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Pity poor Mike Rowe. The 17-year-old high school student and part-time Web site designer in Victoria, British Columbia, cleverly registered his personal site as www.mikerowesoft.com. He couldn't have anticipated that this would incur the wrath of Microsoft, which posted a 25-page letter to the startled youngster threatening legal action. Improbably, Microsoft warned him that its customers would be confused by Rowe's domain.
The headline-grabbing story was another blister on the reputation of an organization seemingly intent on alienating the people to whom it sells. After the Rowe story broke, Microsoft went into overdrive to mitigate the public fallout, offering to cover the teenager's costs of redirecting traffic from his old Web site to a new one and giving him a free Microsoft Xbox video game console.
But Band-Aids notwithstanding, it's been a tough year for the software giant, with headaches ranging from allegations of patent infringements to billion-dollar lawsuits to European and Japanese antitrust actions. Following their brush with federal antitrust regulators, Bill Gates and Steve Ballmer don't appear to have regained the kind of momentum-and respect-the company once enjoyed.
Most recently, Microsoft was forced to play ER to eradicate viruses like the Blaster and SoBig.F worms that infected networks and mailboxes worldwide in 2003, and in February part of the source code for some versions of its Windows operating system was leaked over the Internet. The source code, an operating system's blueprint-the equivalent of the "secret recipe" to Coca-Cola-was available for downloading. Not only could hackers divine additional flaws in Windows, but if competitors get their hands on it, they could conceivably find out how Windows works and copy it.
On the competitive front, the company's server business is losing market share to Linux-based servers, and its core Windows operating system is being challenged by Linux, particularly overseas. Microsoft also is losing money with Xbox, its stab at Sony's PlayStation 2 game console; and its Internet MSN venture is losing subscribers, down 1 million between October 2002 and October 2003. Although Microsoft announced record sales in the fourth quarter of 2003, its bottom line slipped. Profits in the quarter dropped 16.9 percent to $1.55 billion from the comparable period in 2002.
Not that anyone is predicting serious financial trouble for the Redmond software giant, thanks to its monopoly position on the desktop. But the company may well suffer from a longer-term backlash, given that rivals are gleefully ready to take advantage of every Microsoft misstep. "When Microsoft was a young startup launching Windows against Big Blue IBM and its OX2, it was the underdog, the company that got the emotional pull," says Mike Gotta, senior vice president at the Stamford, Conn.-based technology research firm Meta Group. "Today, a lot of people, customers and vendors just don't like Microsoft. The anti-Microsoft thing is growing."
The biggest imponderable is what is happening at the highest levels of the company. It has been four years since Gates relinquished his role as CEO to become "chief software architect." In that role, Gates vowed to develop software to "make things a lot better" for the world by 2010. The jury is still out on whether that's happening-and whether Balmer will be able to deliver on his lofty mission "to enable people and businesses throughout the world to realize their full potential."
With every new embarrassment, the possibility grows that Gates and Ballmer are distracted, or worse, simply at a loss of how to defend their company's position or extend its reach into new market segments. Despite repeated requests, the company declined to comment for this article.
Linux: Clearly Gaining
How intense is the Microsoft dislike? If you typed the words "Microsoft" and "bully" in the company's own MSN search engine on Valentine's Day, you would've reaped 24,060 hits. Had you keyed the same words into Google, you would've accessed more than double that number. Microsoft recently announced its intention to integrate search functions into the next version of Windows, code-named Longhorn, giving Google some competition.
Leaving aside comparisons with Netscape and the browser battles of the mid-'90s, the big question is whether the market will allow Microsoft to extend its monopoly into new product segments. "Microsoft leverages its monopoly to crush competition," charges Scott Piraino, a Fairbanks, Alaska-based independent Lindows.com analyst. Lindows is the software seller that used the open source Linux code to offer its proprietary software operating system, only to be sued by Microsoft in 2002 for allegedly taking advantage of its Windows trademark. "They just hate it when some pesky upstart dares to compete against them using Linux as a base," Piraino says.
Linux is the thing that strikes fear into Microsofties. The computer operating system developed by Linus Torvalds is continuously maintained and enhanced by a worldwide network of software programmers who are out to give Microsoft a run for its money. While Linux has ambitions to take on Microsoft on the desktop, it has been more successful in the Web server market, where its prime attraction is its ability to operate on low-cost Intel microprocessors as opposed to more expensive proprietary chips. Matt Eastwood, research director of IDC, says Linux servers grew in both revenue and shipments by nearly 50 percent in 2003 from the previous year, the sixth consecutive quarter of growth for the open source system. Linux's share of the Web server market increased from 23.5 percent in 2002 to 27.6 percent in 2003, while Microsoft's market share fell from 64.6 percent to 62.6 percent. And IDC projects Linux's share to rise to 45 percent in 2007, as Microsoft's share falls to 50 percent. "Far and away, Linux is the fastest growing operating environment in the server world," Eastwood says. "It was only in 2001 that Linux first surpassed NetWare in total server shipments and only in 2002 did it surpass Unix. This is an amazing success story when you consider that Linux started from such a small base."
As for the desktop, where Microsoft controls a 90 to 95 percent market share for operating systems and applications, it will be quite some time, perhaps more than a decade, before Linux cracks the double digits. According to IDC, in 2002 Linux operating systems accounted for 2.8 percent of client operating system license shipments; that number is projected to grow to 3.2 percent in 2003, surpassing second-place market leader Apple, and to 6 percent by 2007.
Still, Linux represents a strong challenge to Microsoft internationally and a growing menace domestically. Newer commercial Linux systems like Lindows and Xandros are an improvement over previous versions, offering quicker installation, improved integration with other devices and more bundled software. In short, Linux is catching up to Windows as far as functionality and ease of use. Best of all, users do not have to fret nearly as much about viruses and operating system breakdowns that wreak havoc for many Windows users.
Linux-based PCs, such as inexpensive Lindows-installed machines on sale at Wal-Mart, are projected to entice first-time buyers such as cash-strapped college grads. "Linux has a very significant following in specific applications such as browser, Internet applications and nonoffice-type environments," says Sam Greenblatt, senior vice president and chief architect of the Linux Technology Group at Islandia, N.Y.-based Computer Associates. "Microsoft is very strong in the knowledge worker and office applications, while Linux is strong in Internet-based applications."
Simon Yates, senior analyst of computing systems for Cambridge, Mass.-based Forrester Research, says his firm is receiving lots of questions from clients on the use of Linux and Java on desktops. "The Linux/Java combination can run quite effectively on older or less powerful hardware at lower cost," he says.
Yates also says many enterprises will be reluctant to upgrade hardware for Microsoft's Longhorn when it becomes available "since most will have upgraded in the 2004/2005 timeframe."
Even consumers are growing impatient with the amount they're spending on the Microsoft brand, says Michael Silver, vice president and research director at technology research firm Gartner. He explains that Windows as a percentage of the overall cost of a personal computer continues to rise. "Say you paid $1,000 for a new PC five years ago and today picked up one for $600," he says. "All the components of the computer have gone down in cost except the operating system." He reckons that five years ago Windows cost less than 10 percent of the total price tag of a PC; today, it represents more than 13 percent.
At the recent LinuxWorld trade show in New York, serious efforts were afoot to gnaw at Windows' dominance in different market sectors. Some Linux companies, for example, are aiming to bite a share of the market for computers that run one or two applications, such as retail checkout terminals and customer call centers. Elsewhere, Linux inventor Torvalds said that he would lead a drive for standards making Linux operate more smoothly on desktop PCs.
Goldman Sachs managing director Rick Sherlund says Microsoft's dominance at the desktop is slipping, albeit slightly. "Linux is taking opportunities away from Microsoft on the server side and the next target is the desktop," Sherlund says. "(Linux backers) are trying to get their act together now and over the next couple years will do just that. The small percentage of the marketplace that doesn't like Microsoft will want to take a chance to do something different, and that will translate into a couple of market share percentage point losses for Microsoft."
Global Resistance
Sherlund notes "definite momentum abroad" to embrace Linux, such as the decision last May by the city of Munich to migrate 14,000 desktop and notebook computers from Windows to Linux. "Add to that the desire by countries like China, South Korea and Japan to come up with an open system Linux for the desktop, as well as others that do not want to be dependent on an American-controlled platform, and one can see just how competitive a threat Linux is," he adds.
As more governments and organizations embrace Linux, others will follow. "The thing Microsoft hates most is a large successful migration away from them," says Gartner's Silver. "Successful high level migrations, particularly by governments, could spark more trial by enterprises. Microsoft takes this threat seriously."
So seriously that an email from a top sales executive at Microsoft to senior managers in the summer of 2002 hinted at dissuading governments and large institutions across the world from choosing alternatives to Windows. The confidential memo, leaked to the International Herald Tribune in May 2003, allegedly authorized executives to draw from a special internal $180-million fund to offer software to governments and institutions at a steep discount. Under European law, companies dominating a market are prohibited from offering discounts designed to block competitors. The memo warned: "Under NO circumstances lose against Linux," the newspaper reported.
Legacy of Litigation
While Microsoft was able to negotiate a landmark antitrust settlement in 2002 with the U.S. government, it is now six years since the European Commission also charged the company with exploiting its monopoly power. More recently, Japan also is eyeing Microsoft's alleged monopolistic abuses. In February, officials from Japan's Fair Trade Commission made a surprise visit to Microsoft's Tokyo-based unit to investigate. Microsoft denied any wrongdoing.
Meanwhile, Microsoft's troubles with the EC are building to a climax. EC regulators issued a draft decision in January that found Microsoft had violated European competition law on two counts, by failing to provide competitors in the server market with adequate data to enable their products to operate well with Windows and by bundling its media player into Windows. On the second count, the EC alleges that the bundling gives the company an advantage over rival products such as RealNetworks' RealPlayer. In December, RealNetworks took matters into its own hands and filed a $1-billion antitrust lawsuit accusing Microsoft of illegally monopolizing online video and digital music. RealNetworks CEO Rob Glaser alleged that government intervention had not been sufficient to stop "Microsoft's predatory conduct."
Goldman's Sherlund believes Microsoft "will capitulate to the EC and offer to bundle in the RealPlayer and other media players, which should also help resolve the RealNetworks lawsuit in the U.S.," he says. The company could face a fine of as much as $500 million. Last May, the company agreed to pay $750 million to AOL Time Warner to settle a suit filed on behalf of its subsidiary Netscape.
But given Microsoft's current cash position of roughly $60 billion, these fines are more nuisance than genuine concern. The constant barrage of legal accusations, however, continues to chip away at its reputation. "Lots of legal cases remain unresolved and they really need to get them resolved and move on," says Yates of Forrester Research. "The company needs to stay out of the legal spotlight."
Steve Kleynhans, a Meta Group vice president, says Microsoft is aware of negative public reactions and "is trying to be seen as a kinder, gentler Microsoft." Gates' Trustworthy Computing Initiative lists "trust" as one of its four pillars, along with security and reliability. "They realize their reputation is tarnished and they want to be perceived as a trusted business partner," Kleynhans adds. "But frankly, a customer grudgingly goes with a company's product when they don't have any other choice." The minute a customer has a choice, the temptation is to move away. "To me," he says, "that is the biggest risk for Microsoft."
Boxing Match
Microsoft has also had much trouble extending its dominance of the desktop to noncore businesses, as in the case of the Xbox. At an investor presentation in Boston in January, Microsoft CFO John Connors conceded that the current Xbox model will not be profitable. "With the current cost of goods, there's no way to make money with this generation of the console," Connors said.
The problem with the Xbox is less the box and more the games played on it, says Paul O'Donovan, a principal analyst at Gartner. "Sony's PlayStation 2 games are generally perceived by dedicated game players as being more exciting and worthwhile than the games Microsoft offers for the Xbox," he explains. "PlayStation was out in the market ahead of Microsoft, meaning Sony could tie up a lot of game manufacturers and software developers. Microsoft is in the catch-up position."
Sherlund adds that Microsoft continues to lose money on the box and has not been able to make up for low volume. "They also shipped the box a year late, which has been very costly for them," he says. "And since they engineered so much into the box, their costs are much higher."
The battle is about more than just a video game machine. Sherlund adds that the Xbox and Microsoft's Media Player "will morph into something more in the future-the envisioned home media center."
Analysts say the Xbox, MSN and Media Player are businesses for the future and early rough road should be expected. "Some of them will grow and some of them will die," Meta Group's Gotta says.
The chief stumbling block impeding Microsoft's entertainment enterprises is its tendency to dominate rather than cooperate, some analysts believe. "In the world of technology, core competency used to be writing code, but today it is about building coalitions," says Anthony Picardi, IDC senior vice president. "Microsoft is good at finding, evaluating and integrating software, but they are not good at coalition building." Picardi points to HDTV sets as an example of a situation where organizations had to cooperate to make it a reality. "But Microsoft has a culture that deters this kind of partnering," he says. "They're a monopolist, and their way of thinking is €˜you either speak my language or take a hike.'"
While Microsoft has a couple dozen platforms coming out, Picardi says they are all based on a Windows kernel. "Does a Palm Pilot need Windows?" he adds. "Do smart phones need it? What about cameras, DVDs and TVs? All these things don't need to run on Windows. But when it comes to Microsoft, if it isn't a Windows platform they don't have any infrastructure for you. They have to shed that and, frankly, start all over again. They need a clean slate, and they need to figure out how to work with others."
In that way, Microsoft's monopoly power actually obstructs its other initiatives, Picardi suggests. "If they grow up and play ball with the other players, would they get more market share and continue their growth? The answer is yes," he says. "But with all their money, they don't have to do it just yet. They want to ride out their monopoly position for as long as they can."
For the near term, that strategy may work. But as AT&T discovered, it doesn't work forever. If the current trend lines are sustained for five to 10 years, the company could find that its core franchise has been eroded and that it hasn't been able to extend its dominance into new sectors. Indeed, if Gates' next big inspiration is really a Windows machine in disguise, the world may simply not buy it.
Microsoft is still profitable…
€¦and has huge cash reserves…
…but is beginning to lose share on the PC€¦
By 2007, the number will hit 6 percent.
€¦and hasn't been able to extend its dominance in new sectors
Microsoft continues to face embarrassments€¦
€¦and legal headaches


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There probably was blood, as Jason Pierre-Paul predicted. There were also some incredibly crazy plays Sunday during the Giants' 24-21 loss to the Cowboys at MetLife Stadium.
The Giants (4-7) struggled, rallied, tied the game, but lost on a field goal at the final whistle.
Here are some instant observations from the crazy contest:
• What a sloppy game. Both teams were borderline incompetent. Fumbles, fumbles and more fumbles. Costly penalties, costly penalties and more costly penalties. The wind was not responsible for all that. It may just be that we were watching two not-very-good football teams who, somehow, were competing for a weak NFC East.
• The Giants had more than their fair share of success in the running game. Andre Brown had a big afternoon (127 yards), as did Brandon Jacobs (75 yards). Jacobs actually had the Giants' longest run of the season. His 37-yard scamper in the first half was more than double the length of any Giants run in the first 10 games. The problem is that, aside from the wild Brandon Myers touchdown, Eli Manning and the offense didn't make enough big plays in the passing game.
• The Giants can't stop Jason Witten, especially in the red zone. Witten has four touchdown receptions in two games against the Giants this season. The only receiver to ever have more than four touchdowns in a single season against the Giants was when Terrell Owens played for the Cowboys in 2007.
• It was a rough afternoon for Giants defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka. He was flagged for two costly second-half 15-yard penalties. The first was a hit to the head of Tony Romo on a play where the Cowboys fumbled in the red zone, and the Giants recovered. Kiwanuka took Romo down near the neck. Dallas went on to score a touchdown and take a 21-6 lead. Even though Kiwanuka might have hit Romo an inch below the neck, that is going to be flagged almost every time when you hit the quarterback above the shoulders. It was the first of two poor decisions by Kiwanuka.
• The Giants did in fact play Cowboys star wide receiver Dez Bryant physically, as Will Hill predicted. It worked to a degree. Bryant bobbled a pass that was intercepted by Antrel Rolle after Rolle hit him at the line of scrimmage. Bryant, however, came alive late in the fourth quarter with several key receptions.
• Orlando Scandrick did an excellent job matched most of the afternoon opposite Victor Cruz. Scandrick said before the game he gave Cruz trouble. There might be something to that. Cruz had two catches for 27 yards and a fumble, which was returned for a touchdown in the first quarter.
• The Giants received a massive break in the second quarter when Brown fumbled deep in his own territory. Dallas led 14-3 at the time and could have put the game out of reach, but cornerback Brandon Carr was flagged for a questionable illegal contact penalty that negated the play. It was a very fortunate break that kept the Giants in the game, and allowed them to make a second-half comeback.
• The Giants ran a draw on 3rd-and-goal from the 10-yard line trailing 14-3. Brown gained five yards and the Giants settled for a field goal with 5:24 remaining in the second quarter. Not sure how to explain that other than a lack of confidence in Manning to make a smart decision. Offensive coordinator Kevin Kilbride couldn't possibly think they were going to score from the 10, right?
• Steve Weatherford really took advantage of the wind. He booted 67 and 68-yarders. They were two of the three longest punts of Weatherford's career. The Giants punter also had a 68-yard punt last season. Weatherford has bounced back strong after a poor game two weeks ago.

subset: commoncrawl


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In the beginner's mind there are many possibilities ...
-- Shunryu Suzuki
10. Jim Mora Jr.
|Talk about The List
|Join Jeff Merron in The Show, Monday at 2 p.m. ET.
9. Andrew Raycroft
The Bruins' goalie, 24, took over from Felix Potvin last fall and compiled a 29-18-9 record with a 2.05 goals-against average in 57 games. As the season went on, Raycroft got better and better, with a 20-8-3 record in the last 31 games of the season. A fifth-round draft pick six years ago, Raycroft ran away with the NHL Rookie of the Year honors, receiving 93 of 105 first-place votes.
8. Emeka Okafor
Okafor, a great defender, has shown the NBA he can score, too. The 6'10" forward, who was the No. 2 pick in the draft, is averaging 13.6 points and 11.1 rebounds per game for the expansion Bobcats. He was named the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for November. Okafor's already proven his toughness, too, with Exhibit A being a stellar performance (52 minutes, 12 points, 15 rebounds, 3 blocked shots, and great D against Elton Brand) in a double-OT loss to the Clippers in L.A. last Monday.
7. Luol Deng
The 6'8" forward from Duke gets double-credit as a 2004 rookie. As a freshman at Duke, he was third-team All-ACC, averaging 15.1 points and 6.9 rebounds per game. And he came through in the big games, with 19 points and 12 rebounds against UConn in the Final Four and 14 points and 16 rebounds in the ACC title game.
Deng, who won't turn 20 until April, was picked seventh in the NBA draft by the Suns, who then dealt him to the Bulls. He's come through in Chicago for the abysmal Bulls with.13.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game. And he leads a troika of rookies who should give Bulls fans some hope -- Ben Gordon and Andres Nocioni have also shown promise in the first quarter of the season.
6. Freddy Adu
Despite the pressure, and limited playing time, Adu, who didn't turn 15 until June, scored five goals and recorded three assists in the 2004 regular season, making him the fourth-leading scorer on the MLS champion D.C. United squad. Among those were one game-winning goal and a game-winning assist. In the playoffs, Adu was on the field for only 87 minutes, but managed a goal and a game-winning assist.
5. Jason Bay
In just 120 games, the Pirates' leftfielder, named the NL Rookie of the Year, slugged 26 homers and drove in 82 runs. His season didn't start until May 7, as he spent all of April recovering from shoulder surgery, but he was named rookie of the month in June and July. Bay led all NL rookies in OPS (.907), slugging, HR, and RBI. He also had 18 win shares, the third-highest total on the Pirates. Bay became both the first Pirate and the first Canadian to win ROY honors.
4. Adrian Peterson
Sooner than even the most prized of recruits, Peterson took the NCAA by storm this season, running for 1,843 yards and 15 touchdowns on 314 carries. In 11 games he rushed for more than 100 yards (he ran for only 58 against Nebraska, while nursing a shoulder injury), and three times he rushed for 220+. In a super-close Heisman race, Peterson got more first-place votes than the winner, Matt Leinart. We can't wait to see what Peterson does in the Orange Bowl -- when he and QB Jason White lead 12-0 Oklahoma against Leinart, RB Reggie Bush and the undefeated Trojans for the national championship.
3. Diana Taurasi
With the former UConn great at the point, the WNBA's Phoenix Mercury picked up nine wins in one year, improving to 17-17. Taurasi averaged 17 ppg (fourth in the league), 3.9 assists (10th), and 4.4 rebounds. She was voted Rookie of the Year by an enormous margin, was named to the All-WNBA first team, and tied for third in voting for the league MVP. A couple of other little achievements made 2004 an incredible year for Taurasi: her third straight NCAA title with the Huskies (she was voted the Most Outstanding Player for the second year in a row), and a gold medal in Athens as Team USA's super-sub.
2. Ben Roethlisberger
The WYSIWYG QB. Big Ben has all kinds of numbers going for him: the wins (11), the passing percentage (66.1), the TD-INT ratio (14/8), the QB rating (97.6, third best in the AFC), and the yards per attempt (8.40, second best in the NFL, behind only Peyton Manning). It's fashionable to note that the Steelers aren't where they are because of Roethlisberger -- that he's the beneficiary of a great defense and an offense with veteran running backs and receivers. But the fact is that he's one cool cucumber under pressure, he's doing what most rookie QBs don't do well (playing nearly mistake-free football), and all you have to do is watch to see that he's the real deal.
1. Jeremy Wariner
In his first major international competition, the 20-year-old junior from Baylor pulled one of the biggest upset wins in Olympic sprint history, taking gold in the 400 in 44 flat, the fastest time in the world since 2000. A few days later, he won his second gold as a member of the 4 x 400 gold medal relay team. Wariner finished the year with three of the top six times in the world, and NCAA individual and 4 x 400 championships both indoors and outdoors. Best of all, he's apparently clean -- that's what the tests (and the inside dope) says.
Also receiving votes:
Tampa Bay Bucs WR Michael Clayton (70 catches for 988 yards and 4 TDs)
Orlando Magic PF Dwight Howard (averaging a double-double over first 19 games)
Oakland A's SS Bobby Crosby (22 HR, 64 RBI, .319 OBP, AL Rookie of the Year)
San Diego Padres SS Khalil Greene (15 HR, 65 RBI, .795 OPS)
New Jersey Nets coach Lawrence Frank


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Nova Scotia is doomed to endure an extended period of decline unless population and economic trends are reversed and suspicious attitudes about business are changed, a report released Wednesday says.
The economic development report, written by a five-member panel led by Acadia University president Ray Ivany, says the province is in such bad shape that it is barely able to support its current standard of living.
"Because of a combination of economic and demographic factors, we are teetering on the brink of long-term decline,'' Ivany told a news conference at a museum on the Halifax waterfront, where about 250 people gathered.
Ivany said Nova Scotia's population is expected to decline over the next 20 years as young people continue to leave the province to search for work. By 2036, the province expects to have 100,000 fewer working-age people than it did in 2010, the report says.
"You cannot have economic success with a population decline,'' Ivany said. "There's no way you can make that up with productivity or efficiency gains.''
On the economic front, Nova Scotia has recorded the worst performance of any province, on average, over the past 20 years.
Ivany said this weakness can be traced, in part, to the province's lack of confidence in its business leaders and entrepreneurs.
"At best, we have an ambivalence toward entrepreneurs and the private sector,'' he said. "We're much quicker to move to suspicion about their motives than we are to celebrate their success.''
Panel member Susanna Fuller, marine co-ordinator with the Ecology Action Centre, was more blunt: "We tend to pooh-pooh success.''
As well, Ivany said the culture in Nova Scotia is such that residents typically look to governments first for solutions.


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AlpInvest mulls moves into infra and real estate
18 February 2013
AlpInvest Partners is considering a move into new areas such as infrastructure and real estate, managing partner and chairman Volkert Doeksen has told Financial News.
Doeksen said the Dutch investor was "looking to create ways to manage money for large investors" and said the firm may soon look to develop into new business lines such as infrastructure and real estate.
A move to invest in either area would be significant for due to the firm's size. The fund of funds, which has about €40bn allocated to private equity funds, already invests in secondaries and has a large co-investment platform.
The firm has been growing in size through winning managed accounts since it separated from its pension fund backers and launched a joint venture with Carlyle Group in 2011.
Read the AlpInvest interview here http://bit.ly/XIimB9
--Write to Paul Hodkinson at firstname.lastname@example.com


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Though Kathlynn Shepard and a fellow student weren't abducted from their Southeast Webster Grand Elementary campus, Fort Dodge schools have in their crisis plan protocols for dealing with this very event.
First, procedures are in place to identify unknown visitors at any school. An incident May 10 at Butler Elementary, when an unidentified person approached two students in his vehicle asking for help to find his puppy, was met with an immediate staff response.
"They're constantly on alert for someone that doesn't fit in," Marcy Harms, Fort Dodge Community School District director of student services, said. "They knew it right away when that car pulled up and someone tried to lure someone in with puppies."
In such an incident, district administration and local police are contacted right away.
"Police are called immediately, the superintendent is called immediately, and if necessary the school is put into lockdown," Harms said.
A thorough process is in place to prevent adults from taking students by posing as their parents or guardians, as well.
"If a person walks in off the street and tries to check out a child, that wouldn't be allowed," Harms said. "(The staff) know who's on the list for who to be released to. It's the same in a bus situation. If someone shows up at a bus station to pick up so-and-so, that is not ever allowed unless it's been confirmed through the transportation office and a parent is contacted. And we asked for an ID to see if it's truly the person."
If a student is, in fact, abducted from campus, staff are trained to collected as many details as possible and work with local police.
"We have to take notes immediately. We have to contact the guardian," Harms said. "We will identify when the student was last seen, get a description of the clothes, names of any friends, a description of the suspect or vehicle. We'd make sure we have a recent picture of the student, provide that to the police. Just write down anything you can remember immediately."
St. Edmond Catholic School, too, has safety protocols in place.
"We have procedures, what to do in the event of a situation like that," Tom Chalstrom, executive consultant, said. "Hopefully it doesn't come to that, but we do have procedures in case it comes to that."
Even a routine telephone request that a parent needs a child released from school is thoroughly scrutinized.
"We have procedures about how we confirm the identity of the caller before that child is permitted to leave," he said.
Plans are also in place and practiced in the event of a lost child.
"If we determine a child is lost, there are procedures in notifying the authorities, the family members, finding out who will deal with the crisis, the point of contact," Chalstrom said. "Searching the grounds, that's all part of that process."
Chalstrom said safety of its students is the greatest priority at St. Edmond.
"It's our most important concern for all of our students to feel safe," he said. "We have a safe environment, we practice our procedures on a regular basis, we coordinate with local law enforcement and emergency personnel. By all means this is a safe environment for kids."
According to Harms, the Fort Dodge school district is, in fact, a safe place.
"I believe it's as safe as it can be."


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This deal has ended.
This HotelSpa Ultra-Luxury 7-Setting Fixed Showerhead, originally $50, is now $9.99 at Groupon Goods. Shipping adds $2.99, but this is still the best price we found by $22. This showerhead features a 4" chrome-plated round face, seven high-powered settings and a three-zone, precision-flow dial. It is available in chrome or nickel. Sales tax is charged in most states.No longer available


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Haven't had time to stop and admire the fall foliage?
Liberty State Park, home to many a nature walk, has one on offer today dedicated to the red-orange-golden palette of fall.
Visitors will also learn the names of different trees in the area. 10 to 11 a.m. at the Nature Interpretive Center on Freedom Way, Liberty State Park, Jersey City; free. Call (201) 915-3402.
— Amy Kuperinsky
Music in the Pinelands
What do the Pinelands sound like?
Come find out as Waretown's Albert Music Hall, a venue for bluegrass, country and folk music, has its Home Place Festival tonight.
Performers include Jeannie O'Neill & Thomas Martin, Sweet Country Pine and Pickin' Shed Jam.
Doors open 6 p.m. with historical film "Pickin' in the Pines" at 7 p.m. Music starts at 7:30 p.m.
Albert Music Hall is at 131 Wells Mills Road (Route 532), Waretown. Call (609) 971-1593 or visit alberthall.org. Admission $5; $1 for children 11 and under.
— Amy Kuperinsky
'Peter and the Wolf'
Prokofiev's perennial child-friendly classic "Peter and the Wolf" comes to Tenafly this weekend.
The Pushcart Players will incorporate puppetry, singing and choreography into the musical story at the Kaplen JCC on the Palisades, 411 East Clinton Ave.
Show time is 2 p.m. on Sunday. Tickets are $12 in advance, $17 at the door, call (201) 408-1493 or visit jccotp.org
— Ronni Reich
Wheel throwing
Know how to throw a wheel? — a potter's wheel, that is.
Montclair Art Museum's Yard School of Art has an adult workshop Sunday on basic pottery techniques.
Try your hand at the wheel and return two weeks later to pick up your brand new piece of handcrafted stoneware.
Noon to 3 p.m. Sunday. Cost is $80; to register (required), call (973) 259-5139 or visit montclairartmusem.org
— Amy Kuperinsky


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October 2013: Emerging Markets
Featured Articles
Sort by
| October 2013
It will be easy to get exactly what you want in the 24th century. Just speak clearly into the Replicator. Then, after a two-second whirl, there's your "Tea. Earl Grey.
Safety |
| October 2013
Even the most basic projects can turn deadly when hazards are not assessed and safety rules are not followed (regardless of the worker's experience).
| October 2013
Like all renewables, solar power faces a number of obstacles in its quest for mainstream growth.
| October 2013
At the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), researchers recently released findings from a study of light-emitting diode (LED) street lighting technology.
| October 2013
In society's ongoing quest for a more sustainable energy future, there is always room for another innovative source of clean power.


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College counseling centers nationwide have seen an increase in the number of students who have sought help for psychological problems, according to a 2006 survey of 337 center directors in the United States and Canada.
Ninety-two percent of those surveyed said they believed the number of students with severe psychological problems has increased in recent years, according to the report, sponsored by the University of Pittsburgh and the American College Counseling Association.
The killing of 32 people on April 16 on the Virginia Tech campus by student gunman Seung-Hui Cho, who then fatally shot himself, has brought into question the responsibility of campus counseling centers when dealing with students who have mental health issues.
"This was a horrific event, to state the obvious," said Mark Thompson, director of Colgate University's counseling center. "It raises all sorts of issues. Thank goodness it really is the great exception."
Counselors in college counseling centers walk a fine line between respecting a client's privacy and ensuring the safety of the person and the campus community, said Thompson and several local center directors.
Greg Eells, director of Cornell University's counseling center and president-elect of the Association for University and College Counseling Center Directors, said a counselor dealing with students who pose a threat to themselves or others could have the students hospitalized, either voluntarily or involuntarily, and law enforcement can be called if a threat is imminent.
"You do have options," he said. "It's a professional judgment call."
Thompson said counselors will typically break patient confidentiality if it is determined a plan is in place that shows the individual has intent to cause harm.
In the 10 years Thompson has been at Colgate, he has seen a gradual and consistent increase in the number of students seeking help from the counseling center, both in terms of the number of students that come in and the severity of the students' issues.
At Syracuse University, the counseling center tries to raise students' awareness of its services through public service announcements, fliers and posters, said Rebecca Dayton, director of SU's center.
"Campuses are making a huge effort to reach out, Dayton said.


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By GERARD McAULEY
In response to the letter from Michael J. Santarella Sr., referring to us as a "nation of wimps" on March 6, I must admit I was shocked.
He specifically stated that if he was present at the Tucson shooting, the second person to be shot would have been the shooter himself.
Now really, how do you propose to run for Sheriff of Westerleigh if you are going to allow every gunslinger you face to take out an innocent victim before you gun him down?
Clint Eastwood, as "The Man with No Name" always outdrew his opponents. Same for John Wayne in all his incarnations as lawman. Even Kurt Russell, as Wyatt Earp, knowing he could not outdraw Johnny Ringo, knew enough to keep Doc Holliday around him for that purpose.
I personally think the good townfolk of Westerleigh deserve a faster gun to protect them from deranged gunslingers.


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It is my pleasure to welcome you to Tenterden Church of England Junior School and Tenterden Infant School. We are very proud of our two schools who work together in a strong partnership, known as the Tenterden Primary Federation. We aim to provide education of the highest quality for all children based on traditional values of trust and respect. As a successful and established federation we nurture and care for everyone and always look forward to meeting new families.
Regular and up-dated information on our websites will help you find out more about each school – a very warm welcome awaits you!
Ms S Crinnion
Executive Headteacher


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GoingOutGuide Restaurants
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Two for Thai
New establishments add spice to Silver Spring and Shaw
By Tom Sietsema
Sunday, July 17, 2011
One of my litmus tests for a Thai restaurant is pad Thai, that soft-crisp jumble of rice noodles, bean sprouts, fish sauce and crushed peanuts that too frequently panders to an American penchant for sugar. Beau Thai, a recent addition to Shaw, passes muster for its restrained use of sweetener (the noodles are cooked in tamarind juice) but also for the fresh company the staple keeps.
The kitchen serves compelling reasons just to graze among appetizers. Minced shrimp, chicken, pork and water chestnuts bound in see-through rice paper make for tasty steamed dumplings. Grilled pork sausage gets a lift from lemon grass and kaffir lime leaves in its seasoning, and threads of ginger, sharp onion and peanuts on its plate. Shrimp cakes are flat, round, crisp: schnitzel by way of the sea. Shredded ginger and roast duck find themselves paired in a thin wrap of roti, with a sweet hoisin sauce for dunking. In contrast, vegetable-and-tofu-stuffed garden rolls taste as if they're missing something, namely flavor.
Forge on. Green curry with pork delights with its herbs and heat. Massaman curry suggests a pot roast by way of Bangkok. Red curry prepared with tofu, eggplant and bamboo shoots adds up to a meaty meatless feast.
One of the three principals of the restaurant is Aschara Vigsittaboot. Her last name might ring a bell for fans of the tiny Thai X-ing in LeDroit Park, which enjoys a cultlike following, thanks to her brother, chef-owner Taw Vigsittaboot. Beau Thai's bigger kitchen (and four cooks, all women) means a broader menu; what began as a carryout in August is now an airy dining room with alternating lavender and soft-gray walls and a sea of white chairs arranged on a black floor. Enlarged black-and-white photographs add a personal touch. One of them is of a smiling teenage Aschara Vigsittaboot; the other captures her 80-year-old mother in younger days.
Another intimate touch: "Scott's Favorite," a reference to one of the owner's friends who helped design the menu. The stir-fry brings together tender slices of lemon-grass-marinated chicken and a light wash of oyster and soy sauces. Like Beau Thai, the dish is easy to like.


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The New York Mets are keeping outfielder Carlos Beltran out of the lineup while they work on a trade that reportedly would send him to the San Francisco Giants, according to The Associated Press.
The Mets are reportedly close to a deal with the defending World Series champions, who could use some help on offense. Beltran has a no-trade provision in his contract and would have to approve the deal. ¶
Manager Terry Collins says he's been told not to use Beltran on Wednesday night against the Reds. Collins expects something to be done by Thursday. ¶
It would be the Mets' second major deal this month. They sent closer Francisco Rodriguez and cash to the Brewers after the All-Star game.


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Class Profiles
We are pleased to welcome 213 new students who arrived at Northwestern Pritzker School of Law in May and August of 2015. These students have enrolled in three distinct programs (the traditional 3-year JD, Accelerated JD, and JD-MBA). Within these three programs combined, more than 80 percent were interviewed by an admissions staff member, an alumnus, or a current student through our unique admissions interviewing program.
Continuing our strong emphasis on enrolling students with work experience, 90% possess at least one year of post-undergraduate experience. They hail from 125 undergraduate institutions. They represent 33 states and about two-thirds arrived from regions outside of the Midwest: 36% are from the Midwest, 13% are from the West, 20% are from the Northeast, 21% are from the South, and 10% are international. 49% are women and 30% are students of color.
2015 Entering Class Profile
2014 Entering JD-MBA Class Profile


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Anti-Gentrification Assembly
This assembly is intended to provide a place for discussion and planning in response to quasi-fascist elements organizing in East Atlanta neighborhoods under the guise of "Neighborhood Associations" and "Community" groups.
These groups tend to represent the interests of white middle-class property owners, especially those who are new to the neighborhoods. They act as proxies for the local police and explicitly target poor people and people of color. They are not shy about the fact that they target young black males, but often have these discussions with coded language that obscures their racism behind concerns about crime and "the criminal element."
These groups are encouraging people to install surveillance cameras on their porches to view the streets and to eventually be networked into the official law enforcement surveillance network. They are also attempting to start a "Security Patrol" which would hire off-duty police to harass black youth and provide special protection for people who pay into the security patrol.
Confronting this type of quasi-facist organizing is going to take creativity and commitment. It is our intention that this assembly concludes with solid ideas and commitments for counter-organizing, confronting, disrupting, and deligitimizing these groups.
*** This is not intended to be an authoritative or decision making body***
This is intended to be a space for discussion, strategizing, and networking.


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2. In the first three quarters of the 30-17 victory at New Orleans, the Browns allowed only three points. In the first three quarters of the 34-14 victory over the Pats, they allowed seven points. So that's 10 total points in six quarters, setting up both upsets.
3. New England (now 6-2) entered this game averaging 29 points, tops in the NFL. The Browns controlled quarterback Tom Brady, whose receivers didn't help with several drops. After losing to the Browns, New Orleans (6-3) beat Pittsburgh, 20-10, and Carolina, 34-3. You can say the Browns caught both teams in "a bad game," but the Browns' physical defense with its confusing formations made it worse.
4. Suddenly, the once-vulnerable defensive secondary has pulled itself together. Yes, they have allowed four TD passes in the past two games, but two of those were in the fourth quarters when the issue was decided. Saints quarterback Drew Brees and Brady were a combined 56-of-94 (60 percent) with four TDs and four interceptions against the Browns.
5. The defense is making huge plays. Consider how Abe Elam forced a fumble on the Browns' 3-yard line right before the half. That allowed the Browns to take a 17-7 lead into the dressing room rather than it being 17-14 or 17-10. Then there was David Bowens, returning two interceptions for touchdowns in New Orleans.
6. Ryan's formations are being more bizarre each week. Saying the Browns play the 3-4 defense with three linemen and four linebackers means nothing. They rarely line up that way. They rarely have those type of players on the field. More than once, they had five linebackers and six defensive backs. They had two linemen, three linebackers and six defensive backs. Once, it seemed they had seven linebackers on the field. They used special teamers Ray Ventrone and Blake Costanzo with the regular defense. This is nothing like the 3-4 used by former Browns coach Romeo Crennel from 2005 to '08.
7. New linebackers Chris Gocong and Scott Fujita have blended in with Matt Roth and Eric Barton. Barton and Roth played seven games for the Browns last season (none together). Gocong and Fujita were elsewhere. The only players starting on the defense now that started most of last season are Eric Wright, Ahtyba Rubin, Shaun Rogers and Elam. In fact, Rubin didn't emerge as a starter until Rogers was hurt late in the season. The point is the defense has not been together that long, which is why it seems to be getting better the past few weeks.
8. Elam (eight tackles) might have had his best game as a Brown. T.J. Ward, Gocong and Rubin seemed very effective. Wright also had a strong game at cornerback, and Rogers brought some pressure on the quarterback. In the past two games, the Browns have been outstanding against the run -- allowing only 126 yards on 38 carries (3.3 average).
9. I'm still amazed at the trick play leading to Chansi Stuckey's 11-yard TD run in the second quarter. The Browns had Joshua Cribbs under center, like the quarterback. They had Stuckey -- a slot receiver -- lined up at fullback. They had Cribbs (a superior runner to Stuckey) taking the snap and sprinting right, then handing the ball to Stuckey -- who scored. Before this play, Stuckey had only 9 total yards rushing on four carries in his three-year career.
10. In the past two weeks, the Browns have tried at least four strange plays -- and all have been successful. That takes practice, discipline and intelligence.
11. After averaging more than seven penalties in their first five games, they have had only four in each of the past three games. The discipline is showing. It also is a tribute to McCoy, who has the offense lined up correctly and the snap counts working. Rarely does McCoy use a timeout because he's confused by something he sees on defense.
12. In the past two weeks, the offensive line has been terrific. Veteran Billy Yates has taken over at right guard and blocked well, especially on the run. McCoy has been sacked only once in the past two games.
13. Yes, McCoy should keep starting. He is the first rookie QB in NFL history to face Super Bowl-winning quarterbacks in his first three pro starts. He is 2-1. Obviously, the defense and running game have been huge players in these upsets. But McCoy is not doing things to lose games. He has a knack of running away from defenders and connecting on short passes. He is smart enough to throw the ball out of bounds to avoid a sack or interception.
14. Hillis has seven touchdown runs in eight games. That's more than any Browns back since Jamal Lewis had nine in 2007. Profootballfocus.com writes that Hillis is averaging 3.1 yards "after contact," which is seventh best in the NFL. He also is a major receiving threat. 15. New England decided to give tight end Ben Watson heavy coverage, so that opened the middle of the field for Mohamed Massaquoi, who had his best game in 2010 with four catches. You also can tell that McCoy had been putting in extra practice with Massaquoi, as they seemed on the same wave length.