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All About the Do Gaming Championships
Wed, 22 Aug 2012, 9:58 am
by Rob 'Infy' Hart
Tags: DGL Championships, DGL Champs, DGL 2012, DGL 2012 Championships, DGL 2012 Champs, Telkom DGL, Do Gaming League, Do Gaming
The Do Gaming Championships is the annual culmination of the Do Gaming League season. The very best players and teams who are competing in the Do Gaming league are invited to compete in the Do Gaming Championships. The winners are awarded with massive prizes and are forever known as Do Gaming Champions!
After completing the final leg of the Do Gaming League, the top teams and players are invited to take part in the finals, known as the Do Gaming Championships. First held in 2008 when Telkom joined with AGASA to create Do Gaming, the Championships have grown to become the largest annual E-sport event in South Africa.
The Do Gaming Championships have traditionally been held at the rAge Expo, except in 2010 when the Do Gaming Championships were held at Gallagher estate in Midrand.
Due to the relationship with the venue, the Do Gaming Championship has earned the community created nickname "The rAge Comp".
The rAge Expo is held annually in October at the Coca-Cola Dome. In 2008 the Do Gaming Championships were held in the NAG LAN upstairs. In 2009, 2011 and 2012 the Do Gaming Championships have been held in the conference center on the lowest floor.
2008 Do Gaming Championship
The first ever Do Gaming Championship was held in the NAG LAN at rAge. The event catered for Call of Duty 4 and Counter-Strike: Source. <8or9> Cyborgs won the Call of Duty 4 Championship, First in Battle won the Battlefield 2 Championship and Bravado won the Counter-Strike: Source Championship.
2009 Do Gaming Championship
The 2009 Do Gaming Championship boasted R50,000 cash prizes sponsored by Telkom, as well as R60,000 worth of prizes sponsored by Logitech.
Brazen went on to become the 2009 Do Gaming Champions for Call of Duty 4, winning R25,000 in the process. Click here to view the COD4 final in pictures.
The Counter-Strike Source Championship was won by Caucasian Persuasion who took home R15,000.
First in Battle's team Terra won the Battlefield 2 Championship. The team beat FIB Ventus in the finals, winning R10,000.
Alongside the Do Gaming Championship, Do Gaming also held the Telkom EA FIFA 10 Roadshow. Matthew Bosch beat Jared Chetty in the Grand Final. The win got Matthew a trip to the UK to watch Chelsea and Arsenal play at Stamford Bridge in what was a key game in the English Premier League in 2010.
2010 Do Gaming Championship
Trying something new, the 2010 Do Gaming Championships were split in three – The Online Championships, the preliminary final and the Grand Final. The Online Championship was held for game titles which required an internet connection. These titles included StarCraft 2 and Battlefield Bad Company 2. The Preliminary finals (LAN) were held at Organised Chaos in CapeTown, followed a week later by the Grand Finals (LAN) held by Organised Chaos at Gallagher Estate in MidRand.
The 2010 Online Championships
The 2010 Online Championships had a R36,000 prize pool sponsored by Telkom.
The StarCraft 2 Online Championship boasted a cash pool of R12,800. Travis "Shase" Weedon won the event and received R6,000 in cash.
Synergy Gaming won the Battlefield Bad Company 2 Championships. The team won R12,000.
The 2010 LAN Championships
While the COD4 Preliminary Finals in Capetown was won by Big Fat B*stards, the COD4Grand Finals were won by Ventus who walked away with the first place prize of R25,000. Click here to read about the R160,000 prize pool.
Bravado's Counter-Strike Source team pushed forward, beating Mint Gaming in the Grand Finals to win R15,000.
2011 Do Gaming Championship
The 2011 Championship marked the end to a gaming cycle with both Counter-Strike and Call of Duty 4 nearing the end of their shelf life. The 2011 Championships also marked the beginning of the online-only competitive era for South Africans with the introduction of StarCraft 2 in a LAN environment (played online).
Held once again at the rAge Expo, the event saw 32 COD4 teams, 16 CS1.6 teams, 32 FIFA 12 players and 16 StarCraft 2 players meet to compete for R160,000 in cash prizes sponsored by Telkom. The StarCraft 2 Championships were sponsored by Samsung who provided massive prizes (Highend Laptop, Smartphone and 3D LED LCD) as well as paid for the players flights, food and accommodation.
Big Fat Bastards finally clenched their first Championship, winning the COD4 Championships in a tense battle against Bravado.
Damage Control put a stop to Bravado's Counter-Strike dominance by beating them in the Counter-Strike 1.6 Do Gaming Championship.
Travis "Shase" Weedon, winner of the 2010 Do Gaming Online Championship won once again, beating newcomer Hellshound in the finals.
Rolando 'RoLo_87' De Aveiro went undefeated in the FIFA 11 Do Gaming Championship.
Read more:
2012 Do Gaming Championship
The 2012 Do Gaming Championship is our largest to date with a total of 600 seats available and half a million rand worth of prizes up for grabs. The conference room used in 2009 has been merged with the conference room we used in 2011 to create an enormous area, boasting the highest concentration of gaming skill ever seen in RSA.
Telkom Do Gaming has once again bought the LAN tickets for you, meaning those who have qualified get in for FREE!
The Schedule
On Friday the 5th of October we open our doors, allowing players to setup and practice before the official matches begin the following day. Players checking in on Friday must collect their tickets from our staff before 7pm.
Sign in closes at 7am on Saturday the 6th of October. The captains meeting will follow at 8am where our head admins will instruct the team leaders.
The first matches begin at 9am straight. We have a no nonsense policy, so don't be late!
Lunch is at 12pm and ends at 1pm on Saturday. Matches begin again at 1:20pm.
All matches besides the finals must be completed on the Saturday and any delays mean we could continue late into the night. The key to success will be to ensure you are fit, hydrated and focused throughout the day.
The finals will be held at 9am on Sunday, followed by the prize giving at 12pm.
rAge closes its doors at 3pm, so make sure you are packed up and ready to go before then.
2012 Do Gaming Championship Game Titles
Battlefield 3
In the aftermath of First in Battle's (FIB) demise, teams continue to fight for the Championship and the MASSIVE prizes on offer. Thanks to EA, Gaming Inc and Alienware, the prize pool has grown to an enormous R100,000 in cash as well as EIGHT Alienware X51 Machines! Teams have everything to play for, but only one can emerge the winner.
Call of Duty Modern Warfare 3
In the beginning of the 2012 Season we saw Impi take the top step. Bravado then stepped up and showed everyone exactly why they are so respected by the Do Gaming Community. Can Bravado maintain their performance or will one of the other teams rise up to steal the glory? With R60,000 cash and FIVE Alienware X51 PC's on the line, coming second just won't cut it.
Call of Duty 4
They said COD4 would die down... well they were wrong. The 2012 COD4 season was one of the most successful yet. The community maintained over 55 teams throughout the Season in what must be one of the best yet.
StarCraft 2
The StarCraft 2 community raised their war flags in 2012, producing some of the best gamers we have ever witnessed. Will PandaTank continue to dominate the scene, or will Shase win his third Do Gaming Championship in a row? Logitech is sponsoring R50,000 in cash prizes, so whoever wins is going home very happy!
FIFA 12 (PS3 & Xbox 360)
In 2011 we combined the Xbox 360 and PS3 FIFA Championships, putting them all against one another. Do Gaming listens to the community and will host separate Championships for each of the two communities.
Gran Turismo 5
David Peetham has gone undefeated throughout the year in the Do Gaming GranTurismo 5 league. However he needs to do it all over again at the Do Gaming Championships, where he will race among the top 10 GT5 drivers in South Africa for huge cash prizes!
Related Games
Copyright © 2008-2018 do Broadband. Powered by Gaming League Enterprises engine. Terms of Use. All Rights Reserved.


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5 Saltwater Fishing Hacks You Should Be Using
Female anglers kickoff "Making Waves" at ICAST 2018
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Home > Learn to Fish & Boat > Fly Fishing > Fly Fishing Basics > Tying Flies
One of the best ways to achieve fly fishing success is by tying yourself a lifelike fly, specific to the type of fish you want to catch. A well-tied fly, manipulated skillfully by you, can fool even the smartest fish.
Here are three of the classic fly patterns. One of them should work for you in the majority of instances:
This American fly pattern is considered by many fly fishermen to be the best dry fly pattern ever conceived. And, it is versatile. One of the greatest things about fly tying is the ability to change patterns around. With the Adams dry fly, the grey muskrat body color is often switched to imitate other species of mayflies and caddis. Don't leave home without the Adams! Watch the following video to learn more.
The pheasant tail nymph suggests all sorts of real trout food throughout the season and is possibly the best mayfly nymph imitation ever designed. Mayfly nymphs are versatile, living in fast, turbulent water or in slow or still water environments.
The most recognized fly of them all, the woolly bugger represents a streamer - in other words, not a "fly" per se, but rather a baitfish. It can resemble a leech, or a larva-type creature moving about the streambed. The most common woolly buggers are tied in earth tones; however, hot colors seem to work when nothing else does. The use of flash in the tail is also popular. This is a must-have fly.
One of the reasons the woolly bugger has become so successful is its simplicity. Only basic materials and knowledge of fly tying are required to tie any number of bugger variations.
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As anyone knows who has followed its fortunes over the past few decades, the story of contemporary art in Los Angeles has been a peripatetic one. The center of energy has shifted variously from La Cienega to La Brea to Downtown, out to Venice and Santa Monica and back east again to Culver City and the lower end of La Cienega. Even then, I'm probably forgetting a few stops along the way. The pattern is a familiar one: artists begin to colonize an area for the availability of large, inexpensive space for studios; once they gain a foothold, "alternative spaces" and artists' collaboratives spring up, and dealers and galleries move in for the kill; studio footage gets to be unaffordable, and the pattern starts to repeat. It's not only in Los Angeles, of course, but the city's scattered layout seems to exaggerate the pattern. All the while, hopes were all too often raised that here, now, at last, L.A. would take its true place as a world art center, only to be dashed by a new seismic shift.
Few today would argue with the proposition that the battle for that recognition has been won, but this outcome involved a good number of disappointments along the way. One such was the great surge of activity in the down-at-the-heels, east-of-downtown industrial area in the early to mid-1980s. True to form, the artists came first -- a richly diverse mix of creative minds whose eccentricities and bustling energy shared with the destitute and the homeless the inelegant streets and one-time commercial buildings now tagged by city authorities as uninhabitable. A sprawling new book by Carlton Davis, The Art Dockuments, serves to document that activity as it happened in a single building over a period of half a decade.
The Citizens Warehouse, always on the cusp of being condemned, was an old industrial building whose loading dock Davis co-opted as a improvisational, drive-by show place for the work of local artists -- many of whom had established studio and (largely illegal) living quarters in the building for minimal rent and even less facilities. His book documents some 35 installations on his art dock, some by artists now long-forgotten, who have since moved on to other areas and other occupations; others by artists who have since achieved significant recognition; and a distressing number of whom have died. (At the end of each "Art Dockument," Davis includes a useful paragraph to let the reader know the widely disparate sequels to the stories that he tells.) Those who have followed the Los Angeles art scene since the 1960s will be familiar with many of the names: Miles Forst, Peter Zecher, Jeff Kaisershot, Ulysses Jenkins, Monique Safford, Gary Lloyd, Scott Grieger, Pamela Burgess...) Each contributed some part of their unique vision to the parade of installations available to anyone driving -- or walking -- past the spot. They were an ever-provocative challenge not only to their fellow artists but to the local community of bums and city cops, the civic authorities and inspectors whose presence was a constant threat to the existence of the warehouse.
It's a story told from a highly personal point of view. Davis recalls often fascinating conversations with artists from all those years ago -- I have no way of gauging with what accuracy -- on the nature of their work and its intentions; with those passers-by who were often perplexed or offended by what they saw; with an unidentified "critic" -- a recurring figure -- whose insights provide a different angle on the work. We learn a great deal about what was on the minds of artists at the time, the level of their social and political engagement, their internecine disputes and love affairs. The back cover cites a saying of Marcel Duchamp, that "the most interesting thing about artists is the way they live," and Davis offers engaging glimpses, not only into the lives of artists, but also the living and areas they create for themselves out of raw space. We learn about their work, then, from the inside, even as Davis describes it -- with text, photographs and his own sketchbook drawings -- from without.
Equally fascinating are the politics of the Citizens Warehouse, where the city authorities are a constant, vigilant presence whose inspections threaten to close down the joint. Their visits invariably sets the cat amongst the pigeons, causing ripple effects of deception and disguise along the rows of studios. And they are not the only enemy for the building's denizens: the artist-owners are out to make the best profit they can, and will do so even if it involves selling out their tenants to the highest bidder. There's a state of constant, subterranean warfare that keeps Davis on edge and leaves him in the unenviable position of being the middleman between the mutually suspicious parties. And there is, too, the larger context that impacts this small community: the more public face of Los Angeles art, including the 1984 cultural Olympics, the planning and start-up of the Museum of Contemporary Art and Disney Hall in the downtown area, the "Percent for Art" programs and the activity of the Community Redevelopment Agency.
These considerations are complicated -- even internalized -- by Davis's own agenda, in a story that turns out to be as much autobiography as documentary. This is a man who has risked all -- his prospects for a successful career in architecture, the relationship with his wife and young daughter, his home base in San Francisco -- in order to make a name for himself as an artist. He finds himself in an ocean of artistic energy, effectively competing for recognition as an artist in a community that comes to regard him more as a cross between a landlord and a promoter of their work than an equal to themselves. Like Rodney Dangerfield, he gets no respect, and his agony in this regard becomes a major sub-theme in his book. This, I have to say, is not greatly to his advantage: in bringing the focus back so often to his personal problems, he risks obscuring what is most fascinating about the book: the inner workings of a diverse, contentious and community of artists, intensely committed to their creative work and struggling to keep body and soul together.
I think The Art Dockuments would have been more successful as a book had the author chosen to make a bit less of his personal stake in the activities in and around the warehouse. It's a case of having more than we need, as readers, to "get the picture" he sets out to recall for us. Because the picture itself is a truly fascinating one, and one that has a great deal to tell us about artists, the way they live, the way they view the world and the sources of their creative energy. It's in this area that Davis's book excels, and proves a useful contribution to any overview of the past 50 years of art in Los Angeles.


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Archive for the 'elections' tag
Quick Hitters – November 16th, 2015 Edition
Apologies if you are one of the few brave and foolhardy souls who still subscribe to my daily newsletter. Your email contained a bunch of gobbledygook links today. Some background: before Twitter and Facebook, there was a social URL-sharing network called Delicious. Users of Delicious shared snippets from webpages, which is sort of how I still use Twitter1
Delicious was, and still remains, integrated with Google's long neglected RSS engine, Feedburner. In other words, if you subscribe to my email newsletter, or use my blog's RSS feed, you see Delicious links, Flickr images as well as occasional actual blog posts like this one merged together. But2 yesterday I started using a new RSS reading app. NetNewsWire has been my RSS reading app of choice since 2002, but it is feeling increasingly neglected, without much integration into the web services of 2015, so I purchased a competitor, Reeder, and lo-and-behold, posting directly to Delicious is an option! If I can press a button and post to Delicious, I'll use the feature more frequently. With NetNewsWire, posting to Delicious meant logging in the site, copying and pasting the URL, copying and pasting the snippet, adding tags – about the same amount of effort would yield an actual blog post. With Reeder, I just press a button, and if I want, add tags. Much simpler. Except as I discovered this morning, the Delicious post gets mangled somewhere between Feedburner and Reeder. Basically, the URL is not properly formatted and looks like
The%20Great%20Controversy%3A%20Ben%20Carson%2C%20 Ellen%20G.%20White%2C%20and%20Seventh-day%20Adventism [del.icio.us] Posted: 16 Nov 2015 12:33 PM … [del.icio.us]
Not acceptable. Oh well.
Here are the five snippets I wanted to post, but didn't have the stamina nor time to annote/respond to. One snippet I did manage to later turn into a blog post, but I'm including it here anyway …
The Great Controversy: Ben Carson, Ellen G. White, and Seventh-day Adventism
Ben Carson has famously said that a Muslim who wishes to become president of the United States must "reject the tenets of Islam."
But what about members of his own church — The Seventh-day Adventist church? Must they reject its doctrines in order to become president?
The SDA church was co-founded by Ellen G. White, who was its original leader and prophet. She is to Adventists what Mary Baker Eddy, Joseph Smith, and Muhammad are to Christian Scientists, Mormons, and Muslims, respectively (not respectfully). And her book, The Great Controversy, corresponds to Science and Health, the Book of Mormon, and the Quran. And it fully deserves to be among them, as one of the the worst books ever written.
Someone should ask Dr. Carson if he believes in Ellen White's prophecy in The Great Controversy with regard to the "big role" that the United States will play. Specifically, is the United States the two-horned beast that speaks like a lion of Revelation 13:11?
If so, he should renounce that belief (along with the rest of White's "prophecy") before anyone should consider voting for him for president.
(click here to continue reading Dwindling In Unbelief: The Great Controversy: Ben Carson, Ellen G. White, and Seventh-day Adventism.)
Björk on Iceland: 'We don't go to church, we go for a walk' Björk used to walk across the tundra singing at the top of her lungs. John Grant left America for its rocky grandeur and Sigur Rós's music captures its isolation. What is it about the Icelandic landscape that hypnotises artists?
(click here to continue reading Björk on Iceland: 'We don't go to church, we go for a walk' | Music | The Guardian.)
Cornel West tears into hypocritical "sister Clinton" while filling in for Bernie Sanders at an Iowa BBQ "Democratic socialism isn't some kind of alien element. It's organic and indigenous in the history of this nation."
West turned to Sanders' main opponent for the Democratic ticket, claiming that "we have to be honest about our dear sister Hillary Clinton — when it comes to my gay brothers and my lesbian sisters, one year, she says 'marriage is just male and female.' A few years later, she says she's 'evolved.' I say, 'I'm open to evolution.'
"But there's certain issues that should cut so deep," he concluded, "that you don't need to be a thermometer — you can be a thermostat!"
(click here to continue reading Cornel West tears into hypocritical "sister Clinton" while filling in for Bernie Sanders at an Iowa BBQ – Salon.com.)
The Velvet Underground – see the video for Some Kinda Love (live) The new Complete Matrix Tapes box set is a brilliant insight into one of rock's greatest bands – and we've got this track from the set
This Friday sees the release of The Complete Matrix Tapes, bringing together all the recordings made of the Velvet Underground at the San Francisco venue on 26 and 27 November 1969. Heard in their entirety, the recordings are revelatory – you get to hear wildly different versions of the same songs, Lou Reed chatting and joking with his audience, and a rock band exploring the limits of their performance – right up to a 38-minute version of Sister Ray.
While most of the 42 tracks on the four-disc box have been heard before, nine are exclusives. What's more, the tracks previously heard on The Bootleg Series, Vol 1: The Quine Tapes were in nothing like this level of fidelity. In a world of box sets packed with unnecessary fillers, this one is anything but.
(click here to continue reading The Velvet Underground – see the video for Some Kinda Love (live) | Music | The Guardian.)
Ryan Gosling confirms role in Blade Runner sequel
The actor will star alongside Harrison Ford in the sequel to the sci-fi classic
he offered this fairly long-winded account of where Deckard has been living following the events of the original film:
We decided to start the film off with the original starting block of the original film. We always loved the idea of a dystopian universe, and we start off at what I describe as a 'factory farm' – what would be a flat land with farming. Wyoming. Flat, not rolling – you can see for 20 miles. No fences, just plowed, dry dirt. Turn around and you see a massive tree, just dead, but the tree is being supported and kept alive by wires that are holding the tree up. It's a bit like Grapes of Wrath, there's dust, and the tree is still standing. By that tree is a traditional, Grapes of Wrath-type white cottage with a porch. Behind it at a distance of two miles, in the twilight, is this massive combine harvester that's fertilizing this ground. You've got 16 Klieg lights on the front, and this combine is four times the size of this cottage. And now a spinner [a flying car] comes flying in, creating dust. Of course, traditionally chased by a dog that barks, the doors open, a guy gets out and there you've got Rick Deckard. He walks in the cottage, opens the door, sits down, smells stew, sits down and waits for the guy to pull up to the house to arrive. The guy's seen him, so the guy pulls the combine behind the cottage and it towers three stories above it, and the man climbs down from a ladder – a big man. He steps onto the balcony and he goes to Harrison's side. The cottage actually [creaks]; this guy's got to be 350 pounds. I'm not going to say anything else – you'll have to go see the movie.
(click here to continue reading Ryan Gosling confirms role in Blade Runner sequel | Consequence of Sound.)Footnotes:
- if you follow me, and why shouldn't you, you'll notice the majority of my my tweets are links to news and other articles [↩]
- and you knew this was coming, right? [↩]
Biden phones winner of memorable Coralville election
Sometimes that Koch dollar doesn't spend as easily as expected. As a follow up to a previous post, turns out Coralville successfully tuned out the Koch agenda…
In a contest that attracted the attention of Vice President Joe Biden and spending by the national conservative group Americans for Prosperity, Coralville's three incumbent candidates are staying for another term.
Unofficial results Tuesday showed John Lundell winning the mayoral contest and Tom Gill, Bill Hoeft and Laurie Goodrich winning seats on the council in an election with record-breaking turnout.
Shortly after Lundell's victory became apparent, the City Council member said, he received a surprise phone call from Biden.
"He indicated that he was very proud of our city, that we took on the Koch brothers and successfully beat them by such a huge margin," Lundell said. "That was another aspect of this election that was unanticipated, that after the polls closed that I'd be speaking to the vice president of the United States."
(click here to continue reading Biden phones winner of memorable Coralville election | The Des Moines Register | desmoinesregister.com.)
Election 2012
Barack Obama is way too far to the right to be my ideal candidate, yet in America's binary system, there is no way I'd vote for anyone else. Mitt Romney is a travesty, and his sort of politician is anathema to me. When I was 22, I might have voted for the Green Party's Jill Stein, but since the Electoral College matters in a way it shouldn't – in an ideal world – I'll cast my vote tomorrow for Barack Obama.
Congratulations to Barack Obama
No electioneering beyond this point
Thank You For Voting 2011 HipstaPrint
Let Amercia go in the crapper – Vote Mitt
IBEW Local 134 – polling location
Bedtime Story – drawing by Barry Blitt
I Think I'll Wait For The Movies
No Corporate Welfare for The Ricketts
IRS May Make Political Groups Pay Dearly for Keeping Donors Secret
Wow! That would be great news. Not Thelonious Monk dancing (YouTube) great, but close…
For years, the IRS has done little or nothing to check the rise of overtly political groups that claim a special tax-exempt status in order to funnel secret money into election-related advertising.
But in a sign that the agency may be waking from its slumber, the IRS has sent detailed questionnaires to several Tea Party organizations — and possibly other political groups — to determine if they truly qualify for the 501(c)(4) designation intended for groups whose exclusive purpose is to promote social welfare.
Should any group currently calling itself a 501(c)(4) have its designation denied or revoked, tax experts said the consequences could be severe, including fines of 35 percent or more of the money they raised in secret.
And the groups might have to make donors' names public.
The tax code requires 501(c)(4) groups to be operated "exclusively" for social welfare purposes — which does not include intervention in political campaigns. The IRS has allowed the groups to engage in political activity as long as it was not their primary purpose. But for many of these groups, it's hard to see what other purpose they could possibly have. It's also hard to see why a political group would file under section 501(c)(4) instead of under Section 527 — the part of the tax code explicitly designed for political groups including PACs and super PACs — other than to hide its donors. Like the C4s, the 527 groups are allowed to raise unlimited funds and pay no taxes. They just have to disclose who donates money.
Reform groups have been pressuring the IRS to enforce its rules for months. In February, a group of Democratic senators sent a letter to the IRS, which stated: "It is contrary to the letter and spirit of the statute for political organizations formed primarily to advocate for a political candidate or to run attack ads against other candidates to take advantage of section 501(c)(4)."
(click here to continue reading IRS May Make Political Groups Pay Dearly for Keeping Donors Secret — And Out Them.)
That is exactly why – hiding their donors from public scrutiny. The IRS shouldn't drag their feet, but do this now, before the 2012 election…
Disclose Act of 2012
I strongly support this legislation! If Citizens United gave corporations the right to speech, at the very least, citizens should know who is contributing the cash to fund political campaigns. Public companies eventually have to report such expenditures, but every corporate entity should have the strength of their convictions, and sign their name to policy they support.
Imagine if each of the vicious attack ads staining the presidential campaign had to name the five biggest donors paying for the propaganda, and end with an "I approved this ad" statement from the attack group's chief operative.
This thin ray of sunlight is at the heart of a new House proposal to repair some of the damage done to American democracy by the Supreme Court decision allowing campaigns to be flooded with unlimited, and largely cloaked, corporate, union and other special-interest contributions.
The Disclose 2012 Act, introduced by Representative Chris Van Hollen, Democrat of Maryland, is a tighter version of the 2010 bill that was blocked in the Senate by a Republican filibuster. The new measure would require disclosure of donor names within 24 hours for contributions of $10,000 or more — making it hard for "super PACs" and other money vehicles to take advantage of loose reporting deadlines. Union and corporate leaders and others would have to own up to sponsorship in their ads, while informing shareholders and union members how their money is spent politically. Lobbying groups like the National Rifle Association and the Sierra Club would also have to disclose their campaign spending more clearly.
(click here to continue reading Sunlight on Secret Donations – NYTimes.com.)
Via Congressman Chris Van Hollen's website, this summary:
The "DISCLOSE 2012 Act"
1. ENHANCE PUBLIC REPORTING, BY CORPORATIONS AND OTHER OUTSIDE GROUPS, OF CAMPAIGN-RELATED ACTIVITY: All corporations, unions, other outside groups, and Super PACs will have to report, to the FEC, within 24 hours of making a $10,000 campaign expenditure or financial transfer to other groups which can then be used for campaign-related activity.
2. REQUIRE CORPORATIONS AND OTHER OUTSIDE GROUPS TO STAND BY THEIR ADS: All leaders of corporations, unions, other outside groups, and Super PACs that make campaign-related Ads, will have to stand by their ads and say that he/she "approves this message,". In addition, this bill will require the top financial contributors to be disclosed in the Television and Radio advertisements.
3. REQUIRE CORPORATIONS AND OTHER OUTSIDE GROUPS TO DISCLOSE CAMPAIGN-RELATED SPENDING TO SHAREHOLDERS AND ORGANIZATION MEMBERS: Corporations, unions, and other outside groups will have to disclose their campaign-related expenditures to their shareholders and members in their periodic and annual financial reports. This would also require these groups to make their political spending available to the public, through a hyper-link to the FEC, on their websites.
4. REQUIRE LOBBYISTS TO DISCLOSE CAMPAIGN-RELATED EXPENDITURES IN CONJUNCTION WITH THEIR LOBBYING ACTIVITIES: All Federally registered lobbyists will have to disclose their political expenditures in their Lobbying Disclosure reports in conjunction with the report of their lobbying activities.
To read the full text, click here (PDF, 29 pages).
The Sunlight Foundation blogs its support:
The bill will create robust reporting requirements for Super PACs, corporations, unions and nonprofit organizations that decide to make campaign expenditures. It will also require reporting of transfers by those groups to others making such expenditures, to prevent the money laundering that makes it easy to hide huge campaign contributions.
DISCLOSE 2012 will also require ads to contain disclaimers by the top officials of such groups, similar to the stand by your ad mandates required of candidates. In addition, shareholders and members of outside groups will be informed of campaign spending, and lobbyists will be required to report their spending on independent expenditures and electioneering communications.
When the Supreme Court decided the Citizens United case, it hung its hat on the theory that systems were in place to ensure unlimited corporate and union spending would be disclosed on the Internet. The Court was, at best, naïve. Because the Court created a whole new kind of spending, there was no disclosure system in place. (And the moribund Federal Election Commission would never be able to create such a system through a rulemaking process.) DISCLOSE 2012 creates that system of transparency and as such should receive wide support from members on both sides of the aisle.
Early primary spending has demonstrated that previously unheard of expenditures will become commonplace and overwhelm the 2012 elections. At a minimum, voters have a right to know whether the Super PAC that paid for an ad they just watched is tied to a candidate, or was funded by corporation or union with very special interests. Candidates will know who is footing the bill for ads that support their candidacy, even if such ads are technically not "coordinated" with their campaigns. With DISLOSE 2012, the voters will know too.
(click here to continue reading House Democrats Introduce DISCLOSE 2012 – Sunlight Foundation.)
Gingrich, Perry disqualified from VA primary ballot
These jokers are also not really serious about running for the presidency, though at least they went through the motions, unlike the other grifters we mentioned yesterday.
Former House speaker Newt Gingrich and Texas Gov. Rick Perry failed to submit enough valid signatures to qualify for the Virginia primary ballot, state GOP officials said Friday evening and early Saturday.
The Republican Party of Virginia announced early Saturday that Gingrich and Perry failed to submit 10,000 signatures of registered voters required to get their names on the ballot for the March 6 primary.
"After verification, RPV has determined that Newt Gingrich did not submit required 10k signatures and has not qualified for the VA primary," the party announced on Twitter.
The rejection is a significant setback for the Gingrich campaign since he is leading the polls in Virginia among likely Republican voters and is seen as a strong contender for the nomination.
Perry's campaign told state election officials it had submitted 11,911 signatures, and Gingrich's campaign said it submitted 11,050 signatures. State party officials spent Friday night validating the signatures.
(click here to continue reading Gingrich, Perry disqualified from Va. primary ballot – Virginia Politics – The Washington Post.)
compare and contrast to President Obama:
President Obama was the first presidential candidate to submit his signatures Dec. 2.
The Democratic Party of Virginia certified his signatures Friday. He was the only Democrat to qualify for the ballot so the State Board of Elections will cancel the primary. All Virginia delegates to the Democratic National Convention will be cast for him, said Brian Moran, party chairman.
My quick internet search didn't yield an answer to this question: has this happened in the past? Has a party's nomination ever been derailed because a candidate wasn't organized to fulfill the requirements in a particular state? I've followed politics pretty closely my entire adult life, and can't recall this happening before, but maybe my memory is faulty.
So, unless something changes, only Romney and Ron Paul are actually on the VA ballot. Can we stop pretending the other grifters are serious candidates now?
Bachmann, Huntsman, Santorum not on VA primary ballot
Seems strange not to do what is necessary to get on the ballot in VA, unless these candidates are actually not serious about running for president, and are just going on book tours, supported by other people's money…
Four Republican presidential candidates – Mitt Romney, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and Ron Paul — submitted paper work in time to qualify for Virginia's March 6 primary ballot.
No other GOP contender will be on the Virginia ballot. Rep. Michele Bachmann, former Sen. Rick Santorum and former Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman did not submit signatures with Virginia's State Board of Elections by today's 5 p.m. deadline.
(click here to continue reading Bachmann, Huntsman, Santorum not on Va. primary ballot | Richmond Times-Dispatch.)
Thirteen electoral votes is not nothing: New Hampshire only has four, Iowa has seven. Atrios called them grifters, which is more descriptive…
Can we please stop discussing these non-serious candidates now?
Rahm Emanuel To Stay on Ballot
The Illinois Supreme Court ruled 7-0 that Rahm Emanuel is to remain on the ballot. I haven't decided who I might support in the mayoral race, but am pleased with this result:
On Thursday, the Supreme Court's seven justices overturned the ruling of the appeals panel, though two of the justices issued their own reasoning for allowing Mr. Emanuel to run. In the majority's opinion, which was written by Justice Robert R. Thomas, a Republican, the justices raised sharp questions about what the appellate court had concluded, suggesting that such issues of residency had essentially been settled in this state for 150 years — until this week.
"Things changed, however, when the appellate court below issued its decision and announced that it was no longer bound by any of the law cited above," Justice Thomas wrote, continuing later, "but was instead free to craft its own original standard for determining a candidate's residency."
The opinion repeatedly cited a case from 1867, in which an Illinois resident had been appointed as a judge, but had been challenged for not meeting a five-year residency requirement because his family had lived in Tennessee for eight months. That long-ago ruling — in the judge's favor — focused on his intent (he refused to sell his Illinois law books, for instance), not on his physical location, the justices found. The same principles, the justice wrote, control Mr. Emanuel's case, "plain and simple."
Under the appellate court's decision, the justices said, all sorts of circumstances would now come into question: Where does a member of Congress who spends several days a week in Washington reside legally? What about a state legislator?
"Under the appellate court's test, considerable doubt would arise as to whether any of these people could meet a residency test that requires one year of 'actually living' or "actually residing' in the municipality," the majority wrote.
(click to continue reading Court Allows Emanuel on Ballot for Chicago Mayor – NYTimes.com.)
and from the WSJ:
Mr. Emanuel was born in Chicago, owns a house here and represented the city's North Side for three terms in Congress before he moved to Washington in early 2009 to work for President Obama. He didn't move back to Chicago until October.
Objectors cited his absence to disqualify him. Mr. Emanuel argued that even though he moved to Washington, he maintained his residency by renting out his house instead of selling it, paying property taxes, keeping his cars registered in Chicago and voting in city elections. He also stored family heirlooms in a locked crawl space in the basement of his home.
Mr. Emanuel further argued that Illinois law provides an exception for candidates who leave the state on business for the U.S. government. The appellate court ruled that a person running for office must be physically present in the city and the government exception applied to voters but not to candidates.
In their opinion, five of the Illinois Supreme Court justices chastised the appellate court for its "mysterious" analysis that it said resulted in "tossing out 150 years of settled residency law in favor of its own preferred standard."
The justices said that under the appellate court's analysis, congressional representatives living in Washington or state representatives living in Springfield would be constantly subjected to "confusion" with respect to their residency.
Instead, the court upheld the long tradition of using "physical presence" and "intent" when interpreting residency questions in Illinois. It also said that the only way to lose residency once established is through "abandonment" of the physical presence, also a question of intent.
In Mr. Emanuel's case, the court said, he did not abandon his residency because his intent was clearly to remain in his Chicago house. "The candidate left many personal items in the Hermitage House, including his bed, two televisions, a stereo system, a piano, and over 100 boxes of personal possessions," the court said.
(click to continue reading Rahm Emanuel Can Stay on Ballot, Court Rules – WSJ.com.)
I also object to the residency law on principle. Voters should be allowed to make up their own minds if a carpet bagger would best represent the interests of the city. Chicago should not have this silly paternalistic law on the books. Once in office, or serving as police or whatever, then perhaps1 residency rules could pertain: does seem to make sense that an Alderman should reside in the district the Alderman is representing, at least after the election. Would it really matter if a police officer lived in Gurnee, but worked in the Lakeview district?
But the one year prior to running rule seems a bit bogus, to me.Footnotes:
- maybe [↩]
Emanuel's Ballot Access
In case you haven't heard, last October Chicago's Mayor-For-Life, Richard M. Daley suddenly announced he wasn't running for re-election. Within a week, Rahm Eamanuel quit his job as Chief of Staff for Obama, and announced his candidacy for mayor.
He's having some difficulties:
CHICAGO — With only a month to go until Election Day, more than $10 million in campaign money and an overwhelming lead in the polls, Rahm Emanuel, the former White House chief of staff, was disqualified on Monday from appearing on this city's ballot for mayor. A panel of Illinois Appellate Court justices, in a 2-1 ruling, found that Mr. Emanuel failed to meet a state code stipulating that candidates for mayor reside in the city they hope to lead for at least a full year before an election.
Mr. Emanuel maintains that his time in Washington, which ended in October, was always meant to be temporary and ought not affect his legal status as a resident of Chicago. He filed a motion with the Illinois Supreme Court late Monday to stay the appellate court decision and expedite an appeal.
(click to continue reading Rahm Emanuel Tossed Off Chicago Mayor Ballot – NYTimes.com.)
Gapers Block's Ramsin Canon has written an excellent overview of the Rahm Emanuel case, including this:
The decision was split 2-1. The majority opinion is seductively argued. Basically, they build upwards from the idea that the Chicago election law is conjuctive and not disjunctive—in other words, it is an "and" not an "or." Where there is an "and" in a statute, that means that two distinct, non-redundant elements are necessary. The two elements in question here: (1) Is candidate a qualified elector? and (2) did candidate "reside" in Chicago for a year before the election?
The majority finds that he meets the first element but fails the second and, therefore, fails to qualify. The reason he fails the second, they argue, is because the legislature must have intended "reside" to mean something different from merely "have a voter-qualifying residence." Here they draw a distinction between "constructively" residing (think of this as "residing as a matter of law") and "actually" or "factually" residing (think of this as "residing in the common sense"). Emanuel's attorneys anticipated this problem by arguing that he meets an exception to this requirement as he was away due to business on the behalf of the United States—typically considered a "service member" exception, i.e., you don't want soldiers to lose their residency because of their military service. However, the majority doesn't think this applies to candidacy but rather only to voting. Citing a case called Ballhorn, the majority holds in other words that legislators wanted candidates to actually live in a place in order to represent it:
Those [residency] requirements ensure "that those who represent the local units of government shall themselves be component parts of such units." This intent of the legislature moved the majority to find that Emanuel failed to meet the intent of the legislators in creating these requirements. The majority is concerned, so they say, about the rules of "statutory construction" which require them to respect the legislature's intent in writing laws. One of the basic rules of statutory construction is that courts shouldn't assume words are superfluous or redundant, and that if something was included, it was included for a reason. If the legislature had merely wanted candidates to be qualified voters for a year prior to elections, rather than qualified voters who also resided in the district for a year, then they would not have made a distinction.
Importantly, the majority did not give a Rule 316 certification, meaning basically that they added a hurdle to Emanuel's appealing their decision. Had they given the certification, it would have gone straight to the Supreme Court.
(click to continue reading Make Sense, Be Honest: Emanuel's Ballot Access – Gapers Block Mechanics | Chicago.)
If you recall, Cecil Adams argued that Emanuel *should* be on the ballot, but we'll see what the Supreme Court of IL has to say, as I'm sure the appeal is being furiously written right now.
Whether or not, Emanuel has further options is unclear…
What happens if the state Supreme Court declines to take the case or affirms the decision of the appeals judges that he cannot be on the ballot—and that would also mean, says Tenenbaum, that Emanuel would not be eligible to be a write-in candidate—can Rahm take his case to the U.S. Supreme Court?
"The only way to get to the U.S. Supreme Court is through a petition for certiorari, and [Rahm] would have to raise a United States Constitutional issue," Professor Tenenbaum said. "I have not seen one, although he could try and argue that if residence has one meaning for voting purposes [Rahm has consistently voted here] and another for candidacy, it denies equal protection, but that would probably be a stretch."
(click to continue reading Northwestern Law Prof on Rahm's Prospects Now – Felsenthal Files – January 2011.)
The Chicago Tribune editorialized, in part:
With startling arrogance and audaciously twisted reasoning, two appellate judges ignored more than 100 years of legal precedent, invented a new definition of "residency" and ordered Rahm Emanuel off the Feb. 22 mayoral ballot.
With the election just four weeks away, the appellate panel voted 2-1 to reverse the decisions of the Chicago Board of Elections and a Circuit Court judge. It's an adventurous, flawed ruling that has immediate and profound consequences. The case is headed to the Illinois Supreme Court, but the ballots are headed to the printer — without Emanuel's name. Early voting begins Monday.
In a blistering dissent, Appellate Justice Bertina E. Lampkin accused her colleagues, Thomas E. Hoffman and Shelvin Louise Marie Hall, of "careless disregard for the law," and harshly criticized them for refusing to ask the Supreme Court for an expedited review.
Lampkin accused the majority of ignoring case law that clearly supported Emanuel's argument —including a significant case in which Hoffman prevailed.
"The majority's new standard is ill-reasoned and unfair to the candidate, voters and those of us who are charged with applying the law," Lampkin wrote. The decision "disenfranchises not just this particular candidate but every voter in Chicago who would consider voting for him."
…Instead, the two appellate justices twisted themselves into a pretzel to come up with an argument to disqualify him. Insisting that they had "no Supreme Court directive" on which to rely and hanging their hat on an interpretation found in a case they acknowledge "lacks precedential force," the justices decided that the phrase "resided in" has one meaning when applied to voters and another when applied to candidates.
This distinction, Lampkin notes, "is a figment of the majority's imagination" and "a standard that the majority just conjured out of thin air." In the process, the justices disregarded a case that has guided residency rulings for 122 years, she wrote.
"An opinion of such wide-ranging import and not based on established law but, rather, on the whims of two judges, should not be allowed to stand," Lampkin wrote. Amen.
(click to continue reading Rahm Emanuel knocked off mayoral ballot – chicagotribune.com.)
Rahm and the residency requirements for mayor
Cecil Adams wields his logic knife1, and slices, dices the controversy about Rahm Emanuel's residency.
[Rahm Emanuel's residency] is the most ridiculous controversy to come down the pike in, oh, a good two months. For example, John Kass writes [in his basement, probably]:
I appreciate and respect Rahm. Sure, he's profane, but so am I when I'm not typing, and he's got a great sense of humor. And I believe he should be on the ballot.
Still, there's that nagging issue. It's called the law.
Please, spare me the melodrama. While wacky things have been known to happen in Illinois courts, under any reasonable reading the law squarely favors Rahm.
(click to continue reading Straight Dope Chicago: Does Rahm meet the residency requirements to run for mayor?.)
and the main reason Rahm has residency, as Cecil Adams see it:
Chapter 36, Section 3.2(a) of the Illinois Compiled Statutes includes the following provision:
A permanent abode is necessary to constitute a residence within the meaning of Section 3-1 [which says who's allowed to vote in Illinois]. No elector or spouse shall be deemed to have lost his or her residence in any precinct or election district in this State by reason of his or her absence on business of the United States, or of this State.
Nonetheless, it seems clear the Illinois election code is meant to cover similar situations: if you go to work at the White House, or become an ambassador, or perform some comparable public service, you retain your state residency during your absence. It's not necessary to delve into who's currently renting your house or any other such nonsense.
(click to continue reading Straight Dope Chicago: Does Rahm meet the residency requirements to run for mayor?.)
Seems pretty straightforward to me, especially since the main people raising objections seem to have solely political motivations.Footnotes:
- whatever that is, I assume my metaphor is not so obscure as to be confusing. I'll admit to needing more coffee [↩]
Bush Still Doesn't Like McCain
Not sure if this changes anything, but amusing nonetheless:
George W. Bush's bombastic return to the world stage has reminded me of my favourite Bush anecdote, which for various reasons we couldn't publish at the time. Some of the witnesses still dine out on it.
The venue was the Oval Office. A group of British dignitaries, including Gordon Brown, were paying a visit. It was at the height of the 2008 presidential election campaign, not long after Bush publicly endorsed John McCain as his successor.
Naturally the election came up in conversation. Trying to be even-handed and polite, the Brits said something diplomatic about McCain's campaign, expecting Bush to express some warm words of support for the Republican candidate.
Not a chance. "I probably won't even vote for the guy," Bush told the group, according to two people present."I had to endorse him. But I'd have endorsed Obama if they'd asked me."
Endorse Obama? Cue dumbfounded look from British officials, followed by some awkward remarks about the Washington weather. Even Gordon Brown's poker face gave way to a flash of astonishment.
(click to continue reading Bush: "I probably won't even vote for McCain" | Westminster Blog: The latest on UK politics | FT.com.)
Russ Feingold Loss is a Loss for All of Us
More on why Russ Feingold losing his seat to a Tea Party Know Nothing is a travesty…
Civil liberties advocates lost a Senate stalwart Tuesday night when Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wisconsin) was defeated by Ron Johnson, a little-known plastics manufacturer whose shibboleths against health care reform and government spending tapped into populist anger.
For years, Feingold was one of the few — and sometimes the only — voice in the Senate skeptical of the government's increasing demands for domestic surveillance power and control of the internet. He was one of 16 Senators who voted against the Communications Decency Act of 1996, an internet censorship bill later struck down by the Supreme Court, was the only Senator in 2001 to vote against the USA Patriot Act, and he introduced a measure to censure President Bush for his illegal warrantless wiretapping program.
"Senator Feingold was a true champion of civil liberties," said Marc Rotenberg, the president of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, based in Washington, D.C. "He spoke out against the Patriot Act and the dramatic growth of government surveillance programs when many other Senators stood by silently. His voice and his commitment to the Constitutional rights of all Americans will be missed."
In 1997, before many Americans were online, Feingold set out to repeal the CDA, which criminalized sending "indecent materials" to minors on the net, even before the Supreme Court heard the case.
"One can be a speaker, a publisher and a listener using the internet," Feingold said, years before the term Web 2.0 became trendy. "The threat of the Communications Decency Act is its undeniable ability to stifle this free-flowing speech on the Net."
Feingold was a maverick in his own party, strongly opposing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and voting against the TARP bank bailouts. Unlike many Democrats, however, he embraced his vote on health care reform, saying there was nothing wrong with helping to get the uninsured health care.
(click to continue reading Civil Liberties Watchdog Feingold Loses Senate Seat | Threat Level | Wired.com.)
2010 Elections
Well, that was a disappointing result, wasn't it? Quite a somber mood today in Progressive corners of the country, in contrast to 2008 where it seemed as if we had finally turned a corner. Russ Feingold lost to some climate change denier, John Boehner is going to be the first orange Speaker of the House, and Harry Reid will still be Senate Majority Leader in all likelihood. Bleh.
I'm disappointed that the Democrats ran shitty campaigns, perturbed that Barack Obama has been so centrist and milquetoast that liberals couldn't or wouldn't rally around him, and even more discouraged that the nation's electorate allowed themselves to be swayed by talking points, duped by false statements, and swayed by the gazillions of advertising dollars that flooded the election. Chief Justice John Roberts is partially culpable, with his judicial activist over-reach, allowing corporations1 to purchase elections for their minions.
California voted to keep the Drug War farce alive, Rick Perry won reelection as Texas Governor, the GOP is already planning to shut down everything beneficial to our country, except military spending, of course. Serial liar Mark Kirk won in Illinois, helped in no small part by the $8 million in outside money spent against Giannoulias. Alan Grayson lost, with a probable result that future Democrats will not speak frankly and candidly in the future about the Rethuglican juggernaut. Even the despicable Rick Scott and Marco Rubio won in Florida.
Bright spots? A few I guess, if you squint. Both Carly Fiorina and Meg Whitman lost, California's ridiculous Prop 23 lost, Barney Frank and Lloyd Doggett both retained their seats, and maybe Ken Buck lost to Michael Bennet.
Big sigh, in other words. Not to mention, the GOP/Tea Party are notoriously poor winners – cocky assholes when they lose, even worse in victory. Insufferable bastards, nearly each and every one. Since these tactics worked so well in 2012, I expect 2014's election cycle to be even more toxic – more corporate dollars involved, more lies and liars, and our country will suffer.Footnotes:
Election Day November 2, 2010
Outside my polling location. On the other side of this demarcation, a Rahm Emmanuel volunteer was collecting signatures to put Emmanuel on the ballot for Mayor.
Shot with my Hipstamatic for iPhone1
In 2008, we voted with electronic voting machines2, today, the ballots were paper: selection of a candidate was made by using a pen and connecting a line from one side to another. Wonder what happened to the electronic machines? I'm happy, actually, to use the older style ballot, seems like it would be easier to conduct a recount with this kind of document as opposed to a digital record.
- Lens: John S / Flash: Off / Film: Ina's 1935 [↩]
- even though there was some sort of paper trail [↩]
Foreign-Funded US Chamber Of Commerce Running Partisan Attack Ads
If you hadn't heard, the increasingly partisan U.S. Chamber of Commerce has become one of the biggest funders of attack ads against Democrats, thanks to generous contributions from Rupert Murdoch, and elsewhere…
The largest attack campaign against Democrats this fall is being waged by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, a trade association organized as a 501(c)(6) that can raise and spend unlimited funds without ever disclosing any of its donors. The Chamber has promised to spend an unprecedented $75 million to defeat candidates like Jack Conway, Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Jerry Brown, Rep. Joe Sestak (D-PA), and Rep. Tom Perriello (D-VA). As of Sept. 15th, the Chamber had aired more than 8,000 ads on behalf of GOP Senate candidates alone, according to a study from the Wesleyan Media Project. The Chamber's spending has dwarfed every other issue group and most political party candidate committee spending. A ThinkProgress investigation has found that the Chamber funds its political attack campaign out of its general account, which solicits foreign funding. And while the Chamber will likely assert it has internal controls, foreign money is fungible, permitting the Chamber to run its unprecedented attack campaign. According to legal experts consulted by ThinkProgress, the Chamber is likely skirting longstanding campaign finance law that bans the involvement of foreign corporations in American elections.
(click to continue reading Think Progress » Exclusive: Foreign-Funded 'U.S.' Chamber Of Commerce Running Partisan Attack Ads.)
and the USCC is trying to wiggle past any critical news coverage with obfuscation:
In fact, neither the [Washington] Post nor the [New York] Times "refudiated" the ThinkProgress report. Both merely quoted Chamber of Commerce officials who only discussed the limited "AmCham" funds, only one of several avenues for foreign funding of the Chamber. Both articles recognized that there is no outside oversight of the Chamber's money flow. "Money, however, is fungible," the New York Times editorial board explained, "and it is impossible for an outsider to know whether the group is following its rules." As the Washington Post's Greg Sargent writes, "The Chamber still hasn't addressed in any detail the core allegation against it."
Only Gillespie has made the "charge of illegal criminal activity." Although it is illegal to solicit foreign funds for electioneering, the essential fact is that there are no disclosure requirements that provide oversight to know whether or not the U.S. Chamber of Commerce is obeying the law. The Chamber successfully lobbied to kill the DISCLOSE Act, which would have closed the loopholes opened by the U.S. Supreme Court's Citizens United decision.
(click to continue reading Think Progress » Gillespie Claims NY Times And Wash. Post Have 'Refudiated' ThinkProgress On Secret Corporate Spending.)
This all stems from the Citizens United case, of course, which is going to upend politics even more in coming elections, tilt the balance even more towards the wealthy. Pathetic, but we are rapidly becoming a third world country, with crony capitalism, an eviscerated middle class, etc. etc., yadda yadda.
Think Progress has a nice visual aid of what the USCC's policies translate into: attack ads on Democrats.
I tried to find a list of the member companies of the USCC; I'd like to know them so I could conduct my own personal boycott, but they keep this information quite secret. As if they are embarrassed, or something. Remember, not long ago, Apple, Inc. resigned from the USCC over the USCC's wrongheaded climate change stance. Who is left? I assume corporations like ExxonMobil, Home Depot, News Corporation, but who else? Oh yeah, even Exelon quit the USCC last year.


text:
The whimsical, fun-loving side of our managers comes across in this first blog post, and it's a true reflection of our company culture—diverse, dynamic, energetic and playful.
New York, NY (PRWEB) July 19, 2012
So many incredible inventions are turning 10 this year: the wireless headset, the Braille glove, a dog translator called "bowlingual", the Cindy Smart Doll, the robot vacuum, a prototype of the phone tooth (which can be inserted in a molar and make phone calls) and the now ubiquitous virtual keyboard. 2002 was clearly a fruitful year for innovation. Here's another significant development of 2002: translation agency Acclaro was founded in New York by a few rising stars in the localization industry.
Acclaro U.S. offices will be celebrating the 10th anniversary this September and in preparation for the festivities, the marketing group has launched a blog series on 10 things to love about Acclaro. The interactive, Flash-based series features fanciful themes such as the 10 best restaurants in New York and San Francisco, managers' quirkiest pastimes and 10 items that employees would take to a desert island. The first installment in the series, published this morning on the Acclaro blog, reveals the names and outlandish hobbies of the 10 top movers and shakers at Acclaro.
"We wanted to show the public the more human side of Acclaro in this 10th anniversary series," explains Acclaro VP of Operations and Sales Ora Solomon. "The whimsical, fun-loving side of our managers comes across in this first blog post, and it's a true reflection of our company culture—diverse, dynamic, energetic and playful."
Today's blog post counts down from the tenth to the number one biggest player at Acclaro. These 10 individuals designed and implemented the state-of-the-art services and innovations that set Acclaro apart in the translation and localization space. But though these managers are akin to localization superheroes, the bat-men and cat-women of the translation industry, they are still human, and the blog sheds a little light on their out-of-uniform personalities.
"One of our differentiators as a translation agency is our personality," continues Solomon. "We incorporate a personalized approach in everything we do, from internal and external communications to the custom services we offer our clients. That's precisely what we're trying to communicate via this new initiative—with Acclaro, it's always high-touch, highly personal and 100% relationship-oriented. You can get to know us by following this blog series."
Though perhaps a tad less phenomenal than the bowlingual, a device that translates dogs' emotions, Acclaro translation services are what enable the world's leading brands to succeed across cultures. And to quote Shakespeare, this is the stuff dreams are made of. To see who makes these dreams a reality, check out today's post on the top 10 movers and shakers at Acclaro…and enjoy the show.
About Acclaro
Acclaro is an international translation and localization agency that helps the world's leading brands succeed across cultures. With its global headquarters in New York and offices and affiliates in San Francisco, Boston, Buenos Aires, Bangkok, Tokyo and Paris, the agency translates websites, marketing campaigns, documents and software for global enterprises, giving clients an authentic voice in key language markets.


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Noise in and around the home easily breaks down into two kinds: wanted and unwanted.
Though not necessarily pleasant, the sound of an alarm clock is an example of a noise you want; the crashing of trash cans outside your window fits into the opposite category. Even though we often yearn for quiet, a soundproof house is just as undesirable as an excessively noisy one. Tests show we have a psychological need for a certain level of background noise.
You can minimize unwanted noises when planning your new home. Noise can be controlled by special construction techniques and common sense.
In the main living areas, kitchen noises, conversation and televisions can make life difficult for someone trying to sleep or study. Up the stairs, themselves a source of noise, we find a loud bedroom air conditioner, bathroom sounds and deafening stereo music. Outside, lawn mowers and traffic noises fill the air.
Though many of these sounds might be acceptable most of the time, noise control means being able to turn them down or off when desired.
Controlling noise in your new house actually begins with site selection. In fact, choosing a quiet site is the least expensive way to control noise.
If you are considering a site within two miles of a major airport, get a map and check with airport officials on normal flight paths. The noisiest area will be a 3-mile-wide swath of land directly under these paths for 15 miles on either side of the airport.
In urban areas, large buildings can reflect unwanted sounds onto your site. The noisiest places will be those located on traffic arteries set between tall buildings. On the other hand, large buildings can perform a service if they are located between your house and a source of noise. Green belts or trees and shrubs, particularly if they include mature evergreens and are at least 100 feet thick, can also create pockets of welcome quiet.


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Ponca City is home to one of the most beautiful city halls in the United States. Designed by Solomon Andrew Layton (architect of the Oklahoma State Capitol Building), City Hall was first built as the City Auditorium in 1916. In 1922 the east and west wings were added and the building became known as the Civic Center, housing city offices and the police and fire stations. The three separate buildings were later connected and the total renovation was completed in 2003.
City Hall Self Guided Tour


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White House 'sheepishly followed right wing politicians to ban Iran's envoy'
RT: Given the significant improvement in
relations we have seen between Tehran and Washington, why is such
a move being taken now, do you think?
Kaveh Afrasiabi: This is a very regrettable decision by the White House that is legally questionable and politically unwise. It reflects the White House has appeased reactionary right wing elements of the US Congress who are at the forefront of opposing nuclear talks and the recent breakthrough in the Geneva agreement. And these same elements have now taken siege of this issue in order to throw some monkey rage in the process and wipe away some of the good will generated between Iran and the US as a result of a nuclear breakthrough. So I really think it is politically motivated and should be opposed by the United Nations' leadership.
RT: The visa ban prevents Hamid Abutalebi from entering the US, but essentially it stops him from going to the UN, which is an international territory. Legally, is the US in breach of regulations?
KA: Exactly, because this decision puts the US in contempt of its international obligations. There is a series of international obligations with the UN that the US has as the host country. They are supposed to exempt foreign diplomats from the normal immigration screening procedure, for instance. And it is not up to the US to decide who Iran should choose as a staff diplomat at the UN. In fact Iran has chosen a very apt diplomat, a veteran diplomat who is Sorbonne educated, who is modern and a pragmatist.
RT: But Washington is saying that this man played a role in 1979 Hostage Crisis...
KA: First of all, that is a misstatement of fact because Hamid Aboutalebi has clarified that he only had a very limited role as an interpreter. And initially when the US embassy was taken over, he was not even there. It was a similar accusation against the current foreign minister Javad Zarif. A few years ago he was accused of being among the hostage takers and I personally had to go to the university in San Francisco and get a letter from his adviser to confirm that he was indeed a student back then in San Francisco and not among the hostage takers. And a similar accusation was leveled against president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005. So it is a familiar old story unfortunately.
RT: How serious could this be? Could it have an impact on the relationship between the US and Iran? Could we perhaps see a reverse in the relationship?
KA: I think, this is going to cause a minor setback. In Iran it is widely viewed as another sign of US bullying, an overt sign of hostility toward Iran. It could have been a prudent move by the White House to prevent that. They sat silently when these reactionary elements in the US Congress – by taking some lies from the right wing US media, such as the Fox News and without any investigation whatsoever – were adopting those lies at face value. And then re-voting legislation unanimously, and it is quite unprecedented in recent memory in US Congress, and then shoving it down the throat of the White House. And the White House sheepishly following their lead. That really sets a really bad omen in Iran relations and also the ongoing nuclear talks.
RT: Is the US maybe trying to appease Israel in anyway, since Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu has been a vocal critic of the US rapprochement with Iran?
KA: I think indirectly it does. Even the US Secretary of State John Kerry with his antiwar background should understand and sympathize with the fact that there is evolutionary process at work and people move beyond those things and yet the State Department obviously has caved in to these right wing pressures and we have seen the result today.
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.


text:
Diamonds of different shapes.
- The definition of a shape is a specific form, a particular condition, the outline of something you can see even when you cannot clearly make out what it is, or to a something cut out of paper.
- An example of a shape is a square diamond.
- An example of shape is a state of ill health.
- An example of shape is when you see the shadow of a figure but can't make out who it is.
- An example of shape is a circle cut out of construction paper.
- To shape is to mold something or someone.
- An example of shape is when you mold clay.
- An example of shape is when you set the design of a project.
- An example of shape is when you influence a child's future.
MLA Style
"shape." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 August 2018. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/shape>.
APA Style
shape. (n.d.). Retrieved August 17th, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/shape
- that quality of a thing which depends on the relative position of all points composing its outline or external surface; physical or spatial form
- the form characteristic of a particular person or thing, or class of things
- the contour of the body, exclusive of the face; figure
- assumed or feigned appearance; guise: a foe in the shape of a friend
- an imaginary or spectral form; phantom
- something having a particular shape, used as a mold or basis for shaping or fashioning
- any of the forms, structures, etc. in which a thing may exist: dangers of every shape
- definite, regular, or suitable form; orderly arrangement: to begin to take shape
- condition; state, esp. of health: a patient in poor shape
- good physical condition: exercises that keep one in shape
Origin of shapeMiddle English schap from Old English (ge)sceap, form, created thing, akin to scieppan, to create, form from Indo-European an unverified form skeb-, variant, variety of base an unverified form (s)kep-, to cut with a sharp tool from source shaft, shave
transitive verbshaped, shap′ing
- to give definite shape to; make, as by cutting or molding material
- to arrange, fashion, express, or devise (a plan, answer, etc.) in definite form
- to adapt or adjust: to shape one's plans to one's abilities
- to direct or conduct (one's life, the course of events, etc.)
- Obs. to appoint or decree
- Obs. to become suited; conform
- Rare to happen
- Informal to take shape or form: often with into or up
shape upInformal
- to develop to a definite form, condition, etc.
- to develop satisfactorily or favorably
- to do what is expected of one; behave as required
take shape
MLA Style
"shape." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 August 2018. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/shape>.
APA Style
shape. (n.d.). Retrieved August 17th, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/shape
- a. The characteristic surface configuration of a thing; an outline or contour: a lake in the shape of an hourglass. See Synonyms at form.b. Spatial form, contour, or appearance: The sandy coastline is always changing shape.
- a. The body or outward appearance of a person or an animal: saw two shapes walking toward her in the night.b. The contour of a person's body; the figure: a swimmer with a slender shape.
- a. A definite or distinctive form: Our discussion acquired the shape of an argument.b. Form, condition, or embodiment: How is your research project taking shape?c. A desirable form: a fabric that holds its shape.
- a. Assumed or false appearance; guise: a god in the shape of a swan.b. A ghostly form; a phantom: Shapes appeared in his bedroom at night.
- Something, such as a mold or pattern, used to give or determine form.
- a. The condition of something with regard to effectiveness, use, or appearance: What kind of shape is your car in?b. Bodily condition, as in regard to muscle tone or endurance: She's in great shape after working out for six months.
transitive verbshaped, shap·ing, shapes
- To create or fashion, as:a. To give a particular form to (a material): shape the dough into baguettes.b. To create or configure, as from a material: a sculpture that was shaped out of ice.
- To cause to conform to a particular form: a pool that is shaped like an hourglass; a bone that is shaped to bear weight.
- a. To plan or devise: shape a new educational program.b. To embody in a definite form: shaped a folk tale into an opera.
- a. To influence in a formative way: experiences that shaped his identity.b. To direct the course of: "He shaped history as well as being shaped by it" ( Robert J. Samuelson )
Origin of shapeMiddle English from Old English gesceap a creation
Related Forms:
- shap′a·ble shape′a·ble
- shaped
- shap′er
MLA Style
"shape." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 August 2018. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/shape>.
APA Style
shape. (n.d.). Retrieved August 17th, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/shape
(plural shapes)
- The status or condition of something
- The used bookshop wouldn't offer much due to the poor shape of the book.
- Condition of personal health, especially muscular health.
- The vet checked to see what kind of shape the animal was in.
- We exercise to keep in good physical shape.
- The appearance of something, especially its outline.
- He cut a square shape out of the cake.
- A figure with unspecified appearance; especially a geometric figure.
- What shape shall we use for the cookies? Stars, circles, or diamonds?
- Form; formation.
- See also shape
(third-person singular simple present shapes, present participle shaping, simple past shaped or (obsolete) shope, past participle shaped or shapen)
- To give something a shape and definition.
- Shape the dough into a pretzel. For my art project, I plan to shape my clay lump into a bowl.
- To form or manipulate something into a certain shape.
- (of a country, person, etc) To give influence to.
- To suit; to be adjusted or conformable.
From Middle English shap, schape, from Old English Ä¡esceap ("shape, form, created being, creature, creation, dispensation, fate, condition, sex, gender, genitalia"), from Proto-Germanic *ga- + *skapÄ… ("shape, nature, condition"), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kep- ("to split, cut"). Cognate with Middle Dutch schap ("form"), Middle High German geschaf ("creature"), Icelandic skap ("state, condition, temper, mood").
The verb is from Middle English shapen, schapen, from Old English scieppan ("to shape, form, make, create, assign, arrange, destine, order, adjudge"), from Proto-Germanic *skapjanÄ… ("to create"), from the noun. Cognate with Dutch scheppen, German schaffen, Swedish skapa ("to create, make").
MLA Style
"shape." YourDictionary, n.d. Web. 17 August 2018. <http://www.yourdictionary.com/shape>.
APA Style
shape. (n.d.). Retrieved August 17th, 2018, from http://www.yourdictionary.com/shape


text:
Apple has certainly not gone without some controversy since launching iOS 8 and the iPhone 6. The latest issue that users have been encountering is hair-pulling from the company's new smartphone.
First it was issues with iOS 8 and the minor updates that followed, then it was the iPhone 6 bending in users' pockets, and now we're hearing that the device randomly pulls at your hair. However, before you start pointing fingers at Apple and blaming them for trying to get people's DNA, it's most likely just the design of the phone that's involuntarily causing this.
In a new series of reports that people are calling "hairgate," users have said that the iPhone 6's seam between the metal casing and the glass display allows for hair to get caught it in and pulled. We've experienced the same thing with watches, where the seam on the bottom where the battery cover meats the watch case has been known to catch arm hair from time to time. The same thing is most likely happening here with the iPhone 6, although this is the first time that we're hearing about a smartphone doing this.
Frankly, it hasn't happened to any of us on the GottaBeMobile team so far, but we reckon it has a better chance of happening to those who have longer hair or bushier beards, allowing for a greater chance of hair getting pulled.
Overall, though, you probably shouldn't be worried about it. Yes, some users have reported that it's a real thing, but it's certainly not an epidemic.
And please, for all things that are holy, don't take this video seriously about Hairgate, which claims that Apple made the iPhone 6's design to purposely yank your hair to get your DNA.
Apple hasn't been getting let off easy with a couple of problems that it's been addressed with. The iPhone 6 bending has probably been the most eventful so far, with the iPhone 6 Plus randomly bending in users' pockets when they sit down.
Apple says that the iPhone 6 bending is "extremely rare" during normal use, which probably explains why there have only been a handful of complaints out of the 10 million iPhone 6 units that were sold over opening weekend, with that number growing as more and more iPhone 6 devices continue to sell.
Since the attention of the issue started to gain steam, YouTubers began to post videos of iPhone 6 units bending, and there's even a video that shows a user actually physically trying to get his iPhone 6 Plus to bend. Spoiler alert: it bent. Frankly, I'm surprised the phone didn't snap in half due to the amount of pressure and force that was applied. In that case, the device held up quite well.
Apple has been rather quiet about this issue, but that's likely because the fiasco with iOS 8.0.1 has garnered a lot of attention as well. However, Apple says that it is "looking into this with an insane amount of detail, " but it looks like there's nothing they can really do to prevent the problem from happening again, seeing as they would have to redesign the phone completely in order to strengthen its structural integrity. The company will have to wait until the iPhone 6s or the iPhone 7 before making changes.
In any case, a phone made out of thin aluminum will bend with the right amount of force, so we don't see this as something incredibly surprising. In fact, there were several reports back when the iPhone 5s released of units bending in people's pockets. Of course, the amount of attention the issue got was nothing compared to what the iPhone 6 "bendgate" is receiving now, which is rather unfortunate, since this issue is nothing new.


text:
Fitch: U.S. High Yield Default Slips in February
Fitch reported that the U.S. high yield par default rate continues to track closely to the 2012 year-end rate of 1.9%. At the end of February, it slipped modestly to 1.8% (mostly due to the market's larger size). Fitch projects a similar level for the first quarter.
Fitch said March has added filings from gaming operator Revel AC and phone directory publisher Dex Media and two missed interest payments from oil and gas company GMX Resources and healthcare concern Rotech. These add an estimated $1.5 billion to the year's default tally of $2.8 billion through February, Fitch said.
To view the full report, click here (PDF, Subscription).


text:
https://www.dianehenderiks.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/peppermintbark1.jpg 3456 4608 Diane Henderiks /wp-content/uploads/2013/04/horizontal-logo1.png Diane Henderiks2015-12-22 16:42:162017-07-11 12:29:15Crispy Chocolate Candy Cane Bark
Crispy Chocolate Candy Cane Bark
- 2 cups dark or semi-sweet chocolate pieces
- 1 cup crisp brown rice cereal
- 6 candy canes
Step-by-Step Directions:
- Line a small rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper covering the rim.
- Bring water in base of double boiler to a boil. Place chocolate in top pot, heat and stir with wooden spoon or rubber spatula until melted and smooth about 5 minutes.
- While chocolate is melting, place candy in zip top bag, seal bag and crush with mallet into small crumbs.
- Place half of the candy cane crumbs in a small bowl, add rice cereal and stir to combine.
- Pour melted chocolate into the rice-candy cane mixture into combine completely.
- Pour mixture onto prepared baking sheet and spread out into an even layer about one-half inch thick.
- Tap baking sheet on the counter to help even the layer.
- Evenly sprinkle remaining candy cane crumbs over bark.
- Refrigerate until set, about an hour.
- Remove bark to a cutting board, place point of sharp knife into bark, apply a little pressure and twist your wrist to break apart. Pieces should be irregular and about 1-1/2 inch in size.
- Enjoy!


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Jockey Michael Walker is confident his injured back will hold up as he returns to the saddle at Moonee Valley today for Dato' Tan Chin Nam Stakes Race Day.
Walker injured his back while riding Palace Of Mirrors at Geelong last Friday week and was later diagnosed with three prolapsed discs.
A week of intense treatment sees Walker return to the saddle with six rides at Moonee Valley, including $9 chance Sauvito in the Group 2 $250,000 Dato' Tan Chin Nam Stakes (1600m).
"It feels really good," Walker told Racing.com.
Walker tested his back at track work on Thursday morning and again in the Flemington jump outs on Friday and is keen to get back to race riding.
"I'm looking forward to some nice rides," Walker said.
"I've done everything in my power with Dr (Gary) Zimmerman; I've been jabbed in the spine, cortisone here and there.
"So here's hoping, fingers crossed, it'll hold out. I'm pretty confident it will."
Walker was aboard Sauvito when she ran a first up sixth to Miss Rose De Lago in the Group 2 $200,000 Back To Caulfield P.B. Lawrence Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield on August 13 but did share the winner's stall with the Nigel Blackiston trained mare in her three year old season in a Fillies Handicap at Caulfield.
Walker also rides Choice for Blackiston in the first race of the day, Lord Macau for the Gai Waterhouse and Adrian Bott in the Quest Moonee Valley Handicap (1514m) and New York for Moe trainer Allison Bennet in the United Refrigeration Handicap (1514m).
Walker's other two rides are for the Lindsay Park Team of David and Ben Hayes and Tom Dabernig, Sebring Dream in the Listed $120,000 Mitchelton Wines Atlantic Jewel Stakes (1200m) and Fast 'N' Rocking in the Listed $120,000 SAJ Fruit Supply Stakes (1200m).


text:
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Posts tagged with Sm Es
SEO 'must-do' tips for SMEs: the experts' view
Following the release of our updated SEO Best Practice Guide last week, we've been asking some of the contributors to the report about recent SEO trends, and for useful tips.
In the first part of this series, we asked several SEO experts for their top three tips on how SMEs can improve their search strategies...
Google's Farmer update and the squeezed middle
Google's Farmer update has made it harder to build search and social profiles with mediocre or derivative content.
And that's likely to hit medium-sized firms harder than anyone...
AdWords session-based ads irk advertisers
Google AdWords could arguably be the best advertising platform ever for small and medium-sized businesses ever, but mastering it to maximize ROI and minimize waste isn't easy.
AdWords be dangerous for the novice advertiser thanks in large part to a dizzying array of options and settings which, when not understood or recognized, can mean the difference between prosperity and disappointment.
According to a Wall Street Journal article, a growing number of advertisers are discovering that they're losing out because of one of Google's broad match features that targets ads based on searches a user performs during his or her Google session.
Why SMEs are ignoring SEO
A lack of awareness and knowledge of the benefits search engine optimisation means that 60% of SME marketers are not currently investing in SEO.
These stats are from dotSEO's Naked SEO report, which contains the results of a survey of marketers from small businesses, as well as a benchmark study of the top 50 SME websites in the UK, as identified by The Times.
A few highlights from the report after the jump...
Half of SME websites are not search engine optimised: study
Many small businesses in the UK are failing to make the most of their online presence, with 47% of SME websites studied having either very basic or no SEO work at all.
This is one of the findings of the State of UK Business Websites 2010 study, carried out by Analytics SEO and commissioned by Thomson Local.
The study looked at 1,001 SME websites and compared them against a range of SEO criteria; including indexing in search engines, and signs of onsite optimisation.
Selling on eBay and Amazon: pros and cons for SMEs
EBay is the world"s largest online marketplace, accounting for $60bn sales worldwide in 2008, while Amazon also offers small businesses an opportunity to use its platform to generate sales. Despite this scale, opinion in the business community is divided about selling on eBay.
Some businesses use eBay as their only sales channel and become totally immersed in the eBay community, proudly nurturing their 100% feedback. Other businesses, however, feel that eBay sellers undercut their prices and devalue their brand. For example luxury brands like Tiffany and Louis Vuitton have been involved in legal proceedings against the marketplace.
In this extract from Econsultancy's recent report: Selling Online: a How-to Guide for Small Businesses, we look at the pros and cons of selling on eBay and Amazon for small businesses...
E-commerce tips for SMEs from Trevor Ginn
Econsultancy has just published 'Selling online: a how to guide for small businesses', which provides a step by step guide for SMEs.
The report was written by entrepreneur and e-commerce consultant Trevor Ginn, who founded online retailer Hello Baby in 2007.
I've been speaking to Trevor about the report, and his e-commerce tips for small businesses...
Ten inexpensive tips to improve user experience
At TechCrunch's Geek 'n Rolla event last week, I managed to have a quick chat with Leisa Reichelt from Disambiguity, following her great presentation about "Why you can't NOT afford good user experience".
Although the presentation was geared up towards digital start-ups, our conversation crossed over into the fact that usability is often overlooked by most small business with an online presence, usually due to a combination of a lack of understanding, time and resources.
The internet as a lifeline for SMEs: Taking the first steps
Last week, Easynet Connect commissioned a study of UK SMEs in order to try and gauge the impact that the recession has had upon online strategy in this sometimes overlooked, but important, area of UK industry.
4 out of 5 UK tech companies aren't using Twitter. So what's the excuse?
Last week, research showed that SME's were quickly taking up Twitter and adapting its many uses to suit their businesses. However, worrying research from ntl:Telewest Business has been released today that reveals more than 80% of the UK's top 100 tech companies don't appear to be using it for business communication purposes.
The research report comes from a study of the FTSE techMARK 100 and found that workers from eight of the top ten companies are not embracing Twitter, despite the recent surge in interest across the media, commercial organisations and the general public.
SME's increasingly using Twitter to communicate
Econsultancy has recently been highlighting the many uses of Twitter, which is a customer service solution, a marketing platform, and a brand monitoring tool.
Now, new research from O2 has found that smaller businesses are quickly adopting this online medium.


text:
Residents and Property Prices
|Last sold
|Occupier info
|Swallow Rise, Marton Court, York, North Yorkshire, YO51 9PY
|01 Nov 1996
|View Details
|Russetts, Marton Court, York, North Yorkshire, YO51 9PY
|29 Jul 2016
|View Details
|Paddock House, Marton Court, York, North Yorkshire, YO51 9PY
|31 Mar 2005
|View Details
- Expand Map
Businesses in YO51 9PY
Sorry, we have no records of businesses located within this postcode
Demographic Area Profile - CAMEO Summary
Area: YO51 9PY
Area Type: Affluent Home Owning Couples & Families In Large Houses
Slightly younger, these couples and families are reaching the pinnacle of their careers. The majority live in mortgaged or owned large detached and semi-detached properties in rural areas. With children of all ages at home, most households have at least two or three cars. Occupations vary from professional and white collar through to senior positions in blue collar and rural trades. Investor activity is above average. This group tends to be low risk and receptive to appropriate direct mail and mail order services. Internet usage is high and regional newspapers are frequently read alongside quality titles.