text:
Let the polarizing opinions begin
Edit: I mean a qualifying offer was extended, my bad. Mods to the rescue.
http://www.nba.com/raptors/news/2011...ng-offer-weemsThe Toronto Raptors announced Monday they have extended a qualifying offer to restricted free agent guard-forward Sonny Weems. Per team policy, financial details were not disclosed.
In accordance with the leagues collective bargaining agreement, in order for a team to retain its rights of first refusal with respect to a restricted free agent it must tender the player a qualifying offer prior to June 30. A restricted free agent may sign an offer sheet with any team, but is subject to a right of first refusal in favour of the NBA team for which the player last played.


text:
Personal computing discussed
Moderators: Flying Fox, morphine
sschaem wrote:From the preview is look like the A10 is an i3 class CPU. If you all think Trinity is a POS, then the same is true for the entire Intel i3 CPU line.
The difference is that for anything GPU related the A10 easily beat a i7-3770k with the highest end Intel IGP.
Lets not dismiss OpenCL and WebGL just yet, both where Intel APU as pretty deficient.
With Trinity you get an i3 class CPU but 2x faster IGP then the HD4000, for the price of an i3.
Its not what everyone is looking for (if you need a discreet GPU, trinity make no sense), but you need to be an Intel fanboy to buy an i3 when Trinity is available.
sschaem wrote:From the preview is look like the A10 is an i3 class CPU. If you all think Trinity is a POS, then the same is true for the entire Intel i3 CPU line.
sschaem wrote:No contest on energy inefficiency ?
"Trinity got a 100W TDP !! but the i3 only got a 55w.. 55w is better..." sigh.
What do you prefer system A that idle at 40 watt, but can consume 115w to deliver 40fps gaming or
system B that also iddle 40 watt but only consume 70w to deliver 15fps.
sschaem wrote:Abysmal core? same performance as intel i3 in most situations, check the benchmarks.
I already stated my view that Trinity makes no sense if your goal is to use a discreet GPU,
So you cant make that argument
What is unclear is how Trinity will scale in the future when game include more Compute task.
You cant count on it, but its possible that Trinity might get better overtime because of its solid IGP.
From all I see, the A10 is an i3 class CPU (At least from Anand review and others), but Its often over 2x faster then the HD4000 paired with a 3770k (upto 5 time faster then the i3 IGP). etc..
Unless you plan on doing discreet gpu gaming, or an Intel fanboy, I still dont see how an i3 makes any sense over an A10.
And seriously , if you'r building a gaming PC with a discreet GPU, go with an i5.
chuckula wrote:After seeing the reviews it looks like an i3 + practically any discrete GPU from the last 2 years in the $70+ range will be the better choice for playing games. Trinity's high clocks and quad integer pipelines do give it a few wins in selected CPU benchmarks over a much lower-clocked i3, but it comes at the cost of doubling the power consumption.
SERIOUSJACK85 wrote:How come it is duplicate thread? when i am talking specifically about A10-5800K upgrade from 1055T processor and the thread you are referring to has different scope (Talking Trinity in general).
TheEmrys wrote:Perhaps we can just all agree that the A10 is great for people who fit in the demographic of:
Gamers who want:
More than an i3
Less than an i5
Will never have a discrete gpu
For this criteria, the A10 is a perfect chip..... for the .02% of computer users. I'm sure AMD will sell tens of them.
Chrispy_ wrote:I was at a Borderlands2 LAN this weekend, and I needed to get a laptop that could run it.
My previous laptop had a downclocked 4650 with DDR3, which is basically the same as a Llano A6, right down to the architecture, shader count and clockspeed. It ran the original borderlands very well; 30fps with everyone turned on, or 60fps if you disabled just dynamic shadows.
Having read the Ivy Bridge reviews and seen on paper how close HD4000 is to a Llano A8, I picked up one of our two i7-3612QM machines and set about installing Borderlands2 with the expectation that it would be similar, if not slightly better than my old laptop which was the equivalent of a lowly 320-shader A6.
I couldn't have been more wrong; Complete slideshow at 2-3 fps. Granted, this was 1080p at default settings.
I know Borderlands 2 might be a little more demanding than its predecessor but it seems to run exactly the same on all my other hardware. I dropped it down to 720p and turned everything to off or low. Still no good. 20-30 fps, but obviously only in the high teens when in combat, rather than the 30+ I would call multiplayer-friendly; Basically, this is Xbox performance, not PC performance. I suppose it's still technically better than an Xbox since that doesn't even run at 720p. Anyway, that was the lowest supported resolution.
I dug out an old i3 with a 16-shader Geforce 210M, expecting similarly poor performance. Bear in mind that this is only 16 downclocked shaders of an obsolete architecture, which was last seen in the 240-shader GTX 280 a long time ago. Based on shaders and clockspeeds, I was expecting this thing to be 15x slower than a rather old desktop card, and therefore not up to the task.
I couldn't have been more wrong; Completely acceptable at 15-ish fps on the default settings, using the silly 1600x900 native resolution. So I cranked everything down to minimum@720p and it ran at maybe 40fps for the weekend, dropping to about 25fps during combat. Bearable for something with such underwhelming specs.
The moral of my rather longwinded story is this:
Never underestimate the incompetence of Intel when it comes to drivers, especially when talking about games that are "plays best on AMD" or with Nvidia's TWIMTBP support.
Bauxite wrote:Thats pretty narrow minded, they are aiming at OEM not gamers.
TheEmrys wrote:OEM's don't care about gaming performance, for the most part. For those that do, they will have a discrete card. Even the HTPC crowd will only find this platform OK, due to power use. I see no compelling reason to use something like Trinity when my i3-2120t does everything at 35W. The sad truth of the matter is that AMD is sinking its hopes on APU's when its a very small demographic. AMD has to get something going to be relevant to the mainstream. Trinity simply isn't it.
TheEmrys wrote:Perhaps we can just all agree that the A10 is great for people who fit in the demographic of:
Gamers who want:
More than an i3
Less than an i5
Will never have a discrete gpu
For this criteria, the A10 is a perfect chip..... for the .02% of computer users. I'm sure AMD will sell tens of them.
flip-mode wrote:TheEmrys wrote:I think OEM's will love this.Trinity simply isn't it.
vargis14 wrote:Looks great for the HTPC crowd with 6570 w ddr3 graphics performance and its pretty dang close to the i3 series x86 performance. With a household with more 3 hdtvs like mine and you already have a i5 or i7 sandy or ivy system for video transcoding and file serving. I think they will make fine inexpensive HTPC's with enough graphics power for madvr or whatever you prefer along with i3 cpu power for the most part. You can even do some decent gaming on them specially with older titles, and blizzard games like D3 and older.
ptsant wrote:Trinity is quite balanced in for it's price. You really need a discrete card at ~80-100$ to get something much better than trinity (otherwise don't bother). The added discrete card is not pocket change. Obviously, Trinity is not for me, because I'll probably get a 7970 or something like that but when you have a $500-600 budget, the $80 gfx card is not trivial. Compare this with i7 3770k buyers. Why the hell would I care for lousy HD4000 graphics when I'll be paying $300 for a cpu? I mean, who uses 3770k with onboard graphics?
ronch wrote:I just saw AMD's website update to include A10 chips.
http://www.amd.com/US/PRODUCTS/DESKTOP/ ... s-pib.aspx
What I really find pathetic is how AMD maintains its website. They really gotta fire the guys who maintain it. Near the bottom of the product page (just above the disclaimers), under Additional Information, click on 'Specs' and you'll be presented with a spec table that doesn't even include the new Trinity parts! No A10-5800K, no A10-5700, none. So sloppy. Is the guy responsible for maintaining and updating the AMD website tired of his job?
Actually i just visted Intel's site (haven't seen it in a while), it's actually quite good. You have to go to Menu>Intel products>3rd Intel Corei....> then select between "Laptops, Desktops, Server" tab, then the Core i category (eg. Core i3) then it shows all the SKUs. There you click on the name of a particular SKU and another page opens where it shows all the info you need (revisions, TJ max, etc.).

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Credit Union ONE Board Veteran Gets DHS Post
The $800 million, 103,000-member Credit Union ONE Credit Union in the Detroit suburb of Ferndale, Mich., announced that one of its longtime board members has an influential new job with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
Guadalupe G. Lara, the current vice chairman, has been named director of knowledge management, senior fellow, IPA at Homeland Security, the suburban Detroit credit union said.
"This position will influence national efforts through the federal executive branch to address the well-being needs of children, youth and families; specifically increasing understanding and leading to better outcomes for children and families touched by the immigration and child welfare systems," Credit Union ONE said in its announcement.
Lara has been on the Credit Union ONE board since 1992 and has spent most of her working life advocating for children and families in a variety of leadership positions, and is also a well-recognized motivational speaker, the credit union said.
She also has held several positions at Children's Hospital of Michigan, most recently as manager of the Conflict Management Program.
"It is a great honor for our organization to have a director take on a role that can influence and help solve one of our nation's toughest challenges, said Gary Moody, Credit Union ONE president/CEO.
"As a member of the Credit Union ONE Board of Directors Lupe has been at the forefront of assuring the values of fairness, respect and dignity apply to all members in all circumstances. There is no doubt that same approach will lead her to great success in this new position," Moody said.


text:
Manhattan has some serious competition from Brooklyn in the world of commercial real estate. Aggressive developments in the so-called Brooklyn Triangle, which includes DUMBO, Downtown Brooklyn (DoBro), and the Navy Yard are starting to yield fruit in the form of diverse commercial space for lease. Look no further than unicorns like Etsy taking modern, perk-filled expanses on Adams Street in DUMBO, or companies like advertising giant HUGE and dating app HowBoutWe continuing to hunker down under the bridges.
Beyond the triangle, neighborhoods like Greenpoint and Williamsburg, known for industrial space and vibrant residential life, are emerging as major players on the commercial scene as well. For companies in advertising and media, the synergies aren't surprising. Large, open spaces. Exposed brick. The Northside Media Festival, billed as the baby SXSW. More supply hitting the market and favorable rents (compared to parts of Manhattan). The ingredients are set for an upstart commercial contender. Companies like Kickstarter, Bustle and unicorn VICE got the memo long ago. Who will be next?
Venturing to Brooklyn's southern reaches, find Sunset Park, an historically diverse residential neighborhood now inviting some surprise commercial tenants to a resurgent Industry City. Time Inc. was impressed enough to forsake the convenience of Midtown Manhattan to take up residence as Sunset Park's leading commercial tenant. Although the Brooklyn Nets might have something to say about that.
Even neighborhoods known to be reliably appealing residential destinations are getting startup fever. Park Slope, Fort Greene, and Gowanus are springing co-working spaces left and right.
So you see: something is happening in Brooklyn.
Will you be part of it?


text:
Do people choose to become homeless? Seeing homelessness firsthand makes me believe that people don't always choose to be homeless. Sometimes life changes for the worse. People end up in bad situations all the time. People lose their jobs and can't support their children or pay their bills, and they have no other choice besides being homeless. People should have empathy for one another. Homeless people are human and we should still respect them like we do our family or friends. Imagine how you would feel if you were in a homeless person's shoes, never knowing when you were going to eat next or where you would sleep for the night.
Over the past few weeks, I've volunteered at the Saint Barnabas Soup Kitchen to help serve food to homeless and non-homeless people. It has helped me learn how badly life can treat people, and that horrible things do sometimes happen to the best people. We don't expect life to leave us with nothing. Our economy is bad, and some people can't afford to pay their bills. Homeless people have to make the best out of what they have. They don't complain about their lives; they just hope for better. When I look at homeless people, I feel like they don't want to be judged by the way they have to live. How many of you live paycheck to paycheck, knowing that if you didn't have those paychecks, you would be homeless also?
I do believe our government has failed many deserving people, and it continues to do so. For example, veterans, of all people, should not be homeless. These brave men and women risked their lives for our country and our freedom. I don't see how a veteran sleeping on the street feels right to anyone, after all of their hard work and everything they have sacrificed for us to be free.
One of the biggest problems in our area is that our homeless shelter is not open year-round. When it is not open, too many homeless people are forced to sleep outside, sometimes in freezing cold conditions, leaving them open to violence, getting arrested, or possibly death.
On June 22, 2012, President Barack Obama revealed his plan to end homelessness. With loss of jobs and foreclosures, homelessness has risen by more than 50 percent over the past year. Obama's plan will provide permanent housing for 640,000 men, women and children who are on our streets daily. This plan has four key goals. The first is to finish the job of ending chronic homelessness in five years. The second goal is to prevent and end homelessness among veterans in five years. The third goal is to prevent and end homelessness for families, youth and children in 10 years. The fourth goal is to set a path to end all times of homelessness. Personally, I think Obama revealing this plan is one of the best things he could do for our country. Without action, homeless people will continue to struggle.
"No one should experience homelessness; no one should be without a safe, stable place to call home." When I heard this quote from President Obama, I couldn't help but think how much it relates to how I feel about homelessness. No one should have to experience being homeless, but too many U.S. citizens do live their lives in homelessness.
People who are homeless hope for and deserve a better reality.
Tawny Bailey is a student at Southwest Open School.


text:
'Cornerstone' Released Today
Arctic Monkeys release new single 'Cornerstone' today. The single shall be available in 3 different formats, 7", 10" and MP3 Digital Download.
There is a limited edition 10" of 'Cornerstone' which will be onsale exclusively in Oxfams top 50 music shops. Oxfam will also be giving away pairs of 'golden tickets' to the band's forthcoming UK tour in each area.
'Cornerstone' is the second single from the recent number one album 'Humbug', and features new track 'Catapult' as well as exclusive B-sides 'Sketchead' and 'Fright Lined Dining Room'. All vinyls will come with a download code that enables fans to get MP3 versions for free.
A: Cornerstone
B: Catapult
A: Cornerstone
B: Catapult
B: Sketchead
B: Fright Lined Dining Room
MP3 Digital Download
1. Cornerstone
2. Catapult
3. Sketchead
4. Fright Lined Dining Room
The single can be purchased from the online store - http://www.arcticmonkeys-store.co.uk


text:
The 1986 FORD E-350 ECONOLINE 460 CID,7.5 L engine long block come with the original FORD short block and new/remanufactured FORD cylinder head(s).
Our FORD engine block comes with 10 year full Warranty and can be shipped to you at 175.00. Our FORD 460 CID,7.5 L long block pricing is extremely completive and can save you thousands of dollars over a new or create FORD E-350 ECONOLINE engine if you buy it from your local FORD dealer.
Call our sales staff with any FORD performance option and we will build custom the 1986 FORD engine to fit your FORD E-350 ECONOLINE performance engine needs. Note the core deposit will be refunded in full upon you shipping back your used 1986 FORD E-350 ECONOLINE engine.
You can buy our FORD E-350 ECONOLINE 460 CID,7.5 L engine with confidence knowing our FORD E-350 ECONOLINE engines cost less and all our moving parts are BRAND NEW! All the internal components and parts meet or exceed the OEM specifications, and most of the time purchased from the same suppliers who supply FORD!
Please place your 1986 FORD E-350 ECONOLINE 460 CID,7.5 L engine order online.
We will contact you to verify the engine specifications! To request performance options for the
1986 FORD E-350 ECONOLINE 460 CID,7.5 L engine, please place an online order and then contact up with us with your performance requests together with the order number.


text: Have you ever had a client who just didn't seem to know what to do with their arms and feet? It can be hard to find a comfortable position for these body areas during a massage. Help them out with our wide variety of massage table armrests, leg rests, and foot rests. From hanging arm rest shelves to massage table extenders for taller clients, we'll have them feeling full-body comfortable as you work your magic.


text:
Variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) is a fatal type of prion disease. Bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) is a prion disease that affects cows. There is evidence that this illness can be transmitted to humans, producing vCJD. This illness is often called mad cow disease.
It is generally believed that vCJD is caused by infectious proteins called prions. Prions are normal proteins in the body. If these prions fold up differently than normal, they may transform into the protein that causes the illness. The build up of abnormal prions may be linked to the brain damage associated with vCJD.
Risk Factors
Variant CJD is more common in younger people. Other factors that may increase your chance of getting vCJD include exposure to prion-containing tissue. This may occur from:
- Eating beef from infected cows
- Receiving a blood transfusion from someone who had the disease
After you are exposed, it can take up to 20 years until symptoms develop. When symptoms develop, they usually follow these 3 phases:
- Early phase (0-6 months)—psychiatric symptoms, such as depression, anxiety, withdrawal, memory problems, and difficulty pronouncing words
- Middle phase—neurological symptoms predominate, such as abnormal gait, problems with coordination, muscle jerks and stiffness, and impaired speech
- Late phase—muteness, immobility
Your doctor will ask about your symptoms and medical history. A physical exam will be done. Tests may include:
- Blood tests
- Electroencephalogram (EEG) to record the electrical activity of the brain
- Lumbar puncture—to evaluate the cerebrospinal fluid that protects the brian and spinal cord
- Brain biopsy
- Tonsillar biopsy
Imaging tests take pictures inside your body structures. Imaging tests may include:
In many cases, a final diagnosis is not determined until an autopsy is completed after death.
Currently, there is no cure for vCJD. Treatment is primarily supportive, maximizing function and minimizing discomfort.
To reduce your chance of getting vCJD, avoid beef products, particularly processed meat like sausages and hot dogs, or beef items containing brain, spinal cord, or bone marrow.
About 200 worldwide cases of vCJD have occurred to date. Most of these were associated with beef consumption in the United Kingdom. There is a great deal of controversy regarding the safety of US beef. BSE has been detected in the US. However, no cases of vCJD have been attributed to eating US beef. US patients with vCJD were found to have obtained it outside of the US.
Revision Information
- Reviewer: Rimas Lukas, MD
- Review Date: 05/2016 -
- Update Date: 06/02/2014 -


text:
American Airlines (AA) is looking to keep business travelers
connected with the announcement that it will utilize AirCell's high-speed
broadband network in 2008 on Boeing 767-200 aircraft. The service will provide
Internet, VPN and email access to WiFi capable devices in all seating classes
-- for a fee.
"We understand that broadband connectivity is important
to our business customers and others who want to use their PDAs and laptops for
real-time, inflight broadband communications," AA Executive VP of Marketing
Dan Garton. "This is part of our continuing effort to enhance the travel
experience for our customers and meet their evolving needs."
"We are excited to provide solutions that will give
American Airlines passengers the opportunity to make high-speed Internet
connections from unprecedented heights," Garton continued. "We
consider it a 30,000-foot answer to many of our business travelers'
The cost of admission for AA is $100,000 per plane
according to AirCell. Passengers can expect to pay no more than $10 per day for
unlimited service.
The service will be mainly provided on AA transcontinental
flights and the company will install cellular towers around the continental
U.S. to accommodate AirCell's broadband service. Each 767-200 plane will
feature one antenna on the top of the aircraft and two on the bottom to receive
the signals. Passengers will then be able to connect to Internet using
Boeing had originally planned to make its 787 Dreamliner
WiFi capable to give airlines the option of providing wireless high-speed
broadband access to all passengers. Boeing later dropped the WiFi idea
and decided to use wired networking to save weight.


text: So many good things to see in JV. The tv crew broke down about four different aspects of what he did right on that last hook shot. The part they left out? He hits the game clinching basket in his first home game....and he puts his head down and runs back to the other end of the court for D. So much to like.


text:
Episode 1
Jeff Winger must return to school.
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When his college degree is challenged as a fake, lawyer and schemer Jeff Winger (Joel McHale) is forced to return to school.
Not yet rated
Jeff Winger must return to school.
Spanish 101
Jeff looks to use a Spanish class assignment to get close to Britta.
Introduction to Film
Jeff struggles to get a good grade by convincing an professor of his sincerity.
Social Psychology
Annie recruits Abed and Troy for a psychology class experiment.
Advanced Criminal Law
Pierce volunteers to compose a new school song.
Football, Feminism and You
Jeff is blackmailed into getting Troy to join Greendale's football team.
Introduction to Statistics
Jeff sets his sights on a professor with a firm policy against dating students.
Home Economics
Problems with money force Jeff out of his condo and into Abed's dorm room.
Debate 109
Jeff is drafted to help lead Greendale's debate team.
Environmental Science
Jeff's efforts to handle Señor Chang manage to help him.
Politics of Human Sexuality
Pierce pressures Jeff into asking Dean Pelton's airhead secretary to double date
Comparative Religion
Shirley's plans for a holiday party are in jeopardy.
Investigative Journalism
Jeff accepts an invitation to be the editor of the school paper.
Interpretive Dance
Jeff and Professor Slater look to keep their student-teacher romance under wraps
Romantic Expressionism
Jeff and Britta team up to derail Annie's fledgling romance.
Communication Studies
Valentine's Day on campus finds Jeff struggling with his feelings.
Physical Education
The study group teams up to help Abed land a date with a girl.
Basic Genealogy
The college's Family Day lands Jeff in the middle of an affair.
Beginner Pottery
Shirley's kindly nature is challenged by a crisis during a sailing course.
The Science of Illusion
April Fool's Day prank sends a human cadaver out the anatomy lab window.
Contemporary American Poultry
The study group transforms into a criminal gang run by a power hungry Abed.
The Art of Discourse
Britta and Jeff are forced to team up against some teenage newcomers at school.
Modern Warfare
The Greendale Community College get engulfed in a Spring Fling paintball war.
English as a Second Language
On the eve of a final exam in Spanish, everyone's grades are jeopardized.
Pascal's Triangle Revisited
Annie ponders an offer to move away with her hacky-sack-playing boyfriend.
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text:
Micron might not be the first name you
think of when you consider SSDs, but the company is announcing its
new RealSSD C300. It is the first to use a native 6Gbps SATA
interface and also first to use ONFI
2.1 high-speed synchronous NAND, making it the fastest SATA-based
SSD for notebook and desktop personal computers.
"The C300
SSD not only delivers on all the inherent advantages of SSDs –
improved reliability and lower power use – but also leverages a
finely tuned architecture and high-speed ONFI 2.1 NAND to provide a
whole new level of performance," said Dean Klein, Vice President of
Memory System Development for Micron.
The new drive is capable
of read speeds of up to 355 MB/s and write speeds of up to 215MB/s.
No random read/write performance figures are available yet. The C300
SSD turns in a score of 45,000 from PC Mark Vantage's HDD Suite. A
competitive performance benchmark video is available at
drives gain little performance advantage when using SATA 6Gb/s
because of mechanical limitations," said Klein. "As a developer
of leading-edge NAND technology, along with our sophisticated
controller and firmware innovations, Micron is well positioned to
tune our drives to take full advantage of the faster speeds achieved
using the SATA 6Gb/s interface. The combination of these technology
advancements has enabled the RealSSD C300 drive to far outshine the
The C300 is built using 34nm
MLC NAND flash from IM Flash Tech, Micron's joint venture with
Intel. It uses a new proprietary NAND flash controller and firmware that was designed in partnership with the Marvell Technology Group.
The new drive is backwards compatible with SATA
II motherboards, and will be available in
128GB and 256GB
capacities, as well as 1.8-inch and 2.5-inch form factors. Micron is
currently sampling the C300 SSD in limited quantities and expects to
enter mass production in the first quarter of next year. First
availability of the drive will likely be through subsidiary
Crucial.com, which sells SSD and memory products made by Micron to consumers.
C300 is expected to be just the first of many new SSDs in the new
year. New NAND flash controller chips from Samsung, SandForce, and
Indilinx are expected to provide 6Gbps SATA support, while new high
speed DDR NAND flash chips will test their limits.
Update: Micron has confirmed that the C300 uses a new proprietary controller and firmware that was designed in partnership with the Marvell Technology Group. It also uses 2Gb of DDR3 DRAM as cache.


text:
DokuWiki is a standards-compliant, simple-to-use Wiki mainly aimed at creating documentation of any kind. It is targeted at developer teams, workgroups, and small companies. It has a simple but powerful syntax which makes sure the datafiles remain readable outside the Wiki, and eases the creation of structured texts. All data is stored in plain text files, so no database is needed
Tiki Wiki CMS Groupware is a full-featured, Web-based, multilingual, tightly integrated, all-in-one wiki, CMS, and groupware. Tiki can be used to create all kinds of Web applications, sites, portals, knowledge bases, intranets, and extranets. Tiki offers a very large number of features "out-of-the-box". It is highly configurable and modular. All features are optional and administered via a Web-based interface. Major features include a robust wiki engine, news articles, discussion forums, newsletters, blogs, file and image galleries, bug and issue trackers, a link directory, polls/surveys and quizzes, FAQs, a banner management system, calendar, maps, mobile access, RSS feeds, a category system, tags, an advanced themeing engine (Smarty), spreadsheet, live support, shoutbox, inter-user messaging, menu generator, advanced permission system for users and groups, internal search engine, external authentication support, and more. It was formerly named TikiWiki.
b2evolution, is a multi-lingual, multi-user, multi-blog engine. It was developed to provide a free, feature rich, extensible, and easy-to-install solution for efficient Web publishing of information ranging from professional news feeds to personal weblogs. b2evo can easily be installed on almost any LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) host in a matter of minutes.
phpMyFAQ is a multilingual, completely database-driven FAQ system. It support various database systems and it also offers a content management system with a WYSIWYG editor, an image manager, flexible multi-group and multi-user support, a news system, user tracking, language modules, templates, PDF support, a backup system, Active Directory support, and an easy to use installation script.
XWiki is a WikiWiki clone written in Java that supports many popular features of other Wikis like the Wiki syntax, version control, attachments, security, and searching, but also many advanced features like templates, database and dynamic development using scripting languages (Velocity, Groovy, Ruby, Python, PHP, and more), an extension system and skinability, J2EE scalability, an XML/RPC remote API, statistics, RSS feeds, PDF exporting, WYSIWYG editing, an Office viewer and importer, and a lot more.
CorneliOS is an easy-to-use and cross-browser "Web Desktop Environment", "Web Operating System", or "Web Office" that comes with a set of cool applications. It includes a Content Management System (CMS) so that you can easily set up and manage your own website as well as a Database Management System that allows you to rapidly build any kind of database application.
Cerb is a fast and flexible Web-based platform for business collaboration and automation. It helps you remember anything about anyone, collaborate from anywhere, deftly reply to a flood of email, automate, stay informed, capture feedback, track time, flag opportunities, manage tasks, share expert knowledge, and otherwise execute efficiently.
etm is an acronym for Event and Task Manager. It provides a simple, intuitive format for using plain text files to store event, task, and other data items, a command line interface for viewing stored information in a variety of convenient ways, and a cross-platform, PyQt-based GUI for creating and modifying items as well as viewing them. Displayed items can be grouped by date, context, keyword, or project and can be filtered in various ways. A display of busy and free times is also supported, as is a ledger view of time spent that is suitable for client billing. Alarms are supported for events and repetition for both events and tasks in a powerful and flexible manner.
Barcode Writer in Pure Postscript implements the printing of many barcode formats entirely within PostScript, so that the process of converting the input string into the printed output is performed by the printer or print system. The project supports all major barcode formats including: EAN-13 (JAN-13), EAN-8 (JAN-8), UPC-A, UPC-E, EAN-5 & EAN-2 (EAN/UPC add-ons), ISBN (including legacy ISBN), ISMN (including legacy ISMN), ISSN, Code 128 (A, B & C), GS1-128, SSCC-18 (EAN-18, NVE), EAN-14, Code 39, Code 39 Extended, Code 93, Code 93 Extended, Code 32 (Italian Pharmacode), Pharmazentralnummer (PZN), Interleaved 2 of 5, ITF-14 (UPC SCS), GS1 DataBar (Omnidirectional, Stacked, Stacked Omnidirectional, Limited, Expanded, Expanded Stacked), Code 2 of 5 (Industrial, IATA, Matrix, Datalogic & COOP), Code 11 (USD-8), BC412, Codabar (NW-7), Pharmacode (including two-track), MSI, Plessey, Telepen, Channel Code, PosiCode, PDF417, Data Matrix (ECC200), QR Code (including Micro QR Code), and more.
Open-Xchange Server Edition is a multi-tier, small footprint solution that integrates seamlessly into customer's architectures, enabling smooth start of operation based on services. The Open-Xchange Server Edition supports different Enterprise Linux systems like SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10, Red Hat Enterprise Linux 5, and Debian Etch. Users are presented with a highly advanced, improved, and intuitive browser based interface that meets all their email, calendaring, tasking, contacts, and document storage requirements. Further integrations like LDAP-support or ADS are possible. It's designed for medium organizations and educational and public administrations that want to have a customizable communication solution.
.NET components for working with MS OneNote files.
An applicant tracking system.


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a heated debate over legislation passed earlier this year in Arizona
aimed at identifying, prosecuting, and deporting illegal immigrants,
the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has announced that it will
be increasing the number of unmanned
drones used to patrol the U.S. Mexican border, hunting for
drugs and illegal immigrants.The Federal Aviation
Administration has granted the DHS permission to launch
missions from along the border, including Texas, and along
the Gulf Coast region. The Customs and Border Protection
department will maintain a drone at the Corpus Christi Naval Air
Station in Texas. That drone will likely be used to hunt down
groups of people crossing the border illegal, alerting authorities to
apprehend them.The Office of National Drug Control Policy
will also be cooperating with the DHS on using other drones on
drug-enforcement related missions. The collaborative effort is
dubbed "Operation Roadrunner" and will scan license plates
on the U.S. side of the border to try to spot known drug
traffickers.The DHS will also be working with the Justice
Department to implement a cooperative framework to share
drone-related info with the state, local, and federal law enforcement
agencies. Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano's plan
involves cities not on the border, but in the general area providing
additional resources to the border towns.The drones used in
most of the patrol will be the General
Atomics MQ-9 Reaper, a large, versatile UAV sometimes referred to
as the Predator B. The Reaper can carry a heavy amount of
ordinance, but it would be assumed that the border patrol drones will
be unarmed. The drones can be outfitted with a variety of
sensors.Thus far the U.S. Border Patrol and Customs has only
used 6 Predator B drones, the first of which was deployed in Arizona
in October 2005. That drone contributed to the seizure of four
vehicles and 8,267 pounds of marijuana [PDF]. That
success encouraged the Border Patrol to establish more patrols of the
Mexican and Canadian borders. One drone is based in North
Dakota, at the UAS Operations Center in Grand Forks, four in Arizona,
at the UAS Operations Center in Sierra Vista and one based at Fort
Drum, N.Y.Perhaps the most controversial aspect of the drones
will be their use in detecting and capturing illegal immigrants.
President Obama, an advocate of immigration reform, was reportedly
reticent to increase government spending to deploy more drones to
track illegal immigrants and drugs on the border. However,
Texas Gov. Rick Perry (R) and Sen. John Cornyn (R-Tex.) forced
Obama's hand by blocking the confirmation of Michael Huerta to be
deputy director of the FAA. They now are going to received the
$500M USD in extra federal spending they wanted, and at least two
more drones.Mexico is one of the heaviest sources of illegal
immigration. Of the 11 million illegal immigrants who
participated in a 2008
study by the Center for Immigration Studies, 57 percent, or
roughly 6.3 million individuals came from Mexico.


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Student Debt Relief Bill Floated in Congress
A group of Democratic senators introduced a bill Jan. 23 that would allow privately issued student loans to be discharged along with other bankruptcy debt.
S. 114, the "Fairness for Struggling Students Act of 2013," is sponsored by Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) and is co-sponsored by Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.), Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), Sen. Jack Reed (D-R.I.), Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-R.I.).
"Too many Americans are carrying around mortgage-sized student loan debt that forces them to put off major life decisions like buying a home or starting a family," Durbin said. "It's not only young people facing this crisis, it is parents, siblings and even grandparents who co-signed private loans long ago and are still making payments decades later. It's time for action. We can no longer sit by while this student debt bomb keeps ticking."
CUNA said it estimates around 300 credit unions currently offer student loans to their members. Senior Vice President of Legislative Affairs Ryan Donovan said the trade hasn't yet taken a position on the bankruptcy bill, but said CUNA is concerned with any legislation that proposes changes to bankruptcy laws.
NAFCU Vice President of Legislative Affairs Brad Thaler said, "While we recognize the effort to go after unscrupulous lenders who unfairly target students with a repugnant profit motive in mind, we have serious concerns about any changes to the bankruptcy code that could drive credit unions away from a product that many of their members want and need."
Harkin called student loan debt the next mortgage crisis and lauded a second bill reintroduced by Durbin and Franken that he co-sponsored, the "Know Before You Owe Act of 2013." That bill would require schools to counsel students before they take on private student loan debt and inform them if they have any untapped federal student aid eligibility. It would also require the prospective borrower's school to confirm the student's enrollment status, cost of attendance and estimated federal financial aid assistance before the private student loan is approved.
"By empowering students with clear guidance about their federal financial aid options before they turn to more expensive private loans and restoring the option to discharge private loan debt through bankruptcy, the Know Before You Owe Act and the Fairness for Struggling Students Act will go a long way to help students make smart choices and provide relief to borrowers," Harkin said "Students need to know how to avoid the higher interest rates and less favorable terms of private loans, so they can be on more stable financial footing when they graduate."
Both bills died in the Senate last year after being referred to committee.


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Simulated Totals for Hispanic National Origin Groups [in Census 2000] by State, Place, County, and Census Tract: [United States] (ICPSR 3907)
Principal Investigator(s): United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census
This file provides totals for detailed Hispanic groups from Census 2000 and from the results of a simulation analysis. The simulated totals presented are illustrative and do not replace the official Census 2000 totals for these groups. The totals from Census 2000 are based on sample estimates from the Spanish/Hispanic/Latino question on the long form and are the official figures. The simulated totals provided do not fully reflect self-identification. Instead, they include (1) the responses of those who self-identified into a specific group and (2) the responses of those who reported a general term and were tabulated into a specific group using responses to the place of birth or ancestry questions.
Access Notes
The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.
This study is provided by ICPSR. ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for a diverse and expanding social science research community.
Study Description
United States Department of Commerce. Bureau of the Census. Simulated Totals for Hispanic National Origin Groups [in Census 2000] by State, Place, County, and Census Tract: [United States]. ICPSR03907-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2004. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR03907.v1
Persistent URL: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR03907.v1
Export Citation:
- RIS (generic format for RefWorks, EndNote, etc.)
- EndNote XML (EndNote X4.0.1 or higher)
Scope of Study
Subject Terms: census data, census methods, Hispanic or Latino Americans, Hispanic or Latino origins
Geographic Coverage: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, United States, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
- 2000
- 2000
Estimates from the Census 2000 Spanish/Hispanic/Latino question and simulated totals for each Hispanic group are provided for the nation, states, places, counties, and census tracts within counties. The Federal Information Processing Standards (FIPS) code is used to identify each state and county.
Weight: There is one weight variable in the data file called WTFACTOR.
self-enumerated questionnaires
Original ICPSR Release: 2004-02-27
- 2006-01-18 File CB3907.ALL.PDF was removed from any previous datasets and flagged as a study-level file, so that it will accompany all downloads.
Related Publications
Export Options: RIS/EndNote
Metadata Exports
- Citations exports are provided above.
Export Study-level metadata (does not include variable-level metadata)
If you're looking for collection-level metadata rather than an individual metadata record, please visit our Metadata Records page.


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Femtocells promise to alleviate one of the most common issues that plague mobile phone users; that of poor signal strength inside a home or office. The small devices route cellular signals through a broadband internet connection when in range.
ABI Research reports that the recession has slowed femtocell deployment, but the research firm says that is only temporary.
ABI Research analyst Aditya Kaul said in a statement, "Femtocell rollouts to date have been limited, controlled ones. But ABI Research expects that 2010 will see shipments climbing well above a million units."
According to Kaul, the femtocell deployment race will start in earnest in late 2009 or early 2010 when a major mobile operator announces a multi-city commercial femtocell deployment. The analyst believes that the deployment will push other mobile operators to follow.
ABI believes that one significant barrier to femtocell deployment today is the price of the hardware. Analysts believe that the femtocell market can operate at various price points, but the psychological barrier for many buyers will be $100. ABI notes that a low-cost femtocell is essential to bridging the gap between niche markets and the mass market.
Kaul also points out that at this point there has been no real test of a large-scale femtocell deployment in the real world. All tests have been simulated thus far. He notes, "These challenges are all valid, but none of them are show-stoppers – there's no 'elephant in the room' that will pose a major obstacle to large-scale deployment."
The mobile operator that Kaul is alluding to could well be Verizon. Verizon announced in October 2008 that it would be offering femtocells in early 2009. The catch is that not only will Verizon customers need to buy the femtocell at $99.99; customers will also have to pay an additional $10 or $20 per month on their phone bill.


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It is an interesting and challenging time to be a Registered Investment Advisor (RIA). The regulatory environment is in a state of flux. The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC or Commission) continues to experience budget constraints that restrict its ability to carry out its mission of protecting investors. Carlo V. di Florio, director of the SEC's Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations (OCIE) told a Senate panel on November 16, 2011, that the Commission does not have the capacity to conduct effective and timely examinations of RIAs. This is in spite of the Commission's newly instituted examiner training program. Mr. di Florio testified that OCIE only has 830 examiners to conduct thousands of registered entities examinations... Furthermore, di Florio stated that at current funding levels, the SEC will not be able to expand its oversight.
Although state securities regulators now have more responsibility for overseeing RIAs, they might not have the money to hire examiners. Many states are wrestling with drops in tax revenue and large budget shortfalls. Therefore, state securities agencies may not receive the funds needed to enforce rules and regulations that apply to RIAs.
Although the regulatory environment is in a state of flux, it is imperative that RIAs adhere to their compliance obligations. To ensure compliance, RIAs and Investment Advisor Representatives (IARs) must fully understand what those obligations are. To that end, it is important to explain some of the basics.
For instance, Registered Investment Advisor or RIA refers to the firm, not the individual. Quite often, financial professionals will incorrectly refer to themselves as "registered investment advisors," which is the term that describes the firm itself. An IAR is the individual who is actually giving the advice. Adding to the confusion, the term Investment Advisor might apply to either the firm or the individual. As we will see in Advertising Advisor Services and Credentials, advisors should not use the initials, RIA, or IAR, after their names. Securities regulators take the position that investors will mistakenly believe those initials are a designation earned by the investment advisor, which is not the case.
Often, this book will use RIA to describe any advisory firm registered with either the SEC or state securities regulators. In reference to an investment advisor, it is spelled with an "or," not an "er." Nevertheless, the key statute governing RIAs is the Investment Advisers Act of 1940. In reference to the act itself or a rule that interprets this law, advisor will be spelled with an "er" as it appears in the legislation, speech, article, or quote.
Keep in mind that rules implement and interpret statutes such as the Investment Advisers Act. The language in a statute usually provides a broad framework for the act, and rules help to clarify what Congress' intent was in passing the law. For example, the SEC passed rules to clarify Section 206 of the Investment Advisers Act. Rule 206(4)-1 the advertising rule delineates what types of advertisements are prohibited. Rule 206(4)-2 spells out an RIA's obligations when the firm takes custody of a client's funds or securities. These rules, and several others, bring clarity to an RIA's obligations arising from Section 206.
Impact of the Dodd-Frank Act on RIAs
The regulatory climate for RIAs has been significantly impacted by the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (Dodd-Frank Act), which was signed into law on July 21, 2010. The threshold for SEC jurisdiction over RIAs was increased to $100 million in regulatory assets under management.
Subject to certain exceptions, RIAs with regulatory assets under management of less than $100 million will be regulated by the states. Each state imposes different registration requirements on an RIA that conducts business there. As a result, an RIA may be required to register in many different states. Because these registration requirements may be unduly burdensome, the Dodd-Frank Act provides relief to an RIA that must register in at least fifteen states. A firm meeting that description has the option of being registered with the SEC. The SEC will additionally retain jurisdiction over mid-sized investment advisors in New York, since that state does not currently conduct examinations of RIAs. The Commission will also oversee all investment advisors in Wyoming.
The Dodd-Frank Act did not resolve the issue of financial services professionals being held to a fiduciary standard. The law authorized the SEC to impose a fiduciary duty on registered representatives who provide investment advice to clients. Although the SEC recommended that broker-dealers be subject to the same fiduciary standard as RIAs, it is not certain that this harmonization of regulation will occur anytime soon.
According to a December 9, 2011 posting on AdvisorOne written by Melanie Waddell, SEC chairman, Mary Schapiro said in an interview with Bloomberg that the Commission would issue a proposed fiduciary rule in 2012. The fiduciary rule, according to Schapiro, will be business-model neutral. Therefore, it is likely that brokers working with retail investors will be permitted to sell proprietary products and be allowed to charge commissions. Until that proposed rule is published, it will still be uncertain if broker-dealers are subject to a fiduciary standard. The Dodd-Frank Act made it clear that charging commissions and selling proprietary products do not by themselves breach the fiduciary standard.
As a result of the Dodd-Frank Act, the definition of "qualified client" has changed (Rule 205-3 under the Investment Advisers Act). Effective on September 19, 2011, the SEC issued an order raising two of the three thresholds that determine whether an RIA is permitted to charge its clients performance fees. As we will see in Dealings With Qualified Clients and Accredited Investors, an investment advisor registered with the SEC may not charge incentive or performance-based fees unless the person is a qualified client. State-registered investment advisors may face different restrictions if they intend to charge performance fees.
The Dodd-Frank Act gave the SEC the authority to pay financial rewards to whistleblowers that provide new and timely information about securities law violations. Among the many eligibility requirements, the whistleblower's information must lead to a successful SEC enforcement action resulting in more than $1 million in monetary sanctions.
State Regulatory Activities
State securities regulators are gearing up for their expanded oversight of RIAs. States are pooling their resources to ensure that RIAs are satisfying their compliance obligations. Despite the increased volume of applications precipitated by the higher threshold to become or remain SEC-registered, state securities regulators are scrutinizing RIAs' registration materials to find deficiencies. An RIA's registration will not be approved until those deficiencies are resolved.
The North American Securities Administrators Association (NASAA) is an organization whose mission is investor protection. NASAA's membership consists of securities administrators from all fifty states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Canada and Mexico. To provide more protection for investors, NASAA enhanced the Investment Adviser Public Disclosure (IAPD) website. The enhancements enable investors to electronically access information regarding individuals working for RIAs. The online system is similar to FINRA's BrokerCheck® database, which discloses registered representatives' disciplinary record.
Investors may now use the IAPD web site (www.advisorinfo.sec.gov) to obtain a great deal of information regarding IARs. The web site provides important information pertaining to an IAR's background such as:
- customer complaints;
- criminal and regulatory disclosures;
- employment history; and
- professional qualifications.
With the old IAPD website, investors were only able to find out information about advisory firms, not the IARs who work there.
Definition of an Investment Advisor
Section 202 of the Investment Advisers Act defines an investment advisor as:
"any person who, for compensation, engages in the business of advising others, either directly or through publications or writings, as to the value of securities or as to the advisability of investing in, purchasing, or selling securities, or who, for compensation and as part of a regular business, issues or promulgates analyses or reports concerning securities."
The definition uses the word "person," even though the "investment adviser" in the act refers to the firm and not the individual.
To satisfy the aforementioned definition, the person must receive compensation, which is interpreted broadly. Compensation does not need to be labeled as an advisory fee nor does it have to be received directly from a client. In addition, although the person must be engaged in the business of advising others, it does not need to be the individual's sole or principal business activity.
The Investment Advisers Act and its rules govern the conduct of RIAs. Many states incorporate provisions of that federal statute and the related rules into their own laws governing RIAs. Blue Sky laws refer to state statutes regulating securities.
The Utah Department of Commerce Division of Securities provides a very simple explanation of what constitutes an investment advisor on its web site (http://www.securities.utah.gov/industry/license_investadviser.html):
"What is an Investment Adviser?
An Investment Adviser is simply someone who provides advice on securities for compensation. However, Investment Advisers can render that advice in numerous ways, including:
- issuing reports or analysis on securities;
- making recommendations to buy or sell securities;
- managing a client's securities portfolio;
- preparing financial plans that involve securities recommendations; or
- managing an investment fund that allows for the investment in securities."
Exemptions from Registering as an Investment Advisor
When Congress passed the Investment Advisers Act, it identified a number of specific groups that were exempted from complying with the statute. As a general rule, these groups are not required to register and are not subject to the regulations imposed by the Investment Advisers Act. The SEC's Division of Investment Management summarized certain exemptions from registration in its publication, General Information on the Regulation of Investment Advisers:
- "Domestic banks (defined in Section 202(a) (2) of the Advisers Act) and bank holding companies (defined in the Bank Holding Company Act of 1956). Savings and loan institutions, federal savings banks, foreign banks, and credit unions do not fall within this exclusion.
- Lawyers, accountants, engineers, and teachers if their performance of advisory services is solely incidental to their professions.
- Brokers and dealers if their performance of advisory services is solely incidental to the conduct of their business as brokers and dealers, and they do not receive any special compensation for their advisory services. This exclusion is not available to a registered representative acting as a financial planner outside the scope of his employment with the broker employer.
- Publishers of bona fide newspapers, news magazines, and business or financial publications of general and regular circulation. Under a decision of the United States Supreme Court, to enable a publisher to qualify for this exclusion, a publication must satisfy three elements: (1) the publication must offer only impersonal advice, i.e., advice not tailored to the individual needs of a specific client, group of clients, or portfolio; (2) the publication must be "bona fide," containing disinterested commentary and analysis rather than promotional material disseminated by someone touting particular securities, advertised lists of stocks "sure to go up," or information distributed as an incident to personalized investment services; and (3) the publication must be of general and regular circulation rather than issued from time to time in response to episodic market activity or events affecting the securities industry. See Lowe v. Securities and Exchange Commission, 472 U.S. 181 (1985).
- Persons and firms whose advice, analyses, or reports are related only to securities that are direct obligations of, or obligations guaranteed by, the United States, or by certain U.S. government-sponsored corporations designated by the Secretary of the Treasury (e.g., FNMA, GNMA)."
The above exclusions are found in 202(a) (11) (A)-(E) of the Investment Advisers Act.
Pursuant to the Dodd-Frank Act, the SEC recommended that broker-dealers and registered representatives who give investment advice be subject to the same fiduciary standard as RIAs. Nevertheless, the SEC did not eliminate the broker-dealer exclusion, which would have subjected brokers to the registration requirements of the Investment Advisers Act.
Family Offices
Family offices are entities that are set up by wealthy families to manage their wealth and to provide various services to family members. The family office assists with important services such as estate planning, charitable giving, and tax guidance. On June 22, 2011, the SEC approved a new rule defining which family offices are to be excluded from the Investment Advisers Act.
Until the passage of the Dodd-Frank Act, an investment advisor was not required to be registered if the firm had fewer than fifteen clients. The Dodd-Frank Act repealed the fifteen client exemption from registration. Historically, family offices were exempt from registration under the Investment Advisers Act because they fell within the exemption afforded to investment advisors with fewer than fifteen clients. Nevertheless, Dodd-Frank also required the SEC to define family offices, so they would still be exempt from regulation under the Investment Advisers Act.
Pursuant to the SEC's definition, family offices are excluded from Investment Advisers Act regulation if:
- they only provide advice to family clients;
- the company providing the advice is owned by and exclusively controlled by family members; and
- the family office does not hold itself out to the public as an investment advisor.
The new rule provided a full explanation of what is meant by family member and family client. If a family office does not meet the exclusion, it must register as an investment advisor by March 30, 2012.
The Big Picture
In any regulatory or economic environment, compliance is extremely important. Even if the threat of a compliance examination by securities regulators is unlikely, disobeying the rules can have serious implications. Lori A. Richards, the former director of OCIE, warned RIAs about the potential pitfalls of noncompliance in her December 2, 2009 open letter to CEOs of SEC-registered firms:
"During this time of financial and market turmoil, the Office of Compliance Inspections and Examinations of the Securities and Exchange Commission reminds leaders of SEC-registered firms, including broker-dealers, investment advisers, investment companies and transfer agents, of the critical role played by your firm's compliance programs in helping to meet your obligations under the securities laws. Your firm's compliance function is critical to assure that your operations comply with the law and rules for industry participation and to ensure that the interests of your customers, clients and shareholders are protected. Moreover, compliance is a vital control function that helps to protect the firm from conduct that could negatively impact the firm's business and its reputation.
While many firms are considering reductions and cost-cutting measures, we remind you of your firm's legal obligation to maintain an adequate compliance program reasonably designed to achieve compliance with the law."
At the time of Richards' speech, the United States was in the middle of the worst economic downturn since the Great Depression. RIAs found their income slashed as the value of portfolios plummeted. Most RIAs earn the bulk of their fees based on a percentage of clients' assets under management. Because of this decline in their income, RIAs may have reacted by cutting their compliance budgets. As we will see in How to Avoid Sabotaging Your Compliance Exam, examiners may look at an RIA's compliance budget to determine whether it is adequate.
Tough economic times are no excuse for an RIA being lax in fulfilling its compliance obligations. Failure to comply with rules and regulations may lead to misconduct that will severely damage a firm's reputation and standing in the community. Many disciplinary events must be disclosed to existing and prospective clients in the RIA's disclosure brochure. Furthermore, the SEC or state securities regulators may bring enforcement actions against RIAs that commit serious compliance violations. For example, on November 28, 2011, the SEC charged three RIAs with failing to put compliance procedures in place to prevent securities law violations. Aside from the fines and other penalties imposed on the RIAs, one firm was told to prominently post a copy of the SEC's order on its web site.
Prospective clients are likely to avoid an RIA that has an SEC order rebuking the firm on its website. Few prospective clients will hire an RIA after conducting an Internet search of the firm and reading that order or seeing other negative publicity. Attracting new clients is difficult enough for RIAs without having to explain compliance violations and disciplinary action taken by securities regulators.


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Enhancing collaboration focus of INTERPOL training on pharmaceutical crime
GHAZIABAD, India – Encouraging greater international cooperation in the fight against pharmaceutical crime was the focus of INTERPOL's first training course on this type of crime held in India.
The three-day event (8-10 October), organized by INTERPOL's Medical Product Counterfeiting and Pharmaceutical Crime (MPCPC) Sub-directorate and the Indian Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), brought together some 35 participants from police and drug control agencies across India to increase collaboration and enhance the abilities of the region to more effectively combat all forms of pharmaceutical crime including fake and illicit medicines.
Topics covered during the training session included the challenges of fake or counterfeit medicines; detecting, identifying and tracing fake medicines; existing legal frameworks; intelligence gathering and undercover investigations; proper evidence handling; and partnerships with the public and private sectors.
In his closing remarks, R.K. Dutta, Additional Director of the CBI, highlighted the need for enhanced cooperation not only among agencies within the country but also regionally and globally. Mr Dutta said the Indian authorities recognize that pharmaceutical crime is a concern for law enforcement as well as drug regulatory agencies, and he pledged the country's support for INTERPOL programmes and operations targeting fake and counterfeit medicines such as Pangea and Storm.
The largest of these initiatives is INTERPOL's annual Operation Pangea, which targets the online sale of illicit and counterfeit medicines. In 2013, some 100 countries took part in Operation Pangea VI, which resulted in 213 arrests and the seizure of 10.1 million potentially dangerous medicines worth more than USD 36 million.
During the training session, presentations were given by experts from INTERPOL, the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), Pharmaceutical Security Institute (PSI) and drug control agencies throughout India, who used case studies and practical exercises to underline the importance of international cooperation in combating the criminal networks behind pharmaceutical crime.
Attending the opening of the training were Ranjit Sinha, Director of the CBI and Head of the INTERPOL National Central Bureau (NCB) in New Delhi, and Dr G.N. Singh, Drugs Controller General of India.


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Princeton graduate student Jessica Bongiovanni dies
Princeton University doctoral student Jessica Bongiovanni died Dec. 2 at the Kimball Medical Center in Lakewood, N.J., of complications from cancer. She was 25.
A native of Manchester, N.J., Bongiovanni had begun her second year in the laboratory of Princeton professor and Hugh Stott Taylor Chair of Chemistry John Groves when she was diagnosed with osteosarcoma, a type of bone cancer. Her research focused on designing artificial enzymes by embedding synthesized chemical catalysts within natural proteins, Groves said.
Bongiovanni had successfully developed two new biocatalysts, Groves said: One that produced the disinfectant chlorine dioxide used in water treatment and bleaching, and another that allowed her to detect a long-sought, highly reactive molecule for use in protein reactions. Bongiovanni is a co-author of a paper to be submitted on the latter discovery, Groves said.
"Jess was a fearless, optimistic and imaginative experimental scientist who always asked 'How can I make this experiment work?'" Groves said.
Bongiovanni came to Princeton after receiving her master's degree in chemistry from the University of North Carolina-Charlotte in 2011. Her desire for a career in chemistry research and teaching began during her undergraduate study at Drexel University, where she earned her bachelor's degree in chemistry in 2009.
Bongiovanni is survived by her parents Kevin and Kathleen; fiancé Kristopher Swanson; her sisters Katie and Kelsey; and her maternal grandparents, as well as many aunts, uncles and cousins.
A memorial service will be held at 11 a.m. Thursday, Dec. 6, at St. John's Church in Lakehurst, N.J. In addition, students, staff and faculty in the Department of Chemistry will make a combined donation to Bongiovanni's charity, Ronald McDonald House.
The University flag over East Pyne Hall will be lowered to half-mast from Dec. 4 through Dec. 7 in Bongiovanni's memory.


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AEA FCU Posts Positive Year-End Results
The NCUA said several new services and more efficient operations helped AEA Federal Credit Union improve its financial conditions last year.
The Yuma, Ariz.-based credit union, which is still under NCUA conservatorship, posted 2012 year-end net income of $3.15 million, according to the agency.
Total assets at the end of the fourth quarter stood at $231 million, and the net worth ratio improved by 137 basis points from year-end 2011, ending the fourth quarter at 4.02%, the NCUA said.
"We reduced expenses, streamlined operations, retooled infrastructure, introduced an array of new services and continued the process of returning AEA to the core credit union business model," said Elizabeth Whitehead, NCUA Region V director and agent for the conservator.
"We see significant progress in all of these areas, and we are very pleased with the credit union's positive performance in 2012," Whitehead said.
The credit union had been hit by a business loan kickback scheme that led to the conviction of a former lending executive.
AEA's management team and staff worked diligently to introduce new services to the credit union's 42,000 members this past year, the NCUA said. The credit union unveiled a new home banking website and mobile platform, launched a suite of checking accounts, created a direct auto lending platform and announced a fixed-rate Visacredit card program.
The financial institution also joined shared branching and the CO-OP ATM Networks in 2012, creating 36,800 additional service sites for members.
"Our goal for 2013 is to release AEA Federal Credit Union from conservatorship, when appropriate, and return management of the credit union to a highly capable local board of directors," Whitehead said.
Established in 1942, AEA operates five branches. Membership is open to individuals and their family members who live, work, worship or attend school in Yuma or La Paz counties in Arizona.


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The Cortez Journal encourages people to submit announcements about upcoming events for the Community Calendar. Send announcements to email@example.com. Items submitted at least two weeks in advance will have a better chance of getting published; items submitted several days before the event might not get published. For more information, call the Journal at 565-8527.
Wonder Women film
In celebration of Women's History Month, Community Cinema at the Mancos Public Library, located at 211 W. First St., will host a screening of Wonder Women The Untold Story of American Superheroines. This film traces the fascinating evolution and legacy of Wonder Woman, from the birth of the comic book superheroine in the 1940s to the blockbusters of today, the film looks at how popular representations of powerful women often reflect in society's anxieties about women's liberation. Thursday, March 21 at 7 p.m. in the MPL meeting room. Free and open to the public. For more information call the library at 533-7600.
Heart to Heart Easter concert
The annual Heart to Heart Easter Concert will be held on Friday, March 22 at 7 p.m. at Lifeway Baptist Church.
The evening will include music by area Christian musicians reminding us of the death, burial, and triumphant resurrection of Christ. An offering will be received to support Heart to Heart/Montezuma Crisis Pregnancy Center as they offer services to our community including free pregnancy tests, healthy relationship presentations for teens, and abortion recovery groups for those seeking healing from the emotional and relational pain of past abortion choices. Call 565-0979 for more information.
Presentation: 'Lincoln's Legacy of Equality and Liberty'
On Saturday, March 23, Montezuma County Court Judge JenniLynn Everett Lawrence will present "Lincoln's Legacy of Equality and Liberty." The program was developed by the Colorado Bar Association and is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Montezuma County. It will be held at 9 a.m. at the Ponderosa Restaurant, 108 S. 8th, Dolores. The presentation is open to the public. For more information, contact Betty Janes at 533-1051 or firstname.lastname@example.com.
Edible Book Festival
The Southwest Open School and the Cortez Public Library will host the town's first annual edible book festival on March 23 from 1 to 3:45 p.m.
Although anyone may participate, event organizer Rita Stramel thought the activity would be a good fit for the 21st Century Community Learning Center grant she now helps administer. The program, called Project Empower, provides aftr-school and weekend classes and activities for students at Southwest Open School, Mesa Elementary, and Manaugh Elementary.
To get an idea of the event, photos of creations from past years are posted on www.books2eat.com. Entries may be dropped off at the library on March 22 from 3 to 4 p.m., or on March 23 from 10 a.m. to noon.
Vanishing Breed Dance
The Vanishing Breed Dance will be held Saturday, March 23 at the American Legion, 320 N Harrison, Cortez. Dance starts at 8 p.m. $5 cover, must be 21 and over.
Book signing in Dolores
Author Lowell F. Volk, of Pleasant View, will be hold a book signing on March 23 from noon to 2 p.m. at the Dolores Public Library, 1002 Railroad Ave.
Volk's book - "Luke Taylor: Westward Bound" - is a Civil War novel where Taylor struggles to keep his family safe as Union soldiers march through the South burning crops, destroying buildings, and killing livestock. When a band of renegades dressed as Union soldiers attacks his home, killing his brother and beating him and his mother, Luke must leave the farm to find his father.
For more information, contact James Branscum at 888-361-9473 or email@example.com
Leave No Trace training
Dolores River Boating Advocates will host a "Leave No Trace" awareness workshop for whitewater boaters on Saturday, March 23 at 4Corners Riversports in Durango from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Learn how to minimize impacts to the rivers Rick Ryan, former BLM Dolores River ranger, will lead the training. Cost is $10, which includes lunch and all materials. Space is limited, register by calling 799-1475 or email email@example.com.
Come Unto Christ Easter Cantata
The second annual Come Unto Christ Easter Cantata, written by Sally DeFord will be presented by the four-ward choir of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints on Sunday, March 24 at 6 p.m. at 26525 County Road M. All are welcome and refreshments will be served.
Messianic Passover Seder
Passover Seder will be held on Monday, March 25 at 6 p.m. at 15325 Rd. 22 (north of Cortez, near Road S, off Highway 491). As celebrated in homes throughout the world, the Passover Seder is rich with historical meaning and traditions, as well as with Messianic symbolism. Passover is a holy convocation, a calling together for a sacred assembly. The observance will last about three hours and includes reading together through the Haggadah, eating the symbolic elements, drinking the cups, partaking of a meal of traditional foods, partaking of the Lord's Supper, all with music and worship and in order. An optional $10 donation would be appreciated. Please RSVP to one of the following by March 20: Mike and Paulette Gasner, 882-7696; Ron and Carolyn Lucus, 565-2430; Jeanette Conacher, 560-1651; Pat Grant, 560-2848; or Jean Oliver, 565-0747.
Bingo in Dolores
Dolores Rotary Bingo will be held Tuesday, March 26 at 6:30 p.m. Dinner (chili and soups, drink and dessert for $5) Bingo begins at 7 p.m. Help support the Dolores Operation Graduation by playing Bingo.
M-CHS band spring concert
The Montezuma-Cortez High School band's annual spring concert will be Tuesday, March 26 at the high school at 7 p.m. There is no charge. Featured groups will be Jazz Band I and Symphonic Winds.
High Desert Homesteading third seminar
The Montezuma Valley Farm Hub introduces the fourth class in their High Desert Homesteading seminar series, "High Altitude Vegetable Production," presented by Rosie Carter and Bessie White on Wednesday, March 27 from 7 to 9 p.m. at Let it Grow Nursery and Garden, 90 N. Mildred Rd. The course is $15, refreshments and educational materials will be provided. For more information contact Nina Williams at 560-1443 or Rosie Carter at 565-4170.
Dr. Seuss Family Night
The Montelores Early Childhood Council will present A Dr. Seuss Family Night in honor of the 108th birthday of Dr. Seuss. This free evening includes dinner and many fun activities for parents to do with their preschoolers. It takes place on Thursday, March 28 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Beech Street Preschool Big Room Please RSVP by March 25 to firstname.lastname@example.com or 970-565-7491.
Messiah in the Passover
Cathy Wilson of Chosen People Ministries will give a vivid and exciting presentation of how Jesus fulfilled the ancient feast of Passover. It will be held on Thursday, March 28 at 6:30 p.m. at the Cortez Church of the Nazarene in the sanctuary located at 514 N. Chestnut. We will also be having a Good Friday service on Friday, March 29 at 6:30 p.m.. The public is invited to both special services during Holy Week. For more information contact Tenia (Tina) Tyron at 565-7826.
Easter egg hunt
The Cortez Rotary Club will be hosting their annual Easter Egg Hunt beginning at 10 a.m. on Saturday, March 30. The event will be held on the west side of the Cortez City Park just outside the Cortez Municipal Pool. All children are invited.
Beautiful Losers Dance
The Beautiful Losers Dance will be held Saturday, March 30 at the American Legion, 320 N Harrison, Cortez. Beautiful Losers will perform featuring rock and roll, country and original songs. Dance starts at 8 p.m., $5 cover, must be 21 and over.
Easter party for children
All children in kindergarten through fourth grade are invited to attend an Easter party from 1 to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 30, at the Montezuma Valley Presbyterian Church, 350 S. Washington St., Cortez, directly across the street from Manaugh School.
This activity is being organized by the "Fellowshipping Fun Loving Outreaching Christian" committee and the Youth Group of the church. Numerous games and activities are being planned for the children to enjoy. A raffle will be held for a number of items, including a large vinyl bunny. Refreshments will be available for parents who accompany their children.
For more information, contact the church at 565-7024 or Jack Robbins at 882-1444.
Calling all artists
Artists can submit their work for the Cortez Cultural Center's annual Mancos Mix Show. Pick up rules and application at the center, 25 N. Market, Wednesday through Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Art and completed application needs to be submitted April 1 from 10 a.m. to noon. For more information call the center 565-1151 or Jan Wright 882-3130
Driver safety course offered by AARP
AARP will sponsored a driver safety course Tuesday, April 2 from 12:30 to 5 p.m. at the Calvin Denton Room in the Empire Electric Building.
This course is authorized by the state of Colorado and is designed to meet the needs of older drivers. Completion of this course can qualify you for a discount on your automobile insurance.
The course is available to all motorists whether or not they are members of AARP. A $12 fee for AARP members and a $14 fee for nonmembers is to be paid by check, (no cash or credit card) which covers materials. Please bring your driver's license and your AARP membership number (if you have one).
Register with Scott and Judy Aeschlimann at 565-3872. Leave name and phone number on the answering machine if no one is available. The class number is limited.
Two on Tap coming to Cortez
Southwest Colorado Concerts presents Two on Tap performing a concert of song and tap dance, on Tuesday, April 2 at 7 p.m. in the Montezuma-Cortez High School auditorium. Two On Tap marks the creative collaboration of two celebrated Broadway musical theatre performers Melissa Giattino and Ron DeStefano. Tickets will be on sale at the door; single-concert tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for youth, 18 years old and under. Season tickets for the four-concert 2013-2014 season will also be on sale, $45 for adults and $10 for youth 18 years old and younger. If you are not a current season ticket holder and purchase a season ticket for the 2013-2014 season at this concert, you will get into Two On Tap for free. For more information contact Paul Bostrom at 565-9127 or Joyce Stevenson at 565-4757.
Library storytime
"Splash into April" is the April theme of Raising Readers Storytime at the Cortez Public Library, located at 202 N. Park St.
Storytime is held every Thursday at 10:30 a.m. for preschool-aged children. Older children are welcome to come for the craft at 11:15 a.m.
"Fun at Work Day" is the subject on April 4. "Magic" will be discussed on April 11. "April is Mathematics Education Month" will be the focal point on April 18 and we'll wrap up the month with "Winnie-the-Pooh and Friends" on April 25.
Raising Readers Storytime offers songs, stories, crafts and silliness and uses the Early Childhood Literacy Initiative program. For more information, contact the library at 970-565-8117.
Childhood council training
For their April meeting, the Montelores Early Childhood Council will be hosting an Advocacy and Public Will Building training by the Colorado Children's Campaign. This Lunch and Learn will be from 11:30 to 1:30 on Monday, April 8 at the Community Room of 1st National Bank, 2258 E. Main St., Cortez. Please RSVP to firstname.lastname@example.com by April 6.
Computer classes at Cortez library
The Cortez Public Library, 202 N. Park St., and the Unlimited Learning Center will offer computer classes in April.
On Thursday April, 11 at 1 p.m.: Basic Internet Searching. Subjects covered will include: World Wide Web, URLs, Links, Web Browsers, Toolbars on Web Browsers, Address Bar, Simple Searching Tips and Techniques.
Staff from the Southwest Colorado Workforce Center will be teaching a computer class on finding a job on Friday, April 12, at 1 p.m.
On Thursday, April 25 at 1 p.m. the Cortez Public Library will present "Getting an Email with Gmail."
All classes at the library must be signed up for ahead of time. Sign up by calling 565-8117 or by stopping by the library. To find out more about the classes at the Unlimited Learning Center call 565-1601.
9Health Fair coming to Mancos
The 2013 9Health Fair, sponsored locally by the Mancos Valley Loins Club, will be held April 13 at the Mancos Middle School from 7 a.m. to noon. Don't miss this opportunity for low-cost and free health care screenings for individuals over the age of 18.
Participants can review screening options, register and pre-pay for their screenings online at www.9healthfair.org. There will be a separate entry for the pre-pay participants; watch for signs.
Volunteers are needed during the fair and for setup and clean up. If you are interested in helping with the 9Health Fair, non-medical volunteers can contact Val Hobson at 533-7874 and medical volunteers can contact Deana Yeomans at 533-7985.
Low cost vaccination clinic
For Pets' Sake Humane Society will host a Low-Cost Dog and Cat Vaccination Clinic from 9 a.m. until noon on Saturday, April 13 at the IFA Country Store, 10501 Highway 491 in Cortez. Veterinarian Dr. Sue Grabbe with Four Corners MASH will offer dog and cat packages which include rabies, distemper, parvo (dogs), leukemia (cats), and more for $40.00 each, or $15.00 for rabies only. Packages without rabies are just $32.00. Exact change is appreciated, checks are okay, but NO credit cards please. Dogs must be on leashes and cats must be in carriers. A portion of each package purchased will be donated to For Pets' Sake. For more information call the Humane Society at 565-PETS (7387).


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The race to shrink microprocessors is never-ending. Intel announced plans for processors composed of 22nm transistors, which will arrive in 2011. AMD has not yet aired concrete plans that far in advance, as it about to hit 45nm at last at the end of the year. IBM recently announced it will hit 32nm in 2009 and may be the first to hit 22nm in 2010 by using a unique process that allows 32nm equipment to be adapted to 22nm use.
With IBM, Intel, and AMD in heated competition for high end CPUs for computer processors, gaming consoles and other devices, the other two realms seeing competition are memory and gadget processors. Memory on the 45 nm node is currently being deployed by Intel and Texas Instruments. Both companies will soon be looking to transition to 32 nm.
In the realm of gadgets processors, there is perhaps an even greater demand for smaller, more energy efficient, and more powerful processors leading to even greater pressure to reach die-shrinks. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co Ltd (TSMC), the world's largest contract chip maker, whose production is largely geared towards gadget-level processors found in such devices as phones and MP3 players, announced plans to start using 28nm technology in its fabs by 2010.
Competitor United Microelectronics Corp (UMC) and other smaller companies are also racing to reach 22nm or 28nm nodes, but TSMC believes it will be smallest when its chips hit the market.
Jason Chen, a TSMC vice president stated, "Product differentiation, faster time-to-market and investment optimization are the three most important values TSMC delivers to our customers. In support of these values, we are developing this comprehensive 28nm technology family so that it offers choices, depending on the customer applications and performance requirements."
TSMC says that its 28nm chips will offer 50 percent more speed and 30-50 percent less power consumption than its current 40nm low power node. The chips will be aimed largely at the cellular baseband and wireless connectivity component market.
Both NVIDIA and Texas Instruments rely on TSMC for many of their chips. Thus, the new TSMC chips should help to power the next generation of gaming graphics processors as well.
Aside from the power savings afforded by shorter interconnects, the die shrink will allow more transistors to be packed onto an equivalent area, allowing for more complex designs. The shrink should also help to increase chip yield, which result in cost savings, both to TSMC and its customers. However, TSMC is surely spending a pretty penny to lead the charge to sub-32nm transistors.


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Whether it's the illicit affair between Scandal's Olivia and Fitz or the steady romance between Castle's Rick and Kate, the list of contenders in the running to become official nominees in the On-Screen Chemistry category have two very important things in common: plenty of sparks, and loads of shippers.
Below, we look at the TV couples—like New Girl's Jess and Nick, How I Met Your Mother's Barney and Robin, and Glee's Kurt and Blaine (to name just a few)—who are heating up the small-screen, and the notable non-couples—such as Arrow's Oliver and Felicity or Elementary's Holmes and Watson—who are still firmly in the will-they-won't-they-phase (but leaning towards the will, of course).
Check out the list and make sure to vote for your top 5 On-Screen Chemistry pre-nominees here. Voting for this round closes on Oct. 31.
Alicia & Will on The Good Wife
Good riddance, professional behavior! Alicia (Julianna Margulies) and Will (Josh Charles) had quite a few close encounters before they finally let go of their inhibitions during a late night in the office in season 1. The result? A long-awaited kiss, that left them (and us) longing for more.
Barney and Robin on How I Met Your Mother
Though we still don't know if Barney (Neil Patrick Harris) and Robin (Cobie Smulders) will actually make it down the altar in How I Met Your Mother's final season, we do know that their romance thus far has been legen…wait for it…dary.
Booth & Brennan on Bones
While Barney and Robin are still in limbo, Booth (David Boreanaz) and Brennan (Emily Deschanel) certainly are not. After years of working together (and secretly harboring feelings for each other), the duo finally tied the knot this season. Though the ceremony was undoubtedly romantic, Booth and Bones have always been at their steamiest best while undercover, like when they had to infiltrate a ballroom dancing competition.
Next: The best Castle & Beckett, Damon & Elena, and Derek & Meredith moments…
Castle & Beckett on Castle
In true Castle fashion, Rick (Nathan Fillion) and Kate's (Stana Katic) morning after hook-up scene in season 5 is as sultry as it is funny. Kate may be Rick's fiance now, but we're still hoping she has to sneak out of his house every once in awhile (if only so we can get more scenes like this one).
Damon and Elena on The Vampire Diaries
Though these two have quite a few steamy moments as of late, the sparks were flying long before they ever became a couple. Case in point? This scene from season 1, that finds Damon (Ian Somerhalder) stepping in as Elena's (Nina Dobrev) dance partner. If nothing else, they've certainly got a shot at Favorite On-Screen Eye Lock (and no, that's not a thing, but maybe it should be…).
Derek & Meredith, on Grey's Anatomy
Derek (Patrick Dempsey) and Meredith (Ellen Pompeo) have been through almost as many near-death experiences as they have break-ups. Though we're relieved he ultimately loved, chose, and picked her, (not to mention, survived all the gun shot wounds & plane crashes along the way), we have to admit that our favorite Der-Mer moments are also some of their angstiest.
Emma & Hook on Once Upon a Time
While we don't know if Emma (Jennifer Morrison) and Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) will ever get their happily-ever-after, their love-hate relationship is enough to keep us entertained for now. (The swordplay scenes don't hurt either.)
Holmes & Watson on Elementary
Elementary producer exec producer Rob Doherty has said time and time again that he wants Holmes (Jonny Lee Miller) & Watson (Lucy Liu) to remain friends, so why are they still on this list? Because after repeated questions from fans and reporters alike, even he had to concede that a romance isn't completely off the table. In other words, it's going to be awhile before these two become more than partners-in-crime. In the meantime, enjoy their meet-cute below.
NEXT: Jess & Nick, Kurt & Blaine, Oliver & Felicity and more…
Jess & Nick on New Girl
New Girl's Nick (Jake Johnson) and Jess (Zooey Deschanel) are easily one of the quirkiest couples on TV (she likes making weird voices, he has authored a zombie book), but they're also one of the funniest. On the one hand, we never expected the two roommates to get together so quickly, but then we watch their first few kisses again, and we wonder…what took so long?
Kurt & Blaine on Glee
We loved Blaine's (Darren Criss) extra special (and spectacularly over-the-top) proposal to Kurt (Chris Colfer), but it was his emotional speech at the end that really cinched a "yes" from us.
Oliver & Felicity on Arrow
He's the brooding superhero, and she's the awkward IT girl, and yet these two uncommon characters have sparks in spades. Though Felicity (Emily Bett Rickards) started out as a minor supporting character, her interaction with Oliver (Stephen Amell) generated so much excitement amongst fans that producers quickly promoted her to a regular. Since then they've crashed through glass windows, and saved each other from near-certain doom. They've also had a whole lot of fun, flustered moments (okay fine, maybe that's all Felicity), see below:
NEXT: Olivia & Fitz, Sheldon & Penny, Tony & Ziva and more…
Olivia & Fitz on Scandal
Olivia (Kerry Washington) may be D.C.'s go-to fixer, but her relationship with Fitz (Tony Goldywyn) is anything but handled. The two just can't seem to stay away from each other — and that's exactly how we like it. Watch the clip below to see what we mean.
Sheldon & Penny on The Big Bang Theory
They may be dating other people, but Sheldon (Jim Parsons) and Penny (Kaley Cuoco) continue to grow closer on The Big Bang Theory. From trading secrets to some, um, inappropriate touching, we can't help but wonder whether this unique friendship will ultimately spurn an equally unique romance. (Though showrunner Steve Molaro has said the two probably won't be falling for each other anytime soon, he has also confessed that he loves that fans are rooting for the them to get together.) While Sheldon and Penny have shared a kiss (albeit it wasn't very romantic), it's this unexpected hug that ranks as their sweetest moment:
Tony & Ziva on NCIS
Their long awaited first kiss was followed up by a bittersweet goodbye, but it still ranks as one of the best moments on the series.
Vincent & Catherine on Beauty and the Beast
Vincent (Jay Ryan) may not have been able to remember Catherine (Kristin Kreuk) this season, but fans can't seem to forget their epic romance. From stolen kisses to swoon-worthy dances, VinCat's relationship is anything but beastly.
Want to take a deeper dive into On-Screen Chemistry? We asked fans a few months ago to weigh in on what makes great On-Screen Chemistry. Check out what they had to say. (Note: The comments were not used to select official pre-nominees.)
Don't forget, nominee voting closes Oct. 31 so don't forget to vote in the Favorite On-Screen Chemistry category!
The 40th Annual People's Choice Awards air January 8, 2014 on CBS.
Read More:
Ross & Rachel vs. Chandler & Monica: Which couple had better on-screen chemistry?
The silliest moments from the Favorite Dramatic Actor nominees
The best style moments from Favorite Female Artist nominees
People's Choice Awards launches nominee voting
What makes great fandom? Find out here.
Which TV couple has the BEST On-Screen chemistry? And why? — DISCUSS
For the latest pop culture news and voting, make sure to sign up for the People's Choice newsletter!


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With all the "New Moon" casting rumors that have been floating around since "Twilight" hit theaters, we were especially wondering who would play werewolf Leah Clearwater, Jacob Black's feisty and heartbroken frienemy.Read the rest of the Vanessa article over at MTV. I guess we shall wait and see. Perhaps it was more than a coincidence that she and Taylor were seen together at the Access Hollywood "Stuff You Must" Golden Globes swag bash.
Well, one of the rumored actresses in the running — "High School Musical" starlet Vanessa Hudgens — has apparently taken the next step and auditioned for the role, according to "Twilight" actress Ashley Greene.
We ran into Alice herself at a Golden Globes afterparty, and she told us she'd be happy to co-star with Hudgens. "I think she'd be great," Greene enthused.
If Vanessa does win the role of Leah Clearwater, it won't be the first time she's worked with members of the Twilight cast. She starred in Thirteen alongside Nikki Reed in 2003. Click on the photo to the right to enlarge picture of Vanessa with Evan Rachel Wood.


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CSCU Offering Spending Analysis Tool From Visa
Card Services for Credit Unions has brought out a tool provided by Visa to help credit unions better understand and use their member's card data.
CSCU is an association of credit unions which process their payments on the FIS platform.
The tool CSCU is offering is called Visa Vue Online, a Web-based application that provides cardholder usage analysis that yields insight into members' Visa credit and debit spending trends and leads to more effective marketing strategies and increased profitability, CSCU said.
"By using VVO, our credit unions can easily segment and target different cardholder behaviors with an appropriate marketing message that incents a change in behavior," said Kristi Mackey, assistant vice president of Client Services and Products, CSCU. "Ultimately, VVO helps a credit union be more effective in their efforts to drive increased usage, volume and interchange revenue."
The tool provides credit unions with a less expensive way of accessing basic card usage data, including transaction type, interchange fees, product and merchant type, CSCU said. VVO is available with five levels of portfolio performance data based on a credit union's budget and needs. CSCU members receive discounted pricing on VVO and can upgrade the level as needs change, the association said.
"The ability to data mine our cardholder portfolio lets us more effectively target our marketing campaigns to drive up transactions, which in turn increases interchange fee income," said Linda Sojat, vice president, Payment Systems, at the $248 million Envision Credit Union in Tallahassee, Fla. "(It) gives us an easy way to identify potential areas of profitability to help combat (the impacts of) the Durbin Amendment."