five things that came out of that meeting that we focused on as positive characteristics in pleasure horses – and they link to what is listed in our rulebook.
What we presented was based on that and is really also in AQHA's DVD "Showing to Win: Western Pleasure" ($19.95, plus shipping, for AQHA members at www.aqhastore.com).
To judge western pleasure correctly, you have to keep your priorities straight, and that's what we focus on. Sometimes judges will get "off" on how they value certain characteristics, and when that happens, you have people upset.
First and foremost, rhythm and cadence should be the highest priorities in a judge's mind to look for in a western pleasure horse. Rhythm is the speed of the horse's footfalls as they hit the ground, and cadence is the accuracy of those footfalls.
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That's the biggest thing exhibitors need to focus on. When that horse jogs down the rail, it can't be so slow and uncollected that the jog is not a distinct two-beat gait. As that horse is walking down the rail, it must have a four-beat gait; there can't be a pause in the stride where the horse stops or hesitates or has a loss of forward momentum.
At the lope, it's the same thing. When you present your horse, he must be accurate in his stride.
Expression and manners are second in priority. We want to see a horse look happy. It says right in our rulebook that we don't want a horse to be "dull, sullen or lethargic." We want a horse to be bright in his expression, use his ears, look alert and be bright as he travels around the pen. When he takes a gait, we don't want to see him look irritable about it, but be comfortable and happy in his job.
Third is consistency. We want a horse to stay the same all the way around the pen. We like to see a horse that can take off at a certain rhythm and cadence and maintain that rhythm and cadence all the way around the arena during that gait, and in both directions.
Next is a level topline. When a horse's neck is up and level, that's only part of the picture: He also needs to be elevated in the shoulders and in the back, and that's harder for people to see, especially sitting in the stands.
If you drew an imaginary line from a horse's poll all the way back to his hip, it should be level. When that topline is level, that horse is balanced and collected in his way of going.
It's important in a horse going around the rail because it will carry over into all the other events that these horses do.
And that is fundamental for western pleasure as the foundation class for every other western event out there.
If you get a horse that's pulling himself around on the front end, and you try to take him over a Tim Kimura trail course, he's going to hit every pole in there. But if you have a horse that's balanced in his way of going – he can even be low-necked in the course, addressing the poles – but if he's elevated in his shoulders and back and hip, he'll be able to move through that pattern cleanly.
People have to look at topline as more than how the neck looks. It's the whole picture, from the poll to the top of the hip; that's what we're shooting for in a balanced horse moving down the rail.
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Last is length of stride: All we are looking for is a length of stride in keeping with a horse's conformation. You don't expect a 14-hand horse to cover as much ground loping down the rail as you would a 17-hand horse. If a big, pretty-moving pleasure horse has to move off the rail to maintain his cadence and rhythm, you don't want to penalize that horse for being off the rail. We don't want to restrict a horse's natural way of going.
Judges are taught to judge on the positive. I try to find the most complete horse, the horse that does the five positive characteristics to the highest degree, in the right priority.
A lot of times, people get wrapped up in a tree. You'll hear something like, "I can't believe they let that horse win because his neck was two inches below level when he was jogging to the left." But that's a tree in the forest. He might have had the best rhythm and cadence at the walk, jog and lope.
He might have had really good expression and was completely consistent all the way around the pen. Yes, he's got a negative in the topline going one direction, but the rest of the time, his topline was good.
You have to look at the forest, each horse, as an overall picture. If you get caught up in one tree, then it's easy to begin judging on the negative.
Subscribe today to The American Quarter Horse Journal for your all-access pass to the Quarter Horse industry!
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The Sport House, official supplier of daily competition event DVDs for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, is pleased to announce that orders are still being accepted. If you missed the chance to order during the games, you can do so online. Live action daily competition DVDs are available for each individual event within the disciplines of dressage, eventing, reining, show jumping, driving and vaulting. Two hour highlight DVDs with professional commentary are also available for dressage, eventing and show jumping.


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What's happened is music fans have grown up and had kids and their kids have had kids and now well the fervor is so intense that its dangerous. Led Zeppelin could never live up to its image now
Posts Tagged: Gossip
she has always been an attractive woman and of course this participates into the making of a more Caucasian look of her. Blame it on our racist and conformist society, but it's a sad ascertainment a mixed race woman, who has reached the alpha female status, feels the need to do that.
[O'Neil is a ] fucking hood rat who is suing me for money that she didn't earn. She thinks she's just, like, the queen of the universe… And, you know what, she didn't want to be a slave to one, because in my work and what I do, I'm the queen of the universe every day.'
And this was enough to start the rumor that RATM may have something coming up, a tour? An album? So far, nothing of this sort is scheduled
Lindsey thought she was going to die but she never walked with the devil? May be she means she never took heroin or whatever drug she is referencing to by 'dancing with the devil', but what's a difference if she was abusing her prescription, was close to die and had to go to rehab?
This bit of gossip comes from the 'who the hell cares' file but then again its Saturday so you should be doing something productive anyway. Seems Mr. Sheeran is hiding his tattoos because they are "Quite dramatic"…
Then it gets worst for Brown: he and his entourage fled the scene and wasn't there when the police arrived whereas Ocean stayed and spoke to the LAPD. As a result, the police referred to Ocean as 'the victim'.
The band is hot on the belief that everyone is ripping them off. Not unlike the school nerd who thinks everyone is copying his test paper. The problem is pretty soon this band is going to be more famous for its paranoid lawsuit than there music.
"I am going to tell you about my experience on the road with one of the most downright ungrateful and selfish person I have ever met. You can take it or leave it, but this is my story."
'when I saw you wear a dress made out of raw meat, I was sickened. When I see you wearing fur and you use it as a fashion statement, that defenseless animals have been killed so you can get your picture in the press is abhorrent to me'
After all this is a rolling rock, stone,… Remember there was already an alert a few weeks ago when the band's iPhone app had listed an Indio date in April in the tour section! The date quickly disappeared
'I've gone to fashion shows in New York and because I couldn't bring myself to say, 'My name is Marianne Faithfull and I have an invitation.' I've actually turned around at the door and left.
Since all cool rock stars need a cause Vedder chose the infamous West Memphis Three. The boys accused of a murder and sentenced under much scandal
Lambert thought the singing sucked. Iman's review was saying about the same thing a week ago. Personally, I hate musicals with a passion, so you would have to drag me to sit through a 3-hour-long musical
Noel also declared at last year's NME awards: 'I accept I am a genius, just like God', a sentence that could be a sort of bid over John Lennon's famous comparison between the Beatles and Jesus, but honestly, who is taking this stuff seriously?
According to private investigator Paul Huebl, and to the National Enquirer which broke the story, the singer may have been the victim of drug dealers, sent to her room to collect a debt for drugs,
They know that anything coming from them will be adulate and venerate, so they can forsake a pet just like that! But don't get fooled, Bieber is no different from these cruel people
In 1989, Courtney Love was heavily involved with drugs and alcohol, and she stated in divorce records that their marriage was a joke. Joke or not, Courtney Love got pregnant and refused to stop taking drugs nevertheless, and ended up to have an abortion, which is pretty horrible already.
There are no found details of what exactly caused this ruckus, but I would love to know what establishment would have glass tables and allow Manson in to begin with. High five to the person who felt compelled to whip a table at the rocker, that must have been a damn sassy altercation.
At the end, Macca and the rest of the band seemed to be at the top of the world, making the big finale on the stage of the Madison Square Garden in front of thousand of people, watched by millions,… meanwhile Courtney Love was either high or out of her meds, trying to start an argument with her computer
I am so confused, he now declared he wasn't questioning her authenticity but he nevertheless used the term 'artifice'? Because everyone knows that Jack White never used anything close to 'an image' to promote his music! And there is always a deep meaning behind each one of his eccentric costumes, we know that.
for me the queen has always been a ridiculous antique vase, whom English people are foolishly attached to for some obscure reasons, but I had always regarded the royals as inoffensive. Morrissey describes them as a regime no different from the current dictatorships in the Middle East and Syria
Twitter is getting more celebs in trouble than Heidi Fleiss. I don't think folks realize the range on that that thing. You spew some trash it gets retweeted and blows up the feed. It's hilarious and we have seen numerous artist who have had to get their accounts deactivated
The plan was that the rocker would go to speak about the positive power of partying. Thankfully the Government determined that the money could be better allocated.
Pete actually took the time to explain its origin. Contrary to everything else in his life this was not brought on by some sort of molestation or abuse. The Late Show with David Letterman is where the topic was brought up.
Mick and Keith came out for the Concert for New York City 11 years ago and played on their own. They're well aware of the show and certainly have been invited to be part of it in any way, shape or form of the band
What happened to just duking it out in the parking lot? Now we all have to go spastic on Facebook with our tales of whoa. This gets better though.
Let's stop a moment and acknowledge this as a very sad tragedy. Lucker at age 28 had a wife and small child and well unexpected death is always most difficult to handle
I see nothing offensive about a woman who appears to have been assaulted under the 'Welcome' sign of Vegas on the contrary I find it quite appropriate.
I cant help but wonder if he will outdo that statue, Morrissey's giant hair in bronze? Also, why the heck get buried in LA you're just gonna float out to sea eventually anyway.
Detectives have reportedly visited a restaurant in Los Angeles where they interviewed several members of staff, including the manager.
Charles Manson endorses Obama? Martin Sheen for Mitt? See what I'm getting at? You want people with reputations of stability to be your cheerleaders- not those less than sane.
Twisted Sister, Dee Snider and their legal council suck. The band hasn't done jack for years and now are using it as an opportunity to exploit small business? Cupcakes? C'mon it in no way indicates endorsement in my eyes
The zombie apocalypse is at hand as Bret Michaels has sustained yet another life affirming medical scare. I am not sure if this guy is just completely insane, or a pathological liar
Proving yet again the power of the penis, Mr Glitter- or as his rap sheet shows Paul Gadd, has been arrested in conjunction with the investigation into former TV host Jimmy Savile
It is difficult to watch the fall from grace and since the death of his ex wife Whitney Houston, Brown has been under a microscope like never before.
Singer Anthony Green cracked a rib and this statement below is refreshingly honest and candid. "cracked a rib somehow', is one of the best lines of any band statement ever.
Everyone's different, like Zayn [Malik's] got microphones and music stuff and, like, Harry has more personal things, like he has little things for his mom and all that kind of stuff.
Simmons won't divulge the name of the promoter but the cash was revoked when he couldn't seal the deal. He was bummed but that's ok, he's a huckster anyway.
'I was taken to the Glastonbury Festival every year but I won't be taking Ethel there – although that's more for selfish reasons, because I want to go and enjoy myself!'
"As a matter of interest the same photograph can be found on many FaceBook pages and on the web, except for ours after the FaceBook team removed them. I am devastated, upset with this outcome and we will do our best for recompense"
Its good to see him living a normal life, its not so good to have him describe as such. But wait, isn't David famous for being pale?
If there were a fist fight my dough would be on Rob without a doubt. That man can whip you with a dreadlock. But Manson and Zombie are touring together and all is not well.
He has actually elevated himself to my favorite of the two simply for his bad behavior. I love rock star antics- its why you become a rock star, it's the only industry you can truly be a jerk and people will still love you and pay your mortgage.
Wow, her album failed that bad? But is she still a scientologist over there? From the king's daughter, to the king of pop's wife, to the queen of fish-and-chips,… why not if it rocks her boat, but I wonder how long it will last!
Do not go to strip clubs', 'Do not look at lust filled magazines'… but the most troubling of these tweets was 'I'm practicing abstinence women = confusion I don't need right now'… 50 Cent is confused about his sexuality so he wants everybody to stop masturbating? Insane!
"There are songs that he's written that will be a part of the next record. We're all going to have to think like him, and he'll be there. He'll be there; there's no way of Paul Gray not being a part of anything that we do for the rest of our career."
We cant say enough that 50 years at any job is a great accomplishment and these guys lived it hard. Maybe we should just cut them some slack and not expect anything. I do like the stop starts of hype though. Keeps ya on your toes.
I'm the only one who holds the key, and you and I will be intimate forever because I will hold that secret forever. Unless of course the celebrity that you had so much interest in but you wanted to accuse me of bringing up while you laughed at me all night? Unless you're interested in being a celebrity, I'll make you fucking famous any time you ask and I'll open those boxes. So why don't you stay in your fucking holding cell?'
"We don't see each other too often, but no sooner do we start talking than some little innuendo creeps in. Some old memory pops up, and you go 'Whoa, that's one to forget!' There's lot of those things drifting around."


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The holiday season will be here before long, and with it comes a variety of occasions for which your clientele will want to look their best. From family gatherings to alumni events to company holiday parties, the end of each year brings people together to celebrate and reconnect, and in turn these occasions bring out our innate desire to make a good impression and feel good about the way we look. For most people, this means a trip or two to a barber, a hair salon, a nail studio, or even a cosmetic laser spa.
Of course, it is also human nature to procrastinate, and coupled with the higher volume of regular business salons and spas see during this season, this means more and more customers showing up as walk-ins. If you want to take advantage of this opportunity to generate more revenue from last-minute cuts, colors, and manicures, you'll need to make sure your business looks sophisticated and inviting – not to mention needing enough modern furniture and styling tools to handle the workload.
Accepting walk-ins during high-volume seasons is a great way to build long-term profits by converting casual traffic into loyal customers. People who have good experiences at salons and spas and walk away feeling great about the way they look are more likely to become repeat customers; more so than in other industries thanks to the very personal nature of our appearance and its relationship to our self-esteem.
The holiday season is a perfect time to take advantage of this phenomenon by updating your chairs, dryers, styling irons, clippers, retail displays, sinks, signage, and more. Replacing your older equipment while adding more capacity can also let you take advantage of any bulk order discounts your vendors may offer. The end result is a salon that looks clean, modern, and inviting, ready to take on more customers and more revenue – and keep those newly loyal clients coming back regularly and referring their friends and family.
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To learn more about leasing your salon and spa equipment, the financial products available to you, and how you can increase profits and customer loyalty, contact a representative of TimePayment today.


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Juneau, AK (KINY) - School Board Member, Jeff Short, talks about the importance of Native Language programs.
Alaskan Native languages have reportedly been on the decline, with some surveys even saying that there may be a complete loss of all Native language speakers by the end of the century. Several schools in Southeast Alaska offer programs to maintain that culture, but there is still a lot of room to improve and grow.
Jeff Short with the Juneau School Board talked about Native Language programs from the perspective of the Board in a recent interview. He fears losing a central component of Alaskan culture.
"The biggest worry is that so many of these languages are at risk of going extinct and and so if we're going to save them we need to take pretty strenuous action now."
Juneau's efforts holds a significance to keep these languages alive in the region.
"At the School Board level it's been brought up that the Juneau School District in particular has a key role to play. Most of the remaining fluent speakers of Tlingit are either in or near Juneau and those are the people who are going to keep the language alive if it's going to stay alive."
"By incorporating them into the school district with our Native Language and Native Instruction programs, that offers us both unique opportunities and primary responsibilities to help keep the language vibrant. We're pretty concerned with finding ways to do that."
Short proposed putting together a group with the goal of language preservation.
"One way that was coming to the surface is that I suggested creating a task force that would include the School District, the Central Council, Goldbelt, Sealaska, and other people of interest to try and find a way to make sure we're promoting the Tlingit language and doing all we can to keep it vibrant."
Short said that there is certainly room to grow.
"There's been very noteworthy success; we have our Tlingit Language and Culture Program in the School District and that's got a lot of students engaged more in the Tlingit language, but there's also a lot of room for improvement. I'm very interested in exploring ways to bolster that success and finding different things that we can do that will help ensure it."
One of the biggest hurdles to these programs is the funding needed to keep them going and improve them.
"Funding is the biggest problem, more so than the method. The most effective method that has been well-known for language learning is to have a fluent speaker speak only, in this case, Tlingit to babies for a significant part of the day every day for their first few years of life. If you do that, then they become completely bilingual if the other parent or parents speak English at the same time. They'll just become flawless between the two languages."
"That's where I would ultimately like to get, but to get there is going to require substantial resources, more than we have now."
To help maintain and improve these programs, Short hopes the Legislature will keep them in mind.
"I hope that the Legislature will include these considerations when they're thinking about funding for schools in Alaska and continue to support and hopefully increase that support. We've had flat funding for the last few years, but we've steadily had inflation eating away at how far those dollars stretch."


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Reno, Nevada – Sept 14, 2009 –Apollo College Reno has announced the grand opening celebration of its new campus on Wednesday, Sept. 30, from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. Located at 5580 S. Kietzke Lane, the school will accommodate up to 250 nursing students and features a library, student lounges, computer labs and a Simulation Lab.
"We recognize the need for qualified nurses in the state of Nevada, where the nurse to population ratio of 604 nurses for every 100,000 people is the second lowest in the nation," said Leslie Berry, executive director of Apollo College. "Apollo College Reno offers a fast-track to a nursing degree without compromising the quality of its nursing education. We have dedicated faculty who are highly experienced and offer real-world insights into the profession."
Apollo welcomed its first students to the new 15,000-square-foot campus in Reno on Aug. 31. Apollo will be accepting applications until Dec. 15 for its next semester, which will begin on Jan. 4. Berry expects the Reno campus' Simulation Lab to attract many students. "The Simulation Lab is a replica of two hospital rooms: one pediatric and one adult," said Berry. "Both rooms are equipped with state-of-the-industry, fully automatic, high-fidelity patient simulators designed to train students in respiratory and critical care. Cameras capture all patient care activities for later viewing in an adjoining debriefing room, which allows us to evaluate and enhance student skill levels."
Apollo College Reno offers an Associate of Science degree in Nursing, which takes approximately two years to complete. Some classes will be available online in conjunction with on-campus courses. Financial aid is available for qualified students.
The official grand opening of Apollo College Reno will be celebrated with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Sept. 30 at noon. Guests will be invited to take part in a variety of activities, enjoy refreshments, and tour the campus during the festivities.


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1. What is your relationship to poetry as a writer? As a reader?
As a writer, poetry has influenced me greatly. I'm always applying lessons I learned from poetry inside fiction. Especially in attempting to say a lot with the least amount ... the 'right' words. As a reader? I've always loved poetry.
2. Who is the first poet that you remember reading, and what was your reaction to him/her?
Edgar Allen Poe, of course. Elementary school. Those stories scared me, and I couldn't believe stuff so dark was being taught in our shiny little school. Of course, I was hooked. Although I remember when I told my dad, he said, "You mean Bill Murray?" and laughed. I was quite confused until many years later when I saw the resemblance.
3. Who are some of the poets that you've been reading lately and what do you specifically like about their work?
KA Opperman and Ashley Dioses are a pair of poets I discovered through the Los Angeles chapter. They're both very unique, yet, classic. I love how they are using traditional rhyming poetry at times. Opperman's collection is wonderful in that the rhymes are not obvious, and you can tell a lot of thought and work went into the pieces. The overall effect is cumulative and wonderful. Dioses is similar, but more free verse at times. Equally excellent. Another recent favorite is Robert Payne Cabeen. I thought Fearworms was an instant classic. Me and my son read it often, honestly. Equally exquisite is the art he's created, which is unbelievable.
4. How do you define speculative poetry?
Work that is made that isn't commissioned, and that comes from its maker true and clear.
5. When did you find yourself starting to connect with the form? Do you have a preference for style when you write? A particular style you like to read?
I was a young man when I began to enjoy poetry. I loved finding Ezra Pound and Burroughs and Kerouac, as most do in their early teens. Now, most weren't strictly poets, but the entire beat generation was and is fascinating. I've also been working through Bukowski, who one can read over and over again. I was lucky and found a book of poetry from musician Leonard Cohen recently, which is a treasure. Same with Henry Rollins, although his written work is so much darker than most of his spoken word.
6. Where do you think poetry stands in the marketplace today? Do you think speculative poetry is on the rise, or is it a dead art?
I actually believe poetry is gaining a lot of momentum again. I've seen several young new faces who are very talented and very respectful of the past. I don't like thinking any art is dead. It may not sell billions of copies, but whenever someone reads it, or listens to it, the work is alive and instantly vital to the reader.
7. What are some of your favorite magazines/presses for poetry, either to publish with or to purchase work?
There isn't one place, in general. Most are from presses I've never heard of, but the poets I have.
8. What is the one stereotype you think poetry has that you'd like to see it shed?
That it is just the musings of someone with a broken heart, pleading to the moon, written in the back of a wired notebook during high school history class. Some may be, but the best stuff is generated by a much more diverse group of people.
9. What advice do you have for fiction writers who want to start experimenting with the art form?
I'd pick up a good poetry collection, and also, search out a good book on poetic form. There are techniques that, even if applied sparingly in places, can really make fiction read and flow better. Also? Listen to the beat during music. Listen to the drums. Listen to the cadence of speech and try and find patterns. Use some of that in your work.
10. With the HWA Poetry Showcase coming up this April, what are you particularly looking for as a judge?
Works that are true. By that, not something someone thinks is profound and what people want to see, but something that came from their heart. If it's irreverent and fun, that does not make it unworthy. I love classic style. I love free verse. I love short. I love long. Just bring your own favorites. If you love them, hopefully we should, too.
Bio: John Palisano is a writer whose non-fiction has appeared in FANGORIA and DARK DISCOVERIES magazines. He's been nominated for the Bram Stoker Award© four times. He's got a pair of books with Samhain Publishing, DUST OF THE DEAD, and GHOST HEART. NERVES is available through Bad Moon. NIGHT OF 1,000 BEASTS is coming soon. John Palisano's short stories have appeared in anthologies from PS Publishing, Terror Tales, Lovecraft eZine, Horror Library, Bizarro Pulp, Written Backwards, Dark Continents, Darkscribe, DarkFuse, Dark House, and many more. Say 'hi' at: http://www.amazon.com/author/johnpalisano and www.johnpalisano.com and www.facebook.com/johnpalisano and www.twitter.com/johnpalisano
The next interview will be with myself, and it will be conducted by David E. Cowen. Stay tuned!


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There is a great new sketch up at Nuts About Sketches today, I really enjoyed working with this one!
This past Friday (7th) was my birthday. My 40th birthday. The saying goes "Life begins at 40", and for me right now that is very true. A whole new life, in a new country, meeting new people, doing new things and having new adventures. I have started to exercise more - I started the Couch to 5K program, and although the first couple of days almost killed me, I am starting to get into it.
The photographs were taken at a photoshoot I was given as a Mother's Day present, by the extremely talented Mandy Hunter. She has mad PhotoShop skills too ;). I usually hate any photo of me, but these ones, I kinda like lol. The purple one is just so cool - I actually have this framed on the wall lol.
I took the purple colours from the main photo as a starter for my colour scheme, and I found some Bo Bunny papers to match - they are actually a Christmas collection called "Winter Joy". But the purple was perfect and the shade of green is one of my favourite colours just now. So I went with it :)
The day of my birthday I was taken to a Bosnian coffee shop for cake and coffee by some friends, and then in the evening we went for a family meal out at Chili's - their Sparkling Pomegranate Margarita is to die for ;) The kids got me a huge cookie and ice-cream cake from Publix, and spoiled me with some chocolate, flowers and some new workout clothes :) I don't like a big fuss, so my day was just about perfect for me. Age is only a number after all....


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MANILA, Feb 13 (PNA) - A Manila court has issued a warrant of arrest against online news outfit Rappler Inc. publisher Maria Angelita Ressa for cyber libel.
"This is simply procedural. Ms. Ressa may post bail anytime, even before the warrant is served," Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra told newsmen on Wednesday.
Ressa and Rappler writer Reynaldo Santos Jr. were named in the arrest warrant dated Feb. 12 ,2019 issued by Manila regional trial court Branch 46 Presiding Judge Rainelda H. Estacio-Montessa for violation of Sec. 4 (C)(4) of Rep. Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
The law signed by then President Benigno Aquino III in 2012 outlines a number of offenses.
Ressa and Santos are being charged under the provision on content-related offenses which includes libel committed through a computer system or similar means.
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Comelec junks Disqualification Cases vs Pimentel
House approves Bill declaring December 11 as International Friendship, Cooperation, and Diplomacy Day
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The Ministry of Justice on Tuesday reacted to recent "baseless" claims by the US Embassy in Phnom Penh regarding the case of former opposition leader Kem Sokha, urging the embassy to stop spreading misinformation regarding the implementation of the law in Cambodia.
PUTRAJAYA, Feb 20 (Bernama) - The Federal Court today adjourned the appeal hearing by Damansara Member of Parliament Tony Pua Kiam Wee against an interim injunction order over his alleged video clip relating to the tabling of Syariah Courts (Criminal Jurisdiction) (Amendment) Bill 2016 or RUU355.
MANILA, Feb 19 (PNA) - A former Cebu City councilor asked the Department of Justice (DOJ) Monday to charge policemen implicated in the killing of his brother, lawyer Noel Archival, five years ago.
The Lao and Japanese governments have highlighted 20 years of achievement in cooperation to strengthen the legal and judicial sectors in Laos, especially with regard to human resource development.
MIRI, Feb 19 (Bernama) - The Advocates Association of Sarawak (AAS) has proposed to the government to set up a Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) over the allegation of judicial interference in the affidavit made by a sitting Court of Appeal judge Datuk Dr Hamid Sultan Abu Backer recently.
PUTRAJAYA, Feb 18 (Bernama) - The Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) today met with Court of Appeal judge Datuk Dr Hamid Sultan Abu Baker over his recent 63-page affidavit, filed last week, on allegations of judicial interference.
The Central Bank of Myanmar (CBM) has begun taking the initial steps to stand as an independent body, local financial experts and economists say.
MANILA, Feb 15 (PNA) - Malacañang wished retired Supreme Court (SC) Associate Justice Adolfo Azcuna the best as he celebrates his 80th birthday on Saturday.
MANILA, Feb 15 (PNA) - Malacañang on Friday said the rule of law was followed in the arrest of Rappler chief executive officer Maria Ressa for cyberlibel amid criticisms of suppressing press freedom.
Singapore and Indonesia signed a US$10 billion (K15.23 trillion) bilateral swap agreement last October, allowing the two countries to assist each other during times of financial stress through US dollar loans. The move signalled a willingness by ASEAN countries to play a bigger and more direct role in strengthening the region's financial stability, but there is still much more to do.
PUTRAJAYA, Feb 15 (Bernama) - The Judiciary has lodged a police report over allegations made against unnamed judges and the institution in the affidavit made by a sitting Court of Appeal judge Datuk Dr Hamid Sultan Abu Backer.
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 15 (Bernama) - 'Where there's a will, there's a way', this proverb illustrates the determination and diligence of a visually impaired young woman who has achieved her dream of becoming a lawyer.
KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 15 (Bernama) - Lawyer Sangeet Kaur Deo has called on the government and Chief Justice to immediately look into the claims by Court of Appeal judge Datuk Dr Hamid Sultan Abu Backer, contained in his affidavit which revealed misconduct of top judges and judicial interference.
BANGKOK, Feb 13 (NNT) - The final decision on Minimum Wage increases will be made in March, with new rates to vary in accordance with economic conditions in each province.
MANILA, Feb 14 (PNA) - Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra on Thursday assured full protection of the civil rights of online news website Rappler's publisher Maria Ressa, who was arrested on Wednesday in connection with a cyber libel complaint filed against her and the media firm by a private individual.
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|Scene from 'Selma'
The direction of this film by Ava DuVernay is artful but also completely accessible. The acting is exceptional, including the lead performance by David Oyelowo as King, who really captures the passion, determination, intelligence and grace of the man. As a work of art and entertainment, the film works on all levels and is most deserving of the praise it's receiving, including a Best Picture (Drama) nomination in tonight's Golden Globe Awards.
As with any high-profile feature film about contentious events, there has been some controversy about the film's depictions. Most particularly, a former Lyndon Johnson adviser, In fact, Selma was LBJ's idea, he considered the Voting Rights Act his greatest legislative achievement, he viewed King as an essential partner in getting it enacted — and he didn't use the FBI to disparage him."
The film's director effectively rebuffed the accusations on her Twitter account with:
"Notion that Selma was LBJ's idea is jaw dropping and offensive to SNCC, SCLC and black citizens who made it so.
"More detail here. LBJ's stall on voting in favor of War on Poverty isn't fantasy made up for a film. http://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2013/07/08/the-color-of-law"
"Bottom line is folks should interrogate history. Don't take my word for it or LBJ rep's word for it. Let it come alive for yourself."
Sage words not to forget. That New Yorker article is a very detailed account of the events that led up to the 1965 marches from Selma to Montgomery, many of which seem to be depicted quite accurately in the film.
"Johnson recognized the need for additional voting-rights legislation, and he directed Nicholas Katzenbach, soon to be his attorney general, to draft it. "I want you to write me the goddamnest toughest voting rights act that you can devise," is the way he put it. But then progress slowed. Johnson had the most ambitious legislative agenda of any President since F.D.R. (his idol), and he explained to King that he was worried that Southern opposition to more civil-rights legislation would drain support from the War on Poverty and hold up bills on Medicare, immigration reform, and aid to education. He asked King to wait."
After watching the film and doing my own research, I'd have to agree that the portraits painted in the film 'Selma,' are pretty much accurate. Grassroots organizers including King found Selma as a primary example that could be used to justify the crucial importance of voting rights reform. They did the heavy lifting. There's no indication in the film that LBJ used the FBI to disparage King. But the film does post verbatim transcripts of FBI logs that clearly show that King was being monitored throughout the entire period.
It's probably true that LBJ first wanted political conditions to be in place before pushing for voting rights reforms over other priorities. And the Selma experience ultimately created those conditions. The film portrays King as being fully aware of that political reality and organizing to make it happen. Without a doubt, King and his supporters and other activists were the primary players in those marches including their conception, plus obviously the execution: they walked those miles, they put their lives at risk. The televising to millions of Americans and others across the world of the first march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge which ended with unarmed and peaceful protesters being brutally attacked by police under orders from the Alabama governor marked a turning point for the civil rights movement. And the events gave Washington the impetus to push the reforms.
All in all, 'Selma' is a great example of civil rights history that deserves to be viewed and studied.
Another film nominated for the Globes tonight, 'Pride,' (pictured on the right) also depicts historical efforts against injustice and discrimination, albeit with a lighter, more humorous tone than 'Selma.'
Directed by Britain's Matthew Warchus, 'Pride' is a lovely film with great heart about gay activists in 1980s Britain raising money to help support striking miners in Wales and across the U.K. Beautifully acted by a huge U.K. cast including Imelda Staunton, Bill Nighy, Dominic West and a bevy of cute young men including Ben Schnetzer, the movie succeeds because it shows the great benefits of forming alliances between the downtrodden or attacked groups that otherwise might never interact. Through those unlikely alliances, greater communication, understanding and personal growth result, sometimes in small intimate ways, and also in larger ways: because of the efforts of those few gay activists, huge swaths of Britain's labour movement became more supportive of queer rights.
Some might take issue with the alliance between coal miners and gay activists if they value equality but not industries that clearly had grown inefficient. In fact, the burning of coal is one of the main sources of greenhouse gases and continues to fall out of fashion. Ontario has shut down all of its coal-burning energy facilities, as we know. The film barely mentions the word, "coal," and instead focuses on the relationships between the characters. The workers under threat in the film are fighting for basic survival and a way of life, not simply for coal. They had followed paths laid out for them by their communities (most of which were single industry towns), only to see their livelihoods threatened in the name of an uncaring ideological government only concerned with the bottom line.
Had I been among the gay activists in the U.K. in the 1980s, I would've joined this movement for certain. The film succeeds in depicting that era in the gay rights movement extremely well. They were different times, indeed, and it's great to have this gem of a film to depict them.
While 'Selma' succeeds in showing both black and white activists coming together to fight injustice, the activists in 'Pride' are all lily-white. No doubt, London's gay scene in the 1980s wasn't too racially diverse, nor were the mining towns of Wales. But the themes of different groups coming together to fight for their rights resonate in both films.
I urge you to check out both of these films as soon as you can.


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Criss Cross Pinafore and Sunny Dress (full range of sizes) were free to me for helping test.
This is a round-up of ten summer sewing projects you'll want to try! All the tutorials and patterns are free (although some have extra sizes that you need to purchase). Most have printable pattern pieces in one or more sizes, although some just have measurements and some are just tutorials and you have to draft the pieces yourself.
The Joscelyn Tiered Skirt is a free pattern of mine in a wide range of sizes.
I made these Fourth of July Ruffle Skirts for my girls a couple of years ago, and they fit for a couple of years. We got compliments on them everywhere they wore them!
These Baby Bonnets are perfect for keeping the sun off baby's face! I made a 12-18 month size for my baby, but it fits my older girls too, so I think you could make this work for older girls if you wanted to.
This is a tutorial I did a couple of years ago for this Shirred Bubble Romper
I love the ruffled top to this cute little knit sundress.
This Charm Pack Quilt is about as easy as it gets for a quilt.
I added a pom pom to this Lined Zipper Pouch.
The Criss Cross Pinafore is a free pattern for one size (0-3 months). It is available for purchase up to size 3T.
The Knot Dress is a free pattern that I adapted into this tunic.
The Sunny Dress is another pattern that has a few free sizes and a larger range available to purchase.
Liked this post? See more! Connect with me on facebook, instagram, and pinterest!


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[2] viXra:1408.0211 [pdf] replaced on 2014-08-29 22:58:49
Authors: Ihsan Raja Muda Nasution
Comments: 2 Pages.
Our result is the explicit form of the infinitesimals.
Category: Set Theory and Logic
[1] viXra:1408.0039 [pdf] submitted on 2014-08-07 22:42:05
Authors: Oh Jung Uk
Comments: 8 Pages.
If B(P) is the truth value of proposition P then connectives could be translated to arithmetic operation in the congruent expression of 2 as described below.
B(~p)≡1+B(p)( mod 2 ),B(p∧q)≡B(p)B(q)( mod 2 )
B(p∨q)≡B(p)+B(q)+B(p)B(q)( mod 2 )
B(p⟶q)≡1+B(p)+B(p)B(q)( mod 2 )
B(p⟷q)≡1+B(p)+B(q)(mod 2)
By using this, logical laws could be proved, compound proposition could be simplified, and logical equation could be solved.
Category: Set Theory and Logic


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Preview. On shreklets' first birthday party, Shrek, taunted instead of feared by villagers, succumbs to Rumpelstiltskin (TV Once Upon a Time villain, exchanges forgotten babyhood day for 24 hours, as if he never saved Fiona from Dragon Tower. But day was his birth, so unless he finds exit clause, by sunrise he vanishes. End credits run over homages to previous Shrek films.
Donkey doesn't recognize his best friend. Fiona leads Ogre Resistance warriors. Puss is a tubby ball of fur. Rumpel rules, helped by witches and other old Fairy Talers. Fast fun thrills, chills, and background songs. Fat Puss
Commentary by director Mike Mitchell, Head of Story & Rumple voice Walt Dohrn, Producers Gina Shay & Teresa Cheng
Tiresome name-dropping of animators and story-boarders, but from banter, they all still bet along together. "great place to work" "stellar people". Remind 1 & 2 started same, beautiful book designed by Griselda Sastrawinata (really!). 3D pulls us under horses hooves, later makes Shrek's empty home reverberate, dust particles drift past viewer, for storytelling device not just rollercoaster ride.
Voices double, even triple duty, board artist Cody Cameron is Pinocchio and Three Little Pigs (quintuple duty?). Dreamworks folk have kids same age, identify with parental dilemma. After 10K viewings, they still laugh. They didn't tell kids that ogre baby voices they did were for opposite genders. Cut scene where dragon did try to eat parking valet. Sir Squeakles is the name of little Felicia's squeaky toy. Gina baked the birthday cake in the real world.
"Tech talk": Shrek's face here has 1085 points to express more complicated emotions than 400 in #1. For realistic fighting, asked marriage counselors, who all said not to smash cake, but Shrek does. Chains need every link animated, so witches control prisoner with broomsticks. Mike Myers sings well, goofs for Shrek. Deliberately returned dog moves to Donkey. Eddie improvises lines "Do my babies have paws or hooves?" Myers adlibs "no day after the day after that". For a long time, Jon Hamm's hunky ogre Brogan called Gnimrahc, name Charming reversed cursed. Dancing to flute choreographed for real, shields inspired by Korean fan dance.
1 Spotlight on Shrek
#1 2001 meet Donkey "I'll make waffles" (echoed by bait to trap here), #2 2004 meet Puss, #3 2007 Artie #4 2010
"the quintessial outsider", "represents everyman", moral "you are already beautiful, don't change"
The man behind - redid whole film when Myers redid accent, made ugly lovable
From sketch to screen - long development from scarier beginnings, cross cartoon with theatrical for real
Shrek's journey- all about us, he cleans up his own mess
1 be self, 2 part of family, 3 accept responsibility, 4 mid-life crisis, what if, part of community
International icon - worldwide recognition, big heart inside
Secrets of Shrek Forever After
Secret Talent - voices return, even dead King, newcomers, multiple roles
Did you know - possibilities not done, flautist was son of book author Steiger, lines repeated in later films "if you dare"
Deleted Scenes - Fairy-tale Creatures Attack part test - too scary mean to beloved Shrek, Gingy Attack test sketch version - leprechauns rope down Shrek, Emperor No Clothes test - Rumpel takes crown from naked ruler in exchange for respect "as equal"
From Swamp to Stage: The Making of Shrek the Musical
Cameron Diaz and a lispy fellows advertise the production - screechy, over-exaggerated, totally wrong skinny tall humans in costumes screw up the spirit, Gingy is a marionette with person beside un-ventriloquist in fake wig. Ick. Majorly.
Previews Before:
Megamind voiced by Will Farrell, Brad Pitt, Tina Fey
Kung Fu Panda 2 voiced by Jack Black, here in kitchen cooking noodles, then fighting them
After: Live - Musical; Theatres - Rango -lizard stranger in desert, Panda; Games - Shrek Forever After - 4 players team in 2 settings, Kung Fu Panda World; DVDs - Megamind, 4 Penguin episode collection DVDs, The Last Airbender - acted, not animated, haven't seen, don't want to
Animated episodes have funny moments I liked
Distressing when video links are cut. Updated as of June 2013.


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The Android system, whether you own an LG G3, Galaxy S4 or Nexus 5, has a number of accessibility options built in for those hard of hearing, suffering from a vision impairment or any other number of other conditions that might make the standard operation of your Android difficult, but you don't need to be as blind as me to take advantage of them. Here's five accessibility settings you should be using.
Accessibility options come in all shapes and sizes and many are unique to the particular device or Android version that you have. There are some stock Android accessibility settings you'll find everywhere, like TalkBack, font size, captions and ''touch and hold'' delay time settings, but there's lots more, some that are really cool like using your LED flash as a notification LED. So take a look through your particular device's settings and see what you can make use of. Here's the five I think are the coolest though.
1. Magnification gestures
You know how we've shown you cool one-handed Google Maps gestures in the past, like for zooming in and out? Well, you can do the same thing system wide with the magnification gestures accessibility option. If you enable the option you can triple tap to zoom in and triple tap to zoom out again. If you triple tap and hold, you can temporarily magnify your screen and pan around, then just release to go back to normal. It's a super useful feature once you start using it.
2. Text-to-Speech
Probably the most well known of all accessibility features, you may have even used this already. All you need to do is have the Google Text-to-Speech engine enabled and then download the language pack you want.
I use Text-to-Speech as a simple way to finally get through all the content I save to Pocket for later reading. Which I never get around to. So I simply hit the menu button in an article I've saved to Pocket and let Google read the article to me while I prepare dinner. That, my friends, is the definition of laziness! But I prefer to call it efficiency.
3. Negative colors/Color adjustment/Invert colors
If you have a Samsung and don't really like the dark background vibe, you can simply go into the accessibility settings and check the box next to Negative Colors. Et voila! You will now have a white themed TouchWiz interface.
The same thing works on the LG G3 too, where it is called Invert Colors, but as you can see in the topmost image, you might get some pretty whacky color combinations. Likewise, both Samsung and LG's accessibility options allow you to adjust screen and content colors for your particular visual needs.
4. TalkBack/Explore by Touch
TalkBack is awesome, especially if your eyesight is as bad as mine or you've lost your glasses. You can even use this if your screen has issues, as long as your touchscreen is still responsive. Once you've enabled the option, whatever you tap, press or activate will be spoken aloud to you. Explore by Touch is the same thing under a different name. The additional settings for TalkBack are enormous and definitely worth checking out further.
5. Interaction control
Interaction control appears on Samsung devices either through the accessibility menu or by pressing Home and the Volume Down buttons. It lets you turn your motion gestures and screen timeout settings on or off, but the coolest part of it is that you can block off specific areas of the screen from responding to touch input, like the status bar or notification shade, for example.
Check your particular device's accessibility settings to see if you have these features listed under a different name. For example, the LG G3 calls Interaction Controls, ''Touch Control Areas,'' so a little bit of exploration is definitely worthwhile. I've added screenshots from a Nexus 5, Galaxy S4 and the LG G3 in this article to give you a quick look at the various options available in Accessibility Settings. Here's the rest of the Galaxy S4's accessibility options for rererence.
I won't walk you through every single accessibility setting because there's simply too many, as you can probabyly tell, but these are a few of the ones I use and appreciate. In any case, I hope I've sparked your interest enough to encourage you to check them out for yourself because there's some truly great stuff in there, whether you think you need it or not.
Do you use accessibility options? What is your favorite and what do you use it for?


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We may be able to slow it down, but we can never contain, control or comprehend it. It's the machines' market now; we just trade in it. -- Wired Magazine – Bull vs. Bear vs. Bot, Jan 2011
The above quote comes from January's dead tree version of Wired Magazine in a multi-page featurette on the state of artificial intelligence. While AI isn't quite what the futurists of the 1960s imagined, we are completely dependent on it forevermore. Using a comprehensive suite of sensors and algorithms, machines are using the scientific method to test the world around them and learning from their mistakes. These same principles can be used to make the perfect PC portfolio in time for Lenovo to debut at the 2015 Consumer Electronics Show. A lot of the foundation we need is already in place. Intel heavily relies on computers to design its next generation of processors. If PCs can design complex CPUs, something as "simple" as a notebook computer can't be that out of reach. All it takes is data. Lenovo sells a large number of notebook PCs, many of which have overlapping features and specs. We get massive amounts of sales telemetry data from lenovo.com, our business partners, and our retail storefronts. In addition, Lenovo gets lots of industry-specific data from amalgamators like International Data Corporation (IDC) which can slice and dice any number of ways by geography, product specification, (and many more). There IS a statistical correlation in all of this. The mechanics of thermal airflow, electrical subsystems, durability, and all of the other things that go into making a pile of disparate components a functioning PC can likewise be quantified. The hardest part would be industrial design (how the product physically looks), but even this problem isn't insurmountable if you break it down into component data pieces. Aesthetics are quantifiable in terms of thickness, material composition, curvature, color, and so on. Researchers have demonstrated this is possible for the human face. My Lenovo Product Manager counterparts of 2015 will simply put the price points they want to target into a spreadsheet. Our Lenovo Product Manager 3000 system will take all variables into account and produce customized machines for each country we do business in. In the right quantities. At the right time. This would even make product delivery delays a thing of the past. And wouldn't THAT be cool?


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How to Prepare a Healthy Breakfast
The basics of any healthy breakfast are complex carbohydrates, protein and a small portion of fat. This potent food combination provides not only important nutrients, but also furnishes long-lasting energy. According to MayoClinic.com, when you consistently start your day with a healthy breakfast you're more likely to consume more vitamins and minerals, eat less fat and cholesterol, control your weight, have lower cholesterol, reduce your risk of heart disease and have better concentration and productivity throughout the morning. Using the breakfast basics as a guideline helps ensure that the breakfasts you prepare are healthy, even on those hurried mornings.
Step 1
Include a lean protein in your breakfast. Foods, such as hard-boiled eggs or egg whites, protein powder or low-fat, soy-based vegetarian patties provide protein without a lot of saturated fat. Sprinkling a handful of walnuts or almonds over your whole-grain cereal is an excellent way to get both protein and fiber.
Step 2
Add a fiber-rich, whole-grain food to your morning meal. Spread peanut butter on whole-grain toast or eat a cup of low-fat granola with low-fat milk or yogurt. Cooked brown rice or cooked oatmeal make satisfying foods on cold mornings. If you're in a hurry, a frozen whole-grain waffle topped with berries and a dollop of low-fat yogurt makes a healthy choice.
Step 3
Limit your dairy intake to low-fat foods, such as low-fat yogurt and low-fat or skim milk, to provide a small but healthy amount of fat in your meal. Spread a thin layer of low-fat cream cheese on your whole-grain English muffin or melt a slice of low-fat cheese on whole-grain toast.
Step 4
Combine fresh fruit or vegetables with other breakfast foods. These colorful additions enrich your breakfast with fiber and powerful antioxidants, such as vitamin C, which help prevent damage to your body's cells. Add berries to yogurt, slice peaches on whole-grain cereal or munch on an apple. Fix a fruit or vegetable smoothie or drink a glass of 100 percent fruit juice without added sugar.
- Mayo Clinic: Health Information: Nutrition and Healthy Eating: Healthy Breakfast: Quick Flexible Options to Grab at Home
- Mayo Clinic: Tools for Healthier Lives: Healthy Breakfast: The best Way to Begin Your Day
- Rutgers University: Cooperative Extension: Ten Tips for a Healthier Breakfast
- Washington State Department of Health: Fuel-Up - Eat Breakfast Washington: Why You Should Eat a Healthy Breakfast
Photo Credits
- Pixland/Pixland/Getty Images


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That is a very wonky Granny Square. I did crochet it myself with my own two hands! I get that it isn't really great and closer observations of it revealed a "shell" that has 4 double crochets rather than 3 but I am pretty happy with it as a learning piece.
Why Granny Squares you ask? A quite valid question. I rather fancy making one of those Granny Square lap rugs that were all the rage in the 70's. I am sure that pretty much every Grandma's house had one and I also had a doll's blanket that I recall. I was thinking of using the rainbow yarns I bought a while back from the boys' schools' craft market, but I am not sure how much of it I have and thus how far it will go. I might have to hit the next market and see if I can snaffle some more.....
Sunday, January 25, 2009
4 comments:
- Amanda said...
Looks good! I only attempted crochet once and made a granny blanket - of course. But it was enough to make me realise that I'm really a knitter.
- January 25, 2009 at 4:47 PM
- Fi said...
Rock on - go the granny square. Very underrated I think....
I can't wait to see your rainbow wool in it!
- January 25, 2009 at 6:31 PM
- Pearly Queen said...
Keep at it girl! It's just practice you need.
- January 25, 2009 at 11:41 PM
- Jenny said...
you can't beat a granny square blanket for practising your crochet, but it does take a long time to get one finished!
- February 15, 2009 at 5:07 AM
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Back to List
Poke Empire
We are a new server that has a lot of experienced staff that were put together for their level of maturity and knowledge of the game. We have a developer who is working on making custom plugins to enhance your server experience. We fully encourage all members to join and have a great experience. We do not tolerate any type of rude behavior so that the community remains friendly and suitable for all ages.
Server Features :
- Grief Prevention with Land Claiming
- Training warps
- Free Rank
- Ranks for donators
- Kits for everyone
- Shops for all Pokemon items
- Elite 4 Coming Soon
- Player Gym Leaders
- Server giveaways
- Friendly, Mature Staff
- Riding Enabled
- All Legends Enabled - spawn frequently
- Keep Inventory
- Lottery
- Player Vaults
- EVs / IVs Mod
- PixelmonExtras Mod
- Wondertrade Mod
- Voting, Drop Party, and Donation keys to open special chests for a chance to win items, money, shinies, and legendaries.
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Intelligent Virtual Assistants, also known as Intelligent Digital Assistants, are capturing market share rapidly. As analytics and AI technologies scale, and as some standard models begin to emerge, business are starting to consider how to introduce these kinds of solutions into their customer experiences. This white paper, "Making Intelligent Virtual Assistants a Reality" attempts to demystify multiple aspects of the intelligent application ecosystem.
- What kind of useful business problems can be solved by Virtual Assistants?
- What are the technologies that are behind creating a Virtual Assistant, and how many new capabilities need to be integrated into the enterprise to build and deliver a Virtual Assistant?
- What kind of content, knowledge representation, information architecture, assets and business processes are needed to deliver a Virtual Assistant experience?
- What skills, techniques and expertise are needed of deliver a Virtual Assistant solution to the market?
Learn what is required to design and build an Intelligent Virtual Assistant, and how to deploy intelligent applications in your enterprise to achieve real business value.


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Welcome to An Organized Life! I share organizational ideas, simple pleasures and luxuries, the beautiful simple moments in life, and everything in between (including coffee). I hope you enjoy your stay here!
I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Please note:


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Garden State
I must not be part of the twenty-something demographic that has embraced Garden State as a zeitgeist-defining film. (Jonathan Kiefer writes eloquently in Maisonneuve about its appeal).
I found the film pleasant enough, at least until its crushingly sentimental ending, but it evaporated completely from my mind when I left the theater.
What did remain was the soundtrack CD, on my stereo. It's great (and honestly, I mean no disparagement here), especially for vacuuming and dishwashing.
A while back, I doodled a little handmade CD insert for it.


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Friday, December 18, 2009
The Nature Of Facebook/Twitter Updates
Ana's simple question, so disarmingly articulated, rendered me speechless. It happened about twenty years ago during a chat over coffee, and I would have been effusively babbling on about my day. After listening politely, she hit me with charming directness.
"William, why are you telling me all this?"
Initially seemingly unanswerable, I contemplated upon it for many months, whilst, at times painfully, reevaluating almost every subsequent utterance I, and others, made. Ostensibly, I'd been telling her about my day, and yet what purpose did that serve her or me? What was behind this communication, for that matter any conversational communication?
Eventually, I came to the conclusion that it's little more than a need to be heard.
A need to be heard for existential validation. And to successfully realise this mutual need we: allow for conversational reciprocity; employ rhetorical devices to make our chatter entertaining (e.g. through humour), or intriguing (through common themes of interest); exploit status differences to be heard (e.g. teachers, leaders, priests, etc.); use devices to elicit sympathy; and so on.
It was with this increased sensitivity to the hidden whys of communication that I initiated a fascination with the modern phenomenon of our Facebook/Twitter/MySpace updates. They have two curiously unique features: first, the communication is made to nobody in particular, as if to an unknown second person, to an unspecific you; second, there is a severely tight numerical word restriction.
On the face of it, these updates are just small chunks of trivia, with little depth or meaning. Or are they?
There's an old joke of the apprentice Trappist monk who is permitted two spoken words at the end of each initial twelve months' training in silent contemplation; at the end of year one, he tells the abbot, 'bed hard'; after the second, 'food horrible'; and the third and final, 'go home; to which the abbot exclaims, 'well, thank God for that because you've done nought but complain since you got here!!'.
Paradoxically, it seems the more restricted our opportunities to communicate, and the more remote and less defined the second person is (the you), the more meaningful the utterances become. 'Meaningful' I define here as more revelatory of our identity, along with our illusion of identity. In the case of ostensibly glib online status updates, through the application of dietrological analysis, much can be inferred.
Accepting and bearing in mind this need to be heard to be validated, below is a suggested hierarchy of factors for measuring that need.
- use of first person pronouns (I, me, my, mine etc.)
- frequency of first person pronouns
- proximity of first person pronouns to the beginning (e.g. commencing with 'I')
- use of active or passive voice
- expressions of opinion (an implicit or explicit 'I think that...')
- ratio of factual detail (times, places, names etc.) over process language (feelings)
- degree of assumption of second person interest
- pseudo-attempts to engage (e.g. throwing out a question, attention-seeking, sympathy-seeking)
- enigmatic, in-jokes
The feeling of validation from conversation comes with verbal and nonverbal responses to our utterances which we've already established as often not being a reliable indicator of chemistry or rapport owing to the invisible effects of, for example, our choice of language patterns. This is even more the case here.
coming soon:
DIETROLOGY : What Are Movie Credits For?
DIETROLOGY : Poker Face
2 comments:
- Frederick said...
One other type of poster I have wondered is the package dealer: a person known to be "in a relationship" who only refers to themselves as part of a we (be it a couple or family unit).
And, conversely, those who never do refer to the significant other.
- James Banner said...
I've asked people the same thing Ana asked, "why are you telling me this?" when associates have felt it necessary to convey the details of their day, work, life, etc. because I think it's a valid question.
Most people talk simply to hear themselves speak, or to unload the emotions of their experiences rather than to convey actual information, much less to inform others of things they can actually benefit from (truths or lessons, etc).
I personally believe the idea of "existential validation" to be utterly without value. As long as we're looking to others for validation we're maintaining an incomplete or co-dependent role in the world.
One extreme example of this on Facebook is a suicide threat someone posted in their status. It's the perfect expression of the need for existential validation, hoping to elicit a desired response from acquaintances - which is the most pathetic part of this entire exchange; while we may say things to people, we only hear responses that we already know. Those which are outside of our experience are filtered out as 'noise' or 'nonsense'. And this supports my basic premise, that existential validation is without value - because it doesn't lead to deeper truths, which can only be arrived at on through self-revelation.
I disagree with your thesis that interaction leads to distancing or remoteness with the Other. But, on the other hand, I also believe that conversation doesn't engender intimacy or closeness. These qualities seem to be the product of moments which may happen in silence or under conditions which are entirely outside of the dialectic experience.