text:
An Alabama Story: Credit Union Helps Trucker's Entrepreneurial Drive
Two days before Christmas in 2007, Glenn and Sara Sasser's plans were obliterated like an unsuspecting step on a hidden land mine.
On a recent truck run from Columbus to Macon in Georgia, Glenn spoke softly, pausing a few times when he remembered the day his wife of 20 years passed away on Dec. 23 that year.
"She died in my arms. It was unexpected. She had lung cancer. A tumor ruptured, and she bled to death."
The next two years were a haze, Sasser said. He kept on working, staying on the road, trying to keep the pain and loneliness at bay. But buried way down beneath the hurt was a path that his wife would want him to continue on.
"I walked out on the porch one cool, crisp Saturday morning, took a deep breath and said, 'It's time to get on with my life,'" Sasser recalled.
Perhaps saying that thought out loud shifted the course of what was then a burgeoning silkscreen business.
At the age of 55, Sasser's routines have become more of a barometer of what takes priority over time wasters. Adhering to a tight schedule can mean the difference between getting paid for making a haul on time versus filling an order to remesh 100 old frames so that a wholesaler can have them back in time for the grand opening of a new restaurant.
Dressed in a tangerine colored shirt and blue jeans, at around six feet tall and with a hulky build, Sasser acknowledged he can come across as intimidating. His neck-length silver hair in a loose ponytail and a deep, all-business voice cloaked in a southern twang, he rarely cracked a smile. But when he did, his entire face lit up.
Glenn Sasser, owner of A Plus Silk Screen, applies glues to wide swaths of mesh that will adhere to the frames in seconds. Alabama Telco Credit Union helped provide the capital to purchase one of several of the stretchers like the one pictured here.
Financial Setbacks
He likely takes on a no-nonsense demeanor to keep the focus on building A Plus Silk Screen, a small business in Odenville, Ala., a one traffic-light town of 3,585 about 20 miles northeast of Birmingham. Sasser takes used frames, turns them into new ones and applies a silk screen so that designs can be transferred on everything from cereal boxes to bottles to ink pens.
The procedure may sound straightforward, but there are a number of moving parts behind the scenes to make it all happen. How Sasser came to start up his fledgling10-year old business is a series of twists and turns peppered along the way with personal and financial setbacks. The $590 million Alabama Telco Credit Union in Birmingham, Ala., filled the voids after several banks flatly refused to provide financing. Among them, BB&T and Bank of America.
"We needed a cash injection. Small businesses can't afford to absorb fees like the bigger ones can," Sasser said. "We're not going anywhere" of his relationship with the credit union.
There are many outfits offering silk screening, but only a handful are engaged on a national scale in the manufacturing of frames, Sasser said. Given the contacts he had made over the years, he knew he could break in, but the knowledge didn't come overnight.
"It was a lot of trial and error. A lot. It was certainly learning as you go."
In the middle of that learning curve was figuring out where and who would provide the capital for a business so unique, possibly too risky and most likely unheard of by most lenders. At one point, Sasser had 13 different accounts at Telco. While most were on the consumer side, he held a few business deposits at the cooperative.
As the silk screen business grew, and Sasser ventured more into remeshing and frame manufacturing, his quest for the right kind of equipment took him around the country and beyond to China. After obtaining an import-export license in 2010, he was able to establish a contact there that sold him mesh cheaply and that was not sold in the United States.
But Telco, which is how many members refer to the credit union, didn't offer international wire transfers, a critical transaction for shipping the mesh across international borders. After some consideration, he moved his business accounts down the street to a branch belonging to the $178.5 billion BB&T Corp., which did handle international remittances.
"The one thing about dealing with companies abroad is things have to be paid up front," Sasser said. "I have had CDs, money market accounts, pretty much everything Telco had to offer. My business stayed with them until I had to go to BB&T."
It is a decision Sasser regrets to this day. He applied for a $25,000 loan to continue building the silkscreen business. Despite having $40,000 in savings at BB&T, a 789 credit score and a solid financial history, he was turned down. The bank said Sasser had not been a BB&T customer long enough.
Lynn Middleton, branch manager (left) at Alabama Telco, who's known Glenn Sasser for at least a decade, said he has a reputation for being an honest man. Julie Thomason, business development officer, said Sasser's business is just the type the credit union is looking to help start and expand.
Final Bank Insult
The final insult occurred when Sasser transferred $15,000 from Telco to his new bank and it charged him a fee. Boiling, he walked into the lobby one day, asked for the $15,000 back–in cash–and never looked back.
"When you're with a larger bank, you become a number."
It was around this time that Telco hired Julie Thomason to create a new business services division in July 2011. As a former staffer at a community bank and a larger regional bank for 10 years, she knew that business loans were not only risky but more expensive to undertake than consumer loans. Offering products and services piecemeal to business owners just wasn't going to cut it.
"If you don't offer them the whole package in the beginning, you're going to lose them," said Thomason, Telco's business development officer.
After conducting a focus group with small businesses, Thomason was able to hone in on what the new division at Telco would look like. The first phase was merchant services and deposit accounts such as checking, savings, CDs and payroll. The next phase included a variety of business loans, bill payment, invoicing and an integration of QuickBooks.
"The minute I found out that Telco was going to handle business services, I couldn't get over there fast enough," Sasser said. "I came back because I missed the people and the service."
That was around December 2011. He called Lynn Middleton, one of the credit union's branch managers who Sasser had known since her days as a teller a decade ago. She asked him to come by because there was someone there she wanted him to meet. It was her husband, David. The two men had known each other for years since David, a technician who trains mechanics for Firestone, was Sasser's mechanic. In fact, Sasser had known David longer than he knew David's wife.
"Glenn is one of the most honest people I know," Lynn said. "He would bring in checks from clients, and I would ask him, 'Are you sure you're comfortable with these deposits?' We never had an issue. He just knew his customers."
Alabama Telco expanded its business services in early 2012 to include loans and the one service that brought Glenn Sasser back to the credit union: international wire transfers.
Full Business Services
By February 2012, Telco had a full suite of business services that now included international wire transfers. Thomason said by the end of 2012, the credit union will have 28 business loans totaling $5 million in its lending portfolio and $4 million in business deposits. Telco outsources its underwriting with Member Business Solutions LLC, a Tallahassee, Fla.-business lending CUSO wholly owned by the $5 billion Corporate One Federal Credit Union in Columbus, Ohio.
Sasser's silkscreen business fell right in with Telco's target business audience–small to medium-sized with annual revenue of $5 million or less. The fledgling manufacturer currently employs two independent contractors. While Telco and Sasser have committed to growing the business, the country's financial downturn has actually brought in more clients.
That's mainly because when the economy is booming, businesses don't mind spending money on more expensive techniques such as embroidery. But when watching the bottom line became more urgent over the past few years, firms were looking for ways to stretch dollars and do more with less. Some turned to remeshing as an alternative.
"His business is a perfect example of a small business that is expanding," Thomason said. "His product was so unique because not many people were doing it, but there is a need for it."
Thomason said after looking at Sasser's business plan, financials and his expanding customer base, Telco saw an opportunity to support a homegrown firm. The credit union approved a line of credit for Sasser to buy a new bar stretcher, a machine that pulls mesh in four directions and allows it to be glued to a frame.
"When we started out business loan program, we cherry picked our loans because we wanted to do it the right way," Thomason said. "A lot of banks were not lending even though there were great businesses out there with strong cash flow and strong sales. They just didn't fit the banks' model. Those were the ones we wanted to target."
From her days as a former banker, Thomason said she noticed that while businesses had substantial cash flow over the last 10 to 15 years, banks were only looking at one year of the financials. If a business had a poor credit score or was too small, some financial institutions stopped offering them products such as lines of credit and loans in an effort to clean up their books, she added.
"We look at trends and the whole picture. We know that businesses may have down time," Thomason said. "I never like to say no to a member, but I have to be cautious because the decision has to benefit the credit union and members. I've had to tell people, 'This loan is not going to help you.' If they're declined, I'll tell them what they need to work on. We try to find a happy medium."
Odenville, a town of 3,585 about 20 miles northeast of Birmingham, Ala., is home to Glenn Sasser's business, A Plus Silk Screen.
Equipment Upgrade
Telco has certainly provided some financial ease for Sasser to continuing funding his business. Still, that doesn't stop the tossing and turning on other issues. If it's 2 a.m., he is likely somewhere struggling to get back to sleep.
Somewhere might be his warm bed in a modest home off a quiet road in Odenville. Or, as a full-time commercial truck driver, he may be catching a few winks at a truck stop off any given highway zigzagging across Georgia, South Carolina or Tennessee en route to deliver a haul.
Sasser laughed heartily when asked if we could meet early one Saturday morning, say, around 11 a.m. "That's early?" he teased. "I usually get up around 3 a.m. I get up, eat my biscuit, and I'm on my way."
His restlessness stems from always thinking about ways to grow A Plus Silk Screen, from calculating the potential revenue from a big manufacturer on the East Coast to how a new welding machine will be able to put together more frames much faster.
Born in Florala, Ala., a border town named for its spot on the Florida and Alabama state line, Sasser got his entrepreneurial start at 13, shoveling snow and cutting grass for neighbors. Earning part of his keep, the extra funds covered expenses and profits left over to buy what a teenager might in 1970.
Back then, Sasser figured an equipment upgrade could surely boost profits. One summer day, he approached his father, a well-known figure in town, about a possible loan.
"I asked him for $300 so that I could get a better, self-propelled lawnmower," Sasser recalled. "We went down to Citizens Bank. It was one of those hometown banks where everyone knew my dad. Well, I got the loan."
And Sasser paid back every cent.
Because his father was in the Navy, the family relocated around the country, but Sasser landed back in Alabama in 1984. The early 1980s were a boon when he worked for an oil drilling company making $100,000 a year. Then the industry's bottom fell out and at the age of 23, Sasser faced a stark reality. "From that time on, I knew to always have a backup plan."
Along the way he married Sara, who was a member of Alabama Telco Credit Union and worked for a local firm that made welding fixtures and other pieces of equipment.
Sasser's brother-in-law owned an excavating company and encouraged him to get a commercial driver's license so that he could help him make truck runs. Sasser was soon driving up and down the nation's highways for a major company.
The next part of Sasser's entrepreneurial circle came in 1989 when he started a leather arts and crafts making business. Soon after, a friend began having health problems and asked Sasser if he would be interested in taking over his car tag kiosk at a local mall. For $4.50 a piece, he sold splashy car adornments that featured 300 custom designs, including trucks, fishermen, flowers and names in big, bold colors and scripts. "I did really well," he said, cracking a rarely seen smile, remembering the booming activity.
Sasser was now running two businesses while continuing to drive a tractor-trailer to haul goods all over the East Coast.
Garfield T-Shirt
The silk screening came on a whim. Sasser's stepdaughter asked if he would design a Garfield T-shirt for Christmas. Puzzled about whether he could pull it off, Sasser thought about the process and how it compared to the airbrushing he did know how to do on his leatherwork.
Pleased with how the T-shirt came out, Sasser wondered how much more he could do with silk screens. After doing extensive research, he bought a one-station, four-color printing screen and built a stretcher to place the frames and screens on. One day, an inquisitive fellow stopped by and asked what Sasser was planning to do with all of the old frames. That question led to his first attempts at remeshing.
At the time, Sasser had been on the road for 10 years when Sara said of the leather and car tag businesses, 'We're changing presidents, the economy's going to change, why don't you just sell them?'
Sasser agreed and sold the shops in 2000. Sara's job kept her traveling nearly three weeks out of the month. Together, the couple made treks all over Alabama with Sasser drumming up new contacts along the way for his silkscreen business, still in its infancy.
Everything hummed along. The two were able to spend more time together, and Sasser and Sara were "in high cotton," earning about $180,000 a year between his truck driving, the frame business and her salary. They had dreams of buying a house along the picturesque beaches of Gulf Shores, Ala., where ocean fishing and lush golf courses were common lures to the coastal community.
The day Sara died on Dec. 23, 2007, Sasser's plans didn't matter anymore as he re-lived the image of his wife dying in his arms.
"It was a video. I couldn't stop seeing it. It played over and over. I call them daymares. As long as I was awake, it was there," Sasser recalled. "That lasted for about two years. I can talk about it now, but before, if someone said something like '23rd,' I'd flash back."
After deciding to continue on, a pivotal turn actually came when a company Sasser did remeshing for decided to get out of the outsourcing business. He started buying wooden frame blanks from a firm in Michigan, remeshed them and sold them to a company located near where he lived. For years, the relationship was a very profitable one even though it took him out of circuit with end users or those who just wanted to print items such as T-shirts.
When the company that pulled the plug on its remesh outsourcing with Sasser, it closed up a substantial stream of income. Sasser said he was making $50,000 on the weekends. Still, he was confident that he had tapped into something with potentially bigger income streams.
He started purchasing equipment with some of his savings, including a clamp stretcher for $23,000 and then a motor-driven clamp stretcher, which dwarfs the bar stretchers and cost around $80,000. In all, he has four clamp stretchers.
"I've got Cadillacs now," Sasser said of his upgraded equipment. "With the amount of work we're getting, they have literally paid for themselves."
In the beginning, Sasser was conducting his business from a 14- by 32-foot shed behind his home. He quickly outgrew the space and was able to secure financing from Telco for a 1,200-square-foot building and units to cool and heat the shop. Together, the building and wiring cost $27,000, which he could afford thanks to his Telco line of credit.
As A Plus Silk Screen grew, Glenn Sasser not only need more funds but more employees. Two years ago, Eddie Lawson, pictured here, came aboard as an independent contractor.
Needing Extra Funds
Thomason recalled that just as Sasser was nearing the completion of the new building, he needed additional cash. After some restructuring, she was able to free up some extra funds. Even considering how fast his business is growing, Sasser's not worried about running out of space. He said he has enough acreage to put three more similar-sized buildings on his property.
"Without the credit union, I wouldn't be where I am."
Sasser still uses the smaller building behind his home to come up with faster and more precise equipment to weld the aluminum frames together. A machine called a Gopher binds corners together in four seconds.
Stepping inside, long, thin planks of aluminum are stacked knee-high in the middle of the space. On the wall opposite the Gopher is a machine with three drills that cuts the pieces immaculately. In the corner is a creation that has the promise of welding frames much faster than some of its competitors.
A fellow trucker, Eddie Lawson, built the automated spot welder. He has been working with Sasser on the silkscreen business for the last two years. Tanned with light, copper colored hair, Lawson encouraged this reporter to weld a frame on the Gopher. With all of its knobs and gadgetry and the fear of possibly cutting a finger hanging in the air, the weld was surprisingly light, fast and easy. Lawson filed the edges down super smooth to prevent any cuts.
He is almost giddy over the potential speed of the machine in producing more frames.
"I've seen so much over the past two years. Putting in the extra hours is worth it," Lawson said.
It helps, he added, working with some that abhors sugar coating.
"He doesn't pull punches. To my knowledge, he's never lied to me," Lawson said. "He's been in it so long. He has the business knowledge, that's for sure."
Roughly a year ago, Eddie's son, Douglas, 22, came on board to train under Sasser. The younger Lawson now moves deftly between stretchers using a Newton meter to measure the tautness of the mesh pulled over the frames.
At the time of the visit, Douglas' fiancée was due any day with their first child. Still, he continued to work well into the evening, checking in with Sasser on the next tasks that awaited him. On Nov.1, the couple welcomed their daughter into the world.
Adding Employees
Sasser said he envisions the day when the Lawsons will be running the business without him. Ideally, he would like to have 10 to 15 employees.
And, he's still thinking about heading down to Gulf Shores. Telco provided the financing for a piece of property there but because the insurance was higher than the mortgage payment, he opted out of it.
Sasser is also dating again. About three and half years ago he became reacquainted with Charayne Yancey. They lived about five houses down from each other growing up in Alabama. Though younger than Sasser, Yancey chuckled at her failure to remember the kid who would cut her parent's grass while she practiced her majorette moves in the front yard. They later went to the same high school dances but still never really interacted despite Yancey's cousin and Sasser being best friends.
"He said, 'I'll never forget how you looked in that shiny, blue majorette suit,'" said Yancey, who grew up in Opp, an Alabama town 20 miles from the Florida state line.
Sasser left the area at the age of 18. Both went on with their lives, got married and settled down. Ironically, Yancey became a commercial truck driver too, making runs from coast to coast. It was in 2009 when their paths crossed on Facebook. Yancey's husband had died, so she knew the type of grief Sasser experienced when his wife died in 2007.
"I think he needed someone to talk to," Yancey recalled. "We found out we had a lot in common."
Soon, Yancey became one of Sasser's biggest cheerleaders, encouraging him to keep going with his business. She works in sales and takes advantage of any opportunity to talk up A Plus Silk Screen. A few clients have come his way through her word of mouth.
But the couple has a long-distance relationship. She lives 200 miles away from Sasser. An only child, Yancey still lives in Opp so that she can care for her elderly mother. While they only see each other once a month, it's clear that when they lock eyes, there is a true connection.
"His bark is a lot worse than his bite. He's sweet," Yancey said. "You know, we sometimes agree to disagree on things."
On a recent gray, autumn evening over a meal of juicy hamburgers with thick slices of tomatoes, red onions, crisp green lettuce and bottles of Coca-Cola, Sasser thought about where he wants to take his business and whether the work has taken a toll on him.
"Being an entrepreneur is a blessing and a curse. A blessing because it's what drives me. Without it, I would've given up a long time ago. A curse because my mind never gets to shut down."
Yancey nodded in agreement on the curse explanation. A petite woman with beautifully manicured pink nails and feathered brown hair, she has a soft spot for the cats that roam in and out of Sasser's house.
"I think it's rubbed off on me. Numbers are always going through my head," she said.
On our way back to the shop, Sasser pointed to Eddie and said, "I think I've rubbed off on him, too, because he thinks about the business just as much as I do."
Charayne Yancey grew up five houses down from Glenn Sasser in rural Alabama. Since reconnecting on Facebook, she's been one of his biggest cheerleaders, bringing in a few new clients to Sasser's growing business.
Even though a $100,000 loan from Wells Fargo may have helped towards the purchase of more materials to make frames, Glenn Sasser refused to do business with any bank.
Banks Beg
So committed are they to taking the silk screen and frame-making operation to the next level, Sasser and the Lawsons have worked through the night to fill orders. A buyer from Las Vegas recently flew in to pick up 100 frames, their largest order to date.
Things are moving so fast that more banks and other entities have started contacting Sasser to inquire about establishing partnerships. Wells Fargo Bank recently offered him a $100,000 loan, but he turned it down.
"I didn't want to go back to the big banks," Sasser said.
Between Telco and the $140,000 of his own money that he's invested in the business, Sasser said it's hard to say when he will be able to stop making truck runs. He's ready though.
"I'm doing more business now than I was 10 years ago. I have grown since the downturn."
Sasser said small businesses have a litany of taxes to deal with. Yet, he's not bitter about it.
"When it's all said and done, taxes are coming whether you like it or not. I've been in a recession before. I remember when you couldn't sell gas on Sundays," Sasser said. "The economy is resetting itself."
With only six major frame companies in the United States, A Plus Silk Screen could be the final arc in the entrepreneurial circle that began to form when Sasser shoveled snow and cut grass as a young boy.
And it's not going to happen by aligning with banks. "All of that is greed, and it will get you every time," Sasser said of the banking industry's ongoing attempts in Washington to limit business lending authority for credit unions.
With Telco backing him, continued growth is not a dream–it's a requirement. He reflects on where he would be if his wife had lived.
"Neither one of us made enough money separately to support the whole household. When you have just one income, you have to watch things more carefully. I see this as my second chance. I got one list with 1,300 customers on it. They're not my customers–yet."


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Mobility Matters: When Mobile Matters More
The whispered word among insiders is that online banking usage is flat-lining – it has peaked and it may even be losing users. The big winner: mobile.
But few credit unions are prepared to jump on this trend by offering compelling, user-friendly apps. This train is leaving the station, who's on board?
Understand this: online banking is the Baltimore Ravens of financial services. The acclaimed champ, a fact made vivid in an American Bankers Association survey that found online banking stomping every other customer contact format in terms of user preference.
The ABA numbers:
* Online banking was the method "most used" by 39% of customers;
* Branches nabbed 18% (down from 25% the year before)
* ATMs won 12% of the vote (down from 15%).
Bringing up the rear – literally in last place in the ABA survey – was mobile with 6%. But note: that number represented a doubling from the year prior numbers.
And at least some experts now are claiming that mobile banking is the channel to watch.
Going forward, "we simply will not see continued dramatic growth in online banking usage," said futurist Brett King in an interview. "Growth will come in mobile banking which is growing 300% faster than online banking did. Take-up is very fast."
With King's Moven – a new style bank he is seeking to launch – "we built the mobile app first, before we built online banking."
The advantage of that mobile first strategy, he said, is that "rather than take an online design and seek to push it onto a small screen mobile device – which is what most banks do – we did the opposite."
As for why King is so bullish on mobile, he explained: "Mobile gives us context-based information that makes it different from online." That is: the mobile device knows where the user is and that means, when mobile is done right, it can offer highly targeted information that just is not presently possible in the online channel.
King added, "The utility of mobile is massively higher and most [credit unions] don't realize this
By 2017 most people will consider their phone their banking account. Now it is a debit card."
Another reason to think home banking has peaked: It dates back to 1994 when Stanford Federal Credit Union introduced the first Web-based version –- meaning this technology is pushing 20 years of age. Just about everybody who wants it, knows about it.
Worse still: "With many financial institutions, what they offer in online banking is a legacy experience that was late updated in the late 1990s," said Mike Stern, who heads the finance sector team at mobile development company Xtreme Labs.
Many online banking websites are clunky, awkwardly designed, and unresponsive to consumer needs.
Stern, by the way, envisions innovations in mobile design backtracking into redesigned online banking portals which, he thinks, increasingly will look more like what users now get on their smartphones.
Meantime, the number of mobile users is growing at a ferocious pace. There are an estimated 500 million today and that number is projected to hit 1 billion, according to Juniper Research.
Nobody thinks the number will be much lower than that, mainly because mobile has the potential to bring digital banks to many consumers who have neither a home computer nor broadband access. But they do have mobile phones that, increasingly, are smartphones and that makes them prime for adopting mobile banking.
One billion will be an easy number to hit – and online banking, meantime, is crawling upwards in number of users, mainly because just about everybody who wants to use it already is, and that certainly is true in the U.S.
Meantime, as the numbers of tablet owners skyrocket – research firm IDC estimated that 122 million tablets sold in 2012 and the number will hit 172 million in 2013 – and, said King, tablets are bringing a new, older consumer into the mobile fold. "Tablets have a highly usable interface," said King, meaning the big screen and large on-screen keys may appeal to Baby Boomers who hitherto have scorned the cramped mobile phone form factor.
Add it up and online banking's day is indeed done. Mobile will rule and this coronation is coming fast.

subset: commoncrawl


text:
The war against spam seems to be never-ending, but a small
battle was won earlier this week. Robert Alan Soloway, 27, was arrested
Wednesday in Seattle on charges of mail fraud, wire fraud, email fraud,
aggravated identity theft and money laundering. Soloway pleaded not guilty to
all charges.
"Spam is a scourge of the Internet, and Robert Soloway
is one of its most prolific practitioners. Our investigators dubbed him the
Spam King because he is responsible for millions of spam e-mails," Jeffrey
Sullivan, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Washington, said
in a statement.
Soloway allegedly spammed the masses in email fraud since
2003 by using hijacked computers from around the world, and covered his tracks
using Chinese servers, fabricated websites and stolen identities.
According to the Washington
Post: "Soloway's company, Newport Internet Marketing, defrauded its
customers by offering to send a high volume of legitimate e-mail marketing
messages or to sell software that could be used in mass mailings. Neither
approach performed as advertised but generated a torrent of spam. When
customers complained, Soloway allegedly refused to provide assistance or refund
the sales, instead threatening to charge them with additional fees and refer
them to collections agencies."
agency Spamhaus once named Soloway in its top ten list of worst offenders,
though he's since been outpaced by even greater threats from eastern Europe.
"He is one of the bad ones. He's one of the longest-running and uses
criminal methods all the time," said John Reid, an investigator with
Spamhaus. "Anyone on the Web for a while would have received one of
Soloway's spams."
This isn't the first time Soloway has run into the legal
system for his spamming activities. In 2005, Microsoft won a $7.8 million
judgment against him for his spoofing of MSN and Hotmail email addresses.
Unfortunately, the $7.8 million could never be collected because Soloway's
funds and bank accounts remained elusive.


text:
"Having an art exhibit on campus is an enriching experience that you don't have to drive out of town in order to experience," said Donnie Copeland, chair of Ouachita' visual arts department.
Ouachita was chosen as one of 10 hosts for the "Small Works on Paper" exhibit in Arkansas. The annual art exhibition is now in its 27th year. Mary Kennedy, CEO of the Mid-America Arts Alliance, served as juror for the 2014 exhibit, selecting works from 39 artists to be showcased. The artwork is all of similar size – no larger than 24 x 24 inches – but varied in style, media and technique.
"Graduates of Ouachita, regardless of their major, will find that the world they enter when they leave OBU will be one that includes art of all kinds," Copeland added. "This kind of exhibit has the potential to make us all more familiar with some of the artists in our state and helps make our campus more connected to what is happening with the visuals arts in Arkansas."
The exhibit is free and open to the public. Gallery hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. For more information, contact the School of Fine Arts at (870) 245-5129.


text:
long running contest to find a replacement for the Air Force's fleet
of tanker aircraft used to refuel aircraft has hit another snag. The
latest gaffe happened in the bidding contest that has resulted in
each of the participating bidders inadvertently being sent
information on the competitors offering by the Air Force.
Air Force accidentally sent letters to Boeing and EADS that were
meant to go to the other company. The letters each company received
were the Integrated fleet Aerial Refueling Assessments (IFARA) the
Air Force prepared on the bidding aircraft.
Air Force
spokesman Col. Les Kodlick said, "Earlier this month, there was
a clerical error that resulted in limited amounts of identical
source-selection information being provided to both KC-X offerors
concerning their competitor's offer. Both offerors immediately
recognized the error and contacted the Air Force contracting
officers."The IFARA letter is something that the Air
Force prepares that outlines scenarios to determine how many of the
tankers will be needed. The assessment takes into consideration fuel
and construction costs reports Defense News. The IFARA is considered
the biggest risk factor in the tanker bidding program.The Air
Force says that the error will not delay the bidding process and that
it is taking action to ensure than an error like this is not
repeated. Both Boeing and EADS offered no official comment on the
errors. Executives from both aircraft companies did say that in a
situation like that the only ethical thing to do was to not review
the documents.Defense
News quotes
on unnamed exec stating, "That kind of stuff can easily be
tracked, so everyone knows you don't mess around."Kodlick
said, "The KC-X source selection will continue. This incident
will not impact our schedule for source selection. However, certain
aspects of the source selection have taken slightly longer than
originally anticipated, and we currently expect the award to occur
early next year."It's still not clear if the error will
affect the contest, despite the Air Force saying the process will not
be delayed. However, if the Air Force requests another bid from the
companies, the error could affect the process according to some
familiar with the situation."We have to see whether the
exchange of the data affects the competition, especially if the next
round will be the best-and-final bids. Then it might be of some value
to have the other person's information," said Jacques Gansler, a
former Pentagon acquisition chief who teaches public policy at the
University of Maryland.This is the latest issue in the
problem prone bidding process. Boeing submitted its NewGen
tanker proposal to the Air Force in July 2010. EADS came
back to the bidding process with a new
U.S. partner in June 2010 after dropping out when
Northrop-Grumman pulled out of the bidding war.


text:
Submit News
Blog: Science
RNP Platform: Ban Marijuana, Embryonic Stem Cells, Morning After Pill
Jason Mick
September 2, 2012 3:48 PM
Recipient E-mail
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Party panders to special interests to raise the deficit to take away Americans' personal medical freedoms
(This article deals with politics and the internet -- those who do not wish to read about these topics are forewarned)
The Republican National Party (RNP) published its platform -- entitled "
We Believe in America
" -- on Aug. 29, 2012, presenting the party's federal vision for America. The platform claimed three primary authors --
Senator John Hoeven
(R-N. Dakota),
Governor Bob McDonnell
(R-Virg.), and
Congressman Marsha Blackburn
In our first piece we analyzed the internet policy and free speech side of the platform. In this article we offer up nuggets from the scientific side of the platform.
I. Digging Into the RNP "We Believe..." Platform
Reading the document I think the public may find many appealing aspects in the platform, starting with the subtitle "Reforming Government to Serve People" -- surely a worthwhile goal given today's state of hyper-deficits and inconsistent taxation.
But the troubling aspect of the platform from the perspective of a technology and science observer is the high degree of inconsistency and obfuscation amongst the various platform planks (though to be fair I fear we shall find similar problems in the Democratic National Party's (DNP) platform).
Let's dig into what exactly the platform says -- after weeks of
rumors and speculation
-- but first let's be perfectly clear what the platform is.
It is somewhat of a myth to say that America does not have or has never had viable third parties -- President Andrew Johnson, the man who succeeded President Abraham Lincoln -- was effectively a third-party president after publicly renouncing the Democratic Party while in office, while also refusing to join the Republican ranks.
But in all practicality, the nucleus of political power in America today is largely binary. And today it takes millions of dollars to get elected to office. 2008 marked the first race in which the average "price" of a seat in the House of Representatives
passed the $1M USD mark
. The candidate with more money won 9 out of 10 federal races. Much of that funding comes from the national party, which in turn receives a mixture of money from small donors and hefty special interests.
Against that backdrop, consider that the RNP's and DNP's platforms are non-binding, yet they do carry substantial weight and pressure. Candidates who buck the carefully laid out talking points in the platform risk losing funding, and by proxy losing a job opportunity. Of course there may be some element of pandering to the platform -- so it's not impossible to fathom that either party might adopt a plank (passage) that they have no real intention of enforcing.
II. Science v. Religion: The War on Drugs, Research, and Medical Freedoms
The RNP platform offers an incredible degree of cognitive dissonance. Most of it deals with the Republican party proposing large, intrusive federal expensive expenditures to regulate personal choices on medical interest at the behest of special interests or religion basis, not a scientific basis.
-- restricting scientific research or medical freedoms for religious (and not scientific) reasons, or at the behest of special interests. For example the RNP states (pg. 34):
We call for expanded support for the stem-cell research that now offers the greatest hope for many afflictions– with adult stem cells, umbilical cord blood, and cells reprogrammed into pluripotent stem cells–without the destruction of embryonic human life. We urge a ban on human cloning and on the creation of or experimentation on human embryos. We support restoring the Drug Enforcement Administration ban on the use of controlled substances for physician assisted suicide. We oppose the FDA approval of Mifeprex, formerly known as RU-486, and similar drugs that terminate innocent human life after conception.
So the party's plank basically states: ban
embryonic stem-cells
that could be used to treat disease victims, ban the morning after pill, and ban assisted suicide.
The RNP wants to ban embryonic stem cells that could treat paralysis victims. [Image Source: Metrolic]
Likewise (pg. 38) the RNP states:
The resources of the federal government's law enforcement and judicial systems have been strained by two unfortunate expansions: the overcriminalization of behavior and the over-federalization of offenses. The number of criminal offenses in the U.S. Code increased from 3,000 in the early 1980s to over 4,450 by 2008. Federal criminal law should focus on acts by federal employees or acts committed on federal property – and leave the rest to the States. Then Congress should withdraw from federal departments and agencies the power to criminalize behavior, a practice which, according to the Congressional Research Service, has created "tens of thousands" of criminal offenses. No one other than an elected representative should have the authority to define a criminal act and set criminal penalties. In the same way, Congress should reconsider the extent to which it has federalized offenses traditionally handled on the State or local level.
Yet on (pg. 37-38) they comment:
To that end, we support mandatory prison sentences for... repeat drug dealers...
... a comment that alludes to the party's ongoing support of marijuna prohibition. The marijuana issue is notable, as nearly half of criminals in U.S. prison have lost their liberty due to non-violent drug offenses, with a half of those prisoners (a quarter of all prisoners) being imprisoned for marijuana offenses.
To put this in context, the U.S. has lost almost $2T in tax revenue on marijuana alone in the four decade "War on Drugs", launched by Republican President Richard Nixon, while
spending $1T USD in taxpayer money
for bloated federal enforcement. Meanwhile, all three of America's last presidents -- Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama acknowledge consuming marijuana as youths (though Bill, famously, "did not inhale"). And the world's most prominent medical experts are in general agreement in the peer-reviewed literature -- marijuana
is no more harmful to health and society than alcohol
(legal) or tobacco (legal) -- in fact, in may be substantially less harmful.
To recap the Republican party wants to spend billions in taxpayer to jail, imprison, and otherwise financially ruin the lives of those who use the morning after pill, use a low-harm drug (marijuana), or who do research using embryonic stem cells. It wants to expand federal government to act as moral police dog for the nation. And it wants to ban a person's own right to end their life, even in cases where of chronic pain and suffering.
Yet the party claims it is about personal liberties and reducing the federal budget/deficit.
Some parts of the moral stands (e.g. the reproductive rights parts) may be mere pandering and may not see serious legislative action (although they may). But the RNP is following narrowly the DNP's line of spending billions in the "War on Drugs", which is largely the "War on Marijuana". It is extremely hard to see that war as anything other than an effort to funnel money to the alcohol and tobacco industry.
Both Obama and Romney have accepted around $200,000 from the alcohol industry to keep marijuan illegal. Both candidates plan to rack up billions in deficit debt to pander to the special interest bosses. [Image Source: AFP]
Tobacco Lobbyists have spent almost $2.5M USD this election cycle, with over 2/3rds of that money going to Republicans [
]. The alcohol industry has spent close to $5M USD [source]. Republicans have a slight edge, but overall the alcohol industry is much more equal in funding both parties, with both presidential candidates accepting close to $200,000 in special interest money. Perhaps that's why both candidates want to continue the war on drugs, wasting taxpayer money to manipulate the "free market" -- after all, they've been paid to have that opinion.
Clearly there's a huge contradiction between the various planks in the RNP platform.
"I f***ing cannot play Halo 2 multiplayer. I cannot do it." -- Bungie Technical Lead Chris Butcher
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Cottman Transmission and Total Auto Care in Garner, North Carolina Adds U-Haul Rentals
GARNER, N.C. (Dec. 17, 2012) — Daniel Simon, owner of Cottman Transmission and Total Auto Care of Garner, located at 515 Village Ct., recently added U-Haul truck and trailer rentals to the transmission and auto repair business he has been operating since 1995.
Families needing the finest in moving services now will have increased convenience and a shorter distance to travel when moving, which not only will make their move easier but also will have the positive effect of reducing the amount of carbon emissions released into the atmosphere. U-Haul partnering with business owners across North America to increase convenience for customers while helping our environment is just one of the programs that support U-Haul Company's Corporate Sustainability initiatives.
Cottman Transmission and Total Auto Care can now offer its customers a variety of moving equipment and supplies designed specifically for moving household furnishings, including moving vans, open trailers, closed trailers, furniture pads, appliance dollies, furniture dollies, tow dollies and auto transports. Cottman Transmission and Total Auto Care also will offer sales items to protect their customers' belongings and make moving easier, such as heavy-duty boxes, which are made of up to 90 percent recycled content and are available in a variety of sizes.
"U-Haul allows us to not only help customers with transmissions, brakes, tune-ups and all other engine repairs, but now we can offer the same excellent service in helping our customers move," Simon said.
"U-Haul is proud to be partnering with a quality independent business such as Cottman Transmission and Total Auto Care," exclaimed Paul Smedberg, president, U-Haul Company of Raleigh. "Daniel is a great example of the type of successful business relationship U-Haul has established in order to build and maintain a strong network of more than 15,000 independent dealers across North America."
For more information, or to rent your moving equipment today, call 919-833-1820. Visit www.cottmanofgarner.com. Business hours of operation are: Mon. – Fri. 8 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. and Sat. 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cottmantransmissionandtotalautocare
About U-Haul
Joanne Fried
Kelie Budd-Hale
E-mail: firstname.lastname@example.com
Phone: 602-263-6194
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text:
They say, "why buy the cow when you can get the milk for free."
But this season of The Bachelorette, it seems like no one's buying the cow.
And some of these Bachelors are downright lactose intolerant.
Since no one is marrying Ali (unless this is the most. dramatic. rose. ceremony. ever.) it seems like someone should at least get to taste the milk.
For free.
I think I'm mixing metaphors, but you get the point.
Ali may not have found love with the Bachelors, but she did fall in love with Ritzy Misfit, those charming wax stamped necklaces I've been raving about for the last year.
And one lucky reader will win the exact rose pendant that Ali Fedotowsky wore on the Bachelorette.
Just leave in the comments who you think Ali should choose in the end – make sure your profile has an email address so I can let you know if you win.
One reader will be chosen to accept this rose.
For free.


text:
Now I'm not saying that Kiba can take high teir ninja, but I do believe that he is easily jounin level and is ridiculously underrated. Most of you think Kiba = king of the fodder, and that he only spams gatsuuga. But I want to show you he is probably one of the most useful ninja in all of Konoha. And he places 3rd in the K11 (behind Neji and Lee)
1. Speed. Kiba has a 4.5 in speed in the databook and since the beginning he has always bragged about it. Although he hasn't had an opportunity to show it off since part 1 he is still the fastest of the K11 (besides Lee). I know using his fight vs genin Naruto is bad example because Naruto was terrible, but it properly shows off his speed.
2. His nose. Let me make one thing clear first. Kiba is hands down THE BEST TRACKER IN KONOHA. His nose is better than a dogs and 1000 times better than an average humans. This means that, while in a fight, he knows precisely where his enemy is AT ALL TIMES. Which makes things like the replacement technique useless because he can identify people by smell. His range with his nose is literally MILES, he smelled the sand siblings approaching like 30 mins before they showed up
3. Gatsuuga/Garouga. Gatsuuga is his signature move and while portrayed as a spam move, it is nevertheless way more powerful than a regular hit. Garouga is a different story. This move is incredibly powerful. People seem to forget that he has this move for some reason. This move is difficult to dodge, he managed to land a direct hit on Sakon and Ukon who have an almost 360 degree field of vision. And this move would have KILLED ALMOST ANYBODY besides these two. Not even Hidan or Tsunade can survive being cut into two pieces down the middle. And as you can see in the top panels of the pic even if you dodge it by a foot the vacuum it creates will tear your skin off.
4. Akamaru. Just take everything good I've said about him and multiply it times 2. Akamarus abilities while transformed are just as good as Kiba's
5. He is not stupid. There is a big difference between hot headed and stupid. He has actually shown very quick thinking during fights. During his fight with Sakon and Ukon, when Ukon merged with his body, He managed to find a weakness within 5 seconds of knowing what his ability is. Then he had the resolve to instantly stab himself, something that Ukon said nobody has tried before.
Chouji fought the weakest member of the sound four, and pretty much died. Same with Neji, he fought the second best and also pretty much died. Sakon and Ukon were said to be the strongest out of all of them. And Kiba managed to hold his own and escape with a perfect on the spot plan. The second after he got Ukon out of his body he threw a kunai in order to shroud his vision, threw smoke bombs, grab Akamaru, set up a trap, and escape into the river all within a few seconds.
I hope I changed your opinion about him and I hope you agree that he is jounin level and the best tracker in Konoha (yes, even better than Yamato). Also, like I said above I think he is 3rd in K11.


text:
This dataset is maintained and distributed by the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NACJD), the criminal justice archive within ICPSR. NACJD is primarily sponsored by three agencies within the U.S. Department of Justice: the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.
Retail-Level Heroin Enforcement and Property Crime in 30 Cities in Massachusetts, 1980-1986 (ICPSR 9667)
Principal Investigator(s): Kleiman, Mark A.R.; Putala, Christopher E.
In undertaking this data collection, the principal investigators sought to determine (1) whether police enforcement against drug crimes, specifically heroin crimes, had any influence on the rates of nondrug crimes, and (2) what effect intensive law enforcement programs against drug dealers had on residents where those programs were operating. To achieve these objectives, data on crime rates for seven successive years were collected from police records of 30 cities in Massachusetts. Data were collected for the following offenses: murder, rape, robbery, assault, larceny, and automobile theft. The investigators also interviewed a sample of residents from 3 of those 30 cities. Residents were queried about their opinions of the most serious problem facing people today, their degree of concern about being victims of crime, and their opinions of the effectiveness of law enforcement agencies in handling drug problems.
Access Notes
The public-use data files in this collection are available for access by the general public. Access does not require affiliation with an ICPSR member institution.
Study Description
Kleiman, Mark A.R., and Christopher E. Putala. Retail-Level Heroin Enforcement and Property Crime in 30 Cities in Massachusetts, 1980-1986. ICPSR09667-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 1998. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR09667.v1
Persistent URL: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR09667.v1
Export Citation:
- RIS (generic format for RefWorks, EndNote, etc.)
- EndNote XML (EndNote X4.0.1 or higher)
This study was funded by:
- United States Department of Justice. Office of Justice Programs. National Institute of Justice (85-IJ-CX-0027)
Scope of Study
Subject Terms: assault, auto theft, citizen attitudes, crime control, crime rates, drug law enforcement, drug law offenses, drug related crimes, drug traffic, larceny, law enforcement agencies, murder, rape, robbery
Geographic Coverage: Massachusetts, United States
- 1980--1986
- 1985-07--1987-12
Universe: Part 1: Thirty cities in Massachusetts during 1980-1986. Parts 2-4: All residents in Massachusetts during 1986.
Sample: A stratified random sample was used in Parts 2-4.
official police records and telephone interviews
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:
- Standardized missing values.
Original ICPSR Release: 1992-01-10
- 2006-03-30 File CB9667.ALL.PDF was removed from any previous datasets and flagged as a study-level file, so that it will accompany all downloads.
- 2005-11-04 On 2005-03-14 new files were added to one or more datasets. These files included additional setup files as well as one or more of the following: SAS program, SAS transport, SPSS portable, and Stata system files. The metadata record was revised 2005-11-04 to reflect these additions.
- 1998-09-17 SAS and SPSS data definition statements are now available for this collection. Also, missing data codes have been standardized, and data and documentation have been reformatted. In addition, the codebook and data collection instrument are now available as a PDF file.
Related Publications
Export Options: RIS/EndNote
Metadata Exports
- Citations exports are provided above.
Export Study-level metadata (does not include variable-level metadata)
If you're looking for collection-level metadata rather than an individual metadata record, please visit our Metadata Records page.


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text:
obviously the principals here were upstart Brookes and Chris (the Houstonian) Bosh. Houston wanted to dump Trev and has since done so.
They also wanted to part with Carl Laundry and have done so (for Kevin Martin).
But missing out on Aaron Brookes and Scola? in the end Bosh went for 2 first rounders (one of which already belong to Toronto but was lost in Jermain O trade).
given that hindsight is 20/20 if you could go back in time do you do this trade?


text:
Here's a look at some of the factors that have contributed to UF's ability to shut down teams during this season.
Watching Florida play defense this season is comparable to watching a scene with actors at the top of their craft.
Each detail is taken into account and movements have been choreographed to make opposing teams uncomfortable running offensive sets.
No. 4 Florida takes the nation's second-ranked scoring defense (allowing just 50.4 points per game) into its Top-20 matchup tonight at the O'Connell Center against No. 16 Ole Miss. But it hasn't come without hard work from both players and coaches.
"I'm personally surprised a little bit," said Florida junior forward Will Yeguete, when asked about UF's defensive success. "But we're working pretty hard and we're starting to stay consistent. We work on defense every single day, and I think everybody has improved since last year. I think it's good to say that you're a really good defensive team."
Ole Miss leads the SEC in scoring at an even 80 points per game. But Florida has yet to give up more than 52 points in a conference game this season.
The showdown for first place in the SEC (Florida is 7-0, Ole Miss is 6-1) will likely come down to how well Florida guards throughout the game. Here's a look at some of the factors that have contributed to UF's ability to shut down teams during the course of the season:
When point guard Erving Walker graduated, the Gators lost their all-time assists leader and the fourth-leading scorer in school history (1,777). But they also lost a 5-foot-8 guard who opposing offensive teams routinely picked on during the course of last season.
With Scottie Wilbekin taking over for Walker at the point, the Gators replaced a defensive liability with one of the best perimeter defenders in the country. Wilbekin learned the value of defense from breaking down tape with his dad, Svend Wilbekin, a former head coach at The Rock School in Gainesville. The junior earned the nickname "the basketball honey badger" from teammates for his quick hands, but hasn't taken as many chances on steals this season. Instead, Wilbekin's lateral quickness and instincts have kept opposing teams from beating the Gators off the dribble.
"Scottie came here with a great defensive mentality and mindset," Florida coach Billy Donovan said. "He was a guy before he ever played a game here, was very, very committed to defense. Very, very important to him. I think he understood the value of playing defense. Now what we've tried to do is enhance his commitment on that end of the floor and try to put him in situations where he can utilize something that he takes a lot of pride in."
With Wilbekin and Kenny Boynton up front, Florida features two of the top perimeter defenders in the SEC. Boynton held Mississippi State top scorer Jalen Steele scoreless last week, and followed that up by holding South Carolina guard Bruce Ellington to seven points on 2-of-9 shooting.
Wilbekin and Boynton's defensive intensity has carried over to the rest of the starting five. Erik Murphy and Mike Rosario, considered defensive liabilities last season, have both improved and are giving more effort on that end of the floor. And 6-foot-9 center Patric Young has helped off screens on the perimeter while maintaining a physical presence underneath the basket. Young leads the Gators with 35 blocked shots this season.
Off the bench, the 6-foot-7 Yeguete remains tough at the front of the press and capable of guarding multiple positions. Junior forward Casey Prather, when healthy, is another strong perimeter defender.
Donovan said his coaching staff tries to stay "well out in front" of the opponents they face during the course of the season. For example, one of the assistant coaches on Donovan's staff has been watching Ole Miss play for about a week to 10 days.
On the Thursday morning before a Saturday game, Donovan will watch tape of an opponent and jot down some notes. Then he will meet with the assistant who has scouted the opponent longer. The two will bounce different ideas off one another.
"We sit down and I write down things," Donovan said. "How I want to guard certain actions. Things that may be a little bit more challenging. Different plays they're running. How we're going to guard personnel. How we're going to guard screening actions."
Donovan said the Ole Miss scouting report will expand from what the Rebels are doing in the halfcourt to how they play in transition. He'll identify some key players, such as Ole Miss junior guard Marshall Henderson and senior power forward Murphy Holloway.
"Obviously Henderson is getting a lot of points," Donovan said. "How are they coming? Where are they coming? Is it on a zone? Is it off screening action? What kind of action is he in? How do we want to guard certain screening actions? Obviously Holloway is a great driver. What plays are they running to put him in those situations? What plays are they running where those guys can really rebound?"
Armed with a breadth of information, Donovan then tries to keep the gameplan simple for his team, breaking it down into two or three "musts" during the course of the game.
"You can get too much information to these guys that they lose sight of what's really important," Donovan said. "In the South Carolina game, what was really important was transition defense, rebounding and guarding the 3-point line."
Florida assistant coach Matt McCall put together the initial scouting report against South Carolina. The Gators held South Carolina to just 36 points, the fewest points for an SEC opponent against UF in the shot-clock era.
"He did a really good job, because we knew the plays, the motions and everything," Yeguete said. "We knew how to guard, and I think he prepared us really well for this game."
Getting college players to buy into playing defense isn't easy. Offense creates headlines. Henderson leads the SEC in scoring and receives more highlight airtime in one week than the Gators do in an entire month.
"It's hard to do it," Donovan said. "One of the things I have to say is, when you're a kid growing up playing the game of basketball, or if you're a kid growing up playing the game of football, I can't imagine that many guys that want to go to the park today and play, and say, 'I'm not going to take my ball, but I'm going to do defensive slides for two hours. I'm going to work on running back in transition. I'm going to grab some people in the schoolyard to run me over and take charges.'
"Those things that you're talking about doing are not things that are enjoyable. But I often find that the things that make teams successful are the players that have the desire to do the things that are uncomfortable."
But Florida players have found pleasure making opposing offenses look silly during the course of the season. And it's hard to argue with the results. The Gators take a nine-game winning streak into their game tonight with Ole Miss, UF's longest since winning 10 in a row to close the 2006-07 national title season.
"Seeing that we're able to do it just makes us want to do it even more," Young said. "Just to be able to completely shut out a team and their main scorer because we have guys that can just defend every position. It's just a great feeling."


text:
Other Proposed Natural Treatments
The family of drugs loosely known as "narcotics" includes chemicals in the opiate family, such as heroin, along with cocaine and variations of methamphetamine ("speed"). All of these drugs produce intense psychological symptoms during withdrawal, and most cause physical symptoms as well, making them some of the most addictive substances known.
The process of overcoming narcotic addiction involves short-term assistance to ease the immediate withdrawal period, long-term psychological work to induce behavior change, and, in some cases, maintenance treatment with long-acting narcotics such as methadone. New classes of medications are under investigation for aiding withdrawal as well.
Proposed Natural Treatments
There are no well established natural treatments to aid the treatment of drug addiction, but some have shown a bit of promise.
The herb passionflower is thought to have mild sedative properties and has been suggested as an aid to drug withdrawal. A 14-day, double-blind trial enrolled 65 men addicted to opiate drugs and compared the effectiveness of passionflower combined with the drug clonidine to clonidine alone. 1 Clonidine is used widely to assist in narcotic withdrawal. It effectively reduces physical symptoms, such as increased blood pressure. However, it does not help emotional symptoms, such as drug-craving, anxiety, irritability, agitation, and depression. These symptoms can be quite severe, and they often cause enrollees in drug treatment programs to end participation.
In this 14-day study, the use of passionflower along with clonidine significantly eased the emotional aspects of withdrawal compared to use of clonidine alone. However, more research will be necessary to prove this treatment effective.
Although some animal studies suggest that various forms of acupuncture may have some benefits for chemical dependency, 2,3 study results in humans have been mixed at best, with the largest studies reporting no benefits.
For example, while benefits were seen in a much smaller single-blind trial, 6 a large placebo-controlled trial that evaluated 620 cocaine-dependent adults found acupuncture no more effective than sham acupuncture or relaxation training. 4 Similarly, a single-blind, placebo-controlled study enrolling 236 residential clients found no benefit from ear acupuncture for cocaine addiction. 5 In a similar study involving heroin addicts, a high dropout rate made the results difficult to interpret. 7 Finally, in a placebo-controlled trial involving 83 people addicted to drugs attending a methadone detoxification clinic, the addition of ear acupuncture did not improve withdrawal symptoms or cravings. 19 Methadone, a relatively weak narcotic, is commonly used to treat narcotic addition over the long-term.
Some benefit was found in a small trial with 60 patients taking methadone for heroine addiction. Compared to sham acupuncture, ear and body electroacupuncture was associated with a reduction in the amount of methodone consumed and improved time it takes to fall asleep. Acupuncture did not affect quality of life or heroine cravings. 20
Other Natural Approaches
One study provides weak evidence that the substance N-acetylcysteine might be helpful for treating cocaine dependence. 17 Similarly weak evidence hints at potential benefits for opiate addiction with the herbs brahmi ( Bacopa monniera ), 13rosemary , 14 and velvet antler . 15-16
Weak evidence hints that the substance lobeline from the herb lobelia might offer benefit for methamphetamine addiction. 10-12
A 10-week, double-blind trial failed to find ginkgo helpful for cocaine dependence. 8
One study failed to find hatha yoga helpful for enhancing the effectiveness of a methadone maintenance treatment for heroin addiction. 9
In a review of 21 studies involving almost 3,000 subjects, researchers concluded that Chinese herbal medicine was as effective as commonly prescribed medications for drug withdrawal symptoms in heroin addicts. They could not draw any conclusions, however, regarding which specific herbs were most beneficial. 18
Revision Information
- Reviewer: EBSCO CAM Review Board
- Review Date: 12/2015 -
- Update Date: 12/15/2015 -


text:
This study is provided by ICPSR. ICPSR provides leadership and training in data access, curation, and methods of analysis for a diverse and expanding social science research community.
Americans View Their Mental Health, 1976 (ICPSR 7948)
Principal Investigator(s): Veroff, Joseph; Douvan, Elizabeth; Kulka, Richard
Funded in 1975 by the National Institute of Mental Health, this data collection proposed to assess the quality of American life and to influence national policy aimed at enhancing mental health resources. This collection contains 262 variables that were also included in AMERICANS VIEW THEIR MENTAL HEALTH, 1957 (ICPSR 3503). The survey queried American adults on various areas in which problems might arise, including marriage, parenthood, employment, and general social relationships. Information about leisure time, past and present physical and mental health, and motives for affiliation, achievement, and power were also sought. In addition, extensive information was collected concerning help-seeking, the readiness of people to use professional help for mental health problems, the particular helpers they used, referral mechanisms, and evaluation of help received.
Access Notes
Data in this collection are available only to users at ICPSR member institutions. Please log in so we can determine if you are with a member institution and have access to these data files.
ASCII + SAS Setup SPSS Setup Stata Setup
Study Description
Veroff, Joseph, Elizabeth Douvan, and Richard Kulka. Americans View Their Mental Health, 1976. ICPSR07948-v1. Ann Arbor, MI: Inter-university Consortium for Political and Social Research [distributor], 1982. https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR07948.v1
Persistent URL: https://doi.org/10.3886/ICPSR07948.v1
Export Citation:
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- EndNote XML (EndNote X4.0.1 or higher)
This study was funded by:
- United States Department of Health and Human Services. National Institutes of Health. National Institute of Mental Health
Scope of Study
Subject Terms: achievement, career goals, divorce, employment history, happiness, job satisfaction, leisure, marriage, memberships, mental health, motivation, occupations, parenting skills, preferences, psychological wellbeing, quality of life, self concept, social indicators, social roles, social values
Geographic Coverage: United States
- 1976
- 1976
Universe: Americans aged 21 years and older living in private households in the United States in 1976.
Sample: Multistage area probability sample.
personal interviews
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:
- Performed consistency checks.
- Standardized missing values.
- Performed recodes and/or calculated derived variables.
- Checked for undocumented or out-of-range codes.
Original ICPSR Release: 1984-05-10
- 2005-11-04 On 2005-03-14 new files were added to one or more datasets. These files included additional setup files as well as one or more of the following: SAS program, SAS transport, SPSS portable, and Stata system files. The metadata record was revised 2005-11-04 to reflect these additions.
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- List all ~27 citations associated with this study
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text:
Symptoms of celiac disease can vary in type and/or severity. Symptoms can start as soon as gluten is introduced into the diet, or they may not develop until adulthood. Children often have different symptoms than adults. Symptoms may not develop (or may be mild) if a large section of the intestine is undamaged. Malnutrition may produce the first signs of the condition, which are often the most serious. Some people with celiac disease have no symptoms of it. Signs and symptoms may include:
- Weight loss
- Abdominal cramps, bloating, and gas
- Diarrhea
- Foul-smelling, light-colored, oily stool
- Change in appetite
- Fatigue
- Anemia
Bone problems, such as:
- Reduced bone density—osteoporosis
- Bone thinning—osteopenia
- Poorly formed bones (rickets) caused by vitamin D deficiency—osteomalacia
- Bone pain
- Short stature (in children)
- Reproductive system problems, such as missed menstrual periods and infertility
Dermatological problems, such as:
- Cracked sores in the corners of the mouth—angular cheilitis
- Skin rash, especially dermatitis herpetiformis (a gluten-sensitive skin rash)
- Shallow sores in the mucous membranes of the mouth—aphthous ulcers
Neuro-psychological problems, such as:
- Behavioral changes
- Depression
- Irritability
- Seizures
- Tingling or numbness, most often in the feet or lower legs—peripheral neuropathy
- Lightheadedness
- Muscle cramps and joint pain
- Dental problems, related to malabsorption of calcium and vitamin D
- Failure to thrive (in infants)
Revision Information
- Reviewer: Daus Mahnke, MD
- Review Date: 12/2015 -
- Update Date: 12/20/2014 -


text:
From my knowledge if we make the playoff we keep are pick. I thought we could start discussing who would be available with the 15th and 16th pick
With Calderon in his last year of his contract I see raptors going point guard in the draft. Seems like the point guards in that range are C.J. Mccollum, B.J. Young and Myck Kabongo.


text:
Children need guidance to make the right choices when it comes to what to eat and how to spend their time. The patterns you develop now will affect your child into adulthood. So it is so important to help your child develop a healthy lifestyle at a young age.
What can parents do? As a parent, you have a huge influence over your child's life. If you eat healthy foods and take time to exercise, you increase the chance that your child will adopt these habits.
What if you are not sure how to help your child eat better or be more physically fit? Here are guidelines to promote a healthy and fit lifestyle.
All children should take an active role in their own nutrition. Get them involved in all of the stages of healthy eating:
Planning Meals
MyPlate Kids' Place is a government initiative to encourage healthy eating. While planning meals with your child, use MyPlate Kids' Place as a guide to help you include the basic food groups:
- Fruits—Whether it is a fresh banana, raisins, or a glass of 100% fruit juice, there is sure to be a fruit option that your child likes.
- Vegetables—Does your child like raw carrots and celery? Or maybe string beans? There are many to choose from, so keep trying if your child has trouble finding a favorite.
- Grains—Wheat, rice, and oats fall into this group. Set a daily goal to make half of your child's grains whole grains.
- Protein—Chicken, black beans, peanut butter, and tuna are just a few healthy sources of protein for your child.
- Dairy—Fat-free or low-fat milk, yogurt, and cheese are great additions to your child's diet.
Have your child help you on your next trip to the grocery store. Use this as a chance to reinforce the MyPlate basics. For example, encourage your child to pick out new healthy foods to try. Make sure to include healthy snack choices for school. Let them pick out a new fruit or vegetable to try.
Teach your child how to read food labels and understand portion sizes. It's a good time to learn how to read and understand ingredients too. It will help your child sort out the good stuff from the bad.
What about when your child is reaching for cookies to add to the cart? Try to highlight that it is okay to have special treats every so often. But there are better choices, like fruits, vegetables, or low-fat yogurt to have on a daily basis.
Preparing Meals
While preparing meals, involve your child. Even young children can take part, whether it be putting lettuce in a bowl or putting bread on the table. Older children can take the lead in cooking the main dish and help with meal planning.
Eating Together
Now that the meal is ready, sit down and enjoy it. Have a dining area away from the TV so that you can have some quality time with your family. Encourage your child to eat slowly and to taste each healthy bite. Don't allow any electronic devices, like cell phones, games, or tablets, at the table.
Physical Fitness
Make fitness part of your family's routine. Your child should have at least 60 minutes of physical activity a day. This should be a combination of aerobic exercise, muscle strengthening , and bone strengthening. To make physical activity fun, incorporate the activity into games. If you make exercise fun, your child will stick with it.
You can emphasize the importance of fitness in your child's life in many ways, for example:
- Instead of watching TV after dinner, go for a bike ride or play in the park.
- Plan an active weekend. Hiking trips and beach days are inexpensive and fun ways to exercise.
- If your child has decided to join a sports team, be supportive and encouraging. Sport teams nurture social skills as well.
- What if your child is not interested in team sports? There are many individual sports options, like dancing, yoga, or karate. Present your child with options to see if anything sparks an interest.
By teaching your child about proper nutrition and exercise, you help to build the foundation for a healthy adulthood. Remember that you are a role model. If you eat right and are physically active, then this encourages your child to do the same.
- Reviewer: Michael Woods, MD
- Review Date: 07/2015 -
- Update Date: 07/20/2015 -


text:
Model Search January 2013
Miss January will be featured in TransWorld SURF magazine, get a bikini of her choice from B. Swim, and sunglasses from Spy Optic. Here's the fine print: To enter, email your photos to email@example.com. Please include name, age, hometown, and some info about yourself. You must be 18 to enter.


text:
was live in New York City this morning presenting (video) its brand new
Windows Phone 7 smartphone operating system, and while there are a
few minor rough edges the results look quite impressive. Below
we outline a quick overview of the platform and then dive into
hardware and software details.OverviewWindows
Phone 7 enters a market in which Android is the rising star and a
pair of veteran players (Apple and RIM) cling to large market shares,
thanks to unique niches (business, entertainment). Having seen
the Windows Phone 7 in action and contrasting the experience to
Android, iOS, and BlackBerry OS, we feel the that WP7 has the
potential to do very well.It may be too early to say for
sure, but Microsoft's decision to redesign the interface from the
ground up seems a very wise one. Scrapping the stale Windows
Mobile 6.5, the company now has a fast, intuitive-seeming interface
laid over a solid set of hardware and software.The OS really
shines at business productivity, so we could see it snatching some
marketshare from RIM among the business-minded. The phone also
seems very slick in terms of entertainment and social connectivity.
This may help it to compete with Android and Apple's iOS, or at least
differentiate itself as more versatile than the RIM's BlackBerry
phones.Windows Phone 7 Launches on November 8th in the U.S.,
as previously rumored. In addition, most WP7 phones will
be available for $199.99 with new 2-year contract. In
the U.S. T-Mobile, AT&T, and Sprint have all be confirmed as
launch partners (Verizon will likely have WP7 handsets as well, but
was not mentioned specifically). Abroad, Vodafone (UK) and
Orange (France) were among the carriers mentioned in Microsoft's
presentation.Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer at the release event
commented, "I've been looking forward to this day for some time
I say."We can see why. Windows Phone 7 is pretty
revolutionary in that it's definitely a "different kind of
phone" as Microsoft's presentation billed it, in terms of
interface at least. And while it remains to be seen how
competitive it can truly be, it seems a vast leap from the weak
Windows Mobile experience.HardwareAt the
launch event, Microsoft stated that there would be nine handsets
available at launch and mentioned explicitly four partners -- Dell,
Samsung, LG, HTC. A fifth hardware partner, ASUSTek, was
previously announced by Microsoft, but was not discussed at the
presentation.AT&T CEO of AT&T Mobility and Consumer
Markets was on hand to personally introduce the three WP7 handsets
that will be available on his network at launch.First up is
the LG Quantum. AT&T's WP7 slider, the Quantum packs a 1
GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, a 3.5-inch capacitive touch
screen, 16 GB of flash memory, and a QWERTY keyboard. The
second handset shown was the HTC Surround, a phone similar to the HTC
EVO geared towards the "media and gaming enthusiast".
Like the EVO, the phone packs a 1 GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon, but it
packs a slightly smaller 3.8-inch touch screen and lower resolution 5
megapixel camera. Like the EVO it will feature a kickstand, but
unlike the EVO it will feature 16 GB of flash instead of microSD
expansion (it's possible this will be included, but it wasn't
mentioned). But the handset does have one very cool feature
that differentiates it from the EVO -- it is the first phone to have
dual surround sound speakers (made by Dolby Labs), which slide up out
of the central body.Last, but not least, is the Samsung
Focus, which AT&T claims has "best looking screen on any
Windows phone". The 4-inch screen uses Samsung's SuperIM
OLED technology. It packs a 1 GHz Snapdragon, a 5 MP camera,
and a slightly smaller 8 GB of flash memory.If you've noticed
a trend (1 GHz processors) in these models, it's because Microsoft's
hardware spec requires all WP7 handsets to have a 1
GHz processor. That's a bit different than Android's approach.
It may hurt Microsoft among entry level buyers, but on the other hand
it may provide WP7 users with a better, more consistent
experience.A couple of other handsets were not shown off at
the release event, but have popped online. T-Mobile
will be getting the HTC Mozart, a 8MP camera with Xenon flash,
one-speaker Dolby Mobile with SRS Wow HD for "virtual surround
sound", and 8 GB of flash storage. It's also getting the
beastly HTC 7 HD7, a 4.3-inche device featuring 16GB of storage and a
5MP camera. The carrier also has a 4.1-inch ruggedized vertical
slider, the Dell Venue Pro.Sprint is getting its own slider,
dubbed the HTC 7 Pro. This handset features a 1GHz Snapdragon
processor and 16 GB of storage.Looking at the seven revealed
WP7 handsets in summary, it seems that they are quite consistent on a
hardware basis with the chief difference being the inclusion of a
keyboard, size of the flash memory, screen size, camera resolution,
and surround sound (or lack there of).Looking at the hardware
overall, if microSD is indeed not supported, it will be quite
disappointing. Lack of expandable memory is a key downside for
Apple and a key upside for Google's Android. Otherwise,
the hardware platform looks to be very competitive with Android
handsets, with many models having specs superior to those of the Apple
iPhone 4.
SoftwareIf there was one
compelling reason to buy a WP7 handset it would have to be the
interface.Microsoft has deeply integrated search via Bing
into the interface and has designed a quick and intuitive UI.
Looking at the home screen, you will notice many square tiles known
as Hubs. Many of the tiles seem intuitive -- Messages, Phone
Calls, Email, etc. While these may be similar to icons in other
smartphone operating systems, they're a bit different in that they're
all animated. In this respect, they're perhaps most similar to
Android's widgets.You can turn your contacts into a tile on
the homepage sprawl. You can also unpin any tile by simply
touching, holding, then clicking the upper right corner of the tile.
This lays to rest a false rumor that the homescreen in WP7 would not
be customizable. You can move tiles by then touching, holding,
and dragging.In terms of business functionality, the phone
includes some slick features. For example, your next
appointment shows up on the home screen so you don't even have to
unlock your phone. Emails suggesting appointments come with a
one-touch option to check for conflicts. You can sync
appointments from Exchange servers, Yahoo Mail, Gmail, Hotmail, and
more.Email brings us to another key point -- typing.
Typing looks to be a pretty fast experience as Microsoft includes a
pretty souped up autocorrect. Typing quick bursts of a few
sentences looks to be possibly a bit faster than in Android, and on
par with Apple's leading interface in this department. Of
course, once you've scribbled out a few sentences, you'll often have
to go back and tweak the autocorrections. Microsoft has a few
good ideas here -- for example the original word that was
autocorrected from is stored and can be reverted.Also
involved with the email experience is addresses. Addresses can
be clicked to bring up Bing Maps. These maps tell you the best
way to get there (walking/driving), let you get directions, and even
show you satellite views.Search can be done in two ways.
First you can press and hold the start button and speak to the
phone. The audio is transmitted to Microsoft's servers and
Microsoft's "Tell Me" backend then tries to parse it into a
search query. A second approach is to press the search button
and then type in the Bing search bar that pops up.Microsoft
showed off a mobile version of Powerpoint -- part of a WP7 Office
suite. Sadly, copy and paste has been confirmed to be absent,
so editing in mobile Word or Powerpoint will likely be an onerous
task. Microsoft also showed off OneNote -- the WP7 version of
its Office note-taking software -- and demonstrated how it syncs your
notes to the cloud. These notes can be accessed from anywhere
on the internet.Picture-taking on the phone looks a bit more
intuitive that in Android. If you press the camera button the
phone automatically wakes up and shoots, no unlocking required.
We could see this as causing some unwanted "pocket pictures",
but then again it should offer faster photos. Photos can be set
to automatically upload to cloud storage on sites like
Facebook.Look at Music and Videos, the interface is very
similar to Zune's. Third parties can design plug-ins that offer
up new elements in this plug. Slacker Radio and YouTube were
among those shown in the presentation.Turning to the "People"
tab, Microsoft syncs contacts from multiple places -- Facebook,
Gmail, Exchange, and more. The second you log in one of these
accounts, the syncing process starts. This may be a bit
problematic for some. Say you have 500 Facebook friends, but
most of those are high school classmates and college friends you only
vaguely knew. ALL of them will be added to your phone's
contacts. So you might want to be wary of what accounts you log
into (i.e. watch out for Facebook) unless Microsoft has some sort
filtering scheme that it hasn't revealed yet.Turning last to
games, the phone should offer an Xbox Live-like experience, with
Gaming invites, avatars, multiplayer gaming, and more.
Microsoft showed off a couple titles, including a WP7-version of
EA's The Sims.In terms of apps, it's to be expected that
Microsoft won't have as huge a catalog as Android or Apple at
launch. However, it did show off some cool third party apps.
For example AT&T will be offering its customers a Uverse app,
which will allow you to watch TV shows on the go. Non-Uverse
subscribers can pay a "small [monthly] fee" according to
Mr. de la Vega to access this option.One final note -- it appears that multitasking will be available in some form (at least via notifications) given the stream of live feeds from multiple apps on the home screen. However, Microsoft did not mention that true multitasking (freely switchable-apps) would be present. Further no third party app tiles were shown to be updating with live feeds, so it seems likely that the previous rumor that third-party multitasking would not initially be included may be true.Looking at the
demonstrated software (operating system, third-party) in overview,
Microsoft clearly will lag behind Apple and Google in volume, but it
makes up for it somewhat in quality. The only egregious
omission hear is copy and paste, and that will be coming early 2011
according to Microsoft. Otherwise, the interface looks polished
and the software seems very business/connectivity
friendly.ConclusionsThere's the bad (lack of
microSD, no copy and paste) and there's the good (the interface, the
wide array of hardware options, and the cross-carrier availability)
when it comes to Windows Phone 7.Ultimately, while Microsoft
has claimed in the past to be "following in Apple's line"
with Windows Phone 7, it actually is following both Apple and Google
in some regards. In terms of hardware and carriers its taking
Google's diversified approach, but in terms of interface and feature
support its taking Apple's more detail-oriented/refined approach.
That focus on details can largely be blamed for missing features like
copy and paste, but it can also be credited for the overall ease of
use.In these respects Windows Phone 7 is like a strange
fusion of Android and iOS. However, it offers its own unique
style as well, when it comes to looks. With its smart phone market share plunging, Microsoft desperately needed a strong product -- and it looks like it just might have delivered one. Windows Phone 7 should be a worthy
competitor when it hits the market on November 8.


text:
Associate Professor - Violin, Viola, New River Valley Symphony Orchestra
James Glazebrook teaches violin and viola, conducting, and string methods. He is the conductor of The New River Valley Symphony, Virginia Tech's university/community orchestra.
His varied career has encompassed professional performance, conducting, and music education. As a violinist, he has been a member of the San Diego Symphony and Opera Orchestras. He has served as the concertmaster of the Colorado Springs Orchestra, New Hampshire Music Festival, and Roanoke Symphony Orchestra.
(540) 231-8501
242-R Squires (0138)
290 College Avenue
Blacksburg, VA 24061
To make a gift to the School of Performing Arts visit the link below, enter your gift amount, and click on the blue "designate your own" button. Then type in School of Performing Arts.Make a Gift


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Editorial analysis from our RIA® experts and guidance from our renowned WG&L® authors provide the insight you need to confidently and accurately complete your research and stay on top of industry needs.
Research is in their name
Our RIA experts and products come from a long history of expertise in tax and accounting, having started with the launch of the first RIA products in 1935 — originally under the name Research Institute of America. Known for their insight into current events and plain-English writing style with Recommendations, Illustrations, Cautions and Observations (RICO), our RIA experts have been widely respected for decades. Today they are frequently cited as industry experts by major news organizations including the Wall Street Journal, the New York Times, Money.com and others.
The industry-leaders are our experts
The IRS, state courts — even the U.S. Supreme Court — cites our WG&L authors as the leading sources in the fields of tax, accounting and finance. Launched in 1961 under the full name Warren, Gorham and Lamont, the history of our WG&L titles include such standard-bearers as the Federal Income Taxation of Corporations & Shareholders, State Taxation, GAAP Practice Manual and many more. Our WG&L Journals — including Internal Auditing, Journal of Taxation, Journal of Real Estate Taxation and Valuation Strategies, to name a few — are considered essential reading by firms and corporations alike who wish to stay abreast of hot topics in their respective fields.
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text:
struck a chord with competitors and consumers alike when it launched the
first iPhone. The device wasn't perfect, but it sold in droves and
each successive version of the iPhone has sold exceptionally well.
The device is one of the most popular smartphones on the American
market, despite only having one carrier.The popularity of the
iPhone and the tendency of customers to actually use the smartphone
for its intended purpose means that owners tend to consumer more data
bandwidth than users of other devices. In fact, AT&T has
threatened in the past to charge
iPhone users who consume more data than it thinks they
should more money, despite the fact that iPhone data plans are said
to be unlimited.AT&T may blame the huge number of iPhones
that it sells for its data woes, but the company recognizes how
important the iPhone is to its bottom line. The company has pledged
to improve
its network and in Q1 Apple reported sales
of the iPhone doubled so the number of iPhones on the AT&T
network will only increase.Consumer
Reports has
published the results
of research that it commissioned from a company called
Validas. Validas is a web firm that analyses the bills of wireless
users that the customers willingly upload and the data is used for
research when the providers won't give first party
numbers.According to the data Validas provided Consumer
the average iPhone user consumes 273MB of data per month. By
comparison, the average Blackberry user only consumes 54MB of data
each month. Users of other smartphones consume an average of 150MB
per month. The data also showed that 12% of iPhone users gobble up
500MB per month of bandwidth and the biggest consumers of bandwidth
using the iPhone use over 1GB of data per month.Consumer
Reports reached
out to AT&T for first-party numbers and were turned down. An AT&T
spokesperson said, "For competitive reasons, we do not disclose
the usage of our iPhone customers."
data analyzed by Validas included 757 iPhone users, 783 Blackberry
users, and in total looked at 14,000 wireless users.