text:
Making My List and Checking It Twice: Editor/Publisher's Column
As is tradition, Credit Union Times' Year in Review issue is when I make predictions for the upcoming year. I predict YIR 2012 will be no different.
In December last year, I wrote that forward-looking credit union leaders (and those with the resources) would grab the reins of Bank Transfer Day and hold on tight; those who chose (I know some were blocked by SEGs or other reasons) to disregard BTD chose to disregard what it is to be part of the credit union movement. The numbers do not lie. The industry overall is experiencing tremendous growth at 2.8% in the 12 months ending in October and 2.4% year-to-date, according to CUNA.
However, not everyone is on the member growth bandwagon, Glatt Consulting uncovered. Credit unions with $50 million or less in assets experienced flat to negative membership growth through 2012. Only the larger credit unions reaped the benefits. Those in the $500 million and larger range had 4.59% membership growth.
CUNA Mutual Chief Economist Dave Colby added that the 100 fastest-growing credit unions accounted for 82% of all the membership growth in the third quarter of 2012. On the other end of the spectrum, 3,241 credit unions, or 46%, reported declines. They make up roughly 15% of the industry's assets.
Certainly some credit unions' strategy is to deepen member engagement, which is very important as well, and growth for its own sake is not a viable strategy either. But any business needs to continue adding new sources of income or it will wither away in the long term. And bringing a new member in with a refi is a no brainer. These new members weren't just depositors. Northwest Resource FCU said its cross-sell figures went from 1.87% to 2.37%, and the average loan balance for new members doubled.
Overall, credit union membership growth will recede to historic levels of 1% or so in 2013, but that will be caused mainly by the balancing between the higher number of smaller credit unions losing a higher percentage of members or merging and the fewer in number larger credit unions continuing record pace membership growth through organic growth and mergers. This is indicative of the greater gap between the haves and have-nots I predicted in my Dec. 18, 2011 column.
Credit union mergers got very interesting in 2012 and not necessarily because of the number (279 credit unions went away this year, primarily due to merger, or 3.8%, in the 12 months ending in October, according to the most CUNA recent statistics), but also because of the combinations made.
In my year-end 2011 column, I noted that Landmark CU was completing its sixth merger of that year, but this year it became the third credit union, second in 2012 after GFA FCU in Gardner, Mass., and United FCU in St. Joseph, Mich. (2011), to merge in banks. I had predicted a "handful" more of these for 2012, so two is close enough for fortune telling. This trickling trend will continue through 2013 as ailing community banks are unable to find appropriate merger partners of the same charter willing to make the offers.
Another interesting case involving a bank is Thrivent, which decided to convert back to a credit union after previously a group of credit unions converted to this bank. Additionally, three credit union conversions to banks have been stalled this year. Technology CU's members voted down a conversion to a bank, and Har-Co FCU's conversion has been stuck in one of the regulatory circles in Hell, as has HarborOne CU's conversion.
Separately, when the $388 million Educational Systems FCU planned to take in the similarly sized and ailing MCT FCU, the new members were originally going to be charged a $35 fee to help the credit union maintain an acceptable capital level. This was an innovative idea and one that I've supported, because as member-owners reap the rewards of their credit unions, so, too, should they share in the costs of bailing it out.
I think 2013 will see similar attempts as the NCUA and ailing credit unions become more desperate to find merger partners that can afford to take them on and have an appropriate cultural and field of membership fit. The credit union will have to make up that money and it will in other ways that likely will get applied to all of the members, which the existing members of the continuing institution wouldn't have to be worried about if no merger had taken place in the first place.
I had also predicted that a larger technology vendor would make its exit from the credit union market, and while we haven't seen a large one in 2012, I still believe it will happen. That's a new prediction for 2013. One defection we did see was the disappearance entirely of Pano Logic, immediately after announcing a big deal with Redstone FCU.
One prediction I did nail was that Carla Decker would not be joining the NCUA board in 2012. Now that she's no longer in the running and Gigi Hyland's seat is vacant, my guess is that the Democrats will wait another year to appoint anyone. First, these things are done in pairs and Michael Fryzel's seat is not up until August 2013. Second, the Democratic president can rest at ease knowing he's still in control of the appointment in another year and give the Democratic appointee the seat to the full six-year term and leave the Republicans with Hyland's seat, which will only have four years left on it.
Finally, the tax exemption is in gravest danger right now. That it was "accidentally" included in legislation was a trial balloon, if a lead one.


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In wake of the Rudy Gay Deal, how does that impact "the plan" moving forward?
The deal is being met with mixed reactions. Media is mostly giving the Raps a low grade for the move since the financial burden of Gay might prevent them from any other meaningful moves. Fans seem split with most likely falling on the in favor side. Many have long coveted a player like Gay (or specifically Gay for some), so they seem this as a turning point. Both sides are correct on that one point, this move will change the fortune of this franchise over the next 10 years, one way or the other.
Looking at this deal from a basketball sense This deal accomplishes one clear goal, it gives the Raptors more talent, something they have desperately been lacking. But like Utah's bloated front-court, the Raps now seem to have a lot of over-lap and redundancy on their roster. Demar Derozan - great athletic slasher who can get to the line. Not a great shooter and is still improving defensively. Rudy Gay - great athletic slasher who can get to the line. Not a great shooter and is an average defender on the wing. While it seems a nice thought to have your two starting wingers be interchangable, that really only works when they both have well rounded games. When neither of your wing players is a floor spacer (good 3 point shooter), you need to get your balance from elsewhere. Factor in that starting Point Guard Kyle Lowry is as much of a slasher as either of the wingers, and you have 3 starters who all want to try and do the same thing. That leaves your front court as floor spacers .If Andrea Bargnani can return to form and provide some shooting, it may work. If the team can somehow still incorporate promising young winger Terrence Ross (the best shooter of their stable of wings), then perhaps they can make it work. Perhaps turning Gay into a small ball 4 with Ross at the 3 would work in the East. Perhaps .
My biggest concern, in a basketball sense, is how this will impact the development of Terrence Ross? Ross has shown good progress this season. He defends well (for a rookie) and has a good shot to go with his athletic drives. While he lacks the explosive athleticism that Demar and Gay have, he makes up for it by having a better refined game in many aspects (shooting and defending primarily). Ross could very well end up being the player that best suits the starting spot. Should the Raptors move Demar to a 6th man role? It might make the most sense in terms of balancing skill sets, but I very much doubt that they would. Demar is about to be paid like a starting talent, moving him to the bench months after giving him a large contract extension seems extremely unlikely.
Ideal line-Up Combo
PG: Lowry
SG: Ross
SF: Gay
PF: Bargnani
C: Valanciunas
Bench (in order of appearance)
SG: Derozan
PF/C: Amir
SG/SF: Anderson
PG: Lucas
SF: Fields
SF: Pietrus
C: Gray
PF: Kleiza
Likely Line-Up Combo
PG Lowry
SG Derozan
SF Gay
PF Bargnani
C Amir
Line-Up Consideration? - Gay is only 5 lbs lighter than Thaddeus Young. Raps to play ultimate small ball? Not Casey's prefered style, but as a coach, you have to adapt the strategy to fit the players you have.
PG: Lowry
SG: Demar
SF: Ross
PF: Gay
C: Val (need someone to rebound but can still keep up with the pace) - Amir in the interim until JV is healthy.
Moving forward, the Raptors need a new PF, a new back-up PG and more shooting. Moving Bargnani is still something fans want, but with the plethora of non-shooting wings on this roster (Demar, Gay, Fields) and shoot first, questions later point guards like Lowry and Lucas, Bargnani's spacing might be a necessary evil to open up those driving lanes. Upgrading Lucas to a more traditional PG who can shoot well would go a long way, but moves going forward will be difficult because
Looking at this deal from a franchise/financial sense The Raptors are capped. Which isn't always a bad thing when your owners have deep pockets, but we aren't Los Angeles or New York. We have now moved two of our best tradable assets (Jose's expiring deal and Ed Davis' productivity on a rookie deal) for 1 player, who may or may not help us on the court at the end of the day. No prospects or picks came in in moving the team's best tradable asset (tradable is the caveat, since we don't want to part with JV who is our best asset). This also begs the question, what was Ed Davis' value on the trade market on his own? For Memphis, he seemed to be the player they wanted (since they needed to find a partner to trade Jose), so if not attached to Jose, would Ed Davis have brought in a package worth considering on its own merit? It also seems to demonstrate the market for Jose. The only teams that wanted him teams looking to dump salary. Would Toronto have accepted a deal of Jose for Prince, Daye and a first round pick? Detroit obviously is trying to clear it's books, but would they have parted with a 1st rounder for a player that MAY be able to push them into the 8th seed now that Boston seems sunk? Is a mid-level pick (14-17 range) worth the financial burden of Tayshaun Prince's deal? Would Prince have been a better fit than Gay on the court?
Gay's deal pays him between $16-$19 million per over the next 3 years. Add in the deals of Fields ($6M), Demar ($9.5M) and Ross ($2.5M), you now have $35 million commited to the wing position. Three of the four are league wide considered over-paid and are potentially untradable. Ross is the only one who could be conceivably moved, but he's also the only one who can shoot the three consistently and could wind up being the best player of the bunch.
Moving Bargnani now seems much more difficult. Without Jose's expiring deal, or Davis' production/potential (or any pick), there isn't a lot the Raptors can package with Bargnani. The potential suitors for Bargnani also shrunk now (no more LA - Gasol talk for one). Perhaps the best move is still Emeka Okafor and a first rounder from Washington, but I would be surprised if the Raps can get that at this point. Bargnani needs to return to the line-up (which will happen) and be productive (which may or may not happen).
Perhaps the biggest question out of all this is how does Casey manage this? The team seemed to be moving in the direction of building a defence first, ground it out team (like Memphis) but the pieces seem better suited for a small ball up-tempo team (like Philly). Is Colangelo moving in both directions at once? Does Colangelo have a plan? Does it involve trading Bargnani asap?
I think we need to amnesty Kleiza and likely trade Anderson at the deadline. Anderson could bring us a quality return and is really the 4th option on the wing now (Ross deserves more minutes to develop). Bringing in another PG or big seems obvious, but the choices are limited. Maybe OKC would give us Maynor for Anderson and Lucas?
In the end, I am still undecided on how this deal will work out. I like Davis, but moving him was likely to happen eventually anyway and if it helps us get a better player, then I'm fine with it. If Casey can find a way to take full advantage of this roster, then perhaps it improves the Raptors long-term. But if Colangelo has added another contract that is untradable, I worry that we are running out of tradable assets. We still do not have a first round pick, despite trading two starters - one on an expiring deal and the other on a rookie deal - typically the best returns. I don't think we can fairly grade the trade until we see what move is next. If no move is next, then I'm likely agreeing with the C- mark giving by both ESPN and CnnSI.
But one thing is clear. Rudy Gay is more talented than the players the Raptors had on their team yesterday. Perhaps that is the only thing that should matter in the end.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Ardesia helps you make colored free-hand annotations on your computer screen, record them, and share them on the network. You can use the tool to make effective on-screen presentations, highlight things, or point out things of interest. It facilitates online presentations and demos, showing in real time your computer screen to anyone in the network. You can use this tool to enhance your lessons or courses. You can create nice tutorials and documentation, saving the desktop images with your free hand annotations. It works with any pointing device. You can draw lines with different strength, select color, erase things, and draw arrows. You can free-hand draw geometrical shapes using the shape recognizer, insert text with the keyboard, and highlight screen areas. You can draw upon the desktop or select an image as a background.
DevContest is a tool for teachers of programming that makes it possible to create programming contests for your students. You prepare tasks, a description of them, an examle of the input and output, and a Python script that generates input and output. Students send their source code to the server and the system decides if they work well..
PRPVis (Probabilistic Roadmap Planner Visualized) is a probability-based method for planning the movements of objects with several degrees of freedom, such as robots. The program PRPVis provides an interactive visualization of the algorithm intended for teaching the algorithm to students.
Showkeys is a simple program to display keys being pressed on the screen. It is useful while making presentations and screencasts. The audience will be able to see the keys being pressed. It is similar to key-mon. Key-mon has more features than showkeys. but the latter solves some specific problems: it doesn't use GTK/GNOME; uses libxosd to display keys directly onto the screen; has no floating windows to that always need to be on top (which is very useful if you're using a tiling WM like Xmonad); and has keystroke history. key-mon has keystroke history, but doesn't show modifiers. showkeys does, using an Emacs style key notation.
Klen-library is a program for creating electronic books. It consists of three modules, for editing books, reading books, and creating tests. It offers password protection of every book and the editing mode. The print function makes it self-sufficient, as it allows creation of books without using third-party text editors. It uses SQLite, so you don't have to install a database server. It can export to the XWB, HTML, TXT, PDF, PostScript, and RTF formats, and can import from XWB, HTML, and TXT.
A "one-click" file sharing Web application.
A Wordpress clone written in GNU Bash.


text:
Boost your Brainpower & improve your memory with Puzzle Games!
Meet and Play with other people from around the world!
Play exciting card, slots, and casino games.
Free and instant access with just 1 click.
The GamingWonderland toolbar offers convenient web search, homepage, and default search. More info.
Mindspark Interactive Network, Inc. is the source of the GamingWonderland™ application


text:
just announced that it will be bumping the maximum quality of its
high definition videos to 1080p, up from the previous 720p.
YouTube software engineer Billy Biggs on the company's blog, "As
resolution of consumer cameras increases, we want to make sure
YouTube is the best home on the Web to showcase your content."
March YouTube began offering HD video for the first time. Much
of its video is captured from mobile devices, such as camera phones,
but even camera phones have now started becoming HD-capable.
One example is Samsung's Instinct HD, available since September.
Packing a 5 megapixel camera, the phone is capable of shooting and
posting HD video.
With the bump to 1080p, YouTube says it will
upgrade videos previously originally sent in 1080p that were
automatically downconverted to 720p. For those who want it,
720p will remain an option, though.
For those with fast
computers and large monitors, the bump to 1080p should provide a nice
noticeable difference in picture quality. Now if YouTube can
only find ways to become
profitable, it would be truly on a roll.


text:
year, Boeing discussed the future of the
"Phantom Ray", a stealthy, unmanned aerial
vehicle. The Phantom Ray was based on the X-45C design
which Boeing produced for the DARPA Joint-Unmanned Combat Air System
(J-UCAS) program.On Monday, Boeing unveiled the
near complete fighter-sized automated craft and announced that plans
to conduct a December test flight and nine more test flights in the
following six months were proceeding quite nicely.Darryl
Davis, president of Boeing Phantom Works cheered, "We are on a
fast track, and first flight is in sight. Phantom Ray is on
schedule to fly in December, about two years after this project
began. This is a tremendous accomplishment for Boeing and the Phantom
Ray team."The Phantom Ray is designed to fulfill a
variety of roles including intelligence, surveillance and
reconnaissance; suppression of enemy air defenses; electronic attack;
strike; and autonomous aerial refueling. Today, unmanned
aerial vehicles (UAVs) are fast becoming a mainstay of the
U.S. Armed Forces in the global arena, but most UAVs currently in
action require extensive piloting. The Phantom Ray, by
contrast, would be mostly autonomous, making its own way to
designated targets and only requiring a human operator to pull the
trigger. The Phantom Ray is also larger than most UAVs
currently in action, and thus should be able to support more diverse
roles or provide more destructive power.Test taxis will take
place this summer. Craig Brown, Phantom Ray program manager for
Boeing, describes the flights that will follow, stating, "The
initial flights will take Phantom Ray through its paces for the
flight test profile. Beyond that, the missions and systems tested
will be determined by future warfighter needs."Boeing
describes its secretive Phantom Works division writing:
Works uses rapid prototyping initiatives to design, develop and build
advanced aircraft and then demonstrate their capabilities.
number of military suppliers were involved with the Phantom Ray.
Among those announced by Boeing include General Electric-Aviation
(propulsion and power distribution), Honeywell (brake system),
Woodward-HRT (flight control actuation system), Crane Hydro-Aire
(brake controls) and Heroux-Devtek (landing gear). The
U.S. Air Force last year gained their first
jet-powered UAV. If the tests of the Phantom Ray go
smoothly, it may decide to soon add its first semi-autonomous stealth
UAV to its stable.


text:
28 Sep 2007, 04:30
posted by PhoneArena Team
Verizon-Verizon+ LG-LG+
It is unfortunate when a new phone does not live up to the previous model that came before it, but this is the case with the VX8350, where the physical design changes are outweighed by negative aspects of the device. There are several key areas that concern us about the VX8350. The first being the poorly designed hinge that flexes whenever the smallest amount of force is placed upon it. This makes us feel that the hinge will not hold up over time with everyday use. The second area of concern is the Reception and Call Quality.


text:
David Mitchell Moving From Open Solutions to COCC
Three weeks after Open Solutions Inc. was sold to Fiserv Inc., one of the Connecticut core processor's lead executives is moving to a longtime customer.
David Mitchell has been named senior vice president and chief partnership officer at COCC, the Avon, Conn., data center that provides its version of Open Solutions' platform to community banks and credit unions as an outsourced option.
Mitchell, a 20-year financial services veteran, had been executive vice president and chief product officer at Open Solutions in Glastonbury, Conn., where he was responsible for new product development and strategy. He also previously had been chief marketing officer there and president/general manager of its e-commerce and strategic products division.
"David will be an incredible asset to COCC and will play a crucial role in promoting the unique qualities of our technology partnerships, their role in guiding our decisions, ensuring our continued growth, and generating fierce loyalty to the COCC brand," said COCC President/CEO Richard Leone.
"I am excited to join the COCC team, with its industry-leading customer service and long-standing record of delivering the full power of today's most advanced technological innovations," Mitchell said in the COCC announcement on Wednesday.
COCC is owned by 124 financial institutions and has a total of 169 clients, including 34 credit unions among the 135 financial institutions using its core processing offering. The company also is an active participant in Open Solutions' DNA add-ons app store.


text: What does your picture hanging in your living room, singing a Beatles song to your friend, or showing off pictures from your latest museum trip have in common? They are all copyright infringements, according the 1976 Copyright Act. The 1976 Copyright Act set forth that all creative works gained copyright protection, without the need for registration. This overly broad legal train wreck has only gotten more confusing with the entrance of modern digital technology. If you post a picture of a concert are you infringing? If you let your friend listen to your phone to hear part of a song at a concert are you infringing? The answer to both questions according to the 1976 Copyright Act is yes; you are obviously infringing, as you paid no royalties to the creator of the creative work (the musician). John Tehranian, a law professor at the University of Utah, estimates that in an average day, he totals as much as $12.45 million USD in liability. He sees his case as the norm, not as an exception, which is the topic of his new research paper (PDF). According to Tehranian, "We are, technically speaking, a nation of infringers." Tehranian illustrates numerous everyday examples. For example, copying the full text of an email for a response is technically a copyright violation against the writer. Tattoos such as Tehranian's bold Captain Caveman emblem on his shoulder are a thorny issue, which seem to infringe on copyrights. Furthermore, Tehranian states, if he were to take off his shirt at the University pool and go for a swim; his tattoo could be deemed a public performance, racking up even more copyright infringement charges. Tehranian has calculated his year liability -- for everything from the birthday song, to his home decorations -- and has rung up his yearly liability bill and just about $4.5 billion USD. Tehranian does not engage in p2p file sharing as some might wonder upon seeing that tidy sum. Tehranian tries to illustrate that the poor legal language of U.S. copyright law makes nearly everyone in the country civil offenders in a sense. He sees the "vast disparity between copyright law and copyright norms" as a mandate for copyright reform. Tehranian raises many valid points. The key issue is whether there is a point to laws with no enforcement or arbitrary enforcement. This is the current state of copyright law. Big business advocates such as the RIAA, MPAA, and IFPI use the Copyright Act and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act for everything from taking down websites, press charges against site owners, deny publication education funding, and to sue people for hundreds of thousands of dollars. The artist Prince now is even trying to use them to take down YouTube, Ebay, and The Pirate Bay. Meanwhile, people everyday commit hundreds to thousands of equivalent violations, entirely unknowingly. The fact of the matter is that U.S. copyright law today remains a mess of ambiguity and shadows, but has allowed for tremendous legal campaigns against U.S. citizens. Perhaps the U.S. needs to let citizens rewrite the copyright law via wiki, as New Zealand recently did for its new law enforcement guidelines. Whatever its form, copyright reform, however seems far away, and until then -- according to Tehranian -- we are one nation united by infringement.


text:
Submit News
Samsung Galaxy S IV Reviews: Better Than Its Predecessor, But Most Prefer HTC One
Jason Mick
April 24, 2013 10:16 AM
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Samsung's flagship device improves in nearly every way, but delivers a tough choice due to its design decisions
Reviews of Samsung Electronics Comp., Ltd.'s (
) highly anticipated flagship phone, the Galaxy S IV, went live today. Let's take a look at the reviews from five of the blogosphere's top sites --
(Brian Klug),
The Verge
(David Pierce),
All Things Digital
(Walt Mossberg),
(Brad Molen), and
(Brent Rose).
So what's the general verdict?
The reviewers generally say that the GSIV is a clear step up from the GS3 in every area, so for Samsung smartphone owners who like their devices, it is a clear choice. Otherwise, the general verdict is that the GSIV's rough edges make it a tossup between it and its chief Android competitor -- the HTC One.
The GSIV has microSD, a replaceable battery, a slightly more powerful processor, and takes better outdoor photos. But the HTC One's camera performs better in low light, its battery life is reportedly slightly better, it has a more minimalist Android skin, and lastly it has a slicker case design.
But before we dig in, let us first recap the phone's specs, which were announced at the company's March 14 soft launch event in New York City, New York. For utility's sake we've tossed in some comparison with some top rival devices:
[Click to enlarge]
Let's now see what the reviewers say.
II. The Reviews
The Verge
(David Pierce)
"Where Apple and HTC have both made beautiful, well-made, high-quality phones, the GS4 has Samsung back in the land of cheap, plasticky handsets."
(Brad Molen)
"If you were a critic of the GS3's plastic construction, you'll be disappointed with its successor -- the company's continuing its long-standing tradition of keeping metal out of the assembly lines, building the frame, back cover and faux-chrome edges with polycarbonate. It's a similar -- though lower-grade and not machined -- type of plastic you'd enjoy on flagships like the Nokia Lumia 920 or even the HTC One X+, so it's nothing out of the ordinary for Samsung."
(Brian Klug)
"This is the iPhone school of thinking — you have an industrial design now that is borderline a trademark, it's selling well, and if you have something that's popular, why change it?
Samsung continues its liberal use of its favorite thermoplastic with SGS4, but... it tries to make its thermoplastic exteriors look like something else...with SGS4 there's now a faux carbon fiber motif going throughout, with a diamond checkerboard pattern that prevails on the front and back.
Much debate has been made around Samsung's continued use of plastic vs. metal in the industrial design of its smartphones and tablets...There's no getting around the fact that other OEMs are bringing increasingly sophisticated materials choices to bear with their designs, and this is an obvious weak point for SGS4.
What has improved dramatically with SGS4 are the buttons, which now are surprisingly awesome."
(Brad Molen)
"The once-dominating force of a Snapdragon S4 chipset is now eclipsed by the Snapdragon 600, and we have a feeling history will repeat itself later this year as soon as the 800 is unleashed into the world. Think about it: out of the six benchmarks above, the GS 4 managed to set records in five of them, with the One (the previous record-breaker) not too far behind."
(Brian Klug)
It's immediately apparent that something is different here because Samsung is shipping the Snapdragon 600 at a higher frequency than any other OEM. The Krait 300 cores in SGS4 can run at up to 1.9GHz vs. 1.7GHz for everyone else.
Digging through the Galaxy S 4 kernel source we see references to an APQ8064AB part...Iwe might be looking at an actual respin of the APQ8064 silicon in APQ8064AB....it's clear to me that the Galaxy S 4 is shipping with something different than everyone else who has a Snapdragon 600 at this point.
(Brian Klug)
"The low level triangle tests all show significant performance gains over the only other Snapdragon 600 based phone we have (HTC One)....The Galaxy S 4 manages to outperform the HTC One by around 17%."
Battery Life
(Brian Klug)
"On WiFi the Galaxy S 4 falls behind the HTC One by an appreciable amount, however there's still an improvement in battery life compared to the Galaxy S 3....Talk time is excellent on the Galaxy S 4, with the phone delivering effectively the same battery life as the HTC One."
All Things Digital
(Walt Mossberg)
"Its removable battery gave me a full day of use."
(Brent Rose)
"In decent lighting, the camera is among the best shooters out there. Images are very sharp and there's a surprising amount of depth of field. Colors are rich, though they border on over-saturation, and video quality is excellent."
(Brian Klug)
"The One's camera delivers better low light performance, while the Galaxy S 4's camera delivers better performance in well lit (e.g. outdoor) scenarios."
(Brad Molen)
"In general, the GS 4 performs amazingly well, but there's a catch: when Air View and Air Gestures were enabled, we noticed the phone acting a little sluggish even in the most basic of tasks."
All Things Digital
(Walt Mossberg)
"I found Samsung's software often gimmicky, duplicative of standard Android apps, or, in some cases, only intermittently functional."
(Brent Rose)
"As we noted in our original hands-on, the S4 comes packed full of "features." There's Air View...There's Air Gestures...there's Smart Scroll...And there's Group Play...
The most important thing you need to know about these features is that you will never use any of them. Ever. Never ever. The end.
Make no mistake. These "features" are nothing more than gimmicks."
All Things Digital
(Walt Mossberg)
"My test model was running on the T-Mobile network and even indicated that it was using super-fast LTE, which T-Mobile is still building out, in some areas. But data download speeds in the D.C. suburbs averaged just 6.96 megabits per second, versus 20.81 mbps for an iPhone 5 running Verizon LTE. The Galaxy S 4 would likely be faster on Verizon in the same location."
(Brad Molen)
"One of the subtlest tweaks to the design in the GS 4 may also be one of the most effective: the Gorilla Glass 3 rests just a hair below the edge of the screen. This tiny move makes the screen a tad less vulnerable than the GS3, which features glass that sits slightly above the edge. This won't guarantee your screen's safety when you drop your phone, but it at least increases the likelihood of it surviving an impact at an angle."
The Verge
(David Pierce)
"The GS4's 5-inch, 1920 x 1080 display is big, beautiful, and seriously eye-catching. The latter is partially a bad thing: the S4 uses a Super AMOLED panel like many of Samsung's phones, and like many of Samsung's phones it displays overly contrasted and vibrant colors. Those colors may not be accurate — reds and oranges absolutely explode off the screen, whether they should or not — but they certainly catch your eye. And with a ridiculous 441 pixels per inch, even the PenTile display matrix I usually loathe causes no problems."
All Things Digital
(Walt Mossberg)
"I urge readers looking for a new Android smartphone to carefully consider the more polished-looking, and quite capable, HTC One, rather than defaulting to the latest Samsung."
(Brian Klug)
"Samsung's existing user base is likely the easiest to talk to about the Galaxy S 4. Compared to any previous Galaxy S device, the SGS4 is a clear step forward in all of the right areas...If you're a happy owner of a Samsung Galaxy S/S2/S3, you'll likely be a happy owner of a Galaxy S 4.
It's when you compare the Galaxy S 4 to its chief technical competitor, the HTC One, that the discussion becomes more complicated. HTC and Samsung take very different approaches to nearly every aspect of their flagship smartphones."
The Verge
(David Pierce)
"There were two Android phones worth buying, the One and the Nexus 4. That number is now very clearly three, but I had hoped against hope that Samsung would emerge the undisputed winner. The Galaxy S4 is a very good phone in most respects — it has a stellar camera and solid battery life, blistering performance and an impressively useful complement of software features. It's a technological achievement — there's no question about that.
You can have the far better-looking phone or you can have the slightly better-performing phone — and you really can't choose wrong. If the GS III is any indication, millions upon millions will choose the GS4. Me? I think design matters. Polish matters. The Galaxy S4 is fast and impressive, but it's also noisy and complex. The One is refined, quiet, comfortable, beautiful, and above all simply pleasant. I love using that phone, in a way I haven't experienced with anything since the iPhone 5. That's why, when my contract is up in June, I'll probably be casting my lot with HTC instead of Samsung."
The Verge
All Things D
"There is a single light of science, and to brighten it anywhere is to brighten it everywhere." -- Isaac Asimov
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CU Direct Connect LLC, a vehicle lending platform and origination funding CUSO, recently signed on two new owners.
The $37 million Community Choice Credit Union in Commerce City, Colo., and the $8.8 million West Denver Community Credit Union in Denver have bought unit shares to become owners in CU Direct Connect, according to the CUSO.
Formed in Colorado in late 2002, CU Direct Connect in Centennial, Colo., provides vehicle lending platform and origination funding support to credit unions and auto dealerships and serves approximately 34 credit unions.
In November, the CUSO announced that it became a preferred lender for all AutoNation dealerships in Colorado.


text:
This letter is being written in support of our two Cortez city council members who voted against the adoption of Ordinance Number 1175, Series 2013, an ordinance amending Chapter 5 of the Cortez City Code to allow for the keeping of domesticated chickens within the city of Cortez. We commend you for representing those citizens who have invested their time and resources in establishing a property they can not only be proud of but that will sustain its value in the years to come. One must consider the long-range consequences this amendment would have on the community. Lowering of property values is foremost in an already depressed area. Potential businesses and professional people contemplating a relocation to this area can certainly be influenced by city zoning (or lack thereof). It seems somewhat ironic that there is a current "beautification" project being launched in tandem with the passage of this ordinance. One step forward, one step back.
Utmost respect and support should be given to those individuals who choose to have poultry in rural areas. The majority of rural properties are located strategically away from infringing upon the right of neighbors. Our grandparents raised chickens for years on their rural property, and we are quite familiar with the inability to keep them contained, the constant attraction of predatory species, and the ever-present stench.
The article in the March 16 Journal indicated the topic had been discussed for months with little or no opposition. It makes one wonder if the citizens of Cortez thought this was beyond reason and would never come to fruition. Little did we know. It was stated in the minutes of the Feb. 16 council meeting that a survey was conducted at Heart and Soul block parties with 42 respondents in favor and 11 opposed. This seems hardly a fair representation of the 8,481 population (2011 Census) in the city proper. Perhaps a more intensive survey should be considered before moving forward.
John and Deanna Bond


text:
The mobile applications for fuel cell technology are slowly
starting to come into focus for Toshiba. The company, which began fuel cell
development four years ago, has demonstrated a working prototype "dock
style" fuel cell which can power a Portege notebook for up to 10 hours.
Toshiba has developed a program which displays to users how
much fuel is remaining in the tank. The company has also taken many precautions
to ease the concerns over the methane being in such close proximity to the
notebook. In addition, Toshiba has made the actual fuel cell unit durable
enough to withstand abuse without leaking. "We've dropped it on its front,
its back, its edges, and we've found it to be extremely strong," said
Tomoaki Arimura of Toshiba's Methanol Fuel Cell Group. But while most of the
reaction to the system has been positive, there have been a few downsides found
in trial testing. From BBC News:
The trials also
highlighted the model's rough edges. The first becomes apparent as soon as it
is switched on. There are small but constant whirring noises and the persistent
sounds of tiny clicks made by the pump and valves. Some people may find such
noises irritating. Feedback from the trials showed that some thought the shape
and size of the refills inconvenient.
Toshiba is also working on a "flat-bed" fuel cell which
sits under the notebook. The company showed a pre-commercial prototype at CES.
Advances have to be made in miniaturization of the fuel pump, valves and other
components to make this style of fuel cell viable. The company wants to
eventually shrink the components down to the point where they could actually
fit within the body of the notebook.


text:
Responsive Design and the State of the Web
In the past 12 years, there have been several milestones that have helped to define the Web as we know it today. Whether it was the onset of standards compliant coding practices, the since forgotten "Web 2.0", or the rapid growth of social media, there has not been any change that has had as much impact as the recent rapid adoption of the mobile Web.
Statistics are abundant, and there is no denying that mobile devices are rapidly becoming the primary group of devices accessing the Internet.
Today's Web users are users of many devices and operating systems. We can no longer predict what those are with much certainty. We can no longer know that our target audience uses one of two or three Web browsers at absolute screen sizes.
Today our websites are being viewed on large computer monitors, small laptop screens, tablets and smart-phones of various sizes, televisions, and whatever else is coming down the technology pipeline.
When we use the word "mobile" today, we are really talking about a lot of (also unpredictable) use cases. A few years ago when we said "mobile website," we were talking about something that was designed for people on the go with a phone in their hand trying to look up a flight or find an ATM machine.
We were talking about an interface mostly consisting of large navigation buttons that ultimately drilled you down to some content, but much of the time sent you back to the "full site" because the trimmed down mobile site did not have all the same content or features as the main website.
Today, mobile users are simply Web users. They are using their multiple devices in many different contexts and locations to access the websites they know and use frequently. At home, at work, on the couch, at their desk, on a trip or in their backyard.
Users expect to be able to access your website's content with whatever device they have, whenever they want, wherever they are and they hope for all of your content within a consistent presentation in all cases. Most credit union websites do not meet these user demands.
These use cases and multiple devices are what define the next credit union website, because your users are not using consistent technology in only a few scenarios to interact with you.
Additionally, maintaining multiple websites for multiple platforms is unrealistic, and based on the typical resources available is not the appropriate solution for credit unions.
Embracing the Mobile Web with One Site
We've learned a lot over the past few years as tablets and smartphone usage has skyrocketed. We've learned the wrong way to reach mobile users, and we've discovered the right ways.
The first wave of mobile solutions for the Web typically created a mobile specific website with a subset of content from the main site and redirected users to that mobile site through device detection.
What we've learned is that does not work well. It does not work because the first thing we do when implementing a mobile specific site is we make assumptions about what our site visitors want to see and do when they are using specific devices.
For a credit union, the needs of users don't change drastically from one device to the next. Site users still want product and rate information on their phone, they still want to find an ATM on their desktop.
What changes is not the type of content being sought, but the viewing experience. If we can assume our users will only need product, location and contact information on their mobile device, why is any other information important for the desktop user?
Instead of segregating users, why not trim down our content and functions to the bare core and present them in an extremely digestible manner for everyone, regardless of their device?
Responding to Our Users' Demands
The right way to reach our mobile users became blatantly obvious with the introduction of Responsive Web Design. Simply put, responsive design allows us to create one interface design that adapts to multiple screen sizes.
The core of this method is accomplished using CSS Media Queries in conjunction with fluid, grid-based layouts. Responsive Web Design is the ticket to a Web presence that relies on one website with one content base to reach users on all devices. With it, there is no need to maintain multiple Web designs with two or three sets of content.
Responsive gives us a wonderful solution for a single website layout that changes based on the screen it's being viewed on, but there are many other aspects to mobile optimized websites.
In addition to screen size, we place a lot of emphasis on site performance, dynamic image resizing (so we don't send large images to small screens), navigation models, and the most crucial element for credit union staff... content strategy.
What is Content Strategy?
In its simplest form, content strategy is having some kind of structure around how you create, edit, publish and present content as an organization.
On typical websites of the past (especially credit union websites) content strategy was mostly based on figuring out what you had to say about your products and services and how many pages you needed to drop all the text and images on.
As long as the design of the site looked good and there was a good navigation model and site architecture, all the pages were going to look good and serve their purpose, so we were safe.
Now add designing for mobile with Responsive Web Design to that equation, and content strategy and site architecture become much more important.
Why? Because the more consistent we are about how we present our content to our users, the more likely we are to engage them on multiple platforms. Consistency requires structure, and structure is created through a content strategy.
Now that we are allowing ourselves to be flexible and responsive to our audience, we ideally are doing so via an online presentation that employs a segregated content infrastructure.
What this means is that each piece of our content is required to not only be independent and very well organized, but flexible, concise and with limited formatting upon publishing.
This not only has usability and search engine optimization benefits, but it allows us to strictly define a consistent presentation for a wide range of screen sizes and audiences without requiring the content authors to have to worry about design style, layout, alignment, type formatting or static data entry.
In fact, we can't allow the content authors to have to worry about any presentation beyond simple formatting because if we do, we are fighting with the presentation framework we have implemented to provide consistency among our own variations.
Consistency is the most valuable aspect of presentation on a website. Finally we are moving to a Web that requires consistency, but it also opens up the possibilities for being more flexible than ever before.
The flexibility necessary to accommodate any user is what defines the next credit union website. This can be achieved by implementing a website that uses Responsive Web Design combined with mobile optimization methods and a strong content strategy.
The truth is that we don't know what the next thing to shape the Web will be, but we do know that the current environment is being driven by users of many varied devices.
Catering to those users should be done with one website that has one set of content. The rest should be left up to the implementation of your credit union's next website.
Jason Powell is design director at L9 in Barre, Vt.


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|Tableware & Serving
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Home > Personalized Baby Shower Bottle Openers - Silver (Printed Epoxy Label) (Lavender, Baby Blocks)
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text:
Pico is a fast, full featured mobile application for any Java (J2ME) or Symbian cellphone. Including full HTML Web browsing, feature-rich email, multimedia-enabled SMS, and an RSS feed reader, Pico combines all the rich functionality of PicoWeb, PicoMail, PicoSMS, and PicoRSS into a single application.
HordeZpush provides ActiveSync synchronisation between smartphones, PDAs, and Horde groupware. It is based on the Zpush project and adds backends that synchronize contacts and calendars with Horde. It has been tested with Horde 3.3.5, Kronolith 2.3.2, Turba 2.3.2, and Z-Push 1.2.1.
Address Book Server allows you to share your contacts and calendar events with others connected to your network or over the Internet. Each participant synchronizes their contacts with the server hosted on your own system. Address Book Server supports the full Address Book and iCal schema. The server also provides a friendly Web interface and an iPhone client which let you access your contact details remotely.
Tools for packaging RDF data in the AWD cloud.
Talks to your 8-bit Apple computer over serial, ethernet, or audio links.


text:
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There aren't any tickets listed right now for WWE: NXT Live at Pine Belt Arena in Toms River, NJ on Friday, January 26, 2018. Sign up for an alert, and we'll let you know when tickets are available!
Note: We will NOT share your email address with any third-party vendors. For more details, see the link to our Privacy Policy in the site footer.


text:
The Toronto Raptors will be without injured point guard Kyle Lowry and forward Landry Fields, but the Raptors will get swingman Linas Kleiza (personal) back against the 76ers.
Lowry left Tuesday's loss to Oklahoma City with a sprained right ankle and also missed Wednesday's game in Dallas. Fields has a tender right wrist and saw a specialist this week. He's to have a second opinion next week.
Coach Casey mentioned there would be changes in the lineup. With guys being injured that is the case anyway, but what further changes with players available do you expect for tonight? Will Casey bench JV and start Amir or Gray at center, will we see Kleiza start at the 3 or will it be Andersen? Would Casey ever dare to start JV and Amir/Ed and let Bargnani come off the bench, even if it was for one game only?
Please discuss. Should be interesting to see how coach will use our guys tonight...


text:
Public Domain: This image is in the public domain and thus free of any copyright restrictions. However, as is the norm in scientific publishing and as a matter of courtesy, any user should credit the content provider for any public or private use of this image whenever possible. Learn more
*CIL – Cell Image Library accession number. Please use this to reference an image.


text:
Collectors Combine: ARA, NFA Create New Trade Group, Co-Op
The American Recovery Association and National Finance Adjusters have recently merged into one trade association.
The new trade association will move forward under the name of the American Recovery Association.
As part of the comprehensive merger agreement, American Recovery Management Solutions joined with Relliance Inc. to form the largest industry-owned forwarding and facilitation cooperative in the U.S., the organizations said.
The co-op will be named National Finance Adjusters.
The new trade association, ARA, said it will focus on compliance training and monitoring, education and training through certification programs, legal representation and lobbying, promotion of member and lender direct relationships, networking, and a captive insurance program.
ARA members specialize in locating and repossessing collateral on behalf of lending institutions including banks, savings institutions, finance companies, credit unions, rental/leasing companies and auto, truck and equipment dealers.
NFA, the co-op, said it will focus on offering the lenders a viable alternative to the standard forwarding model, while regaining market share lost to the national forwarding companies.
In addition to a centralized assignment, communication and accounting, and risk mitigation, lenders will have the option of communicating directly with the agent if they choose.
NFA is structured as a business cooperative, which means that it's owned and managed by a professional group of independently owned recovery and remarketing firms, aligned to build a quality-based option to current forwarding companies.
The home office of the newly formed ARA will remain in Dallas and the corporate office of the co-op will be located in Scottsdale, Ariz. Membership into ARA will be required to join the NFA co-op, the organizations said.


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Never boo a single player at home on your team...no matter. Boo the team if they are dogging it. Imagine what players on the visiting team think? Would they like to come play in/for TO before such fans?
Never boo a single player at home on your team...no matter. Boo the team if they are dogging it. Imagine what players on the visiting team think? Would they like to come play in/for TO before such fans?
Well I always get a little weary of people who tell me how we should behave and what normal is.
Like I said earlier, the best solution to this is to go buy a ticket and do as you please, and tell all your right thinking friends to do the same.
I personally like the fact I can go to other venues and cheer for my team and boo for the home team. I don't feel I need to show my drivers license or residency to be called a douche. I would hope peoples scope of what we can and cant' do is a little wider.
Andrea + AA for ridnour, D will, and Lou admunson get er done
Last edited by NoPropsneeded; Thu Feb 7th, 2013 at 11:40 AM.
Plus you really never know why people are there for the game to begin with. Could be that they're fans of the team, could be that they go there just to see a single player they've been following for years. Maybe they're dating one of the cheerleaders. Could be that they're stressed at work and chose a game to attend that they thought the Raptors had a good chance to win. Maybe they're on a date because they had intimacy issues and were afraid to take the girl out for dinner. Maybe they got stood up. Maybe they got stuck with a ticket during a Christmas gift exchange, tried their best to sell it and then decided to hell with it and attended the game. Maybe they're hockey fans who got stuck with some Raptors tickets when they bought a package of Leafs tickets.
Whatever the reason, each and every attendee has got a mind of their own with different motives for being at the game.
I think the key to take from this is whether or not it was a single fan booing Bargnani, or a whole bunch of them. I remember going to game where it was Raptors vs Orlando, we started falling behind (by a lot) and the fans started to do the F-U-V-C chant. Vince Carter was a New Jersey Net at the time. Was it stupid? Of course, but what are you gonna do? Personally, I joined in --- because it's fun.
your pal,
Your right. We need a big defensive PF ASAP
I dont get why people are high on D Will but who knows he was a second overall pick maybe he just needs a chance and new place to show what he can do, the trade is for getting rid of Bargs and getting a PG that can help us out and hopefully not shoot us in the foot when we got a lead.
MT wants to get rid of D Will and they will part with Ridnour or Barera to do it, but D Will claims he is playing out of position all his career so he cant establish his game.
I always thought of Williams as a solid SF prospect (but lacking the size/bulk to play PF). But now that we have Gay (and Ross behind him), what would we do with Williams?
Perhaps this rumor needs its own thread (if it picks up steam), so the "Everything Bargnani" thread doesn't get hijacked (in an ironic twist) with talk about potential subsequent moves.
Dates at raptor games have always worked out well for me, costly, but more fun than other dates, but then I may not be the best judge
[Girl]: "Sooooo, tell me about yourself"
[BasketballCrush]: "Hold that thought....I'll get back to you at halftime. YOU SUCK BARGNANI!!!"
Whenever I'm walking around the house in my underwear my wife points to a window without blinds and says people can see me. I don't understand this, because people are not (or at least I hope they are not) staring out their window into my house hoping to catch a glimpse of me in my underwear. People have better things to do (I hope).
"Honey, that guy across the street is walking around in his underwear again. Quick, you get the video camera and I'll call the police!"
Another reason to boo Bargnani at a game: Maybe they were huge fans of Ed Davis. Every time Bargnani doesn't grab a rebound, they'll be thinking about Ed Davis and that sucks.
your pal,
I was at the game with a couple buddies of mine. THey started booing Bargs when he came in and did the whole Primo taunting thing. I felt it was a dick move, especially since the guy is coming back from an injury he sustained playing for OUR team. If people want Bargs to play better, booing him isn't going to help.
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text:
its slumping smartphone business, Microsoft is reaching out to
competitors to try to salvage the key assets of its mobile platform,
namely mobile version of its Bing search engine. Microsoft is
reportedly in advanced
talks with iPhone maker and longtime rival Apple to make
Microsoft's Bing the default search engine for the iPhone.
talks have reportedly been ongoing for two weeks now. The pair
would make strange bedfellows, surely, but they could form a
formidable alliance to stand against Google's ever
expanding legion of Android handsets. And since Apple has
no major search business unit of its own, the move makes sense from a
purely financial standpoint for both parties.
One of the
sources who leaked the news comments, "Apple and Google know the
other is their primary enemy. Microsoft is now a pawn in that
The deal would reportedly switch the iPhone's
default search from Google to Bing and would involve a partnerships
to serve ads to iPhone users. Currently, only Yahoo and Google
are offered as choices for the default search.
reportedly pays Apple a flat annual fee to make its search engine the
default. Microsoft may be offering a larger bid, or perhaps a
cut of advertising revenue to sweeten the deal. Microsoft needs
the business -- currently Bing sits at a mere 11 percent of
November's smartphone search traffic, with Google controlling 86
percent. As Forrester Research analyst James McQuivey states,
"If you have to do a deal with the devil, you might as well deal
with the devil that needs you most."


text:
Onsite Coverage: Concerns Over Affordable Care Act Grips Session Q&A
LAS VEGAS — With questions ranging from whether it's still too late to throw out the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act to just how much of the coverage costs will be passed on to employees, a breakout session at NACUSO's annual conference Wednesday brought forth confusion, concern and hints of frustration and anger on how implementation will impact credit unions.
Michael Brillati, president/CEO of The SALUS Group Benefits, and John Harris, president/CEO of CU Insurance Alliance LLC, shared detailed presentations on the incremental implementation of the Affordable Care Act.
More NACUSO Coverage:
- Walking Away With Awards
- NFL Legend Joe Montana Talks Teamwork
- Debate Over Who's in Charge of MBL Diligence
- First 'Next Big Idea' Winner Named
- The Sales Lion Walks and Talks
However, it was the riveting question-and-answer period at the end of the session that revealed how some credit unions and CUSOs are either unsure or against how much the wide-sweeping health insurance coverage initiative will affect the bottom line.
One attendee at the session in the Las Vegas Encore, a retired utility employee who works at a credit union in New York, expressed concerns and some anger over passing the costs to employees who may not be able to afford health insurance under PPACA.
Another wondered if it was too late to throw the act – popularly known as Obamacare –out altogether. The Affordable Care Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama on March 23, 2010.
It was noted during the session that the "general public as a whole thinks this is going to cover all of their expenses" but that's not the case, said one of the attendees.
"The changes are actually increasing the costs," said another session participant.
One of the burning questions that garnered more than a handful of nods in the rooms was "how are we going to make money off of this." One of the session's presenters said there is still some confusion over that because "nothing has really been published on it."


text:
Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study, 2001 (ICPSR 4291)
Principal Investigator(s): Wechsler, Henry, Harvard School of Public Health
The Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study (CAS), a multi-round survey that interviewed students in four-year colleges, examined key issues in alcohol abuse and other high risk behaviors among college students, including the relationship of state alcohol control measures and college policies to alcohol use and the role of fraternities and sororities, easy access to alcohol, and low alcohol prices. As in the previous rounds of CAS, which were conducted in 1993 (ICPSR 6577), 1997 (ICPSR 3163), and 1999 (ICPSR 3818), this round collected information on students' use of alcohol, tobacco, and illicit drugs, views on campus alcohol policies and student alcohol use, reasons for drinking alcohol and reasons for not drinking or limiting drinking, and personal difficulties caused by drinking problems (e.g., missed classes and trouble with police). Additional topics covered by the survey include overall health status, daily activities, satisfaction with education being received, grade-point average, living arrangements, social life, sexual activity (heterosexual, homosexual, and bisexual), use of condoms during sexual intercourse, rape, and drunk driving. Background variables include age, height, weight, sex, marital status, religion, mother's and father's education, mother's and father's drinking habits, race, and Hispanic origin.
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, variables COLL_ID (college identifier), SERIAL (sequence number within college), STUDY_ID (unique respondent identifier), and G12B (high school state) are restricted from general dissemination for reasons of confidentiality. Users interested in obtaining these data 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 these data through the ICPSR restricted data contract portal, which can be accessed via the study home page.
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.
ASCII + SAS Setup SPSS Setup Stata Setup
Study Description
Wechsler, Henry. Harvard School of Public Health College Alcohol Study, 2001. ICPSR04291-v2. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 2008-02-05. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR04291.v2
Persistent URL: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR04291.v2
Export Citation:
- RIS (generic format for RefWorks, EndNote, etc.)
- EndNote XML (EndNote X4.0.1 or higher)
This study was funded by:
- Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (35965)
Scope of Study
Subject Terms: academic achievement, alcohol abuse, alcohol consumption, college students, drinking behavior, drug abuse, health status, sexual behavior, smoking, social life, tobacco use, treatment programs
Geographic Coverage: United States
- 2001
- 2001
Universe: Full-time undergraduate students enrolled in four-year colleges or universities in the United States.
Generated by the SAS CPORT procedure, the SAS transport file comprises the data and a formats catalog with the value labels.
ICPSR did not receive code descriptions for variable COLL_ID (college identifier). Consequently, individual colleges cannot be identified by name with this variable.
ICPSR rearranged the cases in random order in the public-use data file.
Sample: Random sample of students using probability proportionate to size sampling of colleges and universities. The data comprise responses from 119 schools.
Original ICPSR Release: 2005-08-08
- 2008-02-05 ICPSR produced SPSS and Stata setups and a Stata version of the data which were added to the collection.
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- List all ~65 citations associated with this study
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Export Study-level metadata (does not include variable-level metadata)
If you're looking for collection-level metadata rather than an individual metadata record, please visit our Metadata Records page.


text:
Mexico's energy opening faces test in deepwater oil auction
Executive resigns from U.S. firm accused of $1.2 billion Ponzi scheme
Fed's Quarles says regulators have begun work to 'streamline' Volcker Rule
Judge tosses GM settlement on ignition switch
U.S. health agency revokes Obama-era Planned Parenthood protection
Trump to tout U.S. economy, urge fair trade at elite Davos forum
Supreme Court takes up fight over Trump travel ban
Oil falls 1 percent amid growing U.S. crude output concerns
Fed's Williams, citing tailwinds, says U.S. economy well-situated
Trump Vows to Campaign Intensively for Republicans, May Avoid PrimariesBy James Oliphant, Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that he plans to devote much of his time this year to helping Republicans maintain control of the U.S. Congress, but suggested he may...
Trump Tries to Sell Tax Reform to DemocratsBy David Morgan, Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump intensified his efforts to sell Democrats on his tax reform plan on Wednesday even as Senate Republicans edged closer to passing a budget measure that...
Trump's drug czar nominee withdraws from considerationBy Sarah N. Lynch and Makini Brice, Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. lawmaker who was President Donald Trump's pick for drug czar withdrew on Tuesday after a report he spearheaded a bill that hurt the government's ability to crack down...
Senate Republicans Gain Crucial Support for Budget Vital to Tax ReformBy David Morgan, Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Senate Republicans on Monday gained crucial support for a vote on a budget resolution that is vital to President Donald Trump's hopes of signing sweeping tax reform...
U.S. consumer finance agency expected to punish Equifax: lawyersBy Reuters and Patrick Rucker
By Lisa Lambert and Patrick Rucker WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. consumer finance watchdog agency is expected to punish Equifax for its cyber breach with the wide-ranging powers it has used with...
U.S. incomes, poverty rate bounce back to pre-recession levels in 2016By Reuters
By Susan Heavey WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. poverty rate fell for the second straight year in 2016 while median income rose to an all-time high of $59,000 as the economy made up ground lost...
No Talk of Ousting Speaker Ryan, Key Conservative SaysBy Reuters
Many Republicans are unhappy with the deal President Donald Trump reached last week with Democratic leaders to raise the government's debt ceiling and allow it to continue financing federal spending...
Congress sends Trump disaster aid, debt limit increaseBy Richard Cowan and Amanda Becker, Reuters
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. House of Representatives approved a bill to provide disaster aid, extend the debt ceiling and fund the federal government for three months on Friday, delivering on...
Robert Samuelson: Why Trump's Tax Reform Won't Work
It's hard to imagine that tax reform is No. 1 on the Republicans' to-do list when they still don't have a 2018 budget. Worse, they still haven't agreed to raise the debt ceiling, as the federal...
Why a Government Shutdown Is More Likely in December Than October
President Trump may be willing to shut down the government to get Congress to pay for his border wall with Mexico, but that fiscal fight may not happen until December. When Congress returns after...
Gary Cohn: Here's What We Want From Tax ReformBy Michael Rainey
Gary Cohn, President Trump's top economic adviser, told the Financial Times Friday that the White House will begin a sustained push on tax reform starting next week. The president will hit the road...
The GOP Has One Last Health Care Plan. It Would Also Cause Millions to Lose CoverageBy Michael Rainey
Now that Republicans have failed to pass multiple versions of health care bills to repeal and replace Obamacare, or just repeal it, there's only one GOP health care bill left floating around: one...
Moody's Defines Debt Payment Risk for US Credit RatingBy Richard Leong, Reuters
Moody's Investors Service said on Thursday it would consider stripping the United States of its top-notch rating in the event of a default, not over late or skipped payments on non-debt obligations,...
Progressive Group Offers a New Guide to Tax ReformBy Michael Rainey
The Center for American Progress just launched its own guide to tax reform, joining other left-leaning groups as they gear up for a tax reform battle this fall.
Wild About Tax Cuts, Wall Street Forgets Its Deficit Worries
Max Abelson at Bloomberg Businessweek details how the titans of Wall Street and others in finance — think Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, JPMorgan Chase's Jamie Dimon, Bank of America's Brian...
Policy + Politics Directory
- (-) Remove The Medicare NewsGroup filter The Medicare NewsGroup


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One of the loudest voices in
the newspaper world is News Corp's Rupert Murdoch. Murdoch said
Wednesday that, "We intend to charge for all our news websites.
We will go down in journalism history as either the seminal moment
when the industry came back from the internet abyss or this century's
version of into the valley of death, rode the six hundred."
says that the entity that is able to find a new
method of recouping the cost of producing content will not only
see its own profits soar, but will allow the entire industry to
profit as well.
Murdoch said, "The digital revolution has
opened up many new and inexpensive methods of distribution but it has
NOT made content free."
The Examiner reports that
Murdoch is not looking for a White House commission or changes in
copyright law to rescue the ailing print publication industry. It
seems that Murdoch has a decent base to build a new business model
on. He points out that since his company bought the Wall Street
Journal, the publication has expanded both print and online
subscriptions, showing that there is still an audience that is
willing to pay for content.
The WSJ is the only U.S.
paper according to Murdoch that has been able to grow online and
print business during the recession. Murdoch is looking to more than
simply charging people to read online content as a way to boost
profits. He said, "Right now we're working with software,
hardware, and other publishers within the industry to develop a model
that works for consumer. Beyond the economics, it is crucial we
maintain a direct relationship with our customers."
of this plan is the introduction of an eReader that could possibly be
sold along with a subscription based on contract of a specific length
in a similar fashion to how mobile phones are sold. The idea of
charging for content isn't a new thought for Murdoch; he has called
for all newspapers
to charge for content before. There are twinges of Murdoch trying
to make nice with readers though, perhaps he took Google's Eric
Schmidt's advice when Schmidt
said don't "piss off" readers.


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Just throwing it out there, but was thinking if the possible sale of the Sacramento Kings to the Seattle based owners goes through they may follow a common path of stripping their team down to a bare minimum. I beleive this is usually done in order for the new owners to take on the least amount of salary obligations, give them the best shot at a foundational draft peice to build around in the subsequent draft (in this case wiggins), and allow them to start fresh with their own picks, free agents etc.. Teams usually try and acquire as many small contracts and draft picks as possible so this should mean a fire sale for the Kings.
Really the only things the Raptors could offer them which would be of any interest are players on rookie scale contracts, $$ and our first round pick in the 2014 draft. Since we will very likely have no shot at Wiggins it might be someting the Raptors look to offer Sacramento in exchange for some talent. Though Cousins is a talent I personally wouldn't want any part of him, but if the Raptors were to trade one of Amir or Ed Davis in the proposed trade for Rudy Gay and if AB is indeed a "lock" to be traded or amnestied then we would be a bit short handed at PF.
I was really high on Thomas Robinson going into last years draft and though he has not played up to expectations I'm still super high on him. He has a great motor, was an incredible leader in college, hard worker and has a passion for winning. Any thoughts on trading our 2014 first round pick for T-Rob or for that matter is there any other player on the Kings roster which you think might be worth trading for?


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NOTICE TO OURREADERS Read more
Lodi High School senior Jesus Muniz captured the third-place title for the Drum Major Award at the Franklin Band Review.
Samantha Booth
"Many things will matter to me when I'm 90, like my grandchildren and when my social security check will be coming in the mail, but most importantly, what I'm leaving behind."
Brady Wells
"That I lived my life well and that I am happy."
Edwin Pacheco
"Knowing that I have affected someone's life and motivated them to influence and help others."
We rely on the input of the community. If you are a teen or interested in teen issues, you can help us with the following regular features on Lodinews.com and in the Lodi News-Sentinel. Email Stephanie Hiatt at firstname.lastname@example.com or call 209-369-2761.
KEWL Kids: Kids doing exceptional and worthwhile things in and around Lodi. Know a student who is making Lodi a better or more interesting place to be? Let us know!
Parents 2 Teens: An opportunity for parents to get a fresh perspective from our Teens 2 Teens advisers. Email your questions and see what responsible teenagers have to say about your problem or situation.
School Scoop: Are you a parent or teacher who has something wonderful or unique going on at your child's school? Write about it and let Lodi know about your great school.
Reading news can encourage positive attitudes toward reading, improving English skills, and providing young people an opportunity to be better informed, proactive citizens in your community.
CASE NO. STK-CV-UNC-2018-351ORDER TO SHOW CAUSEFOR CHANGE… Read more
© Copyright 2018, Lodinews.com, Lodi, CA. Powered by Blox CMS from TownNews.com.


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Daybeds & Lounges
A chaise lounge means "long chair" in French, and usually has a nonexistent or low back. Day beds are generally larger. Whether you are outfitting a reading nook or adding extra seating capability indoors or out, this functional furniture is an investment in relaxation. We carry modern, sleek, and plush models in bold colored fabrics, and traditional wooden frames with cushions in subdued patterns to suit every taste.


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Holding company NTP is quickly cementing
its reputation as a patent troll. NTP is now suing U.S. wireless carriers
Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel -- claiming that each are in breach
of eight patents.
The lawsuits accuse the companies of infringing upon patents
related to the sending of emails to mobile phones. NTP seeks jury trials,
injunctive relief and monetary compensation related to the sales of phones, PDA
and other related communication devices.
NTP complained that the big four U.S. wireless companies
violate patents related to "electronic mail system with RF communications to
mobile processors and method of operation thereof." NTP then requested for a
U.S. District Court "to enjoin infringement and
obtain damages resulting from the Defendant's unauthorized manufacture, use,
sale, offer for sale and/or importation into the United States for subsequent
use of sale of products, methods, processes, services and/or systems that
infringe one or more claims of U.S.
State Patent No. 5,436,960."
The new lawsuit carries echoes of NTP's chase on Blackberry
maker Research in Motion. After a legal battle that carried on for years, RIM eventually
settled to pay NTP $612.5 million in March 2003. At the time, NTP
accused RIM of violating a mobile email patent – not unlike what is NTP is
alleging that the U.S. wireless companies are infringing upon.
After the settlement, RIM chief executive Jim Balsillie
said, "It's not a good feeling to write this kind of check. It's a lot of
money for patents that will not survive for sure … We are caught in an ambiguous
time in the patent laws and the courts. No one feels good about this, but we
are happy to put it behind us."
Unfortunately for other wireless technology companies, NTP's
patents lived on to haunt Palm, which was sued on not dissimilar grounds as the
RIM case. NTP quickly followed-up on its successful legal battle with RIM by suing Palm during
November 2006. The lawsuit against Palm was also over handheld products
that provide email services through a wireless network.
Palm disputed the validity of the patents with the U.S.
Patent Office, made a preliminary decision to rule against NTP in Palm's – and perhaps
the entire wireless industry's – favor. NTP is currently appealing the decision
by the U.S. Patent Office.
NTP was founded in 1992 by the late inventor Thomas J.
Campana Jr., and holds around 50 patents as its primary asset. After the
passing of Campana, NTP is now run by company attorney Donald E. Stout.


text:
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text:
Late last year, local resident Melvin Darnell Fisher was sentenced to 12 years in prison for sexual exploitation of children along with eight years on three charges of attempting to commit sexual acts against a child.
Law enforcement statistics show there are several people living in Cortez who may have committed similar crimes.
There are more than 50 residents living in Cortez and Montezuma County who once committed a sex crime and are now required by law to register as a sex offender.
Cortez is among the top half of the state by percentage of sex offenders living in the community.
According to the city-data.com website, there were 15 registered sex offenders living in Cortez as of Feb. 1, which represents one for every 575 residents.
By comparison, Montezuma County had lower numbers than the state average with 1,402 residents for every sex offender.
The state average for Colorado is 753 residents for each registered sex offender.
By contrast, Durango's rate is 1,039 residents for every registered sex offender, while Dolores has one for every 458 residents and Dove Creek has one offender for every 728 people.
According to the Montezuma County Sheriff's Office website, there are 49 registered sex offenders living in the county, four of whom are also listed as offenders living within the city limits.
Montezuma County Sheriff Dennis Spruell had little to say about the figures, saying he had no idea where the numbers stood.
"It's unfortunate. It's disappointing," Spruell said.
The most serious offenders are those who have been labeled sexual predators. These offenders are the ones most likely to reoffend.
There are currently two registered offenders/predators living in Cortez and the one listed on the sheriff's office website is also on the city's list of registered sexual predators.
A sexual offender is a person who has committed a sexual offense. The term sexual predator is often used to refer to a person who habitually seeks out sexual situations that are deemed exploitable.
While the majority of sex offenders are required to register as a sex offender, a sexual predator is required to register every three months for life.
Statistics and Numbers
In 2012 there were 10,096 registered sex offenders in the state of Colorado, and statistics show that a sexual assault attempt will be made on 25 percent of women sometime in their lives.
The same statistics reveal that one in 17 men will be subject to a sexual assault attempt in their lifetimes.
A study by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment found that one in 150 women and one in 830 men in Colorado had experienced a completed or attempted sexual assault in the past 12 months, and approximately only 16 percent of these assaults were reported to police.
Most sexual assaults are committed by someone the victim knows. A stranger does not pose the highest risk, as 85 to 90 percent of sex offenders are known to their victims and include relatives, friends, and authority figures.
According to the Montezuma County Sheriff's Office website, most convicted sex offenders are supervised and managed by community supervision teams consisting of criminal justice officers, including probation, parole, community corrections staff, polygraph examiners, and treatment providers.
Sex offenders are also placed into one of three classifications.
A risk Level 1 offender presents the lowest possible risk to the community and the likelihood to reoffend is considered minimal.
A risk Level 2 offender presents a moderate risk to the community with a higher likelihood of reoffending than Level 1 offenders. These are considered an increased risk to reoffend because of the nature of their previous crimes and lifestyles.
A risk Level 3 offender poses a potential high risk to the community and are a threat to reoffend if provided the opportunity. Most Level 3 offenders have prior sex crime convictions as well as other criminal convictions. Their lifestyles and choices place them in this classification. Some have predatory characteristics and may seek out victims.
Colorado Bureau of Investigation Public Information Officer Susan Medina said the bureau does not use levels to classify sex offenders. The levels, she said, are sexually violent predators, multiple offense offenders, those who fail to register and those with a prior felony conviction for a sex offense.
Colorado law requires the registration of any person convicted of a sex crime who is a temporary or permanent resident under certain provisions within one day when released from prison or five days if not incarcerated.
Individuals convicted on or after July 1, 1991, of an unlawful sexual offense or enticement of a child in the state of Colorado, or an equivalent offense in another state or jurisdiction must register as a sex offender.
Anyone released on or after July 1, 1991, from prison in Colorado or any other state after serving a sentence for an unlawful sexual offense or enticement of a child, or an equivalent offense in another location or was convicted after July 1, 1994, in Colorado for unlawful sexual behavior or another offense also are required to register.
Other people being required to register as a sex offender are those convicted of sex offenses in any other state or jurisdiction for which the person would have been required to register in the state or jurisdiction of conviction, or for which the individual would be required to register if convicted in Colorado.
Individuals convicted of more serious sex crimes are also placed on Sex Offender Intensive Supervised Probation.
Medina said while there are notifications sent out to neighborhoods when a sex offender moves in, there is no provision in the state that forbids an offender from living near a public school.
The terms or sentences vary on the type of crime. Probation is possible in some instances, as there are more than 125 classifications pertaining to sex crime laws.