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John Clare, the poet of the environmental crisis – 200 years ago
George Monbiot, Guardian
This great poet showed how the era of greed began with the enclosure of the land
'What John Clare suffered was the fate of indigenous peoples torn from their land and belonging everywhere.'
The land around Helpston, just to the north of Peterborough in Northamptonshire, now ranks among the most dismal and regularised tracts of countryside in Europe. But when the poet John Clare was born this coming Friday in 1793, it swarmed with life. Clare describes species whose presence there is almost unimaginable today. Corncrakes hid among the crops, ravens nested in a giant oak, nightjars circled the heath, the meadows sparkled with glow worms. Wrynecks still bred in old woodpecker holes. In the woods and brakes the last wildcats clung on.
The land was densely peopled. While life was hard and spare, it was also, he records, joyful and thrilling. The meadows resounded with children pranking and frolicking and gathering cowslips for their May Day games; the woods were alive with catcalls and laughter; around the shepherds' fires, people sang ballads and told tales. We rightly remark on the poverty and injustice of rural labour at that time; we also forget its wealth of fellowship.
All this Clare notes in tremulous bewitching detail, in the dialect of his own people. His father was a casual farm labourer, his family never more than a few days' wages from the poorhouse. Clare himself, from early childhood, scraped a living in the fields. He was schooled capriciously, and only until the age of 12, but from his first bare contact fell wildly in love with the written word.
… And then he sees it fall apart. Between 1809 and 1820, acts of enclosure granted the local landowners permission to fence the fields, the heaths and woods, excluding the people who had worked and played in them. Almost everything Clare loved was torn away. The ancient trees were felled, the scrub and furze were cleared, the rivers were canalised, the marshes drained, the natural curves of the land straightened and squared. Farming became more profitable, but many of the people of Helpston – especially those who depended on the commons for their survival – were deprived of their living.
… Clare documents both the destruction of place and people and the gradual collapse of his own state of mind. "Inclosure came and trampled on the grave / Of labour's rights and left the poor a slave … And birds and trees and flowers without a name / All sighed when lawless law's enclosure came."
(9 July 2012)
John Clare is a poet for us to re-discover. -BA
How to Think
Chris Hedges, TruthDig.com
Cultures that endure carve out a protected space for those who question and challenge national myths. Artists, writers, poets, activists, journalists, philosophers, dancers, musicians, actors, directors and renegades must be tolerated if a culture is to be pulled back from disaster. Members of this intellectual and artistic class, who are usually not welcome in the stultifying halls of academia where mediocrity is triumphant, serve as prophets. They are dismissed, or labeled by the power elites as subversive, because they do not embrace collective self-worship. They force us to confront unexamined assumptions, ones that, if not challenged, lead to destruction. They expose the ruling elites as hollow and corrupt. They articulate the senselessness of a system built on the ideology of endless growth, ceaseless exploitation and constant expansion. They warn us about the poison of careerism and the futility of the search for happiness in the accumulation of wealth.
… Human societies see what they want to see. They create national myths of identity out of a composite of historical events and fantasy. They ignore unpleasant facts that intrude on self-glorification. They trust naively in the notion of linear progress and in assured national dominance. This is what nationalism is about—lies. And if a culture loses its ability for thought and expression, if it effectively silences dissident voices, if it retreats into what Sigmund Freud called "screen memories," those reassuring mixtures of fact and fiction, it dies. It surrenders its internal mechanism for puncturing self-delusion.
… Students who are denied the wisdom of the great oracles of human civilization—visionaries who urge us not to worship ourselves, not to kneel before the base human emotion of greed—cannot be educated. They cannot think.
To think, we must, as Epicurus understood, "live in hiding." We must build walls to keep out the cant and noise of the crowd. We must retreat into a print-based culture where ideas are not deformed into sound bites and thought-terminating clichés. Thinking is, as Hannah Arendt wrote, "a soundless dialogue between me and myself."
… Our corporate culture has effectively severed us from human imagination. Our electronic devices intrude deeper and deeper into spaces that were once reserved for solitude, reflection and privacy. Our airwaves are filled with the tawdry and the absurd. Our systems of education and communication scorn the disciplines that allow us to see.
(9 July 2012)
Scarcity of Will
Hans Noeldner, Entropic Journal
The most pressing scarcity we face in the United States today is not a scarcity of things – energy, food, natural resources, or manufactured items. It is, rather, a shortage of will: of willingness to allocate a sufficient portion of our discretionary spending[1] to labor inputs into the production and delivery of goods, services, and infrastructure. This lack of will is manifest in a shortage of employment opportunities for those among those of us who require employment income to purchase the necessities of life.
Needless to say, our ongoing adoption of labor productivity[2] only makes matters worse. Highway spending, for example, does little for local employment when the lion's share of spending goes to fuel purchases and payments on giant earth-moving machinery. Yet we consistently describe ourselves as unwilling and/or unable to resist labor productivity[3].
Persisting unemployment leads to social unrest, and high levels can lead to societal breakdown and violence. Therefore we believe we must increase acquisition of wealth, consumption of luxuries, construction of infrastructure, emissions of wastes, and aggregation of military power at a cumulative rate which matches or exceeds the rate at which we adopt labor productivity.
I see little evidence that this is recognized in our contemporary political discourse – and to the extent that it is, it is invariably drowned out by the heated rhetoric of opposition-blaming. We-the-people cannot yet imagine the power inherent in choosing the labor of a man over the work potential of a gallon of gasoline. It does not yet occur to us there could be too much of a good thing called "productivity".[1] Including taxes, credit, and money creation
[2] By labor productivity I mean technologies, methods, and inputs of non-anthropogenic energy which reduce or eliminate human labor input per unit output).
[3] For some persons this is true: no corporation engaged in producing commodities in competitive, price-driven markets can afford to employ people for the sake of employing people. But many working-class Americans – and virtually all in the middle-class and above – have significant discretion to choose more labor-intensive goods and services over capital- and non-anthropogenic-energy-intensive ones. This even includes choices to use one's own labor for such things as walking and bicycling (rather than driving), entertaining one's child (rather than using TV), pushing a human-powered lawnmower (rather than sitting on a motorized one), growing some of one's food (rather than employing 300 HP tractors and 200 HP harvesters
(5 July 2012)
Not Dark Yet: But I Have Seen The Footlong Hot Dog Of The Apocalypse
Phil Rockstroh, CounterCurrents
Almost exactly ten years ago, in June of 2002, my wife and I were driving through Colorado, on our way from Los Angeles to New York City. In the early afternoon, while paused to tank-up our Toyota Corolla, at a massive convenience store/self-service gas island that boasted of "two-for-the-price-of-one, One and One Half Footlong Hot Dogs." we watched a family of six emerge from a late model, oversized pickup truck, proceed into the store, and return with a bounty of hot dogs and super-gulp soft drinks.
A few minutes later, we passed their vehicle on Interstate 70, and I remarked to my wife on the connection between oversized consumer goods, oversized people, and the oversized amount of greenhouse gases trapping heat in the atmosphere. I queried, "Do you think they would even look up from their titanic hot dogs, if the world before them ignited into flames?"
A few minutes later, my question was answered when a series of wildfires (very much like the ones that are scorching Colorado to ash and cinder, as I write these words) began to close in on our periphery.
Stunningly, mortifyingly, the answer to my question was, no. The occupants of the pickup proceeded straight through the screen of wafting smoke without averting their gaze from their gigantic snack food.
When the world is on fire and a people refuse to take note…we're apt to find ourselves in a bit of a fix.
People, I have seen the Footlong Hot Dog of the Apocalypse. Apparently, the end of the world, as we know it, comes with your choice of condiments.
… Individually and en masse, U.S. citizens are checked-out, lost, possessed by inertia or manic jags of distraction, feelings of hopelessness and powerless rage, and are desperate for some kind of quick fix…as if that were even possible. For example, why else would so many be addicted to unhealthy corporate food, anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medications? Why are so many so desperate for relief from reality itself?
One reason: There exists a void of purpose, both communal and personal; a keening hollowness that becomes present when a person has been rendered by circumstance bereft of the belief that life can be resonant with meaning…that he is in possession of a unique destiny. The concept has been lost that one's life is a fascinating question that is addressed to the world — and it is imperative that one quests for answers.
The tragedy is that too many look to their exploiters for answers. Those who insist on dwelling in an ad hoc architecture of denial — as flimsy as the prefab edifices of this Strip Mall Nation, as empty as the soul-devoid rooms of a McMansion — conjure disaster, and those who evince a noxious innocence (when no adult is innocent in a blood-sustain empire) become monsters.
It is one's societal (perhaps, even sacred) duty to strive for awareness. Those who demur will become slaves, and, in ways overt and tacit, argue for the exploitative and cruel caprice of their masters.
(29 June 2012)
Suggested by EB contributor Luane Todd.
The Righteous Road to Ruin
Chris Hedges, TruthDig
"The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion"
A book by Jonathan Haidt
Jonathan Haidt's book "The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided by Politics and Religion" trumpets yet another grand theory of evolution, this time in the form of evolutionary psychology, which purports to unravel the mystery of moral behavior. Such theories, whether in the form of dialectical materialism, Social Darwinism, biblical inherency or its more bizarre subsets of phrenology or eugenics, never hold up against the vast complexity of history, the inner workings of economic and political systems, and the intricacies of the human psyche. But simplicity has a strong appeal for those who seek order in the chaos of existence.
Haidt, although he has a refreshing disdain for the Enlightenment dream of a rational world, fares no better than other systematizers before him. He too repeatedly departs from legitimate science, including social science, into the simplification and corruption of science and scientific terms to promote a unified theory of human behavior that has no empirical basis. He is stunningly naive about power, especially corporate power, and often exhibits a disturbing indifference to the weak and oppressed. He is, in short, a Social Darwinian in analyst's clothing. Haidt ignores the wisdom of all the great moral and religious writings on the ethical life, from the biblical prophets to the Egyptian Book of the Dead, to the Sermon on the Mount, to the Quran and the Bhagavad Gita, which understand that moral behavior is determined by our treatment of the weakest and most vulnerable among us. It is easy to be decent to your peers and those within your tribe. It is difficult to be decent to the oppressed and those who are branded as the enemy.
Haidt, who is the Thomas Cooley Professor of Ethical Leadership at New York University's Stern School of Business, is an heir of Herbert Spencer, who coined the term "survival of the fittest" and who also attempted to use evolution to explain human behavior, sociology, politics and ethics. Haidt, like Spencer, is dismissive of those he refers to as "slackers," "leeches," "free riders," "cheaters" or "anyone else who 'drinks the water' rather than carries it for the group." They are parasites who should be denied social assistance in the name of fair play. The failure of liberals, Haidt writes, to embrace this elemental form of justice, which he says we are hard-wired to adopt, leaves them despised by those who are more advanced as moral human beings. He chastises liberals, whom he sees as morally underdeveloped, for going "beyond the equality of rights to pursue equality of outcomes, which cannot be obtained in a capitalist system."
… Haidt holds up the collective euphoria of college football games—which he says are religious rites—as an example of the positive benefits of collective emotions. He links school and team spirit to Emerson's and Thoreau's transcendentalism, which is, to say the least, a gross distortion of transcendental thought. He says football games also lead us to reverence. The crowd in a football stadium allows us to experience, he writes, awe and the sacred. It turns us, he writes approvingly, into a human hive. "It flips the hive switch and makes people feel, for a few hours, that they are 'simply a part of a whole,' " he writes of corporate or crowd experiences. He calls on us to surrender to these collectives. He writes that "a nation that is full of hives is a nation of happy and satisfied people."
Happiness, then, comes with conformity. If we are unhappy it is not because there is something wrong with the world around us. It is because we have failed to integrate into the hive. This, of course, is the central thesis of positive psychology, which Haidt is closely associated with. And it is an ideology promoted by corporations and the U.S. military to keep people disempowered.
… Haidt mistakes the immoral as moral. Totalitarian structures, including corporate structures, call for us to sublimate our individual conscience into the collective. When we conform, we become, in the eyes of the state, or the corporation, moral and righteous. Haidt would do well to remember historian Claudia Koonz's observation that "the road to Auschwitz was paved with righteousness." This is a book that, perhaps unwittingly, sanctifies obedience to the corporate state and totalitarian power. It puts forth an argument that obliterates the possibility of the moral life. Submission, if you follow Haidt, becomes the highest good.
The moral life is achieved only by fostering a radical individualism with altruism. The Christian Gospels call on us to love our neighbor, not our tribe. Immanuel Kant says much the same thing when he tells us to "always recognize that human individuals are ends, and do not use them as mere means to your ends." Morality is never the domain of crowds. And if you follow Haidt's advice on how to become righteous you will, like so many of the self-deluded in history, end up a slave.
(28 June 2012)
Suggested by EB contributor Luane Todd.


text:
Ok, Get this,
Ive got a SB16PCI and I cant get the sound to work on it via a DOS game.
Its a Legacy device and Ive set the DMA IRQ and ADDRESS up properly.
However it DOES work on a SB16ISA with the same IRQ DMA etc. Are the drivers for the two cards different? Can I access a PCI card via an ISA selection in the Sound Setup and see it working?
Whats interesting is if I use the sound card in an application and then try and run the program it says it wont start as the card is already in use. This means that it is at least trying to pump audio into the card via the bus.
I guess the question is this, Can anyone tell me if the drivers differ between SB16 PCI and SB16 ISA. Creative Labs sent me an updated driver for the PCI card, but it still dont work. Can a PCI audio card be accessed as easily as an ISA one?

subset: commoncrawl


text:
* Prices may differ from that shownMore Offers
Reasonably Fast
Responsive Screen
Feel Nice to use
Excellent Battery Life
Screen may be to small for some
No Camera Button
Microphone can be easily covered when calling.
I personally really like this phone and have owned it for around 5 months, I feel for my needs as a young person it does pretty much all I need,
First I will mention that I find calls and texting very enjoyable, Its very responsive and the call quality is clear and texting is very easily laid out and I feel for me the screen and keyboard is just the right size.
However I do find that it can be hard to hold the phone without cover the microphone located at the bottom of the phone.
Social networking on this phone is enjoyable, I use alot of networking apps for eg, (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) and I find they run very well, I don't experience any lagging or freezing.
The camera on this phone is 5MP with no flash so if you like taking pics in clubs and at night this phone would not be ideal but for a everyday camera, I would say it does the job, photos come out clear with good colour quality to them.
As for apps if you are looking to run loads of games and other apps at the same time this probably is not for you, but if like me you just like to check your social networking apps and maybe a occasional game of temple run here and there this phone will serve you great. it can lag if to many processes are left running but that is easily solved by stopping certain apps.
This phone is also equipped with Wi-Fi and GPS and Bluetooth which also work very well but if all left on will drain your battery.
Over all this phone is great if you want a smartphone that can do most things young people want now days eg, social networking, getting around and taking pics.
Age- teens +
I opted for this smartphone in 2012, when I was due to upgrade. I researched other handsets, which were available at the time, but decided the features of this HTC outweighed others. The phone was shipped out to me the next day by my network provider and naturally the first thing I did was play.
I chose the white handset, with a silver effect facia surrounding the screen, which looks smart and fresher than the appearance of the black handset. Setting up the handset was easy, with a step-by-step guide, which helped me connect to my Wi-Fi network.
The handset comes preloaded with different themes and pictures so you can personalise the phone. The widgets can be arranged alphabetically or by your favourites in the menu, which is a nice feature, allowing quick access to apps I use most regularly.
I was disappointed by the camera when I started using it. It is a 5 megapixel camera, but compared to the camera on my Samsung Galaxy Y the images just didn't seem focused and was a little disappointed with the lack of options for editing pictures.
The music player however is fantastic. It features Beats Audio technology, which improves the sound of music immensely, in fact I was astounded by how much better my music could sound.
The size of the handset is lovely, it fits into the hand nicely, making this easy to handle. I am rather clumsy with at times and unfortunately have dropped this a few times, leading to the screen being smashed, but this has been speedily fixed by my network provider through their insurance cover.
I pay £16 a month for this handset and I would say it is definitely worth that. If like me at the time you are on a budget it is definitely one to go with, because it has lots of good smartphone features and browsing with this handset is a breeze. In future I would probably pay a little more for my contract and opt for a slightly better phone, because I am a fan of gadgets and I would like more features.
I used to own a Blackberry Bold 9700, and for 2 years, that phone never left my side. I thought it was amazing, and that no phone could beat my Blackberry. Then my husband got a simple HTC wildfire, and within a few days I was totally jealous, mainly of his amazing app store, which left Blackberry App world standing in the shade. It took less than a week for me to realise that the Blackberry App store was miles behind its competition and didn't offer me as much as I thought, so I started shopping around.
I didn't necessarily have a HTC phone in mind when I started browsing, I just wanted an Android phone, but as I checked out various phone websites, the HTC Desire C kept appearing, it was the android I was looking for, it was small, sleek looking, and has Beats Audio built in, so I knew playing my music on this was going to sound good.
When it arrived, I was quite shocked and pleased with the packaging. I remember the days when a mobile phone used to come in a fairly big cardboard box, filled with wires and discs and so on. The HTC Desire C came in a compact plastic case, that looked more expensive than it sounds! There was minimal wires, just a charger that doubles a USB lead, and a small pair of headphones, plus the handset and a small booklet of instructions.
The first trouble I had was getting the back off to insert the battery! There was no instructions that told you how to do that bit! I tried sliding it off, pulling it off, until finally I realised there is a tiny groove behind the power button and I had to try and get my nail in there to flick that back, so the whole thing comes off. I have had this phone since August 2012, and I still struggle now to get the back off as its stiff and doesn't come off together, I always feel like I am going to crack the back casing. While I am talking about the back though, I will say that the inside of the back of the phone is gorgeous! Everything is covered by a clear casing but it is bright red, and looks great, you can see some of the technology gadgetry bits through the casing but the colour is a wow factor. I wish they had made the back case of this the same red because then this phone would have really popped!
The handset is really light, especially compared to a Blackberry. You get 3.5inches of touchscreen, which is a lot of the phone. I would say the phone altogether is 4.5inches, so the majority is screen, meaning its nice and big! There are speakers on the front and back of the handset, so when you have music playing that Beats Audio kicks in and it sounds great, like I am playing a cd through a real stereo. The colours on the screen are amazing. I never really paid much attention to colours on a phone before, but they are really clear and sharp, and watching videos looks much better quality because of this.
Of course after setting my phone up, one of the first things I wanted to do was hit the app market! I always use the Google Play Store, which is pre installed, but there is also the HTC Hub that you can apparently get apps from, too, but I have never used that one. Installing an app is so simple, and you get a little arrow appear at the top of your screen so you can check the progress, they usually download in less than 30 seconds. Another thing I love is that when you have an app installed, the phone checks daily to see if there are any updates and if it finds any it will automatically download and install those, too.
I have around 15 apps installed that I use pretty much daily, plus another 10 or so others, plus hundreds of photos and my music, and I still have memory left on my phone, and I don't have an additional memory card either. There is 4gb of memory built in to the phone, for my personal uses that's more than ample, but the phone does have a memory card slot if you need more.
The downside to the apps is that the phone comes with, in my opinion, too many pre installed apps that you cannot remove. Apps like Play Books, and Play Movies, I have never used and probably never will, yet they cannot be removed. I wish there was the option to do so, so then that would free up a bit more memory, too.
The Desire C has a 5mp camera. It takes good enough pictures, and has the facial recognition technology so it has a box come up that detects a face in the picture and will try to make it clearer, but in this day and age a 5mp camera is a bit behind the times, and I would have loved a more powerful camera. I would have also have liked this phone to have a flash, taking pictures in dim lighting, or at night etc is impossible which I found a bit of a let down as I was always the 'person with the camera' and I feel I have missed a lot of good picture opportunities with this.
The battery life, at first, was pretty good, I got around 3 days use before I would charge overnight. As I added more apps and spent more time using the phone, I now get 2 days if I don't use it too much, if I spend a lot of the day on the phone or messaging, I only get 1 day out of it.
Considering a mobile phone is supposed to be about phoning, I should mention that the speakers sound good and clear when you are on the phone. The contact list could do with some work as I don't like the fact it puts all your latest calls at the top of the list, I would just like to be able to scroll through my phone book easily to get to a number.
I did at one point have to take my phone to a shop, as for some reason the handset had a personality problem and believed it was French! I couldn't work out why every time I sent a text message, or used Facebook or Twitter, my words would have little accents above them, or my predictive text would keep changing my words into French ones. If you are not used to phones like this, at the bottom of your touchscreen keyboard, there is a 'key' that has EN written on it, only when my phone arrived, it was set to FR, which now I know stood for French, and needed to be set to EN for English!
I do love this phone, I think its great for a starter smartphone. As I said before I got this phone in August 2012, so I have had it 10 months now, and it is starting to get very slow. It takes a while to load screens up, more often than not it struggles to open up apps and they crash and have to be closed and reopened again, in the last week my alarm clock has stopped working and just doesn't go off anymore. I had to take a 2 year contract out for this phone, and its starting to struggle and it hasn't made it to one year yet, and I am seriously beginning to wonder how I am supposed to make it last another year until I can upgrade. It is a shame because it is a great little phone, I just don't think it was built with a very long shelf life.
I had finished my contract and had an upgrade available I'd had a choice between an iPhone and this. I made the complete wrong decision which tied me in for 2 years with this under average brick. I am still not out of this contract yet and I don't even have the phone! We'll get onto that later though.
These are the specs and capabilities for this phone:
-It is 3G ready
-Weighs 100 g
-HTC Sense version is 4.0
- Has a Beats Audio sound enhancement
-Memory card slot is microSD and can hold up to 32GB
-Internal storage is 4GB
-Has bluetooth
-The camera is 5MP, 2592 x 1944 pixels, can record video
-The OS is Android 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) which cannot be upgraded to the next level (4.1 Jelly Bean)
- The CPU is 600MHz, Cortex-A5
-Has a radio. GPS
-Comes in Polar White, Stealth Black, Flamenco Red
- Organizer
- Document viewer/editor
- Voice memo/dial
- Predictive text input
Now that all of the boring stuff is out of the way lets talk about my experience with this phone. Now at first I was more than happy with it, played the games I wanted it too, could watch YouTube videos, do the general stuff I would with my phone. But this did not last. After around 4 months I started encountering problems. This started with messages taking forever to load which I passed off as being because it was clogged up with stuff so I deleted them, same problem. I tried deleting so many things but nothing worked, I dealt with it for a while until more things started to go wrong. It would delete apps randomly, reset randomly, couldn't answer calls, messages decided to stop loading after a while.
It got so slow I was always getting frustrated so in the end I called up HTC Europe and they collected it and 'fixed it' It came back was alright for around a week then the same problems appeared, sent it off again. Came back and now the phone wouldn't charge. So I have now currently sent it off for repair for the third time, they have had my phone for 2 weeks now, I have contacted them they said they have no idea what is wrong, or what may have gone wrong I was told to wait. I am now very angry and disappointed with HTC. Maybe this is why I am being so harsh on the phone, this company has acted like a start up run by idiots. I can't believe how things turned out.
I reviewed the Wildfire and for a phone at base level it is better than this because it actually lasts. I am simply annoyed with HTC as a whole with their phones and service. I personally was thinking of getting the HTC One when I first got this phone now I am staying far clear of any HTC product in the future. Unreliable in so many ways.
Although my personal views this phone did work for a few months and was great, short term its great. Long term it is a complete waste of money and time.
I have had my HTC Desire C since October last year and so far so good! The design is very sleek and the size is not too big but not so small you struggle to do anything with it! The keyboard buttons when texting/emailing are also a good size as I find some very small and end up pressing the wrong ones. The one thing I would say is the memory is not very big without a memory card so it is worth purchasing one of those as well (cheap to buy). Overall, very easy to use and get the hang of. Definitly a good buy.
Overall: HTC have certainly just sprung the little Desire C out of nowhere.
Design: It's like a shrunken-down pebble-shaped version of the HTC One X. It fits really nicely in the hand, as it's a 4.2" phone, with a 3.5" screen, and only 2.4" wide. At 12.5mm thick, it is a little chubbier than most phones this size, but that's a good thing, as it feels more solid. The design itself is really simple, available in black or white. I chose white, just because I thought it looked a little snazzier.
Camera: Although HTC boasts a 5MP camera on this one, I'd beg to differ. The lens is a single, rear-facing deal, without sensors or even an LED flash. I avoid taking night photos or close-ups with the camera, as the quality is just not good. Daytime shots, or ones in good light are pretty decent though.
Software: Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. One of the best features, in my humble opinion. Apps can be downloaded in a jiffy, and there's plenty of homescreen space for widgets, including quick links to up to four apps. HTC has blended the overlay very well too, as it doesn't look too foreign nor too plain and boring.
Battery life: Pretty good for only a 4.6Wh battery. It lasts me a solid 36-48 hours before dropping below the 10% mark and needing a top up.
Storage: A bit iffy, only offering 4GB before needing a microSD card. Saying that, I only added a 2GB micro, and that's holding all my music, images and videos, so you don't have to bump it up too much.
Connectivity: A nifty little charger-come-USB cable is included with the phone, similar to that used with an iPhone. Plug straight into a socket to charge, or remove the USB cable from the plug to connect to your computer. The earphones provided don't really do the Beats Audio justice, but that was quickly rectified with a pair of Heartbeats. A 3.5mm jack is as standard.
Overall, despite a couple of downsides, the HTC Desire C is a great little phone if you're venturing into the world of apps and don't want to spend £500 or so on an all-singing all-dancing iPhone or Samsung Galaxy. At around the £170-mark, you get a pretty decent phone.
I've had the Desire C since August this year, when I received it as an early upgrade from my network provider. Having previously had a Wildfire, I was quite happy to stick with the HTC brand (although before the smart phone era I'd owned a Nokia 3310 and the Motorola's V220 and razr K1).
I'm coming at this review from the point of view of your average user - I'm not interested in having the best/latest phone, I'm not massively into technology, and I don't necessarily understand all the techincal specs and info. I use my phone to call, text, access the internet, facebook and sometimes play silly little game.
I find sending a text on this phone pretty easy, the keys aren't too close together for the most part although often when I want to insert a '?' and I'm typing quickly, I end up missing the one that changes to the symbols and numbers so I end up typing 'mk' instead. Apart from that sending a text is simple - messages are shown up in speech bubbles, yours in white and received ones in green. Each person/phone number is stored as a seperate thread so you can read back through your entire contact with them for the life of that phone.
If you sync your facebook account with the phone then when one of your friends calls you the phone will show up their profile photo and latest status. I can hear people clearly through the speakers which is obviously a big bonus!
Typing in a phone number is quick, with 'recent calls' being one click away on the phones main page. Delving deeper into the menu you have a phonebook which imports all your facebook contacts, whether or not they have their number listed on their account which I do find a bit irritating - I have about 250 facebook friends, I have never rung probably 200 of them and never will, they don't need to be in my mobile contacts list.
There are some improvements here from when I had it on my old HTC, especially when it comes to photo uploads as you can choose what album it uploads to, plus you can add captions and tag people. My phone will also buzz me whenever I get a notification although sometimes this reaction is a little delayed.
I haven't downloaded any browsers, just used the one that came on the phone. I haven't had any problems here in terms of functionality or anything crashing like the other reviewer of this phone has mentioned, but sometimes it can be a tad slow to load even when internet signal is strong.
Unlike the wildfire this phone does not have an inbuilt flash/light function and as such is absolutely useless in low light (although the light on the wildfire was poor anyway) - even indoors during the day or with the lights on the images still tend to come out dark even if you've picked the low light option.
Essentially the camera is pretty shoddy in anything but good light - that said as a professional photographer I'm going to be picky! I do still use the camera for record shots when I'm not carrying a proper one with me as it still comes in handy for all sorts of things. Resolution wise it's 5mp which is more than enough for a phone camera - for all you pixel peepers out there, more does not equal better!
You can arrange your images into different folders, select multiple images to email etc (better than some other phones I've seen that will only select one image a time to email). Using the share option you can choose to upload or send images to various destinations, including instagram which is a simple process and one I have made use of numerous times.
This phone comes with beats audio which is supposed to be a superior music experience - can't say it sounded anything special when listening through the speaker, but I did try the headphones and must admit it sounded pretty nice. That said I very rarely listen to music on my phone, so it's not a feature I tend to make use of.
This isn't the most stylish phone at first looks - infact it's appearance is pretty unremarkable, there's nothing good or bad to say about it really! The LCD screen takes up most of the front, with a small HTC scripting at the top and 3 touch screen buttons at the base. On the rear is an embossed 'HTC', a small speaker and the camera lens. Where the phone gets really interesting is when you take off the rear - it's see through and bright red inside, absolutely love it, however you don't tend to walk around with the back of the phone off so it's a bitg pointless really.
The phone has what I assume to be a pretty standard USB socket - at least it's the same as my previous HTC and is also the same as my boyfriends Galaxy S2. Inside storage is on a micro SD card (not supplied) - I use a 4gb in mine, which I transferred over from my previous phone and this can of course be removed and put into a computer/printer when used with the right adaptor.
Soon after getting this phone I won a Sony Xperia ray which I decided to try out - the Sony has a better camera and is thinner so it sits in the hand easier, but I've got so used to the HTC brand I found myself going back to it as I just knew where everything was already, suppose that shows me up to be a bit of a technophobe!
Overall I'm fairly happy with this phone - it's by no means at the top of the scale when it comes to what's on the market at the moment, but its price reflects its ability (mine was free with my contract, but a quick look on amazon tells me you can now buy this phone for as little as £125). Yes it could be better but essentially it does what I need it to and in such a throw away society where technology becomes obsolete so soon, it seems silly to me to go for a top of the range high end product.
Firstly, I'll note that in this review I'll cover some points regarding the phone supplier/network provider as well as reviewing the phone itself.
I previously had a Samsung Galaxy S and a contract for £30 per month with 1GB limited data. I would say I'm a moderate user and not into downloading lots of things or using many apps, but even so that 1GB was very restricting and I always had to ration data usage carefully in order not to start being charged extortionately for going over the limit. (This also in spite of using Opera, a low-bandwidth web browser designed particularly for mobile users.)
I renewed with a £13 per month contract offering unlimited data and a free phone. The phone of course being the HTC Desire C I'm reviewing here. An annoying issue was that even though I was negotiating the new contract on the phone with the network provider's call centre I was offered the choice of a black or white phone. I asked for a black phone. The call centre person said in conformation, "White". I said no, I want a BLACK phone. The person ummed and ahhed. Guess what they sent me? Yep, a white phone. Now why bother offering if you aren't going to provide me with the choice I want? Tut.
Something else about the supply of the phone that is noteworthy, is that I had a dreadful time getting the phone delivered. The courier was DNS, and they were completely and utterly dreadful to deal with. I live in an out of the way spot that isn't shown on GPS, so I usually have to give delivery companies some verbal details of where to send stuff. That was completely IMPOSSIBLE with DNS. Any phone numbers to deal with this company connect you to automatic prompts, which give you no option in any way to speak to a human being. So the day the phone was due to arrive, it didn't. I'm not going into every detail about the ridiculous hassles I had over the next three days trying to get the dratted thing, including trying go through the network provider who themselves are very difficult to reach (Three network in this case), but I was absolutely tearing my hair out, having had to stay at home for THREE DAYS!!! to eventually get the thing at last. It was unbelievable! Truly, truly bad.
So onto the phone itself. It's OK, but not great. It was free with the contract so I shouldn't complain.
However, if you want a decent smartphone that will do the things you want a smartphone for, buy one that has a better processor than this. The spec is 0.5 Ghz, and it's simply not enough for the phone to work without constant app or web browser crashes. I have three browsers installed, Opera Mobile, Dolphin HD and the one that came with it, Internet Explorer. None of these operate satisfactorily on this phone. Indeed, since Opera recently got an update, it's falling on its head constantly. IE and Dolphin I have for the times when I want to view video or full desktop pages that Opera isn't equipped for, but they are pretty hopeless for general use on a phone (didn't work that great on the Galaxy S). But seriously, if even a slimmed-down browser like Opera can't work, it's not worth bothering about.
Other issues are that it's noticeably slow to render pages clearly. A page will come up, but it'll be blurry for long enough until it's completely loaded. Such an attribute was never apparent on my old Galaxy S.
When rotating the phone, the change of screen orientation is also slow and jerky, unlike the smooth seamless flow of the Galaxy S. I should note in its favour, that although it's a much neater phone than the Galaxy, the visible screen actually isn't that much smaller, just a few millimetres on either axis.
Next issue - hate the headphones supplied with it. The phone is supposed to be supplied with Beats Audio, which is supposed to provide good quality sound, but when I have a pair of earphones that don't fit at all comfortably, and won't stay in my ears even when stationary, never mind on the move, (I've tried rotating these things in my ears 360 degrees, frankly I can't see how they're supposed to fit...) leak sound to the environment, and basically, JUST DON'T GIVE GOOD AUDIO, well, I'd love it if someone can rec me a good compatible pair of in-ear phones I can buy. Because it's worthless as a music player with these.
If there's one good think I like about the HTC implementation, it does do over the air, -painless- operating system updates. This was my biggest gripe about the Galaxy S, which required you to install the world's worse PC software, Samsung Kies on a PC, connect a cable between the phone and the software (half the time the software wouldn't recognise the phone) and then would often behave in a scary manner such that one lived in fear of the phone OS being rendered unusable by this hideously clunky method. No. The HTC has been effortless in that respect. There was a simple initial setup to do, and that was it. I think that it's sometimes doing an OS update, but it actually doesn't appear to interfere with the phone operation in any way, or demand restarts. With the Galaxy S, you had no clue what was going on half the time or if it had actually finished. There were times I had to take the battery off as it would just sit there either blank or endlessly cycling the startup screen...
The HTC came with the most current version of Android available at the time. With regard as to what else was supplied, you have the irritation of being forced to have Google+ and Facebook apps that continually want to update all the time (who do you know uses Google+?). I do not want either of these, but I can't uninstall them. Whereas the phone has no support for Twitter, so I can't readily share photos there. Absolute pain. The only reliable way I can do it is to send a photo to a PC from the phone and upload it from there. Pah! It didn't come with a memo app either, but I've downloaded the free app ColorNote for that, and it's very good, very intuitive and simple to use.
I don't play games on my phone, so can't give you any info about those. The last thing I'll mention is tethering, and this is to sling some mud at the network provider again. I spend the odd day away from home, and take my notebook PC to do work etc. While in the house, I've got landline broadband I can connect the notebook on. Now web browsing on the HTC as mentioned above is a poor user experience. So given that the phone has a supplied hotspot app, I gave that a go one day when I was getting sick of the lousy web browsing capability. Lo and behold, it worked wonderfully! Instead of screwing up my eyes peering at a tiny screen, I could use get good use of my notebook web browser. The connection would be fitful at times, but overall it was quite serviceable and better than using the phone. However. The bad people at Three cottoned on to it after a couple of weeks and blocked it. They sent a page to the browser saying effectively, if you want to do this we'll charge you more. If you want to use a laptop, buy a mobile broadband dongle. They said it's cheaper to use a dongle.
Now, dear reader, I'm locked into a two year contract supposedly offering unlimited broadband. I'm not an excessive user compared to most people. And it is NOT cheaper to use a dongle. Dongles come with fixed usage limits. For that lower limit, Three charge more than my monthly contract cost. So why do they think I should have a landline broadband connection, a mobile connection via dongle, and a connection via a phone? Now you can hardly buy a mobile phone contract nowadays that doesn't come with a data allocation. Basically it's yet another way for the mobile phone companies to restrict usage while enhancing their profits. Don't we love 'em.
One last point worth chucking in, this phone comes with NO onboard storage. You have to go out and buy a mini SD card. I opted for an 8GB card for £4 from Tesco, though if you need more, you can get a 32GB card from Amazon for around £14-15.
I guess I should say that ultimately it's a question of what you get for a phone that retails at £50, the Desire, versus one that can cost around £400 for a current model, the Galaxy. Of course, in a couple of years hence once the market is saturated, they'll all be cheap as chips...
So to summarise the HTC Desire, a middling phone at best.


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Callie's Charleston Biscuits, really, truly, the best biscuits ever
On Wednesday, in the June 19 issue of Bluffton Today, you're in for a real treat as you get to preview a recipe for "Blueberry Buttermilk Cobbler," from Carrie Morey's new cookbook "Callie's Biscuits & Southern Traditions: Heirloom Recipes from our Family Kitchen," due for release by Atria Books (a division of Simon & Schuster), in October. Morey, who founded Callie's Charleston Biscuits, in 2005, to make her mother Callie White's biscuits "accessible across the country," includes not only White's recipe for "Callie's Classic Buttermilk Biscuits," which "started it all," but also 74 other "keeper" recipes from Fiery Pimento Cheese and Pork Ribs with Brown Sugar Bourbon to Peach Upside Down Cake, Lime Berry Coolers and more.
The cobbler, stunningly simple to put together in a cast-iron skillet, is destined to become a family favorite – especially when topped with biscuits from Callie's Charleston Biscuits – really, truly, the best biscuits ever. Having a box of Callie's "Shortcakes" (like a biscuit with the taste of shortbread) on hand, I substituted those for the buttermilk biscuits called for in the recipe with spectacular results. Also, on Wednesday, check out Bluffton's Caroline Kennedy's recipe for "Lime-Blueberry Tiramisu," a recent winner in a Callie's Charleston Biscuits recipe contest.
For a list of retailers carrying Callie's Charleston Biscuits product, to order direct from the company, or to view pre-ordering information for the cookbook, visit Callie's at www.calliesbiscuits. com.


text:
Sönam wrote:"... according to the rubric of mind, matrix and secret precept.", and also "the three series of Dzogchen instruction (Mind, Matrix and Secret Precept)Namdrol wrote:He is translating klong chen i.e. great space.gregkavarnos wrote: whatever appears is absent in reality.
What in tarnations is a super matrix? Is he translating a Tibetan term here?
And there it is the "space serie"
Tashi delek,
Thought that one never can add new ideas to Dzogchen, so Matrix is never anywhere written.
- So what was the original idea / word of matrix in Tibetan?
- What is/was the reason to make a change?
A new form of self experience?
This has a certain name if a Dzogchen Master makes interpretations about a certain kind of self-experience, and gives it a name....
Forgot this name.
Best wishes


text:
No math method of cross hatch quilting. I found a tutorial at all people quilt for no-math cross hatching & went from there. Some of my pics in this tutorial were taken after the fact. (My pics are all at the end of this post. Don't know how to get text, then pic.)
I took a piece of adding machine tape and cut it the exact width of my inner center. I folded it half, then in half again, repeating until I had it about ¾" wide. I unfolded it and laid it on my quilt top.
I show it here with pencil marks on the folds. Then I placed a pin where each fold fell. I did this on the top and bottom. I used the same piece of paper for the longer sides. That way you will get square cross hatching. If you did a separate folding technique for the sides, you will end up with diamond cross hatching because my top is a rectangle.
I took my long ruler and using a chalk pencil, started drawing a line from pin to pin. I started in the corner, the shortest lines first. When you come to the appliqué, just pick up the pencil. Continue to draw lines until both directions of cross hatching are marked.
Then I put on my Janome Accu-Feed foot (walking foot) and quilted the lines. I did 1 quadrant of the quilt at a time, 1 direction at a time. I had to stop and start around the appliqué. It's not hard to do. BUT it is very tedious quilting! But oh the results! I am so happy with how it turned out.


text: My earliest memories were trying to watch TOS and TAS through the non-cable, rabbit ear TV reception of the mid to late 70s. Also, two of the people in my household were not scifi fans so my older sis and I had to struggle to watch it till I got my own TV. She was the one that got me into scifi in general. I didn't become a full fledged Trekkie till 1983 though. I recorded episodes on analog audio tapes, I listened to STII and III on audiotapes from movie booklets before I saw the movies themselves. I watched the show on my little 13" b&w tv then a 13" color TV by about 1982-83.


text:
Competitivity in Auction Markets: An Experimental and Theoretical Investigation
The authors report successive rounds of theory and laboratory experiments investigating price-taking behavior and market efficiency. They focus on the impact of structural parameters as well as trading institution. The structural parameters involve noncompetitive supply and demand, and a new odd-lot trading procedure for divisible goods. The trading institutions include the continuous double auction and the one-shot clearinghouse as well as a new quantities-only clearinghouse institution. The authors present and justify an as-if complete information theory that explains the competitive outcomes and that correctly predicts highly noncompetitive outcomes in quantities-only clearinghouse markets. Copyright 1995 by Royal Economic Society.
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Volume (Year): 105 (1995)
Issue (Month): 428 (January)
Pages: 22-53
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text:
ana; wrote:anyways, on a serious note.
i was just thinking about this on my birthday.
do you guys think humans are meant to love one person?
like it's our nature to be monogamous? (sp?).
and i'm not talking about cheating or the physical part, but it seems hard to love someone all your life and commit to that person.
this may sound like completely nonsense.
but, to me it seems just impossible to love just one person in your entire life.
i'm 18, it's young I know.. some of you are married.
but i'm like super scared to get married one day.
seeing how many divorces happen. maybe we are meant to spend our lives with more than just one person?
love dies so easily, you see couples who just stay together for the kids and stuff. but there are some lucky people who do find their lifetime partner, but it's not that common.
i don't know, i'm talking nonsense.
is just something that got me thinking so much this past week.
Ahhh, Happy Birthday Ana! Wow! That is deep, and No, it is not nonsense. It's a tough question to answer, though.
I know I have loved several men in my life (really loved 3), and I still love them, in a way. I think...no, I know that marriage is really really difficult. If you choose to commit to one person, that commitment is not supposed to stop just because that person is bugging you or seems to have changed. It is supposed to be a changing, growing, evolving love and it takes A LOT of hard work.
And, in a lot of marriages people give up too quickly because they don't want to go through the trouble of figuring it out. My husband and I have been married for 12 years, and we went through many many turbulent times! The last really bad time was 3 years ago and we had decided to split because we thought we were just too different from each other. We were living together but separate lives for several months and I was getting ready to move out and file for divorce and he started having second thoughts and we started talking and we set down ground rules for each other that we had to agree to if we were going to try again.
So, we both agreed to them and it's been pretty great ever since. We still have small troubles but we're able to talk about them more easily now and we are both able to stop in the middle of a disagreement and say "Wait a minute. This is not working, listen to what I'm saying". And the other one of us can step back and say "You know, you're right, I'm not treating you very fairly, I can see your point". It's very rare to find two people together who can do that, so I feel pretty special that I've got that now. I'm not saying it will always be like this, or that it will work in the long run, but I feel like it will.
Don't give up on marriage before you even marry. Just wait. Give it time. Enjoy your younger years without worrying so much about marriage. You'll know when it feels right. I can't stress enough though to find someone you can talk to. Really talk to. Someone that you know will listen to you. Communication is the absolute KEY to a good marriage, because ALL marriages are rocky, you just have to make sure you have a four wheel drive in the communications department that will get you over the rocky parts.


text:
Story highlights
- Police say Nicholas Simmons went missing after leaving his New York home
- An Associated Press photo showed him on the streets of Washington
- His family reached out to newspaper reporter, photographer to find him
A young man huddles under a thick gray blanket, pressed against a steam grate as he braces himself against the biting cold.
While on assignment over the weekend, an Associated Press photographer took his photo to show the effects of unusually cold weather sweeping across the country.
The man, who only gave his first name -- Nick -- was a face in a crowd of homeless people huddling to stay warm on a Washington street, just blocks from the U.S. Capitol.
But all that changed when the photograph appeared in USA Today Sunday.
Hundreds of miles away in an upstate New York town, the man was much more than a face in a crowd.
Nicholas Simmons was missing.
And a mother who saw the photo in the newspaper realized she'd found her son.
A disappearance on New Year's Day
In Rochester, New York, the man's face appeared in local news reports last week as police and frantic family members searched for him.
Police in the town of Greece, New York, said Simmons, 20, disappeared New Year's Day from his home, driving away in a red Buick with only with what he was wearing: plaid pajama pants, a gray T-shirt and sneakers. He left his wallet and cell phone behind.
Family members and authorities had been looking for him for days without any luck.
There were few leads without a phone or credit cards to track him.
"We couldn't do a lot of things we normally would do in a missing person's case," said Capt. Patrick Phelan of the Greece Police Department.
But the photo became the answer to the Simmons family's prayers.
The family learned about the photo through a public Facebook page they'd set up, according to an article published in the Rochester Democrat & Chronicle.
Simmons' sister, Hannah Simmons, sent a message on Twitter to USA Today reporter Natalie DiBlasio, who wrote the story.
"Please contact me," the tweet read. "You wrote an article for USA today that features a picture of my missing brother."
Family members also reached out to AP photographer Jacquelyn Martin, who captured the image.
Communication between Simmons' family, DiBlasio, Martin, and the Greece Police Department helped the Washington Metropolitan Police track down Simmons.
Now he's reunited with his family, police said.
Washington Metro Police Officer Araz Alali said he's considered a "missing person returned."
On the Facebook page, his mother Michelle Simmons said she was stunned.
"We are going to get him home safe, and this is by far the greatest example of God's love and divine intervention I have ever experienced," she wrote, according to the Democrat & Chronicle.
"I am beyond able to put into words how I am feeling."
Questions remain
It's unclear why Simmons left home and what brought him to the streets of Washington.
According to police, Simmons is fine physically but distraught.
He was taken to George Washington University Hospital for evaluation, Phelan said.
The hospital declined to comment, citing privacy restrictions.
Phelan said police were told there was a "discussion" between Simmons and his parents that may have made him leave home.
"There was no indication or precursors to believe he would do something like this," Phelan said.
The police official described Simmons as a normal 20-year-old living at home with his parents and working part-time jobs at local fast food chains.
Just a day after her brother was found, Hannah Simmons sent Martin a message of appreciation on Twitter Monday.
"You have saved our family," she wrote. "Thank you so much."


text:
© 2012 MLB Advanced Media, L.P. All rights reserved.
Hanley moving up Marlins' home run list
Miami third baseman ties Cabrera for third place all time
By Joe Frisaro / MLB.com
MIAMI -- Right now, Hanley Ramirez is in hot pursuit of some major Marlins records. With his two-run blast on Wednesday night against the Cubs, the Miami third baseman tied Miguel Cabrera for third place on the team's all-time home run list. With 138, Ramirez is closing in on Mike Lowell's 143 for second place. Dan Uggla holds the club mark with 154. In time, manager Ozzie Guillen believes Ramirez will go from being the hunter to the hunted. "This kid is a pure athlete," Guillen said. "In 2009, he was the best hitter in the game. Now, he's getting back there. I don't worry about him breaking records. Who is going to break his records? This kid has got a chance to put up a lot of numbers." Ramirez has been sizzling hot of late. His crushed shot on Wednesday gave him three straight games with a homer. The club record is four games, set six times, with Giancarlo Stanton doing it last -- Aug. 14-17, 2011. "I think Hanley wants to be good again," Guillen said. "He wants to be what he was. There was no doubt in my mind, he wants to do it." In 2009, Ramirez won the National League batting title. When he's at his best, he is capable of producing in a number of ways. He's a career .300-plus hitter, and he has power and speed. "When he was good, he may have been one of the top hitters I've seen," Guillen said. "Now, he's getting close to being back there." Does Ramirez compare to Cabrera? "They are two different types of hitters," Guillen said. "Miggie is on another level. This guy [Ramirez] has a lot of abilities, and he has so much talent." Guillen notes that Ramirez has more power than he thought. "Yes. No doubt," Guillen said. "I see the ball jump off this kid's bat. ... When you hear the sound of the ball coming off his bat, it's amazing how the ball travels when he makes contact."
Marlins are loaded with All-Star contenders
MIAMI -- There is plenty of star power in the Marlins' everyday lineup.Beginning on Friday, fans will have a chance to vote for them when Major League Baseball launches its All-Star Game balloting online at MLB.com and marlins.com. The rebranded Miami Marlins have been one of the most publicized teams in the league. They've got an upgraded roster, and they're playing in the trendy new Marlins Park. Five of Miami's eight regulars have been to at least one All-Star Game -- Hanley Ramirez, Jose Reyes, John Buck, Gaby Sanchez and Omar Infante. There are no surprises for the Marlins on the ballot. Fans can cast votes for Buck (catcher), Sanchez (first base), Infante (second base), Ramirez (third base) and Reyes (shortstop). Also on the ballot are outfielders Logan Morrison, Emilio Bonifacio and Giancarlo Stanton. A year ago, Sanchez was the lone Marlins player selected to the All-Star Game. Reyes was a four-time All-Star with the Mets, and Ramirez was a three-time starting shortstop for the National League. This is Ramirez's first season on the ballot as a third baseman. The All-Star Game is set for July 10 at Kansas City.
Murphy takes on super-sub role
MIAMI -- For Donnie Murphy, it feels like 2010 all over again.That's a good sign, because Murphy is completely healthy, and giving the type performance off the bench he did when he joined the Marlins two years ago. With second baseman Omar Infante resting a strained left groin on Thursday, Murphy is getting the nod at second. In Wednesday's 9-1 win over the Cubs, the veteran utility player belted a two-run homer, legged out a double on a heads-up play, and made a couple of nice plays in the field. "You create confidence," Marlins manager Ozzie Guillen said. "To have the type of game he had was awesome. It's good for him, too, creates confidence. It's not easy coming off the bench." Providing a spark off the bench is nothing new for Murphy, but it's been a while since he's been fully healthy. In September 2010, he dislocated his left wrist, requiring surgery. Although he was the Marlins' Opening Day third baseman in 2011, his wrist was never at full strength and he spent much of the season on the disabled list. "It's nice showing up to the park every day, not trying to figure out, 'Does it feel good today, or does it not feel good today?'" Murphy said. "Now I know that I can go to the park feeling 100 percent healthy, knowing that my wrist has no limitations on it." In 2010, Murphy appeared in 29 games and batted .318. A year ago, the 29-year-old struggled, batting .185 in 36 games. Guillen plans on using his bench heavily, and he understands the difficulty of making an impact with limited playing time. "I don't expect a lot from them, because it's not easy," Guillen said. "But when those guys contribute, the way he did [Wednesday], defensively, baserunning, at bat. That's something you're not going to see every day. But you appreciate that."
Miami keeping a close eye on Infante, LoMo
MIAMI -- Best-case scenario, Omar Infante will be back in the Marlins' starting lineup either on Friday or sometime during the weekend series at Washington.But manager Ozzie Guillen is in no hurry to rush his second baseman back. Infante sat out Wednesday and Thursday against the Cubs due to a strained left groin. There is a concern the problem may linger. "I worry about those injuries," Guillen said. "That little muscle there, that can be very aggravating. Obviously, you're not going to feel 100 percent in a few days. You've got to stay on top of that." Until Guillen is convinced Infante is good to go, the Marlins will play Donnie Murphy. "He's got to give me the right answer for me to play him," Guillen said of Infante. "I'm not in a hurry to play him. Obviously, you want him in the game. If that is not the right answer, we'll keep playing Murphy." The team also is monitoring left fielder Logan Morrison, who had surgery on his right knee in the offseason. Morrison isn't expected to play on Friday in Washington. Part of the reason is because the Nationals are going with left-hander Ross Detwiler. Austin Kearns likely will play left field. "We're going to keep monitoring those guys," Guillen said. "I'm not going to overuse them. I like our bench. Let our bench go out there and do their job. I have a lot of confidence in them, and I think they can do the job, too."
Marlins prospect suspended 50 games
MIAMI -- Double-A Jacksonville (Marlins) infielder Jaime Ortiz has been suspended for 50 games for being in violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program.The suspension, effective immediately, was announced on Thursday after it was revealed that Ortiz tested positive for metabolites of stanozolol, a performance-enhancing substance. Ortiz is now on Jacksonville's restricted list. The 23-year-old first baseman has appeared in 14 games this year, and he's batting .188 with one home run and four RBIs. A native of Puerto Rico, Ortiz is a left-handed-hitting and throwing first baseman who was selected by the Dodgers in the seventh round of the 2006 First-Year Player Draft.
Joe Frisaro is a reporter for MLB.com. He writes a blog, called The Fish Pond. Follow him on Twitter @JoeFrisaro. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
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You'll find the Eden WT550 Traveler to be unsurpassed in its combination of compact size and big power. The hybrid tube design is rated at 750W at 2 ohms with a minimum of 3dB of headroom. Standard features include low-noise circuitry design, -12dB input pad, switchable automatic compression, 5-way semi-parametric tone control, mono pre and stereo post tone control effects loops, stereo aux inputs, DI out with ground lift, headphone out, tuner out, and a thermostatically controlled fan.
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Mono pre and stereo post tone control effects loops
Stereo aux inputs
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text:
AGENCY HOLDING THE MEETING: Federal Maritime Commission
TIME AND DATE: April 8, 2009 – 10:00 a.m.
PLACE: 800 North Capitol Street, N.W.
First Floor Hearing Room
Washington, D.C.
STATUS: A portion of the meeting will be in Open Session and the remainder of the meeting will be in Closed Session
Open Session
1. Docket No. 02-15 Passenger Vessel Financial Responsibility – Request of Commissioner Brennan
2. Docket No. 06-06 – EuroUSA Shipping, Inc., Tober Group, Inc., and Container Innovations, Inc., et al.
3. Docket No. 06-09 – Parks International Shipping, Inc., Cargo Express International Shipping, Inc., et al.
4. Docket No. 07-04 – Norland Industries, Inc., Linna Textiles Manufacturing Limited, Medcorp Distributors, Inc., Malan Garment Limited, et al. v. Reliable Logistic, LLC and Washington International Insurance Company
5. Docket No. 02-08 - Odyssea Stevedoring of Puerto Rico, Inc. v. Puerto Rico Ports Authority; Docket No. 04-01 - International Shipping Agency, Inc. v. the Puerto Rico Ports Authority; and Docket No. 04-06 – San Antonio Maritime Corp. & Antilles Cement Corp. v. Puerto Rico Ports Authority
6. FMC Agreement No. 011982-003: The Evergreen Line Joint Service Agreement
Closed Session
1. FMC Agreement No. 201143: West Coast Marine Terminal Operator Agreement
2. Staff Briefing Regarding Global Economic Downturn and Potential Impact on Stakeholders
3. Termination of Escrow Account Establishing Section 3 Public Law 89-777 Coverage with respect to Abercrombie and Kent, Inc.
4. Internal Administrative Practices and Personnel Matters
Karen V. Gregory
(202) 523 5725
This site is an official U.S. Government Website


text:
Kipnis, Pomeranz eager for Tribe future
By Anthony Fenech / MLB.com
"I mean, look at this," Pomeranz said, looking into his corner locker at Chase Field on Sunday. "I have basically a whole room for my locker here."
"It's just stupid the things that they have," Kipnis said in admiration. "Seeing this is another reason for motivation to get to the big leagues as if you need any more."
And the pair of Indians farmhands, both competing for the United States team in Sunday afternoon's XM All-Star Futures Game, have plenty of motivation to get to the big leagues.
"It's fun to watch some guys that I played with go up to the big leagues and contribute," said Kipnis. "They know what they're doing up there; they're in a close race and playing well."
Sunday's game was a homecoming of sorts for Kipnis, who played two seasons at Arizona State and was the Indians' second-round pick in 2009.
"I'm excited to be back here," he said before the game. "I've always wanted to play on this field so it's going to be a fun day for me."
And the 24-year-old showed just how excited with a leadoff home run to right field in the first inning off World starter Julio Teheran.
Kipnis is hitting .297 on the season at Triple-A Columbus, with 11 home runs and 51 RBIs. He also has 11 stolen bases.
"I've been having a great year," he said. "I've had a lot of fun, and I feel like I'm maturing on and off the field.
"There's little things that I wanted to take care of, I think the Indians knew that, I'm working on those things and we're getting there."
The 22-year-old left-handed Pomeranz, like Kipnis, is getting there.
And last year's first-round pick of the Indians (No. 5 overall) is back here, at the All-Star Game, where he was this time last year in Anaheim as a Golden Spikes Award finalist.
"It's pretty cool," he said. "I got to be around it, and that's why I'm pretty excited to come here and be around all the events and stuff like that."
Pomeranz has a 1.87 ERA in 77 innings halfway through his first professional season at Class A Advanced Kinston. He's recorded 95 strikeouts in 77 innings and has allowed opponents a .219 batting average.
"It's been pretty much like any normal baseball season," he said. "I've enjoyed it and felt like I had a pretty good first half."
Pomeranz said his biggest challenges have been efficiency with his pitches and throwing all of them consistently for strikes.
"There are adjustments for sure," he said. "And I'm continuing to try and adapt as I go on."
Of the two, the outfielder-turned-second baseman Kipnis seems more likely to enjoy consistent Major League amenities than Pomeranz.
"They have my number," Kipnis said. "Whenever they want to give me a call, I'll be more than excited."
Anthony Fenech is an associate reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.


text:
The NFL has changed its security policy ahead of the new season, banning purses at stadiums except for small clutches.
Bags in general are discouraged, but for those who must bring their wares to game day, the NFL posted new criteria on what is permissible.
Fans are allowed one bag into the stadium. Bags cannot exceed 12" x 6" x 12" and must be made of clear plastic, vinyl or PVC. One-gallon clear plastic freezer bags, like those made by Ziploc brand, are also allowed. The NFL is also selling clear totes with the same dimensions.
And ladies might be in for a surprise. Purses are banned except for small clutches approximately the size of a hand. This means no more diaper bags, backpacks, camera bags, coolers or any bags larger than the specified size. The clutch can be taken into the stadium with a one clear plastic bag.
Credit: NFL
The new rules were prompted by the Boston Marathon bombings, according to The Washington Post, where the two alleged bombers carried pressure cookers filled with nails in black backpacks. The NFL stadium security committee voted unanimously in May to limit the size and types of bags permitted in stadiums.
"Our fans deserve to be in a safe and secure environment," said Jeffrey Miller, NFL vice president and chief security officer, in a statement. "Public safety is our top priority. This will make the job of checking items much more efficient and effective. We will be able to deliver a better and quicker experience at the gates and also provide a safer environment. We appreciate our fans' cooperation."
Click here for more information on the NFL's new bag policy.


text:
$url = "http://".$_SERVER['SERVER_NAME'].$_SERVER['REQUEST_URI']; ?>
Myer Hotels' six Branson, Missouri properties are happy to work with Travel Agents that are members of ASTA. For specific hotel information, please call 877.FUN.STAY (386.7829) and select the hotel of your choice from the menu.
Additionally, Travel Agents can book online through central reservations for Myer Hotels' two Best Western and three Choice Hotels properties.
For information on commissionable Branson, Missouri packages, which include lodging at Myer Hotels, attraction tickets and theater tickets, please contact 877.ENTERTAIN (368.3782).


text:
|Ersumo v Minister of Home Affairs
|South Africa: Supreme Court of Appeal
|Publication Date
|28 March 2012
|Ethiopia | South Africa
|Access to procedures | Immigration Detention
|Citation / Document Symbol
|Case No. 69/2012
|Cite as
|Ersumo v Minister of Home Affairs , Case No. 69/2012, South Africa: Supreme Court of Appeal, 28 March 2012, available at: http://www.refworld.org/cases,SASCA,50239d9d2.html [accessed 23 January 2018]
|This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.


text:
I thiiink Sweet Stew is my fave...
See more at KristenStewartWeb
Via AdoringKStew and KStewDevotee :)
whoa, in pic #5 kristen and i are long lost identical twins
my brotha from anotha motha
Too funny!ReplyDelete
Ahh! These are great. I think my fav is her shooting herself in the head. It's so me! I make so many blunders everyday that it sums up my personality. I really am Homer Simpson. DOH!ReplyDelete
I agree Sweet Stew and the 1st one!ReplyDelete
new background! set it as "tile" so it looks like a zillion diff pics of the stew. hee.ReplyDelete
too cute, i like her like thisReplyDelete
@Hannah: GENIUS!
- Lorabell :)
Sweet Stew so cuuute ^.^
I agree, the 3rd one sums up dealing with some people LoL ;)
I love her being herself, so happy :)
I ♥ each and every one of the shots of Kristen! She's so cute!ReplyDelete


text:
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text:
Christmas Joys – Apollonious <4,0>
Together – coolh5000 <1,3>
Sneak – Karaley Dargen <1,0>
A Dent in Her Integrity – jk Salmeier <2,0>
Midnight Letters – Theo Paleye <4,1>
An Approved. Edited Copy of 'Beyond the Veil ... psijupiter<1,3>
Life of Lies (1)– MapleandPhoenixFeather <1,4>
It – ToBeOrNot <2,0>
A Life of Lies (2)-Gwendalynne <1,3>
Facing the Fallout –Weasley Mom <1,0>
The Rusty Dagger –lunalovegoodlover <1,1>
A Human Amongst Savages – Ascendio <1,1>
Looking Back – TM Wandstick <0,1>
Misled – TheCursedQuill <0,3>
Sadly, leaving us this week are The CursedQuill and MapleandPhoenixFeather. Both receive hugs, squishes and a few tears, but more importantly 5 points each for the House of Lions.
The winner this week is the fabulous Olivia (Apollonious) for the fabulousness that was Christmas Joys. She takes 5 points for Hufflepuff (YAY!!!!)
The Fallen
ron lover
Zach Smith
and because she sent me a sweet PM apologising and I'm a sucker for that
Dennis Creevey (unable to attend)
Let us sally forth into the next round with a prompt close to your barmaid's heart, but will probably have you reaching for your sporks. Yes, I remember the poor old toothbrush prompt.
Okay, whose birthday is it tomorrow?
You at the back, yes, you. That's right, Hermione Weasley nee Granger.
So this week the drabble needs to be based around her.
HOLD YOUR THESTRALS! That's not quite it. (obviously). Your barmaid has a favourite song. This song, quite neatly, is called Letter To Hermione by David Bowie. You may listen to it if you're at all interested in your barmaid's tastes, but it won't be necessary for the challenge.
This is NOT a song fic challenge.
What I want you to do is write a letter to Hermione from a canon character. It does not have to be about her birthday, but you may include that if you wish.
All drabbles must be between 250-500 words.
Use this form.
PHP Code:
All drabbles must be sent to me by Thursday 22nd September 8pm BST.
Have fun and stop cursing your barmaid. She has feelings, you know.
Madame Carmerta


text:
That bag was buried in the sand of a beach in Lattingtown, on the island's Gold Coast.
A woman walking her dog near the shores of Long Island Sound in the Town of Oyster Bay made the discovery around 3 p.m. Monday.
Investigators pinned up the 22 carat gold necklace with a pig pendant as they pinned their hopes on the public that someone may recognize the jewelry and help solve a murder mystery unearthed on this windswept beach.
It was a complete skeleton, likely a woman, buried in a bag, sources say.
Detective found signs of traumatic injury, but won't say what kind. They don't know when the person died or how long the body was here.
John Azzata runs Nassau County homicide.
"I wish I had a more specific timeframe I'd be further in this investigation," Azzara said.
The crime scene is just about 30 miles north of another remote beach - the notorious serial killer graveyard on Ocean Parkway in neighboring Suffolk County, where in the past two years police have discovered 10 bodies, eight of them young women and some buried in plastic bags.
"Obviously, we're near the water, bodies were found near the water that's a similarity but there are other dissimilarities so it's much too early to say that we definitely have a connection," Azzara said.
Among the dissimilarities, the pig pendant made of a type of gold popular in the Asian community. One theory: it's a woman of Chinese or Korean descent born in the year of the pig. All the women found on the south shore were white, but whether or not this is related to the serial killer case, it's been quite a shock to this wealthy community to learn of the disturbing discovery on their private beach.
"It's surprising around here you wouldn't expect to find that. I guess it's secluded enough though," Kathy Travis said.
Police are asking anyone with information to contact Nassau County Crime Stoppers at 1-800-244-TIPS or the Homicide Squad at 516-573-7789.
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text:
I like Larry Hughes/Tyreke Evans.
How about you guys?
I like Larry Hughes/Tyreke Evans.
How about you guys?
Physically I'd compare him to a young D wade.
Corey Brewer. I guess he'll be benched, dnp'd, and traded to a contender before we know it.
Iman is more of a PG/SG, Brewer is more of a SF/SG...I can't see that comparison.
here's what cbssports.com thought, as far as a comparison:
Compares To: ERIC SNOW, ex-Cleveland/Philadelphia -- Shumpert has experience at the both guard spots, and the ability to earn minutes as a combo type. Like Snow, his offense is a work in progress, as he is very inconsistent with his jumper or when shooting off the dribble. But he is a dominating face-up defender with excellent strength and overall athletic talent. He needs to bulk up more to play shooting guard at the NBA level, but is more the type that will get 15-20 minutes playing pressure defense rather than relied upon to attack the basket. He has a developing mid-range shot, but offers little shooting from the outside.
--Dave-Te' Thomas
Iman is bigger at 6"6 220 lbs where as Wade came into the league as 6"4 210
Wade's measurements
Wingspan 6' 10.75"
Standing Reach 8' 6"
Body Fat% 6.7
No Step Vertical 31.5
Max Vertical Leap 35.0
Bench Press(185lbs) 9
Agility 10.56
Sprint 3.08
Iman's measurements
Wingspan 6' 9.5"
Standing Reach 8' 3.5"
Body Fat% 6.5
No Step Vertical 36.5
Max Vertical Leap 42.0
Bench Press 18
Agility 11.10
Sprint 3.18
So yea, Iman jumps higher and is stronger, Wade is longer(arms) and is more agility and faster. Both are physical freaks.
He has so much more vert than Snow tho... I like the Tony Allen and Larry Hughes comparisons I've heard.
Welcome back Metro. I suppose your keyboard is in good working order by now, no? Just kidding dude..
Yea, my keyboard is working now, so you know who's back in charge in of the forum. I won't be active as here do with this job that got me on lock and amateur boxing this summer.
11.3(ppg)- 47.9(fg%)- 35.6(3fg%)- 2.8(apg)- 4.3(rpg)- .4(bpg)- 1.6(spg)
Shumpert 6'5 209lbs (college stats)
12.7(ppg)- 39.6(fg%)- 30.5(3fg%)- 4.2(apg)- 4.5(rpg)- .2(bpg)-
Brewer is longer and lighter. Shump is shorter but heavier. Yes 2 different positions but to me the same player type. Defense is his best attribute. Corey shot better fg%'s, Shump the better passer and perimter defender.
With a handle and developed outside game and coaching under CB he can be a force. But he like Brewer seem limited and have much work to do.
And recall MOA had no use for Brewer so....
welcome back metro; sites better with you back
larry hughes sounds nice he has the physical tools to be way better than him though.
i personally see him as a wilson chandler except the PG/SG version. i love his game and everyone saying he cant shoot, well that comes with experience and apparently it was good enough for brass to draft em. he knows how to get to the basket and is probably the most athletic player in this draft the potential there. i see him the chandler mold
DaTPRiNCE...That EGYPTiAN Fella, #MeloMafia
Brewer was a spot up guy who didn't slash a lot due to his weak ball handling skills.
Iman was a slasher who had A level ball handling skills for a guy at 6"6 who can play PG.
Both play defense, but Iman was more physical body to body man defense, where as Brewer was a lanky defender who used his length.
Iman played PG his first two seasons @ G-Tech
Brewer played SF, strickly at Florida.
How can you be limited when you play 3 positions, you're the best athlete in the draft, and one of the best perimeter defenders to come out the draft since Kyle Lowry? I don't get it.
Are you trying to say his jumpshot is limited which will hinder him from playing in D'Antoni's offense?
If thats what you're trying to say let me know.
And a jumpshot doesn't limit you. Ask Amare Stoudimire and Trevor Ariza who both came into the NBA without a jumpshot. Look at them now.
Iman is a hard worker who can adjust very quickly. Look at his career at GT.
He went from being the PG to being the primary scorer his junior year. He's played about every role for that team and shown his versatility.
Brewer and him are nothing alike except they're both good defenders.
I've heard about his athletic abilities, also about his lack of consistency and leadership.
I'd rather you tell me who's better
Shump or your boy Fields?
And really I viewed him as a combo playing the versitile Chandler role. If not is he our back up pg and future starter?
Shumpert reminds me a lot of former draft bust Gerald Green, who was taken one spot later (No. 18) back in 2005 by the Boston Celtics because of his intriguing athletic abilities.
Green played for four teams in five seasons before falling out of the league, and Shumpert will be looking to avoid that fate despite the obvious similarities in their games.
The team can't afford to devote major minutes to developing a draft pick at either forward position with Carmelo Anthony and Amar'e Stoudemire on the team, so there will be more playing time available to Shumpert in the early going so he can hone his potential to the fullest extent.
Shumpert's standing vertical leap (36.5") is the third-highest to have ever been recorded at the combine, but that's not going to make him a better basketball player. He really needs to learn to play the game in a smarter fashion without settling so often, because if he lives and dies with his perimeter game, it's going to result in an unsuccessful rookie season for both he and the Knicks.
The team really needed to improve their defense on the wing and Shumpert will bring a presence on that end of the floor, but his offensive contributions are a major question mark heading into the 2011-12 campaign.
Check it out
About combines...That's momentous news for Shumpert, who seemed certain to go low in the second round (or even undrafted) when he decided to forgo his senior season at Georgia Tech and enter the draft this spring. It's also difficult to fathom. Ford's reasoning (read: the reasoning of the NBA general managers who Chad talks to about these things) goes like this:
The Wolves added some serious offensive pop with the arrival of Ricky Rubio and, in this mock, Derrick Williams. Shumpert would give them a major defensive presence in their backcourt. While he's not the most offensively gifted player in the draft, his ability to guard both backcourt positions, combined with his elite athleticism, make him an interesting choice at No. 20.
I suppose I can understand that reasoning. Shumpert is a solid, versatile defender. Fair enough.
Still, there are a handful of other solid, versatile defenders out there, and they happen to be players -- Nolan Smith, Shelvin Mack, Tyler Honeycutt, Jimmy Butler, E'Twaun Moore, even DeAndre Liggins! -- who are also a) able to play offense and b) likely to be available in the second round, via trade, or as undrafted free agents. All of those players experienced much greater levels of success in college than Shumpert did. All of them actively made their teams better, which is not something we could always say for the Georgia Tech guard.
In his defense, Shumpert did improve during his junior season, and his 25.7 percent assist rate was encouraging. But it's hard not to feel like Shumpert is the beneficiary of that age-old draft red herring: workouts. Shumpert tested well at the draft combine. Scouts were impressed by his athleticism in individual sessions. "Hey, he jumps higher than we thought. Maybe he's not so bad after all!"
The problem -- and college hoops fans already know this -- is that Shumpert has always been a great athlete. He's always "tested well." Between the lines, though, he's never played up to potential. He's never shot the ball well. He's never been an effective distributor. With Shumpert at the helm -- and this isn't entirely his fault; Paul Hewitt shares this blame, too -- Georgia Tech's offense has often looked downright lost.
May 26, 2011
Though the conclusions that we can draw from the vast majority of the athletic testing data is extremely limited, we'll nonetheless try to take something away from the information we've been presented with.
Trying to pinpoint a player's athleticism based on their combine testing is akin to trying to get a feel for their basketball IQ by watching them play one-on-zero it simply doesn't make all that much sense. It does help us get a very general idea of where a player is at in terms of physical conditioning and strength, which often speaks to their work ethic, but rarely sheds much light on what it really aims to portray.
Unlike the NFL combine, all parties involved realize that few people put much stock in these results. Players aren't trained in running 40-yard dashes from their days in high school like most gridiron stars and simply aren't well versed in many of the events. Raw athletic data can be useful in a football setting where certain properties manifest themselves more completely on the field, but for the NBA's purposes, a player's ¾ court sprint team is virtually meaningless on the top end.
In basketball, where anticipation and coordination play major roles in how players perform on the court, combine numbers will always take a back seat to how a player uses the tools it aims to measure in actual games. Scouts have done their homework, they know who the fastest players in the draft are, and know which athletes are the most explosive. The combine only provides them with a standardized metric that often fail to live up to the consistency of what they already know.
Despite our reservations about the data, it still exposes some players who land at the extremes of each test, and gives us the chance to draw some historical perspectives on certain stats. The combine does a decent job exposing which players are truly lacking in some aspects physically. At the end of the day though, the numbers these players posted at the combine are only as valuable as their ability to use them on the floor, and no matter how many times a player runs or jumps beyond his perceived means on test day, if he doesn't play athletic in games, he's not going to magically change his ways at the next level.
The only thing I like about Fields is his IQ and Effort. I don't think he's a great fit for this team. If he can fit the Matt Barnes role, then lets keep him and use him a high minute role player, why not?
Where as Iman can make the game easier for a guard like Toney Douglas. Having a SG that can pass and defend is HUGE. D. Stevenson was almost out of the NBA until he changed his game up and became a better passer in his career and played more defense, now he has a championship ring. I feel like Kiyaman typing this.
Iman is the man, we'll just wait and see how he develops.