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Apple Monday announced it would begin paying quarterly stock dividends, and later this year, will begin to buy back shares of its stock.
The moves were the strongest signal yet that a new regime is in charge. "This shows that there's been a changing of the guard," said Brian Marshall of International Strategy & Investment Group (ISI) in an interview Monday. Tim Cook took over as CEO last August just weeks before co-founder Steve Jobs died after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. Jobs had opposed paying dividends or repurchasing shares.
Both the dividend and stock repurchasing programs were anticipated by analysts after Apple issued an unusual media alert on Sunday, when the company said Cook and chief financial officer Peter Oppenheimer would reveal the outcome of internal discussions about what to do with the firm's $98 billion cash balance.
In today's conference call with Wall Street analysts, Cook said that Apple would begin paying quarterly dividends of $2.65 per share starting in the third calendar quarter, which ends Sept. 30, 2012. In the first year of the dividend deal, Apple will hand out just under $10 billion.
The dividend works out to $10.60 per share annually, for a yield of 1.8% at the stock's current share price. That is less than some expected.
In a note to clients yesterday, Marshall predicted that Apple would deliver a dividend of $3.66 per share per quarter, or $14.65 annually, for a yield of 2.5%.
Apple's dividend yield puts it behind Microsoft, Intel and Hewlett-Packard, which pay out 2.45%, 3% and 2%, respectively, but ahead of other technology companies such as IBM and Oracle.
The stock repurchasing plan, meanwhile, will kick off in the fourth quarter, which ends Dec. 31, the first in Apple's 2013 fiscal year. Over a three-year period, Apple plans to spend approximately $10 billion to buy shares on the open market.
"[Stock repurchases] are another way to give money back to shareholders," said Marshall.
According to Oppenheimer, Apple will front-load the stock repurchasing program, spending about $4 billion in the first fiscal year.
Altogether, Apple plans to lay out about $45 billion for the two programs over the next three years.
Investors and Wall Street analysts have long called for Apple to reduce its cash stockpile, either by issuing dividends to regularly reward shareholders, or by repurchasing stock, which increases the earnings per share.
"Combined, I think this is fine," said Marshall when asked today about the difference between Apple's planned dividend and his speculation on Sunday. "Most people wanted a bigger dividend, but when they're lumped together, it comes out about the same [as the 2.5% yield]."
The money will come from the $34 billion that Apple currently holds in the U.S. The majority of the company's liquid assets are held overseas. but repatriating those funds would incur a heavy tax penalty.
Cook assured Wall Street that the money spent on dividends and stock buy-backs would not affect the company's business or limit its options.
"We will continue to invest in the business. These decisions will not close any doors." Cook said.
"We will still have plenty of cash to run the business," added Oppenheimer.
Marshall agreed. "They'll be able to fund this without even denting the balance sheet," he said.
Although Apple had said yesterday that it would not discuss any topics other than its cash balance, some Wall Street analysts asked non-cash questions anyway.
Cook bit on one.
"We had a record weekend," said Cook when asked about sales of the new iPad, which hit retail last Friday.
Gregg Keizer covers Microsoft, security issues, Apple, Web browsers and general technology breaking news for Computerworld. Follow Gregg on Twitter at @gkeizer, or subscribe to Gregg's RSS feed . His e-mail address is email@example.com.


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I used the Prairie Hill collection from Pink Paislee and some Kraft Core cardstock to create my pot and flowers. I added a kraft cardstock centre to a few of the blooms and inked the edges with Walnut Distress ink.
I sanded the edges of the orange flowers and the pot to expose the kraft interior. I printed the sentiment on kraft cardstock and added it to the bottom of the pot.
Leave a comment on my blog and you will have a chance to win the Flower Pot Shaped Card & Sentiment set. I will make the draw and announce the winner on Saturday morning.

subset: commoncrawl


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Community Supporter
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Community Supporter
These helpful members donate their money to help make PC a better place.
Awarded: December 16th, 2008 3:57 PM
This member rang in the new year at Pokécommunity.
Awarded: January 5th, 2009 2:51 AM
Icontest Emblem
Congratulations on winning the Icontest!
Awarded: December 19th, 2009 11:18 PM
There's a Hiiro Within
Your secret identity has been given away, but you're still a hero to me.
Awarded: April 13th, 2010 6:51 AM
Blah Blah Rant Rant!
I say, you're one of those old timers raving on about new pokémon! You were here for the Skype Manifesto during the 2010 Get-Together. All we heard was "blah blah rant rant!"
Awarded: August 22nd, 2010 3:57 AM
Skype Haunter
Whether you were derping, singing, or telling scary tales, you were in the Skype Haunt and may have even met some new friends.
Awarded: November 7th, 2010 8:47 PM
Vampire Host
While hosting an event at the 2010 Halloween Haunt, you got yourself enough human blood to last a lifetime! Was it tasty?
Awarded: November 8th, 2010 1:40 AM
Did the Ye' Olde Classic Haunt take away all your energy? You probably should watch some mindless television to relax--oh wait...
Awarded: November 8th, 2010 1:45 AM
eyeSketch, booSketch
For participating in PC's Halloween Haunt iSketch, you get this awesome treat!
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Participant in the PO Winter Tour
Battling might have been a pine this year, but at least you served as a decent tree ornament!
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Thank you for joining in making the New Year's fantastic with a Skype event full of fun and laughs!
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The self proclaimed number one fan of _____. My god, you're obsessed!
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This member joined us on our relaunch of PokéCommunity Live. Thanks for being there!
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Congrats! This member successfully guessed one Pokémon in 'Who's that Pokemon!'
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You're one of those people...
That make the Time Gear Thief's future much brighter. ♥
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Your Love is My Drug
Tonight we're going hard and if I were you, I'd take this as a VIP invitation.
Awarded: July 3rd, 2011 7:37 PM
Ain't got no chat in here :P
Gee, even though the chat's probably deader than dead at times, you still participated in the Holiday Hop's Holiday Skype!
Awarded: January 4th, 2012 4:15 AM
PC Veteran
These old folks have been around for far too long but we love them anyway.
Awarded: January 13th, 2013 5:11 PM
A Charlie Brown Radio Night!
This little get-together reminded me of Charlie Brown and his friends... except with a lot more pop. Thanks for attending the 2013 Christmas Radio Night!
Awarded: December 28th, 2013 7:11 PM
Ring ring! It's your friends calling!
& they want to thank you for keeping the good vibe at the Agora, GT12's Skype Chat. We all enjoyed your company.
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DJ Dizzy Dope
You sure showed off your inner DJ at the Get-Together's radio jams!
Awarded: July 22nd, 2015 7:58 AM


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NOW Is the Right Time to Quit Smoking
By James N. Martin, Jr, MD
President, The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
For people who smoke, kicking the habit is one of the healthiest things you can do for yourself. Cigarette smoking kills about 178,000 women each year in the US, shaving an average of 14.5 years off the lives of female smokers.
Each puff of cigarette smoke exposes users to 2,500 chemicals and cancer-causing agents, including nicotine, tar, and carbon monoxide. Smoking causes 87% of lung cancer deaths and increases the risk of developing cervical and other cancers. Smokers are more likely to experience heart attack, stroke, emphysema, bronchitis, osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, cataracts, and infertility than non-smokers are.
Pregnant women who smoke put their babies at a higher risk for preterm birth, low birth weight, sudden infant death syndrome, poor lung function, asthma, and bronchitis. The harmful chemicals in cigarette smoke are also passed through breast milk to babies. Smokers who quit can stop or reverse the damage caused by cigarettes. In the days and months after you quit, your heart rate and blood pressure drop to healthier levels, and your breathing, circulation, and sense of smell and taste may improve. Heart attack risk decreases by 50% within the first year after quitting, and the chances of developing lung cancer, heart disease, and other ailments fall to nearly that of a nonsmoker in the first few years.
Nicotine withdrawal and cravings derail 70% to 90% quit attempts. If you are thinking about quitting, nicotine replacement products—such as patches, gum, lozenges, inhalers, and nasal spray—or doctor-prescribed medications, such as bupropion or varenicline, can help curb cravings and may increase your chances of quitting successfully.
Smokers can call 800-QUIT-NOW, a free national smoking cessation hotline, to speak with trained counselors who will help develop individualized quit plans. Support groups, such as Nicotine Anonymous, and other local smoking cessation resources may also be a great place to start.
Set a quit date when you will throw away all your cigarettes and clean your clothes to get rid of the smoky smell. You may want to schedule your quit date for November 17, 2011, to coincide with the Great American Smokeout. Keep busy
on your quit day—exercise, go to the movies, take a long walk, etc.—get plenty of water, and ask your friends and family to help keep you honest.
According to the American Cancer Society, more than 75% of women say they want to stop smoking. It takes most smokers several tries to finally quit for good. If your first attempt is not successful, don't get discouraged. Get some help and get back on track. For more information on smoking cessation, go to www.cancer.org/.


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The Canada-Ukraine Parliamentary Program is an internship program, established by the Ukrainian Canadians in Canada, which provides an opportunity for Ukrainian students to learn about the principles of democratic government and parliamentary procedures of Canada. During the Program, Ukrainian students work at the Parliament of Canada in the offices of Members of the House of Commons.
CUPP Internship 2024 - Apply
CUPP Newsletter Spring 2022 - Issue 2
CUPP Newsletter Spring 2022 - Issue 1


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BERLIN – A local roofer charged with operating without a contractor's license is out of jail this week after posting a $20,000 bond after a joint investigation conducted by the Worcester County Bureau of Investigation (WCBI) and the Maryland Home Improvement Commission resulted in as many as five charges of felony theft and failure to perform a contract.
The investigation began after WCBI and the commission received numerous complaints from local citizens about Jimmy Lewis Roofing based in Ocean City. The company is listed in the Yellow Pages as a roofing contractor, but has been allegedly taking jobs and down payments for jobs without a contractor's license.
Investigator Thomas Marr of the Maryland Home Improvement Commission, based in Baltimore, has charged Jimmy Lewis Roofing with five separate cases of operating without a contractor's license, failure to perform a contract and numerous felony thefts.
Detective Mike Lupiwok of WCBI is investigating one case in Berlin in which Jimmy Lewis Roofing had taken a $12,000 down payment from an elderly victim to replace a roof. The victim had found someone else to complete the job. Eight months later, after repeated requests to return the down payment, the victim has not received any money back.
WCBI is reminding local citizens to be careful whom they select to do home improvements and make sure the contractors they select are licensed. WCBI is also requesting anyone in Worcester County who has had work done by Jimmy Lewis Roofing to contact the agency at 410-352-3476, or the Maryland Home Improvement Commission at 1-888-218-5925.
'He Took It Out' On The Beach
OCEAN CITY – A Baltimore man was arrested and charged with indecent exposure and disorderly conduct last week after complaints he was exposing himself on the beach at 70th Street.
On July 19, OCPD Officer Justin Weber was dispatched to the beach at 70th Street for a report of indecent exposure. The officer met with a witness who told him she had observed a man, later identified as Michael Scott Buckheit, 40, of Baltimore, exposing his penis and fondling it in front of several people including a group of young females sitting on the beach in front of him.
The witness said she first noticed Buckheit's exposed penis hanging out of the left side of his swim trunks and thought it was an accident at first, but his behavior after she first noticed it led her to believe it was not an accident. For example, when she walked down to the water's edge and looked back, he was still handling his exposed private parts. The witness also said Buckheit was allegedly pretending to read a book when he was actually staring at two young girls seated in front of him on the beach while fondling his exposed penis.
Another witness and the lifeguard on duty at 70th Street corroborated the story of the first witness. The officer approached Buckheit, who was identified by the witnesses as the offending fondler. He was arrested and charged with indecent exposure and disorderly conduct. According to the police report, the beach was crowded with both children and adults.
Paint Sprayer Swiped
OCEAN CITY – Resort police this week are searching for suspects in the theft of an expensive commercial paint sprayer from a construction site on 42nd Street.
Sometime during the night on July 17 or the early morning hours on July 18, unknown suspects entered the construction site for the Makai Condominium on 42nd Street and proceeded to the third floor where the paint sprayer and other equipment were stored. The suspects then cut the hoses that connected the paint sprayer to the paint drum.
Once the hoses were cut, the suspects carried the sprayer down the stairway where it was loaded into a vehicle. The sprayer is a Graco Gmax 59000 commercial paint sprayer valued at $5,500. Anyone with information about the theft is urged to contact the OCPD Criminal Investigation Division at 410-723-6604.
Virginia Pair Arrested On Drug Charges
OCEAN CITY – A pair of Virginia men were arrested and charged with a wide variety of drug and traffic charges last weekend after leading resort police on a wild chase through downtown, first in their vehicle and later on foot.
A little before 3 a.m. last Friday, an OCPD bicycle officer on routine patrol in the downtown area observed a black Toyota Scion traveling at a high rate of speed on Baltimore Ave. between 3rd and 4th streets. The officer watched as the vehicle swerved to miss a marked OCPD vehicle at 4th Street. The officer stepped into the roadway and held up his hands motioning the vehicle to stop, but the driver just looked at the officer and sped by.
The vehicle then drove north on Wilmington Lane, running stop signs at several crossing streets along the way. Back-up officers then found the Scion abandoned on Wilmington Lane near 8th Street and observed the two suspects, later identified as David Michael Briner, 25, of Chesapeake, Va., and Devin Lee Rippel, 22, of Virginia Beach, fleeing on foot from 8th Street.
One OCPD officer who responded as back-up in the incident caught Rippel near the Ambassador Hotel on 5th Street. Briner, meanwhile, continued to flee on foot near 5th Street and ran toward the Boardwalk. At one point, Briner stopped a hotel security guard on the Boardwalk and told him, "I'm running from the police."
Briner was finally subdued by police on the Boardwalk at 2nd Street. The officers noticed a strong odor of alcohol on Briner and he was arrested and charged with driving under the influence, fleeing and eluding police and numerous traffic charges. In the meantime, Rippel was being detained back on 5th Street. He told police Briner was driving the vehicle and refused to stop for police.
A search of the vehicle revealed a small quantity of marijuana and paraphernalia in the center console. Rippel was then charged with possession of marijuana and paraphernalia.
Money, Smokes Stolen
OCEAN CITY – A Bel Air man was charged with assault and robbery last week after punching another man in the face and stealing his money and cigarettes at a residence on 40th Street.
Early last Saturday morning, OCPD officers were dispatched to a residence on 40th Street for a report of a disorderly suspect. Upon arrival, the officer met with a man named Scott Calero, who had a swollen lip and was holding an ice pack on his face. The victim told police he had been assaulted by a man later identified as Patrick Hanley, 22, of Bel Air.
The victim said he went to the bathroom and when he opened the door, Hanley punched him in the face. Calero told police he was knocked out and didn't remember everything that happened, but his friend said he heard a loud noise from the hallway and when he went to see what it was, he saw Calero knocked out on the floor with Hanley standing over him with his fist drawn back.
The friend interceded to help the victim, but Hanley turned on him before the rest of people in the residence kicked Hanley out. The owner of the residence found out Hanley had assaulted Calero and stole his pack of cigarettes and $175 in cash. The owner demanded Hanley return the money and cigarettes, than through him out of the residence again.
Hanley stayed outside of the residence for about a half an hour, yelling and screaming, until the police were finally called. By the time the police arrived, Hanley had fled the scene, but he was located by another officer a few minutes later on 43rd Street. In the meantime, Calero was treated by Ocean City EMS. He suffered injuries to his lip, left cheek and left eye, including a broken blood vessel in the eye itself.
Calero was treated at the scene but refused further medical treatment. Hanley was arrested and charged with robbery, second-degree assault and theft.
Traffic Stop Yields Large Drug Bust
BERLIN – A routine traffic stop on Route 50 near Berlin last weekend resulted in two arrests and the seizure of a significant amount of marijuana.
A Maryland State Police trooper on routine patrol last Friday night observed a traffic violation on Route 50 near Route 346. As the officer was approaching the vehicle, he observed the driver and the passenger quickly switch positions. A background check on the individuals, identified as Johnny Ray Holland, 21, of Salisbury, and Jermaine Heath, 25, of Pocomoke, revealed both had suspended driving privileges and one was wanted.
A search of the vehicle incident to the arrest revealed 60 grams of marijuana wrapped individually for distribution. Both suspects were arrested and charged with possession of marijuana, possession with intent to distribute and various traffic charges.
Crack Recovered
BERLIN – A Newark man was arrested on crack cocaine possession charges last week after a routine traffic stop.
Last Wednesday, a Maryland State Police trooper on patrol in the area of Trappe Rd. and Assateague Rd. pulled a vehicle over for a traffic violation. As the officer contacted the vehicle's occupants, one of them made furtive movements as if he were trying to hide something under his seat. Armed with probable cause, the trooper searched the vehicle and located a rock of crack cocaine under the seat. Mark Bunting, of Newark, was then arrested and charged with possession of cocaine.
Partying With Kids On Assateague
ASSATEAGUE – On Sunday, July 22, at 1:20 a.m., the Maryland Natural Resources Police charged six juveniles and one adult with alcohol violations in the campground of Assateague State Park. NRP entered the campsite to investigate a quiet hour noise violation.
Officers observed and identified six 15- and 16-year-olds from Howard County consuming alcoholic beverages while sitting around the campfire. Thomas F. Ricciuti, 51, of Columbia, was the only adult at the campsite.
NRP charged the six juveniles with possession of an alcoholic beverage by a person under 21 years of age, referred the charges to the Department of Juvenile Services and contacted their parents. NRP also charged Ricciuti with furnishing alcoholic beverage for underage consumption.
Disorderly Conduct Charges Stick
OCEAN CITY – A local man pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct charges in District Court Monday, despite his claim that he was intervening in a fight between a man and a woman.
Alan Edward Martin, 38, of Ocean City, pleaded guilty Monday to disorderly conduct charges that stemmed from an event this past June. On June 12, police were responding to an EMS call at Sea Watch when they spotted two people across the street engaged in an altercation.
The police crossed the street and saw two men, one identified as Martin, yelling and pushing one another. There was also an unidentified woman present who was near the altercation.
The police separated the men and heard claims that Martin had threatened the other man with a knife. Police searched Martin and found a small folding knife in his possession. They then placed Martin under arrest for disorderly conduct.
Martin claimed that he was stepping outside of work when he observed a man yelling and pushing his girlfriend. He said that he stepped in to help the girl, which resulted in the altercation between him and the man.
"I was basically stepping in between him and his girlfriend," Martin said in his own defense.
Despite the claim that he was caught in the middle of a dispute between a couple, Martin was found guilty of disorderly conduct. He was sentenced to one year of unsupervised probation with $357.50 in fines.
Not Guilty Plea Fails
OCEAN CITY – After pleading not guilty to charges of resisting arrest and open container, a man was found guilty of both charges and sentenced to 60 days in jail Monday.
Michael Anthony Hilton Jr., 19, of Upper Marlboro, Md., came before the District Court Monday morning, without a defense lawyer, in an attempt to plead not guilty to the charges presented to him.
Despite the prosecutor's initial offer of a plea agreement, Hilton maintained that he would plead not guilty to the charges.
On June 11, police officers spotted Hilton drinking out of a cup and a woman with him drinking a Sparks alcoholic beverage. Officer Ryan Sweet testified that he approached the pair and asked Hilton what he was drinking. Hilton told the officer that it was beer. The officer testified that Hilton's eyes were red and glassy and that his speech was slurred.
Sweet began to place Hilton under arrest, but Hilton pulled away violently, telling the officers that he was not going to be arrested.
Despite Sweet's explanation that he was being placed under arrest, Hilton began to walk away from the officers. He again repeated loudly that he was not going to be arrested. Sweet testified that he attempted to grab Hilton, holding on to the back of his shirt as Hilton walked away. Hilton pulled away violently, causing his shirt to rip.
Hilton was ultimately placed under arrest. It was also explained that Hilton is currently in jail for a violation of probation, with a trial pending. Judge L. Bruce Wade found Hilton guilty of all charges and sentenced him to 60 days in jail.
Pair Face DestructiveDevice Charges
SNOW HILL – The Worcester County Fire Marshal's Office this week charged two juveniles with placing a destructive device in a mail box in Snow Hill and detonating it.
The juveniles placed a destructive device in a mail box at a residence on Taylor Rd. in Snow Hill. Both have been charged with manufacturing a destructive device, malicious burning and reckless endangerment. The case has been forwarded to the Department of Juvenile Justice.
Vehicle Strikes Condo
OCEAN CITY – A Pennsylvania man crashed his truck into a condominium building in 83rd Street in Ocean City last Saturday afternoon after apparently having a seizure.
Ocean City Police responded to the accident at 83rd Street shortly before 4 p.m. last Saturday afternoon. A Ford F150 truck driven by Robert Vuksta of Pine Grove, Pa. was crossing 83rd Street from south to north when it veered off the roadway and collided with the Atlantic View Condominium. According to police reports, it is believed Vuksta had a seizure prior to the collision.
Three Families Homeless after Fire
POCOMOKE – A fire last weekend at an apartment house in Pocomoke left three families homeless this week.
The Worcester County Fire Marshal's Office is investigating a residential structure fire last Saturday night shortly after 11 p.m. The fire occurred in a renovated house which had been converted into three apartments and did extensive damage to the structure. A total of five residents occupied the house, all of whom were home at the time of the blaze, however, no injuries were reported.
The Pocomoke Volunteer Fire Company responded to the blaze and stayed on the scene for several hours. It has been determined the fire started between the second floor and attic apartments. Faulty wiring is being blamed for the fire.


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Is it time to upsize? Your home needs to suit your lifestyle
Whether you have been late for work due to the morning queue outside a single bathroom, find yourself considering triple bunk beds to house your growing brood, or just need a space for paperwork that doesn't need to be cleared away when a meal is served, the signs that we have outgrown our current home are obvious.
Louise Ferguson, a freelance home search agent says that a growing family is by far the most likely reason that people make the decision to move house.
"People see it as a natural progression, from a starter flat to something a little bigger when they get married or move in together. Moving to a house with one extra bedroom every time anew child arrives is sometimes no longer enough however."
"There are so many homeworkers these days that often a couple will require an office each, plus a spare bedroom, so you are talking about a four-bedroomed house even before they have thought about starting a family.
"If they do go on to have children, they are often loathe to give up this luxury of space so will always be looking for something bigger.
An ensuite bathroom or two is a luxury that many would move house to achieve too, even if they have enough bedrooms.
New relationships these days are likely to include so-called blended families, but whether or not the whole number are together all the time, space is needed for everyone - step- and half-brothers and sisters too.
There is also the importance of entertaining and the value we may place on hosting large events and seating all guests comfortably. If you find yourself squeezing everyone in and being embarrassed about your lack of space at parties or Christmas, it might be time to consider upsizing.
Ferguson says that it is not until children have fled the nest that buying a smaller home is usually considered but that this doesn't always follow: "Many householders have elderly parents to consider at this stage in life, with their grown-up children returning for spells living at home too so, for many, a larger house is still a must."
It isn't just a restricted indoor square footage which might start homeowners yearning for a move. Many flat or apartment owners move to get access to space outdoors.
A garden is top of the wish list for house hunters looking for that second step on the housing ladder. A need for outside space also often coincides with the arrival of children; a safe enclosed garden is the perfect place for a toddler to learn to walk while a driveway for ease of parking and the ground floor entrance to park a pram is seen as a must. Spacefor family picnics or just a place for teenagers to let off steam kicking a ball is highly desirable.
Unfortunately it is also true that the arrival of children can coincide with a drop in income as one or other parent decides to work part-time but, if possible, Ferguson says that this is one of the situations where she would advise considering a move to a less expensive area to be able to afford the space you need.
"We tend to think of the property wisdom: location, location, location. But if your household is threatening to burst at the seams, a move to a larger house, even if the area is less exclusive, should give a huge improvement in your day-to-day quality of life."


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Antonio Muñoz Molina, the Banco Santander Distinguished Global Visiting Professor of Creative Writing at NYU, has been awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for Literature.
The prize, which includes €50,000 (approx. $66,000), is given by the Prince of Asturias Foundation.
Muñoz Molina was selected "for the depth and brilliance with which he has narrated relevant fragments of his country's history, crucial episodes of the contemporary world and meaningful aspects of his personal experience—a body of work which admirably reveals his condition as an intellectual with a commitment to his time," the selection jury said in announcing the award.
Past winners of the prize include novelist Philip Roth (2012), poet and singer-songwriter Leonard Cohen (2011), and novelist Carlos Fuentes (1994).
A native of Spain, Muñoz Molina had worked as a journalist prior to publishing his first novel, Beatus Ille [A Manuscript of Ashes], in 1986. Invierno en Lisboa [Winter in Lisbon] (1987) earned him the Critics Award and the National Narrative Prize. In 1991, he won the Planeta Prize for El jinete polaco [The Polish Horseman], which also captured the National Narrative Prize. His 1998 work, Plenilunio [Full Moon], won France's Prix Femina for best foreign novel. In 2004, Muñoz Molina, a full member of the Royal Spanish Academy, was appointed director of the Cervantes Institute in New York, where he wrote La noche de los tiempos [In the Night of Time] (2010).
Muñoz Molina is a faculty member in NYU's Department of Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Literatures, where he teaches in the Creative Writing in Spanish MFA program. He has also won the Jean Monnet Prize of European Literature, the Prix Mediterranee Etranger, the Jerusalem Prize, and the Qué Leer Prize.
The foundation has given prizes in other fields this year. The Prince of Asturias Award for the Arts went to filmmaker and playwright Michael Haneke, the Prince of Asturias Award for Social Sciences was given to sociologist Saskia Sassen, the Prince of Asturias Award for Communication and Humanities went to photographer Annie Leibovitz, and the Prince of Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research was jointly bestowed on physicists Peter Higgs and François Englert, together with the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN).
The awards will be presented in the fall in Oviedo, Spain at a ceremony chaired by H.R.H. the Prince of Asturias.
The Prince of Asturias Awards, the foundation said, aim "to reward scientific, technical, cultural, social, and humanitarian work carried out at an international level by individuals, institutions or groups of individuals or institutions."


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Maxwell's intelligent agent referred to also as Maxwell's demon[note 1] is a creature of imagination having certain perfectly well defined powers of action, purely mechanical in their character, invented to help us to understand the dissipation of energy in nature.[1] The chief objective of this gedankenexperiment was to show that the Second Law of Thermodynamics stating that the entropy of an isolated or closed system cannot decrease has only a statistical certainty and it is in essence a statistical principle. The intelligent being, although unable to create or annul energy, but still with faculties of observing and influencing the individual molecules of matter, is charged with task to sort moving gas molecules between two compartments (by keeping the passage shut or open) of the isolated system depending on their velocity. Thus, the intelligent being will in the contradiction to the second law of thermodynamics (considered an established fact with respect to molecular theory) generate a temperature difference thus entropy decrease (raise the temperature of one compartment compared to the other) without expenditure of work on the gas.
The argument that the decrease of entropy is in general possible contrary to the Second Law of Thermodynamics when intelligence is involved is nowadays further developed by creationist and Professor of Thermodynamics and Combustion Theory at the University of Leeds A.McIntosh. He maintains that in case of the living world there are nanomachines (which he differentiates from natural forces and attributes to outcome of design thus intelligence) necessary to achieve for that effect.[2][3] This is in line with original Maxwell's reasoning that, in case of molecular theory, this hypothetical intelligent being can be reduced, for example, to a valve ("Call him no more a demon but a valve like that of the hydraulic ram, suppose"[4]) that can produce a difference in pressure as well as temperature by merely allowing all particles going in one direction while stopping all those going the other way.
- ↑ The word 'demon' which originally in Greek meant a supernatural being, has never been properly used to signify a real or ideal personification of malignity.[1] It was William Thomson who nicknamed the intelligent being from Maxwell's gedankenexperiment as 'Maxwell's intelligent demon' or 'the sorting demon of Maxwell', respectively. Maxwell clarified his view of the term 'demon' in an undated letter to Tait where he confirmed that this labelling of intelligent being as demon was indeed introduced by Thomson.
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 William Thomson (Lord Kelvin). The Sorting Demon Of Maxwell. The Kelvin Library. Retrieved on November 29, 2014. "Abstract of a Friday evening Lecture before the Royal Institution of Great Britian, February 28, 1879"
- ↑ William Crawley (7 January 2007). The Thermodynamics of Andy McIntosh. Retrieved on 03.03.2013. "Thermodynamics as I have explained before, does lie at the heart of the debate. Boeing 777s cannot be made in a car factory unless the machinery is available to do so. Similarly the human brain cannot be formed from simpler machines if there is no machinery available to do this. Spontaneously forming such will not happen, even with natural selective forces at work. All natural selection will do is select from what is there already. It will not create a new machine which was not there before (either as a sub-machine or coded in embryonic form). An open thermodynamic system is not the answer either since simply adding energy to existing machinery will not change what is there already to a new machine."
- ↑ McIntosh, Dawkins and thermodynamics. Truth in Science. "The principles of thermodynamics even in open systems do not allow a new function using raised free energy levels to be achieved without new machinery. And new machines are not made by simply adding energy to existing machines. And this thesis is falsifiable. If anyone was to take an existing chemical machine and produce a different chemical machine which was not there before (either as a sub-part or latently coded for in the DNA template) then this argument would have been falsified. ... My whole point is this: that without information in a system for a machine you cannot form a machine. Without machines already there you cannot form a machine: that's the abiogenesis problem. Even after that, more complex machines cannot be made from simpler machines."
- ↑ Knott (1911). [1], 214. "as quoted in Harvey S. Leff and Andrew F. Rex (1997) Maxwell's Demon and the Culture of Entropy. Physics Essays: March 1997, Vol. 10, No. 1, pp. 125-149."


text:
Welcome to the
Tangier Island Guide
Tangier Island: A Chesapeake Bay Island
Tangier Island Bed and Breakfasts, Tangier Island Transportation, Tangier Island Cruises, Sunset Tours, Eco Tours, Restaurants, History, Photos, Videos, and more.
Tangier Island is on the Chesapeake Bayside of the Eastern Shore of Virginia and is located 12 miles into the Chesapeake Bay.
The Chesapeake Bay, its people, nature
and wildlife at its best.
Make reservations early for this year as lodging
tends to fill up early. Great time to come to Tangier is now.... (See
Island Transportation
Island Restaurants
Island Escape Vacation Rental
Tangier Island Eco Tours, Sunset Tours, Crabbing, orTangier Island History
Families of Tangier Island to mention a few: Crockett, Pruitt, Thomas, Parks
Tangier Disease
A Pictorial View of Tangier Island.
Photos provided by:
Additional Tangier Island Photographs
Various Tangier Videos
as shown here!
Island Video
and Kayaking
was known as
Tangier Island Information - Click Here
Visit us again soon for additional information on Tangier Island, until then contact usChesapeake Bay Charter Fishing, Sunset Cruises, Outdoor Adventures
Upon arriving on Tangier Island, enjoy an afternoon of days gone by. We encourage everyone that comes to Tangier to visit the Tangier History Museum before leaving.
Breeze departs Reedville, Va on the Western Shore of the Chesapeake
Bay during Tangier Island Tourism Season as does the Steven
Thomas which departs from
the Eastern Shore of the Lower Chesapeake Bay at Crisfield, Md.
Check Schedule.
Round Trip or One Way
Chesapeake Breeze and Steven Thomas docked at Tangier Island
While coming over on the Chesapeake Breeze or the Steven Thomas ask about "Group Cruise Rates"
Marie II departs Tangier Island for Onancock Virginia on the Eastern
Shore of Virginia twice daily. Transportation is seasonal.
Check Schedule.
Round Trip or One Way
Tangier Island Evening Tours Available, Inquire with Boat Captain
Chesapeake Bay Western Shore Boat Transportation to and from Tangier Island
and Fishing Charters.
Kay III
departs Tangier Island for Crisfield, Md.YEAR
ROUND days a week in the late afternoon around 3 or 4 pm depending
on what day you depart. Return trip to Tangier from Crisfield departs at
4 or 5 pm, again, depending on the day you depart.
Check Schedule.
Round Trip or One Way
Sharon Kay III departing Tangier Island
Tangier Island Evening Tours Available, Inquire with Boat Captain
provided by the Waterfront Restaurant
On the
Island Bed and Breakfasts
One Bed and Breakfast, the Bay View Inn is open all year. The Chesapeake House is open May thru October. The Bay View Inn Bed and Breakfast welcome hunters during November and December. The Mimosa Cottage rentals are available year round as well as Doug and Patsy's place, the Island Girl Get-a-Way.
Chincoteague Island
Bed and Breakfast
Island Manor House Bed and Breakfast
A Chesapeake Bay
Island Restaurants
There are numerous restaurants on Tangier Island. Lorraine's is the only one
that remains open year round. Lorraine's delivers upon request.
Corner: Variety - Order from Menu
Crockett's Chesapeake House - Family Style All You Can Eat.
(Same Menu Daily)
All offer great Seafood and Crab Cakes
Chesapeake House
Fisherman's Corner
Visit Tangier During its Town Festival
|Coming to Tangier Island
from the Eastern Shore or Western Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, contact
the below locations for warm and friendly accommodations on mainland Virginia
and Maryland.
Eastern Shore of Virginia,
contact the Spinning Wheel BB or The Inn and Garden Cafe in
Onancock, Virginia: in Chincoteague Virginia contact The Island Manor House, Miss Molly's Inn, or the Watson House: in Harborton, contact the Harborton House Bed and Breakfast.
US East Coast Bed and Breakfasts
Where time stopped-still
some twenty years ago! One visitor to Tangier Island states, "The
most unbelievable sunsets you can ever imagine; no doubt, the next thing
to heaven. It is truly a great experience, getting back to the roots
of your being."
cars, no trains; the only transportation to Tangier Island is by boat or
by small airplane. When you arrive, plan to leisurely stroll around the
island. Bike and Golf Cart Rental transportation is available: Contact
call 757 891 2999.
Tangier-Onancock Ferry (Joyce Marie), the Steven Thomas open for transportation
to Tangier in May of each year thru September and transportation
to and from Tangier is available year round via the Sharon Kay III.
Also, there is Off-Season Accommodations at the Mimosa Cottage, the Bay
View Inn and Doug and Patsy's Place, the Island Girl Get-a-Way. "Lorraine's
on Tangier" welcomes all to come and join delicious foods all year round.
Tangier is a great place to visit even during the tourist "Off Season".
It's quiet, relaxing, and most enjoyable. Enjoy the museum, kayaking,
walks on the beach, and beautiful sunrises and sunsets.Contact
Eastern Shore of Virginia Real Estate to include but not limited to both seaside and bayside waterfront real estate provided by the Chesapeake Bay Samlpler
Island Links Page
Eastern Shore of Virginia Bed and Breakfasts, Restaurants,
Outdoor Adventures, Real Estate, and more! Coastal South Carolina and The Caribbean
the Beautiful"
United States East Coast Travels
United States East Coast Accommodations and Lodging
South Carolina and Virginia Real Estate for Sale
East Coast Communities
United States East Coast Outdoor Adventures Return to Home Page
For Vacationers,
Travelers, Explorers
Chesapeake Bay Sampler
Eastern Shore of Virginia
Coastal South Carolina
Tangier Island History
Detail History of Tangier Island
Eastern Shore of Virginia Links
Eastern Shore of Virginia - Mainland
Travel the US East Coast with us.
Return to Top
2001-2010 All Rights Reserved Webmaster: Taylor


text:
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text:
Now that BioWare has instituted fixes limiting the number of Republic and Imperial players taking part in each instance of player-versus-player planet Ilum an uneasy truce has been formed. Now both sides can take turns killing each other for credit!
Patch 1.1 for BioWare's Star Wars: The Old Republic patched the game so players could farm valor — in-game currency used to purchase high-end PVP gear — by killing one another. Initially this caused serious problems, but as you can see in this video sent in by reader Chris, the two factions have put their differences behind them.
On one hand I am impressed by the ingenuity of the players in this vid. Why bother with battle when large-scale mutual execution will suffice?
On the other hand, this is not how the game should work. BioWare needs to take steps to curb this as soon as possible in order to keep the situation from spiraling even more out of control than it already has.
SW:TOR - Ilum - Trading Deaths - The new "legit" way to farm Valor [YouTube]


text:
Alternative health remedies are increasingly important in the health care marketplace. A new study in the Journal of Consumer Research explores how consumers choose among the many available remedies.
"Examples of the wide array of health remedy options available to consumers include drugs, supplements, acupuncture, massage therapy, Ayurveda, and Traditional Chinese Medicine (to name a few). Such medical pluralism is common in both developed and developing countries and raises the questions: How do consumers choose among health remedies, and what are the consequences for a healthy lifestyle?" write authors Wenbo Wang (New York University), Hean Tat Keh (Beijing University), and Lisa E. Bolton (Pennsylvania State University).
The authors use "lay theories of medicine" to explain how consumers choose between Western medicine and its Eastern counterparts, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) and Ayurvedic medicine.
"Western Medicine is primarily concerned with the material aspect of the body and views all medical phenomena as cause-effect sequences, relying on rigorous scientific studies and research that seeks empirical proof to all phenomena," write the authors. "On the other hand, TCM and Ayurvedic Medicine favor a holistic approach, view the mind and body as a whole system, and rely upon inductive tools and methods for treatment."
Based on a series of experiments and surveys in the United States, China, and India, the authors found that consumers prefer TCM (over Western medicine) when uncertain about the cause of an illness (i.e., diagnosis uncertainty) -- because a holistic medicine tolerates uncertainty better than Western Medicine. Similarly, consumers prefer TCM (over Western medicine) because of lay beliefs that TCM offers an underlying cure (versus symptom alleviation by Western Medicine).
"These findings add to the growing debate over the regulation of health marketing and the delivery of health care, the role of direct-to-consumer advertising, and marketing efforts to promote a healthy lifestyle," the authors conclude.
Story Source:
Materials provided by University of Chicago Press Journals. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
Journal Reference:
Cite This Page:


text:
There was record attendance at MicroStrategy's annual conference in Las Vegas this week, with over 1500 customers and partners attending. While a conference in Las Vegas may have the perception of extravagance, in reality, the hotel and flight were the cheapest I can recall.
As is this vendor's tradition, the general session kicked off with a rock impersonator, this year, Gwen Stefani. The performance wasn't particularly memorable, in contrast to last year's Tina Turner ("we're simply the best…") or to the both daring and amusing Kinks' Lola in 2008 ("BI bake off…"). (Truly, if there were a YouTube clip of this rendition, I know BI teams around the world would be playing it at their selection kick offs.)
CEO Mike Saylor declared in his keynote, "We are on the verge of a new era that will result in a new class of applications that will change the way we think about our business." That era is driven largely by mobile. Yes, mobile. Not a new headline, and yet, Saylor probably made what is the most compelling articulation of why mobile may revolutionize the BI industry.
In part, it is the sheer explosion of smartphones, particularly the Apple iPhone. The number of smartphones is more than twice the number of desktops, suggesting a doubling in size of the potential BI market.
Mobile BI has made headlines for awhile now, but it seems to have met with a degree of ambivalence. As Doug Henschen wrote in 2008, 73% of companies have little to no interest. In the cool BI course I teach, mobile BI didn't make anyone's top three list of investments (see here), nor did it make my top 2010 trends list (it was a short list). Given that Saylor didn't even mention some of the other industry buzzes (cloud computing, social networking), I had to wonder if he's missing something or if it is indeed, the simple-yet-obvious innovations we initially tend to overlook. As one Cool BI course attendee pointed out to me, mobile BI got not votes in my class, and yet, ironically, it was mobile technology that allowed for the voting and presentation of results.
Saylor pointed out how Web-based BI tethers you to a desktop, whereas mobile BI lets a decision maker access information from anywhere, and more easily throughout the day. The time window for information access increases with mobile BI.
He elaborated that it is the additional utility, reach, and experience an iPhone can bring to BI. With a built in GPS, smartphones know where you are so they can, for example, automatically give sales for customers in the area (a capability IBM Cognos first offered in its Go! Mobile in 8.4). Built-in cameras allow for immediate product pictures and more.
To scale to that many users, though, a solution has to be fast. MicroStrategy touted its in-memory solution last year in MicroStrategy 9. With MicroStrategy 9 Release 2 (available as of last week), the vendor has improved its cache load times, query processing times, and memory consumption. VP of Marketing Mark LaRow claimed that cubes consume 70% less memory in the latest release, making an already scalable solution more so.
While many in the electronics industry were speculating about a new tablet PC from Apple this week, LaRow slipped in that MicroStrategy runs on Amazon Kindle DX. Surprizing to me was that his mention was an afterthought more than a headline. True, the Kindle market is smaller than the smartphone market, and more a consumer product than business product, but nonetheless, if I were trying to track latest customer sales numbers, I'd rather see it on the larger Kindle screen. In an industry that likes to brag about firsts, it is also the first I've heard any BI vendor mention Kindle support.
So I wonder if I had stayed one more day, if they would have snuck in a mention of the Apple Ipad too.
Cindi Howson, BI Scorecard


text:
Friday Giveaway: 17 Children's Classics - contest closed
Had this collection up on bookperdiem the other day, no takers. My loss is your gain!
Contest closed, winner announced shortly.
-Click to enlarge photos-
60 comments:
Nice collection, but just as a heads-up, You're Only Old Once is not actually a children's book.ReplyDelete
This would make me beyond happy! :)ReplyDelete
Nice collection, but just as a heads-up, You're Only Old Once is actually not a children's book.ReplyDelete
I especially like the cover of the kid with the flute.ReplyDelete
Sign me up!ReplyDelete
I would love these to share with my little one!ReplyDelete
Wonderful collection to read the kids.ReplyDelete
My niece and nephew would love these!! Thank you, for always doing such wonderful giveaways. :)ReplyDelete
I hope I win.ReplyDelete
Great collection!ReplyDelete
This educator would LOVE them!ReplyDelete
Oh, please!!!!!!!!ReplyDelete
Hans Brinker! Would dearly love to add these to our children's bookshelf. I'm in, and thank you!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 19, 2012 at 11:48 AM
'The Five Little Peppers" - oh my I read those when I was kid (shows you how old I am). I wouldn't mind reading it again...Count me in!ReplyDelete
We would be so happy to read these! Thanks for a chance!ReplyDelete
I'm sure there will be so many entries because everyone will want to win, but here goes (fingers crossed)!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 19, 2012 at 11:58 AM
I will donate some of these to my kids' school so many children will enjoy these classics.ReplyDelete
I remember reading that edition of Little Men as a kid, at my grandma's.ReplyDelete
ooh, so nice! sign me up!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousOctober 19, 2012 at 12:03 PM
Would love these..ReplyDelete
Just love kiddie classics!ReplyDelete
Wonderful collection! [Especially love Hans Brinker!] Hope I win!ReplyDelete
Please enter meReplyDelete
Gotta love the Dr. Suess - You are only old once. I didn't even know that was one of his books!ReplyDelete
Hope I'm a winner.
Oh, I would love to enter!ReplyDelete
fantastic collection. Alexander was one of my favorite books to read to the kids I babysat for.ReplyDelete
I would really love to win these books.ReplyDelete
I would really love to win these classic books.ReplyDelete
I love your blog! I'd love to win these for my granddaughter. :)ReplyDelete
What a fun, classic collection ... What a fun giveaway!ReplyDelete
What a fun,classic collection and a great giveaway!ReplyDelete
Yes! I would love to win! :)ReplyDelete
Awesome! Count me in~*ReplyDelete
It would be nice to have those - especially a better edition of the Mother Goose. And I'd share with siblings who used to have some of those other ones but don't any more!ReplyDelete
Wonderful collection. Thank you for sharingReplyDelete
What a cute collection! I hope I win! :)ReplyDelete
This would be so awesome to win! I am just finishing up a program to get my elementary education teaching certificate and this would be a great start to building my classroom library .ReplyDelete
So many old favourites! I don't even think I could pick a which one I liked most!ReplyDelete
My little cousins would love these!ReplyDelete
What great books! I have not even thought of "The Five Little Peppers" and how they grew - in years:-))ReplyDelete
I stumbled across this website while searching for a book rack for my soon-to-be home daycare and I love it! Books have always been my first love and I hope to share that with all the children that will soon be in my care.ReplyDelete
I would absolutely love these! So many of these shaped my childhood!ReplyDelete
I would love these! Thank you!ReplyDelete
My kids would love these books! Thanks for your blog - I enjoy the serendipity of your finds.ReplyDelete
This is a great collection. I have most of them already, but I know a childrens' library which can use all the books I can donate, and that's where those I don't need will go.ReplyDelete
This is a great collection! Would love to have it!ReplyDelete
alexander and the terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day. oh man, brings me back to elementary school library class (: would love to have this collection. cheersReplyDelete
Sure -- I'd love to give any of these to our great-grandsons!!ReplyDelete
Great collection, I'd love to win this!ReplyDelete
I had a copy of "The Real Mother Goose" as a child that's now long gone-- oooh, to have it back!ReplyDelete
It's my birthday tomorrow! Winning this would be a wonderful birthday gift!! :)ReplyDelete
Thanks for another awesome giveaway. Hope you have a great weekend!
count me in for this one.ReplyDelete
I would LOVE to win these!ReplyDelete
Yes, please, count me in!ReplyDelete
I could give these books a good home! Thanks for offering them.ReplyDelete
Some of these were my favourites as a kid.wish I win these for my childrenReplyDelete
Another great collection! Love it.ReplyDelete
I love children' books and have been revisiting some from my childhood. It would be great to win this.ReplyDelete
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text:
BECAUSE FACEBOOK LIMITS USERS to 5,000 contacts, I had to migrate from a conventional user account to what used to be called a "fan" page and is now called an "Artist, Band or Public Figure" page. (Page, not account, notice.)
There's a page on Facebook called "Create a Page" that is supposed to seamlessly migrate from a conventional user account to a public figure (aka "fan") page.
The page says it will only migrate your connections—it will lose all your content, photos, apps, and so on—and Facebook means it. After migrating, all my stuff is gone. Years of photos, wall posts, blog posts, tweets, you name it. Even the "help" page link is gone once you've migrated, so you can't refer to any help documentation to find out where all your stuff went and if any of it can be saved.
Custom URL breaks on migration
Because of an idiocy in the database, you can't keep your existing custom URL, since, when you request it, Facebook tells you it is "taken." My Facebook page was "jzeldman," but that URL is "taken" by a fellow named "Jeffrey Zeldman," so I can't use it on my Jeffrey Zeldman page. So I had to change to a new URL ("JeffreyZeldman") and now all my admin links (for instance at facebook.com/happycog) are broken, as they point to the old user page instead of the new fan page. At the very least, Facebook should seamlessly redirect from facebook.com/jzeldman (my old URL) to facebook.com/JeffreyZeldman (the new one), but it does not.
So all my other social media sites that point to the old Facebook account need to be updated by hand, and any third-party links will now be broken because Facebook doesn't let you keep your custom URL during a migration.
Third-party apps disappear completely
Likewise, none of the third-party functionality (Twitter, Tumblr, Flickr, RSS, and so on) has migrated from the user page to the fan page, and there is no information explaining how to reconnect these apps.
No reasonable app like the ones I've mentioned appears in the "apps" section of the sidebar on my new page. When I look for additional apps, I get treated to a bloated browse of crappy apps nobody on earth uses, whose creators probably made deals with Facebook in hopes that newbies would be persuaded to hook up these contraptions. You can find "PhotoMyButt" but not Flickr.
I, however, use Flickr.
So, since I can't find it in the big dull browse, I resort to Facebook's Apps' "Search" box. Typing Flickr in that box is exciting. Instead of being taken to the Flickr apps on Facebook, I'm treated to endless redirects courtesy of a broken PHP script that loops infinitely forever suffering like Christ on the cross world without end amen while never actually resolving. Each new partial page that loads for an instant before being replaced by the next is undesigned and unbranded and contains only the sentence fragment, "Please stand by, redirecting…"
The devil will see you now.
So much for content
My photos are gone. My existing writing is gone. Facebook does seem to be migrating human beings who were "friends" on my old page, but nothing else works.
Oh my God, I can't Admin my own page
I can't Admin my new Facebook page because the "Admin" is "jzeldman" (me at the old account, which Facebook deleted). Perhaps this is why it's impossible to post content, no apps work, etc. Nice.
Kids, don't try this at home
All these bugs are probably known to Facebook, and there are probably nice people at Facebook whose job is to execute known secret internal workarounds when helping an actual "celebrity" migrate his or her page. I'm just guessing of course, but it stands to reason that Ashton K or Lady Gaga, if they want a Facebook page, probably don't have to deal with all this frustrating brokenness. They have people for that.
But I don't. I'm a web guy. And web stuff should just work.


text:
LGmodems Windows drivers were collected from official websites of manufacturers and other trusted sources. Original software will help you to fix device errors with LGmodems. Download latest drivers for LGmodems on Windows 11, 10, 8, 7 (32-bit and 64-bit).
Download DriverHub
The web version of DriverHub may not contain all LG drivers. Install the DriverHub app to get access to the full database of drivers.
|Web version
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text:
Sale Sold out
Regular price $12.00 USD
Regular priceUnit price per
Sale price
Creamy smooth Hazelnut taste with a superior enticing aroma. We have selected premium coffee beans to produce delicious smooth coffee, from bold Colombian to a breakfast blend with many flavors to choose from. We even added a decaf so everyone can enjoy a cup of coffee at any time. Our Coffee beans are imported from Colombia, Roasted and packaged here in the United States of America.


text:
WIMBLEDON, England – Roger Federer gave Prince Charles a bow, then gave Fabio Fognini a royal thumping.
With the Prince of Wales visiting Wimbledon for the first time since 1970, Federer was at his best Wednesday and beat Fognini 6-1, 6-3, 6-2.
Federer, a six-time winner at the All England Club, won 37 of 41 points on his first serve and 21 of 23 points at the net against Fognini, an Italian ranked 68th.
Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall sat in the first row of the Royal Box as Federer walked onto Centre Court for the day's first match. He and Fognini stood side by side as they bowed awkwardly toward the royals, and Charles responded with a wave and grin.
"They do brief you beforehand," Federer said. "I guess you don't do anything stupid. You behave. Obviously we were asked to bow, which is obviously no problem to do. We're thrilled for the tennis family that they came to watch Wimbledon today."
Shortly after Federer's victory, rain interrupted play, and the retractable roof on Centre Court was closed for the first time in the tournament. Defending champion Novak Djokovic won under the lights, beating American Ryan Harrison 6-4, 6-4, 6-4 in the final match of the day, which finished at 9:52 p.m.
"We went the distance," Djokovic said. "I'm honored to be in a position to play on the most recognized Centre Court worldwide in our sport. Every time I step on Centre Court, you can feel the different energy from any other tournament."
Former No. 1 Caroline Wozniacki lost under the roof to Tamira Paszek, who saved two match points in the second set and won 5-7, 7-6 (4), 6-4.
Other Grand Slam champions advancing included Kim Clijsters and Andy Roddick, while 2011 U.S. Open champion Samantha Stosur and 2011 French Open champion Li Na lost. More than a dozen matches on outside courts were postponed until Thursday.
Top-ranked Maria Sharapova led 7-6 (3), 3-1 when her second-round match against Tsvetana Pironkova was suspended because of darkness. Sharapova saved five set points in the first set.
When Federer completed his victory, Charles and Camilla joined the crowd's applause. He visited with the royal couple afterward for several minutes, talking about tennis, polo and Federer's young twin daughters.
"They were very nice, very sweet and thought I played great," Federer said, "which was very nice to get some compliments after the match, which was unnecessary, but of course I do appreciate it."
Seeded third, Federer hopes to end his 2½-year drought in major tournaments, and he's off to a good start, losing only nine games through two rounds. He seeks to add to his record total of 16 Grand Slam championships, and he could match the record of seven Wimbledon men's titles set by William Renshaw in the 1880s and tied by Pete Sampras in 2000.
"I'm just happy overall with how I'm playing," Federer said. "I'm serving well when I have to. I'm moving well. I feel like my forehand and backhand are working well. All of a sudden you win quite comfortably, but you have to focus until the very last point, and I'm happy as well with my concentration level."
Sloane Stephens, a 19-year-old American playing at Wimbledon for the first time, saved five set points in the first set and beat No. 23 Petra Cetkovska 7-6 (6), 4-6, 6-3. In the final set, Stephens trailed love-30 in four consecutive service games, yet won them all.
"I'm 19 and I do still have some lapses," she said. "They're less now than I used to have in the past. I really don't get as upset when I lose points now. I'm not that emotional anymore."
Stephens is coming off her first run to the fourth round at a Grand Slam tournament, which happened this month at the French Open.
Heather Watson became the first British woman to reach the third round since 2002 when she defeated American Jamie Hampton 6-1, 6-4.
Sara Errani needed only seven seconds to complete a rain-interrupted win, and she didn't even have to hit a ball.
Errani led American CoCo Vandeweghe 6-1, 5-3 and held the advantage one point from victory when their match was halted Tuesday evening. They returned to Court 16 some 18 hours later, and when Vandeweghe double-faulted into the net on the first point, Errani had the win.
No. 21-seeded Milos Raonic required only one game to complete a rain-interrupted first-round win over Santiago Giraldo, 6-4, 6-4, 6-4. No. 7 David Ferrer reached the second round by beating Dustin Brown 7-6 (5), 6-4, 6-4.
Three-time Wimbledon runner-up Roddick needed three hours over two days to complete a first-round win over British wild card Jamie Baker, 7-6 (1), 6-4, 7-5.
Clijsters, a four-time major champion playing Wimbledon for the final time, advanced to the third round by beating Andrea Hlavackova 6-3, 6-3.
The No. 5-seeded Stosur fell to 6-10 at Wimbledon when she was upset by 72nd-ranked Arantxa Rus 6-2, 0-6, 6-4. Her elimination meant that for the first time since 1939, no Australian man or woman reached the third round at Wimbledon.
Li, seeded 11th, lost to Sorana Cirstea 6-3, 6-4, and No. 13 Dominika Cibulkova was beaten by Klara Zakopalova 6-4, 6-1. Former No. 1 Ana Ivanovic defeated Maria Jose Martinez Sanchez 6-3, 3-6, 6-3.
American Mardy Fish said he declined interviews after his first-round victory because of a stomach problem related to pain medication he's taking for his right arm — and not related to his heart. He expects to be ready for his second-round match Thursday.
Fish spoke to reporters Wednesday, a day after he beat Ruben Ramirez-Hidalgo in straight sets. It was the first match for Fish since a medical procedure in May to try to pinpoint an accelerated heartbeat.


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28-inch Servo Automatic Vinyl Cutter Plotter. This handpicked vinyl plotter is loaded with advanced features that will bring professional-looking projects. It delivers a max. Paper feed: 720 mm /28.3 and the max. Cutting width: 630 mm /24.8. Equipped with a camera, like an optical eye for accurate cutting. It has a robust construction with a durable step motor driver, stable power with high speed and low noise levels, and it can cut various intricate lettering and patterns, including paper, cardstock, vinyl, and fabric. Auto Camera Contour Cutting. Tough Equipment & Tools, Pay Less. VEVOR is a leading brand that specializes in equipment and tools. Along with thousands of motivated employees, VEVOR is dedicated to providing our customers with tough equipment & tools at incredibly low prices. The vinyl cutting machine is embedded with a backlight display to increase clarity and brightness further. Come with an intuitive digital panel for monitoring the cutting quality from time to time. It delivers a cutting speed of 20-800mm/s and a cutting force of 20-500g. Based on the advanced servo motor, the efficiency increased by 5 times compared to that of stepping motors. The camera located at the carriage can realize the real-time tracking and monitoring for accurate guide cutting. Feeding width: 720mm, Max. We focus on the details to ensure accurate positioning because it's beneficial to create professional-looking projects. The vinyl machine uses an accurate scale to assist measurement. Two adjustable double-spring pinch rollers & an aluminum knurling stick avoid excessive displacement of the paper. Triple Ports to Connect. Connect the plotter cutter vinyl machine through three available ports, COMPIM, USB & U-Disk. A 128MB super memory that achieves a long time offline cutting and supports your data storage. Compatible with multiple computer systems like Windows XP/VISTA/7/8/10 (32&64). The heavy-duty floor stand plays a vital role in supporting. Featuring four caster wheels help you to get rid of the trouble of transportation. The roller makes it easy to hold the paper tightly. You can make the most out of the vinyl cutter to enjoy creating different crafts. Ideal for cutting sticker and decal vinyl, scrapbook papers, card stock, as well as various T-shirt heat transfer media like PU vinyl, flock, Magi Cut colored paper, etc. Max Paper Feed: 720 mm (28.3). Max Cutter Width: 630 mm (24.8). Cutter Pressure: 20-500 g. Cutting Speed: 20-800 mm/s. Repetition Accuracy: 0.127 mm. Buffer Speed: 1-4 M. Resolution Ratio: 0.0245 mm/step. Product Size: 87.88 x 51.81 x 109.98 cm/34.6 x 20.4 x 43.3 inch. 1 x 28 Inch Vinyl Cutter Plotter Machine. 1 x SIGNMASTER Software. 1 x Blades Holder. 1 x Pen Holder. 3 x Cables (USB/Serial/Power Cord). 1 x USB Flash Disk. 1 x User Manual. 1 x Floor Stand Kit. 28-inch vinyl cutter machine boasts a good performance as the servo control is 5 times more efficient than stepping control. The maximum paper feed: 720mm(28.3″), the maximum cutting width: 630mm(24.8″), repeated cutting accuracy: 0.127mm, cutting thickness. 1mm, cutting speed: 20-800mm/s, cutting pressure : 20-500g, resolution: 0.0245mm, buffer speed: 1-4m. AUTO CAMERA CONTOUR CUTTING. The added camera on the fully-upgraded cutting plotter acts like an optical eye for superior tracking capability and advanced contour cutting performance. Equipped with the ARM motherboard & 128 MB high-speed cache memory. Two double-spring pinch rollers match with an aluminum knurling stick to ensure that the paper feed will not deviate by long distance. Come with the illuminated LCD screen and a large control panel, which makes sign-making easier. The vinyl printer features a cutting force of 20-500g and speed of 20-800mm/s, providing precise cutting reliability. Available with COMPIM, USB interface & U-disk port for easier connection. Support DM/PL, HP/GL multiple languages. System: Pentium processor-based PC or compatible computer (Windows), Windows XP/VISTA/7/8/10 (32&64). NOT compatible with the Mac system. The plotter printer gives you access to take your creative vision from your mind to reality with an easily customizable and intuitive interface. Widely used in cutting sticker and decal vinyl, scrapbook papers, card stock, vinyl lettering, pin striping, and general signage. We believe that it is our vision and mission to provide innovative products with best service and competitive price to satisfy you. Our goal is to make sure that you can find exactly what you are looking for and make it easy for you to place your orders. Please be aware that. Please DO NOT fill in the PO Box address. California Warehouse: City of Industry, CA. New York State Warehouse: Perth Amboy, NJ. Georgia Warehouse: Austell, GA. North Carolina Warehouse: Grove NC. Oregon Warehouse: AIRPORT WAY Portland, OR. If you need to return, please check twice to confirm the item not work and contact our customer service representative, let us know the detailed problem and send us some pictures for confirmation. Please make sure that item has NO man-made sabotage. Used items will not be accepted for return. All emails will be responded to within. Special circumstances will be listed clearly in the listing. Please do check everything carefully after you received the parcel, any the damage except DOA (Dead-On-Arrival) would not be covered if it's your fault. CA & TX & NJ & GA & NC &OR WAREHOUSE. All emails will be responded to within 12-24 hours. This item is in the category "Business & Industrial\Printing & Graphic Arts\Plotters & Wide Format Printers". The seller is "technology-etrade" and is located in this country: US. This item can be shipped to United States, Canada.
- Material: Metal
- Brand: VEVOR
- Model: 720mm Vinyl Cutter
- Custom Bundle: No
- Modified Item: No
- Max Paper Feed: 720 mm (28.3\
- Max Cutter Width: 630 mm (24.8\
- Cutter Pressure: 20-500 g
- Cutting Speed: 20-800 mm/s
- Memory: 128 MB
- Repetition Accuracy: 0.127 mm
- Cutting Thickness: ≤1 mm
- Buffer Speed: 1-4 M
- Resolution Ratio: 0.0245 mm/step
- Language Format: DMPL/HPGL


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Tron: Evolution
We've talked before about Tron: Evolution's wonky nature, but judge for yourself, here's a look at the game in action.
Tears Of The Kingdom's Newspaper Questline And The State Of Hyrulean Journalism
This video shows off the free running, combat and a bit of light cycle action. If you were at PAX this weekend you also had a chance to play the game. What did you think?


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BLYTHEWOOD, S.C. — South Carolina's Steve Spurrier always considered the Gamecocks were a long-term project, even if some on the outside of the program saw it was just a quick lay-over for this national championship coach.
"I didn't plan on being here two or three years and try and get one of those glamour jobs," he said Thursday. "I wanted to see if we could build this up to something special."
Spurrier's getting closer each year and he enters his 10th season — only two shy of his national championship tenure at Florida — with expectations higher than ever after a third consecutive 11-2 season.
Last week, the Gamecocks were picked to win the Southeastern Conference Eastern Division and give Spurrier a shot at the title he covets most — an SEC championship.
"We're close. We're very close," Spurrier said. "Somebody told me there's only three teams in America to finish in the top 10 the last three years and we're one of them."
The Gamecocks finished a program-best fourth in the country in last year's final AP Top 25. That has some fans dreaming of a spot in this year's new, four-team College Football Playoffs.
Not that there aren't hurdles. The Gamecocks lost NFL No. 1 draft pick Jadeveon Clowney and the quarterback Spurrier keeps calling the best in South Carolina history in Connor Shaw. Also gone from last year are defensive tackle Kelcy Quarles, the sacks leader; receiver Bruce Ellington, the team's receptions leader; and both starting cornerbacks in Jimmy Legree and Victor Hampton.
Spurrier said the players his staff's brought in behind the headliners in the past few years are good players, just without experience. That showed at SEC Media Days last week when despite being preseason divisional favorites, the Gamecocks didn't have an all-SEC first-team player.
Spurrier pointed to linebacker Skai Moore, the team's top tackler last year as a freshman.
"Maybe they haven't played enough to be all-conference, I don't know," Spurrier said. "Obviously, we think they can play very well and are ready to show it this coming year."
Spurrier surprised many in college football when he returned to the game at South Carolina in November 2004 after two poor NFL seasons at Washington.
But Spurrier, who'll turn 70 next April, said when took the job he came with the goal of setting the Gamecocks' record for coaching victories and figured he'd need about eight or nine years to reach the necessary 65 victories. The wins came slowly at first — 35 in his first five seasons — until Spurrier's program started landing players like receiver Alshon Jeffery, cornerback Stephon Gilmore, running back Marcus Lattimore and Clowney, all four who are on NFL rosters.
"We started winning around here because of the players first, not because of me," Spurrier said. "I coached my butt off the first five years around here but about seven wins was about the best we could average. But we started to get better players. Facilities got a lot better. We've got better coaches in and all together we've been able to put it together pretty well."
The Gamecocks have gone 42-11 the past four seasons, a run that included the 2010 SEC East title and a victory against then-No. 1 Alabama that same year.
And they expect the success to continue.
Defensive line coach Deke Adams believes the returning players will step up and fill the voids left by Clowney, Quarles and Chaz Sutton, the Gamecocks other defensive end starter from a year ago.
"I think I've been asked that question about a million times about what are we going to do with Clowney gone," Adams said. "We're going to line up and play."
That's always been Spurrier's philosophy, hang with the guys you have and not worry about those you don't. He's confident he's got the players to take the next step forward.
"Hopefully, we've got guys who are ready to go," he said.
• College football tickets


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China Manufacturing Sector Perks Up, But Eurozone Continues Struggling
China's vast manufacturing sector expanded in December but the euro zone is probably deeper in recession, business surveys suggested on Friday.
Data researcher Markit said its Eurozone Flash Composite Purchasing Managers Index, which combines both manufacturing and services sector data, showed small signs of improvement.
It rose to a nine-month high of 47.3 this month, beating forecasts for 46.8.
But this remains below the 50 mark that signifies contraction and Markit said the PMI data for the fourth quarter is consistent with a decline in overall growth of 0.5 percent.
China's data, however, may signal that the global economy is on the mend.
"The improved conditions on financial markets and the pick-up in global growth momentum, as signaled by the further pickup in the Chinese PMI, should steady the pace of decline from here on," said Martin van Vliet at ING.
China's manufacturing sector expanded in December at its fastest pace in 14 months as new orders and employment rose, adding to evidence of a pick up in the economy that helped to boost market sentiment.
"The renewed rise in the headline PMI is a further sign that the Chinese economy is already starting to recover," said Nikolaus Keis at UniCredit.
The HSBC flash PMI for December rose to 50.9, the highest level since October 2011 and the fifth straight monthly gain. A figure above 50 indicates that growth is accelerating, while one below 50 shows slowing growth.
Data due at 1358 GMT is expected to show manufacturing activity also expanded again this month in the United States, albeit at a slightly weaker pace than in November.
The euro zone economy contracted 0.2 percent in the second quarter and 0.1 percent in the third, meeting the technical definition of a recession and a Reuters poll last week predicted a 0.3 percent contraction in the current period.
That would be slightly better than the PMIs suggest.
Earlier, composite PMI data from Germany, Europe's largest economy, showed its private sector bounced back to growth for the first time in eight months in December.
In neighbouring France, however, while the downturn eased the PMI held below 50 for the 10th straight month.
The regional PMI has been below the 50 mark for all but one of the past 16 months but the euro zone agreed a deal on Thursday to provide nearly 50 billion euros in long-delayed aid to Athens.
It averts a catastrophic default and secures Greece's survival in the euro zone after months of doubt and political turmoil. Athens had repeatedly missed fiscal targets agreed with the EU and the International Monetary Fund, and stalled structural economic reforms.
The PMI for the euro zone's dominant service sector rose to 47.8 this month from 46.7, beating forecasts for a rise to 47.0.
The continued downturn came despite firms cutting prices despite their costs rising - cutting into their margins - for the ninth month.
Official data showed inflation in the bloc eased to 2.2 percent in November, potentially giving the European Central Bank room to ease policy further and support growth.
Manufacturers, who led the bloc out of the last recession, fared little better. The factory PMI crept up to 46.3 from 46.2, missing forecasts for a steeper rise to 46.6.
But in a further sign the global economy might be improving, the rate of decline in new export orders from factories eased, with the sub-index at a nine-month high of 46.8.
"There are some rays of hope here. It is moving in the right direction so there are signs that the business cycle has reached a low point globally and is picking up," Chris Williamson, chief economist at Markit said.


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The Drop Off
The drop off is a 600 meter deep wall and it is one of the most famous of Sipadan. The drop off has been rated one of the top five beach dives of the world. It can be easily accessed by shore dive. The dive site is also well known for night dives where you can spot huge bumphead parrotfish sleeping on the wall.
Besides sleeping bumphead parrotfish, divers can easily spot cowfish, cuttlefish, garden eels, ribbon eels, mantis shrimps, octopus, parrotfish, scorpion fish and sweet lips.
Min Depth: 5m
Max Depth: 40m
Recommended Level: Advanced Open Water Diver


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The fatal shooting of an unarmed black teenager on Aug. 9 in Ferguson, Missouri has led to angry protests and violent clashes with police that reached a fresh crescendo earlier this week. A second, unrelated fatal police shooting of a young black man just a few miles east on Tuesday, however, sparked protests, but no violence.
Why did events spiral out of control in Ferguson? Why did this little-known St. Louis suburb, with just 21,000 people, explode into more than a week of unrest? Part of the problem seems to have been a series of missteps by local authorities.
Experts from around the nation, including law enforcement officials, academics and civil rights attorneys, cite four factors: A poisoned relationship between a virtually all-white police force and a majority black city; heavy-handed police tactics both before and after the shooting -- including a military-style response to the initial protests; and mixed messages from local authorities, some of whom attempted to focus attention on an alleged robbery by the dead teen, Michael Brown, instead of updating the public about the investigation into Brown's death.
"Put that all together and you have a ready-made disaster," L.A.-based civil rights attorney Connie Rice told NBC News.
Ferguson, Missouri, Hopes Curfew's Second Night Will Bring CalmAug. 17, 201403:20
The Police vs. the Public: Rice and others said most of the problems in Ferguson flowed from the almost non-existent connection between the city's police and its residents. Detective Gabe Crocker, president of the St. Louis County Police Association, which represents many of the area's officers, told NBC News he thought there had been early friction in Ferguson between police and protesters because there had been "no established lines of communication with community leaders."
While two-thirds of Ferguson's citizens are African-American, there are only three blacks on its 53-member police force. Where larger urban departments like the NYPD have used so-called "community-based policing" in recent years to build trust with a diverse public, Ferguson focused on old-fashioned top-down policing and revenue generation. That meant most contact with civilians involved traffic stops and writing tickets – an extraordinary number of tickets for traffic and other offenses. Jeff Smith, an assistant professor of politics at the New School in New York City and a former resident and legislator in St. Louis County, described Ferguson as "a constant, simmering state of tension and mistrust." Smith said community policing could have reduced tensions, but that "it's like (Ferguson) missed the whole phenomenon."
Michael Brown Vigil Attracts Crowd To St. LouisAug. 15, 201401:54
Treating Citizens Like ATMs: Ferguson police were particularly aggressive in stopping citizens to enforce low-level ordinances. Court data shows the city filed more than 12,300 cases for non-traffic offenses ranging from public urination and loitering to some forms of assault. That's more than any other city in St. Louis County, which rings the city of St. Louis, and about five times the number filed in Chesterfield, a nearby majority white city with more than double Ferguson's population. Local defense lawyers say many of their clients feel that police in Ferguson and some neighboring cities are more focused on issuing violations -- and making money -- than public safety.
"Whether or not it's true, our clients believe they are being pulled over because they are black," said Thomas Harvey, executive director of ArchCity Defenders, a legal services group that represents low-income people in St. Louis County and put out a report on alleged problems in the county's municipal courts. "My clients say that the police officer and the judge and the prosecutor are not on their side, and they are just viewed as a source of revenue."
But the ticket blitz has proven lucrative for Ferguson. Between 2010 and 2013, according to city records, Ferguson increased its revenue from fines by more than 40 percent. Court fees from traffic and low-level offenses could top $2.6 million for 2014.
Capt. Ron Johnson: We Will Ensure Ferguson's SafetyAug. 18, 201400:53
An Occupying Army: Tactical officers first showed up in Ferguson on Aug. 11, two days after the Brown shooting, to safeguard and clear protesters away from the Ferguson police headquarters. But SWAT officers from the St. Louis County Police, wearing combat fatigues and equipped with tear gas and high-powered rifles, were out in force on Aug. 13 when they confronted a predominately peaceful crowd with armored vehicles and SWAT members. One much discussed image showed an officer training a high-powered rifle on a crowd of peaceful protesters. Police were also criticized for heavy-handed tactics after two reporters and a St. Louis alderman were arrested. Police officials argued they showed restraint and fired rubber bullets, tear gas and flash-bang grenades when some in the crowd threw objects, including Molotov cocktails, at them. Crocker, the police association president, said officers had "consistently adjusted" their tactics. "We typically work off of the barometer of the crowd," said Crocker.
Former LAPD SWAT officer Scott Reitz, who served on the force during the 1992 L.A. riots and trains police departments on tactics, said the military-style response was a mistake. "When there's no riot and no shots fired, it's going to be perceived as an overreaction to the existing problem," Reitz said. "Generally, you would keep SWAT in abeyance where they can respond rapidly if the situation dictates."
Concerns over tactics led St. Louis Metro Police Chief Sam Dotson to pull his officers out of Ferguson after they had assisted for several nights. Dotson said he did not agree with County Police Chief Jon Belmar's tactics. "This is going to drive a further wedge, without question," Dotson told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I have two responsibilities: to protect our community and to keep it safe and to protect my officers. After two nights of not making any progress in Ferguson I was concerned about both of them."
Former Seattle Police Chief Norm Stamper was more pointed. "It's like someone handed them a script about how not to do things," Stamper told the L.A. Times last week. Stamper had been criticized for his own department response to the World Trade Organization protests in 1999.
"Don't tear gas nonviolent and non-threatening protesters," said Stamper. "And for God's sake, don't bring dogs out. … It's a throwback to the '60s and Bull Connor. The imagery sucks. It was really painful to see the images I saw from Ferguson."
Ferguson, Missouri Implements CurfewAug. 16, 201401:57
Changing the Subject: Two related moves last week appeared to defuse tensions. Missouri State Police took over command of the scene from the local cops, and designated Capt. Ron Johnson, an African-American who grew up near Ferguson, as the on-site commander and liaison with the community.
But then Ferguson Police Department Chief Thomas Jackson held a press conference and released documents and surveillance video -- over Justice Department objections -- allegedly showing that Michael Brown had robbed a convenience store a short time before he was fatally shot. Hours later, Jackson held another press conference to announce that the white officer accused of shooting Brown was unaware of Brown's alleged involvement in the robbery when he shot him.
Eric Rose, a crisis management expert who advises police organizations across the country, called Jackson's revelations "foolish," saying they served "to further incite tensions."
"The goal should have been to calm things down," said Rose. "Releasing that information did not serve that purpose." In high-profile cases, he said, "You never want to go public without truly knowing all the facts and you want to have a clear strategy. In this case, the stakes of being wrong could have meant riots. And that's exactly what happened."
Ferguson Vows to Change: On Tuesday, Ferguson city leaders announced steps they hoped would lead to reconciliation and improve race relations. Although they cautioned it would take time, officials pledged to recruit more black officers to their police academy and give incentives to those on the force who choose to live in the community. They also said they would seek to raise money for cameras that would be placed on officers' lapels and in their squad cars.
Those statements, coupled with allowances for protesters, appeared to lessen the tension and violence Tuesday night. The Police Association's Crocker said communication between the public and the police had improved, which had proved a "huge help" in preventing widespread violence on Tuesday. He described the protestors as "calm and cooperative." On Wednesday, Capt. Johnson told reporters he believed "community policing needed to grow" in Ferguson.
But Jon Shane, professor at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York, said that change, and preparing for extraordinary circumstances like mass protests, are easier said than done in the nation's 14,000 or so smaller police departments. Personnel and resources in cities like Ferguson are limited.
"So few police departments encounter these conditions that, when they do happen, they don't know how to handle it and they have not experienced it," he said.
Follow NBC News Investigations on Twitter and Facebook.
In Ferguson, Connie Rice is seeing echoes of the LAPD's failures more than 20 years ago during the riots that followed the acquittal of four white officers in the videotaped beating of motorist Rodney King.
"Now these officers (in Ferguson) have lost all validity and all ability to persuade this population to comply with the law or with their commands," she said. "And once you reach that point of no return, you have to take drastic action. You have to start over, and fast."
Neither the Ferguson police nor the St. Louis County Police Department immediately responded to request for comment.


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This off-road side by side (Automatic) type jungle adventure in Puerto Vallarta is the best way to get a taste of Mexican culture & capture the breathtaking views of Puerto Vallarta's natural beauty. On a fully automatic side by side you will have room for up to two passengers so your family and friends can stay together. You will pass through quaint Mexican villages and local neighborhoods on the way through the jungle. Magnificent broad vistas become ever more spectacular as you wind your way up through the rugged Sierra Madre mountains.
The first stop on your tour up the mountain is at a jungle bar in a beautiful setting with crystal clear spring fed pools and a seasonal waterfall. You can just sip a nice refreshing margarita or take a swim, or both or, just enjoy the experience of being in the jungle.
From there you will venture back through the jungle to a plateau where you will enjoy breath taking views of the area and surrounding mountains. You will be able to see much of the local fauna and wildlife. It is not uncommon to see Macaw parrots flying across the blue sky. While here you will have the opportunity to learn about the process of making tequila. You can also sample locally made tequila as well as unique flavored tequila's made in the traditional way that are not available for purchase outside of Mexico.
A short fun ride from there and you will arrive at Moro Paraiso sitting on the banks of the beautiful Rio Cuale. Here you will be able to eat lunch and enjoy some of the most authentic Mexican food in the area (food and drink not included). This restaurant with its remote location on the Rio Cuale is truly a favorite among the locals. Paraiso means paradise and as its name implies it truly is a paradise. A fun ride back to Unique will conclude your Unique Puerto Vallarta side by side adventure.
Run Times : Twice Daily 9:30am & 1:30pm
Duration : 3 1/2 hours
Includes :
- Approx. 15 Miles (24 km) of ATV Riding
- English-Speaking Guides
- All Safety Equipment
- Tequila Tasting
Departs From : Departs from UNIQUE ATV TOURS office at Rio de la plata #246


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Last month, Valve said that the company was "a long way" from shipping any kind of gaming hardware, let alone a dedicated games machine as some people had expected. Some new job listings for "electronics engineers" with the company, though, show that more people are at least being hired for that "long way" in the future.
Successful applicants will join a "highly motivated team that's doing hardware design, prototyping, testing, and production across a wide range of platforms. We're not talking about me-too mice and gamepads here – help us invent whole new gaming experiences."
Interesting. Especially since it's not too long ago we also got a look at a weird control pad the company had been working on.
Here's the ad in full:
Electronics Engineer
For years, Valve has been all about writing software that provides great gameplay experiences. Now we're developing hardware to enhance those experiences, and you can be a key part of making that happen. Join our highly motivated team that's doing hardware design, prototyping, testing, and production across a wide range of platforms. We're not talking about me-too mice and gamepads here – help us invent whole new gaming experiences.
Work with the hardware team to conceive, design, evaluate, and produce new types of input, output, and platform hardware
Hands on prototyping experience
Lab and measurement skills
System level design experience
Knowledge of embedded systems/microcontrollers
Experience with high speed serial interfaces
Experience with schematic entry
Experience with circuit simulation
Four years relevant experience
Board layout (analog and high speed digital)
Hardware Definition Languages (HDL) for FPGA and chip design
Power supply management
Thermal management
Design for test
Low frequency analog
RF and antennas
Signal integrity analysis
ARM / X86 system design
Manufacturing pilot runs
Failure analysis
FCC/CE/UL certification
Remember that just because Valve is looking to ramp up hardware engineering, like the control pad patent shows, it doesn't necessarily mean we'll be seeing a Steam games system/custom PC. It might "just" be some strange new interfaces and peripherals!
Electronics Engineer [Valve, via Engadget]