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WDS Announces Annual Predictions for Wireless Trends in 2013
WDS Announces Annual Predictions for Wireless Trends in 2013
POOLE, England--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- WDS, A Xerox (NYS: XRX) Company, a specialist in customer experience management solutions in the wireless industry, has released its annual predictions for wireless trends in 2013.
The full version of WDS' predictions can be downloaded here. In addition, an infographic of the WDS predictions can be seen here.
"In 2013 we're expecting Near Field Communication (NFC) deployments to focus much more heavily on the transfer of information and authentication; not so much on mobile money," said Tim Deluca-Smith, vice president of Marketing at WDS. "We also expect the Android OS to increase its market presence this year by widening its deployment across other consumer electronic sectors, such as smart TVs and Satellite Navigation. Microsoft and BlackBerry are expected to make big comebacks thanks to patent protection and new devices. We'll see many changes in 2013; however one thing we expect to remain constant is the fast pace at which mobile innovation is running."
In summary, the wireless trends predicted by WDS for 2013 are:
Price pressures ensure the survival of the featurephone
Although the featurephone category will continue to play second fiddle to the smartphone in 2013, price pressures will secure its survival for now.
NFC deployments concentrate on information sharing
So far NFC technology has been synonymous with mobile payments. However, in 2013 WDS expects to see NFC deployments start to re-focus on the sharing of information.
Mobile operators finally pose a real challenge to fixed line players
4G proposes theoretical speeds five times faster than 3G. As such in 2013 WDS expects to see 4G become a feasible, and potentially preferable, alternative to fixed line broadband.
Android goes viral
In 2013, WDS expects the mobile OS to go viral and occupy a whole range of 'smart' electronics, such as smart TVs and Satellite Navigation.
The beginning of the end for patent wars
It appears that Apple may not continue its legal war against Google's Android. Samsung also signaled a less antagonizing approach going forward, saying, "We strongly believe it is better when companies compete fairly in the marketplace, rather than in court." WDS expects 2013 to be the year that the bitter patent feuds between smartphone rivals will cool.
Lingering patent litigation benefits Windows Phone OS
For those OEMs deeply invested in Android, the need to diversify and include a secondary OS in their line-up now seems very prudent as a way of avoiding litigation. Microsoft offers patent protection to Windows Phone licensees and this could help it secure a place as the third major wireless OS in 2013.
HTML5 web apps evolve
With the tablet continuing to be the most prominent high-growth category device, we'll see a rapid acceleration in the adoption of cross-platform HTML5 web apps, a safer development investment.
The Kindle Phone enters the market
With a plethora of existing media content, 2013 could be the year that Amazon enters the smartphone category with a sister offering to its popular Kindle tablet. Amazon's hardware efforts in the tablet category seem to be serving the launch of a mobile phone very well.
BlackBerry bounces back
In 2013, WDS expects RIM to increase device shipments. In Q3 of 2012, RIM's global smartphone market share fell for the sixth consecutive quarter to stand at just 4 percent. However, in 2013 WDS expects RIM's fortunes to take a turn for the better following the launch of its much anticipated BB10 OS.
Security threats put enterprise vendors on the mobile map
In a post-PC era of multi-platform computing, smartphones are an increasingly common target for cybercrime. WDS does not expect mobile security threats to become a mass-market threat in 2013, but the issue will be prevalent enough for enterprise security vendors to stake their claim in the post-PC market place.
About WDS
WDS, A Xerox Company, is the wireless industry's only provider of specialist managed services dedicated to improving the customer experience across the entire consumer lifecycle. The company's portfolio of platform-enabled tools and services stretches across the wireless value chain to connect and optimize each stage of the consumer lifecycle. With more than 15 years of experience and a global footprint, WDS is the partner of choice for wireless carriers, handset manufactures and service providers looking to transform their relationships with consumers. The company currently counts over 100 customers, including most of the world's largest handset manufacturer and mobile operator brands, and is headquartered in Poole, UK. To find out more, please visit http://www.wds.co.
About Xerox
With sales approaching $23 billion, Xerox (NYS: XRX) is the world's leading enterprise for business process and document management. Its technology, expertise and services enable workplaces - from small businesses to large global enterprises - to simplify the way work gets done so they operate more effectively and focus more on what matters most: their real business. Headquartered in Norwalk, Conn., Xerox offers business process outsourcing and IT outsourcing services, including data processing, healthcare solutions, HR benefits management, finance support, transportation solutions, and customer relationship management services for commercial and government organizations worldwide. The company also provides extensive leading-edge document technology, services, software and genuine Xerox supplies for graphic communication and office printing environments of any size. The 140,000 people of Xerox serve clients in more than 160 countries. For more information, visit http://www.xerox.com, http://news.xerox.com or http://www.realbusiness.com. For investor information, visit http://www.xerox.com/investor.
Note: WDS cannot accept (and hereby disclaims) any responsibility for loss or damage caused by errors or omissions. All rights reserved © WDS 2013
WDS, A Xerox Company, is the trading name of Wireless Data Services Ltd. Registered in England and Wales (company number 01714719). Wireless Data Services Ltd., Alder Hills Park, 16 Alder Hills, Poole, Dorset, BH12 4AR, UK. VAT number GB 911330278.
XEROX®, XEROX and Design® are trademarks of Xerox in the United States and/or other countries.
To receive Xerox RSS news feeds, visit http://news.xerox.com/rss. For open commentary, industry perspectives and views visit http://twitter.com/xeroxcorp, http://realbusinessatxerox.blogs.xerox.com, http://www.facebook.com/XeroxCorp, http://www.youtube.com/XeroxCorp.
Tim Deluca-Smith, +44 7957 311189
CCgroup for WDS
Paul Nolan, +44 7717 723 440
CCgroup for WDS
Rufus Jay, +44 207 313 4408
KEYWORDS: United Kingdom Europe
The article WDS Announces Annual Predictions for Wireless Trends in 2013 originally appeared on Fool.com.
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.
Copyright © 1995 - 2013 The Motley Fool, LLC. All rights reserved. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.


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Vice President
First Lady
Mrs. Cheney
News & Policies
History & Tours | Kids | Your Government | Appointments | Jobs | Contact | Graphic version
Email Updates | Español | Accessibility | Search | Privacy Policy | Help
For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 9, 2002
Statement by the President
The United States is saddened and angered by the deaths earlier today in an explosion during Victory Day celebrations in the town of Kaspiysk in the Russian Federation's Republic of Dagestan. Of particular concern is that this evil act of terrorism occurred on a holiday when Russia celebrates its World War II victory over fascism, and at a time when our nations are allied once again in a war against global terror. Terrorism and the killing of innocents can never be condoned or justified.
On behalf of the American people, I extend my condolences to the families of the innocent children, veterans, and others killed, and I wish a full and fast recovery for those wounded in the incident.
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subset: commoncrawl


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Women's Fuel Approach Shoes
Item # BD580015
Women's Fuel Approach Shoes
Color: Pewter/Meadow Green
€160.00 €88.00
- Standard delivery within 4 business days
- Free shipping over €100 otherwise €8.95
Women's Fuel Approach Shoes Product Details
Engineered for days when the word "approach" actually involves full-on climbing, the Fuel is our most technical performance shoe. The Fuel's upper combines breathable EnduroKnit, a durable stretch woven lateral panel, and welded TPU film overlays for maximum durability and precision fit. The internally overlapping tongue allows for fewer seams and a sleek comfortable fit with minimal bulk, while the lace-to-toe construction features webbing and scalloped eyelets for variable, adjustable fit and tensioning to suit different conditions. A climbing-specific forefoot construction allows for exceptional edge control and our BlackLabel Mountain rubber is ultra-sticky for superior grip on rock. Finally, a tag-loop on the heel and tongue gives you the option to clip the Fuels to your harness once you rope up.
Women's Fuel Approach Shoes
- Capable of easy 5th class climbing with confidence and comfort.
- Upper construction of Black Diamond developed knit and woven textiles with welded TPU film overlays for adaptable fit and maximum durability
- Low profile molded collar padding and lining
- Protected lateral laces and smooth upper construction
- Overlap tongue means fewer internal seams for precision fit
- Lace to toe with webbing and scalloped eyelets for adjustable fit and tension depending on conditions Functional climbing forefoot construction for edging control and durability
- Tuned dual density EVA midsole with stiffness and comfort
- Black Diamond BlackLabel Mountain is a high performance sticky rubber
- Rubber toe protection
- Multiple webbing loops for tagging options
Tech Specs
- Material Polyester Enduro Knit, EVA Midsole, BD BlackLabel-Mountain Rubber
- Size Range W's US 5.5-11 1/2 sizes
- Weight EACH: 247.5 (8.7 oz)


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"Lindsay Lohan tested positive for cocaine last week and that is why she failed her drug test ... sources tell TMZ. As we first reported, Lindsay failed the court-mandated drug test -- and according to the terms of her probation, she will go back to jail for 30 days as a result. Sources close to Lindsay say she's been telling friends she's "getting her life together." However, we're also told, she's surrounded herself with some "bad influences." Story developing..."
(Lohan was cracked out @ boom boom room this weekend)


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It's time for the rest of the Big 12 to step up.
No. 2 Oklahoma gave the conference a signature victory last week at Ohio State that should serve the Sooners well when the College Football Playoff selection starts sorting through contenders.
Two other ranked Big 12 teams hit the road this weekend for the worst kind of games: against nonconference opponents that are good enough to pull an upset but not good enough to be considered equals.
No. 9 Oklahoma State is at Pitt and No. 18 Kansas State visits Vanderbilt, giving the Cowboys, Wildcats and the Big 12 far more to lose than gain this weekend. Too much energy is spent and too many words are spilled on the debate over which conference is best, but the only league to get left out of the playoff twice is in need of a narrative shift.
Baker Mayfield and company have done their part, but it would be nice for the Sooners to get some backup and provide the Big 12 multiple playoff-worthy looking teams heading into conference play.
The Cowboys and Wildcats — along with No. 20 TCU — are probably the best bets to be formidable rivals that either help Oklahoma build a playoff case or beat Oklahoma and make one of their own.
There is one wild card: Don't laugh, but Texas is at No. 4 Southern California on Saturday. The Longhorns have been involved in a few of these types of matchups in recent years. They have the scent of a big game, but never quite taste like the real thing.
Tom Herman's job is to change that and beating USC in the first meeting between the schools since the classic 2006 Rose Bowl national championship game would be delicious not just for Longhorns fans but for the whole Big 12.
The picks:
Illinois (plus 18) at No. 22 South Florida
The Bulls only played well in spurts during their first two games and then got an unexpected week off to deal with Hurricane Irma. It's hard to guess what to expect out of them … USF 28-14.
No. 3 Clemson (minus 3½) at No. 14 Louisville
The three meetings between the Tigers and Cardinals have been decided by a total of 15 points and all won by Clemson … CLEMSON 31-24.
No. 23 Tennessee (plus 5) at No. 24 Florida
Now might be the time for the Gators to start running the option. The Vols couldn't stop it against Georgia Tech and just about everything else the Gators have tried in recent years hasn't worked … TENNESSEE 24-20, UPSET SPECIAL.
Texas (plus 15) at No. 4 Southern California
If he wasn't playing with Sam Darnold, Trojans RB Ronald Jones might be a Heisman contender … USC 48-28.
SMU (plus 19½) at No. 20 TCU
Horned Frogs have won six straight and nine of 10 in the Battle for the Iron Skillet … TCU 49-27.
Air Force (plus 24) at No. 7 Michigan
Playing service academies and their option offenses can be a real pain … MICHIGAN 30-14.
Army (plus 30) at No. 8 Ohio State
No, really: Playing service academies and their options offenses can be a real pain … OHIO STATE 38-13.
No. 12 LSU (plus 7) at Mississippi State
Bulldogs need to work on those old-school fumble drills … MISSISSIPPI STATE 27-21.
Oregon State (plus 21) at No. 21 Washington State
Cougars QB Luke Falk will start after leaving last week's game with an apparent injury … WASHINGTON 45-17, BEST BET.
No. 9 Oklahoma State (minus 13½) at Pittsburgh
Cowboys needed overtime to beat the Panthers last season … OKLAHOMA STATE 38-21.
No. 10 Wisconsin (minus 17) at BYU
What in the name of LaVell Edwards is going on with the Cougars offense? BYU averages just 4.26 yards per play … WISCONSIN 28-13.
No. 18 Kansas State (plus 3½) at Vanderbilt
The Commodores are fourth in the nation in defense at 2.89 yards per play allowed … VANDERBILT 23-17.
No. 19 Stanford (plus 9½) at San Diego State
Cardinal's Bryce Love vs. Aztecs' Rashaad Penny in a matchup of two of the best backs in the country who were backups most of last season … STANFORD 35-24.
No. 25 UCLA (minus 3) at Memphis
Bruins get the dreaded body clock game, kicking off at 11 a.m. CT or 9 a.m. West Coast time. Oh, and the Tigers are good … UCLA 38-28.
Colorado State (plus 28½) at No. 1 Alabama … ALABAMA 45-14.
Tulane (plus 34) at No. 2 Oklahoma … OKLAHOMA 50-14.
Georgia State (plus 38½) at No. 5 Penn State … PENN STATE 58-10.
Fresno State (plus 33) at No. 6 Washington … WASHINGTON 56-14.
No. 16 Virginia Tech (minus 21) at East Carolina … VIRGINIA TECH 42-14.
Kentucky (plus 6) at South Carolina — @BrentCollins1
Gamecocks trying to start 3-0 against all Power Five teams … SOUTH CAROLINA 28-20.
Purdue (plus 7) at Missouri — @matthewcstevens
Over/under: 77. Estimated time of game: 3:48. … PURDUE 41-36.
Arizona State (plus 7) at Texas Tech — @CougarStats
Over/under: 76. Estimated time of game: 3:52 … TEXAS TECH 49-38.
Mississippi (minus 4) at Cal — @bmaze
Over/under: 72. Estimated time of game: 4:03 … OLE MISS 52-38.
Record last week: 15-3 straight up; 6-11-1 against the spread.
Record this season: 34-8 straight up; 15-24-2 against the spread.
Upset specials: 1-1.
Best bets: 0-1.


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Government Pre-Approves Riverside, Imperial County Sites For Solar Development
The Obama administration moved Tuesday to streamline the development of large-scale solar projects on public lands by approving 17 vast tracts across the West it says has the highest power-generating potential and the fewest environmental impacts. Two of the sites are in California: one in eastern Riverside County and the other in eastern Imperial County, covering a combined 153,627 acres.
As developers scramble to secure utility-scale solar sites, the plan will move the Department of the Interior away from having to consider individual projects on a case-by-case basis and instead direct development to land already identified as having fewer wildlife and natural resource obstacles.
"Today's announcement is a roadmap for solar development for decades to come and will help create an enduring and sustainable energy future for America," said Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar.
The announcement means the Department of Interior will begin a 30-day protest period, after which Salazar could adopt the plan.
"This is a huge step forward for the Bureau of Land Management, which has tended to address energy development on a project-by-project basis in response to the wants of individual companies rather than the values of the American public or the needs of fish and wildlife," said Kate Zimmerman, the National Wildlife Federation's policy director for public lands.
The zones cover a total of 285,000 acres, with five sites in Nevada, four in Colorado, three in Utah, two each in California and Arizona, and one in New Mexico. Originally 677,000 acres of the 253 million acres managed by the BLM had been considered. Proximity to transmission lines was a factor in the decision.
"This is a really big milestone in terms of environmentally sensitive and responsible solar development," said Helen O'Shea of the Natural Resources Defense Council. "Having a roadmap for development and conservation and striking the right balance between the two is going to be critical for protecting our western landscapes as we build our clean energy economy."
California has only two projects — both near the Arizona border in the southeastern corner of the state — but it has more than half the total acreage, with 153,627 acres in the southeast desert. Nevada has the next-highest acreage at 60,395 scattered across the southern and central portions of the state.
Colorado will have 16,308 acres available in the south-central portion of the state; Arizona 6,465 acres near the California border; New Mexico 29,964 acres, most in its south-central region; and western Utah 18,658 acres.
There are at least 70 applications for development pending with the department that would be grandfathered into the plan.
"We're hopeful that this detailed environmental analysis will dramatically speed the permitting process," said Rhone Resch, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association, the industry's major lobbying group.
Interior officials have said the existence of the zones won't preclude projects on other public lands, but developers would have to make a stronger case for it. The Department of the Interior has identified 19 million more acres where solar is suitable, but those lands will not come with environmental impact assessment groundwork already performed.
"There will be more process involved and an additional look required to make sure they can proceed, and we have set out criteria to do that," to expedite the process, Salazar said in a conference call with reporters. "If developers come forward with good areas where they think a project will be well situated, they have to do the work. The department will not have done it for them."
Officials have said the plan provides more clarity on how projects can proceed and gives potential developers certainty that they will be working in areas the government considers suited for solar power.
Under Salazar, the Interior department has approved 17 utility-scale projects that, once complete, could produce 5,700 megawatts of electricity, or enough to power 1.7 million homes. They would be the first-ever on public lands. The department estimates that between the new variance zones and suitable land identified on the additional acreage, enough electricity for 7 million homes could be produced.
The Obama administration is streamlining the development of large-scale solar projects on public lands by approving 17 vast tracts across the West with the highest power-generating potential and the fewest environmental impacts.
The announcement made Tuesday by Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar comes as developers scramble to secure utility-scale solar sites. Salazar says having pre-approved sites will make it easier for developers to proceed.
Environmental groups say the plan strikes a balance between conservation and development. Solar advocates say they hope it will speed the permitting process.
The zones cover 285,000 acres, with five sites in Nevada, four in Colorado, three in Utah, two each in California and Arizona, and one in New Mexico. Originally 677,000 acres had been considered.


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The main reason behind baldness in females under 50 years is nutritional and 30% of the women are affected (R. Dover, D. H. Rushton, M. J. Morris, 2003).
Hair loss might take place because of selection of factors and they usually boil right down to health in one way or another. Contained in the body, hair gets equally as healthy as the body is, including its expansion and entire state. One of the best methods for improving the health of your hair is with hair growth supplements. Almost all of the important thinking of you may not commonly get all of the essential nutrients from the food.
Different varieties of supplements are utilized to treat different kinds of hair loss; hence it is vital that you can figure out your specific condition to find the most appropriate ones that can be used.
Vitamin Supplements
These types of health supplements combat hair loss from deep within the body. B Vitamins, C and E help in improving blood flow, pushing nutrition to go to the hair roots. Scientific tests also have proven that vitamins impact the hair follicles both directly and indirectly. As an illustration, vitamins B12 and C encourage the ingestion of iron.
Iron deficiency commonly causes non menopause women to lose hair. As outlined by R. Dover and colleagues, the leading source of lowered hair volume in females looks like it's associated with depleted iron stores. Expecting mothers, those who have just delivered and joggers face more risks of iron depletion.
In accordance to the National Institutes of Health, biotin enables you to treat hair loss when consumed by mouth. Original reports say an oral administration of biotin together with zinc helps in dealing with hair loss.
Biotin forms an important part of digestive support enzymes that assist in breaking down various ingredients within the body, such as carbohydrates and fats.
When biotin is taken correctly orally for the encouraged doses, it's safe.
(National Institutes of Health, Biotin. Extracted from www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/313.html)
Biotin can be a water soluble vitamin necessary for the proper health of hair, skin and nails. The proposed everyday dosage is among 30 and 100 mcg. Remember that your skin is unable to absorb biotin; therefore you should not make use of the outwardly used goods.
Some numerous studies have revealed that zinc affects androgen levels. Androgens are testosterone associated with some types of hereditary hair loss. The proposed every day medication dosage is 80 mg. acquiring an excessive amount of zinc may restrict its right equilibrium with copper. Based on Andrew Lessman, a specialized medical researcher, it usually is easier to require a unique vitamin called methylsulfonylmethane (MSM). Lessman endorses a day-to-day dosage of 700 mg.
Other growth of hair supplements chances are you'll think about incorporate beta carotene and Omega3 efas, which are generally present in fish oils even though some nuts also contain them.


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NIKE is celebrating Lebron James's fourth MVP award with a special edition LEBRON x MVP shoe and a new "witness history" campaign.
James becomes only the second player to win four MVP titles in five years, joining the select group of four-time MVPs in the award's 58-year history. To mark the historic honour, James is wearing a special edition NIKE LEBRON X MVP shoe specifically designed by Nike Basketball to commemorate this achievement.
The vibrant LEBRON X MVP shoe fuses the unique colorways and designs of each style in the LEBRON X series, which James debuted in August 2012. The design details, including MVP on the shoe tongue, weave the story of James's incredible journey over the past year. It's a path that has seen him striving for excellence by perfecting his shooting efficiency, assists and rebounds to cut through defense effectively as an individual and as a team. Along the way, James has traveled from the courts of London to the hardwood arena of Miami, achieving victory in an extraordinary 27-game winning streak.
With the release of the LEBRON X MVP shoe, Nike pays tribute to a player who has earned his place in basketball history through his unwavering dedication to the pursuit of greatness.
The LEBRON X MVP shoe will be available in limited quantities at select retailers in North America and China soon.


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As a market researcher, it doesn't take long to have a number of infamous quotes ringing in your ears, as another research sceptic takes a pot-shot at belittling your profession. Their ammunition is provided by many world-renowned business leaders famous for denouncing the industry's relevance. It being Market Research Day over the weekend, I wanted to explore this scepticism, understand why it has developed, as well as what can be done to counter it.
To do so, I think it important to note the industry's role in the formation of its non-believers. Far from an innocent bystander, often services are offered promising outcomes only comparable to that of a crystal ball, and all for the price of a snow globe. On the other side of the transaction, procurers armed with preconceived perspectives, allow loaded research to confirm their genius. The scene is set – an industry struggling to maintain balance leading to over-promising and underdelivering.
To explore and counter the scepticism, I thought it useful to scrutinise the referenced quotes that continue to haunt the profession. My hope, to set clear expectations of the vital role researchers can play in helping organisations to listen, understand and act in the best interest of those most important to them.
Let's start with the most famous:
"If I had asked people what they wanted, they would have said faster horses"
There's little doubt Henry Ford was right. However, the quote's application to market research is misguided. Research should never be viewed a substitute for invention. If it could, researchers would all be distinguished innovators. Whilst I have the deepest respect for my fellow professionals, this would be quite a stretch.
This doesn't mean our profession is redundant, however. Broadening the context of Ford's accusation, we can consider the response of his potential customers when asked, 'what factors are important in a mode of private transport'. Responses may have included speed, stamina, cleanliness. All elements valid in the development of the product today. Understanding the landscape of a customer's desires, Ford is unlikely to have made a lesser vehicle.
Ford's criticism is often compounded by Steve Job's wisdom:
"People don't know what they want until you show it to them. That's why I never rely on market research"
Once more, Jobs is not wrong, but, this does not make research irrelevant. Whilst it cannot take credit for the market disruption of the iPhone, it could inform which prototype presented the greatest chance of success.
Of course, understanding what people want is helpful, but understanding why they want it, unleashes a vastly more proactive application of research capability. This is where David Ogilvy's reflection on the challenge faced in market research is poignant:
"Consumers don't think how they feel. They don't say what they think, and they don't do what they say"
Just as you shouldn't ask customers directly 'what do you want?', asking 'why do you want it?' it is equally unhelpful. We all find it difficult to articulate the drivers of our compulsions, however, this doesn't make understanding how customer's feelings relate to their decisions impossible.
By setting participants different tasks, in different environments, with different goals, drivers and behaviours can be sought out. With the right investment, in a multi-method approach, alongside an open mind, researchers cannot only outline what customers want, but why they want it. Understanding this, organisations can use their innate knowledge and experience to conjure up the next marvelled invention. And, we find ourselves back at my rebuttal to Ford's dismal. Market research won't provide the invention, but it can set the scene, providing the right environment for it to come to fruition.
I finish with a quote from Dame Anita Roddick. Once more, you cannot discredit her view. For most organisations, she is absolutely correct.
"Running a company on market research is like driving while looking in the rear-view mirror"
My response - only if expectations are misaligned, reasonable investment is not committed, or your mind is already made up. A commitment to transparency, quality and open-mindedness are the key ingredients to unleashing the true power of market research. In a time where our industry is perhaps more relevant than ever, I ask every stakeholder, supplier or buyer, to take the opportunity to ensure the current climate does not fuel the next wave of scepticism, moving the profession forward with a newfound respect and admiration, rather than more eloquent but derogatory quotes.
What is your perspective on this?
Please get in touch and let me know: [email protected]


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A Career in Interior Decorating
Imagine having a career that lets you use your creativity to make homes and businesses more beautiful and comfortable. Welcome to the world of interior decorating!
There are few careers that offer so many benefits. As an interior decorator you will have the satisfaction of making your vision a reality. You will meet interesting people, and because many people who hire interior decorators are wealthy, you will likely spend time in many beautiful homes and businesses. If you start your own decorating business you can enjoy the freedom of being your own boss. And perhaps most importantly, your "work" will be fun, interesting, and rewarding.
As long as you have the desire, you can become an interior decorator. No special education or experience is necessary to break into this career and succeed. (Unlike becoming a certified interior designer which has strict requirements including two to five years of post-secondary education in interior design.) You can become an interior decorator immediately.
If interior decorating sounds like the career of your dreams, here are 10 steps to breaking into this fabulous job, based on the FabJob Guide to Become an Interior 公屋裝修 Decorator published by FabJob.com:
1. Train your eye
Since you are interested in a career as a interior decorator, chances are you already have a "good eye" for design. In other words, when you look at a room you can see what looks good, and what could be improved. But no matter how naturally talented you are, you can continually "train your eye" by studying what people consider to be good design.
Seek out beautifully decorated interiors to look at. You can find numerous examples of beautiful interiors in design magazines or in your own community by visiting show homes, open houses for sale in wealthy neighborhoods, furniture showrooms, historic homes, art galleries, and offices of professionals such as interior decorators and corporate lawyers.
2. Educate yourself
Interior decorators are expected to know about the various elements involved in decorating such as: space planning (how to arrange furniture and other items within a particular space), use of color and light, furniture and decorating styles (for example, Colonial or Southwestern), floorings, wall coverings, window treatments, and use of accessories such as pillows and art. You can learn decorating basics through courses, books, web sites, and even by speaking with retailers of products used in home decorating (paint, carpet, lighting, hardware stores, etc.)
3. Practice at home
Most interior decorators get their first decorating experience working on their own homes. Even if you have just one small room to experiment with, you can get "hands-on" experience with a variety of decorating techniques. For example, you can make a dramatic change to any room, quickly and inexpensively, simply by rearranging the furniture or painting the walls a new color. Give it a try! Experiment with techniques you wouldn't ordinarily use. Consider this room your "research lab" where you can try things out before recommending them to a client.
4. Volunteer your services
Your friends and family members may already have asked for your advice about decorating, but if they haven't yet asked you to actually decorate their homes or businesses, why not offer?
Some occasions your family or friends may want to redecorate are when they experiencing transitions in life, such as: marriage or co-habitation (help them merge two households into one), moving into a new home, childbirth (offer to decorate the baby's room), hosting a special event such as a wedding or dinner party, starting a home business (you could decorate their new office), and selling a home (explain how a well decorated home can attract buyers).
5. Prepare a portfolio
A portfolio is a collection of samples of your work, plus any other documents that can help show why someone should hire you. The most important part of an interior decorator's portfolio is photographs of interiors you have decorated, so make sure you take "before" and "after" photos of every space you decorate. Choose 15-20 photographs of work you are proud of, and arrange them in a photo album or portfolio case.
Your portfolio can also include letters of recommendation and "design boards" (poster boards onto which you have pasted pictures and samples of materials such as fabrics, flooring, wallpaper, etc.) to show clients what you recommend to decorate a particular room.
6. Get a job
Even if you plan to start your own interior decorating business, you can learn about the business and meet potential clients by starting with a job in the industry. Companies that hire people with decorating talent include home builders, manufacturers of furniture and housewares, hotel and restaurant chains, retailers (furniture stores, home improvement stores, antiques dealers, housewares stores, etc.), plus interior design and decorating firms.
To get a job, you will need to prepare a resume that emphasizes your experience with decorating plus any other skills the employer is looking for, such as customer service or organizational ability.
7. Start your own business
Many interior decorators dream of being their own boss. If that's your goal, you'll need to decide on business matters such as your company's name and whether to incorporate or not. Free basic business advice is available from organizations such as the U.S. Small Business Administration.
Many interior decorators choose to work from home when they start their businesses because it saves on the cost of an office and, unlike many other types of businesses, you won't be expecting clients to come to you – you will usually be going to their homes or offices.
8. Establish relationships with suppliers
Suppliers are companies that supply the products and services you need to decorate. They include manufacturers of furniture, wall coverings, flooring, fabrics, etc. as well as contractors who do painting, carpentry, installation, etc. When you go shopping as a professional interior decorator, you are entitled to "designer discounts" of up to 50% off the regular retail price which you can pass on to clients.
While some decorators charge an hourly rate or a flat fee, others charge "cost-plus." For example, if your cost for a product is 40% percent below the regular retail price, you could charge the client your cost plus 20%, thereby saving the client the other 20% they would pay to buy the same item at a retail store. This opportunity to save money on decorating may convince clients to hire you.
9. Get clients
Your potential clients could include home builders, new home buyers, wealthy home owners, professional couples, advertising agencies, art galleries, bed and breakfasts, boutique stores, corporate head offices, hotels, law firms, restaurants, spas, and many other types of businesses.
One way to market your services is by networking with professionals who can refer business to you, such as real estate agents, architects, antiques dealers, art dealers, home renovators, and owners of businesses that sell home furnishings. Other marketing techniques include putting up a web page with photos of interiors you have decorated and getting publicity in the homes section of your local newspaper.
10. Grow as a professional
Successful interior decorators continue to learn new decorating techniques. Once you have started a business you can continue to develop your skills by attending trade shows, reading decorating magazines and books, and joining professional associations. You can also impress clients and have an advantage over your competition by becoming certified as a professional interior decorator.


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Mitt Romney arrived at : Conchita Foods, a family owned grocery wholesaler in Miami, Florida, Tuesday morning to gain support from Florida Republicans and increase his appeal to an important Latino voting block, South-Florida's Cuban-American community. Romney also provided a glimpse on how he can win the Latino vote.
The Miami campaign stop trumpeted the endorsement of: three major Cuban-American leaders: – Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Congressman Mario: Diaz-Balart: and former Congressman Lincoln: Diaz-Balart. It also highlighted the support of two former U.S. Senators,: Mel Martinez: and Connie Mack. The endorsement of the Cuban-American leaders serves as major boost for Romney as he tries to win over the Cuban exile community which composes over: 70% of Republicans: in Miami-Dade: County, the most populous county in Florida.
The Cuban-American vote is an important constituency group within the Florida Republican Party and has been a key for GOP candidates to win the nomination. In 2008 Senator John McCain obtained the endorsements of Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Rep. Mario: Diaz-Balart, Rep. Lincoln: Diaz-Balart: and: Mel Martinez. McCain went on to win Florida's GOP Primary by: a margin of 97,000 votes (MAP).: McCain's Miami-Dade: margin was 52,000 votes. The Florida win catapulted McCain to win the Republican nomination and ended Romney's 2008 candidacy.
Now all four Cuban-American leaders have thrown their full support towards Mitt Romney for President, a positive step towards Romney's chances to capture the nomination.
As the Florida GOP's January 31st primary quickly approaches, be sure to expect a stronger Romney presence in Florida, in English and Spanish. Florida is a pivotal state in the race to secure the GOP nomination, but it's even more important in Romney's calculations. Today's events are a clear indicator that: Romney is playing to win Florida: and to secure the crucial Latino Republican vote.
Romney's appearance at Conchita Foods gives us a glimpse on how the GOP front-runner will connect with Latino voters nationwide. Surrounded by cans of black beans and boxes of guava, he started his comments by reminding the audience that his father, George Romney, was: born in Mexico: and struggled economically before he became a successful American businessman and politician.: The: New York Times: described Romney's comments:
"You probably did not know that my dad was not born in this country – he was born in Mexico," : Mr. Romney said. "And at age 5- or 6-year-old, because of revolution in Mexico, my dad's dad came back to the United States and began a construction business.: Didn't: go so well, actually, not as well as Conchita has gone. He went bankrupt more than once."
Moments later, Mr. Romney called a member of his own family, his youngest son, Craig, up on stage…: A bit bashfully, Craig took the microphone: and offered a few words in Spanish to the crowd, which applauded loudly…
"You probably did not know that my dad was not born in this country – he was born in Mexico," : Mr. Romney said. "And at age 5- or 6-year-old, because of revolution in Mexico, my dad's dad came back to the United States and began a construction business.: Didn't: go so well, actually, not as well as Conchita has gone. He went bankrupt more than once."
Moments later, Mr. Romney called a member of his own family, his youngest son, Craig, up on stage…: A bit bashfully, Craig took the microphone: and offered a few words in Spanish to the crowd, which applauded loudly…
In 2008, the Romney campaign had a strong: Hispanic outreach strategy. His son Craig, who has lived in Chile and is fluent in Spanish, regularly spoke on his father's behalf in Spanish to Hispanic media and audiences. The 2008 campaign included a Spanish-language communications team, a large team of bilingual surrogates and paid Spanish-language media.
During Romney's remarks on Tuesday he also discuss Latin America and attacked President Obama's foreign policy, saying: that the current president has: "distanced himself from some of our best friends – Colombia, Israel.": Foreign policy and specifically Latin American relations are an important issue to Florida's increasingly: diverse: Hispanic community, which includes large populations of Peruvians, Nicaraguans, Colombians and Venezuelans, among others.
Romney expressed the need for a strong America and picked up on a sentiment shared by many Hispanics in South Florida saying,: "…Right now there's huge changes going on in Latin America, right here so close to our home. The changes could lead in either direction, either positive or negative. This is not a time for us to retreat from our principles.":
According to the: Tampa Tribune, Romney will discuss trade policy at the Port of Tampa later today, an important issue for Florida voters and the state's Hispanic community.
"I'm never going to find a candidate with whom I agree 100 percent of time with 100 percent of the issues, but I think the election hinges on the economy," [Ros-Lehtinen] said. "I don't agree with Governor Romney's position on immigration, but I agree with him solidly on the economy and for me, that's the driving force in this election."
Latinos are facing: high unemployment, a record number of Hispanic children are living in: poverty: and Hispanic families have been hit the: hardest by the recession. These dismal economic indicators, and Latino: dissatisfaction with the Obama Administration, will be the major factors for Hispanic voters going into Election Day 2012. They also provide the Republican Party an opportunity to win over Latino voters.
Representative Mario: Diaz-Balart: said in a written statement that he's backing Romney because "the world is a more secure place when America is leading boldly…We need a president who won't apologize for America, but will work to secure free markets, economic opportunity, and human rights for all people around the world.: Mitt Romney is that leader who will make America stronger and more respected in the world."
–: This post has been cross-posted at www.BettinaInclan.com: .: Bettina: Inclan, is a Republican strategist, communications consultant, blogger and political commentator. She is an expert in Latino politics. Follow her on Twitter: @BettinaInclan


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A few weeks ago I entered to win the Oreo Play Up Dessert challenge set forth by A Nut in a Nutshell (I didn't win by the way) and put together a very tasty dessert.
So here's a riddle for you… what do you get when you put together a tasty cookie and a moist delicious cupcake and then top it with creamy vanilla frosting?
Awesomeness! Pure bliss… Oreo Surprise Cupcakes.
My family wasn't sure what to think since I haven't been making a whole lot of desserts lately but that didn't stop them from enjoying every last cupcake that we had in the house. I was surprised that they lasted more than two days!
Such a delicious dessert is beyond easy to make and is really only one more step than regular cupcakes!
1 cake mix – any flavor made according to the directions
1 box of instant pudding – vanilla for a yellow cake and chocolate for chocolate
Oreos – your choice of flavor
Frosting – your choice
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and put cupcake papers in a regular sized cupcake pan.
Make the cake according to the package and then stir the dry pudding into the cake batter…. trust me, this is delicious and adds a lot of moisture to your cake or cupcakes.
Place approximately 1 tablespoon of batter into the cupcake liner, place a Oreo on top, and then top with more batter making sure that the cookie is fully covered.
Bake for about 15 – 18 minutes. When you can handle the cupcakes (about 5 minutes or so) take them out of the pan and let them cool on a rack.
Frost & top with crushed Oreo's if you like.
To crush the Oreo's throw some into the food processor and pulse until you have fine crumbs or put them in a ziploc bag and crush them with a rolling pin. The latter is a great way to take out some stress too!
I should let you know that there is nothing low calorie… low fat… or healthy about these at all! But I didn't have to tell you that though… so that means that just one Oreo surprise cupcake won't hurt your New Year's resolution.


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BEIJING (REUTERS) - Chinese Premier Li Keqiang said on Sunday ensuring economic growth was the top priority for his government, pledging to fight graft, tackle vested interests and calling for an end to a cyber-hacking row with the United States.
Li's first news conference as premier, at the close of the annual meeting of China's rubber-stamp parliament that confirmed his appointment, covered topics that have been the principal focus of recent government rhetoric, with a strong emphasis on the necessity of reform to deliver long-term economic stability.
"The highest priority will be to maintain sustainable economic growth," Li said at the start of the conference that lasted almost two hours and in which he repeatedly stressed the need for economic, social and government reform.
"The key is to have economic transformation. We need to combine the dividends of reform, the potential of domestic demand and the vitality of creativity so that these together will form new drivers of economic growth," he added.
"We said that in pursing reform we now have to navigate uncharted waters. We may also have to confront some protracted problems. This is because we will have to shake up vested interests," said Li, looking relaxed and repeatedly gesturing with his hands.
"Sometimes stirring vested interests may be more difficult that stirring the soul, but however deep the water may be, we will wade into the water. This is because we have no alternative. Reform concerns the destiny of our country and the future of our nation."
Ting Lu, chief China economist at Bank of America/Merrill Lynch in Hong Kong, said in a note to clients that the pro-reform tone of the speech would go down well with investors.
"He understood very well that key barriers for reforms are vested interests rather than ideology," Lu said.
But beyond a specific pledge to cut administrative red tape on some 1,700 processes needing government approval by at least a third, Li's answers to the 11 pre-arranged questions he took from journalists offered no new policy initiatives.
However, he said that planned reform of the controversial system of forced labour camps would come by the end of the year.
The premier pledged to reform capital markets, the currency and fight China's pervasive corruption crisis, saying that government officials, having chosen public life, should give up thoughts of riches.
Li said China's broad reform effort would also lead to improvements in environmental controls, cutting pollution in the atmosphere and raising food and water safety standards.
A growing environmental awareness and willingness of urban people to voice concern about industrial pollution have led the ruling Communist Party to worry about the risk of yet more protests that could undermine social order.
Similar worries exist in the leadership about growing discontent over inequality in China, which has one of the world's widest gaps between rich and poor and which has now reached levels which the government fears could spark unrest.
Li reiterated commitments to reform income distribution, improve access to social security and health care and allow welfare benefits to be paid nationwide, regardless of the official residence of the claimant.
China's rigid residence registration, or hukou, system broadly classifies citizens as urbanites or farmers and precludes people from access to basic welfare services outside their official residence area.
Economists say it is a crucial obstacle to rebalancing China's economy away from the investment-heavy, export-oriented model that has lifted hundreds of millions of people from poverty, turned China into the world's biggest trading economy and has been a policy priority for much of the last decade.
Despite its ranking as the second-largest economy globally after three decades of stellar growth, China remains an aspiring middle-income country riven with inequality and dependent on state-backed investment.
About 13 percent of China's population still live on less than $1.25 per day, the United Nations Development Programme says.
Average urban disposable income is just 21,810 yuan (S$) a year.
On the other hand, according to the latest reckoning by Forbes, China has 122 dollar billionaires. A rival list in the Hurun Report says China has 317 billionaires - a fifth of the total number in the world.
Li shrugged off an assertion from one questioner that China was responsible for hacking into US computer systems, restated Beijing's complaint that it too had been under cyber-attack.
"I think we should not make groundless accusations against each other, and spend more time doing practical things that will contribute to cyber-security," Li said.
President Barack Obama also raised U.S. concerns about computer hacking in a phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping last week on the day Xi took office.
US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew will likely press China to investigate and stop cyber-attacks on U.S. companies and other entities when he visit China this week for discussions on a range of economic issues.
Li, 57, officially took over as premier on March 15 from Wen Jiabao whose 10 years in charge is increasingly regarded by analysts as a lost decade in which economic reform slowed and state-backed businesses tightened their grip on the country's new-found wealth.
Li, as head of the State Council, or cabinet, is charged with executing government policy and overseeing an economy in which growth slowed to a 13-year low in 2012, albeit at a 7.8 per cent rate that is the envy of other major economies.
More than any other Chinese party leader until now, Li was immersed in the intellectual and political ferment of the decade of reform under Deng Xiaoping, which ended in the 1989 Tiananmen Square protests that were crushed by troops.
As a student at the elite Peking University, Li befriended ardent pro-democracy advocates, some of whom later became outright challengers to party control. His friends included activists who went into exile after the June 1989 crackdown.
Li drew on his own experiences of rural poverty in the aftermath of Mao Zedong's Cultural Revolution, which forced intellectuals, industrialists and urbanites to leave cities to work on farms, to explain his drive to deliver a better economic deal to China's 1.3 billion people, most of whom are poor.
"I was a sent-down youth in Anhui province's Fengyang County and I will not forget the hard times I spent with the local farmers," Li said.
"Reform and opening up have changed the destiny of our country and lifted hundreds of million of farmers out from poverty. It has also changed the life course of many people, including me. Now the heavy responsibility of reform has fallen on the shoulders of our generation."


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Newt Gingrich campaigns in Florida on Monday.
NEW YORK (CNNMoney) -- Newt Gingrich's consulting firm worked for Freddie Mac in 2006 and was paid $25,000 a month, according to a document released Monday.
The release came in response to accusations from the presidential candidate's critics charging that he lobbied on behalf of the government-backed mortgage finance firm, which many say is partly to blame for the housing crisis.
The document, made public by the Gingrich Group, the firm Gingrich founded in 2000, covers only 2006. The firm provided consulting services to Freddie Mac for roughly six years in total.
A person familiar with Gingrich's work for Freddie Mac told CNNMoney that the widely reported figure of $1.7 million that his firm is said to have earned from Freddie Mac is "generally accurate."
The contract "was solely for consulting purposes and not lobbying," Nancy Desmond, CEO of the Gingrich Group, said in a statement.
But the contract discusses the Gingrich Group's specific work only briefly, saying the firm was to provide "consulting and related services." It also notes that the Gingrich Group was required to inform Freddie if it submitted reports to the government under the Lobbying Disclosure Act.
A spokesman for Freddie Mac did not immediately return a request for comment.
Supporters of Gingrich's Republican rival Mitt Romney have been hammering Gingrich ahead of the Florida primary for his ties with Freddie, accusing him of cashing in on the housing bubble.
"While Florida families lost everything during the housing crisis, Newt Gingrich cashed in," the latest Romney commercial says.
The release is not likely to stop the attacks on Gingrich by the Romney camp. During the call with reporters Monday, Romney supporter and former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty called for Gingrich to release not only the contract but also copies of the advice, memos and other work product he provided to the firm, as well as a complete list of all his other clients.
Pawlenty said it was "splitting hairs" to say that the work Gingrich performed for Freddie was not lobbying.
Gingrich has consistently denied lobbying for Freddie Mac. He claims he told Freddie its business model was broken, and told Republican members of Congress not to approve the bailout of Fannie and Freddie.
Together, Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae have received $183.8 billion in taxpayer money so far, but have returned more than $30 billion in dividends to Treasury.
--CNN's Gloria Borger and CNNMoney's Chris Isidore contributed to this report.
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So, how do you jump that gap from holidays back to your regular routine? I don't know about you, but I am still trying to get back in the groove with my tasks and goals, I guess; I am still trying to return to my hurried and hectic life after a relaxing holiday.
I've had a quiet but lovely holiday week filled with extra special time with friends and family, and lots of delicious food. I've even managed to squeeze in some time to just relax after all the hustle and bustle of December - and I am feeling guilty, (not really) about devouring all my favourite foods. I admit it. I just can't get enough of them...
(It is approx. $2,600 per pound. Each piece of the chocolate is presented in a special box - for $250.) Omg!
What is your most favourite food that you can't get enough of? I'd love to hear! xx


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Posada not in Yankees lineup
Jorge Posada was not in the New York Yankees' lineup Sunday night for their series finale against Boston, one day after the slumping star asked to sit out and ended up in a messy public spat with management.
Regardless of the strange saga that played out Saturday, manager Joe Girardi might have been planning to put Posada on the bench. The switch-hitter is 0 for 24 against left-handed pitchers this season, and the Yankees were set to face Red Sox lefty Jon Lester.
Before batting practice Saturday -- when Posada was still slated to hit ninth against right-hander Josh Beckett -- Girardi wouldn't commit to staying with Posada against lefties.
Andruw Jones was listed as the designated hitter Sunday night. Posada was in the clubhouse at Yankee Stadium and set to take batting practice with the backups.
Posada and Girardi had not yet met with reporters.
Hitting .165 this season and struggling to adapt to his new role as DH, the 39-year-old Posada was dropped to the No. 9 spot in the original lineup Saturday. A proud veteran and respected clubhouse leader, he said he put himself in that position and understood the move.
But about an hour before the game, Posada went into Girardi's office and requested that he be removed from the lineup. The five-time All-Star said he needed a night off to clear his head.
After the game, Posada said his back had stiffened up while taking practice grounders at first base, but also acknowledged that he feels ''a little bit'' disrespected by the team.
That's where it got complicated, though.
Posada never mentioned to Girardi or general manager Brian Cashman that his back was bothering him. And the Yankees weren't pleased that he didn't play.
A person familiar with the discussion between Posada and the team told The Associated Press that he ''refused'' to play. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the situation was still not settled.
The person said the Yankees have been in contact with the commissioner's office about possible recourse. The Yankees could fine Posada one day's pay -- that would be $71,978 on his $13.1 million salary. If a player declines to play two days in a row, he could be put on the restricted list.
''Where he hits in the lineup is irrelevant. This is about his back, not about where he's hitting,'' one of Posada's agents, Sam Levinson, said Saturday night.


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Monday, August 22, 2005
Speaking of Films - review
The late Satyajit Ray often expressed regret about the lack of quality writing on cinema by its own practitioners. "Filmmaking is such a demanding process that directors – especially those who keep up a steady output – rarely have time to assemble their thoughts," he said. Time constraints aren't the only factor; many leading directors tend to be reluctant to discuss their own work at length, much less expound on cinema in general. But Ray himself is one of the exceptions. Non-Bengali readers might be familiar with his earlier work, Our Films, Their Films, a collection of essays that was first published in 1976. Now we have Speaking of Films, a translation of a collection known in Bengal as Bishay Chalachitra.
It's taken a puzzlingly long time for the first English version of Bishay Chalachitra to appear, but it was worth the wait: Gopa Majumdar's translation is impeccable, retaining all the qualities we associate with the director - gentle yet firm, avuncular, instructive but conversational. In the 18 essays collected here, Ray covers topics ranging from the history of Bengali cinema to the importance of background music in a film ("in India the problem a composer must face is not one of paucity but of abundance"). There are reflections on great directors of the past, personal glimpses into the vicissitudes of the filmmaking process, and anecdotes, like the amusingly incongruous one about Kanu Banerjee - Pather Panchali's Harihar - ruining a shot by repeatedly saying "mohanbagan" (the football club) instead of "mohanbhog" (the sweet). Ray also uses the scenarios of some of his movies to illuminate the problems in translation from page to screen. And there are moving personal profiles, based on his experiences with the blind painter Benode Bihari and with the extraordinary Chunnibala Devi, whose performance as the old pishi in Pather Panchali was one of the miracles of screen acting (and of serendipitous casting).
The master director discusses, at some length, the synthesis between form and content: the two qualities must ideally work in unison, he says, but it is possible for some films to aspire to high artistic achievement even with an abundance of one quality relative to the other; the austerity of the Japanese director Ozu (who refused to employ even widely accepted cinematic devices like the dissolve and the pan) can coexist with the joyful experimentation of Nouvelle Wave enfant terribles like Truffaut and Godard. At the same time, however, Ray sounds a cautionary warning to those who would seek to break established cinematic norms without a clear understanding of them, "for the creation of new rules requires a thorough knowledge of the old ones". This essay, written in the late 1960s, has a strong contemporary resonance, given the dilettantism and the "anything goes" attitude we see so much of today.
Even Ray's biggest fans sometimes feel alienated by the levels of perfection the man reached (hence the frequently voiced preference for the erratic brilliance of Ritwik Ghatak over the polished finesse of Ray's best films). This extended to his personal conduct too; he never came across as the sort who would, for instance, deign to participate in a messy verbal scuffle. In that context it's fun to see him take on critics who wrote uncharitable things about Apur Sansar and Charulata. The occasional traces of peevishness in Ray's tone here ("I do not know if Mr Rudra understands anything of literature. Of films he understands nothing, but it is not just that. He doesn't understand even when things are explained to him.") are more engaging than his counterarguments (which are brilliantly made anyway).
But these little glimpses of petulance notwithstanding, almost everything Ray did was marked by empathy. His ability to see various sides of a debate (mirrored in the boundless grace of his movies, where even in situations of extreme conflict and turmoil, one can relate to the predicaments of several different characters) brings richness and depth to his writing. Rarely has a major director been so generous in articulating his thoughts, not only about his own films and the cinema of his country, but also about the history of the medium and how it has been influenced by societal backdrops in different regions. For all this, and for the lucidity and perceptiveness with which he did it, we can continue to be grateful.
25 comments:
The late Satyajit Ray often expressed regret about the lack of quality writing on cinema by its own practitioners.ReplyDelete
I think filmwalas are to blame for that. They don't want to touch the newcomers -- especially writers and lyricists -- even with a barge pole. My friend has been struggling in Bombay for four year to write songs for films and he hasn't gotten even a single break. Tens of lousy songs are churned out week after week just because they are written/composed by "known" people. Most film makers are lalas I guess and there are very few genuine film makers.
Amrit: true that most filmmakers are lalas these days (especially in mainstream Hindi movies) but that can't be a complete explanation in this case. Ray was talking about the great directors (including his own influences - Ford, Wilder, Hawks etc) and how they rarely discussed their work at length.ReplyDelete
Jai, while on the topic of directors discussing their work at length, erratic genious Ritwik Ghatak had also written a few pieces on his films. You can find them in "Rows and Rows of Fences: Ritwik Ghatak on Cinema". Seagull Publishers, Kolkata.ReplyDelete
BTW, Blogisite has a blog now.
Amrit raises a good point there. I know quite a few artists who tried to get into Bollywood, but in this case it IS the system that is to blame and not their lack of talent. Everyone tells me its run like a mafia/by the mafia and it's like a closeknit family that doesn't marry below or above their caste. You have to buy or F**K your way in.ReplyDelete
I think the best way to subvert Bollywood would be to make and distribute films from here. If Bollywood can set up distribution systems in america why not vice versa, or better yet, take your work to the internet (which is my sad, long, way).
Would be weird and ironic if my mugambo like system of destroying the indian system were to be annihilated by an invisible force.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous10:57 AM, August 23, 2005
even ray was an outsider pretty much when he started out. getting funded by the west bengal roads and buildings department shows a certain creativity to bringing his work out in the open.ReplyDelete
i know it might be hugely frustrating for the young talent to not find ways to get into the industry, but other than the usual lessons one can learn from the great masters is probably to get inspired by how inventive they were when it came to finding funding and other such more mundane aspects of the profession.
i know this analogy doesnt hold true for writers and lyricists but being 'creative' when it comes to getting their work published is also their responsiblity. its easier to crib, but if they are truly exceptional talents they better find some subversive route to be heard. i might be shooting myself in the foot by saying this: a truly creative person is one who finds ways and means of impacting all aspects of their profession. if they cant, they might just be the middling variety.
my two paise...
Jai, about you rather than SR - this piece doesn't read like your work normally does. More ... pedantic? Didactic? Not quite the usual flow.ReplyDelete
Do you have to alter your voice for publications?
Your post reminded me of the public spat (played out in the Letters To The Editor section of The Telegraph) between Satyajit Ray and Chidananda Dasgupta over the latter's interpretation of the final scene of Shakha Proshakha. Dasgupta seemed to be insisting that the way the film ended it signified that the family patriarch died of shock on realising how corrupt his two sons were. However, Ray argued that this was not how he had conceived the denouement. The exact details escape me, but I remember Dasgupta writing that Ray was coming at him with a "fly swatter". I don't know if a record of these letters exist anywhere, but if they do it would make interesting reading.ReplyDelete
i stumbled across this block from god knows where.. nice stuff jai. by the way, although ray did not write much on films, he was a rather prolific writer in other genres. his detective series and sci-fi series are all time favs of bengali youngsters. not to talk of the gamut of short stories that he wrote.. amazing guy, writer, director.. music director also (most notably for gupi gayen bagha bayen)ReplyDelete
Jai, the post reminds me of an excerpt from an interview of Nargis, after all the brouhaha on Mother India being Bollywood's answer to Pather Panchali. Andrew Robinson had reproduced it in his biography of Ray. It's something on these lines:ReplyDelete
Interviewer: Why do you think Mother India is Bollywood's answer to pather Panchali?
Nargis: Because it talks of developing India. Of modern India.
Interviewer: What do you think is modern India?
Nargis (thinks for a while): Ummmm....I cant give you an example offhand...
I: But still...
Nargis: Umm.. well... You can say things like... dams...
May her spirit rest in peace, is all I can say.
JAP: You got to take into account the fact that Jai is writing for BS - the puritanical paper where the upper lip is slightly stiff.ReplyDelete
Tridib: Fly swatter or not, Chidananda Dasgupta was one pompous arse. He was the one who panned Kanchenjungha, when western critics raved about it.
I saw your article in Ice World (Business Standard) today. Well written...it feels good to see a blogger out in the rest of the media space.ReplyDelete
Fool on the hill (feels strange addressing someone by that name!): yes, that was part of Nargis's tirade (in her Rajya Sabha MP avatar) against Ray's "poverty-obsessed" cinema and how it supposedly presented a false image of India to the World. Salman Rushdie lampooned the whole thing nicely in one of his essays.ReplyDelete
Thanks for the Ghatak reference - have heard of the book, never come across it though.
(And I assume you're Blogisite?)
the idiot (feels even stranger!): interesting definition of creativity and, from a practical viewpoint, an important one I suppose. The poet dying in the gutter is so passe, don't you think :)
JAP: my blog writing is obviously somewhat different from my published stuff. That said, I sometimes get feedback that the stuff on the blog makes for more fluid reading, and that over-structuring/formalising a piece takes something away from it. It's very difficult to strike the right balance.
- Anonymous7:11 PM, August 24, 2005
I've always found Gopa Majumdar's work really overrated and stilted...ReplyDelete
Jai, you can order the book online here. https://www.vedamsbooks.com/no22010.htmReplyDelete
I dont know whether the site works but you can always give it a try.
Fool on the Hill: thanks for the link.ReplyDelete
Ideasmith: thanks, but I was in media a good four years before I started blogging. Have to say though that it doesn't feel that way anymore! Blogging has been so much more rewarding for me on the whole.
Because its so unstructured and free-flowing? Ah...I love it myself.ReplyDelete
Ideasmith: well, that too, but that wasn't actually what I meant. Blogging has been rewarding for me in a practical sense - I've made more strides at a professional level as a result of my blog-writing than because of anything I've done in mainstream journalism (including making important contacts in my specific areas of interest, even getting job offers etc).ReplyDelete
- Anonymous3:01 AM, December 22, 2005
come on, kanchenjunga was quite boring and lecture-ey.ReplyDelete
- Anonymous5:24 PM, May 20, 2006
songs of his flims are great.....!ReplyDelete
Sorry for such a late enquiry comment.ReplyDelete
you commented "Salman Rushdie lampooned the whole thing nicely in one of his essays."
I would be very much interested in reading this. Is this in a book that can be bought or in website?
Very rightly said, when you watch Ray's films you wonder how can a man be so perfect. I remember seeing Charulata and that backward gaze scene...so so perfect...the last scene when she is tense but she has to open the door and two hands meet...the first scene when the camera shows the grandeur of the house...it must be leaving other film-makers dissatisfied with their work. Have you seen Stardust Memories by Woody Allen..Allen, I guess, does not even attempt to reach the excellence of top directors like Ray, Fellini. In the end, his film was totally flawed :-) but it came straight from the heart.ReplyDelete
Allen, I guess, does not even attempt to reach the excellence of top directors like Ray, Fellini.ReplyDelete
Pessimist Fool: hmm, not so sure about that. If we're assuming that there can be such a thing as a "perfect" or near-perfect film, Allen came close enough to it in films like Manhattan, Hannah and Her Sisters, and perhaps even Zelig and Bananas (which were near-perfect examples of the types of films they wanted to be).
true...they were perfect...somehow my views on Allen are colored by his flawed films (which I like watching more)..like Stardust, Vicky Christina, Crimes and MisdemeanorsReplyDelete
Satyajit Ray's tremendous insight on the art of cinema and on human psyche is to be read in this wonderful book. His Amal Majumdar memorial lecture makes a delightful reading, plus articles on Soviet cinema and on the evolution of cinema itself, are extremely informative. The translation by Gopa Majumdar is extraordinary, the labour put into translation is to be read to understood. The lucidity of the language is such that it seems that the articles was written in english original. The book is stuffed with Rays unique and essentially correct ideas on the arts and music. One cannot but think that it was our country's good fortune that a man of Satyajit Ray's talent was born here and left behind an immortal legacy of images, words and lines. The book is ideal for the lovers of cinema and admirers of Ray.ReplyDelete


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FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – The Atlanta Falcons have completed their latest round of cuts by waiving receivers Rashad Evans, Marcus Jackson and Marcus Sales.
The cuts announced Monday came after the team waived 11 players the previous day.
The roster now stands at 75 heading into Thursday's final preseason game against Jacksonville.
Evans and Sales were signed by the Falcons this year as college free agents. Jackson was an undrafted player who spent the 2012 season on Atlanta's practice squad.
The Falcons must reduce their roster to the regular-season limit of 53 by Saturday.
AP NFL website: www.pro32.ap.org


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If someone is not treating you with love and respect, it is a gift if they walk away from you. If that person doesn't walk away, you will surely endure many years of suffering with him or her. Walking away may hurt for a while, but your heart will eventually heal. Then you can choose what you really want. You will find that you don't need to trust others as much as you need to trust yourself to make the right choices.
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With a similar legal battle playing out in the U.K., a company owned by Skype's founders has filed suit against Skype in the U.S.
Joltid, the company owned by Skype founders Janus Friis and Niklas Zennstrom, filed a copyright infringement suit in California against Skype, eBay, Silver Lake Partners and others.
The dispute concerns an agreement that eBay made when it bought Skype in 2005. The acquisition did not include Skype's peer-to-peer networking technology, which is owned by Joltid and was licensed to Skype.
More from IT World Canada –
Earlier this year Joltid terminated the license agreement. Joltid and Skype have since argued over the validity of the termination in courts in England. Further arguments are scheduled there in the middle of next year.
"Joltid terminated its license agreement with Skype as a result of breaches by Skype. Skype has infringed Joltid's copyrights," Joltid said in a statement. "Joltid will vigorously enforce its copyrights and other intellectual property rights in all of the technologies it has innovated."
In the meantime, eBay has said it's developing an alternative technology to get around the licensing issue.
The U.S. lawsuit seeks an injunction against Skype and statutory damages for copyright infringement. Representatives for eBay and Skype did not respond to requests for comment.
Earlier this month, eBay agreed to sell a 65 percent stake in Skype for US$1.9 billion to a group of investors led by Silver Lake. The deal, expected to close in the fourth quarter, values Skype at $2.75 billion, just over the $2.6 billion that eBay paid for it in 2005.


text: This is a guest post by Hanan Lavy, Director of the Microsoft Ventures Accelerator in Tel Aviv. Prior to joining Microsoft, Hanan founded several startups and was the Director of Software R&D at Mercury (acquired by HP for $4.7B). Hanan is going to be speaking at a meetup in Barcelona on Friday at 2pm in Torres Diagonal Litoral, Carrer de Josep Pla, 2, Edificio B3, Planta 6 … [Read more...]


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Ari Ashe, wtop.com
WASHINGTON – While pedestrian fatalities in the District fell to a record low in 2012, one particular type of turn continues to lead to several serious crashes.
The D.C. Department of Transportation is concerned about drivers who hit pedestrians while turning with a green arrow.
"It's a major issue for us," says DDOT Chief Traffic Engineer James Cheeks. "We look at that very seriously as we re-time our traffic signals."
DDOT's Pedestrian Program Coordinator George Branyan says these accidents comprise about a third of all pedestrian crashes, making it the single biggest group of crashes.
"Sometimes drivers are shooting a gap and they're not thinking about the crosswalk. So when they get a hole, they gun it. It's part of driving in this city, but drivers need to be more aware of pedestrians," Branyan says.
To address the high crash rate, D.C. implemented a few resolutions.
Currently, DDOT uses a "Barnes Dance" at 7th Street and H Street N.W., which allows pedestrians to cross in every direction at the same time while cars on all four sides of the intersection are red. This pattern was applied in 2010.
DDOT is also rolling out "leading pedestrian intervals."
"At a typical intersection, pedestrians start to walk at the same time a certain light turns green," Cheeks explains. "But here, we'll allow a pedestrian to start the walk across the crosswalk, hold the cars, so as he (the driver) makes his turn, he will see the pedestrian in the crosswalk."
Leading pedestrian intervals are already in place at 14th Street and U Street N.W., which had nine crashes involving a cyclist and seven more involving pedestrians between 2010 and March 2012, according to a recent DDOT study.
U Street is in the middle of a year-long improvement project to widen sidewalks, repave the street and upgrade traffic signals. The first phase of the ongoing construction at 14th and U is scheduled to wrap up this spring.
Follow @WTOP on Twitter.


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Mike Woodson's most successful season as head coach of the Atlanta Hawks was also his last, a circumstance that speaks both to his limitations as a head coach and those of the organization for which he worked. The 2010 Hawks won the most games since the 1997 squad and reached the second-round of the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in 13 years. The 2010 team also posted both the highest offensive efficiency and lowest defensive efficiency of Woodson's six seasons in charge. Yet Woodson's departure has been met with a response ranging from relief to celebration.
Such reaction is understandable given the miserable ending to the season. Woodson appeared to lose control of the team, and, concurrent with that, demonstrated his greatest weaknesses as a head coach. Had Woodson been able to make a better case for his importance to the team's accomplishments during the regular season, his future with the team could plausibly be in his own hands. Unfortunately for Woodson, his team finished second in the league in offensive efficiency even as he colorfully (and, I believe, honestly) proclaimed not to "give a shit about the offense."
His disinterest in the offensive half of basketball led Woodson, throughout his tenure, to rely on veteran point guards who, though they could knock down a jump shot when Joe Johnson stopped dribbling, were serious defensive liabilities. All the not turning the ball over in the world can't make up for Mike Bibby's defensive limitations and the contortions through which Woodson put his better defenders in an attempt to hide them. Nor did the indisputable success Woodson had in deploying Flip Murray and Jamal Crawford as lead guards off the bench come without the cost of failing to break into the top third of the league's defenses.
To his credit, Woodson consistently and competently prepared his team to play a certain way. Over the course of the past two 82-game seasons, that consistency and the front-line talent available to him proved successful far more often that not. However, when the certain way the Hawks intended to play was stymied (offensively) or exploited (defensively) they just as consistently lacked the ability to counter their opponents. Woodson's attempts at in-game coaching ranged from the maddening (yet largely inconsequential) deployment of Mario West as the game's first-ever end of quarter defensive specialist, to an irrational fear of potential future foul trouble*, to his final, shocking miscalculation: contriving a way to bench Al Horford for much of the first half of the first game of the Orlando series in favor of Jason Collins and Zaza Pachulia.
*The Horford Treatment became less absolute later in Woodson's tenure but it never disappeared completely.
Mike Woodson was never given a deep and talented roster with which to work but there's little evidence he could have made use of such resources had they been made available to him. A coach who find a defined (albeit ridiculous and minuscule) role for Mario West but can't manage to find regular minutes for the point guard of the future is, at best, idiosyncratic.
Perhaps the most incongruous aspect of Woodson's tenure is how it appears, in retrospect, that Woodson was miscast as head coach of this team during his first contract. Woodson never displayed an aptitude for player development. Had he followed a firmer hand, a coach who undertook the hard work of making Josh Smith the player he could be rather than player he thinks himself to be, a coach capable of making use of both Marvin Williams and Josh Childress, a coach who valued shot creation and good shot creation more evenly, then his consistent message and aversion to confrontation might be seen as an inspiring breath of fresh air rather than a calcified impediment to future success.
If Woodson is discerning about his next job and takes over a veteran team with a set roster and more than two good defensive players, I expect his success will more closely mirror that of his last two seasons in Atlanta than the futility of his first four.


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5 Technology Trends: an Elite 8 CIO View
One of the most important qualities of a senior insurance IT executive is the ability to skillfully deploy tried-and-true resources. However, as IT becomes ever more strategic to the competitive insurance enterprise, so does a CIO's ability to foresee the potential of technology and chart a course for supporting the business needs of the future.
Mark Clark, Jackson National Life
With that observation in mind, we asked Mark Clark, CIO, Jackson National Life — one of this year's Elite 8 — for his view on a few of the technologies that are shaping the insurance industry's future:
Ubiquitous Computing: We will see everything become connected wirelessly (the internet of everything). Imagine walking through a store, pointing your phone at a device, and it instantly telling you what it is compatible with in your household. Consumer reports on that item, reviews from other users, etc. Then you get a message to turn around, the device behind you works well with the one you are looking at…
Big Data: Insurance companies tend to have their data "siloed" into systems that make it difficult to query. There will be a large push going forward to make this data accessible by our users in extremely user-friendly ways. We'll see big push to use this data in all sorts of decision making across the organization.
Voice Recognition: Apple's Siri takes this to a whole differently level and this technology will become much more in demand in future applications, particularly combined with the two technologies above, it will become very powerful.
Tablet computing: Increasingly processing will move off the PC and onto tablet devices. There are many challenges in supporting this in a traditional insurance development environment. Demands for mobile and tablet applications will increase and insurance Sr. IT executives need to be ready for it.
Impact of Data Storage Improvements: The high speed and low costs of data storage and memory are already making previously unheard of designs feasible, with no end is sight.
[For more on this year's Elite 8 honorees' views on technology shaping the future of the insurance industry, see Go, Go, Gadget: Top Emerging Technology Tools for Insurers.]
Anthony O'Donnell has covered technology in the insurance industry since 2000, when he joined the editorial staff of Insurance & Technology. As an editor and reporter for I&T and the InformationWeek Financial Services of TechWeb he has written on all areas of information ... View Full Bio


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Chris Thomas. He is a Welsh scientist, was a healer and a psychic surgeon and, was an Akashic reader but, never a "channeler". Interesting fellow, he is (or Cymrawd or Dyn). I own all of his books and, I'm pretty sure I have all of his essays and interviews. There may be more out there than what I have but, I at least have the bulk of his material.
This will serve as an unofficial chronicle of his work. Check out my links to the right (on a PC, laptop or tablet). If you are on a cell phone, the links are way down at the bottom of the page or, you can select Menu and choose Chris's Material to read my specific posts on his writings and interviews. There is no Chris Thomas website, anymore (Wayback Machine archive) so, this pit stop will have to suffice and he no longer sees clients. Chris, or Di, if you ever happen to read this, I mean no disrespect. On the contrary…I am in awe of your talents and your stunning bravery (or Arwr or Harwr). Sorry that your special "archive" is across the pond, gathered up and presented by a Yank.
If you have any questions or comments regarding Chris's material, contact me.
The Book Library
The Journey Home
The Fool's First Steps
Planet Earth: The Universe's Experiment
The Universal Soul
The Human Soul: Universal Soul2
Project HUMAN EXTINCTION: The Ultimate Conspiracy
The Annunaki Plan? or The Human Plan?
The Healing Book
Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Your Body
The Sequel To Everything


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PS4 will launch for $349 and the Xbox One for $399, analyst Michael Pachter has predicted.
He adds that each Xbox One will cost $325 to manufacture suggesting that Microsoft could make a modest profit at the $399 price point" while Sony will look to undercut PS3's $599 launch RRP as he believes the lofty starting price negatively impacted its long-term popularity". PS4 manufacturing costs are pegged at $275.
However, Pachter also reckons that Microsoft is investigating methods through which it could offer a day one discount.
Xbox One is the more likely of the two new consoles to be subsidised due to its functionality," Pachter added. We believe the ability to watch live TV from a cable, telco, or satellite set-top box through Xbox One could entice an MSO to drive subscriptions through a subsidized box in exchange for a multi-year contract.
The 'always connected' requirement for the Xbox One likely means that a broadband connection will be required, suggesting to us that ISPs may have an incentive to offer a subsidy as well.
In addition, Microsoft could conceivably subsidise the Xbox One through prepaid Xbox Live Gold subscriptions (as it has done on a limited basis in the past) or premium Skype functionality as well.
Similarly, Sony could subsidize the PS4 through prepaid PlayStation Network subscriptions, but unlike Microsoft, it does not have a history of doing so. We believe that many of the multimedia functions demonstrated at the Xbox One reveal event could be emulated by Sony in the next year or so through a firmware update.
Pachter also reckons that a price cut for both Xbox 360 and PS3 is very much a possibility – as are cuts to Wii U and Vita.


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I divided my Dutch Iris bulbs. I love how every year they give me more and more. These were originally in the yard from our old house. Now I have about 60-70 bloom every year.
The Charm of Home
Potpourri Friday
Inspiration Friday
Common Ground
A lovely post. We usually do not need to look far to find something for which to be thankful. I love the picture of your two beautiful girls playing together. BonnieReplyDelete
It's awesome how this month helps remind us what we are grateful for. Loved your post, and your girls are darling!ReplyDelete
Yes, we do have much to be thankful for! You are lucky to have siblings who get along. I did too, and I have such good memories of their childhoods.ReplyDelete
I agree on being thankful for food, etc. Loved the photo of your girls playing together!ReplyDelete
I always enjoy your posts! Love your girls, they are gorgeous!
Do you exchange cuttings or plants with your neihghbors? I used to do that when I lived in a house. It saves money and everyone got to enjoy a nice perennial garden.
What great things to be thankful for! Love the photo of your two girls together. Great big sister.ReplyDelete
So true...we are grateful to always have food, even when we are "out of everything" there is something to fill our tummies! Love the picture of the girls!! I too feel it very medicinal to do yard work!! I haven't divided my irises yet, but maybe after the rain when the earth is soft I will do mine!!ReplyDelete
Beautiful post ! Thanks for sharing,JoannReplyDelete
Your post is sweet and thoughtful! Things to be thankful for are very close at hand.
Thanks for linking your lovely post to Potpourri Friday!
Thanks Elaine, we have lots to be thankful for and just need to stop and do so everyday. Thanks for reminding ME! Have a wonderful weekend and -- GET SOME REST!ReplyDelete
You must have a wonderful 13 year old, that she will play with her little sister. That warms my heart and I don't even know you guys!
We all have so much to be thankful for, though,don't we.
Hugs, cindy
No matter how bad our situation may be or how bad or day may be going...there's always at least one thing to be thankful for.
I love your irises by the way. My m-i-l loved irises and had many different varieties. Unfortunately, many who passed down their country road loved them too and thought they were free for the taking...seriously!!!
What a beautiful post Elaine. What a nice reminder to be thankful for what we have and a clean yard before the rain starts is an added blessing. See you Saturday! PattyReplyDelete
Great great post! You have reminded me not to take things for granted.ReplyDelete
Agree with others that was a lovely post, and thanks for reminding me that I do have many things to be thankful for! Blessings to you!ReplyDelete
So many things to be grateful for :)
Makes it hard to feel sorry for ourselves, when we look around and recognize all of our many blessings.
Have a happy, and blessed weekend.
What a lovely post Elaine! There is a lot to be thankful for. My middle and my youngest are 10 years apart and the teen will still play with the 6 yr.old. It is nice they can still have that!:)
Thank you for linking it up with Home Sweet Home!


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" Game Head Of The Month " June 2023
Discussion in 'Deer and Gameheads' started by Steven Klee, Jun 4, 2023.
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Unfortunately, severe droughts are not just the stuff of classic literature. A research team, led by a group at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory (LDEO) in Palisades, N.Y., reveal in this week's Science that southwestern North America will likely be saddled with increasingly arid conditions during the next century. This drying effect, the researchers say, is directly related to man-made climate change and will demand new methods for managing water resources in the region. They based their findings on 19 climate models, all of which contributed to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change's (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report released in Paris in early February
"The Southwest," in the current study, refers to the southwestern U.S. and northern Mexico. The researchers add that a similar pattern of drying is predicted for the region bounded by southern Europe, the Mediterranean Sea and the Middle East; wetter climes are expected for areas farther away from the tropics and closer to Earth's poles.
The output of the climate models used in the current analysis came in measures of future precipitation and evaporation. "[Those figures are] what matters in terms of the water that's available to the soil in the ground," says study co-author Mingfang Ting, a senior research scientist at LDEO. By subtracting the area's evaporation rate from its precipitation rate, the scientists were able to make projections on the net gain of water available in the ground. (Of the 19 models, 18 of them show this value to be negative by the latter half of the current century, indicating, according to Ting, that "precipitation is reduced or evaporation could be increased.")
On average, the models suggest that the cusp of the late 20th century–early 21st century ushered in a period of consistently arid climate. Soon, if not already, one quarter of the models predict that moisture will begin to disappear from the region at a rate of 0.1 millimeters per day. In fact, the researchers believe the current six-to-seven-year drought in the region is the beginning of this drying trend. "The current drought is related to the warming due to the greenhouse gases," says Ting. "In the past, El niño [would] disappate the drought, but now it's not able to stop the drought.''
Normally, the El Niño and La Niña weather systems are largely responsible for cyclical precipitation and drought in the Southwest. El Niño brings in moisture from the tropics (by the warming of the ocean, which condenses water into the lower atmosphere that is then shuttled into the subtropical regions), whereas La Niña essentially does the opposite, causing cold ocean temperatures in the equatorial eastern Pacific. The latter phenomenon is believed to be the culprit behind both the 1930s dust bowl and a widespread drought in the Southwest during the 1950s.
"The drought that we're taking about is not La Niña," Ting explains, referring to the current dry system. "That is associated with the greenhouse gas warming." While the consequences are similar, the actual effect on the oceans is very different, she says. Instead of a cooling in the tropics, there will be a uniform warming of the ocean, which will push the Pacific jet stream farther north. As a result, "Canada does get quite a lot more rain," Ting notes, whereas "the whole state of California, for example, will be much drier."
"There will be a new climatology that is like a permanent drought," says Ting. "It really is a severe problem in terms of managing water resources." Tapio Schneider, an assistant professor of environmental science and engineering at Caltech, points out that these findings and projections are consistent across all subtropical regions, such as in Australia, which is also suffering from droughtlike conditions. He also notes that water issues are already being addressed. "There are people in government that are worrying about this," he says, "and have been worrying about this for awhile."
Just last week, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reiterated his proposal that his state set aside $5.9 billion to better manage its water resources. "Water infrastructure is no different than when we talk about transportation infrastructure or the infrastructure in our building more schools," he said at a press conference. "As we see an increase in population we must build more. We must build more roads, we must build more schools and we must build more above-the-ground water storage."