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Microsoft Announces Voice-Controlled "Xbox One"
Jason Mick
May 21, 2013 12:55 AM
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New console features heavy voice support, Windows-like features, focus on multimedia
After months of rumors, Microsoft Corp. (
) announced its next generation Xbox console at a rainy 1 p.m. EST event in Redmond, Washington.
I. Meet the Xbox One
Microsoft had endured a rocky couple months after the rumored leaked out that it would be
banning used games
on its upcoming console. Arch-rival Sony Corp. (
), hot on the heels of its
PlayStation 4 announcement
, drummed up the issue,
saying it would not ban used games
. Frustration boiled over in
creative director Adam Orth's tweets to an Xbox fan
, posts which got the manager fired, and
generated an official apology from Microsoft
But if there was a scent of fear or frustration in the air, it was well disguised at the launch event, as Microsoft appeared confident its console would emerge on top of both Sony's PS4 and
the struggling
Nintendo Comp., Ltd. (
Wii U
console, which went on sale last November.
The culmination of four years of work, Microsoft's President of Interactive Entertainment Don Mattrick announced the Xbox One, which he says embodies his company's vision of a cloud-connected, always-on, "all-in-one" entertainment system. He comments, "It must be simple, instant, and complete."
II. "Three Operating Systems In One"
Microsoft brags the Xbox One features "three operating systems in one". The bottom layer (which interacts with the hardware) is the Xbox operating system. The top level is an embedded Windows kernel, which drives the user interface. And a third "operating system" glues the two other OS layers together.
The new multi-level OS relies heavily on voice commands to seamlessly switch between different applications.
The new Xbox turns on via the voice command "Xbox on", which dumps you on your personalized home screen. The Xbox reroutes TV via the command "Xbox watch TV". Other voice commands include similar commands to jump to internet explorer ("Xbox goto Internet Explorer"), to play a game ("Xbox play game"), or listen to music ("Xbox play music").
The new Xbox also features application snapping -- similar to that found in Windows 7/8 -- to run to active applications in the display at once. The console is also remote controllable by Windows Phones with special gestures. Microsoft also showed off new group video-calling in Skype -- the video-calling subsidiary Microsoft acquired in 2011 for $8.5B USD. The Skype calls are "snappable".
The console features an in-game DVR feature. Native editing apps are included to help you edit and post your gameplay videos to the Xbox Live cloud.
For TV, the console also provides voice-searchable local TV listings. Commands like "Watch SciFi channel.", "Watch MTV", "Show the guide.", or "What's on HBO?" all work as expected.
Xbox One's localized TV Guide
Users can pin favorite TV shows to an area called "Favorites". You can also check out what's trending among other users.
III. The Hardware and Controls
Here's the hardware (as stated by Mark Whitten in his "Under the Hood" presentation):
> Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (
> 5 billion transistors (up from 500m in the Xbox 360)
> Native 64-bit
> Variable power states
Blu-Ray Drive
WiFi Direct (802.11n)
HDMI out
8 GB of DRAM (up from 512 MB in the Xbox 360)
The console has three controllers -- an upgrade Kinnect, the good old fashioned controller, and "smart glass" (your Windows Phone smartphone).
A new version of Kinect comes bundled with the Xbox One. The Kinect camera has been bumped to 1080p HD RGB video camera (30 fps) and features some pretty advanced firmware. It features proprietary time of flight technology, which measures the time it takes photons to bounce off objects in the view to sense depth. It also features the microphone array that drives the voice commands.
Kinect has been bumped to 1080p and has new depth-sensing technology.
Microsoft brags that it's upgraded "the best controller in the industry" (the Xbox 360 controller) with "over 40 improvements", including integrated battery compartment, integrated "pulse" controllers with features, better ergonomics, and better wireless response.
The Xbox One brings back the good old-fashioned controller
Microsoft appears to have hedged its bets against the Wii U with Smart Glass. The smartphone-enabled controller technology allows mini-tablet gameplay/gesture control similar to the Wii U.
IV. Software
Electronic Arts Inc. (
) is a big fan of the console saying it has a "very special relationship" with Microsoft and a shared "common vision". EA recently made waves
dumping Nintendo
, opting not to develop titles for the Wii U console.
Andrew Wilson, head of EA sports, showed off four special titles for the console -- FIFA 14, Madden NFL 25, NBA Live 14, and UFC.
A soccer stadium in EA's Xbox One Fifa 14 "Ultimate Team"
Driven by a new Kinect-enabled engine called "EA Sports Ignite", the titles will launch within four months (which hints at the Xbox One's launch window). EA says the new engine provides 10 times more animation detail. It also features 3D crowds and dynamic sidelines.
Xbox One Madden 25
Microsoft Studios promises to release 15 exclusive games in the first year, eight of which will be brand new franchises. Among the existing franchises showed off included a Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 title, Call of Duty "Ghosts" (which features bruising, cuts, dirt under fingernails, and even fine hairs on arms and legs), a super-detailed upgrade to the Forza motorsports series, Forza Motorsports 5.
A new title from Remedy -- Quantum Break -- was also showed off, complete with time travelling (or teleporting?) little girls, crashing ships, and more.
Xbox Entertainment Studios had one other huge announcement -- Steven Spielberg (a self-professed Pong fan) is heading a project to turn the Halo science fiction shooter franchise into a live-action television series.
Steven Spielberg, "Halo the Television Series" producer
It sounds like the series will be some sort of directly distributed TV programming for the new console.
V. Wrapup
No official launch date or price for the new console was given, so some of the most important details are still unknown (Sony still hasn't announced the PS4 price either). Likewise the question of always-on DRM was not directly addressed (although bloggers may get an answer from Microsoft executives in interviews today or tomorrow).
(We do know the launch window is this year -- or within four months (by September), according to EA.)
Otherwise, from what was shown the Xbox One looks to be very strong from a user interface and controls standpoint. The real test will be how easy it will be for third parties to develop for, and whether Microsoft can avoid backlash of potential DRM decisions such as banning used games.
In short, the Xbox One launch event answered some questions, but left many of the biggest ones to be determined at a later date -- perhaps during the upcoming
Electronic Entertainment Expo
The Verge
"We do believe we have a moral responsibility to keep porn off the iPhone." -- Steve Jobs
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Okay so I don't understand how Madara is having soo much trouble capturing Naruto and Bee.
Madara wants to capture the Kyuubi and he clearly mentioned he won't hold back on him. He even went on using the Wood Dragon, the jutsu Hashirama used in the past (Kyuubi's weakness). However, this jutsu also failed to capture Naruto. Between, during the flashback and all that talking they were actually fighting, yet naruto didn't seem to slow down. He later got hit by Gai jutsu...
Madara wanted to capture them before the Juubi revival, why he didn't ? Because they were too strong to capture in so less time (even though the fight seems to be quite long). He even admitted they were stronger than he expected without holding back. He also mentioned that they would get in their way during the ritual and proposed to use the Juubi's power to beat them because they had better chance with the Ten-Tails' power.
Madara once again ''tidying'' up the battlefield.
Stopped by Naruto (stopped obito at the sametime )
No need to remind you of Madara's Tech, so why is he having so much trouble? Maybe we are underestimating Naruto, he's maybe on a higher level than we all thought? Maybe on par with Madara with Plot No Jutsu? or without it?:shrug: Your wrong if you think Madara isn't serious, he's actually annoyed and wants to capture them as soon as possible and get done the with the Moon Plan.
Madara :sy:

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The Chinese government launched a crackdown against internet adult pornographic content by requesting search engine companies reduce the amount of web sites linking to all sexual content.
Government officials criticized Google and China's Baidu search engines, along with 17 others, calling for them to aggressively filter all sexual content. Companies that do not comply with the threat risk heavy fines or being booted out of China.
Pornography is illegal in China, but the content proliferates into the country as more Chinese citizens begin to get Internet access. A woman last month was arrested after she reportedly posted an explicit video of herself on the internet.
A collection of seven agencies, including the Ministry of Public Security, have banded together in an effort "to purify the Internet's cultural environment and protect the healthy development of minors." The China Internet Illegal Information Reporting Center noticed that more web sites, including Google.cn, collects large amounts of links to pornographic web sites.
Baidu, Google -- the No. 2 search engine in China, trailing only Baidu -- NetEase, Sohu, and Sina were also named on the list created by the government. Google doesn't attempt to censor pornographic search results or images in China, and uses an automatic filter and a red-flag system.
Search engines are expected to censor objectionable content, and then the government uses a massive Internet filtering system to eliminate material that slips through the cracks. The Chinese government is well known for restricting and censoring internet content to its 253 million Internet users throughout the country.
China's efforts to "control and censor the internet, and the government had tightened restrictions on freedom of speech and the domestic press" has increased, a U.S. State Department report published last year.
Intelligence analysts wondered if this small crackdown on porn content will lead to a bigger internet crackdown in the future.


text:
Titanium, since its discovery in the late 1700s, has been something of a wonder metal. A naturally occurring element, it has the highest strength-to-weight ratio of any known metal, and while some steel alloys compare in strength, titanium is nearly half as heavy. Titanium is also highly corrosion resistant, making it ideal for use in many applications. Titanium is used in everything from pigments to aerospace materials to medical devices and has garnered a keen interest by the military since the 1950s.
Though the element is incredibly useful, the high cost of producing it has kept it out of general use. In 2006, DuPont and Materials and Electrochemical Research Corporation were awarded $5.7 million by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to engineer new processes to create titanium powder more efficiently.
Now, the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) has found a way to reduce the cost of creating useful titanium parts even further -- by up to 50%, states a press release at ORNL. Rather than employing a typical melt-type process, the ORNL technique, which is being jointly developed by ORNL, International Titanium Powders, Ametek and BAE Systems, leaves the powder in its solid form and employed roll compaction to produce sheets of metal. Once the sheets are made, extrusion and press and sinter processes can be used to create various forms and parts.
"We recently exhibited the new low-cost titanium alloy door made by ORNL for the Joint Light Tactical Vehicle, which is a next-generation combat vehicle. By using a titanium alloy for the door, BAE Systems was able to reduce the weight of its vehicle yet at the same time decrease the threat of armor-piercing rounds," explains Bill Peter, a researcher in ORNL's Materials Science and Technology Division.
Not only will ORNL's fabrication process enable safer and more durable vehicles for military use, medical science will benefit from the lower cost of producing things like joint replacements and dental implants. Vehicles based on titanium rather than steel could have stronger, safer frames while enabling greater fuel efficiency due to reduced weight. This could yield tremendous results when combined with evolving hybrid electric or fuel cell-powered consumer automobiles.


text:
Newegg is best known as a technology e-tailer, but
has expanded of late to include other consumer electronics.
Since launching in 2001, the company has been profitable every year,
with $2.1 billion in sales in 2008. In 2007, the company saw
$1.9 billion in sales, with the number expected to increase as Newegg
expands its business.
The company has seen dramatic success
after making changes to support small- and medium-sized businesses in
the United States. Newegg also has its sights outside the
United States, with China expected to be an important step in the
company's continued expansion. Furthermore, Canada
also is expected to be a big market for Newegg, with many
Canadians long requesting to be able to make purchases from the
The company does have to deal with several issues in the
immediate future, including a patent infringement lawsuit filed by
Soverain Software, according to the IPO registration filing. If
Soverain is successful in getting an injunction against Newegg, the
company may be forced to "stop or alter certain of our business
In the future, Circuit City -- although its
physical stores went bankrupt, a liquidator purchased the company's
online business and keeps it running -- will lead
the charge of online businesses that aim to derail Newegg.
IPO will be handled by Citi, JP Morgan, and the Bank of America, with
Newegg's largest shareholder, Insight Venture Partners, also
completing another IPO earlier in the year.


text:
Carpenter assured place in Cardinals history
By Matthew Leach / MLB.com
If there has been a better signing in this century than Chris Carpenter's first deal with the Cardinals, good luck finding it. In December 2002, about two months after the Blue Jays let him loose in the wake of a shoulder injury, Carpenter signed a one-year contract for 2003, with a 2004 option, for a guaranteed $500,000.
Ten years and change later, it appears Carpenter's time pitching for the Cardinals may have come to an end. Injury has once again sidelined the big right-hander, who fought through so many previous ailments. It sounds like this is the last time, and that's a shame, not just for the Cardinals, but for baseball.
He was a prospect and a promising young pitcher in Toronto. In St. Louis, he became an ace, a champion, and an icon.
Albert Pujols was the best player on two St. Louis World Series championship teams, winning three National League Most Valuable Player Awards. Tony La Russa was the Cardinals' driving force for 16 years, the master motivator and tactician from 1996-2011. But it's no stretch to call Carpenter the heart of one of the greatest eras in the franchise's history. He set the tone like no one else, in preparation, in performance and in personality.
He goes out as the second-greatest Cardinals pitcher of the post-World War II era, behind only Hall of Famer Bob Gibson. Despite missing nearly three full seasons with the club due to various physical issues, Carpenter wrote his name all over the St. Louis record book. He won an NL Cy Young Award, earned wins in two winner-take-all postseason games and started an All-Star Game.
If there is such a thing as a big-game pitcher, Carpenter certainly earned the title like few others have.
None of that really tells the full story, though. Carpenter was a talisman, a rotation anchor, and an example. In short, he was the man that seemingly every Cardinals fan and player wanted on the mound at any and every big moment.
"I don't know that I've ever witnessed a better competitor than Chris, and also a leader," said manager Mike Matheny, who caught Carpenter during his playing career in St. Louis and earlier in Toronto. "As we head into spring now, there's certainly a void.
"There's something that's going to be missed. What he stood for and how he went about his business, he's a real throwback in the game and somebody that commanded respect by how he went about his business and how he treated people and how he played the game and how he loved to play the game."
Often in sportswriting, terms like "leader" and "competitor" get thrown around ex post facto, as crutches to explain things that might otherwise be difficult to explain. My nine seasons of covering Carpenter made it clear that in his case, it was more than just a way to fill space on a web page or in the paper.
He is not just liked, not just respected, but practically revered by teammates. He was the person who the organization always wanted developing young pitchers to be around, to watch him work and prepare.
His dedication to the start at hand, to the process, to the routine, was absolutely obsessive. His concentration in the midst of an individual game was exemplary even among big leaguers.
Carpenter was born with tremendous ability, without doubt. He has a hockey defenseman's body and the ability to throw a baseball very, very hard. But he also maximized that ability like few players have. He will be remembered for a long time in the Cardinals organization, and deservedly so.
Matthew Leach is a writer for MLB.com. Read his blog, Obviously, You're Not a Golfer and follow him on Twitter at @MatthewHLeach. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
Ever seen a long raving profanity-laden tirade on a website? Well, if you're not new to the internet the answer is surely, yes. Virtually every website that accepts unfiltered comments (including DailyTech) has seen some of these posts. And they aren't just people casually casting about expletives. These people are angry, and ready to vent.
People, in increasing numbers, are headed to the internet to vent their rage, signs indicate. Road rage has been replaced by web rage -- a new form of public antipathy for the twenty-first century. While this is evident in the descent into name-calling and petty aspersions on many a site, it is also evidenced by the rise of sites specially dedicated to users expressing their anger at the world.
Among these are mybiggestcomplaint.com and justrage.com, which contains eloquent musings such as one user's comment, "I don't give a flying f***, so f*** you".
From Benjamin Franklin to Letitia Baldrige, etiquette experts of the past must be turning over in their graves at some of the online activity. The internet frequently descends from a glowing urban paradise to a dark dank alleyway. States Sara Black, a professor of health studies at St. Joseph's University, who studies the rise of online bullying, "The Internet can be a great tool. Like any tool, it can also be misused."
One key incentive that drives users to vent online is the anonymity the internet provides. Describes Lesley Withers, a professor of communication at Central Michigan University, "In the [pre-Internet era], you had to take ownership [of your remarks]. Now there's a perception of anonymity. People think what they say won't have repercussions, and they don't think they have to soften their comments."
University of Texas psychology professor Art Markman says the removal of body language and facial expressions from communication leads to a descent into the darker side of human emotion. He states, "It's hard to be aggressive when you're face to face. A lot of times, real anger is an attempt to get control over a situation where the person doesn't usually have it."
Indeed people attempt to lash out at blog posts they disagree with or even their fellow commenters' opinions, though they have little hope of changing the posting. Social observers liken these power games to the ones played by children and teens at schools. Cheryl Dellasega, a Penn State women's studies professor describes how children and adults alike are turning the online community into a new site of bullying.
She proclaims, "Girls who are getting teased come home and let their [aggressors] have it by putting something on their blog and starting a rumor campaign. [And the rumors,] they go out to a much bigger group, a worldwide group. The impact is devastating, and it's as easy as clicking a button. Kids don't realize that one post can destroy somebody's life forever."
Indeed lives have been lost to online bullying, such as Megan Meier, who committed suicide after a neighborhood bully invented a fake male persona and then used it to torment her, finally convincing her to kill herself.
In August, The New York Times ran a story on trolling. According to the magazine, trolls post insulting comment for "lulz". States one ex-troll in the piece, "Lulz is watching someone lose their mind at their computer 2,000 miles away while you chat with friends and laugh."
Even respectable adults are losing their composure on the internet. A Japanese woman murdered her husband's online avatar after he divorced her. A South Korean actress committed suicide over online rumors.
Is there an end in sight for online rage? Well certainly not until the latest election's results are in and long since overflowing with discussion (and tirades). However, for the long run most experts agree there's relatively little that can be done to quash online anger, other than better parenting, and an emphasis on polite behavior online as children develop.
The problem is not new, explains psychiatrist Dr. Terry Eagan, medical director of the Moonview Sanctuary in Santa Monica, California. He states, "Some people are just bitter and angry. Sometimes, they're against everyone, other times against a specific group. That person can get really stimulated and can say all sorts of horrible things. But I don't think it's not like they didn't exist before. I tell patients that I'd rather know everything about people; information is powerful. When the climate of the world is more fear-based, it permeates everything."


text:
CUNA Mutual Honors Six
Six credit unions were recognized for their exemplary practices by receiving CUNA Mutual Group's excellence in lending awards at the CUNA Lending Council's 18th annual conference.
Dan Murray, vice president of lending at CUNA Mutual Group, presented the 13th annual awards to United Nations Federal Credit Union, Long Island City, N.Y., for consumer lending; Cooperative Center Federal Credit Union, Berkeley, Calif., for consumer lending; Sunmark Federal Credit Union, Albany, N.Y., for mortgage lending; Northeast Community Credit Union, Elizabethton, Tenn., for mortgage lending; Gesa Credit Union, Richland, Wash., for business lending; and U.S. New Mexico Federal Credit Union, Albuquerque, N.M., for low-to-modest means lending.
"We had a record number of applications this year," said Murray. "But it wasn't just quantity, there were many quality, deserving applicants. In a challenging economy, it speaks to the resolve and creativity of our nominees." Eighty-four credit unions were considered for this year's excellence in lending awards, the most in the award program's 13-year history.


text:
President Clinton's toast to clean water
Twelve-year-old Confiance looked up at former President Bill Clinton, who rested his hand on her shoulder. I doubt she really knew who this man was, but she knew that it was a big deal he was visiting this Rwandan school.
And here she was, one of two children chosen to help demonstrate how a life-saving water purification system works.
Confiance was no stranger to this Procter and Gamble product. She'd learned how to use it in a World Vision WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) Club. World Vision distributes the P&G Purifier of Water packets in many rural areas that have the greatest need for clean water.
Obstacles on the road to water
Twice a day, before and after school, Confiance walks 30 minutes to and from a borehole to get water for her family. She worries about seeing snakes along the road and is scared that men are hiding in the bushes.
It's not only along the road that she might meet scary men. A cooperative owns the community borehole, but Confiance and her family aren't members. Often when she arrives, the men chase her off. The water is for the cattle, they say. She says that sometimes knife fights break out there.
On school mornings, she doesn't have time to wait around hoping that the men will eventually let her get water. Instead she continues walking down the hill to a nearby swamp.
The water is a murky brown, the color of chocolate milk, but with a tinge of green and a slick oily surface. She kneels down in the mud so her small arm can drop the jerry can into the water. Bubbles glug to the surface as she can fills the can with the filthy water.
Dirty water contains diseases and parasites. Three times in her young life, Confiance has gotten so sick from drinking this water that she was rushed to the hospital. She's suffered from dysentery, diarrhea, and worms.
"You feel something in your stomach, which is eating you," she says. Sometimes she would hug herself tight around her abdomen trying to stop the pain.
Her younger brother has also gotten sick with waterborne diseases. "It made me sad when my brother was sick, because I only have one brother. I think, if he dies, who will I play with?"
Thanks to the P&G water purification packets, Confiance can drink even this murky water with confidence.
The process first collects all of the dirt down to the bottom of the bucket. Filtering separates the dirt from the cleaner water. Finally, chlorine kills any lurking pathogens after 20 minutes, making the water consumable.
"It makes me happy. I drink the water without fear of becoming sick," Confiance says.
Big increases in World Vision's water programs
Greg Allgood, World Vision Vice President of water and founder of the P&G Children's Safe Drinking Water program, explains that World Vision and P&G have teamed up to provide immediate access to clean drinking water by distributing the packets.
World Vision also works to provide more sustainable sources of clean drinking water, like protected springs, boreholes, and whatever else a community needs in order to have clean drinking water on a sustained basis.
"As part of our work, we've increased our ability to provide clean drinking water four to five times in just the last two years. World Vision is now providing clean drinking water to a new person every 30 seconds," says Algood.
"Here in Rwanda, that means reaching more than 300,000 people with clean drinking water and more than half a million people with improved sanitation and hygiene."
The student becomes the teacher
Through World Vision's WASH club training, Confiance is part of those 300,000 people in Rwanda. She's taken her P&G water filtration packet training and begun to teach others. Then she was chosen to help demonstrate the packets for Bill and Chelsea Clinton.
After the 30-minute demonstration, which made the dirty water clean and drinkable, Confiance and President Clinton toasted with plastic cups filled with clean water. It's a far cry from champagne toasts the former president has had in the past, but for millions of children like Confiance, it's a drink that's much more precious. And that is a really big deal.


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Tuesday, January 10, 2012 - Rudy and Jirka - CZECH UP
Latest Sets at WilliamHiggins.com
Jirka Valchar in a newcomer who we called in for a Czech Up. We meet up with him as he is doing some kick-boxing training. he attempts on kick too many, and injures his foot. He dabs at the wound on his toe and decides that it needs further attention, so dons his shoes and jacket and hobbles off to see Dr Rudy Bodlak. As we first see Rudy he is cleaning some equipment as he waits for a patient. Jirka arrives and informs the doctor of his injury. Rudy tells him to get undressed and he will check it. As Jirka undresses Rudy goes to watch, and pulls his cock out and wanks it. Having put on a surgical gown Jirka lays on the inspection table so that Rudy can begin his work. He inspects Jirka's foot and gently dresses the wounds. Then he continues to examine Jirka's foot for any further damage. Then, lifting the gown he examines Jirka's legs, telling him to place his feet flat on the bed, so his legs are up, and we also see his flaccid cock and balls. Rudy checks the legs, and then tells Jirka to remove the gown so that he can listen to his chest with the stethoscope. Next he has Jirka sit, with his legs over the edge of the table, cock and balls dangling, as he inspects his head. Rudy then feels Jirka's body and Jirka twists his head so that they can kiss. As they kiss Rudy takes hold of Jirka's cock and starts to wank it. It soons grows to a rather large erection, standing proud as they kiss. Rudy loves the look of that big, hard cock and starts to suck it, working his mouth over the end and sliding it down his throat. Then the guys kiss again and Rudy pulls his cock out so that Jirka can suck it while he wanks himself. As Jirka sucks him Rudy undresses showing his lovely body. Then the guys move to a 69, so they can both suck at the same time, with Rudy on top taking that massive cock in his mouth. But he needs to examine Jirka further, and takes a scope, lubes it and slides it into Jirka's ass for a nice close inspection. Everything is found to be ok, so they can finish up and Jirka wanks himself to a climax. Rudy quickly drops his mouth of the cock to get a taste of that spurting cum, and sucks it till it is drained completely. Jirka wants to taste some too and Rudy moves up to his head. Jirka pokes his tongue out to catch the cum as it flows from Rudy's cock and then sucks it into his mouth. Rudy then lays down next to Jirka and they kiss bringing a lovely scene to a very fine end.
Danek Rovny is 19 years old and comes from Vysny Orlik in Slovakia. He is unemployed and enjoys athletics and ice hockey. We brought him in for a massage, shortly after he did his casting. Danek looks very handsome as he comes into the room and strips off, ready for the massage, with a slim, firm body and very nice equipment. He climbs onto the massage table and waits for the masseur to arrive. The masseur comes in and covers Danek's ass with a black towel and then applies some oil to his back and starts massaging it. His hands work all over Danek's back, adjusting the towel as necessary. The the masseur moves to Danek's legs and uses some oil on them, before starting to massage again. He works on the back of the thighs, and then the calf muscles before moving onto do the feet as well. Back up to the ass, the masseurs hands go under the towel a bit and on the thighs, then he removes the towel so we see Danek's ass. He rubs the ass cheeks, with a hand dipping into the crack before using both hands to spread the cheeks a bit. The cheeks are spread, repeatedly, giving us a great view and then a finger slips into Danek's tight hole. It goes in nice and deep and then Danek is pulled up onto his knees and a vibrator appears and slides into that hole while a hand takes hold of Danek's hard cock, pulling it back between his legs so we can see it. What a glorious erection Danek has, poking backwards while his ass is feeling the vibrator. The masseur takes a black vibrator and it slide into that hole very easily, going in all the way, as the masseur continues to wank Danek's cock. Danek's face is expressionless as his hole is filled. The masseur then takes an even bigger black vibrator, and shoves it into Daneks ass, nice and deep. Danek is taking it all very well and turns over, with his cock still rock hard. He lays on his back and the masseur takes hold of the cock and starts to wank it. As he speeds up the wanking Danek's cock start to throb and shoot a big creamy load. The masseur scoops up some of the cum and smears it over Danek's lips, pushing some into his open mouth. Then he leaves Danek to relax, finishing what was a very good massage.
Jozef Vavrich is aged 18 and lives in Vranov nad Teplou. he is unemployed and in his spare time Jozef likes boxing and travelling. He starts his video with his interview and then gets to work, dropping his sweater and caressing his body. His hands run all over his body, and then he undoes his rather unusual belt and runs his hands over his groin. Jozef then undoes his jeans and out flops a nice hard cock. He shucks the jeans down and takes hold of that throbbing cock and wanks it. As it stands proud he caresses his body some more. After wanking again Jozef turns round to show us his ass. He bends over and spreads his cheeks so we can see right into that hairy crack, as he also pushes his cock back, between his legs. As Jozef spreads those cheeks his hole opens up nice and wide for us. The Jozef lays on the bed and plays with that hard cock again before lifting his legs to give us another great view of his hole. He turns on his side, trapping his cock between his legs and spreads his ass again. Then it is up onto his knees, for more visibility of that hot hole, surrounded by nice, dark hair. Jozef then turns over again and wanks that lovely hard dick, until he shoots a very nice load for us. Then it is off to the shower for a clean up. What a lovely looking guy, and such a very erotic shoot. I like Jozef very much.
Kaja Kolomaz is from Ceske Budjovice. He is aged 25 and works as a joiner. In his spare time Kaja enjoys, sport, athletics and fitness. What a great lookng guy he is too, with such handsome face and a really excellent body. Clearly his time in the gym has worked well. As Kaja strips for us we see that body, replete with all his natural hair intact, including under his arms. Then, as he poses for us he gets his cock rock hard and standing to attention. He completes the picture with some great shots of his ass, cheeks well spread, with a lovely pucker hole.
Roman Stach is aged 23 and lives in Ostrava where he is a student of aviation. He enjoys playing the guitar and mountain climbing in his spare time. In this shoot, which we did for Badpuppy, Roman looks wonderful. He has a fabulous body as well as very good looks. He first shows us the musculature on his torso, by lifting his shirt. Then he poses a bit before turning to show as a really hot ass. Then, shucking the jeans down, he turns and we see his solidly hard cock, fully at attention. Then he adopts a series of poses, fully naked so that we see everything he has to offer, including a lovely tight pucker hole. Roman is just fabulous and this shoot is a very good addition to his portfolio.


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ADP - Live From Disney World
Posted 28 September 2010 - 06:59 PM
Hi Everyone,
I'm headed to Walt Disney World solo tomorrow morning. I've always wanted to run an official Disney sponsored race and during this trip I'll be running Mickey's Halloween Fun Run as part of the Food & Wine Festival. The race takes place in the Magic Kingdom resort area and eventually through the Magic Kingdom park. I know it's only a 5k, but since I'm not much of a runner it will suit me just fine.
A lot is planned for this trip. There simply will not be a dull moment. Here's a quick snapshot of what is planned during the 6 day trip.
Arrive on Wednesday, Sept 29th
Thursday, Sept 30th - Universal & IOA, dinner at Texas De Brazil, & Halloween Horror Nights
Friday, Oct 1st - Race packet pickup at WWoS, EPCOT to meet several friends, opening day for the Food & Wine Festival
Saturday, Oct 2nd - Mickey's Halloween Fun Run 5K, Breakfast at the Crystal Palace (after the race), Check-in at Saratoga Springs, head to EPCOT to root on the half marathoners, post race party at EPCOT's World Showcase
Sunday, Oct. 3rd - Hollywood Studios, Polynesian resort for a large meet, Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party
Are you tired yet? :laughing:
Monday Oct 4th - Workout, nothing planned yet
Tuesday Oct 5th - Nothing planned yet
Wednesday Oct 6th - Heading home
I should mention I will be grabbing some photos and doing some research for future blogs and articles for the Studios Central.
I will be staying at the Wilderness Lodge Villas and Saratoga Springs during this visit....Not that I'll be in my room much.
Expect to see live, up to the second photos and updates right here on this thread and on my Facebook page during the trip.
I'm headed to the Indy airport early tomorrow morning. Hopefully(fingers crossed) our plane can make it to MCO before TD 16 hits nearby.
I'm looking forward to seeing a lot of friends this trip. It seems like a ton of friends are going to be at Disney World this weekend for the races and opening of Food & Wine.
So, come along with me. It should be a lot of fun.
Next stop...MCO and the Wilderness Lodge Villas.
More to come starting tomorrow afternoon!
Posted 29 September 2010 - 10:42 AM
Posted 29 September 2010 - 12:02 PM
Posted 29 September 2010 - 12:04 PM
Hi Everyone,
I'm in my room at the Wilderness Lodge Villas. The last room at the end of the hall. Lucky me!
The weather is mostly cloudy for now. The flight was pretty uneventful. I'm amazed at how fast I can get here. From the time we took off in Indy to arriving in my room it was about 3 hours and 10 minutes. Pretty amazing. Having a rental car with a quick pick-up feature really saves you a ton of time. Plus, I didn't check any luggage...I just have two carry-ons.
I used online check-in. It seemed to work pretty well. Just had to show my drivers license. I got my packet of information and room and I was on my way.
The room is very clean. It's a studio and since I'm solo I don't need a ton of space anyway.
I'm off...Not sure where to go yet. My mind says head to EPCOT, but I'll be there quite a bit this weekend. I'm sort of thinking DHS.
I'm headed out the door and I'm going to take a bus to the theme park. Whatever bus comes first is probably the park I'll visit. If EPCOT comes first it's off to EPCOT. If the DHS bus comes first it's off the to DHS.
More to come!
Posted 29 September 2010 - 12:41 PM
Posted 29 September 2010 - 12:52 PM
EO Time!
Time for some of the best food on property.
Posted 29 September 2010 - 03:20 PM
The Food & Wine booths are closed! : (. But they'll open Friday!
Posted 29 September 2010 - 08:36 PM
Quick service Cantina San Angel
Posted 29 September 2010 - 08:37 PM
For you Vinylmation lovers out there
No matter how hard I try I just can't get used to this...
New signage in Future World Plaza directing guests to attractions.
Posted 29 September 2010 - 08:38 PM
Hidden Mickeys
Bubbling geyser leading to the main pool.
Posted 30 September 2010 - 10:08 AM
I'm done with my morning workout. I"m off to Universal Orlando to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Tonight I'm attending Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios.
More to come.
Posted 30 September 2010 - 10:42 AM
Posted 30 September 2010 - 11:19 PM
I'm back from a day and evening at Universal Orlando. Had a great time in Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Even though it was a bit crowded I was able to sit at the Hogshead bar and enjoy a frozen Butterbeer. I was able to walk around and get in and out of the shops with no wait. A real treat! I strolled through the rest of IOA taking my time and stopping to relax along the way.
Later on I had dinner with some friends at Texas De Brazil. We had a great time and the food was excellent. In fact, it was quite the feast.
After dinner I headed back to Universal for Halloween Horror Nights. I made it through most of the haunted houses. The longest wait I had was about 30 minutes. Universal does a great job with this event. The houses are very well done and the rest of the park is setup very well. I'm always amazed at the number of personnel needed to pull an event off of this maginitude. There are so many people who work during this event. The mission is to scare the Heck out of you and Universal pretty much succeeds at it.
Tomorrow I have to head over to WWoS to pick-up my race packet for Saturday's 5K through the Magic Kingdom. Most of my day will be spent at EPCOT meeting up with some friends. Tomorrow is a pretty big day around Disney World. Not only is it the opening day of the Food & Wine Festival, but it's also Disney World's Birthday! The resort is turning 39 years old tomorrow (technically the Magic Kingdom). So...Happy Birthday WDW!
More to come!
Posted 30 September 2010 - 11:27 PM
QuickGold, on Sep 30 2010, 11:42 AM, said:
I know a lot of people like it, but I'm not much of a fan. I mean...It's okay, but on the list of DVC resorts it's towards the bottom. It's a little too quiet, secluded and peaceful for my taste. I'm sure others like those aspects of a resort, but I prefer more hustle and bustle, more activity. I wish the counter service restaurant, Roaring Fork, was larger and the pool area was more substantial. I tried Aritst Point a few years back and it was just ok. Same with Whispering Canyon...Just ok. There a lot of plusses though; proximatey to the Magic Kingdom, nice trails for biking and running, and it's close to Bay Lake.
Posted 01 October 2010 - 10:09 AM
I'm headed out the door in a few minutes. The day will start over at EPCOT where I'm seeing some friends. Along the way I'll be eating my way around World Showcase. Today is the official start of EPCOT's Food & Wine Festival. I'm expecting a pretty crowded park.
Later today I'm stopping over at Wide World of Sports to pick-up my race packet for tomorrow's 5K. There's also a sport & fitness expo taking place. I'll probably walk through some of the booths to see what's happening.
I plan on turning-in early tonight. The race starts at 7:00AM tomorrow, but we need to report to the Transportation and Ticket Center around 6:15AM.
More to Come from EPCOT and Food & Wine
Posted 01 October 2010 - 10:10 AM
15 beers for 15 years!?! I'm so drunk!
Making memories posters have started popping up.
Posted 01 October 2010 - 07:01 PM
Belgium waffle with mixed berries and whipped cream $2.75.
Australia booth
America booth. Bison chili with white cheddar cheese.
Posted 01 October 2010 - 07:03 PM
Because I know my parents would want to know.
Germany booth. Spatzl with ham and cheese. $3.75
South Africa booth. Flavors of Africa. $2.75.
Posted 01 October 2010 - 07:04 PM
Festival signage.
Golabki. Pork stuffed cabbage roll. Poland booth $2.75
Posted 01 October 2010 - 07:04 PM
Mickey cakes!


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River Garden's murky waters
BRATTLEBORO -- One of the big questions concerning the Robert H. Gibson River Garden has been answered, but the future of downtown Brattleboro's public space remains cloudy.
Building a Better Brattleboro, the downtown organization which owns the property, says it wants to sell the building because it can no longer afford to maintain it.
When BABB purchased the former Rite Aid building on Main St. in 1999 it used $150,000 in state money to complete the deal and the BABB Board of Directors was unsure if the money would have to be paid back if the property was sold.
Sen. Jeanette White, D-Putney, asked Legislative Counsel to look at the original earmark which the Legislature included in the 1999 Capital Budget, and according to White, BABB has no responsibility to repay the money, whether it is sold to a nonprofit, or a for-profit, organization.
White said the attorneys agree that the money was given to the town, even though the town never owned the property.
And since the town did not, and does not, own the River Garden, the state will not ask for its money back.
"The $150,000 came from the state and so there was a question what would happen with that money if it was sold," White said. "It seems like there is a restriction on the town, but the town does not own the building. The stipulation seems to have been irrelevant form the beginning. No one seems to know why it was written that way, but that's the way it was written."
Now it will be up to the BABB membership to decide the fate of the River Garden.
BABB has scheduled two special meetings at the River Garden on Jan. 3, at 8 a.m. at the River Garden, and then a second meeting, on Jan. 7 at 8 a.m., to talk about its 2014 work plan.
BABB has not included any money in its work plan to pay for the River Garden next year, and if the membership, and then the BABB board, and then the Selectboard, approve the work plan, it will begin the process of turning the property over to a new party.
But who that is, and how that transaction happens, remain open questions.
BABB Board President Donna Simons said there will be a series of public information sessions held this winter to gather public input on the pending sale.
Simon said the BABB board has been concentrating on its 2014 work plan, and has not even begun to talk about the sale, though she said the group can not afford to maintain it another year and the property will most likely change hands in the near future.
"I don't know where we will go with this," Simons said. "What we know is that we want the public involved with this from day one, and we will be working with the public to decide what is best for the River Garden. We want this to be an open, public discussion."
Brattleboro Selectboard Chairman Dick DeGray said the town was interested to see what the Montpelier lawyers would think about the $150,000, because if the town had any obligation to pay back the money the Selectboard would want to play a role in its sale.
DeGray said he has not yet heard any official word from the town's attorney, but if the money is going to be forgiven, DeGray said the board will most likely be just as happy to let BABB deal with the sale.
"That sounds like good news for the organization," DeGray said. "The town has no interest in purchasing a building and as long as the town has no responsibility to pay the money back we wish them luck in finding a buyer."
There are many other questions concerning BABB and the River Garden.
Brattleboro needs to reapply for its Downtown Improvement District designation this year, and a survey has gone out to the downtown district property owners to see if there is support.
The DID is a state designation that allows the town to collect a 1 percent tax on property values.
That money goes toward paying BABB's budget.
The town could not reapply for the DID, or BABB's designation as the district's representative organization can be revoked.
BABB would still have to figure out what to do with the River Garden.
BABB has been losing between $10,000 and $20,000 every year on the River Garden, depending on how the space is rented.
Simons said they have tried a variety of plans through the years to make ends meet, but the public space always has an impact on the budget, and they can simply not afford to maintain the space as it is.
Simons says that as a business owner, and as a fan of the downtown, she wants the River Garden to be available, but if it stays open, it is going to have to be behind an organization other than Building a Better Brattleboro.
"We know that we can't afford to keep it open. We are losing money every year," Simons said. "We've tried everything we possibly can. It's great that we don't have to pay back the $150,000 but we still have this dilemma about what we should do about the River Garden."
Howard Weiss-Tisman can be reached at 802-254-2311, ext. 279, or email@example.com. You can follow him on Twitter @HowardReformer.
If you'd like to leave a comment (or a tip or a question) about this story with the editors, please email us. We also welcome letters to the editor for publication; you can do that by filling out our letters form and submitting it to the newsroom.


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Encouraged by generous Black Friday spending, the analysts who watch numbers such as holiday spending suggest that the extra week between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year will create a boon for retailers.
A fair question to ask is, How can that be?
Advertising factors in. Resisting the purchase of a tablet computer or some other popular and highly visible item that everyone else seems to own already may grow more difficult as the season progresses, and children who are exposed to an extra week of commercials can become very persistent in their requests.
But gift purchases are discretionary spending, and a logical assumption would be that consumers have only so much extra money. Easy credit makes a difference and despite all the fiscal contraction over the past few years, consumer credit is still dangerously easy to get and use but those bills also come due, and Black Friday bills very well could land in shoppers mailboxes before Christmas. That may slow spending as Christmas approaches.
On the other hand, more weeks between the holidays potentially mean more paydays, so consumers who are spending cash may well perceive that they have more of it. That does not change the fact that each year has the same number of months, weeks and days, and few people end a year with unexpected cash. Americans may be fiscally reckless, but they do notice when they are running out of money.
They also notice when some pending event is likely to change their income, and right now quite a lot is pending.
Although the recession is technically past, it is not out of sight and its return is not out of the question, especially without some continuing tax cuts. Payroll tax cuts may or may not be renewed. Income taxes may be increased for people who earn more than some threshold yet to be determined. Long-term unemployment benefits are about to run out again. Although nearly everyone expects a deal before the first of the year to avert at least the worst consequences of sequestration, big cuts are not out of the question, and federal job losses and spending reductions would echo through the economy.
With all that in mind, a jump in holiday spending this year does not make a lot of sense, and yet that is the prediction. Black Friday sales were strong, even in view of a growing number of Thursday openings. Shop Local Saturday sales are always hard to quantify, and Cyber Monday (along with every other day of online sales) gobbles up an increasingly large portion of the Christmas-shopping pie. The numbers will be sliced and diced and examined from every direction, but so far nobody suggests they will be anything but up.
Part of the answer may lie in the triumph of hope over common sense. Shoppers who spend as if there is no tomorrow may suspect that when tomorrow comes, it will require painful economies. That is the eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow we budget theory.
On the other hand, hopeful spending especially local spending can also be a self-fulfilling prophecy, because it does stimulate the economy. Local wages circulate through the business community; money deposited in local banks is invested in the community, and business owners understand very well the value of seeing the whole community succeed.
A record year of holiday spending would be a very good thing assuming it is based on more than just the fact that this November had five Thursdays.


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Home Run Derby
Sorry for the long delay in finishing my All Star Week report. Life has just been way too busy, but luckily it seems to be slowing down to allow for a relaxing end of summer. I think I still remember most of the good stuff.
Monday night was the Home Run Derby. I got down there early to be there for some batting practice. It was exciting to see all the big names. David Cook kicked off the festivities with a couple songs and a fair amount of pyro. I like that attention was paid to Missouri celebs throughout the all star festivities. Nikko Smith, Ozzie's son and an American Idol finalist, sang the National Anthem.
I was primed for the excitement and wondering if I might actually catch a ball, since I was seated in the left field bleachers. It didn't take long for a ball to come near me. The first gold ball home run was caught by a guy in the row just in front of me. He gave it to his son, who was beaming. It was really exciting. Apparently I was visible on ESPN – trying to get out of the way. Yeah, without a glove and being female, I didn't stand much of a chance in the ball-grabbing frenzy.
Home town fans were cheering loud for Albert Pujols, and he made the finals, but didn't seem to have his best stuff that night. Prince Fielder really put on a clinic, even launching one into the upper deck. It was a thrill to watch. Poor Brandon Inge got no homers and I felt bad for him, but that just serves to remind us how difficult this is. The rest of the players put on an awesome display of power and it was totally worth the money to be at this event.
Afterwards, I walked around a bit and admired some of the great fan outfits. I was just counting the moments til tomorrow's game!


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The thing
that is keeping most drivers from seriously considering an EV is range anxiety.
Many drivers fear being stranded on the side of the road if their batteries run
dead unexpectedly. Early reports of inaccurate range readings from some EV
owners did nothing to help alleviate range worries of many people that might
otherwise be interested in an EV.
Many larger cities are moving towards making EVs a more compelling option by
installing a range of charging stations around the city. One
of the latest cities to do so is Seattle, Washington. Seattle is the third
largest EV market behind San Francisco and LA.
The first
of the stations will be installed in public areas like the parking lot at Qwest
Field. These are the first of 1,000 commercial chargers to be installed around
the Puget Sound area by the end of 2011.
All of
the chargers are being funded by the federal EV Project.
Half of those chargers will be installed in the homes of EV owners and the
remainder will be public chargers. Washington is one of six states that are
participating in the EV Project that will see 14,000 new chargers installed
across the country.
Seattle Mayor Mike McGuinn said, "The need to drive and the demand for
driving is going to remain, but we need to give people more efficient options
and better options for clean energy. We'll do all we can to make sure Seattle
is eco-ready."
Seattle will also be installing chargers along Interstate 5. The chargers in
the Qwest Stadium parking lot take an hour to charge the batteries enough for
15-22 miles of driving. Other locations will get more powerful chargers that
can supply enough juice for the same driving range in a 20-minute charge. The
EV Project will cover the $3,000 price of the charger and most of the
installation fees for all of the chargers around the country placed in driver
chargers will be installed in nationwide in homes with the remainder of the
14,000 chargers going into public locations. Most of the chargers will be
installed on the west coast. Charging at the stations to start with will initially
be free. After the free period, the chargers will sell charge time for "a
few dollars."
The federal government is also working with major technology firms like Google
to expand the number of charging stations for EVs around the country. Google
added the location
of charging stations to Google Maps in April to help drivers find
places to charge near them. While the EV industry and many other people hope the
charging stations catch on and help lure drivers to EVs, a report published in
February found that it was impossible
to reach Obama's stated goal of getting a million EVs on the road by
As it is today, the most common EVs using the public charging stations are the
Chevrolet Volt, Tesla Roadster, and the Nissan Leaf. The Leaf has had its share
of problems so far with the latest issue
being confirmed in April. The issue according to Nissan is that the
Leaf will not start at times. The Volt isn't a pure EV it is an extended range
electric vehicle. It has a gasoline engine to provide power when the batteries
run out, but the Volt can plug into charging stations as well. GM recently
announced that it was boosting
Volt production to meet the demand.


text:
For instance:
"In the 205 times he was posted up last season, Bargnani held his opponent to just 182 points (0.888 PPP) on just 46.8% shooting"
Ok sounds good, but how does that compare to the league? To other starting C's (or bigs)? This accounts only for when he is specifically posted up, and it also doesn't account for who is doing the posting up. (remember he always got the easier cover).
"When faced with isolation situations, Bargnani is in the top 17% of the NBA in terms of Points Per Possession (PPP) allowed, giving up just 0.684 points per possession on 29.7% shooting"
ok now we a number that offers a comparison, but how many times did that happen? How often did the team not send help? Again, who is this isolation against.... Ryan Hollins/Brandon Bass/Chuck Hayes/Biendrins?
"but he is able to go straight up and use his length to contest shots without fouling (fouled opponents on the block just 7.6% of the time) by going straight up."
I'd argue his lack of fouling is an indictment of how bad his defense is. Good/smart defensive players use their fouls. Good hard foul and 2 fts > dunk or lay up in my books.
Then the authors conclusion is Bargnani is a terrible help defender, Bargnani is a terrible rebounder (which is a defensive attribute), but he is not a terrible one-on-one defender (and it was only in post situations that the author tried to "prove" it). Therefore Bargnani is not a terrible defender? That Bargnani can be a good or average defender going forward if moved to PF (where he will play less post defense no less).


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Submit News
Famed Writer/Monologist Caught Lying About Much of Apple China Exposé
Jason Mick
March 18, 2012 3:15 PM
Recipient E-mail
Sender E-mail
Mr. Daisey: "I'm going to lie to lots of people."
These days it seems like everyone is eager to pile on Apple, Inc. (
) about its use of
cheap Chinese labor
to produce
its popular gadgets
. Most of the facts about the abuses can be verified in Apple's own yearly supplier review. Every year it finds a
handful of underage workers
at its plants. And
last year
only about a third of its suppliers were found to comply with its rules regarding employee hours and overtime.
Apple is one of the few companies that maintains such meticulous reporting on its
suppliers' misbehavior
, but it also enjoys a unique burden of higher scrutiny, thanks to its enviable position as the
world's most profitable technology company
. In recent months some --
such as
The New York Times
-- lashed out at Apple's efforts to curb abuse, which they viewed as insufficient. Others, like the
Fair Labor Association
, who Apple recently
paid to become a member of
-- or ABC's
defended the Cupertino company. True, there had been terrible tragedies -- employees
explosed to n-Hexane
, employees who
lost their lives in plant explosions
due to poor maintenance.
But overall, the supporters argue that Apple is
working hard to improve
, and at the same time raising the impoverished Chinese populous out of back-breaking work in the "rice paddies" and into tough -- by America's increasingly pampered standards -- but respectively safer/gentler high-tech assembly jobs.
I. A Blockbuster Tale of Abuse at Apple
One of the toughest critiques on Apple came in the form of Mike Daisey's monologue about his trip to China and incognito tours of Apple-centric factories located in the city of Shenzhen, China. The writer/actor's wild tale gained national attentioned after
Chicago Public Media
(CPM) and
Public Radio International
(PRI) aired a segment of
This American Life
entitled "
Mr. Daisey Goes to the Apple Factory
After that radio broadcast to millions, Mr. Daisey became a hot commodity. Where as past reports had revealed one or two unsavory incidents, Mr. Daisey reportedly encountered nearly everything stated to date, from suffering underage workers, to secret unions.
Suddenly news networks were clamoring for interviews and Mr. Daisey was performing his shocking monologue titled "The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs" to sold out crowds in New York City.
This American Life
recalls one incident
[CPM/PRI]...the most dramatic point in Daisey's monologue – apparently onstage it's one of the most emotional moments in the show. It comes at this union meeting.
Daisey describes an old man with leathery skin who used to work at foxconn … making metal enclosures for ipads and laptops. … he says the man got his hand caught in a metal press, and that it was now a twisted claw. He says he got no medical attention, and then Foxconn fired him for working too slowly.
Mike Daisey
And when he says this, I reach into my satchel, and I take out my iPad. And when he sees it, his eyes widen, because one of the ultimate ironies of globalism, at this point there are no iPads in China. …. He's never actually seen one on, this thing that took his hand. I turn it on, unlock the screen, and pass it to him. He takes it. The icons flare into view, and he strokes the screen with his ruined hand, and the icons slide back and forth. And he says something to Cathy, and Cathy says, "he says it's a kind of magic."
In another part of his monologue Mr. Daisey says:
Mike Daisey
There's a group that's talking about hexane. N-hexane is an iPhone screen cleaner. It's great because it evaporates a little bit faster than alcohol does, which means you can run the production line even faster and try to keep up with the quotas. The problem is that n-hexane is a potent neurotoxin, and all these people have been exposed. Their hands shake uncontrollably. Most of them…can't even pick up a glass.
Now CPM/PRI, who is known for their awarding winning standard of journalism, says they forced Mr. Daisey to a vow that he would abide by journalistic standards. They also fact checked his story, and given that all the elements were widely reported, they ran with it. They tried to get in touch with the translator on Mr. Daisey's tour -- in the monologue he referred to her as "Cathy", but in the program he told CPM/PRI that her name was actually Anne and that she was no longer responding to phone calls. CPM/PRI bought the excuse.
II. Suspicions Arise
However, when Rober Schmitz -- a PRI/CPM Chinese correspondent for the public radio program Marketplace -- heard the program he immediately became suspicious. Elements of the report didn't stack up. It was the little details that clued in Mr. Schmitz, who lives in Shanghai, that something foul was afoot. For example Mr. Daisey claimed in his monologue that security guards at the plant carried guns -- something Mr. Schmitz knew was illegal in China. In China only the police and army can carry guns in public, under threat of stiff penalties.
And then there was Mr. Daisey's tale of members of a secret union meeting at Starbucks Corp. (
) coffeehouses. Was it really feasible for employees who made $15-20 USD a day and worked lengthy hours to be sipping $4 USD lattes. Things were adding up.
So Mr. Schmitz Google searched for the original name of the translator -- Cathy. He found a translator in Shenzhen with the anglicized name "Cathy" Lee. Contacting her, he discovered that indeed she had served as Mr. Daisey's translator on the trip.
But her account was far different from Mr. Daisey's. Yes, they had toured plants posing as a translator and business person. But the tour number was 3 plants, versus the dozen plus plants in Mr. Daisey's monologue.
Mr. Daisey's shocking account of poor labor conditions at Apple suppliers was heavily fictionalized. [Image Source: South China Weekly]
The guards did not have guns. Mr. Daisey's guide has no recollection of ever meeting anyone who claimed to have been exposed to n-Hexane or who was "shaking uncontrollably". To Cathy Lee's knowledge they never even encountered an underage worker. She said that some workers -- females -- looked younger, but she says that's due to the racial features of the Chinese who Westerners often think make 20-something women look like teens.
And the man with the ruined hand? They never met him. Pure "fiction", Cathy Lee says.
Overall the most important details of the monologue appeared to be exagerrated or outright fabricated. So a shamed CPM/PRI plotted something they had never done before for the acclaimed
This American Life
program -- a retraction.
This American Life
lead anchor Ira Glass comments:
Daisey lied to me and to
This American Life
producer Brian Reed during the fact checking we did on the story, before it was broadcast. That doesn't excuse the fact that we never should've put this on the air. In the end, this was our mistake.
We're horrified to have let something like this onto public radio. Many dedicated reporters and editors - our friends and colleagues - have worked for years to build the reputation for accuracy and integrity that the journalism on public radio enjoys. It's trusted by so many people for good reason. Our program adheres to the same journalistic standards as the other national shows, and in this case, we did not live up to those standards.
III. Monologue Author: "
I'm going to lie to lots of people."
Mr. Daisey agreed to appear in the followup. In the followup interview he amended some of his numbers to be closer to Cathy's. But he was insistent that some details Cathy said were fiction were actually based on experience. For example, he claimed to have talked to a young-looking female factory worker who
in English
conveyed that she was 13. Cathy Lee said this is impossible -- he never talked to youthful employees in English and he never left her side. Further, CPM/PRI notes that it is highly unprobable that a teenage factory worker would know English well enought to convey such thoughts or risk their hard-earned position to talk to a foreign "businessman".
Fame American monologist Mike Daisey is now a famed liar for his fictionalized account of Apple's labor conditions, which he portrayed as reality.
[Image Source: Mike Daisey via Now on Broadway]
Mr. Daisey argues his exagerrations were not lies, but necessary efforts (in his mind) to bring attention to important labor issues. He comments:
Rob Schmitz
So you lied about that. That wasn't what you saw.
Mike Daisey
I wouldn't express it that way.
Rob Schmitz
How would you express it?
Mike Daisey
I would say that I wanted to tell a story that captured the totality of my trip. So when I was building the scene of that meeting, I wanted to have the voice of this thing that had been happening that everyone been talking about.
But CPM/PRI does not appear convinced. It not only has retracted the story with strong apology, it closes on a seemingly damn excerpt from Mr. Daisey's best-selling monologue:
[CPM/PRI]:Cathy says some things from Daisey's monologue were true: He was wearing a Hawaiian shirt. They did pose as business people in the factories they visited. And before they did that, Daisey did have a conversation with her about his plan. She says this conversation probably happened on June 2nd when she first met Daisey. He told her that he would pretend to be a businessman and he needed her help. Here's how he tells the story:
Mike Daisey
And she listens to this, and she says, but you are not a businessman.
And I say, that's true, I am not a businessman.
And she says, and you aren't going to buy their products.
I say, that's true, I'm not going to buy their products.
And she says, you will lie to them.
And I say,
yes Cathy, I'm going to lie to lots of people.
(In another moment of his monologue he states, "The moments of our life where we're actually truly honest with another person are so f**king rare, that when they happen we usually end up married to that person."
Mike Daisey is married to Jean-Michele Gregory, a prominent New York City director [
The sad reality is that this report will inevitably set back honest journalists who reported on past Apple labor issues. One can only hope that in the ensuing reprieve Apple learns from the exposure of these lies, that it sticks to its promises of enforcing continuous supplier improvement. CPM/PRI deserves some credit -- they may have been accidentally chosen to play the fool, but at least they weren't fooled twice.
An early version of this story incorrectly identified Mr. Daisey's wife, when quoting his monologue. That reference has been removed.
This American Life [blog]
"This is from the DailyTech.com. It's a science website." -- Rush Limbaugh
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text:
where all the "GOOD" little demons, and monsters go to school and try to make the rules,you have seven classes math,science,magic,death arts,english,histroy, and english and a random class.
you can have up to FOUR characters, but the forth person has to be a ??? person the hurts or help ALL characters in the school and yes you can play as on off teacher if you wish
signature (??? stays ??? until you are ready to revile he/she)
name: first and last
demonic/monster relation:
Picture or discripution:
goodnluck cause in this school anything could happen too you or the ones dears to you
*evil laughter*


text:
In selecting a printer for the promo item you are going to be handing out, you must choose the right printer, in order to get the very best printing quality, and so it shows that your company only offers quality products. So, besides are you giving the consumer something at no cost, but it is also going to be of the highest quality quality material and construction. This can be going to carry over into the perception that each one the products or services your enterprise offers, are going to be of the best and finest levels. So, choosing the right printer, and also the right promo tool, can be something that must be considered in depth by the company owner as well. No matter what you give to consumers, the fact that you are giving them a free item will probably resonate with them, and will leave an attractive image in their minds about your enterprise.
When considering promotional items for your business, there are several ways to go about marketing services and promo item to the general public. But, for anyone who is hoping to get the biggest returns for the marketing money spent, want consumers in to the future shop with your stores, and wish to bring in a whole new customer base, to the lowest costs on the marketing, using promotional items is one of the best tactics to take into account. Not only do you not have to hire a separate advertising team to do the job, but you are gonna find that with the use of promo items, you will be greatly saving within the cost of marketing, yet getting the greatest returns.
So, whether it is a tee shirt, or a new mug, necessities such as things that are going to serve as the most effective form of marketing for your company. Not simply are you going to be saving by the lack to hire a marketing team, however they are going to be reaching a much broader audience. That has a print or billboard ad, when the consumer sees it, they're going to forget the ad ten minutes later. But, while using the free item you give them, they'll be using this on a daily basis, meaning they may be seeing your company name or logo everyday, plus they are going to link the positive image of your company, to that free item you gave them. So, taking a look at the best marketing techniques, as a company leader you may want to consider the use of promotional marketing, to drive a car up consumer base and revenues.
When you decide to print name or logo on: pens, mugs, t-shirts, bags, and several other items, you are likely to find that the more items you print, the cheaper it will cost per promo item. So, not only is your business going to convey more items to hand out, during an event, or even a new store opening, however your business is also going to be paying a cheaper price than other marketing measures, including putting up a billboard, or using a tv or newspaper (magazine) print ad, which happens to be going to cost much more money, and do significantly less justice in the form of bringing customers while in the doors. With promotional tools, you are going to be giving the consumer something for nothing, with the company name on there. So, not only are they going to be thankful for any free gift, but they are going to be seeing a message on a day to day basis. Therefore, the next time they need to buy a products your company sells, they are going to consider you, across the competition, due to the items you have given them.


text:
Pentagon officials admitted an undisclosed virus has hit some Pentagon and DoD computers, which has forced officials to confiscate flash drives and ban the use of external hardware drives until further notice.
"We are aware of a global virus for which there are some public alerts on," said Pentagon spokesperson Bryan Whitman. "And we've seen some of this on our networks. And we're taking steps to identify and mitigate the virus."
Pentagon officials did not disclose which virus has infected government computers, or whether or not it has spread to classified computer networks.
The Pentagon computer network is made up of around 17,000 networks and seven million individual computers. Pentagon computers are scanned for weaknesses millions of times each day by foreign computer users, Pentagon officials admitted.
A November 17 Air Force internal memo issued the "immediate suspension" of flash drives used on any computer hooked up to both classified and unclassified computer networks. The mandatory collection of USB flash drives is underway, with the possibility the drives will not be returned to their owners after the security check is complete.
China has been ruled out as the source of the Pentagon's latest security issue; although it's possible Russia or attackers from another Eastern European nation are involved in the security breach.
There's a growing concern of foreign-based computer attackers, especially from Chinese and Russian attackers, who have reportedly attacked computers in the United States, United Kingdom, France, and other nations. The attacks normally are to help gain access to classified information and to test government security in an effort to better coordinate larger scale attacks in the future.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) also has created new rules for DHS employees who attempt to use portable storage devices and flash drives connected to work computers.


text:
To our customers,
At Apple, we strive to make world-class products that deliver the best experience possible to our customers. With the launch of our new Maps last week, we fell short on this commitment. We are extremely sorry for the frustration this has caused our customers and we are doing everything we can to make Maps better.
We launched Maps initially with the first version of iOS. As time progressed, we wanted to provide our customers with even better Maps including features such as turn-by-turn directions, voice integration, Flyover and vector-based maps. In order to do this, we had to create a new version of Maps from the ground up.
There are already more than 100 million iOS devices using the new Apple Maps, with more and more joining us every day. In just over a week, iOS users with the new Maps have already searched for nearly half a billion locations. The more our customers use our Maps the better it will get and we greatly appreciate all of the feedback we have received from you.
While we're improving Maps, you can try alternatives by downloading map apps from the App Store like Bing, MapQuest and Waze, or use Google or Nokia maps by going to their websites and creating an icon on your home screen to their web app.
Everything we do at Apple is aimed at making our products the best in the world. We know that you expect that from us, and we will keep working non-stop until Maps lives up to the same incredibly high standard.
Tim Cook
Apple's CEO
Interestingly, Cook admits defeat and tells customers to use Bing Maps, Google Maps, or even MapQuest in the interim until Apple can get its Maps application fixed.
WWSJD aka What Would Steve Jobs Do?
Source: Apple


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text:
A room made for fallen heroes, it looks like. This is an offical picture. I see Artemis, Tula, and I believe the first Blue Beetle.
We also see a Robin. This could be and most likely is Jason Todd. D'ck is Nightwing and Tim is Robin, meaning that during the time skip in the show, there is enough time for Jason to enter and well, die. Does this mean we will see a Red Hood in Young Justice? Also, if in, does this mean we'll see The Outlaws since we have two Roys? One can join Jason and Kory in the Outlaws while one does other Roy things.
This thread is for YJ, DC, and Red Hood fans. I, for one, am excited!


text:
SD cards have a maximum capacity of 4GB, while SDHC cards can go up to 32GB. Although this may seem like an extreme size, high-definition camcorders and digital photography enthusiasts have been pushing for a new format with higher maximum capacities and faster transfer speeds.
The industry answered earlier this year at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show with the Secure Digital eXtended Capacity (SDXC) format, which has a maximum theoretical capacity of 2TB and could eventually reach speeds as high as 300 MB/s.
Although there were many promises made, there aren't really any SDXC cards that you can buy. A large part of the problem is due to the old chicken and egg paradigm; no one wants to produce a large, expensive, niche product if there are no SDXC card readers that can support the new format.
The SDXC format allows for backwards compatibility, meaning that readers should be able to use older SDHC, SD, and MMC cards. Development work has been slow, and the big push for products supporting SDXC won't occur until next year. The first wave of products will show up at this year's CES.
Many of those products will integrate SDXC card readers made by JMicron through a PCIe bus. JMicron's SDHC readers are commonly used in the industry and integrated into laptops, mobile phones, and digital cameras.
JMicron is also working on a standalone card reader that will be pluggable into a USB 3.0 slot. The company states that "PCIe or USB 3.0 interfaces are needed to unleash the full potential" of SDXC cards. Ultimately, read and write speeds will be determined by the flash memory card manufacturer, just as it is for SDHC cards.


text:
CUs Are Urged to Ply Big Data: Print Preview
Card management consultants working with a payment processing CUSO and association are working to convince credit unions to look more deeply into their card members data to help the credit unions improve their card portfolio management decisions.
Both The Members Group, a card processing CUSO affiliated with the Iowa Credit Union League, and Card Services for Credit Unions, an association of credit unions which process payments with FIS, have authored white papers in conjunction with consultants that urge credit unions to begin using big data to help manage their card portfolios as well as other products and services.
Written in conjunction with its data analysis partner, IQR Consulting, the TMG white paper, "Data Analysis Points the Way Forward for Card Management Teams," argued that analyzing the payment behavior of card holders can help portfolio managers cut costs, increase the cardholders use of the credit union's card, cross sell cards to noncardholding members and determine which cardholders would be most likely to respond to a given promotion or incentive.
For example, in one case the white paper discussed a credit union that feared its credit cards were being priced too low and turned to data analysis for additional insight into the question. After analyzing member transaction data, the credit union was convinced to re-evaluate the relatively few nonprofitable card accounts and to enhance service and marketing to the bulk of cardholders whose accounts were profitable but not as much as the credit union needed them to be. This strategy would avoid a risky rate increase that could eroded the cardholders preference for the card. It also cut costs on the portfolio.
The Card Services for Credit Unions paper, "Member Segmentation Improves Your Bottom Line," said using data to segment member bases can help a credit union target members with the best products and services.
"There are plenty of ways to use segmentation analytics to find members that will respond to new opportunities and cross-selling efforts. For example, consider high-usage cardholders," the association wrote. "Notice their spend patterns," the paper quoted Dean Knudtson, senior consultant for CSCU. "Can you offer them a business card and realize a higher level of interchange? Or look at the spend patterns with your rewards cardholders. Can you shift their spend patterns to higher interchange merchants by segmenting them, and offering bonus points to shop at higher interchange merchants?"
Knudtson also suggests breaking out lower FICO score members. "It might make sense to offer these members a secured card with limits equal to a deposit, thereby reducing your risk exposure while offering a great product to members who may be rebuilding credit or establishing credit for the first time," he adds. "This is also a perfect way to stay true to the industry's mission of people helping people."
The sorts of member segmentation and planning that both papers describe fall loosely into what is commonly known as big data, a popular term for the collection and use of massive amounts of transaction and payment data and to help assess and predict consumer attitudes and behaviors. It is the information science behind such online giants as Google and Facebook, as well as all three national credit bureaus, and now, the consultants suggested, it could be put to use helping credit unions better serve their members.
"This technology is new enough that a lot of our work with an interested credit union revolves around helping them understand the questions that could be answered and then helping them formulate those questions," said Todd Herren, chief technology officer for TMG.
Most credit union executives, Herren explained, are used to thinking about data primarily in demographic terms and in terms defined by the national credit bureau's credit scores. Most have no idea of how powerful a tool in card management data generated every time a member swipes their credit card could be. For example, a credit union contemplating offering professional sports teams tickets in a sweepstakes to drive credit card use could mine its cardholder data to find out how many cardholding members use their cards to routinely purchase sporting event tickets, sports equipment or gym memberships. Presumably, those members might use their cards more often to try to win tickets to a football or basketball game, he noted.
"Segmentation allows you to spend valuable marketing dollars on campaigns that target those members and cardholders who are most likely to respond, which greatly improves your marketing ROI," says Barney Moore, senior portfolio consultant with CSCU. "Improved revenues aside, segmentation is simply a better way to understand the needs of members in general and add value to their member experience."
With a combination of the right analytics tools, thoughtful evaluation of the results and solid PAU strategies, credit unions can execute more effective targeting and overall growth. "It's a good exercise for better understanding the make-up of your portfolio and managing it more effectively. The key is not treating all accounts the same way," added Moore.
The technology is sophisticated and specialized enough as well, according to Karan Bhalla, consulting director for IQR, that it remains beyond the reach of all but the largest credit unions, which have the resources to seek out and keep employees with the specialized skills to do this sort of work.
In addition, the technology is not without its critics. Critics of the technology in other industries have noted that getting big data does not guarantee the end user knows what to do with it, and privacy activists have questioned the necessity of collecting such a large amount of data about what could be personal behavior.
But Bhalla dismissed the privacy concerns, noting that there are already opt out procedures in place in several areas that let consumers keep their data from being collected in big data searches and he welcomed still others.
"From our perspective, opt-out procedures are a good thing since we only want to work with consumers who want their information to be part of bringing them better products and services. Every consumer who doesn't want that and who opts out shrinks the overall pool that I have to work through to find the others."
But Ondine Irving, a noted credit union card consultant who helps credit unions manage their card portfolios by managing their processing expenses, questioned the wisdom of credit unions adopting such an sophisticated and potentially expensive technique to drill down in member data when many still do not control their costs at the portfolio level.
"The overall portfolio analysis is the first step to understanding cardholder behavior–and unfortunately the status of quo of garbage in/garbage out is creating an industry of inaccurate data for [use in] program analytics," Irving wrote in an email about the use of big data. "For example, when credit unions do not zero out outstanding credit lines on closed, lost, stolen and bankrupt accounts, the key metric of credit utilization ratios and average credit lines misleads the credit union into making wrong marketing decisions. Many credit unions are inaccurately reporting total credit line liability by as much as 20% due to lack of overall card program management techniques and best practices. The processing system does not realize this. Therefore, the data the processors use is inaccurate to start with."
"The bottom line is there are two types of cardholder behaviors–transacters and revolvers. Considering up to 70% of a card portfolios revenue should be coming from finance charge income and card loan balances and less than 25% of revenue is derived from interchange income, it would remain prudent for credit unions to focus on cardholder behavior at the portfolio level, providing the input of data is correct in the first place."


text:
3-to 6-Year-Old Storytime
Storytime is a 6-week program for Richardson residents, ages
3 to 6 years old, filled with stories, poems, puppets,
songs and fingerplays.
Children attend Storytime independently.
Parents, please meet your children in the Children's
Program Room promptly at the end of each session.
Limit one guest per child - one time only
Required REGISTRATION BEGINS Wednesday, January 2 Storytime
STARTS Tuesday, January 29
and ENDS Wednesday, March 6
Children must be at least 3 years old by January 28, 2013.
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