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With basketball closing out last weekend in Macon, a bit of depression started to set in among some of our colleagues at The List HQ.
First, football ended. Now, basketball. Where's a high school sports obsessive to turn around these parts now that we go into the spring?
But buck up, everybody. Don't start turning all your attention to cleaning the house just yet, no matter what your wife might say.
The spring is actually pretty darn awesome in its own right. Don't believe us? Oh, ye of little faith. Have we ever steered you wrong? OK, maybe we have, but we certainly aren't here. Read on, for 10 reasons to keep watching in the spring.
10. Soccer game length
The best thing about soccer may very well be the way they keep time. When you head out to a soccer match this spring, you know it'll be 40 minutes for the first half, 40 for the second, and about 10 for halftime. Toss in a handful of minutes for stoppage time, and you're in and out in fewer than 100 minutes every time. Something to be said for knowing when you'll be headed home, eh?
9. Get summer break afterward
Let's face it, we could all use a bit of a breather this time of year. All the screaming at football and basketball games can get pretty exhausting. So when spring comes, what you know is that summer is just around the corner, and you can enjoy the final push toward a much-deserved respite for us all. Make the most of it.
8. Smaller crowds
Everybody shows up for big football games. Parents, friends, alumni, fans, people in the neighborhood, the milkman, the pool guy, the dude down the street who you never talk to but now he's making this weird whistling noise every time Local High scores. But even for big baseball games, track meets, etc., there's almost always someplace to sit, and you'll be able to watch your favorite team go at it.
7. Track gets you excited about football again
One of the fun things about track is that lots of football players keep in shape during the spring by running track. You'll see plenty of rising junior and senior stars in the sprints, showing off the speed that's going to get them in the end zone come September. If you want a sneak peek at some of your next football stars, hit up a track meet or 10.
6. Lacrosse reminds us of basketball and football
OK, so you can't have football or basketball anymore. Ever watched lacrosse? Yeah, I didn't think so. Go see some of the best boys teams play, like Lovett, Westminster, Lassiter, Pope, Milton and many others — almost all the best are in the metro area. If you watch closely, you'll notice how much the offensive and defensive sets can resemble what you see on the basketball court. And if you don't watch closely, you'll still see guys get laid out on the field just like in football.
5. Ping of the bat
Some people don't like it, but we think they're a little loopy. There's simply nothing like it in sports – the ping of the aluminum bat you get in baseball below the pro level. Which, of course, includes Georgia high school. It's this high-pitched, biting noise that you can't get out of your head, and you need to hear again. Go see some games. See if you don't start using it as your white noise to put you to sleep at night.
4. Lots of sports
Sure, you don't have the two biggest ones but, counting the girls and boys sides, spring has more teams playing at each school than the fall and winter combined – five each for fall, winter, and 11 in spring. Except for Sunday, you can find something going on at many schools just about every night of the week, and we suggest you do just that.
3. Georgia dominates baseball
Go ask anybody who follows high school baseball. Go ahead. We'll wait … You're back? OK, good. You found out Georgia's consistently ranked alongside California and Florida as the best states in the country for high school baseball talent? Yeah, that's what we thought. It's true. Per capita, we're a juggernaut. Even just straight up, we're right there with the best. If you love baseball, you're in the right place.
2. Great weather
We're not going to lie. We're sort of a sucker for spring weather. The cold just makes us angry a lot of the time, though we think we hide it well. So when the trees start budding, and the temperature starts consistently hitting the 70s, we're a pretty darn happy bunch. Few things are as great as sitting outside on a gorgeous, 72-degree day and watching some high school sports.
1. Spring football practice
Yeah, yeah. OK. Sure. We do still have our eyes on football and basketball, even as awesome as spring can be. And lo and behold, what do we have? Spring football practice, going on right at the same time. So if it's not enough to catch your favorite football stars on the track, you can maybe go catch a football practice, and then read about how things look with the team in the local paper – we recommend this one, of course. So yes, spring has everything.
Now we want to know what you think. Why do you love the spring? Will you keep paying attention to this page through May? Does the ping of the bat haunt your nightmares? Let us know here in the comments or on Twitter at @ajcprepsports.
March 13th, 2013
1:13 pm
With the city of metro ATL, ALTA (the largest city tennis organization in the world) & the netters community also sports some great tennis around.. Getting out & getting some great exercise & hitting the ball with your high school kid is great!!
How many of us can share the same sport on the same level (outside of golf) or be even better?
At football – not really, at 54 if I get chopped blocked I'm not getting up
At hoops – Lordy please, 5-6 times up & down the court & many of us are gassed
You get the idea… So YEAH it's not time to get out, take a long walk, or slow jog & enjoy the great ATL weather… (Lanier is at it's highest level in 2 years, time to dust off the ski's)
Nice write Jeff!!!
March 13th, 2013
2:30 pm
You neglected to mention AAU basketball, which is more…..
March 13th, 2013
10:10 pm
AAU basketball? Isn't that a bunch of young men building their basketball skills to showcase for the……


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De Blasio faces down charter school questions on MSNBC
Mayor Bill de Blasio defended his policy on charter school co-locations on MSNBC's "Morning Joe" Monday.
The Word: Joe Scarborough divorced his wife — almost a year ago
Joe Scarborough knows how to keep a big secret.
Christine Quinn goes on cable news to tout record, criticize opponents
"The polls will go up and down and when someone comes in who has kind of a celebrity factor with them, that can shake things up," Quinn said.
The Word: Russell Brand says 'Morning Joe' is 'white noise'
Russell Brand is speaking out about what went wrong that fateful morning when he hijacked MSNBC's "Morning Joe" like a merry long-haired pirate.
VIDEO: Russell Brand takes control of MSNBC interview
In what is possibly the most awkward television interview – if you can even call it that – we've seen in a while.

subset: commoncrawl


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Don't-Miss Phone Stories
Need Help Choosing a Smartphone or Tablet? Head to Versus IO
This clever site compares a huge selection of models head-to-head, giving you the reasons you should choose one over another.
Our digital detectives uncover the truth behind some of tech's most baffling questions.
Sync Mail, Contacts, Calendar with Your iOS Device
SuPaw asked the Networking forum how best to sync multiple email accounts, plus contacts and a calendar, so that it's all accessible on both a Windows PC and an iPad
Declare Independence From iTunes With Spotify Premium
Spotify's desktop application is a fantastic music manager. Here's how to make Spotify your default app on the go as well.
How to Take Better Photos With Your Phone
Here are four great tips for capturing better-quality photos with your smartphone's camera.
How to Maintain Your Android Phone
Android phones can become slow and clunky with age, but these tips can help get your phone running like new again.
Mobile Device Management: Getting Started
Learn how to develop your own comprehensive BYOD strategy.
How to Benchmark Your Android Device
Evaluating the performance of Android-based devices is serious business. We show you how to conduct testing in a way that produces consistent, repeatable results.
Delete Linked Calendar Entries In Android
The calendar on Jstanaway's Android phone displays appointments that he never made--hundreds of them from someone else's calendar. He can't delete them. He asked the Answer Line forum for advice.
5 Essential iOS Apps for Photographers
The latest crop of photo and camera apps for the Apple iPhone are awesome.
How to Edit Office Documents on Your Smartphone
We show you which apps are best for editing documents on your smartphone, and how to get them up and running with your Dropbox account or other cloud storage services.
How to Stop Your Social Networks From Distracting You
Turn off push notifications, disable automatic e-mail updates, and prevent your social networks from ruining your productivity.
How Switching to VoIP Can Save You Money
Migrating your business to a Voice-over-IP communications system may save you a big chunk of change in the long run. Here's why (and how) to cut the phone line and go VoIP-only.


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Ok here's more reading for all you web analyst out there. Some great articles worth spending some time on.
Web Analytics Industry:
- Web Analytics in Awkward Phase; Forrester Asks Humiliating Questions About Its
Changing Body
- Web Analytics – Who is Omniture's Biggest Competitor (Phil Kimelor)
- Tracking Organic keyword by ranking
- Engineering Services Omniture: An article which'll help you understand when you need to reach out for custom tracking or tweaks
- Video Reporting in Omniture
- Event Pathing – Omniture SiteCatalyst
Google Analytics
- Using Google Search suggest to monitor your brand and keywords
- Understanding Correlation in Google Anlayics
- Top Ten Myths About Google Analytics
- Youtube Brand Channel Tracking via Google Anlaytics
- Tracking Social Networks in Google Anlaytics
- How to Create Twitter Profile in Google Analytics
Landing Page Optimization
Optimizing Website and Landing Page Copy
- Improve ROI with New Adwords interface
- 6 Tactics to Maximize your Adwords Investment
- Managing Keywords and Search Query Report
Other Prominent Blog posts/Article
- Verified by Visa: A conversion rate killer
- Social Networking: A different kind of friendship
- KPI for small business
- 300+ Tips for Ecommerce Professionals
Here's some video worth watching!
Useful Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for Small Businesses – Avinash Kaushik
Google Analytics Strategy:
Google Analytics features: Pivoting & Secondary Dimensions
Happy Reading!


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Word of the Converse x Marimekko capsule collection has been circulating around the blogsophere, and hot damn! The kicks are cauuuute. Marimekko is a legendary textile and clothing brand from Finland, and in my opinion, their designers are wizards at creating clean and colorful prints (yes wizards, these are magically cheerful prints we're talking about here!). The Spring 2011 line marries classic Converse styles with extremely wearable iconic prints from the Marimekko vault. The archival prints include the Tarha (1963) and the Pikkusuomu (1965) by Annika Rimala and the Kirppu (1980) by Maija and Kristina Isola. Also notable about the collection is the introduction of a new Converse style, the Chuck Taylor All Star PJ, and the reissued Helen Purcell silhouette (named after the wife of Jack Purcell), which features a more feminine shape. Added bonus? Each pair comes in a matching patterned shoe bag…way more fun than generic shoe bags, and better construction too!
Here's a peek of some of the styles (from top to bottom: the Helen, the Chuck Taylor All Star PJ, the Chuck Taylor All Star Ox, and the Chuck Taylor All Star Hi)…
Keep the buzz going and watch this short film the brands produced to chronicle the collaboration: Converse ♥ Marimekko on YouTube.
Minna Kemell-Kutvonen, Creative Director of Marimekko, states that "The two companies have always walked their own path, and we also share the same unpretentious and joyful approach to life." I couldn't agree more and I can't wait for the vibrant collection to cheer me up after a slushy winter. On that note – cheers to an exciting partnership!
For more information on the collab, visit the Converse x Marimekko site.


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Several people in the Tri-State celebrated President's Day by visiting the childhood home of Cincinnati's own president, William Howard Taft.
Visitors to the William Howard Taft National Historic Site received a free guided tour on Monday, located on Auburn Avenue.
In addition, kids answered trivia questions and received a special badge in a scavenger hunt throughout the home.
was the first president to throw the opening ceremonial pitch to start off the
regular season of baseball. He's also the only American that we have had to
date to be president and then later become Chief Justice of the United States
Supreme Court," revealed Kerry Wood of the William Howard Taft Historic Site.
The Taft House is the only National Park Service Site in Cincinnati.
For more information, visit their website.
Copyright 2013 WXIX. All rights reserved.
844 Government
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EEO Report
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Art Walk
Join member galleries from 6 to 9 p.m. the first Thursday of each month for a festive cultural evening. The next Art Walk is Thursday. Asterisk [*] denotes the participating galleries.
At 5 p.m., the city of Laguna Beach will hold a Public Art Dedication of the sculpture "Breaching Whale" by Jon Seeman in Heisler Park at Rockpile
First Thursdays Art Walk is funded by member galleries, lodging establishments and the city. For more information, call (949) 683-6871, or visit http://www.firstthursdaysartwalk.com.
*Laguna Art Museum
307 Cliff Drive
(949) 494-8971
Open from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. Open until 9 p.m. during First Thursdays Art Walk. Admission is $12 for adults and $10 for seniors, students and active military. Children younger than 12 are admitted for free. The museum is closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's days. Free admission on First Thursdays Art Walk nights.
Current show:
Noguchi: "California Legacy" will be on display to Oct. 2.
Lita Albuquerque: "Emergence" will be on display to Oct. 2.
Laguna Canyon Artists
3251 Laguna Canyon Road
*Gallery 793
793 Laguna Canyon Road
(949) 376-6000


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We are very pleased to announce that we are now offering a geographically dispersed monitoring service to all of our VPS customers. This service allows you to perform automated checks on your server from our monitoring cluster consisting of 5 different locations across 3 continents which perform checks as frequently as every minute. All of our paid for monitoring packages come with free SMS credits to get you started so that not only can you receive alerts by e-mail, you can also receive alerts by SMS. If you are interested in any of our monitoring packages or require a bespoke solution, please get in contact with us.
We are pleased to announce that we have now deployed our new Virtualisation platform running KVM. The decision has been made to move away from XEN HVM as we feel this suits our requirements better and gives us the ability to provide a better service to our customers. For those of you still running on our XEN platform we will contact you about the migration but we'll be taking full responsibility for this and it's a fairly straightforward process. We look forward to welcoming new customers on to our KVM platform and hope that you are as pleased as we are with the changes.


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Okay. Let's accept the premise that someone has talked you into the importance of monitoring your bipolar disorder–whether it was your psychiatrist or physician, your therapist, your husband or children, or some genius whose blog you read.
And you're savvy enough to realize that mobile devices have it all over schlepping around pencil and paper charts which get lost, go through the wash in your jeans, can't really account for all the information you should track–and don't draw totally groovy graphs and charts which you can, with the utmost dignity common in our day and age, share with your friends on Twitter and Facebook.
Perhaps in yesterday's post you found an app that struck your fancy to use to help keep track of your mood and manage your bipolar illness.
If not, I've got a few more options for you
But I don't just have more mood tracking apps for your delectation–I have suggestions for other ways of coping with your situation. I hope you'll find something helpful–although one, I must confess up front, seems a pretty goofy approach.
There's no accounting for taste, I suppose. Just see if anything here appeals.
CTH Mood Tracker
Put out by the Cheryl T. Herman (CTH) Foundation, the MoodTracker is not as detailed as the Otpimism or T2 MoodTracker apps (see last post), but has some unique details that are nice touches.
Using a slider scale you measure your mood (there are no numbers, it just ranges from severely depressed to severely elevated), computer your hours of sleep, assess your functionality level on a 10-point scale, and indicate (again with a slider), whether you're in a mixed state.
You list your medications and check off each day whether you've taken it [although there's no way to indicate if you took, say, one of 3 doses, or, in fact, if you had a side effect]–something not as common as I'd expect in mood tracking apps.
You create goals for yourself and check them off each day, and this is the only bipolar app so far where I've seen that. I found it useful and self-focusing.
There's some things on there that don't apply to everyone–you vote yes or no on whether you took street drugs, nicotine, or alcohol (here you number your drinks)–and whether you're menstruating. [I hope these don't apply to everyone, that's for sure.]
Oddly in this one there's no questions about exercise or healthy eating, and, odder still, aside from the question about 'mood' and 'functionality level' there's nothing that addresses specific symptoms.
There's a space for a note at the bottom where you're supposed to write "the events of the day that impacted your mood."
Because this is not connected to anything specific, I don't find it as helpful as an app where you would write next to each event you record what its impact was–but it's a start.
Then, of course, it graphs your information, and actually includes the main details, but once again, like with Optimism, leaves out a chunk of information you've entered, like whether you've taken your meds, taken drugs, have your period, or had too much caffeine.
What's unusual about this app is that, under 'Video,' it offers clips by psychiatrists that answer questions posed by people affected by mood disorders. And there's a 30-minute audio relaxation which includes stress relief meditations.
It also includes access right from your phone to Emily's Corner Blog (see posts here), which addresses topics such as Allergies and Depression, Laughter and Recovery, and Why Mood Charting Helps. It's not as innovative or creative as many of the excellent blogs on bipolar there are out there, but it is something to read if you're stuck waiting for your psychiatrist for 35 minutes, as has been known to happen.
This one is $4.99 for the iPhone and Android.
Mood Panda
Mood Panda bills itself as an interactive mood diary. It has some 'cutesy' touches, which may or may not appeal. For instance, you can pick your own mood panda as your avatar [check out the one at the right to get some idea of what's up here]. Its mood rating system is much less than what I dream of at night. The "Update Mood" page greets you, "How are you, 'X'?," and then has you rate mood on a slider between 0 [which must be pretty darned bad] to 10. You can put in a reason for your mood, but it's totally optional. Lest you deprive the world of this wealth of information, you can then share this illuminating number via Twitter or Facebook.
This really strikes me as quite a bit on the minimal side, although–as always with these apps–Mood Panda is willing to graph that number for you.
In a totally unique twist, it will also graph your mood against, Scout's honor, the "World Mood.' When I was charting, apparently 'the World' had slid its little mood slider to a '5.' Hard to say if that had to do with the Supreme Court and health care, the fall of the Greek currency, massacres in Syria–or perhaps the overall tone was lifted by John Edwards' getting off scot-free. It's just so hard to say what a '5' means.*
There's a page that's called "Recent Public Moods" which struck me as a Twitter for passing mood fancies. One had written just 'ugh' [she was a '3'], one had written, for real, "almost fell in the shower but was saved with a cost of bumping a leg to the bathtub wall, but I almost felt like passing out." He was a 4. I searched out a '10,' wondering myself what that would feel like, and found, "NEW IPHONE CASE FOR FREE!!!. . .it's purple!" Now I know what true happiness is.
With an official blog hosted by Tumblr, it's free for iPhones, has a nice website, and promises an app for Androids is coming soon.
[*If discovering the World Mood with an app without having to do any real investigative work is your bag, you're lucky to have a second choice to avail yourself of, as well. Tweet World Mood advertises itself with this great sell:
If you are to [sic] busy or in to [sic] much of a hurry to read the news you can use Tweet World Mood to give you an instant reading of the current mood of the world. Major changes to world emotions mean something important has happened which is your cue to go online and find out what.
Since the writers were apparently in too much of a hurry to add on the appropriate extra 'o' to their 'to's, it makes me a bit skeptical, but looking into it was good for a lark. Now back to regularly scheduled programming.
Bipolar Disorder Connect
Bipolar Disorder Connect is not particularly what would help me if I had a mood disorder, but enough people do find it helpful–and its discussions are certainly busy enough to indicate a significant following–that I include it.
As opposed to truly being a mood-tracking device, this app is about connecting with others with bipolar disorder, and assumedly getting support that way.
Any tracking that goes on occurs under the 'Activity' page, where it asks you, 'How do you feel?" and you can respond by sliding to any of 5 faces, which go from expressing deep distress to looking blissfully ecstatic. That's it–just how you feel, from flat-out to thrilled. No mention of fatigue, of sleep, of meds, of energy level, of distractibility, or coping mechanisms–just these little smiling or frowning emoticons.
I was convinced there had to be a way to graph this illuminating information, since that's what all the mood charting devices brag about–but I couldn't locate one after over an hour of trying. That may just not be their bag.
Its more robust tab is the one for 'Discussion' that says it covers topics like symptoms, treatment, therapy, family issues, etc, but it doesn't cover them in any formal way. You can follow the discussions and comment on the go.
What I found here seemed less practical than I would have liked, including the one which I found oddly disturbing entitled "Mania Stories! Got Any?: What did you do when you were manic?" and had 128 responses which were not particularly what one would hope for: "I grounded a plane for 40 minutes once;" "I'd shave my head, go on drinking binges, slept on park encodes for the hell of it, and stay up for days straight reading everything I could find. . .;" or "I drew all over my apartment wall with a pen."
Another illuminating thread begins, "I need something fun to do." I'm sure you've got the idea. And anyone is free to start a discussion and 'connect' that way, with the responses [and this is quite a responsive group].
Like with Twitter the members can 'follow' each other, and keep track of–and stay in touch with–their followers.
If you're prone to any mood instability, I would highly recommend a second app to chart symptoms, triggers, etc, but many people feel good about the sense of connection they get through Bipolar Disorder Connect, and remark that they don't feel so alone.
It's free and compatible with the iPhone and iPad, but does come with this warning (totally unique to bipolar apps in my experience): It's "Rated 12+ for the following:"
- Infrequent/Mild Sexual Content or Nudity
- Infrequent/Mild Alcohol, Tobacco, or Drug Use or References
- Infrequent/Mild Profanity or Crude Humor
- Infrequent/Mild Mature/Suggestive Themes
Bipolar Bear
This one's not coming with my endorsement, but I didn't want you to feel I was holding back on the subject of bipolar apps.
Bipolar Bear leaves you to your own devices for mood tracking, one of the most crucial services I believe these apps offer. Instead it provides a very, mmm, alterative service.
The deal with this app is it plays off the image of Bipolar almost as a split personality, as a person divided between two moods. And, to redeem itself, the money used from its profits goes towards bipolar disorder research.
So, what does it do?
Well, the service it offers (and how did we live without it?) is blurting out what the developers call "funny, random, sound bytes." They were certainly random–and definitely sound bytes. I wasn't jelling with the humor–but keep in mind I'm over the hill.
When you launch Bipolar Bear, you use the Settings button to change how frequently Bipolar Bear will talk while the app is running (if you're really adventurous I suppose you could keep him going every 15 minutes–but anyone near you on the subway would throttle you to death, so best be careful about when you choose to have it running).
Tout the developers, "While you can choose how frequently Bipolar Bear speaks, you can't tell him what to say. You never know what mood he's going to be in."
Aha. Here's where the excitement comes in. Sometimes's he's in a happy mood, sometimes depressed. What he says will reflect his mood.
I usually like to download and test out all these apps myself before blogging about them, but I balked at the $0.99 fee for Bipolar Bear.
We all have to have our standards.
So I provide you with the links I myself heard–and, with lips sealed, leave you to determine how funny his sayings are–and if they would contribute to healing of your mood disorder.
Listen to Bipolar Bear when he's happy!
Listen to Bipolar Bear when he's depressed.
However, I do commend the app's creators, in that 30% of net proceeds from sales of the app go directly to one of an excellent lineup of non-for-profit organizations that work to make life better for people with
BD. You can see the complete list, which includes such all-stars as the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, Mental Health America, and the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance here.
Points for creativity, I guess.
Health Manager
While neither a mood tracking device nor specifically for bipolar, this is one of my favorite mobile health apps for people who take a sizeable number of meds, who change meds a lot, or who struggle with side effects. You can also keep track of a number of people on the app at the same time, so you can monitor your son's diabetes and your husband's heart condition with one and the same application.
Now, in the interest of full disclosure I must tell you that Health Manager works only on iPhones and iPads–and is a whopping $4.99, which causes sticker-shock in app-land. I believe it's fully worth it, but if you must take a moment to get over your distress I understand. Just pick up again with me here when you're ready.
So on the app's home page there's a slider for 'overall feeling,' which you can choose to use or not, as you see fit. It's not that important in the scheme of this application's performance.
There you'll also see the tabs: one for Meds, one for Symptoms, one for Measurements, and one for Notes.
You enter your medications and dosages, and then when you take the med you just click and enter a time. You have the option, which I like, of making a short comment each time you take a med, which shows up later in your report.
This app obviously serves as a reminder of what meds you've taken when–something that's important for people who take multiple medications.
You fill in your Symptoms, too [although a number are pre-filled, like nausea and constipation and fatigue], then select the symptom when you're experiencing it, slide the 'intensity bar' from a 1-10, and, if you so desire, make a note. [For example, my daughter could write, under 'Headache, 5,' 'headache is fairly bad but I think I'll just not take the medication that could help it'-see below.]
For Measurements, a number are prefilled: temperature, blood pressure, blood sugar, heart rate, and weight. Again, you can add more. As with the Notes and Symptoms, it time stamps when you're filling in the information (and, yes, if you're like my daughter and enter stats later, you can edit the date and time, no worries), and again you can make a comment.
Finally there's the 'Notes' section, which is useful for just about anything that isn't made obvious by the medicine-symptom-measurement correlations. You can write that you have a hard time remembering your meds, that your sleep is off, that you want to remember to ask the doctor for an alternative medicine (which he'll understand when you show him your visual of how the original medicine is effecting sleep and weight, or some such thing).
It's often illuminating exactly what results–positive and adverse–your meds are causing, and it shows a lot about compliance, too.
For example, my daughter, who loves a graphic even more than I do, is, as I've mentioned, constantly playing with her iPhone, and, when all else fails, she'll input her health data. This app works particularly well for her, as she takes a cocktail of meds, and she loves getting the little line graphs and sharing them with all and sundry.
I found this one particularly amusing, but it does show you what the Health Manager can do in terms of indicating effectiveness of medicine–when you don't take it, in this case. My daughter has headaches, and finds that Excedrin Migraine works wonders–but here's last week's visual of the Excedrin-headache fiasco:
Right. If you don't take your medicine (the Excedrin is the flatlined red), it's unlikely it will help you. How would we ever have known that without our little app's line graph?
I recognize that there's a host of mood tracking applications I haven't gone into. Maybe one day I'll return to the topic, and I'm receptive to requests if there's one you'd like to know more about. But for now I'll leave you with some other ideas of what people use, just so that if nothing so far fits your bill, you know there are more options:
- Bipolar Mood Monitor
- Moody Me – Mood Diary and Tracker
- iMood Chart
- Mood Tracking Diary
- Mood and Anxiety Diary
- Moodology
- Mood Journal Plus, or, for a walk down a different path. . .
- Bipolar Diet Daily which doesn't just provide tips for managing mood, but also for managing food and weight. [It starts off, "Did you know that 35% of people with bipolar disorder are obese?"--and takes it from there.]
Good luck on your journey–and stick with it.
Related articles
- Apps For All Releases New iPhone/iPad Trend Setting App – Mood Lifters (prweb.com)
- First Free Depression and Anxiety Health Screener Mobile App – Depressioncheck, Now Available for iPhone and iPod Touch (prweb.com)
- There's a Bipolar App For That, Part I: Tracking Your Moods (candidaabrahamson.wordpress.com)


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Sweet and sensual. This women's Jessica Simpson perfume will captivate your senses. Ideal for anytime wear.
Fragrance Notes
- Top notes: sparkling pear, apricot nectar and red fruits.
- Middle notes: gardenia, jasmine, toasted almond and caramel.
- Base notes: creamy sandalwood, vanilla crème and amber crystals.
Fragrance Details
- 1.7 oz.
- For women
- By Jessica Simpson
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Jill Rosen
Dave Rosenthal
Julie Scharper
Peter Schmuck
Sam Sessa
Andrea Siegel
Tim Smith
Laura Smitherman
L'Oreal Thompson
Candus Thomson
Andrea Walker
Childs Walker
Tim Wheeler
John-John Williams IV
Michelle Deal-Zimmerman
Jeff Zrebiec
David Zurawik
8:32 AM EDT, March 20, 2013
Q&A: Sunni Gilliam of Teavolve
Sunni Gilliam does, in fact, know how to read the tea leaves.
10:33 AM EST, February 4, 2013
The Ravens won this Super Bowl for Baltimore, for all of us
7:12 AM EST, February 7, 2013
Q&A with Rodney Henry of Dangerously Delicious Pies
They call him the Ramblin' Pie Man, and he lives up to the name.
10:39 AM EST, December 28, 2012
Ravens bar of the week: Abbey Burger Bistro
When it opened a few years ago, the Abbey Burger Bistro was the first restaurant in Federal Hill to offer upscale burgers with odd meats. (Wild boar, anyone?) But it quickly became a neighborhood favorite of Ravens fans and the post-college set.
7:04 AM EST, December 26, 2012
R&B/soul band the Bellevederes shares the covers
If the Bellevederes isn't Baltimore's best soul/R&B band — and it just might be — it's certainly the biggest.
7:44 AM EST, November 16, 2012
From Sun Magazine: Q&A: BMA director Doreen Bolger
A large drawing hangs behind Doreen Bolger's desk, dripping with the words "Forward in all directions."
3:21 PM EDT, October 25, 2012
Jam fans flock to Pigeons Playing Ping Pong
When the Bridge, the biggest band on Baltimore's jam scene, split up last Thanksgiving, live-music fans wondered who would fill the void.
10:27 AM EST, November 23, 2012
Ravens bar of the week: Blue Agave
A Ravens game in a Mexican restaurant?
9:01 AM EDT, September 14, 2012
Ravens bar of the week: Cowboys & Rednecks
If you're searching for gameday atmosphere in Federal Hill but looking to avoid the foot traffic of the Mother's Purple Patio, check out its relatively new neighbor, Cowboys & Rednecks Pub.
5:27 PM EDT, September 5, 2012
Baltimore's Mobtown Moon reinterprets 'Dark Side of the Moon'
For decades, music fans have obsessed over Pink Floyd's 1973 masterpiece, "Dark Side of the Moon." It's used as an unofficial soundtrack for "The Wizard of Oz" and performed by countless cover bands. There's a reggae version and even an 8-bit version that would be at home on a Nintendo game.
12:25 PM EDT, September 5, 2012
From Sun Magazine: Q&A: Orioles manager Buck Showalter
Buck Showalter means business.
8:04 PM EDT, September 7, 2012
Thrill Jockey, instrumental for Baltimore's music scene, celebrates 20 years
About six years ago, the Baltimore rock band Arbouretum played at a club in Chicago for an audience of almost no one.
7:34 AM EDT, May 31, 2012
Nelly's Echo keeps it simple
It's hard to keep Nelson Emokpae down. The Baltimore singer/songwriter, who leads the band Nelly's Echo, is perpetually upbeat — both in person and in song.
7:11 AM EDT, March 22, 2012
From Sun Magazine: Q&A with Prime Rib owner Buzz Beler
In the more than 45 years since the Prime Rib opened, precious little has changed at the iconic midtown restaurant.
6:54 AM EDT, July 6, 2012
From Sun Magazine: Frederick H. Bealefeld III Q&A
After five years as Baltimore's police commissioner — five years of sleepless nights, crime scenes and news conferences —Frederick H. Bealefeld III was ready to unplug.
6:56 AM EDT, March 29, 2012
Singer ellen cherry strips down for new solo piano album
In 2009, Baltimore singer/songwriter ellen cherry was temporarily sidelined with a nasty throat infection.
7:48 PM EDT, September 7, 2012
'Rock and Roll' takes Height to new peaks
In the past few years, Height, aka Dan Keech, has become the biggest white rapper in Baltimore — both musically and physically (he's a pretty large guy, hence the name). He has a plodding, deliberate cadence that begs a closer listen. You might call him the anti-Busta Rhymes.
3:43 PM EDT, May 17, 2012
Preakness 2012: Frequently asked questions
What time is the Preakness Stakes run?
6:48 AM EST, February 8, 2012
From Sun Magazine: The Baltimore Love Project had a hitch
Michael Owen has spent a lot of time around love — even as he began to lose his faith in it.
November 17, 2011
Jessica Lea Mayfield: Wise beyond her years
Jessica Lea Mayfield has packed a lot of living into her 22 years.
3:55 PM EDT, September 22, 2011
Ravens bar of the week: Mother's
When it comes to Federal Hill Ravens bars, there's Mother's and there's everybody else.
11:14 AM EDT, September 16, 2011
Ravens bar of the Week: Padonia Station
With the Ravens out of town this weekend, many fans will be firmly planted on comfy couches, watching the action on their giant flat screen TVs.
September 10, 2011
Ravens bar of the week: Don't Know Tavern
Yes, the name is a little silly, in an Abbott and Costello kind of way.
6:47 AM EDT, July 22, 2011
From Sun Magazine: Behind the wheel with Baltimore Grand Prix's Jay Davidson
Jay Davidson is, admittedly, no gear-head.
5:08 PM EDT, April 27, 2011
Princess-to-be Kate Middleton has Maryland family ties
Soon-to-be princess Kate Middleton has a few prominent Marylanders — and American celebrities — in her family tree.
4:50 PM EDT, July 14, 2011
Interview: G. Love returns to his roots
When G. Love started tossing around ideas for his new album, he found himself revisiting his roots as a young blues lover kicking around Philadelphia.
8:19 PM EDT, April 28, 2011
Liquor board to shut down Tiki Barge in July
The liquor board Thursday suspended Tiki Barge's license for the month of July — peak season for the floating South Baltimore bar — for disturbing the peace and misleading statements from the bar's lawyer, according to liquor board chairman Stephan Fogleman.
April 16, 2009
Meet the Band: Laura Baron
Hometown Bethesda
6:11 PM EDT, April 26, 2011
Federal Hill bars increasingly under fire from neighbors
In Federal Hill, the bars are growing — expanding into adjacent buildings and drawing more rowdy crowds than ever — but so are the complaints from the neighborhood.
2:26 PM EDT, May 12, 2011
Rodney to the rescue
Two years ago, Ocean City debuted a sunny, slightly absurd ad campaign starring a lifeguard named Rodney, who "rescued" people from their daily lives and whisked them away to the beach.
July 23, 2009
Trio of music legends gives a little-known band a big leg up
For six years, the Wiyos ground out a living on the road, playing hundreds of shows in the U.S. and abroad.
3:46 PM EDT, July 22, 2010
A look back at Baltimore's best and worst clubs
Baltimore might never be a club-going city like New York, Miami — or even Washington.
4:13 PM EDT, April 15, 2011
Cassettes make an unlikely comeback in Baltimore
Every morning for the past eight months, Nicole Mazarakis wakes up, rolls out of bed and puts on music.
5:28 PM EDT, March 18, 2011
Getting Baltimore in tune with Austin
It's Thursday afternoon, and downtown is awash in live music. Guitar solos shriek through the air, and the crisp snap of snare drums echoes from inside live music clubs. Hundreds of bands are crammed into every nook and cranny, vying to impress the tens of thousands of music lovers and industry folks who swarm the streets.
July 12, 2009
All the bells, whistles and 111 bikes
Brian Sacawa and Erik Spangler see themselves as sound guerrillas.
7:30 PM EDT, April 30, 2011
Never really apart thanks to Facebook, young alumni are skipping reunions
Rebecca Miller's five-year high school reunion seemed dead on arrival.
Copyright © 2014, The Baltimore Sun


text:
"Zbigniew Brzezinski" and his socialist friends have intentionally helped destabilize the US economy by devaluating the US dollar through the sending of US jobs overseas.They are trying to control the US energy economy via the Climate Change Control bills and to prevent US energy independence (which would stop the devaluation of the dollar) by calling for curtailing and drastically controlling production of oil. Zbigniew Brzezinski's contrived leash is not limited just to money and capital; it includes controlling populations, and nations by controlling their jobs, their immigration, their food, their water, their energy, their politicians and governments, and their religions.
Brzezinski worked with Republican globalists like Kissinger and US Senator Henry Bellmon (OK) to give the Panama Canal away ultimately for Communist Chinese control (Carter-Torrijos Treaties). Under Carter, Brzezinski was responsible for the severing of direct US recogniton of Taiwan as an independent nation and recognizing only Communist China.
As soon as Carter became President Brzezinski started to illegally manipulate the export control list to enable advanced US computer, military (guidance systems), energy (nuclear; coal, oil shale, tar sands conversion and synthetic fuels) technologies to be transferred and sold by US companies (such as Control Data, GE and Union Carbide) to the Soviet Union.
Brzezinski with Osama bin Laden during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan!On February 2, 1979, Brzezinski wrote a memo to Carter falsely claiming that Islamic fundamentalism was not an imminent threat and would not gain prominence in the Middle East. Brzezinski was the architect of the formation of US CIA and Saudi training and funding for the Afghan mujaheddin network, some of which would later form the Taliban and would shelter Al Qaeda terrorists camps. Brzezinski, along with Clinton's NSC advisor Anthony Lake, John McCain, Bob Dole and Newt Gingrich, was a proponent of using the Saudis and CIA to directly fund the AlQaeda and Iranian arming and training in and outside the US of Islamic terrrorists from Albania, Kosvo and Bosnia to kick out the Serbs and Croats. Some of these same terrorists became the 9/11 hijackers?? Carter and Bzezinski are and have been "diplomats at large" along with Boren for Hamas terrorists in the Middle East and US as reflected in Obama's pro-Islamic foreign policies.
Brzezinski is Obama´s puppeteer.
Even during the tenure of G.W. Bush, Brzezinski took over key sectors of the U.S. government. Since then, the danger of a confrontation between the United States with Russia, China, Sudan, Pakistan and more recently with Iran and Yemen has highly increased.The aggression of the U.S. toward Iran, ultimately aims at a confrontation with Russia and China.
"The Grand Chessborad" dissipates any doubt: The US is to dominate all Eurasia. Then American high finance would in effect be in control of 70 percent of the oil and gas reserves – in order to secure American primacy for a long time. With Obama as a puppet of the Trilateral Commission, Zbigniew Brzezinski and David Rockefeller see this goal within reach.
Moscow is well aware of this situation, the fear of Brzezinski's finger on the nuclear button does not leave Russia inactive: The Chief of the Russian General Staff, Yury Baluyevsky announced in January 2008, "Russia would revise its nuclear doctrine, so that a nuclear first strike in certain situations would be possible." (WG Tarpley, Barack Obama – How a U.S. President is Made p. 166).
Brzezinski and his followers are so obsessed with America as the sole superpower that they are willing to take the risk of World War III. That should be clear to everyone.
Brzezinski´s Grand Chessboard: Eurasia
Brzezinski: A Geostrategy for Eurasia Foreign Affairs September/October 1997.
Article read here: A power that dominated Eurasia would exercise decisive influence over two of the world's three most economically productive regions. A glance at the map also suggests that a country dominant in Eurasia would almost automatically control the Middle East and Africa. With Eurasia now serving as the decisive geopolitical chessboard.
Brzezinski wants understanding with China – and wants to weaken Russia by splitting her into 3 republics.
Any expansion of Europe's political scope is automatically an expansion of U.S. influence. America must be careful not to alienate Turkey. America should use its influence in Europe to encourage Turkey's eventual admission to the EU. In addition, it is not in America's interest to perpetuate U.S.-Iranian hostility. The core of the new transcontinental security framework could be a standing committee composed of the major Eurasian powers, with America, Europe, China, Japan, a confederated Russia, and India collectively addressing critical issues for Eurasia's stability.
Comment: This is the idea of the Trilateral Commission founded by Brzezinski and David Rockefeller
Brzezinki´s legacy
Trend 26 Jan. 2009 Brzezinski told Polish Radio that there are no other options than aggression when dealing with Moscow, speaking of the anti-missile shield.
Global Research 3 Febr. 2010 With or without Brzezinski´s advise, Obama is now provoking both Russia, China and Iran by sale of of sophisticated ground-to-air missiles to Poland, various weaponry for Taiwan and anti-missile defence systems to 4 Gulf States. A fresh provokation against Russia was reported on 5 Febr. by the EUObserver: The US will set up its anti missile shield (against Iran?) in Romania and in the Black Sea
Global Res. 5 Febr. 2010: These same Army Patriot Advanced Capability-3 (PAC-3) systems are going to be deployed in Taiwan as the U.S. continues its military encirclement of China. U.S. PAC-3 systems have already been deployed in Japan and South Korea. News that the U.S. is about to deploy a PAC-3 missile battery in Poland led Russia's ambassador to NATO, Dmitry Rogozin, to recently state: "Do they really think that we will calmly watch the location of a rocket system, at a distance of 60 km from Kaliningrad?"
The official authorization of Patriot transfers to Taiwan – the missiles are produced by Raytheon Company headquartered in Massachusetts, whose former vice president of Government Operations and Strategy William Lynn is now Obama's Deputy Secretary of Defense – resulted in China's vice foreign minister, He Yafei, saying "We believe this move endangers China's national security."The strategy is clear. Surround Russia and China with mobile "missile defense" systems whose job is to take out their retaliatory capability after a U.S. first-strike against their nuclear weapons. All this means one thing – an extended arms race with Russia and China which will mean huge profits for the weapons industry. And Brzezinski? Global Res. 15 Aug. 2008 Obama's foreign policy team in addition to father Zbigniew Brzezinski, includes Brzezinski's son, Ian Brzezinski, current US Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for European and NATO Affairs. Ian Brzezinski is a devout backer of US missile defense policy, as well as Kosovo independence and NATO expansion into Ukraine and Georgia.
The Brzezinskis. Ian Brzezinski left. They are a mortal danger to the world.
Bzrezinski´s big idea is the necessity for the USA to dominate the world. He will do so by means of his child, the Trilateral Commission´s, aim, i.e. fusioning a North American Union, which he is creating through the CSIS, the Union for the Mediterranean and an East Asian bloc, which is being constructed.
US domination of Eurasia is a must. Therefore, US is now occupying the centre of the chessboard, Central Asia – at any cost, even World War III. And he might have it soon in case Russia and China are unable to participate in a new armament race.


text:
-- Robert Preidt
SUNDAY, Oct. 17 (HealthDay News) -- For most kids, Halloween
parties and trick-or-treating can be a mixture of fun and
frightening, but for children with a nut allergy, the day can
actually be dangerous, warns a doctor.
This type of allergy "can be a life-or-death situation. Just
because a child only had a rash the first time exposed doesn't mean
it won't be more serious the next time," Dr. Sean Cahill, an
associate professor of pediatrics at Loyola University Chicago
Stritch School of Medicine, said in a Loyola news release.
"Though having a nut allergy is serious, kids should still be able to have fun. The key is education. Make sure your child knows what he or she can eat," Cahill added.
He offered the following suggestions for keeping children safe
at Halloween parties:
Cahill also offered trick-or-treat safety tips:
"A peanut allergy is not limited to peanuts. Some people with a peanut allergy are allergic to numerous types of nuts and seeds, and nut allergies are often seen in kids with other food allergies, like eggs, or in kids with asthma and eczema," Cahill added.
More information
The U.S. National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases
has more about
food allergies.
Please be aware that this information is provided to supplement the care provided by your physician. It is neither intended nor implied to be a substitute for professional medical advice. CALL YOUR HEALTHCARE PROVIDER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU THINK YOU MAY HAVE A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider prior to starting any new treatment or with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition.
Copyright © EBSCO Publishing. All rights reserved.


text:
Some of pop music's most amazing voices will be singing carols around New York City's famed Christmas tree in Rockefeller Center this year. Mariah Carey , Mary J. Blige , Toni Braxton and Kelly Clarkson are just some of the stars on the bill for NBC's annual special , Christmas in Rockefeller Center, airing December 4.
In addition to those big names, the lineup of stars who'll be warbling holiday favorites in front of a 76-foot tall Norway spruce decorated with more than 45,000 lights also includes the Goo Goo Dolls, Jewel, Babyface and Ariana Grande . Today anchors Matt Lauer , Al Roker , Natalie Morales and Savannah Guthrie will host the festivities.
This year's special marks the 81st year that the tree has been illuminated in Rockefeller Center. It was first televised in 1951.
Copyright 2013 ABC News Radio


text:
21 U.S. Code § 356f - Hospital repackaging of drugs in shortage
(a) Definitions
In this section:
(1) Drug
The term "drug" excludes any controlled substance (as such term is defined in section 802 of this title).
(2) Health system
The term "health system" means a collection of hospitals that are owned and operated by the same entity and that share access to databases with drug order information for their patients.
(3) Repackage
For the purposes of this section only, the term "repackage", with respect to a drug, means to divide the volume of a drug into smaller amounts in order to—
(A) extend the supply of a drug in response to the placement of the drug on a drug shortage list under section 356e of this title; and
(b) Exclusion from registration
Notwithstanding any other provision of this chapter, a hospital shall not be considered an establishment for which registration is required under section 360 of this title solely because it repackages a drug and transfers it to another hospital within the same health system in accordance with the conditions in subsection (c)—
(1) during any period in which the drug is listed on the drug shortage list under section 356e of this title; or
(c) Conditions
Subsection (b) shall only apply to a hospital, with respect to the repackaging of a drug for transfer to another hospital within the same health system, if the following conditions are met:
(1) Drug for intrasystem use only
In no case may a drug that has been repackaged in accordance with this section be sold or otherwise distributed by the health system or a hospital within the system to an entity or individual that is not a hospital within such health system.
(d) Termination
This section shall not apply on or after the date on which the Secretary issues final guidance that clarifies the policy of the Food and Drug Administration regarding hospital pharmacies repackaging and safely transferring repackaged drugs to other hospitals within the same health system during a drug shortage.
Source(June 25, 1938, ch. 675, § 506F, as added Pub. L. 112–144, title X, § 1007,July 9, 2012, 126 Stat. 1106.)
The table below lists the classification updates, since Jan. 3, 2012, for this section. Updates to a broader range of sections may be found at the update page for containing chapter, title, etc.
The most recent Classification Table update that we have noticed was Tuesday, August 13, 2013
An empty table indicates that we see no relevant changes listed in the classification tables. If you suspect that our system may be missing something, please double-check with the Office of the Law Revision Counsel.
|Description of Change
|Session Year
|Public Law
|Statutes at Large
|§ 356f
|112-144 [Sec.] 1007 "506F"
|126 Stat. 1106
LII has no control over and does not endorse any external Internet site that contains links to or references LII.


text:
María José San Román
Comunidad valenciana
La Taberna del Gourmet
Comunidad valenciana
Queen of Saffron
Text: Rodrigo García Fernández /©ICEX
Translation: Jenny McDonald /©ICEX
Image: Spanish chef María José San Román. Toya Legido and Tomás Zarza/©ICEX
María José San Román forms part of a select group of women chefs who over recent years have firmly placed the provinces of Alicante and Valencia on the Spanish haute cuisine map. Other members of this food-centered club are Mari Carmen Vélez , Susi Díaz, Pepa Romans and Anna María Santoyo.
María José San Román owns Monastrell, a restaurant in the city center of Alicante that bears a Michelin star. The name chosen reflects one of this chef's priorities - the best local produce. Monastrell is the black grape that is native to the province of Alicante and neighboring Murcia, to which she pays tribute in her extensive wine list.
This chef, who acknowledges that her vocation revealed itself late in life, is completely devoted to culinary creation and the study of the ingredients she uses. Examples are her updating of the traditional rice dishes of eastern Spain, and her research into the culinary uses of Alicante pomegranates. But the best-known of her activities has been the study of saffron and new applications for it. This research and development is being carried out in conjunction with the Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha(Castile-La Mancha being the growing area for the world-famous Azafrán de La Mancha saffron) and the company Verdú Cantó Saffron Spain.
The aim was to show that this spice, one of the earliest on record , could offer much more than a touch of flavor and a bright color. Her conclusions indicate that it can enhance other ingredients in a recipe, and a possibility for transmitting the flavor of saffron without its smell is to make infusions in oil, such as olive oil. "Saffron is the secret ingredient in many dishes and, now that we can conceal its smell, the mystery is growing", she jokes, during a talk at the Madridfusión congress. The New York Times found this research fascinating and, during a stay by the chef in New York, devoted an article to her in its Food &Wine section. From Monastrell to the gastrobarCertain distinguishing features can be noted in the gastronomy on offer at Monastrell. San Roman's dishes recover the tradition of local flavors but appear in state-of-the-art guises. Her essentially Mediterranean cuisine is healthy, light and surprising.
María José San Román is also responsible, together with her daughter Geni Perramón, for La Taberna del Gourmet, an establishment in Alicante that can be described as a gastrobar. This is a culinary movement that arose in Spain towards the end of the first decade of the 21st century and aims to reinterpret the traditional concept of a tapas bar by offering auteur cuisine. Other examples of gastrobars are Estado Puro under Paco Roncero in Madrid, Tapas 24 under Carles Abellan in Barcelona and La Moraga under Dani García in Málaga.


text:
Added January 15, 2013 at 7:14pm
Added January 15, 2013 at 6:47pm
Why do we love? Isn't just all an illusion? Just a dream? Maybe...But some of us seem to find it, and then there are those who cannot seem to find it no matter how hard they seem to search. We are simply the ones who could not find love the first time around, and have come together hoping to find LOVE one last time...
Age:: 20 Years Young
Type:: Human
Age:: 23 Years Young
Type: Human//Pirate
Age:: 18 Forever
Type: Vampire
Age:: 18 Years Young
Type: Human
Name:: Clair Sapphire Jones
Age:: 18 years young
Type: Human
Name:: Emma Marie Smith
Age:: 20 years young
Type: Demon
Name: Destiny Rose
Age: 19 years young
Type: Daughter of a Goddess
Name: Amelia Andrews
Age: 18 years young
Type: Witch
Name: Elena Montgomery
Age: 22 years young
Type: Hybrid
Name: Evan Mathews
Age: 17 years young
Type: Human
Name: Damon Salvatore
Age: old enough
Type: Vampire
Name: Taylor Black
Age: 19 years young
Type: Werewolf
Name: Ethan Hansen
Age: 20 years young
Type: Demon
Dear Aunt Bree ,
Okay Aunt Bree we'll see you there . We just have to get Vanessa and we'll be there
Love Your Brother and Sister ,
Blake Austin Maslow and Ali Anne Maslow
Dear Aunt Bree ,
It's nice to talk to you Aunt Bree . Mommy told us about you , she said you were nice . We would love to meet with you one day if you want to see us . Vanessa can bring us over to you or you can come visit us . It's up to you.
Love Your Brother and Sister ,
Blake Austin Maslow and Ali Anne Maslow
© 2014 Created by Hachette Book Group.
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text:
Choose This Soft Drink Stock for Its Diversified Products
Bob is a member of The Motley Fool Blog Network -- entries represent the personal opinion of the blogger and are not formally edited.
Most investors know the two major players in the soft drink industry: Coca-Cola (NYSE: KO) and PepsiCo (NYSE: PEP). Dr. Pepper Snapple Group (NYSE: DPS) is a much smaller rival, with a market capitalization of $9.5 billion, and also offers group of soft drink brands including Dr. Pepper, 7UP, and RC Cola. Coca-Cola and Pepsi, meanwhile, hold much higher market values of $166 billion and $108 billion, respectively. Both Coca-Cola and Pepsi have long histories of serving their namesake sodas to millions of consumers, and in turn rewarding shareholders with regularly increasing profits and dividends. All three pay a solid dividend yield of close to 3 percent.
Over the last several years, Pepsi has made efforts to branch out from its traditional soda business. Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper have essentially stood still. While both Coca-Cola and Dr. Pepper Snapple are profitable companies that should continue making shareholders happy, investors would be wise to favor Pepsi for its diversified product portfolio.
To be sure, Coca-Cola is a juggernaut. The company carries a market capitalization in excess of $160 billion and has been in existence for well over 100 years. Coca-Cola sells its beverages all over the world. At this point, however, it must be noted that for all intents and purposes, Coke is a one-trick pony. While it's true that Coca-Cola holds the Dasani and Vitamin Water brands, sugary beverages are still the company's bread and butter. Coke's core sparkling beverage segment, which includes such brands as Coca-Cola and Sprite, represented approximately 75 percent of the company's worldwide unit case volume for 2011. Dr. Pepper Snapple is in a similar position, with few offerings outside of its flagship brands.
Beware the Health-Conscious Consumer
There is an increasing trend among consumers to switch from high-calorie soft drinks and foods toward healthier options. As consumers become more health conscious, investors should take note. In fact, Coca-Cola itself listed this very phenomenon as a major risk to its business in its 2011 annual report, saying "Increasing concern among consumers, public health professionals and government agencies of the potential health problems associated with obesity and inactive lifestyles represents a significant challenge to our industry".
Pepsi is to a certain degree in the same predicament as Coca-Cola, in that soft drinks make up a considerable portion of its sales. However, Pepsi has taken measurable initiatives to protect itself against consumers' shunning sugary soft drinks by broadening its product portfolio. To that end, at the end of 2011, beverages made up 52 percent of the Pepsi's sales, with food comprising the remaining 48 percent.
Pepsi has a long list of brands that appeal to consumers. The company offers products for those who want healthier alternatives, including Quaker Oats and Baked Lays potato chips. Pepsi is much more than just a soda company. In total, Pepsi has 22 brands that each brings in at least $1 billion in annual sales. That number of billion-dollar brands is double what it was in 2000. Plainly stated, Pepsi isn't nearly as vulnerable as Coca-Cola should the consumer shy away from sugary soft drinks.
A Vision for the Future
It's true that these initiatives have resulted in higher costs for Pepsi, and consequently restrained profit growth. But the company believes these measures will ensure the long-term viability of the business, and I tend to agree. In the company's 2011 report, CEO Indra Nooyi openly acknowledged that the consumer was changing, and she articulated her vision to get ahead of the trend. All things considered, I would rather invest in a company and take some short-term struggles in exchange for a more certain future.
Robert Ciura has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends PepsiCo and The Coca-Cola Company. The Motley Fool owns shares of PepsiCo. Try any of our Foolish newsletter services free for 30 days. We Fools may not all hold the same opinions, but we all believe that considering a diverse range of insights makes us better investors. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy. Is this post wrong? Click here. Think you can do better? Join us and write your own!


text:
Grammy winners (the full list)
The Grammys have decreased the number of awards shown on TV over the years, which means that before the "ceremony" even really started, a lot of people had already won. Only 10 awards were given out on live TV.
Album of the Year
Daft Punk, "Random Access Memories"
Record of the Year
Daft Punk, "Get Lucky"
Song of the Year
Lorde, "Royals"
Best Pop Solo Performance
Lorde, "Royals"
Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Jay Z and Justin Timberlake, "Holy Grail"
Best Rock Song
Dave Grohl, Paul McCartney, Krist Novoselic and Pat Smear, "Cut Me Some Slack"
Best Producer
Pharrell Williams
Best Pop Vocal Album
Bruno Mars, "Unorthodox Jukebox"
Best New Artist
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis
Best Pop Duo/Group Performance
Daft Punk, Pharrell Williams, Nile Rodgers, "Get Lucky"
Best Dance/Electronica Album
Daft Punk, "Random Access Memories"
Best Alternative Music Album
Vampire Weekend, "Modern Vampires Of The City" (big congrats to our one-time assistant editors!)
Best Rap Performance
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, "Thrift Shop"
Best Rap Song
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, "Thrift Shop"
Best Rap Album
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, "The Heist"
Best Rock Album
Led Zeppelin, "Celebration Day"
Best Rock Performance
Imagine Dragons, "Radioactive"
Best Metal Performance
Black Sabbath, "God Is Dead?"
Producer Of The Year, Non-Classical
Pharrell Williams
Best R&B Album
Alicia Keys, "Girl On Fire"
Best R&B Song
Justin Timberlake, "Pusher Love Girl"
Best Traditional R&B Performance
Gary Clark Jr., "Please Come Home"
Best Dance Recording
"Clarity," Zedd Featuring Foxes
Best Country Song
Shane McAnally, Kacey Musgraves & Josh Osborne, "Merry Go 'Round"
Best Country Album
Kacey Musgraves "Same Trailer, Different Park"
Best Pop Instrumental Album
Herb Alpert, "Steppin' Out"
Best Traditional Pop Vocal Album
Michael Bublé, "To Be Loved"
Best New Age Album
Laura Sullivan, "Love's River"
Best Improvised Jazz Solo
Wayne Shorter, soloist, "Orbits," track from "Without A Net" (The Wayne Shorter Quartet)
Best Jazz Vocal Album
Gregory Porter, "Liquid Spirit"
Best Jazz Instrumental Album
Terri Lyne Carrington, "Money Jungle: Provocative In Blue"
Best Large Jazz Ensemble Album
Randy Brecker, Włodek Pawlik Trio & Kalisz Philharmonic, "Night In Calisia"
Best Latin Jaz Album
Paquito D'Rivera and Trio Corrente, "Song For Maura"
Best American Roots Song
Edie Brickell & Steve Martin, "Love Has Come For You"
Best Reggae Album
Ziggy Marley, "In Concert"
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The evaluation board allows the functionality and performance of the AD5380 to be easily evaluated. The evaluation board can be used as a stand alone board with control coming from an external DSP or micro-controller or it can be connected to a PC. Software is provided which can be used to program the registers of the AD5380. Control of the AD5380 is achieved via a USB interface.
This device is pin-to-pin compatible with the AD5381
© 1995 - Analog Devices, Inc. All Rights Reserved


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Bid Schedule
Dear Vendor:
Please follow the website links, shown below, to see the listing of Annual Contracts and Capital Equipment/Services scheduled to bid during FY14 (July 1, 2013 – June 30, 2014):
A. ANNUAL CONTRACT LISTING: A listing of Annual Contracts due for re-bid during FY14 is located on the following web page: http://www.columbusga.org/finance/Rebid_Annual_Contracts.htm. This listing is only those annual contracts which are scheduled for re-bid during the FY14 time frame.
For future reference, please review the listing of ALL Annual Contracts, with the expiration date and assigned Buyer which appears on the Purchasing Webpage at http://www.columbusga.org/finance/Current_Annual_Contracts.htm
You may contact the assigned Buyer with questions regarding annual contracts.
B. FY14 APPROVED CAPITAL EQUIPMENT/SUPPLIES: A listing of all capital equipment/supplies approved for FY14 is located on the following web page: http://www.columbusga.org/finance/Capital_Schedule.htm . The items are listed in the month anticipated for bid release. This list and anticipated bid dates are subject to change. Vendors should periodically check the Purchasing website for bid advertisements.
Vendors who have registered with the City, with applicable commodity codes for the required solicitations, will receive postcard notification of bid opportunities.
If you wish to receive email notifications informing you of the City's bid opportunities, please register with the State of Georgia, Department of Administrative Services at http://doas.ga.gov/Suppliers/Pages/SupplierStart.aspx.
The following resources are also available for vendors to use to inform themselves of Bid/RFP opportunities:
- LEGAL ADVERTISEMENTS: Solicitations will be advertised in the Columbus Ledger-Enquirer (The City's legal organ) on the following specific days: WEDNESDAYS AND FRIDAYS. Solicitations will be advertised once, except when further advertisement is required by Georgia State Law. Advertisements in The Columbus Times and The Courier will be advertised, as available, on a weekly basis.
A) Solicitations are advertised on the City's Website. Full specifications will be published on the Internet, whenever possible. (Website Address: http://www.columbusga.org/finance/proposals.htm)
B) Solicitations are also advertised on the Georgia Procurement Registry: http://ssl.doas.state.ga.us/PRSapp/
- 24-HOUR TELEPHONIC BIDLINE: A 24-Hour Telephonic BidLine (telephone line dedicated to announce advertised solicitations) is available to inform bidders of bid opportunities. The BidLine number is 706-225-4536. The BidLine recording is updated each Friday. Vendors will be able to call at any time to find out about bid opportunities. Advertised solicitations will be announced on the BidLine until their due date.
CCG TV: Bid advertisements will be publicized on the City's TV Station, CCG-TV:
- Charter Cable - Channel 3
- WOW Cable - Channel 3
- Mediacom - Channel 80
If you have questions, please contact the Purchasing Division at 706-653-4105.
Andrea J. McCorvey
Andrea J. McCorvey
Purchasing Manager
Click here to access Annual Contracts for Rebid without frames
Click here to access Capital Schedule without frames


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Hilary WardAbsolutely! As digital clutter grows and grows like Topsy, print will become even more valuable and effective. But measurable or at least demonstrable ROI is important.
Erika HearnshawLove your article and 200% behind the sentiment - we up for the challenge so lets have it… how can we help you achieve this? WE have the know how, machines and technology to assist in any bright idea. ROI is a given if done correctly and linked to a personal campaign. Lets talk! email@example.com


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MADISON, WI (WTAQ) - A Republican state lawmaker is asking his colleagues to sign onto a bill aimed at keeping certain tobacco products away from kids.
The American Cancer Society is among the anti-smoking groups supporting a measure from Sister Bay Representative Garey Bies.
It would require several types of candy-flavored tobacco products to be taxed like cigarettes. It would also require those items to be kept behind store counters.
Allison Miller of the Cancer Society says they would be out-of-sight, and potentially out-of-mind for many young shoppers.
Miller says the products in question are taxed like cigars, because they're wrapped in tobacco leaves instead of paper. She says they're much cheaper than cigarettes -- and it makes it easier for young people to get a hold of them.


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August 2011, Vol. 10, No. 8
In this issue:
Congress extends FBI director's term, but Obama heeds BORDC's call for a new inspector general
BORDC News
- Michael Ostrolenk and Jon Pincus join board of directors
- BORDC seeks fall semester interns
- BORDC in the news
Grassroots News
- Patriot Award: Rocky Anderson
- Northampton campaign hosts creative public education event
- Arts Against Repression in Albany, NY
- Hartford Civil Rights Coalition joins with Hope Out Loud
- Read the latest news and analysis on our blog
Law and Policy
- Senate Intelligence Committee votes to extend FISA as some members resist
- Judge vindicates NSA whistleblower, criticizes DOJ prosecutors
- Media coverage of the attacks in Oslo reflect Islamophobia in America
- Administration considers a consumer privacy bill of rights
New Resources and Upcoming Events
- Most Dangerous Man in America nominated for an Emmy Award
- Book Review: Green is the New Red
- Preserving Our Civil Rights Campaign Rally in Northampton, MA: August 18
- A People's Movement Assembly in Raleigh, NC: September 10
- Pennsylvania Network Against Torture Conference: October 28-29, 2011
- September 11 anniversary marks a decade of constitutional crisis
Congress extends FBI director's term, but Obama heeds BORDC's call for a new inspector general
Last month, thousands of you joined us in opposing the proposed extension to FBI Director Robert Mueller's term. Sadly, despite our calls for long-overdue transparency and accountability, Congress submitted to the president's demands and within days voted to keep Mueller in office for another two years—the first time Congress has extended an FBI director's term since J. Edgar Hoover.
The Bill of Rights Defense Committee is sorely disappointed that Congress has again abandoned its constitutional responsibility to monitor the FBI's activities and protect the rights and liberties guaranteed to all Americans by the Bill of Rights.
Whatever our "leaders" in Washington may do, however, We the People still have a voice. And together, our voices were heard.
Although Congress kept in place the leadership that has overseen the FBI's extensive rights abuses over the last decade, the White House did follow our coalition's recommendation to nominate an inspector general for the Department of Justice. The previous inspector general, Glenn Fine, revealed rampant abuse of surveillance powers under the USA PATRIOT Act, for instance—but that office has now been vacant for several months.
Just days after BORDC released our coalition letter signed by 40 organizations from across the political spectrum, the Obama administration nominated Michael Horowitz to fill the vacancy. We are pleased that the president is finally moving forward on this nomination, but the White House remains woefully behind on staffing the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board and has ignored widespread civil rights concerns about national security, immigration enforcement, and criminal justice programs and policies.
It is now up to Congress to act quickly and hold hearings on Mr. Horowitz's nomination. The FBI has gone unsupervised for far too long. See our video "The unPATRIOTic Act & COINTELPRO 2.0" to learn more.
BORDC News
Michael Ostrolenk and Jon Pincus join board of directors
This month, BORDC proudly welcomed two new members to our leadership.
Michael D. Ostrolenk is the founder and national coordinator for the Medical Privacy Coalition. He is the co-founder and national director of the Liberty Coalition, a transpartisan coalition of groups working to protect civil liberties, privacy, and human autonomy. He is also co-founder and president of the American Conservative Defense Alliance.
Jon Pincus is an entrepreneur, writer, and activist in Seattle and San Francisco. He has previously worked as a software developer with Microsoft and his latest project is qweries. Jon has worked extensively in online activism and was instrumental in founding Get FISA Right. Read more about Jon on his website.
BORDC seeks fall semester interns
As the summer draws to a close, we at the Bill of Rights Defense Committee are seeking skilled and enthusiastic interns to join our team. If you or anyone you know would be interested in an internship focused on civil liberties, constitutional rights, and grassroots activism, please see the internship listing on our website:
Opportunities are available throughout the US, and we will accept applications through Labor Day (September 5). Though we are recruiting interns for the school year, applicants need not be students to be considered, so please share this information with not only current students but also recent graduates, those embarking on a new career path, and anyone else seeking to expand their skills and support the struggle to restore constitutional rights.
For those who might be interested in volunteering for BORDC with a lower level of commitment, we also offer a variety of other opportunities, including research, grassroots organizing, outreach, and writing. For example, writing for our blog is a great way to build your skills and gain recognition under your own byline. Sign up to be a volunteer!
BORDC in the news
Many media outlets are taking notice of the Bill of Rights Defense Committee's work throughout the country. In the past month, Executive Director Shahid Buttar has appeared on a number of broadcast programs, including Legally Speaking with Carmen Russell-Sluchansky. Local campaigns that we support are earning press, too: the Daily Hampshire Gazette in Northampton, MA featured that city's "Preserving Civil Rights campaign on its front page. And we continue our work to insert new voices into the policy debate: the American Constitution Society recently cross-posted a piece summer intern Sarah Berlin wrote for BORDC's People's Blog for the Constitution, titled "FBI: Preying on Immigrants to Hoodwink the Public."
To see more of BORDC's growing voice in the press, visit our media archives.
Grassroots News
Patriot Award: Rocky Anderson
Each month, BORDC recognizes an individual who has done outstanding work in support of civil liberties and the rule of law by honoring that person with our Patriot Award. This month, we recognize Rocky Anderson, former mayor of Salt Lake City, for his work promoting human rights.
Rocky began fighting injustice and defending the constitution as a lawyer in Salt Lake City. For 21 years, he worked on civil rights and consumer protection cases and advocated for civil liberties, family planning resources, and educational reform. He believed then, as he does now, that the only way to breathe life into the Constitution is to hold government accountable. After becoming fed up with elected officials' disregard for human rights and the culture of complacency, Rocky ran for mayor of Salt Lake City.
He served as mayor from 2000 to 2008 and worked tirelessly to promote sustainability, immigrants' rights, and equality. In 2006, Rocky made the bold decision to not run for reelection and instead dedicate his life to grassroots organizing. He made this decision after seeing so many people's outrage and passion thwarted by lack of opportunities to take action. Rocky saw that atrocities like the genocides in Rwanda and Bosnia could have been curtailed if people had forced their elected officials to take action; the responsibility lies with each of us to speak out against injustice and to hold our elected officials accountable for their actions.
Rocky started High Road for Human Rights (HRHR) to "organize people throughout the nation to make more noise—to take effective grassroots actions—so that elected officials are never again able to excuse their failures to act on the ground that they are not hearing from their constituents." To do this, HRHR works to raise awareness of human rights issues ranging from global warming to torture. It provides people from all walks of life with tools to take effective grassroots action. HRHR supports teams of people across the country who work collaboratively to educate and mobilize their communities. In particular, HRHR has been mobilizing support for a seven-step solution to torture that includes accountability for violations of the law, limiting the "state secrets" doctrine, ending unconstitutional signing statements, and seeking transparency into torture.
According to Rocky, the numerous problems that interfere with the rule of law—torture, state secrets, signing statements—"spell out as imperial a presidency as this country's ever known." Widespread complacency, both in Congress and in the public, has enabled the Executive Branch to gain power and threatened our time-tested system of checks of balances. Rocky believes that increased awareness and grassroots organizing can solve this crisis and restore the rule of law.
Through this and all of his other work, Rocky continues to encourage and inspire others to "make more noise" and reminds us of that every individual holds the power to create change.
Northampton campaign hosts creative public education event
The Preserving Our Civil Rights (PCR) campaign in Northampton, MA, is moving full steam ahead. The campaign organized a successful civil rights trivia night, at which more than 40 participants crowded into a local coffee shop to answer questions and learn about civil rights abuses in the surveillance, immigration, and criminal justice arenas. Participants in the contest included children, college students, and veteran organizers who had been involved in fighting for civil rights for several decades.
Contact Grassroots Campaign Coordinator Emma Roderick for a civil rights trivia template if you'd like to host a similar event in your community.
This event was the latest in a series organized by the campaign, which is seeking local reforms modeled after the Local Civil Rights Restoration Act. The city council is expected to vote on the first piece of the legislation—protecting Northampton residents from racial and ethnic profiling in immigration enforcement—at a meeting on Thursday, August 18. The campaign will host a rally outside of the Northampton City Hall that day at 6:30 p.m., directly before the council meeting.
Arts Against Repression in Albany, NY
On August 5, a number of community, peace and justice, and faith based organizations sponsored an Arts Against Repression event in Albany, NY. Spoken word, jazz, rap, and poetry enhanced the stories shared by victims of civil rights abuses, offering hope and inspiration for attendees concerned about profiling in the wars on drugs, terror, and immigration. The Muslim Solidarity Committee hosted the lively and uplifting night and plans to continue reaching out to communities across Albany.
Hartford Civil Rights Coalition joins with Hope Out Loud
The local civil rights coalition in Hartford, CT, will join the Connecticut Coalition for Peace and Justice next month at its annual Hope Out Loud arts festival. The festival began as a peaceful response to the terrorist attacks of September 11. It brings community organizations around the Hartford area together to join in concert, rally, playground, and remembrance. The coalition, which plans to re-introduce an ordinance modeled after the Local Civil Rights Restoration Act this October, is preparing for a community forum and additional events this fall. Contact Grassroots Campaign Coordinator Emma Roderick to get involved.
Tell us what's happening in your community! Please send us information about your actions and events. We're always eager to publicize efforts to defend constitutional rights.
Read the latest news and analysis on our blog
Recent highlights from the People's Blog for the Constitution:
- The detention of Tara Ammons Cohen
- ACLU protests "direct assault" on privacy
- What would Jack Bauer do? A brief case study of torture in pop culture
- Government tracking cell phones
Law and Policy
Senate Intelligence Committee votes to extend FISA as some members resist
Earlier this month, the Senate Intelligence Committee voted to extend the controversial FISA Amendments Act of 2008—which authorized the NSA's warrantless wiretapping scheme that has been held unconstitutional by every federal judge ever to have reviewed the program—until 2013. Some senators, however, are raising their voices to defend privacy and constitutional rights.
The US Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which was borne out of a wide-ranging investigation of surveillance abuses during the 1970s, last week voted to extend the unconstitutional surveillance program for over two years—without any public notice and in spite of the fact that the law is not set to expire.
During the same closed-door session, the committee voted to reject a proposed amendment offered by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Mark Udall (D-CO) that would have required the inspector general to report on the number of Americans whose communications have been monitored since 2008. Wyden and Udall, who also raised concerns during the PATRIOT Act reauthorization votes earlier this year, had already asked the director of national intelligence to estimate that number, but were told that "it is not reasonably possible to identify the number of people located in the United States whose communications may have been reviewed under the authority."
Wyden has also raised concerns about how widely the government is using cell phone data to track the location of Americans, and pledged to force Senate debate on the proposed FISA extension. Together with Udall, he recently wrote that "that most members of the American public would be very surprised to learn how federal surveillance law is being interpreted in secret."
Judge vindicates NSA whistleblower, criticizes DOJ prosecutors
In a dramatic turn at the end of a long-running prosecution, a federal judge criticized the Justice Department for its prosecution of Thomas Drake, a former senior NSA employee and Air Force and Naval Reserve pilot accused of felony espionage but ultimately convicted of just a misdemeanor. The judge sentenced Mr. Drake to one year's probation and 240 hours of community service.
The sentencing came after a four-year ordeal that could have sent Drake to prison for decades. Though he was prosecuted for espionage, his ultimate offense was revealing to a reporter classified information that exposed "financial waste, bureaucratic dysfunction, and dubious legal practices in NSA counterterrorism programs."
In delivering the sentence, U.S. District Judge Richard D. Bennett had harsh words for the government, calling it "unconscionable" that Drake and his family were dragged through "four years of hell" only to have prosecutors ultimately back down on all felony charges.…
While prosecutors described Drake as ego-driven, he was often portrayed by sympathizers as an honest, patriotic man, and even won a $10,000 Ridenhour prize in April for truth-telling....
"In the end, I was just being an American who simply stood up as a public servant in defense of truth, justice and our Constitution," Drake said after the sentencing.
Drake's prosecution is just one example. President Obama promised the most transparent administration ever and as recently as 2009 praised whistleblowers as guardians of the public interest, but his administration has charged more government whistleblowers with espionage than every prior administration in US history combined. And only two of those cases were inherited from the Bush administration. According to political scientist Gabriel Schoenfeld, "Obama has presided over the most draconian crackdown on leaks in our history—even more so than Nixon."
In May, prior to the resolution of his case, Drake told the New Yorker:
"I did not tell secrets. I am facing prison for having raised an alarm, period. I went to a reporter with a few key things: fraud, waste, and abuse, and the fact that there were legal alternatives to the Bush Administration's 'dark side'" —in particular, warrantless domestic spying by the N.S.A.
Media coverage of the attacks in Oslo reflect Islamophobia in America
Although the attacks in Oslo last month happened thousands of miles from the United States, the media's response has revealed a great deal about American society. The initial reports of the attack and those that developed as more information became available reflect deeply entrenched anti-Muslim sentiments in the United States.
Evidence of Islamophobia is all too easy to find in the US, including infiltration of religious organizations, sting operations verging on entrapment, hate crimes, and special registration requirements. Even the way the media defines terrorism reflects an anti-Muslim bias that is irrational in light of clear evidence that terrorism knows no religion.
Glenn Greenwald pointed out that initial claims that the attack was committed by Muslim extremists reveal how Western nations have come to define terrorism exclusively as acts of violence by Muslims. This association of Islam and terrorism has grown to the point where news sources from the New York Times to Fox News automatically assumed that Oslo attacks were the work of Muslim extremists. Upon learning that the terrorist, Anders Behring Breivik, was a white Christian motivated by anti-Muslim hatred, many journalists stopped describing the politically-motivated attacks—a car bomb responsible for nearly 10 deaths, followed by the cold-blooded murder of nearly 80 people, including children—as terrorism.
The double standard visible in these events continues well after initial coverage of the incident. Peaceful Muslim-Americans are viewed with suspicion and are subject to profiling based on their beliefs, but anti-Muslim bloggers who fanned the flames of Breivik's hatred have faced little criticism and continue to spew their vitriol. According to Greenwald:
If, as preliminary evidence suggests, Breivik was "inspired" by the extremist hatemongering rantings of [Pamela] Geller, [Daniel] Pipes and friends, will their groups be deemed Terrorist organizations such that any involvement with them could constitute the criminal offense of material support to Terrorism? Will those extremist polemicists inspiring Terrorist violence receive the Anwar Awlaki treatment of being put on an assassination hit list without due process? Will tall, blond, Nordic-looking males now receive extra scrutiny at airports and other locales, and will those having any involvement with those right-wing, Muslim-hating groups be secretly placed on no-fly lists? Or are those oppressive, extremist, lawless measures—like the word Terrorism—also reserved exclusively for Muslims?
Administration considers a consumer privacy bill of rights
With the rise of internet commerce and other online services, the need for enforceable codes of conduct to protect consumer privacy has never been more pressing. Without your consent or even awareness, your health records, purchasing history, information about your financial standing, and a wide array of other personal data, is collected online, sold, and stored by insurance companies, lenders, government agencies, and employers (among others). We have no idea how or when our data is collected, how it's sold—and worst of all, how to control the flow of this extremely personal information.
In response to growing concerns about the security of consumers' online privacy, the Obama administration has assembled an Internet policy task force led by the Department of Commerce that is responsible for developing a "consumer bill of rights." This new privacy framework will define rights and obligations regarding the use of personal data. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) will be authorized to enforce this code against companies that subscribe to the framework and has even proposed its own strategy to further protect consumers' personal privacy.
A preliminary privacy report outlined by the Internet policy task force established three guiding principles in privacy design. First, industries should incorporate security features into their goods and services that would protect consumers' personal information and data. Second, consumers should have the ability to make simpler and more streamlined decisions concerning a particular company's data practices (that means no more 100-page privacy policies). Finally, all companies should guarantee complete transparency of these data practices.
If followed, these three principles will guide developing industries by teaching them effective privacy practices and self-regulatory guidelines from the beginning of product development and also serve as a tool for policymakers both in and out of Congress as they formulate laws governing consumer privacy.
New Resources and Upcoming Events
Most Dangerous Man in America nominated for an Emmy Award
Last year, BORDC helped promote The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers, which went on to be nominated for the 2010 Oscar® for Best Documentary Feature. Last month, this important film was nominated for a 2011 Emmy award for Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking. The Primetime Creative Arts Emmys will take place on September 10 and will air on the E! Network following the event.
Book Review: Green is the New Red
In Green is the New Red: An Insider's Account of a Social Movement Under Siege, Will Potter examines how domestic counter-terrorism efforts have criminalized environmental activism.
Potter demonstrates how the broad definition of terrorism—and profound legal penalties it carries—has been applied to animal rights activists and environmentalists. Some groups, like the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) and the Environmental Liberation Front (ELF), have widely promoted vandalism and property destruction, but have actively avoided the risk of causing physical injury to anyone. Yet, driven by the corporate lobbies of so-called animal enterprises, Congress enacted the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act to criminalize non-violent activism once protected by the First Amendment.
Potter, an animal rights activist himself, traces his personal history with members of these groups as they went from student activists to non-violent dissidents to convicted terrorists. According to Potter, the word "eco-terrorist" was coined to politicize counter-terrorism and silence dissent. Potter notes that the definition of terrorism is not consistent: it is routinely applied to environmentalists who burn down buildings and cause property damage without physically harming anyone, while individuals motivated by political ideology who kill an innocent victim by flying a plane into an IRS building, assassinate a doctor during church services, and murder dozens of schoolchildren at a summer camp are not described or treated as terrorists.
Potter ends his book by comparing historical attempts to marginalize groups that threaten the United States' cultural framework. During and preceding the Cold War, communists, anarchists, and a number of other political groups were targeted and labeled as threats because of their "fringe" ideologies. Today, the "green" environmental activist has taken the place of the communist, described as the antithesis of everything America stands for—at least in the eyes of big business. Green is the New Red is a fascinating book that helps shed some light on how counter-terrorism efforts have eroded constitutional rights and continue to threaten democracy in America.
Preserving Our Civil Rights Campaign Rally in Northampton, MA: August 18
Northampton's Preserving Our Civil Rights Campaign is seeking local reforms modeled after the Local Civil Rights Restoration Act. The city council is expected to vote on the first piece of the legislation—protecting Northampton residents from racial and ethnic profiling in immigration enforcement—at a meeting on Thursday, August 18. The campaign will host a rally outside of the Northampton City Hall that day at 6:30 p.m., directly before the council meeting. Please come out and show your support!
A People's Movement Assembly in Raleigh, NC: September 10
On September 10, a coalition of civil liberties organizations will host a half-day event in Raleigh along the lines of a "People's Movement Assembly" to craft a statewide strategy and action plan to end assaults on civil rights and civil liberties. Groups collaborating to host the event include the Association of Mexicans in North Carolina (AMEXCAN), ACLU, The Dream Act, the Muslim American Society of NC, The Southern Coalition for Social Justice, and others.
Pennsylvania Network Against Torture Conference: October 28-29, 2011
The PA Network Against Torture (PANAT) is a network of individuals, faith groups, and civic organizations committed to ending US-sponsored torture, stopping US participation in extraordinary rendition, advocating for a Commission of Inquiry on US involvement in torture, conducting public education about psychological and physical torture in our prisons, and advocating and caring for survivors of torture.
PANAT will host its first conference this fall in Harrisburg, PA. If you are interested in participating in the conference, which will include a keynote address by author Kate Porterfield, please visit the conference website.
September 11 anniversary marks a decade of constitutional crisis
Next month will mark the ten year anniversary of the tragic attacks of September 11 and their even more devastating aftermath. Across the country, groups will gather to commemorate the anniversary and look back on a decade of the national security establishment's continuing assault on the Constitution.
Next month will mark the ten year anniversary of the tragic attacks of September 11 and their even more devastating aftermath. Across the country, groups will gather to commemorate the anniversary and look back on a decade of the national security establishment's continuing assault on the Constitution.
- The South Asian Network will host "Ten Years after 9/11: A Community Hearing" on August 20 in Arcadia, CA.
- South Asian Americans Leading Together (SAALT) is leading a campaign called An America for All of Us, which will feature events across the country.
BORDC encourages individuals concerned about the civil liberties crisis to share information with us about related events in your community. Please send any related event notices to email@example.com and visit our events page for details on what's happening in your community.
Help BORDC restore the rule of law
- Get involved! Volunteer, organize, raise your voice—we have an opportunity that's right for everyone.
- Read our blog. We publish the latest civil liberties news, plus analysis beyond the headlines.
- Support our work! Contribute
securely online, call (413) 582-0110 to donate by phone, or mail a check or money order to:
Bill of Rights Defense Committee
8 Bridge St., Suite A
Northampton, MA 01060
- Follow BORDC on Facebook and Twitter. Connect with other supporters and help build the movement.
- Spread the word! Share this newsletter with your friends and family.
Contributors: Sarah Berlin, Evelyn Crunden, Amy Ferrer, George Friday, Kyle Howard-Rose, Samuel Merker, and Emma Roderick
Banner Photo Credit: Storm Front by Matthew Johnston
Bill of Rights Defense Committee
8 Bridge St., Suite A
Northampton, MA 01060
Telephone: (413) 582-0110
Fax: (413) 582-0116