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Mistaken identifications are the leading cause of wrongful convictions in the United States. Over 75% of cases so far overturned through DNA testing involved some form of eyewitness error.1
Our California Criminal Defense Lawyers are here to help ensure that you or your loved done is not wrongly convicted based on misidentification.
We bring decades of experience to the effort - accumulated from over a collective century of working in all aspects of the criminal justice system. We used to be cops and prosecutors, but now we've switched sides to defend the accused.2
In this article, we provide an introduction to the problem of mistaken identity in California criminal cases. We cover:
1. What is mistaken
eyewitness identification?
2. What leads to mistaken misidentification?
3. Do California laws protect against mistaken identification?
4. What can I do to help my case?
If you have further questions after reading this article, we invite you to contact us at Shouse Law Group for a consultation.
1. What is mistaken eyewitness identification?lineu
Mistaken eyewitness identification is when a crime victim or eyewitness mistakenly identifies someone as the perpetrator of a crime even though that person didn't commit the crime. The witness identifies the wrong person.
It's a common problem that persists despite years of social science and psychological research into its causes and corresponding efforts to implement criminal justice reforms to guard against it.
"The vagaries of eyewitness identification are well known," Justice Brennan wrote in an important United States Supreme Court case affirming a defendant's right to counsel during pretrial lineups, "the annals of criminal law are rife with instances of mistaken identification."3
Improper "suggestive" police tactics are sometimes to blame for misidentification. Other times it's just an honest mistake. That's what happened in the case of Ronald Cotton, who spent eleven years in prison for a rape he didn't commit. The victim misidentified Cotton as her rapist from a lineup.
Kirk Bloodsworth spent two years on death row for a rape and murder he didn't commit, largely on the basis of mistaken eyewitness testimony. Like Cotton, Bloodsworth was later exonerated by DNA evidence.
Misidentification can happen during:
- lineups (witness is shown a group of individuals, like on television)
- photo arrays (witness is shown a group of photos, sometimes called a "six-pack")
- showups (witness is shown a single person, often near the crime scene)
- voice lineups (witness listens to different voices)
- in-court identifications (witness is asked to identify the perpetrator in court)4
Ripple effect
The problem of mistaken identification is made worse because it ripples. If a witness makes an incorrect identification at an early stage in the process, such as a lineup, that witness can "latch onto" this new memory and thus continue mistakenly to identify the same person down the road, during trial.
2. What leads to eyewitness misidentification?
Mistaken identification is caused by two groups of factors referred to as estimator variables and system variables. Estimator variables are factors outside the control of police investigators. System variables are factors that cops can control during the investigation.
Even the best police protocols can't change whether a witness viewed a perpetrator under optimal lighting conditions. But sound investigative techniques can minimize the chance that an eyewitness has been "deliberately or accidentally subjected to investigation procedures that compromise the quality of eyewitness identification."5
Mistaken identity expert Elizabeth Loftus captures the essence of the problem in her book Eyewitness Testimony: "When someone is accused of a crime he did not commit, two people are trapped on the dark side of justice, while the real perpetrator remains free."
It is in everyone's interest that we do all we can to avoid erroneous identifications.
2.1. Estimator variables leading to misidentification
Let's start with estimator variables - factors that relate to the circumstances under which "witnessing" takes place.
Most people readily understand that someone's ability to perceive and identify another person is impacted by things like lighting conditions and preexisting familiarity. But other factors come into play, too.6
Impact of race, weapons, stress and other factors
Research shows that people have more difficulty identifying a person of another race.7 Further, because of "weapons-focus phenomenon," when a weapon is used, people tend to focus on the weapon instead of the perpetrator's face.8
And when it comes to stress, "studies have shown that a person's ability to recall details of an event is likely to be worse if a witness has observed a violent event as opposed to a nonviolent one."9
Here are questions to consider in evaluating estimator variables:
- Did the witness know or have contact with the defendant before the event?
- How well could the witness see the perpetrator? Was it dark when the crime occurred? Were the streetlights knocked out that weekend? Were any lights on in the house? Did the perpetrator wear a mask or disguise?
- How far away was the witness from the perpetrator? Was the witness's view obstructed by buildings, other people or parked cars?
- Was the witness drunk at the time or high on drugs? Does the witness have a vision problem?
- Did the witness have time to fully see the perpetrator's face or was everything over in a matter of moments? Was the witness frightened and stressed out? Was she fixated on the perpetrator's weapon?
- How much time passed between the event and the identification? In the intervening period, did the witness have occasion to "compare notes" with others or read media reports that may have influenced his or her independent memory?
- Are the witness and perpetrator of different races?
2.2. System variables leading to misidentification
System variables include overt or subtle suggestive techniques cops use to influence a witness to pick a particular suspect. In other words, cops often do things to make a particular suspect stand out from others. When this happens, it greatly increases the danger of misidentification.
Standing out
Certain identification methods are inherently more suggestive than others. A "field showup" - where cops ask a witness to identify a single suspect they apprehend near the crime scene - is more suggestive than a multi-person lineup for obvious reasons. A witness might easily assume cops caught the right guy, when he's standing there in handcuffs and surrounded by officers, even if the witness would otherwise have doubts.10
Lineups also can be conducted in a suggestive manner. A defendant can argue that a lineup was suggestive if he or she was the only suspect in the group with black skin or tattoos or other distinguishing characteristics.11
In a case involving the robbery of a donut shop, for example, an eyewitness was shown a six-pack photo array in which the defendant's photo was the only one with his name and identification information written underneath it.12
"Blind" is better and so is sequential
To minimize potential suggestion, experts recommend that cops use "blind" lineups, conducted by an investigator not otherwise involved in the case.13 If the conductor of the lineup doesn't know which one is the real suspect, he's less likely to do something--even subconsciously--to direct witnesses' attention to that particular person.
To combat the "relative memory" problem - where a witness picks the suspect who looks most like the perpetrator relative to other suspects - sequential lineups are probably better than simultaneous lineups.14 In a sequential lineup, the witness is show suspects one at a time rather than standing together.
Leading questions and admonitions
What cops say and how they say it also matters. Leading questions can lead to false memories and misidentification. "If an investigator asks a witness what color hat the bank robber was wearing," Lisa Steele writes, "the witness may recall and describe a hat that never existed."15 Nonleading questions are better, such as "Tell me everything you remember the suspect wearing."
When conducting a lineup or photo array, officers should take care to admonish the witness that the perpetrator may or may not be in the group (so the witness doesn't make an identification just to get it over with or to placate the investigator).
Further, officers should reassure the witness that police will continue to investigate the crime even if the witness fails to pick a suspect.
3. Do California laws protect against mistaken identification?
Eyewitness identification is covered by various constitutional and evidentiary provisions. But as we'll see, protection in theory doesn't necessarily translate into protection in practice.
Judges maintain discretion in important areas and they don't always exercise that discretion in favor of defendants.
The federal constitution's Due Process Clause and Article I, Section 15 of the California Constitution provide protection against mistaken eyewitness identification. Courts have held that identifications that are both unnecessarily suggestive and unreliable violate due process.16
The analysis consists of a two-part test that looks at system and estimator variables.
First, the court determines whether the identification was unduly suggestive. If the court decides that the identification was not unduly suggestive, then the analysis ends from a constitutional standpoint.17
Second, if the court decides that the identification was unduly suggestive, then the court looks at the totality of the circumstances to see whether the identification was nonetheless reliable.18 The court considers:
- the opportunity of the witness to view the criminal at the time of the crime
- the witness's degree of attention
- the accuracy of the witness's prior description of the criminal
- the level of certainty demonstrated by the witness at the confrontation19
- the length of time between the crime and the confrontation
The "blind eye" problem
It's great that defendants have due process protections when it comes to eyewitness identification, but legal protections are only effective to the extent they get enforced. It appears that police departments continue to engage in suggestive practices and courts are not always stepping up to hold them accountable.
In her 2009 law review article, Judicial Blindness to Eyewitness Misidentification, Professor Sandra Guerra Thompson reviewed nearly 100 appellate cases (including from California) that challenged witness identifications on suggestibility grounds. She concluded that:
Just as in the days before the reforms were proposed, the study shows that dubious eyewitness identification evidence continues to be admitted, and appellate courts continue to turn a blind eye to defense challenges based on suggestiveness and unreliability of such evidence. If one reads only the recent case law challenging suggestive identification procedures, one might get the impression that the innocence reform movement - and the exoneration of hundreds of innocent persons - never happened.20
In addition to due process rights, defendants have a Sixth Amendment constitutional right to have their criminal defense attorney present at pretrial lineups.21
A criminal defense lawyer can be a significant asset during a pretrial lineup. Not only can the lawyer explain what is going on, the attorney can spot troublesome system variables that can lead to mistaken identification and miscarriages of justice.22
Just having a lawyer in the room (especially a former cop who knows all the tricks) can deter officers from engaging in improper suggestive tactics.
When it comes to state criminal proceedings, the right to counsel applies to pre-indictment lineups.23 Under federal law, it extends only to post-indictment lineups.24
This is where the defense asks the judge to order that a new lineup be conducted.
Interestingly, sometimes it's beneficial for a defendant to participate in a California pretrial lineup. If the witness can't identify the defendant, that could be the end of the prosecution's case.
Let's look at an example.
Example: A man robs a drive-in restaurant at gunpoint. Cops catch the alleged felon, Vernel Evans, near the crime scene and ask a witness to identify him in a field showup.
But during the showup, suspect Evans is sitting in the back of a police car and the witness can only see his head and shoulders from behind. On this basis, the witness tells the cops that Evans has the same build as the defendant.
Evans argues, and the court agrees, that the police should hold a lineup prior to trial to see whether or not the witness can actually identify Evans. The defense figures that, otherwise, even if the witness has doubts, he will likely finger Evans at trial 'because he is the accused, is black, would appear in jail denims and would be positioned at the side of defense counsel.'25
In order to get an Evans lineup: (1) the request must be made in a timely manner; (2) witness identification must be a material issue in the case; and (3) there must exist a reasonable likelihood of mistaken identification that a lineup would tend to resolve.26
Evans lineups aren't always a good idea. But it's something to talk over with your California criminal defense attorney.27
In many California criminal trials, the prosecution's case is based on questionable eyewitness identification. At such trials, it's common for the defense to call an expert witness to explain the prevalence of and reasons for witness misidentification.
Jurors know a great deal and have common sense. But they might not be up-to-speed on the latest's social science and psychological research regarding human perception and memory.
A 2006 study found that potential jurors continue to misunderstand how certain variables impact reliability of witness identification. With respect to weapons-focus, for example, only "three out of ten potential jurors correctly understood that the presence of a weapon tends to make an eyewitness' memory for details less reliable."28
When it came to witness confidence, the "results also make clear that jurors have no meaningful idea of how to evaluate witness statements of confidence and are likely to substantially overestimate the reliability of a confident witness."29
In appropriate cases, it can thus be very helpful to have an expert testify about witness misidentification issues. The expert isn't generally permitted to testify about the reliability of particular witnesses. Rather, the witness is there to give jurors information they need to make more legitimate reliability determinations and thus do their jobs better.
McDonald test for expert testimony
Expert witness testimony isn't allowed in every case - it's up to the judge's discretion.
But the California Supreme Court made clear in People v. McDonald that such testimony generally should be admitted where eyewitness testimony is a key part of the prosecution's case but is not "substantially corroborated by evidence giving it independent reliability."30
4. What can I do to help my case?
Mistaken identification continues to be a significant problem leading to wrongful conviction in California criminal cases. People still have imperfect memories and cops and courts exacerbate the problem by failing to keep up with the research.
As a result, defendants are subjected to unduly suggestive, unreliable procedures and innocent people are sometimes sent to prison for crimes they did not commit.
That said, don't give up hope if you have a case involving mistaken identity. All is not lost.
One thing you can do is hire a knowledgeable attorney, skilled in trial work, as early in the process as possible. Because of the way mistaken identity can ripple through a case from beginning to end, a lawyer can do the most good if he or she is able to begin troubleshooting early on.
Our California Criminal Defense Lawyers know the most persuasive arguments to make to ensure that you get the full benefit of your rights. We might be able to get the charges dismissed altogether or at least get the unfair identification excluded from trial.
As seasoned trial lawyers, we also have an edge when it comes to conducting the kind of penetrating voir dire and vigorous cross-examination that can make the difference in a case involving unreliable eyewitness testimony.
The system has cracks. But until those cracks get repaired (hopefully), we will continue to use all the tools available - including legal argument and courtroom savvy - to prevent our clients from falling through them.
Our California Criminal Defense Lawyers Can Help.
If you or loved one is in need of help with mistaken identification as a legal defense and you are looking to hire an attorney for representation, we invite you to contact us at Shouse Law Group. We can provide a free consultation in office or by phone. We have local offices in Los Angeles, the San Fernando Valley, Pasadena, Long Beach, Orange County, Ventura, San Bernardino, Rancho Cucamonga, Riverside, San Diego, Sacramento, Oakland, San Francisco, San Jose and throughout California.
You might also be interested in reading our related articles Police Misconduct and Civil Rights Violations, Medical Neglect in California Jails, K-9 Police Dogs and Excessive Force, Police Pretrial Lineups, Coerced Confessions and Section 1983 Actions for Civil Rights Violations.
Additionally, we have a wide array of articles available on criminal law topics like Arson, Carjacking, Evading a Police Officer, Firearm Offenses, California Drug Crimes, Probation Violation Hearings, and Three-Strikes
Helpful links:
Northwestern Law Center on Wrongful Convictions
1See Innocence Project, "Understand the Causes." See also Richard S. Schmechel, Timothy P. O'Toole, Catherine Easterly and Elizabeth F. Loftus, Beyond the Ken? Testing Jurors' Understanding of Eyewitness Reliability Evidence, 46 Jurimetrics, Winter 2006, p. 184 ("Such resistance is all the more surprising because long before DNA exoneration could prove what is now known - that mistaken eyewitness identifications are the leading cause of wrongful convictions - courts recognized that eyewitness evidence is not as reliable as many jurors think it is.")
2Our California Criminal Defense Lawyers have local Los Angeles law offices in Beverly Hills, Burbank, Glendale, Lancaster, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Pasadena, Pomona, Torrance, Van Nuys, West Covina and Whittier. We have additional law offices conveniently located throughout the state in Orange County, San Diego, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura, San Jose, Oakland, the San Francisco Bay area, and several nearby cities.
3United States v. Wade, 388 U.S. 218, 228 (1967) [defendant entitled to counsel at post-indictment lineup as a "critical stage" of judicial process] ("The vagaries of eyewitness identification are well known; the annals of criminal law are rife with instances of mistaken identification. Mr. Justice Frankfurter once said: 'What is the worth of identification testimony even when uncontradicted? The identification of strangers is proverbially untrustworthy. The hazards of such testimony are established by a formidable number of instances in the records of English and American trials. These instances are recent -- not due to the brutalities of ancient criminal procedure.' The Case of Sacco and Vanzetti 30 (1927).")
4Composite sketches are another identification tool that can be problematic. For a discussion of the lack of reliability of composite sketches and the need to extend to sketches the protections granted to other forms of identification, see Jessica M. McNamara, Sketchy Eyewitness-Identification Procedures: A Proposal to Draw Up Legal Guidelines for the Use of Facial Composites in Criminal Investigations, Wisconsin Law Review (2009), p. 768 ("A growing body of social-science research now shows numerous problems with the effectiveness and reliability of facial composites. Questions about the reliability of identifications stemming from a facial composite are particularly relevant, given the significant number of wrongful convictions resulting from mistaken eyewitness identifications that began with a facial composite.")
5Brian L. Cutler and Steven D. Penrod, Mistaken Identification (Cambridge University Press 1995), p. 6. See also Gary L. Wells, Amina Memon and Steven D. Penrod, Eyewitness Evidence, Phsychological Science in the Public Interest, Volume 7, No. 2 (2006), p. 45 ("A subset of the variables that affect eyewitness accuracy fall into what researchers call system variables, which are variables that the criminal justice system has control over, such as how eyewitnesses are instructed before they view a lineup and methods of interviewing eyewitnesses. We review a number of system variables and describe how psychological scientists have translated them into procedures that can improve the probative value of eyewitness accounts. We also review estimator variables, variables that affect eyewitness accuracy but over which the system has no control, such as cross-race versus within-race identifications.")
6See generally California Jury Instructions on Witness Identification, CALCRIM 315 ("You have heard eyewitness testimony identifying the defendant. As with any other witness, you must decide whether an eyewitness gave truthful and accurate testimony. In evaluating identification testimony, consider the following questions: • Did the witness know or have contact with the defendant before the event? • How well could the witness see the perpetrator? • What were the circumstances affecting the witness's ability to observe, such as lighting, weather conditions, obstructions, distance, [and] duration of observation[, and <insert any other relevant circumstances>]? • How closely was the witness paying attention? • Was the witness under stress when he or she made the observation? • Did the witness give a description and how does that description compare to the defendant? • How much time passed between the event and the time when the witness identified the defendant? • Was the witness asked to pick the perpetrator out of a group? • Did the witness ever fail to identify the defendant? • Did the witness ever change his or her mind about the identification? • How certain was the witness when he or she made an identification? • Are the witness and the defendant of different races? • [Was the witness able to identify other participants in the crime?] • [Was the witness able to identify the defendant in a photographic or physical lineup?] • [ <insert other relevant factors raised by the evidence>.] • Were there any other circumstances affecting the witness's ability to make an accurate identification? The People have the burden of proving beyond a reasonable doubt that it was the defendant who committed the crime. If the People have not met this burden, you must find that the defendant not guilty.") REGARDING JURY INSTRUCTIONS, see People v. Wright, 45 Cal.3d 1126, 1143 (1988) [armed robbery case in which only evidence was eyewitness identification and three of eleven victims identified defendant with varying levels of certainty as a perpetrator] ("We conclude that the listing of factors to be considered by the jury will sufficiently bring to the jury's attention the appropriate factors, and that an explanation of the effects of those factors is best left to argument by counsel, cross-examination of the eyewitnesses, and expert testimony where appropriate. The instruction should list the applicable factors in a neutral and nonargumentative instruction, thus effectively informing the jury without improperly invading the domain of either jury or expert witness. It should list only factors applicable to the evidence at trial, and should refrain from being unduly long or argumentative."); SEE ALSO California Criminal Defense Practice, Vol. 2 (Eyewitness Identification), §31.05[3][b] ("The court may not instruct the jury that eyewitness identification may be mistaken and should be received with caution. This type of instruction is improper and unnecessary, and would usurp the jury's role as exclusive trier of fact by binding it to the view that eyewitness identifications are often mistaken. However, if the witness failed to attend a pretrial lineup that the defendant had requested, the trial court may inform the jurors about that failure and instruct them that, as a result, the in-court identification should be viewed with caution.")
7See 2008 American Bar Association report to house of delegates on cross-racial identification and need for prophylactic efforts in the form of expert witness testimony and/or jury instructions ("Research results vary but they show a generally consistent pattern. Persons of one racial group may have greater difficulty distinguishing among individual faces of persons in another group than among faces of persons in own group. Persons who primarily interact within their own racial group, especially if they are in the majority group, will better perceive and process the subtlety of facial features of persons within their own racial group than persons of other racial groups.")
8Elizabeth F. Loftus, Geoffrey R. Loftus, Jane Messo, Some Facts About "Weapons Focus" in Law and Human Behavior, Vol. 11, No. 1 (1987) ("'Weapons focus' refers to the concentration of a crime witness's attention on a weapon, and the resultant reduction in ability to remember other details of the crime.")
9Schmechel, O'Toole, Easterly and Loftus, Beyond the Ken?, supra, p. 197.
10U.S. Department of Justice, National Institute of Justice, Eyewitness Evidence: A Guide for Law Enforcement (Oct. 1999), p. 27 ("The use of a showup can provide investigative information at an early stage, but the inherent suggestiveness of a showup requires careful use of procedural safeguards."); Wells, Eyewitness Identification: Systemic Reforms, infra, p. 628 ("The idea behind using a show-up is to present the suspect to the witness while the witness's memory is still fresh. Research indicates, however, that show-ups produce higher rates of mistaken identification than do simultaneous lineups or sequential lineups, even when the witness is tested soon after the witnessed event. The reason for the higher rate of mistaken identifications when using show-ups is mainly because show-ups do not include fillers that protect an innocent suspect.")
11People v. Ybarra, 166 Cal.App.4th 1069, 1082 (2008) [test for suggestibility is whether one suspect stood out from the others] ("Where photographs in a lineup are of males of the same ethnicity and of 'generally of the same age, complexion, and build, and generally resembling each other,' and where the accused's 'photograph did not stand out, and the identification procedure was sufficiently neutral,' the lineup is not impermissibly suggestive."); People v. Hogan, 264 Cal.App.2nd 254, 260 (1968) [defendant only African-American suspect in lineup] ("In the present case, Quincy Thomas had seen a Negro commit the burglary. Defendant was a Negro: the three men lined up with him for confrontation by Thomas were not, and this fact was immediately evident to Thomas."); Foster v. California, 394 U.S. 440, 442 (1969) [identification was suggestive for several reasons, including because defendant was markedly taller than others in lineup] ("Judged by that standard, this case presents a compelling example of unfair lineup procedures. In the first lineup arranged by the police, petitioner stood out from the other two men by the contrast of his height and by the fact that he was wearing a leather jacket similar to that worn by the robber.When this did not lead to positive identification, the police permitted a one-to-one confrontation between petitioner and the witness.Even after this, the witness' identification of petitioner was tentative. So, some days later, another lineup was arranged. Petitioner was the only person in this lineup who had also participated in the first lineup.")
12People v. Carlos, 138 Cal.App.4th 907, 912 (2006) "(The problem with the six-pack is obvious -- it is not just that Carlos's name and an identification number are printed on the front of the form, it is that they are printed directly below his picture. The prosecutor's representation that all six-packs are similarly labeled may be correct, but whether by chance or design the problem here is that the suspect's photograph is directly above the name and number. Although the name placement is not quite an arrow pointing to Carlos, it is plainly suggestive.")
13Thompson, Judicial Blindness, supra, p. 697. ("For lineups and photo arrays, most of the proposals recommend what is known as 'blind,' or 'double-blind,' administration. In a blind identification procedure, the investigator conducting the lineup or photo array does not know the identity of the suspect. If the witness is also instructed that the investigator is unaware of the suspect's identity, that is called 'double-blind.' Using a double-blind procedure reduces suggestion in two ways: (1) it ensures that the investigator conducting the identification procedure cannot, either consciously or unconsciously, suggest which person the witness should select; and (2) it deters witnesses, again consciously or unconsciously, from looking to investigators for clues about whom to select. It also eliminates the opportunity for the officer to give the witness confirmatory feedback after the identification.")
14Gary Wells, Eyewitness Identification: Systemic Reforms, Wisconsin Law Review, Volume 2006, No. 2, 615, 618 ("Specifically, people have a tendency to select the person who looks most like the offender relative to the other members of the lineup. At first glance, this relative-judgment process would seem to be nonproblematic. In fact, however, the relative-judgment process is extremely problematic. The problem is made apparent by considering the fact that there is always someone who looks more like the offender than the remaining members of the lineup, even when the lineup does not include the offender. In these cases, eyewitnesses have a tendency to select that innocent person and confuse this relative-judgment process with recognition memory."); SEE ALSO Police Chiefs' Association of Santa Clara County, Line-up Protocol for Law Enforcement ("Exhaustive studies have found that witnesses are much more likely to identify the guilty suspect if the lineup is sequential. Under traditional simultaneous lineups, some witnesses will inadvertently begin to compare the photos to one another instead of comparing the photo to their memory. Consequently, the identifications are not as reliable as those conducted sequentially."); Beth Schuster, Police Lineups: Making Eyewitness Identification More Reliable, NIJ Journal No. 258 (Oct. 2007) ("The current state of research on simultaneous versus sequential lineups-including the limited amount of field testing and the dispute over test designs and methodology-has generated more questions than answers. The results of the Illinois and Hennepin County studies highlight the need for more research on what works in police lineups and how police departments can easily and effectively implement them.")
15Lisa Steele, Trying Identification Cases: An Outline for Raising Eyewitness ID Issues, Champion Magazine, National Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers (Nov. 2004), p. 4 ("If an investigator asks a witness what color hat the bank robber was wearing, the witness may recall and describe a hat that never existed. Investigating how a statement was prepared is as important as the content of the statement itself. ")
16People v. Cunningham, 25 Cal.4th 926, 989 (2001) [death penalty case involving robbery and murder] (In order to determine whether the admission of identification evidence violates a defendant's right to due process of law, we consider (1) whether the identification procedure was unduly suggestive and unnecessary, and, if so, (2) whether the identification itself was nevertheless reliable under the totality of the circumstances, taking into account such factors as the opportunity of the witness to view the suspect at the time of the offense, the witness's degree of attention at the time of the offense, the accuracy of his or her prior description of the suspect, the level of certainty demonstrated at the time of the identification, and the lapse of time between the offense and the identification.The defendant bears the burden of demonstrating the existence of an unreliable identification procedure."); Stovall v. Denno, 388 U.S. 293, 302 (1967) [no due process violation in case where defendant was brought to victim's hospital room in showup while he was handcuffed to a cop because of time pressure and lack of alternatives] ("We turn now to the question whether petitioner, although not entitled to the application of Wade and Gilbert to his case, is entitled to relief on his claim that, in any event, the confrontation conducted in this case was so unnecessarily suggestive and conducive to irreparable mistaken identification that he was denied due process of law. This is a recognized ground of attack upon a conviction independent of any right to counsel claim. The practice of showing suspects singly to persons for the purpose of identification, and not as part of a lineup, has been widely condemned. However, a claimed violation of due process of law in the conduct of a confrontation depends on the totality of the circumstances surrounding it, and the record in the present case reveals that the showing of Stovall to Mrs. Behrendt in an immediate hospital confrontation was imperative. The Court of Appeals, en banc, stated.Here was the only person in the world who could possibly exonerate Stovall. Her words, and only her words, 'He is not the man,' could have resulted in freedom for Stovall. The hospital was not far distant from the courthouse and jail. No one knew how long Mrs. Behrendt might live. Faced with the responsibility of identifying the attacker, with the need for immediate action and with the knowledge that Mrs. Behrendt could not visit the jail, the police followed the only feasible procedure and took Stovall to the hospital room. Under these circumstances, the usual police station line-up, which Stovall now argues he should have had, was out of the question." Internal citations and quotations omitted); Simmons v. United States, 390 U.S. 377, 384 (1968) [Chicago bank robbery case involving photo arrays] ("Instead, we hold that each case must be considered on its own facts, and that convictions based on eyewitness identification at trial following a pretrial identification by photograph will be set aside on that ground only if the photographic identification procedure was so impermissibly suggestive as to give rise to a very substantial likelihood of irreparable misidentification.")
17People v. Yeoman, 31 Cal.4th 93, 125 (2004) ("Our determination that the identification procedures used here were not unnecessarily suggestive disposes of defendant's claim under due process. Only if the challenged identification procedure is unnecessarily suggestive is it necessary to determine the reliability of the resulting identification."); People v. Ochoa, 19 Cal.4th 353 (1998) [not unduly suggestive for cop to show rape victim, who had only seen rapist in profile, to show witness defendant's photo in profile but not other photos in array in profile] ("for a witness identification procedure to violate the due process clauses, the state must, at the threshold, improperly suggest something to the witness-i.e., it must, wittingly or unwittingly, initiate an unduly suggestive procedure. Due process does not forbid the state to provide useful further information in response to a witness's request, for the state is not suggesting anything.")
18Mason v. Brathwaite, 432 U.S. 98, 114 (1977) [suggestibility itself insufficient to invalidate a pre-trial identification ] ("We therefore conclude that reliability is the linchpin in determining the admissibility of identification testimony for both pre- and post-Stovall confrontations. The factors to be considered are set out in Biggers....These include the opportunity of the witness to view the criminal at the time of the crime, the witness' degree of attention, the accuracy of his prior description of the criminal, the level of certainty demonstrated at the confrontation, and the time between the crime and the confrontation. Against these factors is to be weighed the corrupting effect of the suggestive identification itself."); Neil v. Biggers, 409 U.S. 188, 199 (1972) [no due process violation when rape victim identified defendant in showup several months after the attack] ("We turn, then, to the central question, whether under the 'totality of the circumstances,' the identification was reliable even though the confrontation procedure was suggestive. As indicated by our cases, the factors to be considered in evaluating the likelihood of misidentification include the opportunity of the witness to view the criminal at the time of the crime, the witness' degree of attention, the accuracy of the witness' prior description of the criminal, the level of certainty demonstrated by the witness at the confrontation, and the length of time between the crime and the confrontation..The victim spent a considerable period of time with her assailant, up to half an hour. She was with him under adequate artificial light in her house and under a full moon outdoors, and at least twice, once in the house and later in the woods, faced him directly and intimately. She was no casual observer, but rather the victim of one of the most personally humiliating of all crimes. Her description to the police, which included the assailant's approximate age, height, weight, complexion, skin texture, build, and voice, might not have satisfied Proust, but was more than ordinarily thorough. She had 'no doubt' that respondent was the person who raped her..There was, to be sure, a lapse of seven months between the rape and the confrontation. This would be a seriously negative factor in most cases. Here, however, the testimony is undisputed that the victim made no previous identification at any of the showups, lineups, or photographic showings. Her record for reliability was thus a good one, as she had previously resisted whatever suggestiveness inheres in a showup. Weighing all the factors, we find no substantial likelihood of misidentification.")
19Note that the "certainty of the witness" factor continues to come under criticism based on research showing that witness certainty does not significantly correlate to accuracy. Wells, Eyewitness Identification: Systemic Reforms, supra, p. 620 ("Meta-analyses, which combine the results of a large number of controlled experiments, show that the correlation between confidence and accuracy in eyewitness identification is likely to be somewhere in the range of +.40, where +1.0 is a perfect correlation and 0.0 is no correlation at all. This means that a confident witness is more likely to be accurate than is a nonconfident witness. However, the +.40 correlation is far from perfect (+1.0), indicating that there are many confident witnesses who are inaccurate and many nonconfident witnesses who are accurate."); Thompson, Judicial Blindness to Eyewitness Misidentification, supra, p. 659 ("This five-factor test, fashioned in 1972, has been roundly criticized for including witness certainty as a factor when social science research shows that witness confidence in an identification does not necessarily correlate with accuracy, and that a witness's confidence level has a tendency to rise as the witness moves through the criminal justice process. Nonetheless, state appellate courts, with few exceptions, continue to apply this test (including the witness confidence prong) in assessing federal and state due process claims. Courts seem unfamiliar with, or unpersuaded by, the scientific research on witness confidence, and they erroneously rely on witness certainty in evaluating the reliability of the identification.")
20Sandra Guerra Thompson, Judicial Blindness to Eyewitness Misidentification, Marquette Law Rev. 93:639 (2009) at 642. SEE ALSO People v. Yeoman, 31 Cal.4th 93, 124, supra [different photos of defendant contained in two separate photo arrays, both in the fourth position, not unduly suggestive] ("We perceive nothing unduly suggestive in the identification procedures just described. To determine whether a procedure is unduly suggestive, we ask whether anything caused defendant to 'stand out' from the others in a way that would suggest the witness should select him. Defendant emphasizes that his image appeared in both lineups, each time in the fourth position. To use a suspect's image in successive lineups might be suggestive if the same photograph were reused or if the lineups followed each other quickly enough for the witness to retain a distinct memory of the prior lineup. But here, different photographs of defendant appeared in each lineup, and the two lineups were separated in time by a month. Under these circumstances we see no reason to believe that the use or position of defendant's image in both lineups was unnecessarily suggestive." Internal citations and quotations omitted) People v. Wimberly, 5 Cal.App.4th 773, 790 (2010) [photographic lineup not unduly suggestive even though similarities exited and defendant was only one to repeat a phrase and do an action] ("Thus, courts have upheld lineup identifications despite the existence of similar or greater disparities among the lineup participants.Appellant also argues that, contrary to the procedures the police announced at the beginning of the lineup, the police asked only him 'to repeat all of the words the suspect had used, and to try on a pair of glasses again ....' However, the police made this request only because appellant had spoken too softly and did not put the glasses on properly. Thus, the request did not render the identification improper."); People v. Brandon, 32 Cal.App.4th 1033, 1052 (1995) [lineup not unduly suggestive in kidnapping and robbery case] ("As the trial court noted, Brandon's photograph does not stand out as the sole possible or most distinguishable choice. It is very similar to at least two other men's photographs. The circumstances surrounding the photographs being shown to Gonzales (loose, in a stack and shown one at a time) reflect she was not influenced by any so-called 'filler' photographs. She immediately recognized Brandon as the man who attacked her and her trial testimony reflects she had ample time to see Brandon's face and observe him throughout the duration of the criminal acts against her. Based on the totality of the circumstances, we conclude Brandon has not met his burden of proving the photographic lineup was unfair and unduly suggestive.")
21United States v. Wade, 388 U.S. 218, 236, supra ("Since it appears that there is grave potential for prejudice, intentional or not, in the pretrial lineup, which may not be capable of reconstruction at trial, and since presence of counsel itself can often avert prejudice and assure a meaningful confrontation at trial, there can belittle doubt that, for Wade, the post-indictment lineup was a critical stage of the prosecution at which he was 'as much entitled to such aid [of counsel] . . . as at the trial itself.'"); Gilbert v. California, 388 U.S. 263, 272 (1967) [companion case to Wade, bank robbery and murder of a policeman case involved post-indictment lineup without notice to counsel] ("The admission of the in-court identifications without first determining that they were not tainted by the illegal lineup but were of independent origin was constitutional error.We there held that a post-indictment pretrial lineup at which the accused is exhibited to identifying witnesses is a critical stage of the criminal prosecution; that police conduct of such a lineup without notice to, and in the absence of his counsel denies the accused his Sixth Amendment right to counsel and calls in question the admissibility at trial of the in-court identifications of the accused by witnesses who attended the lineup. However, as in Wade, the record does not permit an informed judgment whether the in-court identifications at the two stages of the trial had an independent source.")
22California Criminal Defense Practice, Vol. 2, supra, §31.03[6] ("The exact role of an attorney who is allowed to attend an identification procedure, generally, a formal lineup, has never been clarified and he or she usually will not be allowed an active role in the identification procedure. In fact, any efforts to interfere with police procedures are probably not advisable. Undue participation might serve only to produce an unassailable identification. However, a defense counsel should be prepared to (1) Explain the identification procedure to the client, and attempt to alleviate nervousness or confusion about the process that might result in behavior which would attract the attention of witnesses; (2) Observe any irregularities of procedure or hesitancy on the part of witnesses; and (3) To the extent possible, record evidence of problems for later review by the court. For instance, counsel may ask permission to take photographs, particularly if there is to be no police photograph of the lineup."); SEE ALSO CEB California Criminal Law Criminal Procedure and Practice, § 22.6 (Theory of Representation at Lineups) for theory of more active attorney role ("The other theory calls for the attorney to object to any errors he or she believes are occurring.")
23People v. Fowler, 1 Cal. 3d 335, 342 (1969) [pre-indictment lineup in robbery case] ("We have concluded that the Wade-Gilbert rules are not limited in their application to lineups occurring after indictment..The presence or absence of those conditions attendant upon lineups which induced the high court to term such proceedings 'a critical stage of the prosecution' at which the right to counsel attaches.is certainly not dependent upon the occurrence or nonoccurrence of proceedings formally binding a defendant over for trial. A lineup which occurs prior to the point in question may be fraught with the same risks of suggestion as one occurring after that point, and may result in the same far-reaching consequences for the defendant."); People v. Bustamone, 30 Cal.3d 88, 101 (1981) [court confirms Fowler holding despite Kirby, infra] ("Although extending the right to counsel to preindictment lineups will thus impose an additional burden upon the police, and may delay the staging of the lineup, these consequences do not appear substantial enough to justify denying defendant this protective right.. We conclude that we should adhere to the views stated in People v. Fowler.We hold that article I, section 15 of the California Constitution, affords to a defendant the right to the presence of counsel at a preindictment lineup. "); People v. Keim, 8 Cal.App.3d 776, 780 [unreasonable for police in rape case to conduct lineup where defendant's lawyer was late] ("While it is not our proper function to formulate precise rules, reasonable procedure would dictate first that the defense attorney be given as much notice as possible.Second, once it is clearly established, as it was here, that counsel for defendant was to be present, the lineup should have been delayed. The brief wait of half an hour was clearly unreasonable."); BUT SEE People v. Hart, 20 Cal.4th 546, 624 (1999) [police could proceed with lineup in death penalty rape/murder case where public defender showed up but refused to attend] ("Upon seeing the composition of the lineup, the public defender objected on the basis that the lineup was unfair, and departed. Defendant was left without counsel and initially refused to participate in the lineup..Although it is true that a lineup represents a 'critical stage' to which a defendant's Sixth Amendment right to counsel attaches.the public defender's refusal to attend the lineup cannot be equated with a denial of defendant's right to counsel, and a defendant generally has no right to refrain from participating in a lineup.Nor does the record on appeal suggest that the lineup, as conducted, was improperly suggestive or unfair.")
24Kirby v. Illinois, 406 U.S. 682, 689 1972 [pre-indictment lineup in robbery case] ("But the point is that, while members of the Court have differed as to existence of the right to counsel in the contexts of some of the above cases, all of those cases have involved points of time at or after the initiation of adversary judicial criminal proceedings -- whether by way of formal charge, preliminary hearing, indictment, information, or arraignment.. The initiation of judicial criminal proceedings is far from a mere formalism. It is the starting point of our whole system of adversary criminal justice. For it is only then that the government has committed itself to prosecute, and only then that the adverse positions of government and defendant have solidified. It is then that a defendant finds himself faced with the prosecutorial forces of organized society, and immersed in the intricacies of substantive and procedural criminal law.")
25People v. Evans, 11 Cal.3d 617, 621 (1974)
26People v. Evans, 11 Cal.3d 617, 625, supra ("We conclude in view of the foregoing that due process requires in an appropriate case that an accused, upon timely request therefor, be afforded a pretrial lineup in which witnesses to the alleged criminal conduct can participate. The right to a lineup arises, however, only when eyewitness identification is shown to be in material issue and there exists a reasonable likelihood of a mistaken identification which a lineup would tend to resolve."); BUT SEE People v. Sullivan, 151 Cal.App.4th 524, 560 (2007) [no pretrial lineup granted in case where multiple witnesses identified defendant in case of multiple bank robberies] ("Upon our review of the record we find no 'reasonable likelihood of a mistaken identification' that would have been resolved by a pretrial lineup. First, witnesses to the robbery at Citibank positively identified defendant in the field after he was apprehended near the crime scene in a taxi-the same one that brought him to the bank-in possession of the money and demand note, along with a sweater that matched the one worn by the robber. Another Citibank employee identified defendant from a photo lineup and at trial as 'the person who robbed the bank.' The witnesses identified photographs of the robber taken by bank surveillance cameras, which were exhibited to the jury. The descriptions of the robber provided by the witnesses, although not identical, were fairly uniform and corresponded to defendant's appearance. Most of the witnesses managed to get a good look at the face of the robber during the crimes. Many, although not all, of the witnesses identified defendant from the photo lineups displayed to them, and defendant has not established that those photo lineups were in any way impermissibly suggestive. Defendant was provided with the statements and descriptions of the witnesses, along with all of the information associated with the photo lineups. He thus had ample opportunity to challenge the identifications at trial, even without a pretrial physical lineup. We are convinced that an additional pretrial lineup would not have yielded any different testimony by the witnesses, or cast doubt upon any of the identifications made by them.")
27CEB California Criminal Law Criminal Procedure and Practice, § 22.17 (Defense (Evans) Lineups) ("Whether to seek an Evans lineup is a difficult tactical decision and, therefore, counsel's to make.It must be made early in the case, before all the facts are known and discovery is completed, and usually before the preliminary hearing. Counsel must weigh the possible benefits against the dangers. The following are some of the areas to consider: Factual and legal guilt of the client; Strength of the prosecution's case; Possibility that the police or prosecutor will subsequently hold a lineup; and Differences in a client's appearance from the description.")
28Schmechel, O'Toole, Easterly and Loftus, Beyond the Ken?, supra, p. 196.
29Schmechel, O'Toole, Easterly and Loftus, Beyond the Ken?, supra, p. 199.
30People v. McDonald, 37 Cal.3d 351, 377 (1984), overruled on other grounds in People v. Mendoza, 23 Cal.4th 896 (2000) [conviction reversed because trial court abused its discretion in disallowing expert testimony where eyewitness testimony was conflicted and sole evidence] ("Because no other evidence connected defendant with the crime, the crucial factor in the case was the accuracy of the eyewitness identifications. Yet on that issue the evidence was far from clear. As we noted at the outset, in the testimony of each of the witnesses who identified defendant in the courtroom there were elements that could have raised reasonable doubts as to the accuracy of the identification. These elements included the suddenness and unexpectedness of the event, discontinuity and other difficulty of observation, fear and other stress at the time of perception, overestimation of the duration of the event, 'feedback' factors following the event, failure or uncertainty of several witnesses in selecting defendant's photograph from police displays, and, particularly important, apparent cross-racial identification discrepancies. Further doubts could have arisen from the dramatic declaration in open court by a prosecution eyewitness that defendant was not the perpetrator, and from the testimony of six witnesses that defendant was not in the state on the day the crime was committed."); BUT SEE People v. Jones, 30 Cal.4th 1084, 1112 (2003) [expert testimony not needed in death penalty case where prosecution had other evidence substantially corroborating eyewitness testimony] ("Exclusion of the expert testimony is justified only if there is other evidence that substantially corroborates the eyewitness identification and gives it independent reliability. The corroborating evidence here meets McDonald's standard. Kane's identification of defendant was corroborated by testimony of Muslim, Cruz, Luna, Hunt, and Burton. It does not matter, for this purpose, that Muslim, Cruz, and Luna may have been accomplices whose testimony would require corroboration to support a conviction. Neither does it matter that all five witnesses could be impeached by proof of bias or prior inconsistent statements. The cumulative corroborative effect of the testimony of defendant's admissions is sufficient to give independent reliability to the eyewitness identification."); People v. Goodwillie, 147 Cal.App.4th 695, 729 (2007) [no due process violation in not allowing expert testimony where there were multiple unequivocal identifications and inculpatory statement by defendant] ("If there is substantial evidence showing that the eyewitness testimony is reliable, the trial court may conclude that the probative value of expert testimony would not outweigh any prejudicial effect caused by potential confusion of the issues and/or the amount of time that would be consumed by such testimony."); People v. Sanders, 11 Cal.4th 475, 509 (1995) [death penalty case arising out of shooting at Los Angeles Bob's Big Boy restaurant] ("Although eyewitness testimony was a key element of the prosecution's case, here, unlike McDonald, eye-witness testimony was not the only evidence linking the defendant to the crime. The eyewitness identification was corroborated by other independent evidence of the crime and the conspiracy leading to it.")


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Hotels in Vysoké nad Jizerou, Czech Republic
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Where to stay in Vysoké nad JizerouWhether you're planning to stay for a night or for the week, the area around Vysoké nad Jizerou has accommodations to fit every need. Search for hotels in Vysoké nad Jizerou with Hotels.com by checking our online map. Our maps display the areas and neighborhoods around all Vysoké nad Jizerou hotels so you can see how close you are from landmarks and attractions, and then refine your search within the larger area. The best Vysoké nad Jizerou hotel deals are here with our lowest price guarantee.
What to see around Vysoké nad JizerouSome highlights of the area include:
- • Horni Domky
- • Ski lift Lysa hora
- • Harrachov Ski Resort
- • Golf Club Harrachov
- • Pojizerska Museum and Gallery
When to visit Vysoké nad JizerouIf you're still deciding when to visit, here are the seasonal norms to help you plan:
Seasonal temperature averages
- January-March: 52°F day, 24°F night
- April-June: 74°F day, 37°F night
- July-September: 76°F day, 46°F night
- October-December: 62°F day, 23°F night
- January-March: 0.16 inches
- April-June: 0.28 inches
- July-September: 0.35 inches
- October-December: 0.12 inches

subset: commoncrawl


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To succeed in the educational games market you have to have constant uptime and the robust VMware platform we have built gives zondle users continual access whether they're in Alaska or Australia
Glasgow, United Kingdom (PRWEB) July 09, 2014
Education platform company zondle is using cloud services from UK cloud company iomart to ensure its online games and other services can be used by teachers and children in classrooms around the world at any time of the day or night.
zondle has developed a platform which allows teachers to embed topics they want their students to practise within games which can then be played on mobile devices or computers in the classroom. zondle empowers teachers to make their students' learning experience more engaging and its developers have created more than 50 games which can be played in more than 40 languages.
iomart provides the scalable and flexible cloud services to support zondle using a cluster of VMware servers which enable the games to be published and accessed round-the-clock from any location with an internet connection. The results are then stored and fed back to the teachers and students to help consolidate the students' learning.
Ben Barton, CEO and founder of zondle, said: "The growth of zondle is phenomenal. We started out with around 60 users two years ago - now we're heading towards one million, with more teachers registering to use our platform every day, and we are now developing mobile apps and content for examination boards here in the UK. All of this has been driven by a reliable and highly available cloud platform which allows us to be online 24/7."
Earlier this year zondle was showcased at BETT, the world's leading educational technology show, by UKTI, the government organisation that helps UK business succeed in the international market.
Doug Lapsley, Chief Technology Officer for zondle, who began developing the platform in a caravan in the Highlands of Scotland, continued: "The aim of zondle is to be useful to teachers, who work in critical environments but often with flaky IT infrastructure. We have to do everything to ensure that zondle is always available, to make sure that we are the last website standing."
Bill Strain, Chief Technology Officer for iomart, said: "To succeed in the educational games market you have to have constant uptime and the robust VMware platform we have built gives zondle users continual access whether they're in Alaska or Australia. Data is fed back instantly and securely to the teachers and the students so they can consolidate the students' learning by analysing the results of the games they play."
iomart is one of the leading cloud companies in the UK and Europe and delivers compute, storage and network to thousands of customers from securely managed data centres at eight locations across the UK and a network of international PoPs.
To find out more about how iomart supports zondle view the video case study here: http://bit.ly/1tmo3u4.


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Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez have seemingly confirmed the end of their short-lived rekindled relationship in the most millennial way possible: by tweeting out photos of themselves cuddling with other people. Wow, how cryptic!
Thursday night, Bieber took to his Instagram and shared a portrait of him with his arms around his new rumored girlfriend, Yovanna Ventura, after a "dinner for two." The Canadian crooner also capped off his caption with a winky face emoticon — so they're, like, totally serious now, I guess.
Meanwhile, Gomez was seen getting close with Tanz Watson in a photo taken by friends during a night out in New York City. In the snapshot, Bieber's former flame had her arms wrapped around the LOL actor while she blew a kiss in his direction.
Hold up hold up got my homie @selenagomezpic.twitter.com/pkcmmq4MXh
— Tanz Watson (@TanzWatson) July 10, 2014
Sorry, folks. It may be the end of the Jelena era. Light a candle, but don't hold your breath on another reconciliation.


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Norway Says Alta Bike
The Alta bike is a new design from the clever people at Norway Says, along with their friends at Frost Produkt and Bleed Designstudio. It's designed specifically for the urban biker. It's sleek, fast, comfortable, and—for all you hipsters out there—looks damn fine. Made from aluminum, it looks equally good hanging in your apartment as it does wooshing down Broadway. You'll happily eschew pollution-producing cabs and buses in exchange for yet another good, clean mode of transport. Available Spring 2005 from HardRocx. Thanks MoCoLoco! ::Norway Says


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ELDERSBURG - A new van and station wagon at the South Carroll Adult Day Care Center will bring in more seniors who need the service but didn't have a ride.
The shortage of transportation, however, was just one obstacle the center has faced in increasing enrollment to the 20 people a day for which it is licensed, said Peggy Sheeler of Family and Children's Services of Central Maryland, the non-profit agency that opened the center in February 1989.
"We have a couple more hurdles to go, but we're over one hurdle," Sheeler said.
The center now has between nine and 15 clients there on a given day, said nurse Doris Wagner, with a total of 17 enrolled. The new van and wagon have allowed six clients to begin or continue attending, she said.


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Wayne Rooney excited to work with Jose Mourinho at Manchester United
Wayne Rooney believes "exciting times" lie ahead at Manchester United following Jose Mourinho's appointment as manager.
Months of speculation finally came to an end last Friday, with the former Chelsea boss signing a three-year deal at Old Trafford following Louis van Gaal's wholly-expected sacking.
Mourinho's arrival has been welcomed by many connected to the club and captain Rooney has joined the chorus of those backing the appointment.
Wayne Rooney is looking forward to working with Jose Mourinho
"It's exciting - one of the best managers in the world," the 30-year-old said.
"Obviously he knows the Premier League really well and for myself, and I am sure for the other Manchester United players, it's exciting times. I am looking forward to it."
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In the center of the cubicles that make up the University of Illinois admissions office are 15 long filing cabinets labeled bluntly with this sign: "FRESHMEN DOMESTIC DENIALS."
By mid-February, the drawers will be full and the phones will ring all day for weeks. Some callers will be angry. Others will cry (usually the mothers).
This year, counselor Jamie McFarling expects to hear a new question: "If I had connections, would I have been admitted?"
She and other front-line admissions officers bore the brunt of the initial outrage and questions this summer in the wake of an admissions scandal -- even as a state investigation showed they often balked at pressure from above to admit subpar, but clouted, candidates.


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The L.A. Times Blasts ... the L.A. Times!
Chatterbox started reading the Los Angeles Times' 14-page investigation of itself well before noon. (If you don't know what Chatterbox is talking about, click here and here and here.) He didn't finish until after the sun had set. Even granting that Chatterbox had one or two other minor tasks to complete today, it does seem that seven hours is more time than any reasonable person should have to spend reading about the genesis of a single-topic edition of a Sunday magazine. Someone less familiar with the L.A. Times' tradition of running stories at approximately five times their logical length might suspect that publication of David Shaw's opus, "Crossing the Line," was a deliberate scheme to hide news of its publisher's and editor's misbehavior by burying it inside a self-important and interminable narrative that almost no one would have the patience to read. The thing came in 11 "chapters," and there was so much throat-clearing that the sixth was actually called, "The Prelude." But in fact, the length was the L.A. Times' own daft way of saying that it views the recent corruption of its editorial standards as a serious matter.
Shaw wins bravery points for all but calling his newspaper's publisher, Kathryn Downing, and its editor, Michael Parks, a pair of liars who ought to be sacked forthwith. Downing never told Parks until very late in the game that the L.A. TimesMagazine's special issue celebrating the opening of the Staples Center was going to share ad revenues with the new downtown sports arena. She kept this secret, she says, because she didn't want to corrupt editorial processes. But it's much likelier, Shaw writes, that she "didn't think it was a big deal" (the actual quote is from Dick Stanton, senior vice president and chief operating officer for the paper). When the news staff heard about the revenue-sharing deal and revolted, Downing gave assurances that the Staples Center hadn't helped sell ads. In fact, Shaw shows, they had. ("That's us, that was us, that was us, that was us," says Tim Lieweke, president of the Staples Center, paging through the issue with Shaw and pointing out ads he and his staff helped to get.) Downing also told the angry news staff that she was canceling the ad-revenue-sharing agreement with the Staples Center and sending it a check instead. But the check still hasn't been sent, Shaw reports. (Perhaps it was sent today after Downing read his story.)
Parks, the L.A. Times' editor, insists that at various planning meetings, when the revenue-sharing arrangement was discussed or mentioned in memos that were handed out, he was somehow not paying attention, or out of the room talking to John McCain, or something. He says that when he did find out about it in September, he was outraged, but Shaw's reporting shows his reaction to have been weirdly muted. He didn't have the special issue canceled, even though at that point most of the magazine hadn't yet been printed; he didn't even consider running a disclosure statement about the deal, which would have been laughably easy to do. Parks tells Shaw that he told Felicity Barringer of the New York Times, who broke the story of the Staples deal in the national press, that it was "an inappropriate arrangement, and we should not have done it," but Barringer, who is a scrupulously fair reporter, tells Shaw he never told her anything like that.
Shaw also deserves kudos for documenting his newspaper's decline under Times Mirror chief Mark Willes (who, interestingly, was still publisher when the Staples contract was signed). The horror stories include a representative of an ad-sales firm impersonating an L.A. Times reporter; the ad department telling advertisers of a "'Millennium Home contest,' the winner of which would be 'profiled in a follow-up feature article' " that the editors neither knew of nor would approve; and various L.A. Times news staffers being corralled into planning profit-making L.A. Times conferences of various kinds featuring people they wrote about. Although the paper's slide into ethically questionable business practices predates Willes' arrival, Shaw makes clear that Willes has accelerated it.
Chatterbox must fault Shaw, though, for offering only the sketchiest answer to a question Chatterbox raised when the story first broke: namely, what business justification was there for the L.A. Times to enter into its founding-partnership deal with the Staples Center? As Chatterbox pointed out then, the dollar value of the newspaper concession and the ad placements and the skybox inside the arena, which appear to be all the L.A. Times gets out of the partnership, is well under $1 million annually. Yet the L.A. Times ended up paying $1.6 million annually for the privilege. This is better than the $2 million or $3 million that was previous reported, but it's still a bad financial deal. Shaw reports that the Staples Center was demanding $2 million to $3 million from its other founding partners, and that the L.A. Times suits felt very clever for having bid Staples down. Of its annual $1.6 million payment, the L.A. Times pays $800,000 in cash; $500,000 in free advertising; and about $300,000 in profits from joint ventures. This last, which has come to symbolize in most people's minds the corruption of editorial standards implicit in the deal, was viewed at the time (in the words of the person who negotiated the deal) as "a way for us to be able to make this deal during a time when cash was a problem." Perhaps coincidentally, when the L.A. Times set about calculating how much it had netted off the Staples Center issue, it found that after making extremely complex estimates regarding the use of staffers' time, the Staples Center's agreed-upon 50 percent share was ... $300,000. But if the L.A. Times was swindling the Staples Center, it was only in the context of a larger deal in which the Staples Center had conned the L.A. Times.
Perhaps that story should be assigned to a writer in the L.A. Times' business section. It could probably be explained quite exhaustively in a few hundred words.


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content within this section is pure rumor and generally have no factual
info outside of what the streets have whispered in our ear. Read on.WHO: illseedWHAT: Rumors, Funnies, Fails and more!WHERE: illseed.com, twitter.com.illseedHOW: Send your rumors, sightings and ill pics to illseed at email@example.com DISSES NICKI MINAJ – "The Miseducation of a Barbie Doll"
This is some powerful material here. Poet Jasmine Mans, a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin, is not a rapper, but she has the intellect of a scholar and the bars of a battle MC. But, her poetry contains venom, yet reads like a cautionary letter. She's got some humdingers like, "Don't let them rape the Assata out of you." and "They will Lauryn Hill you" and "This microphone is not a dildo so you are going to have to come a lil' harder." Watch Jasmine Mans' performance.
NICKI MINAJ, WE LOVE YOU! BUT SISTA GIRL WENT IN!They keep us talking, but if we stop talking about them then they should worry!


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It's impossible not to fall in love with Dublin's stately Georgian houses, gregarious locals, laid back lifestyle and yes, even the rainy weather! This incredible city has a lifetime's worth of attractions, so don't be surprised if you want to come back as soon as you leave. Just some of the must-do's include pouring a pint of the 'black stuff' at the Guinness Storehouse, viewing the Book of Kells, and people watching on Grafton Street from Bewley's Cafe.
Stay at Croke Park hotel or Similar or hand selected Bed and Breakfast
Mayo is often first on the list of anyone travelling to the west of Ireland, and for good reason. This large coastal county is where you'll find the brooding Croagh Patrick, which pilgrims climb to honour Ireland's patron saint every year; the village of Cong, where The Quiet Man was filmed and where an exquisite medieval abbey stands; and of course the vibrant town of Westport, situated along the picturesque Clew Bay.
Stay at The Westport Woods Hotel or Similar or hand selected Bed and Breakfast
Donegal is one of the most beautiful, unspoilt, isolated parts of the whole island. If you want to get away from it all and experience this country at its best, Donegal is where to go. Surfing fans will adore the beach town of Bundoran, while outdoor adventurers will find everything they need at the breathtaking Glenveagh National Park and indoorsy types will find plenty of cosy pubs in Letterkenny and Donegal Town.
Stay at The Sandhouse Hotel or Similar or hand selected Bed and Breakfast
County Derry is one of the most up and coming places in all of Ireland, not least because of it's crowning glory, the city of Derry itself. Walk along the medieval walls of the city (one of the best examples of its kind in all of Europe), get a feel for the troubled past with a wander through the Bogside area, and investigate the impressive architecture of the Guildhall and the city's two cathedrals.
County Tyrone is isolated, rural, and hauntingly beautiful. It doesn't get the same number of visitors as other counties in Ireland, so if you want some peace and quiet, this is where you should head. The Sperrin Mountains offer great chances for trekking and wildlife spotting, Springhill House is a must for any lovers of the finer things in life, and the Wellbrook Beelting Mill is the last working mill in Northern Ireland.
Just a short drive north of Dublin is the small but perfectly formed county Louth, known to most for Carlingford Lough, a lake and buzzing town that visitors flock to for adventure activities like zorbing, canoeing and watersports. Elsewhere in the county is the picturesque fishing village of Clogherhead, and the busy medieval town of Drogheda, founded in 1192 by Vikings and with some of its earliest structures still intact today.


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What is to be achieved?
The project aims to develop a training course and self-study materials for pre- and in-service teachers of English as a foreign language in order to raise their awareness of the foreign language learning needs of dyslexic students.
The training materials will also acquaint foreign language teachers with a wide repertoire of useful teaching methods, techniques and tools so that the quality and effectiveness of foreign language teaching to students with dyslexia can be enhanced.
Target groups
Target groups for whom the teacher training materials are designed


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In recent years, Christopher Eccleston has become somewhat of a sci-fi fan favorite, first by becoming the ninth actor to play the role of "Doctor Who"only for a single seasonand then taking on a small role on the popular NBC show "Heroes." Although he'll be known by the most Americans for these roles, in reality, Eccleston's a veteran British dramatic actor who has appeared prominently in many films, including a stint as Nicole Kidman's ghostly husband in The Others and a corrupt military officer in Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later (Eccleston's second collaboration after starring in Boyle's Shallow Grave).
ComingSoon.net had a chance to talk to the actor while visiting the Bucharest, Romania set of Fox Walden's upcoming The Dark Is Rising, based on the series of novels by Susan Cooper. Eccleston plays The Rider, the series' dark force of evil. The day we visited the set, Eccelston actually wasn't shooting anything, but he was kind enough to take some time out of his leisurely day off to meet with a group of journalists in the lobby restaurant of his hotel.
ComingSoon.net: Can you tell us a bit about the character you play in the movie?
Christopher Eccleston: The character of the Rider is the antagonist, the nemesis, the villain of the piece. He differs somewhat from the book. There's been some poetic license taken and there's an ability that the Rider has which he doesn't have in the book which would be slightly spoilerish but he's got a few surprises up his sleeve in how he manifests himself. I'm teasing, but I want that kind of thing to be an element of surprise for the audience.
CS: Were you familiar with the books?
Eccleston: No, I'd never heard of the books, but as a child I was one of those who was hugely passionate about "Lord of the Rings." I understand the kind of passion that people feel for these books, but I think they should be left for childhood. People say "Lord of the Rings" was the greatest novels ever written, but no, they're not; they're childhood. But I read the book for this and enjoyed it very much, and obviously it's close to me because it's couched in Celtic mysticism and it's a very, very intensely British book.
CS: Are there similarities between your character and the Dark Riders in "The Lord of the Rings"?
Eccleston: I think there must be. Yeah. When you read the book, I can't believe that she wasn't in some ways influenced by Tolkien because by that time, the mid '70s, Tolkien's books had made such a huge impact, but it actually predates Potter and all that stuff. I'm sure that if we dove in some mythology that a man on horseback spreading terror was probably lifted by Tolkien himself, probably from Greek stuff, the archetype being their problem. Yeah, I think there are similarities and I think some of the terror resides in the fact that, for children at least, it's not about machinery. It's this man as an animal. The thing we've talked about with the Rider is that without the horse, he's slightly powerless, and that him and horse are kind of indivisible.
CS: Is this the most absolute character you've played in a while? You tend to play characters that are a bit more ambiguous, but this character is very much the archetype bad guy.
Eccleston: I've tried, but failed. (laughs) You try to add extra colors to it, but I've had that debate throughout the entire shoot, whether you should just go for mongoloid one-dimensional savagery bad guy or you should try I think there's virtues in both. I think I've tried to give it a twist. Whether that's the right thing to do, I don't know. There are two sides to the Rider, and there's an area where I can kind of suggest things about his character while not actually appearing as him. They're just so cryptic.
CS: What was it about him that appealed to you?
Eccleston: The spoiler thing actually. Yeah. When you see it, you'll understand. There's an opportunity with the Rider for humor and subversion and satire that I've not seen before in these kind of films, and it was that most of all. 99.9 percent of the dramas I've made have been for adults, and this was a real opportunity to try something new. I've had some experience with "Doctor Who" of making drama for children. I think it's a real important area if we can provide them complexity and gray area rather than just a fun fair ride. That's what appeals to me.
CS: David Cunningham said that he was striving for a certain kind of realism in this film. When we spoke with Ian McShane, he mentioned your character could afford to be a little bit more operatic.
Eccleston: Who said that? McShane? He's loaded me with all this. Typical actors. Spineless. [laughs] "Don't blame me, blame Chris." I've been watching him, and he's pretty camp, Old McShane. I think the Rider is slightly less defined actually than most of the characters. He doesn't have as much screen time as the Rider per se, but even within that, I'm sure a much better actor than me would say you've got to find a kind of truthfulness. You've got to. Audiences are pretty exacting nowadays and know when you so, it has to feel real to you in some way.
CS: How was it working with Alexander Ludwig?
Eccleston: Apart from a brief scene with the Old Ones at the beginning and at the end, I'm exclusively with Alex. He's an amazing young man and to carry a film like this I carried a film when I was 27 and couldn't really speak or think for the two months afterwards, but he seems to be like it's just water off a duck's back. The thing about him, apart from his abilities as an actor, which are apparent, he's just a very, very decent young man. I'm not just saying this to you. A few of us have said this to his parents who have been around. They brought up an excellent young lad, and you'd like to see him succeed because he doesn't seem tainted by all the Hollywood bullsh*t that we all know so much about.
CS: Had you ever ridden a horse before doing playing this part?
Eccleston: No.
CS: How trained did you have to get before riding one?
Eccleston: As much as we could in a very short time. I left the stunt men to do the easy stuff, and I do all the dangerous stuff. That's the way I like to do it.
CS: We heard that today you'd be doing a big stunt where you ride into the Great Hall and then they send you flying off the horse.
Eccleston: You know more than I do. The last thing I heard was that the horse was going to very cleverly go down on all fours, which I've seen them do and it's pretty extraordinary. So the last thing I heard was the horse was going to go down on all fours and I was going to step ever so sensitively off it. I've heard some of that, but I thought that was going to come later.
CS: They also talked about a scene where the horse you're riding walks up and down these stairs in the Grand Hall. Since the Rider has to be fairly skilled, how much have you been able to do and how much do you leave to the stunt men?
Eccleston: I've done as much as I possibly could, but no matter how skilled a rider you are, the studio are watching you like a hawk because of insurance. Because this is a comparatively low budget film for what they're trying to make, they do not need actors embedded in walls and things.
CS: Do you have a horse trainer who's able to get the horse to go wherever they want it while you're riding it?
Eccleston: The main horse we've used who I am in love with, he's called Rusty and he's incredibly skilled. If you get a chance, I mean watching actors act is boring, watching Stefan and Taz wrangle that horse and the relationship with them is amazing.
CS: It's such a cliché already but W.C. Fields says never act with children or animals and you're doing both
Eccleston: Rusty said the same thing about me, through gritted teeth. That animal is far cleverer than I could ever dream of being. (laughs)
CS: Does your character return throughout the series?
Eccleston: I've not read the other books, but according to Number One Dork (points to a journalist who read all the books) as she called herself (laughs), my character does come back.
CS: Is that a consideration when you take a role like this, that you might have to return for more movies?
Eccleston: Well, that was addressed at the contractual level anyway. You know it's nice to work but I wouldn't want to just keep doing the same thing. I think my career kind of shows that commercial consideration is not at the top of my tree. Of course, I'm hesitant, but that was the deal.
CS: You mentioned opening things up to this younger audience, so was "Doctor Who" something you did in order to do that?
Eccleston: I think they're much more exacting than adults actually. I think they're much harder to fulfill, and they're much fiercer in their attachment once they've taken you to your heart, but they have better bullsh*t detectors than us. And I remember that as a child myself, and that appeals to me, because I've always tried to involve myself in stuff that is in some ways sophisticated and challenging to the audience that respects its intelligence.
CS: Does doing stuff for a younger audience keep you more honest as an actor?
Eccleston: Possibly, it does make sense. Yeah. They're very straight about how they feel about you, and they're far more sophisticated than some of the product that's aimed at them. I think we probably all feel that.
CS: Has your experience with "Doctor Who" opened things up for a wider range of roles than you might have been offered in the past?
Eccleston: No, I think I've been at it 18 years before I got there so, no, I think it was just a slightly different there was perhaps more lightness in the role than I'm associated with, but apart from that, no, I would say I was often kind of hopping around genre and character.
CS: How is it to work on a film like this as opposed to doing television?
Eccleston: It's a lot slower. I enjoy the pace of television, although of course with some of the independent films like, for instance "Shallow Grave" or maybe "Jude" even, we didn't have as much time, but television is faster. In television I feel–obviously because of the size of the screen and less the production values–there's a healthier reliance on performance and script. I've always said that the strongest scripts I've had in my career, apart from theater, have been in television because you only have really the actors' faces. So from an acting point of view, my best scripts have been in television. It's quicker, but we're using multi-cameras on this. I don't think I've ever experienced that. I've never seen so many cameras. There's probably six trained on us now.
CS: Is that a bigger challenge to know that you're being captured from all these angles that you're not playing to?
Eccleston: The camera team on this film is fantastic in terms of telling you exactly what's going on, but I kind of believe that if you're being truthful, you're being truthful. I think to a certain extent one can get obsessed with what lens is on and I do like to know if they're right in there and if they're also very wide, I'm going to concentrate on the fact and try not to look too much like Popeye in my close-up not that I ever succeed.
CS: Can you talk about how they're doing more stuff on-set rather than using CGI?
Eccleston: Have you seen some of the sets on this? I mean one of the great things for me on this film has been wandering around the sets and seeing the work that the Romanian crew have done on it. I got very caught up with the debate about CGI when "Belleville Rendezvous" came out and "Spirited Away." That great discussion about animation that was drawn by human beings and stuff that was computer-generated and for me, "Belleville Rendezvous" wins every time because there's something in it that's soulful and moving. As brilliant and as fantastic as "The Incredibles" was, there was something moving about "Belleville" and it's similar. I'd sooner look at somebody's craft and work than whatever.
CS: So you got along with this idea of actually trying to do a lot of it real?
Eccleston: Yes. Yeah I do. I think you're going to end up with films that will live and breathe in a hundred years time in an indefinable way, actually.
CS: With the diversity of your career, do you consciously try to change things up with each role you take?
Eccleston: My career's been a continuation of the two years I did at college and the three years training as an actor. So when I'm gone I just hope to be remember as somebody who was skilled at what he did so by trying different things it's like you guys trying to write different articles or so that's what I've tried to do. Rather than a couple of times I've made commercial decisions and they've blown up in my face frankly. Whenever I've followed my heart, by in large it's rewarded me and it's a difficult line to walk for actors, directors, writers, whatever. But I just want to keep, I always try and take the roles that frighten me. I played a Hasidic Jew in an independent film ten years ago. Who is going to cast me in that? I had a go. Why do the stuff that's easy?
CS: Do you know if your character might return to "Heroes" next season?
Eccleston: We haven't spoken about that yet. I'd certainly be open to it. I get the feeling that they'd be open to it, but I think we all feel that he made a good impact, and in a sense, it's a decision whether to leave it at that because it just adds to the fabric of their series. I think there's got to be something really meaty for him to do for me to go back, but I'd certainly like to. I was made very welcome by that crew and that cast. Being a Brit on that show, I've never been offered so many cups of tea in my life. But you do, it's like you get lots of attention because you're different.
CS: Do you share Ian McShane's deep love of Romania? (This is sarcasm, since McShane told us ealier he wasn't a fan of the country in which they were shooting the movie.)
Eccleston: (maybe not realizing the question was sarcastic) I fell in love first. Romania's been unfaithful to me with Ian McShane. The Romanian people have been absolutely fantastic, but the problem the actors have experienced–particularly the Americans–is that when you're here and you're not working, you are stuck in a hotel, and you're a long way from home. I mean the Romanian crew on this have been extraordinary, and it's a very different culture, particularly for the Americans to come into. I'm somewhat familiar with European poker face. I've been made very welcome here.
CS: They've been shooting this movie for three months, so have you remained here the whole time?
Eccleston: No. All my work here is done. I lived in Los Angeles last year for nine months, but I'm actually based in Manchester, so I've been able to get home to my home in Manchester. I've not been back to L.A.
CS: Since you're almost done here, what's next?
Eccleston: I'm going to New Orleans for four days to do some reshoots on a curious strange film I did last Autumn in New Orleans called "New Orleans, Mon Amour", which is set post-Katrina amid the relief work with a director called Michael Almereyda and an actress called Elizabeth Moss. I'm going to do that, and then I think I'm going to do Macbeth in the West End if we can pull the deal together, which is something I've wanted to do since I was 17. It's an independent producer named Sonya Freidman and it wouldn't be with the Royal Shakespeare Company. We'd just be going into the west end and I hope, not staging a vanity piece. I hope doing something that's kind of a radical take on it. It's a very difficult play to do. Anybody who knows the play, it's how do you make the witches work?
The Dark Is Rising opens on October 5, and you can read a lot more about the movie, including a complete set visit in the coming months right here on ComingSoon.net.


text: Emmy winner Jon Cryer stars alongside the multitalented Ashton Kutcher in the Emmy-nominated TWO AND A HALF MEN as the hit comedy series returns for its 12th season. The Malibu beach house has become an empty nest for billionaire entrepreneur Walden Schmidt (Kutcher) and his freeloading housemate Alan Harper (Cryer). But not for long. When Alans previously unknown niece, Jenny (Amber Tamblyn), staggers onto the scene with a parade of partying women in tow, its back to business as usual at the Harper/Schmidt house with hilarious new high jinks and hookups. After an on-again, off-again wedding for Alans mother, Evelyn (Holland Taylor); an alter ego for Alan; temporary retirement for Berta (Conchata Ferrell); and a new job for Walden as an unpaid coder in a garage-tech startup, prepare for another year of Walden, Alan and Jenny as they develop affectionate bonds -- and occasional bondage -- in the long-running comedy that celebrates the opposite sex, the same sex, life, love, computer startups, family dustups and ... oh, men.Check stock and price


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The feng shui wealth, abundance and prosperity area of the feng shui bagua represents more than money and wealth. It represents happiness, peace, gratitude, and opportunity.
Enhance this area of the bagua map if you would like more money, good fortune in all areas of your life, inner peace and happiness, and appreciation for what you have.
Make sure you read my 4 Top Tips to Enhance Abundance And Prosperity!
This is not your get rich quick corner! By enhancing the feng shui wealth, abundance and prosperity area, you will develop a way to gradually accumulate wealth in an honest and safe way. And remember, "if it ain't broke don't fix it!"
How do you know if you need to address your feng shui abundance and prosperity area? Signs of imbalance include: you have no money, happiness, or peace; opportunities aren't flowing towards you; you have bad luck or frequent accidents; you are having difficulty in business affairs; you are in debt or can't pay your bills; you spend money quickly; or you lost your job.
Word of Advice
The word associated with the abundance and prosperity area of the bagua map is "gratitude." One of the most effective ways to attract abundance and manifest money is to express gratitude.
Generally, enhancements for the feng shui wealth area include symbols of good fortune and abundance like fish, valuable possessions, and money. You also want to include images or objects that represent growth like plants, bamboo, or tall vertical objects. Luxurious and "abundant" colors like purple, gold, green, and red will help you to manifest money and attract good fortune. And of course, images, artwork and affirmations depicting prosperity always make perfect feng shui wealth cures.
Top 4 tips for more abundance and prosperity
Learn more about feng shui and wealth
Learn how to align the bagua map
"Security is mostly a
superstition. It does
not exist in nature,
nor do the children
of men as a whole
experience it. Avoiding
danger is no safer in
the long run than
outright exposure.
Life is a daring adventure, or nothing."
- "Helen Keller


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Beyonce: Shining on Stage at T in the Park!
Beyonce sparkles on stage at the T in the Park at Balado concert on Saturday (July 9) in Kinross, Scotland.
The 29-year-old entertainer wore a black sequin leotard and showed off her toned legs!
Bey belted out some of her signature songs such as "Single Ladies" and "Crazy in Love," as well as some of her newer songs such as "Run the World (Girls)."
Talking about her stunning performances, Beyonce told a local newspaper, "I can never be safe. I always try and go against the grain. As soon as I accomplish one thing, I just set a higher goal. That's how I've gotten to where I am."
If you haven't already, be sure to check out the video debut for Beyonce's latest song, "Best Thing I Never Had."


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Lenovo has expand their IdeaPad U410 Ultrabook line up with Lenovo IdeaPad U410 437629U. Like other U410 series, this models comes with stylish and thin design, latest generations of powerful Intel Ivy Bridge platform, dual graphics technologies to gives maximum graphics performance and latest Lenovo technology provides faster speed and ultimate performance. If you looking for a portable stylish machine for daily activities in schools, home, office or on the go, IdeaPad U410 437629U laptop is worth to considered. You can check details specs and features below.
Unlike the sister, Lenovo IdeaPad U410 43762PU Laptop that powered by Intel Core i5-3317U processor and paired with 8GB of DDR3-1600 SDRAM, this model comes with lower configurations with a 1.8GHz Intel Core i3-3271U processor and coupled with 4GB of DDR3 SDRAM (expandable up to 8GB DDR3 RAM). According the notebookcheck, the i3-3271U is an ULV-processor with support Virtualization VT-x, Hyperthreading technology and Intel's Turbo Boost Technology to increase clocking processor speed under a heavy load up to 2.6 GHz for 1 active core and up to 2.4 GHz when 2 active cores.
It also comes with dual hard drive, the 500GB Serial ATA hard drive with speed of 5400 rpm delivers more than enough storage capacity for multimedia files and a 32GB solid-state drive for system cache and backed by Intel's Smart Response Technology and RapidBoot technology provides faster loading speed than common laptop that onlu use single HDD. The multi media card reader that compatible with Secure Digital and MultiMediaCard formats allows users to transfer their video files or musics files from and to tablet, smartphone, digital camera and more.
Speaking of multimedia and graphics performance, Lenovo IdeaPad U410 437629U ultra portable notebook delivers immersive experience. The latest Intel HD graphics 4000 that backed by NVIDIA GeForce 610M dedicated graphics with support 1GB of video memory capable to handle latest HD games, streaming video content or other light multimedia tasks. Unfortunatelly, the machine lacks optical drive and the 14 inch HD Glossy LCD widescreen display with LED Backlight technology only can produce maximum internal resolutions at 1366 x 768 pixels. For deatiled resolutions, you must connect it onto external FHD display, thanks to Intel Wireless Display (WiDi) and HDMI output port.
The Lenovo U410 437629U laptop is a small machine, but the keyboard with individual rounded keys is comfortable to use and the intelligent Touchpad also support to pinch, swipe, rotate or scroll through images with easy. The integrated stereo speakers with Dolby Home Theatre provides clear, crisp and immersive audio experience, while the front-facing 720p HD webcam that integrated with digital microphone provides high quality face to face video comminications with your colleagues or family.
In term of size, the 14 inch notebook has dimensions in 13.5 x 9.2 x 0.8 inches with weighs around 4.1 pounds and will be shipped with 3-cell lithium-polymer battery. It's thicker and heavier than Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon that measures 13.03 x 8.9 x 0.74-inch with weighs only at 3 pounds (1.36 kg), but if you compare with the common 14 inch laptop on the market, it's still lighter and thinner.
For connectivity and port, you'll find double USB 2.0 port, double USB 3.0 port, audio jack, headphone jack, Ethernet Lan with RJ connector, HDMI port, Widi support and 802.11b/g/n WLAN for connecting to wireless networks. New U410 series also preloaded with Adobe Reader 10.0, Windows Essential, CyberLink YouCam 3.0, Lenovo Energy Management and preinstalled with Genuine Microsoft Windows 7 Home Premium Edition 64-bit as the operating system with support Lenovo's Enhanced Experience 3.
It's also comes with standart security features like the sister, including VeriFace™ face recognition for secure log into your machine, OneKey® Rescue System and Intel Anti-theft (AT) technology. Finally, we can say it's a great machine for companions at home, office or on the go. The processor and graphics offers good performance, good audio reproductions and the size make it can easily slip into your carry bag. If you interested, Lenovo IdeaPad U410 437629U is available now at at major retailers and e-tailers with starting price around at $768.