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"Custody" is defined as "holding, directly or indirectly, client funds or securities, or having any authority to obtain possession of them." When an RIA takes custody of a client's funds or securities, the risk to that individual increases dramatically. The Custody Rule was passed to protect clients from unscrupulous investment advisors.
RIAs are subject to Rule 206(4)-2 under the Investment Advisers Act, better known as the Custody Rule. The Custody Rule was amended on December 16, 2009. In her statement at an open meeting on that same day, SEC Chairman Mary L. Schapiro explained why the Commission was adopting rules to enhance custody controls. Schapiro said that the SEC's goal was to strengthen the protections provided to investors who turn over assets to RIAs. The Custody Rule shines a spotlight on advisory relationships that might result in fraudulent activity. The risk to investors and advisory clients is much higher when an RIA has custody over their assets instead of turning them over to an independent third party custodian.
The logic behind the Custody Rule is simple. Having a third party involved minimizes opportunities for theft or misappropriation. As an example, when two people make a bet, they often ask a neutral third party to hold the wager. This usually prevents the people placing the wager from welching on their bets.
Amendments to the Custody Rule were prompted by Bernard Madoff's Ponzi scheme that targeted investors. According to Schapiro, the SEC fine-tuned the rules to apply safeguards where the risk of fraud is heightened by the degree of control the RIA has over a client's assets. The heightened risk stems from the fact that assets are not being held by an independent custodian. A truly independent custodian plays an important role in guarding against fraud and misappropriation by RIAs.
The SEC has also taken action to ensure that broker-dealers are not mishandling investors' funds. On June 15, 2011, the SEC unanimously proposed amendments to the broker-dealer financial reporting rule, which was to strengthen audits of broker-dealers. The proposed amendments were also intended to improve the SEC's oversight of how broker-dealers handle their customers' securities and cash. The proposed rule mandates an audit of the controls implemented by a broker-dealer to protect and account for customer assets.
The proposed rule also permits SEC staff, as well as the relevant designated examining authority, to review the work papers of the public accounting firm that audits the broker-dealer. The SEC also proposed a new form designed to elicit information about the custody practices of the broker-dealer, which can be used as a starting point for regulatory examinations. According to Mary Schapiro, the proposed rule ensures that broker-dealers will hold and invest assets as directed by an RIA.
Requirements of the Custody Rule
The Custody Rule targets RIAs that hold a client's assets, as well as arrangements where advisory firms are affiliated with the custodian holding those assets. In either situation, the RIA is required to submit to an annual surprise inspection by an independent public accountant. Although the date of the audit is unknown, the advisor does know that it will occur during the year. The independent public accountant must be registered with and subject to regular inspection by the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB)—a non-profit corporation in the private sector created by the Sarbanes-Oxley Act. The statute was passed to implement higher corporate standards and prevent accounting fraud that led to scandals such as Enron, WorldCom, and Adelphia.
RIAs subjected to surprise inspections must enter into a written contract with a PCAOB-registered independent public accountant, who will then verify client assets. If the surprise exam uncovers missing assets or material discrepancies, the accountant is required to notify the SEC within one business day.
Aside from the surprise inspection, an RIA that acts as its own qualified custodian, or that is affiliated with the custodian holding those assets, must obtain an internal control report on an annual basis. This internal control report contains an independent public accountant's opinion regarding the adviser or related person's controls governing the custody of client assets. This public accountant must also be registered with the PCAOB and must be subject to regular inspection by that corporation.
RIAs with Enhanced Authority over Client Assets
The Custody Rule also targets other advisory relationships posing an increased risk of fraud. According to Schapiro, additional safeguards are needed where advisers possess enhanced authority over client assets which equates to having custody, even though they utilize an independent custodian. Therefore, the surprise inspection requirement applies to RIAs engaging in activities such as:
- holding power of attorney;
- having the ability to write checks on a client's account;
- serving as the trustee to a trust.
In a deficiency letter issued by the Philadelphia Regional Office on June 23, 2011, the branch chief reiterated that the Custody Rule applies to arrangements where the RIA or one of its employees has power of attorney or serves as a trustee to a client account. Because an employee of the firm did act as a trustee, the RIA must receive an independent verification of these client funds and securities by an independent public accountant at least once during each calendar year. The RIA was required to send the SEC a copy of an engagement letter to document that the independent verification would take place.
The Custody Rule mandates that an RIA with custody of client funds or securities must reasonably believe—after due inquiry—that the qualified custodian is sending out account statements directly to the client. These statements must be sent at least once per quarter. The SEC's Adopting Release for the Custody Rule suggested that receiving a duplicate copy of the account statement sent to clients satisfies the "due inquiry" requirement.
When a Surprise Exam is not Required
A surprise exam is not required if an RIA is deemed to be operationally independent of an affiliated custodian. To be operationally independent, according to Schapiro's statement, the RIA and the affiliate must "operate as distinct entities with no overlap of personnel, office space or common supervision." All entities holding client assets, whether they are RIAs, affiliates, or operationally independent affiliates, are required to undergo an annual review of the controls they have implemented related to custody.
The surprise examination requirement does not apply in situations where an RIA uses an independent custodian and only has the ability to deduct fees from a client's account. In excluding this group from the surprise inspection requirement, the SEC recognized that the ability to deduct fees is merely a limited form of custody, and does not present the same degree of opportunity for fraud and misappropriation. The SEC expects advisory firms to implement controls and procedures ensuring each and every fee deduction is proper.
RIAs should implement policies and procedures to ensure that fees are calculated correctly, and should require supervision of the calculation and fee deduction process. The firm's compliance manual might require a sign-off process to making certain that fees are consistent with the client's advisory contract.
Any accountant that audits a private fund must be registered with and subject to regular inspection by the PCAOB. Advisors to private funds held by independent custodians are not subject to surprise exams if they issue financial statements to the fund's investors within 120 days of its fiscal year end. Those financial statements must be audited by an accounting firm registered with and subject to PCAOB inspection.
The Big Picture
An RIA's practices regarding custody are disclosed on Form ADV Part 1A, which requires RIAs to disclose whether the firm or a related person has custody of clients' accounts, and the number of clients whose assets are in the custody of the RIA or a related person. The form also requires the RIA to disclose the approximate amount of client funds and securities for which the firm has custody. This data is used by securities regulators in determining the level of risk posed by the firm. A firm with custody over several large client accounts may be examined more frequently than an RIA that does not have custody.
Advisors may not realize that their activities trigger the application of the Custody Rule. For example, a client may send stock certificates or cash to the RIA instead of to the broker-dealer. The advisor must send them back to the client within three business days after receiving them or the RIA will be viewed as having custody. When an RIA holds clients' stock certificates or cash, even for a short amount of time, there is a risk that funds will be lost or misused.
An RIA should not forward client funds and securities to the broker-dealer, as this will be construed as having custody. Advisors are permitted to help clients prepare documents, however, so they can be forwarded to a broker-dealer or custodian.
An RIA may hold a check drawn by a client and made payable to a third party without being viewed as having custody of the individual's funds. Nevertheless policies and procedures should clarify how those checks will be handled. For example, a firm's policies and procedures might say:
Possession of a check drawn by the client and made payable to a custodian (third party) does not constitute custody of client funds. However, it is Company policy to forward such third-party checks to the appropriate custodian within one business day.
Because of the strict requirements in the Custody Rule, RIAs should be on the lookout for situations where the firm might inadvertently take custody of a client's funds. Except for fee deductions, an advisor authorized to withdraw funds or securities from a client's account has custody. Similarly, having power of attorney to sign checks on a client's behalf or withdraw funds equates to having custody over that person's assets. Therefore, unless an RIA is prepared to comply with the Custody Rule, an advisor should not offer a bill-paying service to clients.
Sometimes going the extra mile for a client can inadvertently trigger custody. Suppose the client of an RIA moves and gives the advisor power of attorney to sign documents at the closing. The RIA could be viewed as having custody over the client's assets.
According to a January 13, 2010 publication by the law firm of Haynes and Boone, state-registered RIAs may wish to comply with the Custody Rule, even if compliance is not required by securities regulators. As an example, the Texas State Securities Board has recommended that RIAs comply with the federal Custody Rule as a best practice.


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Well it's been awhile since I decided to make a theory post.
It's a pretty quick and simple one. Does anyone else get the impression that Madara will double cross Obito? Perhaps infinite tsukuyomi isn't all that Madara made it out to be.
What if it were to turn out that all Madara wanted was the power of the SO6P and in an attempt to gain it, he's manipulated everyone from the grave (including Obito) into helping him attain just that?
So the question is... how likely is it that Madara is planning something completely different from what we've come to expect?

subset: commoncrawl


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I would be happy with Phil taking a Riley role with this franchise. He is well connected and very knowledgable. I would assume that he'd immediately hire Brian Shaw and institute the Triangle on offence, which would necessarily be a bad thing. With Lowry's game being more of a scorer than distributer, we could run the triangle with him, Gay and JV/Amir.
He would bring more respectability to the franchise and might even be able to land us a free agent in the near future. Something no other GM has been able to do


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Cellular phones have become so common that virtually all adults in the U.S. have them. In fact, many children in the U.S. have them even in grade school. In the poor global economy, some consumers are facing a choice between landlines and their cell phones and many of them are choosing the latter.
The Associated Press (AP) reports that for the first time ever the number of households with cell phones only outnumbers those that have traditional landlines. The switch is reportedly accelerated by the recession. According to a survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 20% of households had only sell phone since the last half of 2008.
That number represents a growth of almost 3% since data on cellular use started being gathered in 2003. In 2003, 43% of the homes in America had landlines.
Stephen Blumberg, author of the CDC report said, "We do expect that with the recession, we'd see an increase in the prevalence of wireless only households, above what we might have expected had there been no recession."
The report also found that 15% of homes have both a landline and cell phones, but they take no calls on their landlines. The reason for this is phone lines dedicated to internet access via dial-up or DSL and fax machine use. When the number of cellular-only households and the number with cell and landlines who don't use the landline are combined, a full 35% of households in America are wireless only.
The AP reports that the reason this is significant is for pollsters who have used landlines for years to gather data. With more people moving to mobile phone sonly and current legislation preventing pollsters from using computers to dial mobile phone numbers.
The age of people in the household contributes to whether the home is wireless only. According to the report, a third of people 18 to 24 live in homes with cell phones only. Four in ten people age 25 to 29 are in cell phone only homes according to the report. The most likely people to live in wireless only homes are the poor, renters, Hispanics, Southerners, Midwesterners, and those living with unrelated adults.


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There were several letters of support for John McHenry in the Journal. But assaulting an officer of the law is a serious crime, no matter what the reason is; you just cant do that and expect a slap on the wrist.
A sheriffs deputy should not have to carry around a paper with your contact information on it. It would be far more effective to carry around a stack of preprinted waivers for you to sign, releasing any government office for being sued by you or your survivors. If you kill yourself trying to accomplish your cause, your life insurance should not be responsible, and if you get hurt, your hospital insurance should also not be responsible for you, when you sign this waiver, if you are fully aware of the fact that you are acting on your own and no one is responsible for your actions except you.
If this simple process could take place, there might not be further need to assault another law enforcement officer during an evacuation, and people who want to get back to their homes would have to take a few seconds to reconsider what is most valuable to them.
Louis Szabo


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Pentegra Retirement Warns of 401(k) Plans' Future
The shape of 401(k) plans may be altered if discussions move forward on reducing or completely eliminating tax deductions for retirement plans.
That's according to Pentegra Retirement Services, a White Plains, N.Y.-based provider of retirement plan offerings.
"The net effect on over-50 employees, in particular, could be deeply devastating. But everyone's retirement savings are at risk if 20/20 or other measures taken to reduce the deficit are implemented," said Rich Rausser, senior vice president of client services for Pentegra.
Rausser said the money an employee puts into a 401(k) might be subject to taxation before they invest it in the plan.
"Future contributions might not grow on a tax-deferred basis. All itemized deductions, including those for retirement plans, could be capped. Even the currently tax-free earnings in a Roth IRA could be taxed," Rausser said.
Tax breaks for 401(k) and similar retirement savings plans add up to $100 billion a year and reportedly will cost the government an estimated $429 billion from now to 2017, Pentegra said.
According to the Employee Benefit Research Institute, more than 70% of workers earning $30,000 to $50,000 participate in their employer's 401(k) plans, Pentegra said.
Rausser said under current law, employees under the age of 50 can contribute up to $17,500 in their 401(k) plans in 2013, while those aged 50 and older can contribute up to $23,000.
Under the terms of a new proposal, which is a recommendation of the Bipartisan Policy Center's Debt Reduction Task Force known as the "20/20 Plan," an employee and his employer together would be permitted to contribute up to $20,000 or 20% of the employee's salary, whichever is less, to a 401(k) account, Rausser said, adding this includes the employer's matching funds.
Rausser said the American Society of Pension Professionals & Actuaries, a national organization of more than 10,000 retirement and benefits plans, is against such actions.
"We understand Congress needs to reduce the debt and raise revenue but raiding the tax incentives for 401(k) plans will put American workers' retirement security at risk," said ASPPA Executive Director/CEO Brian Graff, in a statement provided by Pentegra.
"Tens of millions of Americans participate in these retirement plans, and 80% of them earn less than $100,000 per year. This is a battle that American workers simply can't afford to lose," Graff said.


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Average Price of Self-Storage in San Antonio
The biggest factor when it comes to storage unit pricing in San Antonio is size. Below are some monthly price ranges you can expect to see in San Antonio based on different storage unit sizes.
|Unit Size
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|Lowest Price
|5 x 5
|5 x 10
|10 x 10
|10 x 15
|10 x 20
The overall average price of a self-storage unit in San Antonio is $87.
San Antonio Self-Storage: At A Glance
Do I need a climate controlled storage unit in San Antonio?
The forecast low for San Antonio is 29 degrees today. The record low for today in San Antonio is 11 degrees. Low temperatures below 32 degrees can cause freezing. If you're considering storing items that are susceptible to damage from freezing during this period, consider renting a climate controlled storage unit.
Does San Antonio student population affect self-storage prices?
Colleges and universities located in or nearby San Antonio include Our Lady of The Lake University San Antonio, Trinity University, University of Texas At San Antonio, University of Texas Health Science Center At San Antonio, University of The Incarnate Word. College students often need self-storage during summer and winter breaks and can drive prices up during these seasons.
How does seasonality affect San Antonio self-storage prices?
Storage prices in San Antonio tend to be somewhat volatile when compared to other cities. Prices can vary by about $23.24 monthly depending on the time of year. San Antonio self-storage prices are highest inAugust, and lowest in January.
Browse San Antonio Storage by Amenity
Browse San Antonio Storage by Type
Browse Self-Storage Close To San Antonio Universities
Browse Self-Storage Units in Nearby Cities
San Antonio on the SpareFoot blog:
The brutal Battle of the Alamo in San Antonio marked a turning point in the Texas Revolution, pitting Texas troops against Mexican troops in a clash over independence. Nearly 180 years later, San Antonio is...Read more
If you live in an apartment, you could have the luxury of living across the hall from your friends or the misery of living down the hall from your nemesis (bonus points if he's named...Read more
By the time the first Baby Boomers turned 18, they had witnessed the rise of Elvis Presley, the launch of Sputnik, the introduction of the birth control pill, the "I Have a Dream" speech by...Read more


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Technology's 2013 Anthem, 'We Will Rock You': Print Preview
The Rundown
- Technology may let small FIs effectively compete against the big boys.
- Purchasing technology that aids CUs and members is key.
- Be prepared for breakthrough mobile apps to emerge next year.
In just a very few years, credit unions have become persuaded that they need to play in the technology arena. And a related reality is the spreading belief that "technology may allow smaller institutions to very successful compete against much larger ones," said Tony Rasmussen, a senior vice president at Mountain America Credit Union, a $3.3 billion cooperative in West Jordan, Utah.
Investing in the right technologies that bring the greatest value to credit unions and members alike is the key. Listen to technology vendors and just about every technology is a must have, but that simply is not so. Many are nice to have but must have they aren't, said experts.
"The technology initiatives that are getting approved are helping credit unions cut costs or bring in new revenue," said Jack Vonder Heide, an Oak Brook, Ill., technology expert.
What are the must-haves? Interviews with credit union executives and researchers narrowed the field to five tech trends that ought to figure in most credit unions' 2013 spending.
The biggest, most encompassing trend is mobile banking.
"We have come to the realization that there is a lot of demand for financial services in places where it's just not practical for us to have a branch," said William Bynum, CEO of Jackson, Miss.-based Hope Credit Union, a $153 million institution that primarily serves members in the Mississippi Delta. "We pride ourselves on serving the underserved and mobile banking is helping us do that," said Bynum. "Mobile is the game changer. We expect to double our membership in the next couple years."
Mobile in fact looms as so transformational for credit unions that it triggers other trends.
It has given rise to mobile-only members, said Rasmussen. "We are seeing a rising number of members who want only to interact with us through the mobile channel."
That is not always as easy as it sounds. Most mobile banking platforms are parasitic on online banking, using the same username and password. Most will not allow input of new payees through the mobile app. Accommodating mobile only members, who do not use online banking, will require fundamental changes in the mobile banking platform and doing that is emerging as crucial to some credit unions. "We are in the process of strengthening our mobile channel," said Rasmussen.
Call this early days for the mobile-only trend, but experts suggest that it will gain strength especially with younger demographics who may only have a smartphone. They will want full-featured banking, and they will flock to the institutions that meet their needs.
Next year will see the emergence of innovative, breakthrough mobile banking apps, predicted Eric Feinberg, senior director of mobile at Ann Arbor, Mich.-based research firm ForeSee. Recent findings from ForeSee show "a very tight band" of satisfaction of users of mobile banking apps. There are slender differences between better performing and lower performing apps. "It's anyone's game to differentiate," said Feinberg, who indicated he believed 2013 will be the time when a next generation of more distinctive apps emerges.
Right now, experts acknowledged, mobile banking apps look and behave very much alike. A shared mediocrity has become the norm. None has emerged as a compelling user experience but that is exactly the new target that apps developers will admit they are aiming at and, said Feinberg, he believes that quest will become a top tech trend at least at leading institutions.
Just about every credit union is tripping over itself to make use of social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, and perhaps Foursquare, but 2013 may be the year when these efforts are held accountable.
It already is happening at $3.1 billion Kinecta Federal Credit Union in Manhattan Beach, Calif., said Shannon Doiron, director of marketing and e-commerce.
Kinecta, he elaborated, maintains a very active presence on Facebook and Twitter and it also has begun uploading educational videos to YouTube. It also is an active advertiser on Facebook.
"We aim to offer people educational tools and information," said Doiron, who said Kinecta believes "people are turned off by a hard sell on social media."
Particularly effective for Kinecta have been Facebook calculator apps that let visitors calculate the costs of a car loan or home mortgage on the fly, inside Facebook. "We've gotten great response," said Doiron.
He cautioned that Kinecta went into social media with the intent to use it as a customer-service vehicle. "Getting that right was our first priority," he said. Then the desire to monetize the efforts took hold and, admitted Doiron, "It took nine months to get that right."
Watch other credit unions, which increasingly devote significant staff resources to social media channels, seek ways to measure and monitor their return on investment in these new channels.
Mobile remote-deposit capture triggers debate about its long-term staying power, but, for now, it has vaulted into a must-have status as increasing number of credit unions race to offer it to members.
Mainly, it is the bigger institutions that offer mobile capture, but research from Aite shows many credit unions hungering for this tool, which, in many respects, has become the flashy proof of what's compelling about mobile banking.
"We are rolling out mobile capture later this month," said Hope's Bynum who indicated that his credit union believed its members would jump on it.
At CAP COM, a $972 million credit union in Albany, N.Y., Corrie Jayne Foust, manager of electronic services, said that member response to its recently introduced app has been strong, with 1,000 members downloading the app in the first two weeks, and collectively, they had deposited 700 items.
The stampede of institutions into MRDC looks to intensify in the near term, said the experts, and that wins the technology a place on the 2013 list.
Digital wallets will get real in 2013, predicted Mountain America's Rasmussen, who indicated his institution is pursuing the paperwork to be featured in Google Wallet, which presently is free of costs to participating institutions. Member interest in digital wallets has been minimal, admitted Rasmussen, but as marketing builds around Visa's V.me, the wireless carriers' Isis pilots and also Google Wallet, he anticipates that interest will vault up quickly in 2013.
A big plus of digital wallets is that financial institutions can get involved at low or no cost and that makes it a fast track for seeming cutting edge even for frugal credit unions.
What about the technologies that did not make the list? There are many much talked about technology trends that probably can be safely ignored in 2013. Credit unions that pride themselves on leading the pack will make their moves–they may already have–but the vast majority can safely ignore tablet apps. They are "likely to become mainstream in 2014 but not 2013," said Aite's research director Christine Barry. Person-to-person applications, big data and personal financial management tool will also not come to the fore next year, experts said.


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North Carolina State University researchers
have found that the facial structures of men and women in Spain have become
less distinct over time.
Dr. Ann
Ross, study leader and an associate professor of anthropology at North Carolina
State University, and a team of researchers, have discovered that the
craniofacial features of Spanish and Portuguese men
and women have become more and more similar since the 16th
Ross and
her colleagues made this discovery by comparing over 200 skulls from 16th to
20th century Spain. They also looked at 50 skulls from 20th century Portugal.
By paying particular attention to the craniofacial features, they found that
male and female skulls from the 16th century were more distinct than in the
20th century.
instance, modern Spanish women have larger facial structures than Spanish women
from the 16th century. These larger facial structures are much closer to the
size of men's facial structures. According to Ross, improved nutrition may be
one of the reasons for the increased size of female craniofacial
Ross and
her colleagues looked into the changing features of male
and female skulls in order to better understand exactly how they've
changed over time, which can help researchers identify the sex of remains based
on these features. Also, this knowledge could be helpful to academic research
and criminal investigations.
our understanding of the craniofacial features of regional groups can help us
learn more from skeletal remains, or even help us identify an individual based
on his
or her remains," said Ross.
Ross also
found that the craniofacial differences between men and women were similar
between Portuguese and Spanish populations. This means that the Spanish
standards for distinguishing between remains of different sexes could be
applied regionally.
has applications for characterizing older remains," said Ross.
"Applying 20th century standards to historical remains could be
misleading, since sex differences can change over time - as we showed in this
study was published in Forensic Science International.


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More at x17
- Lorabell... O_o
P.s. Lana Lovely raises THIS very good point - just sayin'!
Will these pics make Twitter crash?ReplyDelete
oooh oooh when was this? today? in paris? I was all heartbroken today reading heat magazine and it was telling me they were all broke up :(
this picture is exciting!!
thanks lorabell! xx
Oh Yeah!!!! You know some people are still going to say they are only good friends!ReplyDelete
OME! Thats crazy insane! If they were trying to hide it and be all hush hush, why would they do it out in the open where they know the papz would see them. hmmmmm.ReplyDelete
OMG!!!!! OMIGOD! OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!OMIGOD!ReplyDelete
i'm so shocked! but in the best way possible!!!
yay for robsten!
they are so freaking cute!
omg!!! yay!!!ReplyDelete
Yay!!! I knew it!! I'm freaking out!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And look at the smile in his face! YYYYYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYReplyDelete
I totally admit to being jealous even though there's zero chance I'll ever meet him, let alone date him. Lol.ReplyDelete
This comment has been removed by the author.ReplyDelete
I wonder if they will comment on the pics when they are in London? they look really happy but they aren't holding hands, I have walked with guy friends like that before. Let the speculation begin lolReplyDelete
There is an intimacy in those photos that you just dont have with a "friend". The way her hand is just laid on his. It is so sweet and I am so happy for them! No wonder their all smiley and happy lately!!ReplyDelete
Poor bitches, they should waited until the whole press conference things are done, now all the interviews will be about these pictures
I expected more from Kristen! but she is hitting THAT i'm with her in the proud hall
Awwww I love it, so cute ^.^
I wonder if they are really together or if they are just friends ( just messing with the paps LoL ) Either way I love them ♥
love love love love it. Sorry, my own selfish obsession loves this...can you tell? :)ReplyDelete
It looks like they're walking towards the plane and really didn't see anyone close enough, so the impression I'm getting is that they were having a down time away from the cameras (or so they thought) and completely forgot to keep their usual distance. The way they are SO worried about denying all the rumors, this isn't something you would see in the daylight with tons of people and the media and the paparazzi all around.
I don't know guys, they're not exactly holding hands - I see her holding his arms, but as they said "a picture worth a thousand words" . I just looks RIGHT.
Ok! Now I see - she's trying to hold his hands while he holds his HAT!!! She gives up and move up to his arms.ReplyDelete
Poor Taylor he was there too lol!! wonder when they are going to do their people magazine "we're in love" cover lol j/k i know that wont happen. people mag covers equal desperation and these two are far from desperate for attentionReplyDelete
Am I the only person who isnt happy about this? lol.
I do love seeing Rob happy and smiley...but I dunno, I just dont like seeing them together.
Something about KStew rubs me the wrong way...and I know thats insane to say because I've never met her, but from the interviews I've read and seen, something I get from that just doesnt sit right with me.
But like I said...I do like seeing smiley Rob.
wow lol as much as id love to jump to conclusions COME ON YOU GUYS seriously the movie comes out in a week this is planned its just drawing attention to them heating everything up do you think if they were really a couple they would parade in public ks said it herself she keeps her personal life personal seriously we all would love for them to be madly in love !!!!ReplyDelete
Awwww! Toooo cute! But I kinda agree with you @Kirrilly! There's just something, but they are cute together =)ReplyDelete
somewhere Perez Hilton is crying in a corner wondering what mean thing hes going to say a/b this photo
yay Rob and Kristen!
Ohhh happy dayyyy!!!! haha There goes to all those Robsten hater that thought we (Robsten team) were obsessed and crazy and all that! Chemistry is stronger than anything and this was obvious! I'm happy if they're happy so...this is a beautiful night! haha Now I can sleep in peace!ReplyDelete
FINALLY!!! good for them - they look adorable!! And here i was wondering what i was gonna blog about tonight... i think i just found some inspiration! i
I hope you have an amazing time tomorrow!!! keep us posted - we want details!
About darn time we get to see something from these two!!! Good for them!!! : )ReplyDelete
I'm neither a Robsten shipper or anti-Robsten, if they're dating, good for them, if they're not then fair enough.
But it still amuses me how hyped up pictures like this make the Robsten shippers - it does not prove they're a couple.
Yeah, it makes it a little more likely... but I hold hands with my guy friends and link arms with them (and female friends too actually), it's not a romantic gesture, it just shows you're comfortable with someone (hell, I've held hands and walked with my arms linked with guys--and girls--I was barely friends with, especially at night, it's just nice to be close to someone) - it CAN just be a friendly thing.
Rob hasn't even made the effort to hold her hand, he could've put his hat somewhere else to hold her hand, which would be a bit more likely if they were a couple and the fact that Kristen very recently said that she doesn't want people to know the answer to whether they're dating or not and wants to keep that for herself makes it a bit less convincing that she'd suddenly decide to publicly walk around holding his hand.
...But anyway, either way the pictures are pretty cute. :]
Awww (: There sooo cute!
I love it
*Cue in the Robsten Non-BelieversReplyDelete
Damn them!!!!! Damn them!!!!!
I was a total nonbeliever (hopeful nonbeliever anyway).
How cliche that they are together.....
That's right. Total Bitter Betty right here.
I'm trying soooo hard not too care.
BTW, the photog who sold this pic just made millions of dollars. Trust.ReplyDelete
Ok. As much as I want these two to be together, this really doesn't confirm much. If you'll look at the entire collection of photo's you'll see the manager blatantly staring at the "hidden" photog
She's not technically even holding his hand, as much as I want to make it so. She's holding his arm, their hands aren't even linked. She's holding his WRIST.Let's not all forget a movie comes out in just a few days--publicity!
Is this their coming out picture??? Hmmm....ReplyDelete
Hahaha, have you seen Peter Facinelli's new twitpic:
Him and Kellan holding hands with the caption "OMG Co-stars caught holding hands. Guess this picture proves everything. #Pellan"
Peter is such a legend. :]
Peter rocks my socks off, seriouslyReplyDelete
.... I want to say that this is not a publicity stunt for the movie coming out, but God only knows.
They just "happen" to come out at this time? Somehow doubtful.
I am so happy! Conclusions have been hurdled over... There is no other woman (other than those of us who have taken numbers and are waiting in line) made more perfectly for dearest Rob who fell from the heavens than our own little Bella Cullen in the flesh. All I can say is "Awwwwwww"!ReplyDelete
If anything, it just looks like kristen is getting very good at slipping him some weed. XDReplyDelete
I don't give a flyin' fork as to what is REALLY goin' on in these pics. It looks great to see the two of them looking comfortable together again, AND I am so pleased to finaly see Rob looking geniunely happy.ReplyDelete
Sweet pics. Who knew that they would cause such craziness?
I am sure Rob and Kristen are laughing over all this because they don't really care what people think.
I hope they are both happy no matter what the level their relationship is.
TEAM PELLAN! PFach is so funny!ReplyDelete
I feel so ridiculously happy right now it's stupid. YES!!ReplyDelete
Eeeew!! KStew is yuuckie.. Nothings sits right for me about her... I don't know why Twilight fans even like her!! She hates Twilight and in the earlier days she always dissed it!! She has not personality, no charisma and not style.. Gag me please!ReplyDelete
@esmeralda- Kristen has grown up a lot since filming Twilight. Give her a break. She just said in an interview that she was so passionate about Twilight and didn't want to come off as generic, by saying the same garbage that all actors say when promoting their movie, so she would try to say it different ways-that's why she was always fumbling around for words. Her interviews now are awesome and she's older and she just says what she thinks and feels.
She is gorgeous and perfect for Rob!! And a perfect Bella:)
I tend to not speculate when I see pics like these, but at the same time....they haven't been actually denying anything as of late. They just say they're not responding to it. Or, Rob will go with whatever Kristen said.
Either way I don't care. Its just nice to see that they look happy.
WOOOHOOO! It's like Christmas! But early! And better! I'm lovin' it!
And I want those boots, KStew! They rock! You too rock! <3 Robsten <3
I personally am a bit devo'd... I didn't want them to be together. Oh well...ReplyDelete
I feel like Peter Pan felt when Wendy gave him a 'thimble'. They owe it to the world to reproduce and make the world a more beautiful place lol. Too soon? I don't care, I'm elated!ReplyDelete
good for them :)ReplyDelete
"Now i'm not one to gossip"
oh who am i kidding
@Jenny - just made a good point in the chat box with the pic of Kristen and Taylor holding hands... sorry haven't pasted the link but it's basically the same exact pose as Robsten last night.
Difference is: Robsten know what a scoop like this would do to the world. If they wanted to hide things they don't want the world to know about they shouldn't hold hands.
Yes 'just-good-friends' hold hands all the time.
But 'Friends' who are the hottest stars around and rumoured to be having a secret affair don't hold hands unless caught accidentally...
just sayin'
(mini-squeee) :)
I enlarged it, and yes, his finger is so crooked in her pocket! Go twilight, Go twicrackaddict!ReplyDelete
ROBSTEN LIVES!!!!!!!!ReplyDelete
I can't believe all the fuss over these photos. This is like those stupid magazines that have them married and divorced already! Leave the poor kids alone, who cares if they're holding hands? Which they're actually not, she's holding his wrist and he's holding his hat. And his hat is hiding his hand so you can't tell if his finger is hooked in her pocket. When you're actors and you have an onscreen relationship, you have to have a close bond. That doesn't mean they're together. And if they are, it's their business!
I would like to point out though, that in the beginning, I didn't think Kristen was the best pick for Bella. Now, I can't help but see that she IS Bella. I've been re-reading the books and the draft of midnight sun that Stephanie posted, and she really does fit the description to a T. And from what we can see in the clips and previews of New Moon, she's grown a lot since the first movie. Which I'm happy about!
Rob and Kristen might be "just friends", but they're friends "with benefits"......lol.ReplyDelete
I've been sooo caught up with work these weeks, I haven't got any time left for twicrack *sobs*
But I just had to comment on this and do my most freaky happy dance!!! (Hey and the tv's playing KOL sex is on fire... ha ha!)
well... I know that these pics are from paps but seeing Robert and Kristen happy it makes me happy...ReplyDelete
Well I guess there's no denying it now! :) More Michael Angarano... Wonder how long they've been broken up.ReplyDelete
I hold hands with my best friend and hes a guy !
And Peter was trying to prove a point; just because two people hold hands doesnt mean theyre together !
We shouldn't jump to conclusions.
OOOOOHHHHHHHHHH crap!ReplyDelete
DANG IT haha i was sure they were just friends haha lost that betReplyDelete
omg!!! they are sooo happy i love it !!!!
yay for paris the city of love the brought them together!!!
but i dont think it proves that they are for definate lmao they have to announce it or full blown make out in front of the paps then i will believe it i dont wanna judge them they get it enoough :( :D:D:D
I can't remember if it was in these comments, but someone mentioned her doing the same thing with Taylor (the whole holding his wrist/linking arms with him thing) and I found the picture:
[RE: "If anything, it just looks like kristen is getting very good at slipping him some weed. XD"]
lol that's a possibility.. i was thinking that maybe rob was a bit drunk/high already, and she's just keeping him from bouncing all over the place lol
as for the pix, as much as i (along with most of you) think they're great together, these pix don't prove much. when i see an actual kiss, then let's all make a fuss.
i heart pfach for posting that pic. it was EPIC. :D
oh and i love her outfit too
@Ica, I totally concur with the whole loving her outfit too - especially the boots. :DReplyDelete
To all the people criticizing the Robsten shippers: Why do YOU care? Why not just leave us alone in our own euphoric happiness? It's not like it personally affects your life whatsoever if we choose to believe they are together or not. It's just like the case with all the Twilight haters. It's like, why don't you just let us be? If you don't like it, fine. We get it. Go over there to the corner and bring all your negativity with you. Love is all we have here :D
"Difference is: Robsten know what a scoop like this would do to the world. If they wanted to hide things they don't want the world to know about they shouldn't hold hands.
Yes 'just-good-friends' hold hands all the time.
But 'Friends' who are the hottest stars around and rumoured to be having a secret affair don't hold hands unless caught accidentally...
just sayin'"
@ mysharona: You took the words right out of my mouth
They so belong together. Those pictures just make me smile! Good friends huh...I want a friend like that!ReplyDelete
I hope this story dies down as quickly as it began...seriously. Now it's time to turn the focus back to the movie and less on their personal lives. I really wish the paps would leave these two alone; no matter how much they are harassed Rob and Kristen aren't going to reveal the status of their relationship.ReplyDelete
Uhh, no, I'm not going to give her a break, why should I? She so obviously isn't happy what she has done with Twilight and is more than "ready to move on as a serious actress".. so go ahead, move on, PLEASE.
But here's my thing: she doesn't like what she's doing and is always bashing on Twifans, so why am I as a Twifan gonna be all over her, just because she portrays a character? uhh no? So I'm just going to do what she wants and not admire her for her work in Twilight..
and yeah, now with the promotion of New Moon she's obviously doing her job and promoting the film so she has to interview and say certain things because Summit had a talk with her.. but whatever, people, keep lying to yourselves and continue to adore KStink.
lorabell.... i was really worried about you when i didn't get any tweets 2day but then i noticed you were going to the fan event have a blast.. let us know how it was!!!!!!!!!!!ReplyDelete
My first reaction; I have a few guy friends that Im very close with...but I dont hold their hand. What kind of message does that send? It says, I like you and Im attracted to you. As a friend, that would be awkward.
My second reaction was; lets be rational thinking adults here. Their both extremely close, friends, co-stars...BLAH BLAH BLAH, thats BS! Their so flirting.
Lovin' it. My inner fangirl is squeeing and doing a dance.
OH YEAH! I forgot to say before...look at Rob! He's lit up like a god damn christmas tree. LOL!ReplyDelete
70 plus comments about this. Really??! seriously people?? why does everyone care if they are together or not.ReplyDelete
So, just in general, recently, Kristen's choice of footwear totally pwns me. Those boots are b-e-a-utiful!ReplyDelete
I'm a little to excited about this. :)
Lorabell, HAVE FUN today!!!!!! can't wait to hear about it.
Lorabell!!! where are you?!! how was it?!!ReplyDelete
Until I hear it from them I'll still think they r gud friends so there
i think this picture and the interview have clinched it for me, they are going out. i admit, i'm a 'little' jealous and a 'little' crushed :( but to those who think they are 'just friends'...denial is a river in egypt and i have a bridge in ny that i'd be willing to sell you for, really cheap :)ReplyDelete


text:
Anyone else read or watch this series ?Song of ice and fire: A Game of Thrones, hands down, the best fantasy series being published today, and if it maintains its current brilliance, is a possible contender for best fantasy series of all time.
Think of all those staples of fantasy: the destined hero, the princess who loves the peasant, the wise old magical mentor, powerful wizards, weak hordes of monstrous enemies, dark lords, foretold quests against impossible odds, good guys, bad guys. Okay, you have all that tolkein-esque D&D stuff in your head? Good. Throw it out the window. None of it applies to aSoIaF.
Instead you just have people, the most varied, complex, well realized cast of characters assembled in a fantasy novel, ever. And they all have different things they want to accomplish, lands to conquer, battles to win, overarching schemes so complex they would make Shikamaru shit himself. And the story switches from character to character, varied points of view, so there is no "main character", just a bunch of points of view facing off against each other in bloody conflict.
And what conflict! People die in this. Not in the Tolkein or Jordan type way, when main characters only ever die in moments of heroic sacrifice. Nope. "Good" guys, "bad" guys, all can die at any time, when you least expect it. And they stay dead. And because they're so brilliantly realized, you *care*.
Nobody does political intrigue than George RR Martin, few do action this intense and realistic and exciting, no one does characterization or plotting like he does.
Here are just a few of the characters in the story
Tyrion Lannister - Stunted, ugly, twisted. Brilliant, priveledged. Such is the paradox of Tyrion Lannister. The youngest son of the ruthless, wealthy Noble House of Lannister, he is a dwarf. His misshapen appearance has earned him the scorn of the entire world save his brother Jaime, but his brilliant mind makes him too useful a tool to simply discard. Cynical, ruthless, distrustful, he has committed horrible crimes, but he has managed to maintain a scrap of morality in the face of it all. Of course, in the politics of King's Landing, a scrap of morality is the best way to end up dead, and even Tyrion may not be brilliant enough to think his way out of myriad plots surrounding him.
Jaime Lannister - Tyrion's older brother, twin brother and lover (yes, incest) to Queen Cersei. The youngest kinsguard of all time, one of the most brilliant fighters in the world. Handsome, arrogant, reckless. A killer of children, a savior of maidens, he is every bit as paradoxical and complex as his brother.
Arya Stark - Youngest daughter of House Stark, she rejects the noble way for young girls of embroidery and pretty dresses and balls, instead preferring swordplay which she studies under the swordmaster Syrio Forel. She is thrust into the harsh realities of the world, and the slow transformation from good natured tomboy into cold-blooded killer begs the question: When its all over, will there be anything recognizably human about Arya?
Sandor Clegane - the Hound of House Lannister. A towering, powerful warrior. A cynical killer who lives by the creed "only the strong survive", filled with self-loathing, failed morality and a lust for the next drink, he lives for one purpose: to kill his brother Gregor, who held his face in the fire when he was only 6 years old because he used one of his toys. But killing Gregor will be no easy task, as the 8 ft. tall Gregor is among the most feared men in Westeros.
Daenarys Targaryen - Mother of Dragons, the lone surviving daughter of the former kings of Westeros, House Targaryen, she wanders plains with the nomadic, barbarian Dothraki, seeking to reclaim her throne.
These are just a sampling, and in no way can I do them justice. Just trust me, if you like fantasy at all, you need to read this.


text:
National Profile of Local Health Departments, 2010 (ICPSR 32922)
Principal Investigator(s): Leep, Carolyn J., National Association of County and City Health Officials
Conducted by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), the purpose of this survey of local health departments (LHDs) was to advance and support the development of a database for LHDs to describe and understand their structure, function, and capacities. A core set of questions was submitted to every LHD. In addition, some LHDs received one of two randomly assigned modules of supplemental questions. The core questions covered governance, funding, workforce (staffing levels, occupations employed, top executive education and licensure, and percentages of staff by race and Hispanic origin), LHD activities, and community health assessment and health improvement planning. The surveyed LHD activities include immunization, screening for diseases and conditions, treatment for communicable diseases, maternal and child health, epidemiology and surveillance activities, population-based primary prevention activities, and regulation, inspection and/or licensing activities. Topics covered by Module 1 included quality improvement, familiarity with a voluntary national accreditation program for state and local health departments, sharing of resources with other LHDs, emergency preparedness, and information technology. Module 2 examined human resources, policy-making and advocacy, access to health care services, practice-based research, health impact assessments, public health and law, and use of public health reports.
Access Notes
One or more files in this data collection have special restrictions ; consult the restrictions note to learn more. You can apply online for access to the restricted-use data. A login is required to apply.
As explained in the ICPSR Processing Note in the codebook, some variables are restricted from general dissemination for reasons of confidentiality. Users interested in obtaining the Restricted-Use Version of the Data, which contains both the restricted variables and the variables in the Public-Use Version of the Data (the not restricted variables), must complete an Agreement for the Use of Confidential Data, specify the reasons for the request, and obtain IRB approval or notice of exemption for their research. Apply for access to the Restricted-Use Version of the Data through the ICPSR restricted data contract portal, which can be accessed via the study home page.
To obtain the Public-Use Version of the Data, users must submit a data request form (user agreement) which is provided together with the technical documentation for this study. Submission instructions are included on the form.
Any 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 maintained and distributed by the Health and Medical Care Archive (HMCA). HMCA is the official data archive of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
Study Description
Leep, Carolyn J. National Profile of Local Health Departments, 2010. ICPSR32922-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2012-05-01. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR32922.v1
Persistent URL: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR32922.v1
Export Citation:
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- EndNote XML (EndNote X4.0.1 or higher)
This study was funded by:
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (61911)
- United States Department of Health and Human Services. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U38/HM000449-03)
Scope of Study
Subject Terms: community health, health care services, health departments, health planning, HIV, local government, public health
Geographic Coverage: United States
- 2010
- 2010
Universe: All LHDs in the United States. LHDs were defined as administrative or service units of local or state government concerned with health and carrying some responsibility for the health of a jurisdiction smaller than the state. The study excluded Hawaii and Rhode Island because their state health departments operate on behalf of local public health and have no sub-state units.
This is the sixth National Profile of Local Health Departments conducted by NACCHO. The previous rounds were conducted in 1989-1990, 1992-1993, 1996-1997, 2005, and 2008. ICPSR also houses the 2008 Profile (ICPSR 26962) but not the earlier rounds.
More information about this study can be found on the NACCHO Web site, www.naccho.org.
Sample: The survey attempted to interview all of the LHDs in the United States. Stratified random sampling was used to select the LHDs that were assigned one of the two modules of supplementary questions. Altogether, 1,316 LHDs received the core questions only, 624 the core questions plus Module 1, and 625 the core questions plus Module 2.
Mode of Data Collection: web-based survey
Response Rates: Overall, the study had a response rate of 82 percent: 2,107 of 2,565 LHDs.
Extent of Processing: ICPSR data undergo a confidentiality review and are altered when necessary to limit the risk of disclosure. ICPSR also routinely creates ready-to-go data files along with setups in the major statistical software formats as well as standard codebooks to accompany the data. In addition to these procedures, ICPSR performed the following processing steps for this data collection:
- Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.
Original ICPSR Release: 2012-05-01
- 2014-07-03 The Public-Use Data Agreement has been revised.
- 2012-05-02 A minor change was made to the metadata.
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text:
Already the subject of some sizeable mortgage-related settlements in the past five years, Bank of America announced on Aug 20 that it has agreed to pay the Department of Justice (DOJ) close to $17 billion – the largest civil settlement with a single entity in American history—to settle multiple state and federal investigations into the way it packaged and sold mortgage-backed securities on the run up to the financial crisis. In addition to federal probes, the settlement will end investigation pending from the attorneys general of California, Delaware, Illinois, Kentucky, Maryland and New York.
The settlement ends probes aimed at not only Bank of America but also its Countrywide Financial Corporation and Merrill Lynch subsidiaries. Close to $10 billion of the total will address the various state and federal investigations of the banking group, $5 billion of which will directly address fines levied at the bank under the Financial Institutions Reform, Recovery and Enforcement Act.
Related Stories:
Top 10 most expensive discrimination settlements of 2013
Bank of America settles with Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac for $9.3 billion
Bank of America reaches $500 million settlement with investors
"This historic resolution – the largest such settlement on record – goes far beyond 'the cost of doing business,'" said Attorney General Holder. "Under the terms of this settlement, the bank has agreed to pay $7 billion in relief to struggling homeowners, borrowers and communities affected by the bank's conduct. This is appropriate given the size and scope of the wrongdoing at issue."
That $7 billion will go towards defraying tax liabilities resulting from mortgage modifications, as well as helping customers with forbearance and forgiveness.
In addition to the fines the bank has also agreed to acknowledge a statement of facts, stating that it sold billions in residential mortgage-backed securities while omitting key facts about the quality of the assets to investors. An independent monitoring agency will be assigned to BoA to confirm that the company meets its settlement obligations.
"Bank of America failed to make accurate and complete disclosure to investors and its illegal conduct kept investors in the dark," said Rhea Kemble Dignam, Regional Director of the Securities and Exchange Commission's (SEC) Atlanta Office. "Requiring an admission of wrongdoing as part of Bank of America's agreement to resolve the SEC charges filed today provides an additional level of accountability for its violation of the federal securities laws."
While the settlement does not absolve individual employees from potential civil action, it does end the ongoing risk of litigation for the company.


text:
Dear Sponsors,
On behalf of the Western Slope chapter of The Men Motorcycle Club, we wish to express our appreciation in your participation in this year's Toy Run. This year's toy run once again was a success. Thank you all and we look forward to your support next year.
The Men Motorcycle Club


text:
There are no current guidelines for preventing celiac disease.
However, if your infant is at increased risk for celiac disease, talk to his or her doctor about the best time to introduce foods containing gluten.
Ask your doctor about a screening test for you and your children if celiac disease runs in your family.
Revision Information
- Reviewer: Daus Mahnke, MD
- Review Date: 12/2015 -
- Update Date: 11/23/2015 -


text:
Bloomfield Hills Homes For SaleChange this Search Criteria
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All rights reserved. US Reg. Copyright TX-5-910-991, TX-5-910-992, TX-5-910-993, and TX-5-910-994.
Each RE/MAX® Office is Independently Owned and Operated. Equal Housing Opportunity.


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Wiggle Worms is a 6-week program for Richardson residents, 12 to 36 months old, accompanied
by at least one parent. Walking & wiggling toddlers will be introduced to books and reading using stories, fingerplays, rhymes and music. A valid Library card is required for registration.
REQUIRED REGISTRATION begins Monday, January 6
(Children must be 12 months old by 01/27/14)
Wiggle Worms STARTS Monday, January 27
and ENDS Thursday, March 6
Parents may register their own children
in the Children's Department,
or by calling 972-744-4358.
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text:
Submit News
Former FBI Agent: All Your Communications are Recorded, Government Accessible
Jason Mick
May 6, 2013 11:04 AM
Recipient E-mail
Sender E-mail
"All of that stuff is being captured as we speak whether we know it or like it or not" -- former FBI agent
Are the
U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) and other federal agencies secretly working with telecommunication firms to record your every call for later use, if necessary? That's the alarming possibility that's being raised by supposed leaks from government officials claiming that the investigation of last month's Boston bombing has refocused on phone calls the suspects placed to friends and family prior to the attack.
I. All Digital Communications Belong to Us
Concern intensified when on a segment of
CNN's Out Front with Erin Burnett
, former FBI counterterrorism agent Tim Clemente suggested that the FBI has access to every U.S. citizen's phone conversations past and present.
The exchange went as follows:
Erin Burnett:
Tim, is there any way, obviously, there is a voice mail they can try to get the phone companies to give that up at this point. It's not a voice mail. It's just a conversation. There's no way they actually can find out what happened, right, unless she tells them?
Tim Clemente:
No, there is a way. We certainly have ways in national security investigations to find out exactly what was said in that conversation. It's not necessarily something that the FBI is going to want to present in court, but it may help lead the investigation and/or lead to questioning of her. We certainly can find that out.
So they can actually get that? People are saying, look, that is incredible.
No, welcome to America. All of that stuff is being captured as we speak whether we know it or like it or not.
In other words, according to this former FBI agent and well respected expert, every single conversation made by an American via wired or wireless phone signals is being recorded,
in most cases without a warrant
Further, some are extrapolating his phrasing "no digital communication is secure" -- to suggest that the government and its corporate partners are also intercepting all other forms of communication, such as instant messages, emails, and private forum posts. If accurate, again this interception would be in most cases without warrant.
II. Veterans Charged, Harassed by FBI for Blowing the Whistle
The program in question may trace back to the Pentagon and Nation Security Agencies' "Total Information Awareness" program (TIA), which launched in 2002 following the 9/11 attacks. Officially that project -- whose goal was ostensibly comprehensive warrantless surveillance 24/7 of every American -- was scrapped amid public outcry. But critics say the sweeping, Orwellian, and likely unconstitutional surveillance program was slowly and iteratively installed under more innocent sounding names in years to come.
U.S. National Security Agency
official William (Bill) Binney in late 2001 resigned over the government spending "millions and millions of dollars" on TIA's predecessor "TrailBlazer". He commented on the system, "It's better than anything that the KGB, the Stasi, or the Gestapo and SS ever had."
Mr. Binney was just one of several NSA officials to resign when they realized the scope of what the Bush administration's intelligence agencies were planning. J. Kirk Wiebe and Ed Loomis also left in protest and joined the complaint.
A fellow Trailblazer protester, former NSA agent and U.S. Air Force and Navy Thomas Andrews Drake spent a half-decade between 2000 and 2004 working his way up the command chain filing protests and complaints against Trailblazer. He would eventually leak allegedly non-classified information to reporters after his complaints internally fell on deaf ears.
The FBI have been busy raiding the houses of whistleblowers over the last decade and charging them with ambiguous "crimes". [Image Source: Global Elite]
After decades of honorably serving their country Binney, Drake, and others found themselves under the microscope, having their homes raided by the FBI. In 2010, the government threw virtually every ambiguous charge it could against Mr. Drake, including counts of obstructing justice, making a false state, and computer fraud for "exceeding authorized use" of a computer. Most charges were eventually dropped, but Mr. Drake pled down, pleading guilty to the exceeding authorized use charge.
President Obama has had no tolerance for "snitches" in the intelligence community.
[Image Source: AP]
President Obama's crackdown on whistleblowers has been called unprecedented.
III. Surveillance Continues at Room 641a and Other Secret Locations
in a 2007-era whistleblower-report
supporting a lawsuit filed against the federal government by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an expert witness suggested that the surveillance efforts were alive and well. The witness in a court deposition wrote that the NSA had worked with AT&T, Inc. (
), the second largest wireless carrier in the country on a program to "vacuum up" phone traffic, internet traffic, emails, and more without warrant.
In that report, a retired 22-year AT&T technician, Mark Klein, recalls "that the NSA set up a system that vacuumed up Internet and phone-call data from ordinary Americans with the cooperation of AT&T" and that "contrary to the government's depiction of its surveillance program as aimed at overseas terrorists . . . much of the data sent through AT&T to the NSA was purely domestic."
The alleged interception took place at a shadowy site dubbed "Room 641a" at an AT&T facility in San Francisco, Calif. The room allegedly used splitters to duplicate and record every single communication for the region over fiber optic lines. The facility was reportedly just one of multiple such facilities across the country. Mr. Klein said he believed that virtually every major telecom/internet service provider was involved in the scheme and that virtually every form of digital communication was being recorded, based on his own first-hand experience.
IV. Many Americans Happy to Live in "1984 State" in Exchange for Safety
Many naïvely hoped that under the President Barack Obama who campaigned under the slogan "Hope" that the domestic surveillance would be scaled back. They pointed to a noisy "liberal" minority in Congress, which included
Sen. Ron Wyden
(D-Oreg.) and
Sen. Mark Udall
(D-Colo.) who had often warned that Americans would be "shocked" to know the extent of surveillance (members of Congress cannot share information on such programs, as that would be a crime).
But much like President Bush bucked members of a vocal minority in his party like
Rep. Ron Paul
(R-Tex.), President Obama's policies
seemed to reject these dissenting voices
and embrace
his party's majority view
all human communications must be captured
in the name of fighting terrorism). While President Obama often spoke of the need to "preserve civil liberties', he aggressively pushed to continue and expand Bush-era programs.
President Obama and his predecessor President Bush agree on many things, including that the federal government should be granted unregulated spying on its citizens.
[Image Source: WhiteHouse.gov]
The majority in both parties has embraced the perspective that the need for security trumps civil liberties.
Rep. Paul famously exclaimed on a late night television program, "Democracy isn't all that healthy in this country because if you're in a third party... you don't get in the debates... And if you ever come to the conclusion -- heaven forbid -- that the two parties aren't all that different, then what is left really?"
In 2010 when Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates
briefly banned the use of Blackberries
over Blackberry Ltd.'s (
) refusal to give government regulators access to its encryption codes to customer communications, President Obama condemned the move. But just weeks later his cabinet
demanded access
to all digital communications "including encrypted e-mail transmitters like BlackBerry, social networking Web sites like Facebook and software that allows direct 'peer to peer' messaging like Skype."
eventually caved
to the Arab nations' demands, installing similar surveillance systems as it allows in the U.S.
and India
In other words the consistent theme of the Obama administration's message to foreign governments has seemingly been:
Do as I say, not as I DO
4 out of 10 Americans would give up their Constitutional freedoms for safety from terrorism.
[Source: Conservative Action Alerts]
But that may not hurt the administration as much politically as it would have in the past.
A poll
[PDF] by CNN/TIME/ORC found out that approximately 4 out of 10 Americans would support giving up "some civil liberties" in the name of fighting an ambiguous "terrorism" threat. That number is down just slightly since 9/11/2001, when 6 out of 10 Americans said they would gladly surrender their civil rights for safety.
While many might see merit in such arguments of safety and convenience, it's perhaps best to close with the words of Ben Franklin, who in his notes to the Pennsylvania Assembly famously wrote, "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.
CNN on YouTube
"Spreading the rumors, it's very easy because the people who write about Apple want that story, and you can claim its credible because you spoke to someone at Apple." -- Investment guru Jim Cramer
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text:
Adding itself to the small-but-growing list of ISPs that admit to traffic shaping, Canada-based Bell Sympatico has confessed to using "traffic management" on heavy users "during peak hours."
"We are now using a Internet Traffic Management to restrict accounts," wrote an unnamed forum administrator on Bell Sympatico's support forums. According to the administrator, Bell Sympatico's traffic shaping affects an unmentioned number of applications and protocols, including BitTorrent, Gnutella, Limewire, Kazaa, eDonkey, eMule and WinMX.
A Bell Sympatico Manager chimed in immediately afterwards, explaining that "there continues to be phenomenal growth of consumer Internet traffic throughout the world" and that "Bell is using Internet Traffic Management to ensure we deliver bandwidth fairly to our customers during peak Internet usage."
According to the Manager, the bandwidth cap was introduced sometime last year and "doesn't affect the vast majority of [Bell's] customers." One concerned user asked if the traffic management will be removed as network capacity increases, to which the administrator replied that he "can't answer this question," and noted that it would be decided as the issue arises.
Internet service providers have found themselves under an increasing burden as bandwidth-intensive internet services like online video and file-sharing have proliferated. While the true volume is unknown, many think that 30%-50% of all internet traffic is P2P-related, with a recent survey from traffic-management company Ipoque pushing that number towards an astonishing 90%.
In response to this, many providers have employed a variety of techniques to limit customers who are deemed to be using more than their "fair share," a tactic that has been the subject of much debate as part of the controversy surrounding "network neutrality."
While traffic shaping is by far the most common, a few companies have employed more exotic methods: Comcast is thought to impose an invisible 600 GB bandwidth limit on its "unlimited" internet service, and a recent study conducted by the AP found that the ISP impersonates BitTorrent clients for the purposes of interfering with their connections.


text:
Personal computing discussed
Moderator: JustAnEngineer
BIF wrote:LGA2011 is going to be more expensive than LGA1155. You can save $20 on the processor with promo code "EMCNBJN26" or you can buy the processor and motherboard together to save $35.Opinions thus far?
BIF wrote:It looks like about $520 for 8x8 GiB of PC3-14900 (DDR3-1866, CAS 9, 1.5 V) memory. It'd be $440 if you went with the PC3-12800 kit that I used in my last build or $320 if you went with some PC3-10600 (DDR3-1333).I need help choosing memory. I want 64 GB of RAM; reasonably fast. I see Newegg has prices ranging from $350 upwards to $929. I'd like to keep the memory cost around $350-$400 if possible.
BIF wrote:I haven't seen any current-generation AMD graphics cards that support fewer than three monitors. You'll get one dual-link DVI, one HDMI/single-link DVI and two or three Mini-DisplayPort outputs on most of them. Note that monitors 3, 4 and up must use DisplayPort.The graphics card should be able to support 3 monitors minimum, more is better.
BIF wrote:You've got that backwards. You should hate the monitors that don't support the current standard. Fortunately, the best monitors will include DisplayPort inputs. MiniDisplayPort-to-DVI active adapters are easy to find if you really need to connect an older monitor that lacks DisplayPort input. These two support single-link DVI: StarTech MDP2DVIS or Sapphire 100925. Single-Link DVI is good for up to 1920x1200 @60 Hz.I hate the DisplayPort protocol because it limits my monitor choices.
cheerful hamster wrote:Here is a page full of DAW benchmarks, so you can decide if the 2011 socket is right for you:
Second chart from the top. It hasn't been updated for Ivy Bridge, but they're a little faster than the Sandy.
Do you plan to add DSP cards (e.g. UAD-2)? Have you picked out your audio interface yet?
Compton wrote:I actually built a very similar system recently... with a 3930K and Asus P9X79 WS....
BIF wrote:Yes, I already have one UAD-2 and may add another one sometime in the next 24 months. No rush on that, but if I add one, it'll probably happen before I do another hardware build...so yes, I'll need a couple of PCIe slots to support UAD2, plus one for the graphic card.
BIF wrote:maybe the UAD-2 Apollo with the Thunderbird option.
BIF wrote:maybe the UAD-2 Apollo with the Thunderbird option.
cheerful hamster wrote:I think you mean Thunderbolt, unless you plan on getting drunk. The Apollo rocks, I got one for one of the studios where I work (it's Mac only right now as you probably know, and Apple products don't enter my house), we're all waiting for PC drivers and the TB card.
cheerful hamster wrote:Here is a page full of DAW benchmarks, so you can decide if the 2011 socket is right for you:
Second chart from the top. It hasn't been updated for Ivy Bridge, but they're a little faster than the Sandy.
BIF wrote:Between systems, I don't keep track of CPU model numbers or chipsets.
cheerful hamster wrote:...Taken as a rough guide, a 3930 should be about 5x as powerful as your current system. If you need low latency, clock speed is still king. We're lucky because our application is massively parallel, so when you need FX we can use every last bit of any cores present, so the more cores the better too.
The Sandy Bridge-E platform has four memory channels, which is an advantage if you are a heavy sample user, which you appear to be. Unfortunately, I haven't seen any of the those motherboards being Thunderbolt compatible, that feature debuted with Ivy Bridge, and it's looking doubtful that there will ever be a TB PCIe adapter card. The Ivy platform might suit you better if you're looking seriously at the Apollo. It only has two memory channels though. The top end Ivy would be a little faster than the 2600K on the chart, so it's roughly 4x as powerful as your current system if you don't plan to overclock.
If you're looking more for an opinion, I would advise you to get the system you proposed. It will last you the longest without feeling ridiculously old when it comes time to upgrade again. By then, if you're still interested in the Apollo, I would guess there will be more variants of it available (different channel configs, etc) and the stability will be top notch. The current iteration has some routing quirks, and the TB expansion card is now being listed at $499 (yikes!). Any issues will take a bit of time to shake out.


text:
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text:
all right boys start posting up your favourite Rap, Raggae, R&B, DanceHall, hip hop music. I need some more songs on my ipod haha
all right boys start posting up your favourite Rap, Raggae, R&B, DanceHall, hip hop music. I need some more songs on my ipod haha
Last edited by NoPropsneeded; Sat Jul 28th, 2012 at 03:12 PM.
Posted this first one previously but cot damn it deserves to be reposted:
Flosstradamus. I know.
And now the remix from Baauer (just released):
^^^Mother of all that is holy!!! The aforementioned jizzing.....yeah it just happened.
One more from him:
This is what we call Trap my friends. For the club goers, party lovers get used to it cuz it's the future. The takeover has started.
Thx for the song bro i'll check em out soon.
I heard this the other day. Travis porter has some good songs, but they mostly only rap about girls lol.
Now that we've segregated these things, I'm not sure where Chemical Brothers goes, so I'm just posting it here. This is one of the sickest Movie Videos of All-Time. (note how everything in the video is timed with the music.)
Last edited by Joey; Thu Aug 2nd, 2012 at 10:30 PM.
Toro Y Moi and Flying Lotus colab with some OF guys...sick.
Went to a free concert downtown on wednesday that had Down With Webster, they're a pretty sweet Rock/Rap band.
I'm starting to listen to a few of their songs and it's going good so far.
Here's one I heard before the concert from a DeRozan highlight vid:
And if anyone is gonna point out my sig, I just noticed those lyrics on another song I was listening to
Last edited by theycallmeZZ; Fri Aug 3rd, 2012 at 12:03 PM.
Was at this concert a few nights ago :
I was front row and centre pushed up against the barrier, it was pouring rain ,there was lightning, and all that stuff made the concert better. It was the best concert experience of my life.
Anyone got any great concert experiences they wanna share?
Last edited by NoPropsneeded; Fri Dec 7th, 2012 at 07:43 PM.
i remember this song. Nelly used to be the shit
On replay
Massive remix by our very own TDot brethren Keys N Krates. Trap is where it's at fellas.
.40 cal flakes I'm feeling some trap beats these days, its on the rise but I'm really listening to the new rappers emerging from New York, primarily Brooklyn, BEASTCOAST.
Newish hip hop....
Awesome album from some (I think) German producers... "The Good Life" by JR&PH7
Can't front on the new Kendrick Lamar
Wordsworth "The Photo Album"
Masta Ace & MF Doom (MA DOOM) "Son of Yvonne"
Anything by Tonya Morgan
DL Incognito has a new album out next month I think, my buddy Dirty Sample produced one of the beats
....hit me up with more, but I can't check out links at work
"This just in........ THE RAPTORS ARE AMAZING!"
I love listening to this as i speed down the highway,
gotta watch out fo cops tho!
"If thats what you say bruh"- Russel Westbrook
This is my number 2 when I'm in the car, bass just goes wild
"If thats what you say bruh"- Russel Westbrook
Massive tune! Peep it ya'll. Beautiful female vocals, siick beat.
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text:
Economic impact. Its a buzzword that echoes across the economic development community, spurs support for special events and rally sponsorships among local businesses.
A number of organizations have attempted to calculate the economic impacts of their work including events they host, most for an understandably self-interested purpose: to validate their efforts.
(Organizers) want to show theyre going to benefit the community and that people in the community should support them, said Deborah Walker, an economics professor at Fort Lewis College who oversees many of the economic-impact studies the college produces.
The studies produce a way to measure the value and legitimize the impact of events such as the Iron Horse Bicycle Classic and Taste of Durango beyond the anecdotal, said Bob Kunkel, the citys downtown business development manager and former executive director of the Business Improvement District.
But its a tricky task calculating how much special events such as performances, festivals and parades boost local spending and how the influx of dollars ripples outward to the greater economy.
The anatomy of an economic-impact study
Students and professors at Fort Lewis College have produced numerous economic impact studies of institutions, businesses and events in the region. The college has studied two events in La Plata County, the Durango Independent Film Festival and Ignacio Bike Week. The studies are based on surveys with attendees, vendors and organizers that ask about event-related spending including hotel nights, meals and supplies required to put on the event.
Such spending is then multiplied by a number, determined by the Bureau of Economic Analysis, that reflects how long a dollar spent on the event recirculates in a community within a specific region.
The Bureau of Economic Analysis formulas incorporate data from many different sources, but even those numbers have their limitations. Input-output numbers that reflect how much each industry consumes to produce a product or service are based on 2002 numbers that may not incorporate changes caused by the recession in certain industries, said Zoe Ambargis, regional economist and section chief with the Bureau of Economic Analysis.
Using the multiplier for one-time events also is problematic because the numbers are supposed to reflect industry spending over an entire year, rather than just a few days, Ambargis said. It also makes it difficult for studies to make assumptions about jobs created because the impact is so short-term, said Walker, who oversees most of the event-related impact studies.
Multiplier numbers reflect that a dollar recirculates less in rural areas because the limited amount of goods produced here cause businesses and people to more often look outside the area for necessary supplies and services.
So even if the amount spent is significant, it comes in, quickly recirculates and leaves the community in a relatively short amount of time.
Theres also an inherent chance for inaccuracy when surveys base their data on peoples recollection of things such as spending, said Robert Tino Sonora, economics professor at Fort Lewis College and director of the college Office of Business and Economic Research, which produces impact analysis of companies, the college and special events.
Sparser and smaller populations in the area also limit the sample size for various studies, Sonora said.
In a place like Durango, you dont really get to take advantage of the law of large numbers he said. Thats why micro-level data is problematic. There are idiosyncrasies. Its really nice to have, but it is problematic
Analyzing downtown events
Economic-development studies influence policy and funding decisions on a sliding scale.
The Fort Lewis College Concert Hall is still looking for a way to use the data from a study detailing the economic impact of nonprofit arts and culture organizations and their audiences here, Director Charles Leslie said.
The Durango Area Tourism Office assesses how its marketing efforts translate into media coverage, visits to Durango and engagement with the organizations social- media sites and websites, but doesnt follow that directly to economic impact.
The Business Improvement District also gauges the impact of grants it gives to various organizations for special events. The Business Improvement District requires event organizers to provide a recap of event attendance and estimated economic impact before it hands over the money. The intent is to direct money toward events that attract significant numbers of out-of-town visitors, said John Wells, a BID board member.
While BID does require an event recap report, as a general practice it could be helpful for organizers to do a better job justifying their events to local business owners who are most affected by street closures or tents in front of their stores, Kunkel said.
The improvement district has never tried to add up the total economic impact of the events it helps support, he said.
Neither the city of Durango nor La Plata County has done any in-depth analysis of the economic impact of the various festivals and events that happen throughout the year. Both entities used crowd and media-impact estimations when they decided to pitch in a total of $75,000 to help sponsor the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.
The city of Durango is now performing a comprehensive economic-impact analysis of the event.
County commissioners dont follow a strict, financially based rule to funding decisions, said Karla Distel, county finance director.
It depends on how those studies impact (the commissioners) perception of how (the events or organizations) benefit the community, Distel said. Its just how convincing or compelling your case is to policy makers.


text:
have you been asking yourself these same questions about bosh since allstar break?
where has the passion in his game gone?
wheres his confidence?
why are the notorious oven mitt hands back?
has he been losing some of that much talked about strength and size he gained over the summer?
Im sure im not the only one who has recently been expecting Woody Harrelsons character from the movie zombieland to suddenly jump out of the stands at the ACC and try and knock boshs head off with a shovel....or maybe im just sick like that
if you have been paying attention to bosh the last weeks/month youve probably noticed hes a totally different man than he was before allstar break. His mannerisms, his eyes, and his overall game are reflecting something sadly similar to another great that faded into the sunset in a raptors jersey. He may not be saying the same things as this other great did, but hes sure acting the part.
im convinced something happened at allstar break. i dont know what that something is but whatever it is its effecting the very core of his existence in a raptor uniform. I speculate guys chirping in his ear about playing with them next year, an off-hand comment from family/friends on how silly it would be to stay in Toronto, or maybe something inside him, consciously or unconsciously, changed a belief about his ability to lead a team by himself. I really dont know and its all speculation and mental masturbation.
what is not speculation is weve been dealing with a different bosh ever since. whatever happened that weekend, whether it was an external comment that he took to heart, or whether it was something that came from within, its affecting his play.
Not to go all metaphysical on you but i would even hazard to say that this new heart belief he may have taken on could have played a part in him getting injured. I can hear the jeers now, blasphemy! shit just happens. Well, yes and no. I believe that our hearts can also draw us into self destructing things/circumstances. Im, not saying this is the case here, but im not NOT saying that either. All i know is the spark is not there and thats evidence enough for me that something deeper is going on just beyond bad play and losses.
Did you see the game last night against Denver? Did you see the passion the raptors were playing with? Even mr. pouty pants himself Jarret Jack was jumping around excited and giving happy headlocks to his teammates. Where was bosh in all this passion and excitement? walking around, not looking teammates in the eyes consistently, stoic, sucking basketballs into his blackhole of an offense (please dont tell me that him holding the ball for half the offense set, waiting for the double team, then either passing out, shooting a jumper, or turning the ball over is a good thing.) Yes, he had a few emphatic dunks but they didnt have the swagger of a guy with belief.
Now for the positive part...
This guy has been great for this franchise. Hes worked hard, had a good attitude, and been a player that any raptor fan can be proud of. IF there is really only 11 games left in his career as a raptor, im going to enjoy it for all the things that hes done for the team over the years, and not for what Im experiencing right now. Im still holding all hope and expectation that something is going to change, and that either the enthusiasm from his teammates will effect him, or he will find it within himself to finish this year as the player weve known and grown to love....if he does finish the season that way, i would love more than anything else for him to return to a raptors jersey next year. If not, BC better get smart and think of life after CB4.
So Bosh, if youre out there and listening, believe in yourself, because we believe in you, and start taking it to the MOTHER F#@!$%$ HOLE ALREADY!!!
My name is Tom and I'm a raptors fan, and i still love Chris Bosh... (toms not my real name)


text:
Arctic Monkeys Announce Pomona Show
Arctic Monkeys are pleased to announce they will be performing at the Glass House in Pomona, CA on Wednesday 11th April 2012. Tickets go on sale on Friday 16th March from here. Support comes from The Soft Pack.
18.03.12 5:59 am
im @#$*!ing going to this show....got in line around 830 in the morning for those tickets
17.03.12 5:08 pm
PLEASE add another Glass House show. I was SO looking forward to seeing my favorite band in my favorite concert venue. The scalper jerks are trying to get $500 a ticket on stubhub.
17.03.12 5:34 am
fans deserve an apology, seriously, the band needs to know that not only is this not cool, it's false advertising, probably illegal- @#$*!IN @#$*!ED UP @#$*!
16.03.12 10:53 pm
The place is so small! you guys need a bigger venue! They shouldn't be playing in small venues at all is ridiculous!!!! they are so big here especially in Cali i mean have you seen yourself seriously -______-
16.03.12 9:33 pm
Please add another show in the Los Angeles area around Coachella time! The presale for Pomona stole all my tickets. Please add another show!
16.03.12 9:08 pm
when the @#$*! was even te presale!!!!!! NOT @#$*!ING FAIR
16.03.12 7:53 pm
so hes the one that got the stub hub tickets...... hmmmmmm :S
16.03.12 7:41 pm
You guys need to put more tickets up for this show!!!! i waited all week long for the tickets to go on sale and they're sold out because of pre-sale?? Not cool!! Please put more tickets up!!! So sad its sold out :'(
16.03.12 7:33 pm
Mannnn i was @#$*!ed too cuz i was waiting for march 16th noon since they announced it....butttttttttttt the pomona glass house is so small that its gonna be amazing seeing them there so i had to get me some stub hub tickets,,,2 for 189 i say worth it...love them
16.03.12 7:31 pm
I just spoke to a rep from ticketfly and it turns out that the tickets sold out during pre-sale yesterday. I've been patiently waiting since the day they announced this show and called in sick just to be DISAPPOINTED!!!!! WTF?!
This isn't fair to the real fans of any artist.
This goes out to you stupid *ss ticket sellers....
STOP with the pre-sale!!!! It's not fair...>:O


text:
Researchers believe they have found evidence of liquid salt water on the Red Planet of Mars, with the discovery thanks to the NASA's Phoenix Mars lander.
Several images captured by Phoenix show what appear to be water droplets located on one of the rover's landing struts, which now makes researchers believe there could be liquid water somewhere under the surface of the planet.
"A large number of independent physical and thermodynamical evidence shows that saline water may actually be common on Mars," according to University of Michigan professor Nilton Renno. "Liquid water is an essential ingredient for life. This discovery has important implications to many areas of planetary exploration, including the habitability of Mars."
Renno worded his report very carefully, explaining that the discovery has "important implications," but not outright saying it's proof of water liquid.
Although the temperature in the northern plains of Mars didn't go above minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit while the Phoenix was there for a six-month period in 2008, researchers still believe there could be pockets of water under the surface. The presence of high amounts of salt may have caused the freezing temperature of water on Mars down to minus 90 degrees, which is about 120 degrees colder than Earth's 32 degree freezing temperature for water.
There are numerous spots on Mars that could be salty enough that it's unlikely they'll be able to freeze without the temperature dropping to minus 100 degrees or further, scientists said.
The report is still highly controversial, despite 22 different scientists signing onto the report -- NASA never brought up the discovery, seeing how the evidence may not be enough.
Each discovery of possible signs of liquid water or ice helps researchers hone in on locations space probes and satellites can examine during future missions.