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| 12.7°C Belfast
Specialist eye hospitals must do more to help newly diagnosed blind people, a charity has warned after research found that half do not offer any support to people losing their sight.
The Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) said that tens of thousands of people are not being offered the "vital" emotional and practical support needed when they start to go blind.
Every specialist hospital should have sight loss advisers so newly diagnosed people have someone to turn to in their moment of need, the charity said.
The comments come after its latest report found that almost half of all eye hospitals in the UK do not offer any support to people who are going blind.
Of 400 eye clinics and hospitals in the UK, just 218 have any support staff available to patients to talk to after their diagnosis, the charity said.
Eye clinics are "full to capacity" and medical staff are under strain to diagnose and treat patients, leaving them with little time to talk with patients about how to manage their conditions and what support is available, a spokeswoman said.
The charity has called on NHS officials to ensure that there are sight loss advisers in each clinic.
It said that it is "very concerned" that funding constraints have put these positions under threat.
"(This) could remove this vital support from patients at their greatest time of need," states the charity's latest report Hanging by a Thread.
As well as lobbying health officials, the charity is also calling on members of the public to sign its petition calling on every eye clinic to have a sight loss adviser by 2019.
"Sight loss advisers ensure that patients are referred to local services which can help them adapt to life and can assist with providing accessible information and completing Certificates of Visual Impairment," the spokeswoman said.
"They can also provide invaluable support in dealing with the psychological adjustment to life as a blind or partially sighted person. The emotional impact of sight loss can be profound."
RNIB's chief executive Lesley-Anne Alexander added: "Every 15 minutes someone in the UK starts to lose their sight but people do not always get even basic emotional and practical support at this critical time.
"Being told you are losing your sight can be extremely traumatic to come to terms with, and everyone reacts differently.
"No one should have to face the prospect alone or without the support they need to help them through the situation."
An NHS England spokeswoman said: "Losing your sight is life-changing and patients need as much support as possible from a variety of organisations, including the NHS. We know that too often eye health care is fragmented with variations in outcomes for patients and we are determined to address this.
"This is why next month we will publish our 'Eye Health Call to Action'. We aim to lead discussion on how the NHS can make real and meaningful progress in getting better care and better outcomes for patients."


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Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. Appoints Naito as President and COO
Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. announces the appointment of Mr. Junichi Naito as its new president and COO, effective May, 2011. Mr. Naito will lead Pioneer's business operations for branded products in the U.S. region, including car electronics, home electronics, DJ and computer drive products.
"With his many years of international business and information technology experience, Junichi Naito is uniquely prepared to move our U.S. branded business forward during a time of change and opportunity for both Pioneer and the consumer electronics industry," said Sam Ohdate, president of the Pioneer Americas group of companies.
In addition to leading Pioneer's current operations in the U.S. market, Mr. Naito's objective is to further expand the company's business opportunities by overseeing the introduction of innovative new products that embrace new consumer behaviors, such as the increasing use of smartphones and tablet computers in audio and video systems.
Since joining Pioneer in 1984, Mr. Naito has headed sales operations in other regions of the world, including Malaysia for six years and Hong Kong for five years. Before these assignments, he was responsible for establishing IT systems and communication networks for Pioneer subsidiaries in the Middle East, South America and other regions. This experience gives him a unique understanding of the vital role information technology plays in the consumer electronics industry.
Pioneer Electronics (USA) Inc. is headquartered in Long Beach, Calif., and its U.S. Web address is www.pioneerelectronics.com. Its parent company, Pioneer Corporation, is a leader in optical disc technology and a preeminent manufacturer of high-performance audio, video and computer equipment for the home, car and business markets.
Pioneer Corporation is a leading global manufacturer of consumer- and business-use electronics products such as audio, video and car electronics. Its shares are listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
# # #
For further information, contact:
Jaed Arzadon, Corporate Communications
310-952-2451 or firstname.lastname@example.com

subset: commoncrawl


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In April 1971, University of California Santa Cruz students Eric Reynolds and Dave Huntley were in Alaska's Juneau Icefield on a school Glaciology project. It was there on a glacier that the idea of a Marmot Club began.
Our passion for adventure and the great outdoors is driven by a three-fold philosophy: To create performance-driven outdoor products designed with a social and environmentally conscious mindset under fair working conditions.
3M™ Thinsulate™ Featherless insulation is as warm as 700-fill down and keeps performing even when wet


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Best Bars Los Angeles: Where to Drink in Culver City
Having spent a great deal of time in and around Culver City over the past ten years, I can assure you that any stories you've heard about "how different it used to be" are absolutely true. In this last decade, Culver City has catapulted itself from a kind of sketchy, drive-through town into a mostly-walkable mecca of highly-rated restaurants, bars, and art galleries. If you're looking for a quick stop after work, or want to make a full afternoon of it with some friends, here are a few of the best places to get a drink in Culver City.
Culver Hotel Bar
At the Culver Hotel Bar in Culver City's downtown district, a martini is all you need to feel transported back to the golden age of film (and drinking). The ninety year old hotel—famed for hosting the cast of Gone With the Wind (and Munchkin actors during the filming of The Wizard of Oz)—is also reputed to host a number of active ghosts... so keep a look out for "spirit orbs" floating in the background of your selfies. Every night the bar hosts musical acts, and it tends to attract locals and industry folks from the Culver Studio and Sony Studio locations down the street.
Culver Hotel Bar: 9400 Culver Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90232 (map) 310-558-9400; culverhotel.com
Bigfoot Lodge West
This sister bar to the Bigfoot in Los Feliz has a log cabin-feel and taxidermied game on the walls, but the menu's serious: classic cocktails and a whiskey list that's over 100 entries long! Bonus: the $5 happy hour runs every day from 5 to 9 p.m. (including a $5 Manhattan), and a neighboring tamale kitchen will take orders by phone and deliver direct to your bar stool.
Bigfoot West: 10939 Venice Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90064(map) 310-287-2200; bigfootwest.com
Mandrake Bar
An art bar in Culver City's arts district, the Mandrake often showcases projections, live DJs, and art installations. The cocktail list hasn't changed much over the last few years, but their takes on classics are solid. And their Tomato Water Martini, with Absolut Peppar and fresh muddled tomatoes, is a spicy and delicious sip.
Mandrake Bar: 2692 S La Cienega Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90034 (map) 310-837-3297; mandrakebar.com
City Tavern
With twenty California-brewed beers on tap, and more available in cans and large-format bottles, City Tavern is a must for beer lovers. If you need to impress multiple beer drinkers with a unique experience, you can reserve one of the booths with its own tap and a selection of three beers for you and up to five friends to self-pour. (On the other hand, if you'd rather have a cocktail, they're currently offering the Sleepy Hollow, made with Rittenhouse Rye, Ole Smoky Apple Pie Moonshine, brown sugar, pumpkin, and spiced cider... it's pretty much the taste of fall.
City Tavern: 9739 Culver Boulevard, Culver City, CA 90232 (map) (310) 838-9739; citytavernculvercity.com
The Cozy Inn
The Cozy Inn is everything you could hope for in a dive bar. Colorful clientele, cheap beer, a vaguely punny name, and shuffleboard. At the Cozy, you can feel confident that the granular soap powder in the bathroom is not an ironic touch. And if whiskey and beer leaves you with a hankering for Fritos, an idle comment to the bartender results in a fresh bag magically appearing from under the bar. (At least, it did for me!)
Cozy Inn: 11155 Washington Place Culver City, CA 90232 (map) 310-838-3826
Roy Choi's picnic-themed food aside, A-Frame has been a darling cocktail spot for some time now in Culver City. Celebrating its third year in a converted IHop, A-Frame's eight-seater bar has a cocktail menu with eclectic flavor combinations reminiscent of Choi's food (think: coconut milk, chilies, and passionfruit). Be warned that this hotspot gets crowded and loud as the night goes on, but it is definitely worth a drop-in earlier in the evening.
A-Frame: 12565 Washington Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90066 (map) 310-398-7700; aframela.com
All products linked here have been independently selected by our editors. We may earn a commission on purchases, as described in our affiliate policy.


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Report: UT regent abused office, may have violated law
HOUSTON – University of Texas Regent Wallace Hall likely committed impeachable offenses, including abusing his office and possibly breaking state and federal law – in his campaign to oust University of Texas at Austin president Bill Powers, according to a draft report prepared for the Texas House committee investigating Hall.
The 176-page draft report, which was made available to committee members Friday and obtained by the San Antonio Express-News/Houston Chronicle, alleges that Hall leaked confidential student information in apparent violation of state and federal law in an attempt to silence his critics in the Texas Legislature. The report also accuses him of manipulating the investigation and coercing witnesses.
It describes both activities as "particularly troubling and potentially criminal in nature," saying the leaks likely violated both the Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 and the Texas Public Information Act.
The report also alleges Hall attempted to coerce UT administrators, including Powers, to alter their testimony to the committee: "[Hall] pressured UT System witnesses to alter testimony provided to the Committee; and he sought retaliatory employment action despite the Committee's express request that no such action be taken during the course of the investigation," states the report, which was prepared by the committee's special counsel, Houston attorney Rustin Hardin's law firm.
A lawyer for Hall said the regent would not comment on the report until he reads it.
Additionally, the report alleges Hall abused his position by demanding overly burdensome records requests, which cost UT-Austin more than $1 million to comply with, bullying university administration staffers whom he opposed, undermining the University's public image and continuing to seek Powers' termination even though the committee had asked him and other regents to refrain from such activity.
The report includes emails sent by Hall in which he did little to hide his disapproval of Powers. In one described in the report, Hall tells the Board of Regents that "they were being 'held hostage by terrorists' and that firing Powers would only result in a 'two week' reaction that could easily be overcome."
The committee and its special counsel reviewed more than 150,000 pages of documents regarding Hall, the report states.
Gov. Rick Perry appointed Hall, a Dallas businessman, to the UT System's board of regents in Feb. 2011.
Controversy over the actions of some UT regents kicked up during the 2013 legislative session, with Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst leading an emotional outpouring of support for Powers in a February speech in which he cited anonymous letters attacking the university president and saying he was troubled to see regents "trying to micromanage the system."
House Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio, in June ordered the Select Committee on Transparency in State Agency Operations to investigate Hall's conduct. The panel heard testimony from UT System and UT Austin officials, fellow lawmakers and others.
Hall declined an invitation from the committee to testify. His attorney stated at the time that the panel did not subpoena him, which would have allowed him to discuss confidential information.
However, during a public discussion last fall, Hall said he made open records requests of UT institutions as a private citizen because they did not respond to his requests as a regent.
"I feel very comfortable with everything that I've done," Hall said then.
JeniferSarver, spokeswoman for the Texas Coalition for Excellence in Higher Education, a group aiming to guard against perceived political interference in state universities, said she was unable to comment on the specifics of the committee's draft, but added, "I'm hopeful that the final product is something that provides the committee and the Legislature something to work with in regard to taking some necessary steps to stop the kind of behavior we've been seeing from Regent Hall."
Reporters Benjamin Wermund and Express-News staff writer Jennifer Lloyd contributed to this story.


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Neil Young
CEO and cofounder, ngmoco
Cool and Connected
Is the tablet a new mobile computing device? Well, yes, it is, by default. But what is most interesting to me as a gamemaker is the impact that it can have in the least-mobile entertainment venue — the home. Aren't home games played on consoles? Yes. But for years, more and more players, especially teens, have been migrating to laptops and Flash gaming. The Web has become not just a viable venue for games but also one of the most vibrant.
The iPhone 3GS is already far superior to the Nintendo DS or PSP and is approaching the performance level of the Wii. A tablet that is powerful enough to handle great games and portable enough to take anywhere — with an immediate library of tens of thousands of inexpensive or free experiences from the App Store — will be serious competition for laptops.
Of course, the netbook was supposed to replace the laptop and be used by millions around the world. Forget the netbook. It's a slow, clunky piece of junk. Do I want to look like the guy who couldn't afford a real computer or the guy who went to the future and brought back a device that's as cool as I imagine I am?
If the tablet is as appealing and useful as a laptop, with the power of a game console and an always-open library of apps, games, music, and entertainment, it will kill the laptop as a home games machine and kick the netbook out the window before it's had a chance to disappoint us with its inadequacy.
Steven Johnson
Science writer
The End of an Era
Ten years from now, we will look back at the tablet and see it as an end point, not a beginning. The tablet may turn out to be the final stage of an extraordinary era of textual innovation, powered by 30 years of exponential increases in computation, connection, and portability.
When the Homebrew Computer Club started holding meetings in the mid-'70s, the reigning assumption among critics and futurists was that we were headed, inexorably, toward an image-based culture dominated by the visual language of television. The word — for so long the dominant medium for the transmission of information — was headed for the margins, subtitles underneath the hypnotic flicker of the Image Society.
But then something extraordinary happened. The personal computer proved to be more than just a fancy calculator. It turned out to be a device for doing things with words. Each milestone in computation and connectivity unleashed a new wave of textual breakthroughs: Early networks gave rise to email and Usenet; the Mac UI made reading text on the screen tolerable; the Internet platform (and the NeXT development environment) made it possible for one man to invent a universal hypertext system; Google harnessed distributed computing to make the entire Web searchable in microseconds; and thanks to Wi-Fi and cellular networks, along with hardware miniaturization, we can now download a novel to an ebook in 10 seconds.
It has been an exhilarating ride, but it is coming to an end, and that magical experience of instantly pulling Middlemarch out of the ether and onto your Kindle suggests why: Compared to other kinds of information that computers process today, text has an exceptionally small footprint. With the arrival of the tablet, we have crossed a critical threshold: Where text is concerned, we effectively have infinite computational resources, connectivity, and portability. For decades, futurists have dreamed of the "universal book": a handheld reading device that would give you instant access to every book in the Library of Congress. In the tablet era, it's no longer technology holding us back from realizing that vision; it's the copyright holders.
Advances in technology will give us plenty of headroom with other kinds of data: streaming real-time video, conjuring virtual spaces, exploring real-world environments with geocoded data, modeling complex systems like weather. But in the tablet world, textual innovation will not come from faster chips or wireless networks. Incremental improvements will continue, to be sure, but there will be a steady decrease in radical new ways we interact with text.
If you time-traveled back to the Homebrew Computer Club in 1975, it would take you days to explain all the new possibilities for creating and sharing text. (Imagine explaining Wikipedia to someone who hasn't heard of the word processor.) But I suspect that the text-based interactions that coalesce around the tablet will still seem familiar to my grandchildren in 2030. Unless, of course, we've hit the singularity and the novels we're downloading have been written by the machines. But in that case, the rise of AI novelists will be the least of our worries.
Kevin Kelly
Technology pioneer
Window on the World
Don't think of them as tablets. Think of them as windows that you carry. Two things distinguish them from always-on smartphones and lightweight laptops.
First, these are mobile screens, meant to move. They are aware of where they are in space and time. Hold a window up in front of you and you see an alternative view of the scene. Maybe you see annotated layers or a view from long ago. If someone is speaking to you through the window, move the screen and it will sweep across the caller's room. This portable portal will peer into anything visible. You'll be able to see into movies, pictures, rooms, Web pages, places, and books seamlessly. Many people think of this sheet as a full-color, hi-res, super ebook reader, but this viewer will be about moving images as much as text. Not just watching video but making it. It will have a built-in camera and idiot-proof video-editing tools, and it will also serve as a portble movie screen, eventually enabled for 3-D. You'll "film" with the screen! It will remake both book publishing and Hollywood, because it creates a transmedia that conflates books and video. You get TV you read, books you watch, movies you touch.
And that is the second difference between this window and past devices: The tablet window goes two ways. You watch; it watches you. Its eye can remain on all the time, watching you as much as you like. Brian Eno once famously said (in the pages of Wired) that the problem with computers was that there was not enough Africa in them. By this he meant that computers as we knew them could "see" only the wiggling ends of our fingers as we typed. But if they could see and employ the rest of our body, as if we were dancing or singing, we could express ourselves with greater finesse. This window tablet injects some Africa into computers. It overthrows the tyranny of the keyboard. Gestures are king. Swoosh your fingers to scroll, wave your arms as with a Wii, shake or tilt it. Celebrate its embodiment. The craftsmanship of this device will matter. We'll spend hours holding it, caressing it, stroking its magic surface, watching it. The feel of its surface, the liquidity of its flickers, the presence or lack of its warmth, the quality of its build, the temperature of its glow will come to mean a great deal to all of us.
James Fallows
National correspondent, The Atlantic
The Digital Copilot
Will the tablet computer catch on? In one specialized realm, it already and decisively has: aerospace. Right now, the flying world is far ahead of the general public in embracing tablet devices. And while the motivations for widespread early adoption are specific to flying, they have enough parallels to normal terrestrial activity to suggest that tablets may find a place here on Earth.
The collective term for these devices is electronic flight bags. EFBs come in many forms, including some built into cockpits. But several popular versions resemble what Apple and others have announced: bigger than a PDA, smaller than a laptop, a flat working surface dominated by a display that accepts multiple kinds of touch inputs. EFBs are expensive — costing many hundreds to many thousands of dollars — but also very popular, for several reasons.
First, they address a genuine point of pain. Remember those squarish, footlocker-sized cases you used to see pilots wheeling through airports? They were jammed with the documents required for almost any flight — approach plates for landing in bad weather, charts, runway diagrams, checklists, and operating handbooks. All that paper caused general chaos in the cockpit. To have it all in one trim package brings relief.
EFBs also let pilots simultaneously work with different kinds of data. The information a crew needs to see during flight consists of text (checklists, notices), static diagrams (airspace, airport layouts), and dynamic graphics (wind patterns at different altitudes). The EFBs present all this in one place — often as combined maps with text overlays, a view pilots can't get in any other way. And they're just as egalitarian about input. Pilots don't always have time to type, and depending on flight circumstances like turbulence or light, they might prefer touchscreens or knobs. Good EFBs accept different kinds of entries.
More important, in the cockpit constant updates save lives. Paper charts and briefings are out of date the second they're printed. Weather systems would have moved, airspace restrictions might have changed, and very often a plane's route would be adjusted. EFBs update constantly, usually via satellite networks.
All these traits could easily find applications in the nonflying world. Engineers and architects might like to see a variety of data combined in one place as they stand outside a building site. People in a teleconferenced meeting might sketch a design on a touchscreen tablet and have it appear on their colleagues' devices around the world. Journalists at a congressional hearing might have live-feed windows showing what is being said in other rooms. And all of this information would be more useful on a device that's bigger than an iPhone but that doesn't require the awkward holding of an opened laptop.
There is one additional, crucial aspect of the EFB's popularity: People mainly use it while sitting in a chair. This points to the primary challenge for tablets: limiting them to situations when people can conveniently — and safely — stare at a screen. The main social menace of mobile devices today is that people look at their screens when they should be looking at the road or sidewalk. That's not a problem on airplanes. While pilots need to pay "strategic" attention to the flight — "Where is that thunderstorm headed?" — there's less second-by-second risk if they're checking their computer screen.
So we learn from jet pilots that tablets may indeed catch on — and they may well make all of our lives better. As long as we keep them out of the driver's seat, I'm ready for the tablet age.
Bob Stein
Institute for the Future of the Book
Follow the Gamers
Twenty-five years ago, when I founded the Criterion Collection and Voyager, my imagination extended only as far as multimedia — enabling authors to express ideas with a palette that included audio, video, text, and graphics. While CD-ROMs hinted at these possibilities, the advent of the Internet, particularly the Web, showed that locating works in a dynamic digital network promised even more fundamental changes. The most important thing my colleagues and I learned from experiments with "networked books" is that as discourse moves from the page to the networked screen, the social aspects of reading and writing move to the fore. A book is becoming a "place" where people congregate and converse.
The arrival of Apple, Android, and Nokia tablets ups the ante. Simply moving printed texts to tablets (as with the Kindle) will be of limited value. To succeed, publishers will have to embrace multimedia and community-building. My guess is that the gaming industry will show us the way. Unlike publishing, the culture of videogames is much less stifled by legacy products and thinking. Multimedia is already its language, and gamemakers have vast experience building thriving communities. As conventional publishers prayerfully port their print to tablets, my bet is that the gamemakers will invent the new forms of expression that will dominate the media landscape.
Martha Stewart
Magazine publisher and TV host
Into the Wild
I've been making magazines now for 20 years; I've been making books for 27 or 28. These are illustrated books and magazines that need a digital home somewhere. My printed cookbooks — the ones that have no illustrations — are available for the Kindle on Amazon.com. But the illustrated books need a full-blown effort like the iPad to really bring out the beauty of the images.
We all have so much to read these days, and having the ability to pick and choose and save and file and send digitally is really exciting. I have a bag full of torn-out magazine pages that I distribute to various people for creative ideas. I'll be able to do that much more effectively if I have access to a digital version of those magazines rather than having to destroy them.
We are at a crossroads here. The printing press is still in great use and is still a very viable tool. But the Internet is also an exciting place to learn, to read, to see. Either way, it's about customers. Where are those eyeballs? We have to find them.
That's one of the big credos at our company. Where our customer needs us and wants us, that's where we want to be — with our products, with our magazines, with our books, with our television content.
Ultimately, the tablet will not take the place, I hope, of the printed page in terms of the magazine format. I will continue to read print magazines, because I love them. That's me. But I will also read digital magazines. I will choose which ones. There are some magazines that I would look at just to see in more depth. National Geographic, God, I would love to see that. I already have the digitized version of National Geographic, but it's not the same thing. It's just like the magazine. The tablet could be like going into Africa.
Nicholas Negroponte
Founder, One Laptop per Child;
first investor in Wired
The Next $100 Laptop
The unsung advantage of current ebooks is being able to use them in bed. Paper books have pages that can neither disappear nor reappear. Instead, we have to turn them, which is pretty stupid and not at all easy when you're lying on your side.
So why tablets? A short answer: one-handedness.
And it's not just for bed. Would you have ever imagined how many people walk around looking at one hand? Texting is replacing talking, and thumbs are replacing lips. Laptops, meanwhile, are not mobile. They are nomadic. You have to sit down to use one and do battle for a connection. Standing with a laptop is entirely unsatisfactory.
Tablets are therefore the new frontier. They are the new book, the new newspaper, the new magazine, the new TV screen, and potentially the new laptop. Something you carry — and, yes, something you can lose.
The real beneficiaries, however, are not you and me or the thousands who will soon queue up to buy the iPad. The undeniable beneficiaries of tablets will be those who have no alternative, those who have no books, no libraries, and in many cases no schools or electricity. I mean the nearly 2 billion kids in the developing world.
For them, a tablet needs to be windup. Yes, a crank, not solar but quiet human power that works at night, in cloud cover, and on windless days. Such a device also needs to be unbreakable, water-resistant, and dust-proof, and to connect to the Internet for free. At a minimum, it needs to hold 100 books and wirelessly access any of the titles stored on nearby tablets. So, if you ship 100 of these to a remote African village, each loaded with 100 different books, that's 10,000 books in the village — more than you and I had in primary school.
I'm talking about the tablet version of the XO from One Laptop per Child, proposed for 2012. By that date, we will have moved from laptop to tablet for a variety of reasons, the biggest being cost. The $100 laptop never actually hit $100 (the closest we got was $175), but we can get the price down, and the tablet is the way to do that. It requires no moving parts, not even a hinge. The housing can be made of a single piece of plastic. The XO today has 900 pieces, most on its circuit board. Ideally, the tablet's circuit board will be reduced to only one chip.
XO laptops are now in the hands of 1.4 million children in 35 countries and support 25 languages. The result: The kids teach their parents to read and write, truancy drops, and educators say they have never loved teaching so much.
Most of the students own their XOs and feel that it's the most important piece of hope in their life. And not surprisingly, most of the kids even sleep with them.
Gina Bianchini
CEO, Ning
A smartphone is mobile, but it isn't fun to browse on. On a laptop, the technology is built in, but few want to carry around a 6-pound computer for the privilege of using a browser. The tablet bridges this gap. People will not only engage in new social experiences but will do so on a device that's easy (and beautiful) to use, wherever they may feel so inspired.
George Lois
Advertising pioneer
The Real Thing
Way back when I was a young man, making deliveries at my father's florist shop in the Bronx, I once had the unexpected choice of spending the evening taking a gander at some 1940s porno or accepting the invitation to have actual sex with a gorgeous lady I regularly delivered flowers to in ritzy Riverdale. With a pounding heart, I chose the real thing. That's how I feel about experiencing a magazine's contents on a crammed computer screen versus holding a magnificent magazine in my hands — with its surprising visual and visceral possibilities at the turn of each page.
The newfandangled tablets that let me read electronic magazines could be a useful research device at times, but the tactile and graphic excitement that's available on the best graphically designed magazines are pitifully nonexistent on a bland, crowded computer screen. And certainly, the possibility of a great magazine cover that knocks your eye out on the newsstand — one with a big, edgy idea that makes a statement about America's politics and culture, that force-feeds an irresistible taste of a magazine's content — is totally out of the question. The magazine is dead. Long live the magazine.
Jack Dangermond
President and founder, ESRI
Planning a garden, park, building, or city shouldn't be done in an office. A location-aware tablet will let us use what's called geodesign to compose participatory, what-if scenarios onsite, using maps that several people can share — something we could always do with paper but that's been a challenge with digital maps in the field.
Marshall McLuhan
Prophet of the electronic age
The Medium Is Life
What would Marshall McLuhan (1911-1980) make of the coming tablet age? Contributing editor Gary Wolf channeled the oracular media theorist.
Steve Jobs is the preeminent figure of the late 20th century; he is our Ford, our Disney. Like them, Jobs is a great success in business. Others may have similar thoughts, similar predictions — in fact, if he were truly original he would not be so popular — but the fearlessness and simplicity of his attack on the old type of humanistic consciousness makes him a hero.
Jobs operates in the infralogic of the digital age, where the separation between user and product is vanishing, along with the outdated conscious operations of prediction and control.
Humanism temporarily survived the era of electronic media only through the act of turning on a device. The knob or switch is like the cover of a book: Open it; close it. But when a medium is coincident with life, the last refuge for humanism is gone.
The iPad is the beginning of this end. The thin, single pane of glass that comprises the interface is just a window onto the world, an edgeless frame. Essentially, there is no interface, any more than a person's fingertips are an interface. The long story of humanism — by which I mean the emergence of individual consciousness as a byproduct of our language and literature — comes to an end when we return, futuristically, to doing everything by hand.
We no longer hear the voices of the past, because we have our fingers in our ears.
Fake Steve Jobs
Not the CEO of Apple
Go Save Yourself
So once again we've changed the world with a mind-blowing, revolutionary product that does things that everybody considered impossible. An ebook reader that also plays movies and music? And browses the Web? No way. Can't be done. Well, we did it. And you can fly three times around the globe and watch movies the whole time on a single battery charge. It's amazing. Phenomenal. Exciting. Magical. Amazing. Beautiful. Stunning. Gorgeous. And yet for some people in the media, this is not enough. These people are disappointed because they expected the iPad to also save newspapers from a certain death.
Yes, David Carr of The New York Times, I'm talking to you, you pie-eyed crackhead. All I can say is, bitch, please! I'm a genius, but I'm not a miracle worker. Nor am I Mother Teresa. I wasn't put on earth to save The New York Times. I was put on earth to restore a sense of childlike wonder to people's empty, pathetic lives, and I must say that so far I'm doing a pretty outstanding job.
Anyway, do you really think saving newspapers is just a matter of putting your old crap on a new device? Because from what I can see, The New York Times sucks just as bad on a Kindle as it does on paper. That, in fact, is the real problem with The New York Times: It sucks, and everyone knows it, except, apparently, the dumb fucks who write for The New York Times, which is, oddly enough, the heart of the problem. Quod erat demonstrandum, as Socrates once said.
The iPad isn't about saving newspapers. It's about inventing new ways of telling stories, using a whole new language — one that we can't even imagine right now.
Like I said when I met the publisher of The New York Times when he begged me to let his new media guy get onstage at our iPad event: Sully, I like you guys, but the truth is you guys really need to die so that we can clear the way for the new guys — although at the same time I do want to commend you for the great job you did when you landed that plane on the Hudson. He's like, What? And I'm like, Wasn't that you? And he's like, No, that's a guy named Sullenberger, and I'm like, Well, what's your name? and he says, Sulzberger, and I'm like, OK, whatever, but you're still screwed.
Hacks, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to save you. Frankly, I don't read magazines or newspapers, and if every last one of you were all erased from the planet tomorrow I would not notice and I would not care. Having said that, I wish you all the best in whatever future careers you choose. Gardening, I've heard, is very peaceful and involves slinging manure, so you should be good at it. Namaste. Much love. Peace.
Chris Anderson
Editor in chief, Wired
Ditch Your Laptop
Tablets are the future of media — if they become ubiquitous. And that will happen only if they replace laptops. I think most of us are willing to carry two devices (one is a phone) but not three. So why would they dump a keyboard for a touchscreen? Look to three data points for the answer: the iPhone, the Kindle, and the cloud.
The iPhone shows that loads of people want rich-media networked devices with them everywhere. Like a tablet, the iPhone is a one-app-at-a-time full-screen experience, where the interface is determined as much by the apps and the device itself as it is by the OS. By dint of its bigger screen, a tablet is immersive enough to spend hours with — and yet it's still intimate. A laptop is a work device, an arm's-length, lean-forward experience. A tablet, in contrast, is a personal device, something you cradle and lean back with.
The Kindle shows that people are willing to pay for specialized devices if they can give them the flexibility to have the content they want when they want it. For magazines, with their long-form text and engaging, visually rich design, a tablet could be perfect. Of course, it will still have a Web browser, but it'll also have a critical mass of content — games, books, magazines, and video — that isn't Web-based. All the impact (and more) of print, with the convenience of digital delivery. If it worked for the single-purpose Kindle, it will work even better for the multipurpose tablet. Imagine highly produced, curated content that arrives as an event to look forward to, like a film opening or a book launch. This is where the new business models kick in: Tablets can show media in a context worth paying for. The first issue of a magazine might even be free, like the first few levels of a game are, but that's just a sampler. Rather than tell people about great content, that tablet lets them experience it — and easily upgrade to get more.
Finally, the cloud shows that as more and more of our data and software lives in servers somewhere, the computers we carry with us can be less and less powerful — thinner, lighter, longer battery life. Let Google buy the big iron; you can buy sexy aluminum and glass that's a delight to hold. Sure, rich-media apps like games and magazine readers will run locally, but they'll be no resource-hogging Photoshop. Modern smartphones have shown us what efficient mobile operating systems and specialized apps can do with hardware that wouldn't fill a single drive bay on a desktop PC.
Think of all the trips where you've asked yourself, "Is this when I leave the laptop behind and just use my phone?" The tablet answers that question. Bigger than a phone, funner than a laptop, more cuddly than a Kindle. I think they're going to sell like hotcakes.Go Back to Top. Skip To: Start of Article.


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WASHINGTON — A Saudi tip about a possible al-Qaida effort to bring down airplanes was relayed to U.S. authorities in early October, nearly three weeks before the group's Yemen affiliate tried to ship mail bombs to the U.S. in cargo planes, U.S. intelligence officials said Friday.
The Saudi intelligence tip helped to head off what could have been a devastating series of plane explosions. Western officials credit the Saudis with playing a crucial role in finding two mail bombs recovered last week in Dubai and Britain before they reached the U.S.
Meanwhile on Saturday, Interpol said it was making public the features and components of the two bombs. The France-based international police agency said it had provided an alert to its 188 member countries about the devices and will make a public version available "to encourage greater vigilance."
Interpol said in a statement Saturday the alert sent to members shows how the bombs were disguised inside computer printer cartridges and other features to help authorities spot dangerous
The Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula claimed responsibility for sending the two bombs and threatened more attacks on civilian and cargo planes. The group also said it had a role in the crash of a UPS cargo plane in Dubai in September, but investigators so far have insisted an accident was at fault.
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The Saudi tip in October contained no mention of cargo planes, or any details of the plot carried out last week, said U.S. officials, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss classified matters. But they said it gave the U.S. and other Western officials enough of a warning to know what to look for when another Saudi tip arrived last week.
'Quick and aggressive' response
A CIA spokesman Friday night cited several allies that have provided key intelligence about terrorist activities.
"Over the past several months, we received intelligence — which was shared across our government — from our foreign partners about threats from AQAP and other terrorist groups," said CIA spokesman George Little. "The United States receives this kind of information from other governments on a regular basis, as you would expect. Last week, we received specific intelligence that allowed the United States and our allies to disrupt the cargo plot. Our actions were swift and aggressive."
Another U.S. official said the Yemeni terror group's interest in plane attacks has been apparent since its failed Christmas Day attempt last year to bring down a Detroit-bound plane with explosives hidden in the underwear of a suicide bomber. Both the Christmas Day attack and the mail bombs sent last week used a powerful industrial explosive PETN, and the AQAP's top bomb maker is considered a top suspect in both attempts.
But although the tip relayed in October did raise alarms about a plane attack, it did not mention cargo planes or where the plot might originate or even who the attackers might be, the official said.
U.S. intelligence had been monitoring steady intelligence on a possible attack such as this since early September, one U.S. official has said. And in late September, authorities also intercepted a group of packages shipped to Chicago which in retrospect is now seen as a likely test run by the terror group to gauge the logistics of shipping bombs by air to the U.S.
Castaway's parents thought they would never see him again
The father of Pacific castaway Jose Salvador Alvarenga said he was told his long-lost son vanished on a fishing trip but he didn't have the heart to break the news to his ailing wife.
- Scotland legalizes same-sex marriage
- Weapons deal strengthened Assad: US intel chief
- Outcry over the fate of Sochi's stray dogs
- Olympic construction leaves Sochi residents in the cold
- Castaway's parents thought they would never see him again
The report on the Saudi tip in October was first reported Friday by The New York Times and the German news magazine Der Spiegel.
Al-Qaida claim accurate?
On Friday, AQAP said it would continue to strike American and Western interests and specifically said it would target civilian and cargo aircraft.
"We have struck three blows at your airplanes in a single year," the group said in a message posted on a militant website. "And God willing, we will continue to strike our blows against American interests and the interests of America's allies."
The authenticity of Friday's claim could not be immediately verified. A U.S. intelligence official said authorities are not surprised to see this claim now.
Authorities in the U.S. and the U.A.E. have said the Sept. 3 crash of the UPS plane in Dubai shortly after takeoff was caused by an onboard fire, but investigators are taking another look at the incident following the parcel bomb plot .
A security official in the U.A.E. familiar with the investigations into the UPS cargo plane crash in Dubai and the mail bombs plot told The Associated Press on Friday that there is no change in earlier findings and that the UPS crash in September was likely caused by an onboard fire and not by an explosive device.
"There was no explosion," the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity under standing U.A.E. rules on disclosing security-related information.
A UPS spokesman, Norman Black, said his company had "no independent knowledge of this claim by al-Qaida," and noted that both U.A.E. officials and U.S. National Transportation Safety Board officials have so far ruled out the possibility of a bomb as cause in the crash.
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In its statement, al-Qaida's Yemeni offshoot said that it "downed the UPS airplane but because the enemy's media did not attribute the act to us, we kept silent about the operation until we could return the ball once more.
"We have done that, this time with two explosives, one of them sent via UPS, the other via FedEx."
It said that its "advanced explosives" give it "the opportunity to detonate (planes) in the air or after they have reached their final target, and they are designed to bypass all detection devices."
Both mail bombs were hidden inside computer printers and wired to detonators that used cell-phone technology and packed powdered PETN, a potent industrial explosive.
The message also directed a warning to Saudi Arabia, warning: "God's curse on the oppressors."
Copyright 2010 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


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For all the talk from some about how terrible and "anti-American" Ed Snowden and Chelsea Manning are for distributing secret government documents that revealed misbehavior on the part of the government, the Digsby blog highlights a historical parallel that I hadn't heard about before: the Hutchinson Letters Affair, in which Benjamin Franklin essentially played the role of Snowden and Manning.
The short version is that Franklin obtained -- through means unknown -- a packet of letters written by Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor Thomas Hutchinson and Andrew Oliver to Thomas Whately, the assistant to UK Prime Minister George Grenville, concerning how to deal with the increasingly angry colonists in the late 1760s. This was at the time that colonists -- especially in Massachusetts -- were increasingly angry about moves by the UK to raise taxes and remove their rights. Hutchinson more or less suggested accelerating the process.
In the letters, Hutchinson made some damning comments about colonial rights. Even more provocative, Hutchinson recommended that popular government be taken away from the colonists "by degrees", and that there should be "abridgement of what are called English liberties". Specifically, he argued that all colonial government posts should be made independent of the provincial assemblies. Finally, he urged his superiors to send more troops to Boston to keep American rebels under control.Upon obtaining these (while in London), Franklin realized that they were somewhat explosive, and he quickly sent copies to some friends in the US, starting with Thomas Cushing (apparently no known relation to our own Tim Cushing), and told him to share them with others, but to not have them published. However, after Cushing and Sam Adams saw them, they figured out how to get them out:
The letters arrived in Massachusetts in March 1773, and came into the hands of Samuel Adams, then serving as the clerk of the Massachusetts assembly. By Franklin's instructions, only a select few people, including the Massachusetts Committee of Correspondence, were to see the letters. Alarmed at what they read, Cushing wrote Franklin, asking if the restrictions on their circulation could be eased. In a response received by Cushing in early June, Franklin reiterated that they were not to be copied or published, but could be shown to anyone.There was apparently then a huge hullabaloo over who leaked the letters, even leading to a duel in England, before Franklin stepped up and admitted to "leaking" the letters, and then defended that action, by noting that the letters were written by "public officials for the purpose of influencing public policy," and thus implying that it was reasonable for the public to know about them. In other words, the same basic reasons behind what Manning and Snowden did. Franklin did get punished for all of this, but it was nothing compared to the fates of Snowden and Manning. As Harry Blutstein writes in the link above:
A longtime opponent of Hutchinson's, Samuel Adams narrowly followed Franklin's request, but managed to orchestrate a propaganda campaign against Hutchinson without immediately disclosing the letters. He informed the assembly of the existence of the letters, after which it designated a committee to analyze them. Strategic leaks suggestive of their content made their way into the press and political discussions, causing Hutchinson much discomfort. The assembly eventually concluded, according to John Hancock, that in the letters Hutchinson sought to "overthrow the Constitution of this Government, and to introduce arbitrary Power into the Province", and called for the removal of Hutchinson and Oliver.[ Hutchinson complained that Adams and the opposition were misrepresenting what he had written, and that nothing he had written in them on the subject of Parliamentary supremacy went beyond other statements he had made. The letters were finally published in the Boston Gazette in mid-June 1773, causing a political firestorm in Massachusetts and raising significant questions in England.
On January 29, 1774, Franklin was hauled up before the Privy Council to explain why he had leaked letters in the 'Hutchinson Affair'. He was accused of thievery and dishonor, called the "prime mover" of Boston's insurgents and charged with being a "true incendiary". Throughout the hearing, Franklin maintained a dignified silence. For his disloyalty to the Crown, he Privy Council held off sending Franklin the gallows or even sentencing him to an afternoon in the stocks. Instead, Solicitor General Alexander Wedderburn was satisfied with the tongue-lashing he meted out to Franklin and the next day the Board of Trade dismissed Franklin from his post as Deputy Postmaster General of the North America colonies.Perhaps those who are slamming Snowden and Manning as "traitors" ought to learn a little history about some of our most famous and respected founding fathers.
Had the Espionage Act been in place in Great Britain in 1774, Franklin would not have been around to lead the War of Independence, nor would he have been around to raise vital funds to support the rebellion and we would not have seen his signature on the Declaration of Independence or the United States Constitution.
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LITTLE ROCK — Two golf shots struck by Sebastian Cappelen deep in the final round of the Southeastern Conference tournament say plenty about his skill level and even more about what's between his ears.
To do what he did on No. 16 and No. 18 with an individual title on the line requires self-discipline, something that was in question his first two years at Arkansas. When Cappelen arrived from Denmark, Arkansas coach Brad McMakin said, "he was kind of a wild card."
Think Phil Mickelson's go-for-everything approach. As a result, McMakin said, Cappelen "had some great rounds, but he had some poor rounds."
His education included playing innumerable holes with UA assistant Barrett Lais in his ear, talking strategy, preaching that par can be a good thing, and that there is a time and place to attack the pin. "He has really changed the way he plays golf," McMakin said.
The first time around, I missed the highlights of Cappelen's impeccable round on the last day of the Southeastern Conference championship.
When a witness to Cappelen's 66 in 30 miles per hour wind began reciting the details, I remembered that the Arkansas junior had hit every green in regulation, missed only two of 14 fairways, and didn't make a bogey in his last 40 holes. Old news until the man with the details got to No. 16 at Seaside Golf Course on St. Simons Island, Ga.
Eighty yards from the pin after his tee shot, Cappelen chose 8-iron, probably a 160- to 170-yard club under normal circumstances. On a good day, my gap wedge goes 80 yards.
Cappelen played the ball back in his stance, probably swung 75 percent, and hit that under-the-wind shot that weekend hackers dream about. Rewarded with a 4-foot birdie putt, Cappelen converted to move into a tie with South Carolina's Caleb Sturgeon, who started the day with a four-shot lead.
Coming off another birdie on No. 17, Cappelen had to know he was in position to win. On the tee box of the 470-yard downhill 18th, he had 2-iron in mind before consulting with McMakin. Sounds good, the coach said.
Tee shot in the fairway, second shot on the green, two putts, trophy time.
"The last two rounds at Sea Island, he kept the ball 20 feet to lower," McMakin said. "He never got it up in the wind."
Controlling trajectory is one thing; controlling emotions is another. Cappelen has made progress on both fronts. No longer does he get flustered when something goes awry. "He's not letting a bogey turn into another bogey," is the way McMakin put it.
Although Arkansas' schedule is one of the 10 most difficult, Cappelen has finished outside the top 20 only a couple of times — a performance that probably has him penciled in for second team All-American.
Cappelen, his teammates, golfers from 13 other teams, including Texas and Oklahoma State, and five individuals will tee it up Thursday in the NCAA Regional at The Blessings, the Razorbacks' home course. After 54 holes, the top five teams advance to the NCAA championship.
One of the neat things about watching a golf tournament is that there are no reserved seats and a prime spot can be secured with some planning and a bit of insider info. For the Regional, drive on Clear Creek Boulevard until you see golf. Apply brakes.
Close by is the 11th green, perched at the top of a ski slope of a fairway. Watch the approach shots to 11, walk across the street, and the players will be hitting short iron to the 14th. Nearby is the tee for the par three 15th and the par five 12th. So, too, the car and a restroom.
Although not a fan of the raucous doings on the 16th hole at the Phoenix Open, an occasional "Woo Pig Sooie" is encouraged.
Harry King is sports columnist for Stephens Media's Arkansas News Bureau.


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Correos y Telégrafos asks us to inform the designated operators of other Union member countries that the situation is now almost back to normal. Correos expects to begin normal delivery of postal items as of tomorrow. Nevertheless, it should be noted that there may be some items that have arrived in the last few days that are awaiting delivery and that there may be slight delivery delays until the situation is fully restored.
The collection and delivery of postal items continues to be affected in the areas covered by postal codes 30710, 30590, 30591, 30592, 30720, 30729,30730, 30739, as some post offices have been flooded.
Correos y Telégrafos thanks all member countries for their understanding and will update the designated operators through EmIS as soon as the situation returns to normal.


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Gabrielle Giffords, Newtown leader discuss 'desensitized' society
- The former congresswoman is herself a survivor of a mass shooting, near Tucson in 2010
- The public and the media were not invited to witness their meetings
- Giffords' husband, Mark Kelly, has called for tougher gun control
NEWTOWN, Conn. -- Former U.S. congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords on Friday visited the town where 26 people, including 20 children, were killed at an elementary school.
The former Arizona congresswoman met for 45 minutes Friday afternoon with Newtown selectmen Pat Llodra and Jim Gaston, Rob Sibley, the town's deputy land use director, Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Lt. Gov. Nancy Wyman, said Llodra. Gifford was accompanied by her husband, former astronaut Mark Kelly.
Llodra said they discussed "needed change in gun control legislation" and "greater awareness of mental health issues," including identifying and treating people who have mental health problems.
They talked about "concerns that our society has become desensitized to acts of violence, conflict and aggression," and the need for adults "to examine" their role "in allowing societal values to become eroded," she said.
Llodra said they also discussed "a sense of urgency" to enact change "before the hurt and anger" of the Sandy Hook shootings "leaves the public consciousness." They also agreed that the federal government should "lead the charge" for change, and Congress should have the "courage needed to do the right thing for our citizens," Llodra said.
Newtown has an elected Board of Selectmen that has three members who supervise the administration of town affairs. First Selectman Llodra is the town's chief executive and administrative officer.
Giffords was shot in the head in 2011 by a gunman in a mass shooting that killed six people outside Tucson.
Llodra says she understands Giffords' interest in coming to Newtown.
"Our horrible event of Dec. 14 has some of those same tragic elements as experienced in the Tucson event that so harmed Ms. Giffords and took the lives of innocent citizens," Llodra said.
"I believe that our community will see Ms. Giffords as an ally in the efforts to draw attention to gun control legislation," Llodra said. "I welcome that elevated attention and hope that this visit adds more power to the voice needed to be heard at government levels."
The public and the media were not invited to Giffords' meetings in Newtown.
Giffords' husband, Kelly, called for tighter gun control after 27 people, including 20 children, were killed in Sandy Hook, a village in Newtown, by 20-year-old gunman Adam Lanza.
On the day of the shootings, Kelly, who retired from NASA after four space shuttle flights, posted on his Facebook page that he learned about the Sandy Hook massacre after waking up in a hotel room in Beijing.
"As we mourn, we must sound a call for our leaders to stand up and do what is right," Kelly wrote. "This time our response must consist of more than regret, sorrow, and condolence. The children of Sandy Hook Elementary School and all victims of gun violence deserve leaders who have the courage to participate in a meaningful discussion about our gun laws — and how they can be reformed and better enforced to prevent gun violence and death in America. This can no longer wait."
Seven days later, Kelly posted on Facebook that he and Giffords were "extremely disappointed" by the National Rifle Association's "defiant and delayed response" to the Sandy Hook shootings.
"The NRA could have chosen to be a voice for the vast majority of its own members who want common sense, reasonable safeguards on deadly firearms, but instead it chose to defend extreme pro-gun positions that aren't even popular among the law-abiding gun owners it represents," Kelly wrote.
"Today, the NRA chose narrow partisan concerns over the safety of our families and communities," Kelly wrote. "The time for this kind of extreme rhetoric is over. We must have a real conversation about preventing gun violence, because when it comes to protecting our children, families, and neighbors, we can't wait any longer."
Wayne LaPierre, the NRA's executive vice president, said on Dec. 23 that new gun regulations wouldn't make children safer and that a White House task force looking into gun violence may try to undermine the Second Amendment's right to bear arms.
On Dec. 21, LaPierre said guns and police officers are needed in all American schools to stop the next killer "waiting in the wings."


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William Shishko
"Woe is me, for I am undone! Because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." (Isa. 6:5)
All worship has three basic parts. In the first, we consciously and thoughtfully come before the Lord, knowing that he promises to be with us as we are gathered in his name (see Matt. 18:20). In the third (and, by far, the longest part of worship), we sit in the presence of God and hear his Word read and preached. Before we can do that, however, there is the all-important "middle" part of worship: our confession of sin.
In the Bible, confession of human sin, failing, and weakness is the invariable response when people come into the presence of God. After God describes and displays his glory to Job, Job's response is, "I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees you. Therefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes" (Job 42:5-6). And, lest we think that this dynamic changes in the New Testament, when the apostle John found himself in the presence of the exalted Jesus Christ, the God-man, he "fell at His feet as dead" (Rev. 1:17).
The same pattern is found in Isaiah 6. Isaiah is in the presence of the holy God (vss. 1-4). His response is a heartfelt confession of his own sin and of the sin of his people (vs. 5). This confession and an object lesson in forgiveness of sins (vss. 6-7) precede Isaiah's reception of the word of God from the Lord's mouth (vss. 8-13).
Our sinful human nature demands this order when we know that we are in the presence of God. We must be cleansed from our sins before we are fit to receive God's word for the good of our souls. In the corporate confession of sin in public worship, we are led by the minister (who, at that point, speaks on behalf of the congregation to God) in confessing our sins before a holy God and begging for his mercy on us. How thankful we should be that there is forgiveness of sins in Jesus Christ, so that we might worship and serve God with clear consciences and pure hearts (Ps. 130:4).
The author is pastor of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church, Franklin Square, New York. Reprinted from New Horizons, February 2007. First article in series. Next article. Index.


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The Compact Disc turns the big three-oh today making it way older than the hipsters who wince at the sound of its non-analog music.
Sony introduced the CDP-101, which after years of industry development, was the first commercially available CD player.
The first album issued on CD? Billy Joel's 52nd Street:


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We welcome everyone to our weekly free meditation classes and special events that we offer currently in Halton in 2 locations: Burlington and Oakville, as well in Niagara region (in St Catharines).
Other events include evening programs, day seminars, music and art intertwined with meditation, and have workshop presentation booths at multicultural, environmental and health fairs in the region.
Upon request and availability we offer free classes /courses to other locations and facilities (corporations, various organizations and groups).
At our classes you'll meet wonderful people that have some beautiful and quite emotional stories to share about their transformation and overall quality life improvement with Sahaja Yoga meditation.
Few of these friends of our classes that have started this practice in Halton few years back, are now involved in the community and are ready to teach others about the techniques and benefits that they've seen working so well in their own lives.


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Note:This article is now out-of-date. It does not take into account new items from 3.1 or the 3.1 changes to mana regen or Restoration druid abilities. (edited 3/8/09)
I see the question of what items are actually best-in-slot for one class or another come up time and again on forums and blogs alike. These lists can come in pretty handy. Of course, at the current difficulty of content, you don't really need your best-in-slot, but without something to strive for, where would we be?
I have worked to keep this list mostly leather, but where there's a cloth contender I've tried to mention it as well. My criteria of judgment are purely the relative stats of the item. The item level serves me as a guide, but is never a consideration in its own right.
Valorous Dreamwalker Headpiece, from Kel'Thuzad 25
This helm, featuring both Spirit and Mp5, is most certainly the best piece in our tier set–it's a shame, though, that there are other good headpieces as well.
Hood of Rationality, from Malygos 25
If your loot rules allow you to pick up some cloth, here's a piece to consider.
Headpiece of Reconciliation, from Sartharion 25, 2 Drakes
This should be our best-in-slot, but right now it isn't. It's a level 226 item, but the stats don't match expectations. It could be corrected in the future, but I'm not holding my breath.
Necklace of the Glittering Chamber, from Malygos 10
Spaulders of Catatonia, from Malygos 25
These shoulders have the best stats, but be careful. If Nourish is in your rotation at all, you will want to keep your 4 pc bonus. If not, have at it with the non-set pieces.
Valorous Dreamwalker Spaulders, from Loatheb 25
This item is well-balanced and very useful for filling out the set bonus. However, it's clearly inferior to the Spaulders of Catatonia.
Cape of the Unworthy Wizard, from Kel'Thuzad 25
There's no argument here. This cloak is far out ahead of its competitors, a must-have if you can get it.
Valorous Dreamwalker Robe, from 4 Horsemen 25
I'm a big advocate of wearing leather while I can, and this item is quite good. I also like my set bonuses, even though I don't get much out of the boost to Nourish.
Blanketing Robes of Snow, from Malygos 25
If your guild gets enough of these to outfit the priests, by all means, add this to your set.
Unsullied Cuffs, from Sartharion 2D
These may be cloth, but they are my runaway favorite, much better than our leather options.
Bands of the Great Tree, From Emblems of Valor
These bracers are probably the best in leather, but they are not significantly different from the more easily accessible Swarm Bindings, from Anub'Rekan 25. I wouldn't spend the emblems for them myself.
Valorous Dreamwalker Handguards, Sartharion 25
There's no contest here. This is a nice, balanced item that will help you get your bonuses.
Unravelling Strands of Sanity, from Malygos 25
I was very lucky to pick up this little beauty on our second Malygos kill. There's no doubt about it–this belt is by far the best.
Valorous Dreamwalker Leggings, from Thaddius 25
Once again, the tier piece isn't strictly ideal in terms of stats, but that has more to do with it being introductory gear than with it being the "wrong" piece to wear. I use these quite happily.
Leggings of Mortal Arrogance from Kel'Thuzad 25.
I like the stat allocation pretty well on these leggings. They're better for priests than druids, though, and you should by all means let your clothies–maybe even dps–have them first.
Get these boots with your Emblems of Valor and never worry about it again. They are the runaway winner in this category.
Lost Jewel, Naxx 25 shared loot
The Spirit makes this item a good bet. I'm personally going for Spirit on both rings, but your budget may vary.
Band of Channeled Magic, Emblems of Valor
This item gets points for spirit and accessibility. A must-have.
Arguably, the real best in slot is the Loop of the Kirin Tor, but I'm never going to have 8,000g for a marginal upgrade.
Je'Tze's Bell, BoE world drop
I love everything about this item except its price. I saw one last night on Ner'zhul that had bid up to 5,000. I don't have that much total gold across all my toons. Here's hoping I get lucky with a trash drop.
Forethought Talisman, Naxx 25 shared loot.
This one packs a huge spellpower punch, and the proc, while lackluster, will give me an extra 3,000 or so effective heals per fight.
As for other trinkets–the Spirit-World Glass is something I really want to pick up for myself just in case changes are made to mana regen. I like the idea of the Illustration of the Dragon Soul and the Majestic Dragon Figurine, though there's probably a bit of a learning curve to keeping the effect up as much as possible.
Torch of Holy Fire, Kel'Thuzad 25
This one is a no-brainer, but good luck getting it. This is a very hot ticket item in almost every guild.
Off Hand
Matriarch's Spawn, Maexxna.
Idol of Lush Moss, Emblems of Valor
There's no real choice here. Lifebloom may be nerfed, but we still need it.
Set Bonuses
Make sure that you get your 2 pc T7.5 set bonus. You will continue to depend on your Lifebloom, particularly if you ever heal tanks. 4 pc T7 gives enough of a bonus to Nourish to make it your most efficient heal on a target who already has all your other hots, i.e., a tank. However, the 4 pc isn't strictly necessary. You have plenty of mana regen for this level, and a less efficient Nourish won't hurt at all. Efficiency will only be in play in a harder dungeon (Ulduar) or if the mana regen formula should be changed. If it's only a factor in Ulduar, you probably won't hang onto 4pc T7 for long anyway–you'll be replacing it with T8.
Final Note: Introductory Gear
Remember, no matter how good your T7 gear is, we're still in the first tier of Wrath content. If you look over the Resto druid items, there are many items with "wasted" stats like crit and haste. Don't pull your leaves out over it. At this point, there are no real best in slots. Je'Tze's Bell comes the closest, but even that may be replaced in Ulduar. I'm hoping that when we do start getting some T8 upgrades, the stats actually come closer to ideal.


text: You do not have any items in your Shopping Bag Home Women Back to search results for "" Previous item Next item Click to zoom Previous Next Previous Next Beginning of layer content. Close End of layer content. Bikini US$ 560 Sold Out Share Facebook Twitter Pinterest Email Product details Bikini with classic briefs in lined knit with multicolor striped pattern. As our garments are handmade, there may be minor inconsistencies between them. The garment ordered may therefore differ slightly from that pictured. MADE IN ITALY Composition: 64% Rayon, 23% Polyester, 13% Nylon Size & fit Fits true to size. Choose your normal size. Size guide Product Code MMP00076BK008MSM0F8


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Tales of Middle-Earth is an ambitious mod that seeks to bring the world of Lord of the Rings not to some modern strategy game like Total War, but to one a little older, one that's definitely earned the title of a classic: Age of Empires II.
The mod's called Tales of Middle-Earth, and while it's technically still in beta, you can download it and try it out. While some vestiges of the original game remain, a lot of effort has been made to convert most units to those found in the books/films, and as you can see there's even Sauron and trolls.
(view original) [ModDB]


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Financing Details
* Call us for more detailed information, to schedule an estimate, or for a review of your present system. Please also visit our "Library" for a printable documentation or "Click Here" to request a call back.
40 Years of Service to the Metro New York Area
4 Ways To Keep Your Child Safe On Halloween
10-20-2016 - Once a year, kids across the U.S. get a night to be anything they want to be. They can be Police Officers, Ghostbusters, Ninja Turtles, Tigers, Babies, Fairies, Princesses or anything else ...
Videofied is a totally wireless and portable Video Alarm Solution that dramatically improves the odds of apprehending a criminal at the scene of the crime.


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Beg. Inter. - designed to help progression and to learn basics
Recreation - comfortable and stiff for newer skaters
Moderate - ideal for skaters going at a mellow to fast speed
Low - little to no breathability, good for leisurely skating
If you're new to inline skating or it's been a while since you've put on a pair of skates, the Bladerunner Advantage Pro XT Inline Skates are a good beginner/entry level skate. A first skate needs to have several features that you need to really enjoy inline skating and the Bladerunner Advantage Pro has those features. There are three parts to the closure system. The lacing system you can use to customize your fit, the Velcro strap can be tightened for heel retention and the buckle tightens for firm ankle support and fit. The Advantage Pro is a great skate if you're hanging out with the kids or looking to skate locally. The 80mm wheels with ABEC 7 bearings will give you a smooth, comfortable roll that will feel good on your feet. Most of all, the Bladerunner Advantage Pro XT Inline Skates are a quality pair of skates that won't empty out your wallet.
out of 5


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The Lady Flames celebrate after Thursday's victory over Pacific. (Photo courtesy of Red Rocket Photography)
Natalie Barr drilled home the game-winning goal 1:03 into overtime as the No. 1E seed Liberty Lady Flames outlasted the No. 4W seed Pacific Tigers, 2-1, Thursday afternoon at Longwood's Athletic Complex. With its first-round NorPac Tournament victory, Liberty advances to Friday's semifinals against the No. 3E seed, Davidson.
Liberty improves to 15-5 overall on the season with its program-record seventh consecutive victory, while the Tigers' overall record falls to 5-13.
The Lady Flames controlled the pace of the game during the game's opening 35 minutes of play. Liberty was able to hold possession of the ball at Pacific's end of the field and keep steady pressure on the Tigers' defense.
After a slow start, the Lady Flames notched their first shot of the contest in the 16th minute of play. Jordan Richardson fired a shot on goal, but Pacific's goalie Ashlee Schleiser knocked the ball away for a save.
During the final 10 minutes of the opening stanza, Liberty forced six penalty corners and tallied five shots, but was not able to find the back of the cage. Barr and Helen Doolittle each notched a pair of shots in that span for the Lady Flames.
Liberty outshot the Tigers in the first half, 10-1, and earned eight penalty corners to Pacific's zero.
Pacific notched the game's first goal with 19:34 remaining in the contest. Melissa Maultsby laced the ball into the Liberty circle from the right side of the field. The ball was deflected high into the air and over Liberty goalie Mallory Cuccio. The Tigers' Samatha Romero collected the bouncing ball and knocked it into the open net to put Pacific on top, 1-0.
Liberty knotted the game at one in the 58th minute. Erin Dombach dribbled through the middle of the Tigers' defense into the top of the circle. The freshman fed the ball to the right corner of the cage and Hannah Doherty ripped the ball past Schleiser into the back left corner of the goal for her seventh tally of the season.
The Lady Flames nearly took the lead in the 64th minute, when Barr led a four-on-two breakaway for Liberty. The Northern Ireland native fired a pass to the left side of the circle to Sarah Gipe. The freshman gathered the pass, but her shot was smothered by Schleiser to keep the score tied at 1-1.
Neither team was able to push in the go-ahead goal as regulation time ticked down to zero.
Liberty entered the 15-minute sudden-death extra period with a 1-0 mark on the season in overtime contests. The Lady Flames almost ended the game a mere 30 seconds into overtime. Dombach dribbled up the right side and into the Pacific circle. She struck a bullet toward the cage, but the ball sailed just wide.
Liberty quickly regained control of the ball and reentered the Tigers' circle. Dombach delivered a pass to Barr on the right side. Barr smoked a shot past the Pacific goalie and into the cage for the game-winner, 1:03 into the overtime period. It was the NorPac East Division Offensive Player of the Year's team-high 15th goal of the season.
The Lady Flames dominated the contest statistically, outshooting the Tigers by a 24-2 margin and holding an 11-0 advantage in penalty corners. It was the first game this season that the Liberty defense has held the opposition without a penalty corner.
For the game, Liberty goalie Cuccio recorded the victory without making a save, while Schlesier tallied 12 saves for the Tigers.
The Lady Flames will now need to defeat Davidson for the third time in 13 days in order to make their first NorPac Tournament championship game appearance. Liberty blanked the Wildcats, 4-0, at Liberty Field Hockey Field on Oct. 21. The Lady Flames then recorded a 3-2 victory at Davidson during their regular-season finale on Sunday.


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In ONE weekend, I'll EXPLODE YOUR CONFIDENCE and show you the secrets to dating beautiful women…
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We are going to give you Monk-like confidence. Think about it. Monks are always centered and grounded. Nothing fazes them. It's because they have a strong mind. In our Boot camp, we'll show you how to do develop your "confidence muscle." You'll obtain unshakeable confidence. This is very important when you are with your woman because as a man, you are the one who is supposed to stay calm and collect during stressful situations. She doesn't want a man that freaks out.
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Many times there are certain things you are doing wrong, that are completely oblivious to you.
Maybe you think you are being a gentleman but she thinks you are being needy. Maybe you think you're exuding confidence but she thinks you are a cocky player. Your blind spot is whatever you're doing wrong that you just don't know about. That is why it is so crucial to have a trained coach watching you.
During our boot camps, we'll give you feedback on all of your approaches, reveal your blind spots and help you fix them.
Here's The Course Outline
- Mastering The Fundamentals And Laying A Solid Foundation For Success
- How To Get Grounded and Exude Confidence During Intense Situations
- Finding Out What Is Internally Preventing You From Getting The Girl You Want
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- How To Never Be Phased By Rejection Ever Again
- How To Avoid The One Crucial Mistake That All Guys Make Make (This One Trick May Transform Your Dating Life Over Night)
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- How To Start Interactions In The Most Difficult Situations (she's on the phone, eating, in a rush, with friends, with a guy, etc.)
- How to Use Your Body Language And Eye Contact To Make Her Feel Weak In The Knees With Desire
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- How To Keep The Conversation Going Without Bragging or Trying to Impress Her
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- Closing Drills and Role-Playing the Entire Interaction So It Becomes Ingrained In Your Mind
- Texting Her After You Get Her Number And How To Get A Date In 3 Texts
- How To Set Up A Successful First Date So You Maintain the Attraction
- First Date Strategies for Getting the Girl Back to Your House
- Reveil All Infield Footage To See Your Progress
- Answer All Remaining Questions
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- We're going to mic you up and listen to of your approaches to give you instant feedback to perfect your approach so it comes natural to you…
- The one thing to avoid so you never get stuck in the friends zone…
- You're discover how to trigger so much desire even in the middle of the day that you'll be able to get a date right there on the spot or take her back to your place in if that's what you want…
- You'll learn how to create authentic attraction without memorizing any lines or routines…
- Your coach will show you a technique called "The Look" that will sweep a woman off her feet just by looking deep into her eyes…
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- Over 18 hours worth of classroom lectures, infield training, and live recording of your interactions…
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Take A Look At What Past Students Have To Say
Click to See What Guys Like You Are Saying:
"I haven't kissed a girl in 14 years, and I was kissing [one] last night!" – Shahid
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Register Now Before The Spots Fill Up
3-Day Natural Attraction Bootcamp
Dates: July 3rd – 5th, 2020
Location: Bangalore, India
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Important: Our bootcamps fill up quickly and tuition increases as the date gets closer.
Note: We have payment plans available. If you're interested, send us an email to [email protected] or call us at (888) 992-8872.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are there payment plans available?
Yes, just email us at [email protected] and we can set you up with a payment plan. However, you must be paid in full by the start of training.
What is the exact location of the boot camp?
Your instructor will email you all of the details including location and times approximately one week prior to the boot camp. If you require advance notice please email us at [email protected]
Will these techniques work even if I am overweight, short, broke, ugly etc.?
Yes, because we teach you how to attract women on an instinctual subconscious level which has little to do with looks, height or income.
What if I can't make this boot camp?
Check the training schedule to find a boot camp in another city near you. If that is not an option then fill out this form and tell us which city you would like to see a boot camp. If we get enough requests in your city then we will schedule a boot camp there. Also you can receive private coaching in your city. Just apply for a free consultation here.


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I have been commenting quite regularly in this blog about how mobile broadband (based on USB dongles and modems) is increasingly being used by mobile-only operators (those without fixed assets) to accelerate the replacement of fixed broadband, primarily in Europe. The spectacular growth in mobile broadband subscriptions is being driven by aggressive pricing from mobile operators, along with free laptop bundling offers – built-in 3G support for laptops and netbooks isn't hurting either. One missing element in this puzzle has been a way for multiple members in a household or a small office/home office to share a mobile broadband connection in a simple plug-and-play fashion. Enter the consumer-friendly WiFi-over-3G Router! 3 UK is rolling out the nifty Huawei D100 router – insert your dongle into the router and share your mobile broadband with WiFi-enabled devices such as PC, Mac or a laptop. The 3 store claim "There's no need for a landline, because the Wireless Router does all the work" is a clear indication that they are going after fixed broadband. If most people are already making voice calls on their mobile phone, it is a small step for the consumer to wonder if he needs the landline at all! It remains to be seen how many consumers will be happy with a monthly usage plan under 15GB especially with the increased usage in online video. Surprisingly, the mobile broadband plan for the router does not include the 15GB monthly allowance plan (which is an option for the laptop plan) – for some strange reason, only the 5GB allowance is available. One would expect that people who buy into this 3G Router in order to share their mobile broadband would sign up for a plan with a higher monthly data allowance. Clearly, 3 is also looking for this product to create stickiness – 3's compatibility statement indicates that the router has firmware to ensure that a modem from any other carrier does not work properly.
I am a little surprised that 3 UK is not offering a bundled voice + mobile broadband offering. Both (3) Sweden and (3) Austria have been selling Huawei's 3WLAN Router E960/E970 for a while now – in addition to 4 Ethernet interfaces and WLAN support, this 3G Router also has a RJ11 interface, ideal for connecting the black phones. It is not clear if voice is transported as VoIP over 3G in this case. Several operators including Vodafone Egypt and Optus (Australia) are offering this product in their mobile broadband portfolio as well.
T-Mobile in UK announced a similar product called "Mobile Broadband Share Dock" earlier in the month, but unfortunately, it is still not available for purchase (unlike 3 UK). The concept is similar – plug in your old T-Mobile USB modem or a new one into the dock and share the mobile broadband amongst as many as three people (3 UK claims their product can support 4 end users). I am betting Vodafone and the other operators in UK will follow suit if this concept catches on.


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Oeno Files
Hey Vino Verite's Tom Hajduk, What Should I Drink Tonight?
Lush and rich with notes of orange blossom and caramelized apple.
Wherein we ask local wine notables to make our weeknight drinking decisions for us.
As a child occasionally tasting his parents' dinnertime beverages, Tom Hajduk decided that wine was good and beer was gross. Even though his tastes have since matured, wine is what became his passion. With a career mostly in education, Hajduk was inspired to open a wine shop by Lakewood's Vinotique and West Seattle Cellars—both stores with passionate owners willing to share advice and recommendations with customers.
Co-owner of Vino Verite in Capitol Hill, Hajduk has been in Seattle since graduating college, when he got an apartment near the Sound: "Close enough that I could carry my kayak to the water—and I've never looked back."
So, Tom Hajduk, what should I drink tonight?
My selection is the Kopke 10 Years Old Tawny Port. I've always felt that sipping a good port is like drinking a blend of moments in time. And this selection is, given that it has spent 10—actually more than 10—years aging in the barrel. The wine will intoxicate you, but not just from alcohol alone. Lush and rich, yet not too thick or sweet, this shows vibrant notes of orange blossom and zest, caramelized apple, just a touch of golden raisin, honey, and warm, floral, and fruit notes on the finish. It has plenty of acidity (despite being a dessert wine) so it can pair with a number of things like chocolate, Crème brûlée, and my personal favorite choice, a selection of different cheeses. Serve it to someone you love. I personally guarantee things will go well.
The Price: $16
Find It: Leschi Market, Wine World & Spirits, Esquin


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January 2011
Tank signs with Mets
Relief pitcher Taylor Tankersley has signed a minor league contract with the New York Mets. Tankersley, the Marlins' first-round draft pick in 2004, pitched in 27 games for the Zephyrs last season, going 4-2 with one save and a 3.42 ERA, and allowed just four hits in 34 at-bats against left-handers (.118).
He struggled in 27 big league games as a left-handed specialist for the Marlins, surrendering 20 baserunners in 12.0 innings and posting a 7.50 ERA, and was designated for assignment in October, electing free agency.
Only eight days remain until our annual "Evening With the Zephyrs" cocktail reception, presented by Budweiser! A limited number of tickets still remain, so if you haven't already secured yours, call the Z's at 734-5155 and get them today!