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The most common large predators you'll encounter outdoors in North America, bears also really, really, really want to eat your food and sometimes even you. Here's how to keep them from getting either.
When I say bears are common, I mean that you've probably already seen one in your back yard, on a camping trip or while visiting a national park. Bears are opportunistic scavengers looking for an easy meal. Sadly, due to carelessness and ignorance, us humans have created a situation where many bears now think of us as a food source. They routinely raid garbage cans, campsites and even coolers and backpacks as part of their main diet. Smart and capable of learning — like a dog — some bears have even figured out how to open car doors in pursuit of a tasty morsel.
The vast majority of us have nothing to be afraid of. Black Bears, by far the most common species in North America, have only killed four people in the last four years. 11 Americans have been killed by the much more rare, but also more aggressive brown bear during that time. To put that in perspective, 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs here each year.
Still, it's no fun losing your dinner to a bear or even unexpectedly stumbling across one in the backcountry. Both types of encounter are entirely preventable and, even if one does stand up and roar, you've got options.
Types Of Bears
Photo: North Cascades National Park
Black Bear: There's 900,000 of these little guys in North America and adults range in size all the way from 100lbs sows to big 500lbs boars. The "black bear" name is actually a little deceptive; they can be anything from white to black to brown and even a reddish cinnamon. The best way to tell them apart from the much more dangerous brown bear is in their size and build — a black bear is not just smaller, but slighter and has longer ears and a slimmer build. You can effectively scare most black bears off.
Brown Bear: Also called Kodiak or Grizzly bears depending solely on geography, brown bears usually do tend to be brown, but that fur can appear blonde too. While black bears exist across most of the US and Canada, only 200,000 brown bears roam through Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Alaska, Washington and Western Canada. You'll know it's a brown bear because it'll be huge — 200 to 1,400lbs — and distinguished by a prominent hump on its back, as well as the fact that it's going to be utterly unafraid of you. If you see a brown bear, the best option is to get far away from it.
Photo: Visit Greenland
Polar Bear: You know what a polar bear looks like. If you're doing stuff in the outdoors where they live then you're probably already aware of their behavior and precautions you must take. No one should roam polar bear territory without a gun.
Like most things in life, the best way to deal with a bear problem is to prevent a bear problem. It's worth noting that bears don't just want your picnic basket, they're attracted to stuff like deodorant, dirty dishes or even sealed energy bars too. Put absolutely anything that may smell nice in a bear bag or canister and place that at least 100 feet outside camp. Don't clean fish or create other compelling odors near where you plan to sleep.
Bear Canisters: These come in a variety of shapes, sizes and purposes. You'll find "bear lockers" in organized campsites that tend to have problem bears and increasingly, their smaller, more portable cousins are required for people backpacking through bear country. Essentially a large, very tough plastic food container, bear canisters came about because we were all too stupid to hang bear bags properly, so now we get to lug these things around. The idea is to put your food in it at night, then stick it 100 feet or more outside of camp. That gives the bears something to play with all night. Bonus points for still hanging or placing one where a bear can't get it, but don't put it somewhere that it's going to be knocked off a cliff or into flowing water, where you'll lose it. In escalation of the bear/human arms race, some bears in New York's Adirondack Mountains have already figured out how to open these.
Why are you reading about bears on Gizmodo?
Bear Bags: The idea is to counter balance two sacks full of your tasty food from a narrow branch both too tall for a bear to reach and too slim for a bear to climb out on. You retrieve it by pushing one bag up with a long stick till the whole thing falls into your arms. Trouble is, bears are smart and humans are stupid. The bears have learned to climb neighboring trees, then drop onto bear bags from above or to find and cut support ropes. Most of the time, they haven't had to though, most people hang bear bags too low, too close to a nice, climbable tree trunk or in an otherwise vulnerable position.
Bear Bells: You can also encounter bears while you're just hiking along, minding your own business. That's only if you're being quiet though. Attaching bells to your pack (just plain ol' jingle bells pulled off a Christmas decoration work just fine) or talking amongst a group of hikers will warn bears of your approach and shoo them away from the trail.
Bear Dogs: The scent and sound of a dog or dogs is as effective a bear deterrent as any that exists. Keep your dog on-leash while hiking in bear country and tie it up at night, but never leave a tied-up dog unattended.
Fire: A campfire keeps most animals away, but tending it all night can prevent you from sleeping and in areas where there's a ton of camper/bear interaction (such as the Adirondacks), the bears may no longer be wary of fire.
Running Away: The best way to win any fight works equally well in this one. But, rather than running, just walk like you mean it. Running away from animals can trigger their prey drive. No meal or fish or any amount of ego is worth getting eaten over.
An Anti-Bear Armory
Even the most responsible of campers will occasionally find themselves face-to-face with a hungry or curious bear, particularly in areas where they frequently interact with humans and consider us a food source as a result. If that happens, you'll need to scare the bear off.
Propaganda: Animals are instinctively afraid of humans for a reason. You need to be that reason. Stand up to your full height, open your coat or jacket so you appear larger, move in a purposeful considered manner and wave your hands in the air while shouting menacingly.
Pots and Pans: Banging metal cookware together loudly nicely supplements the above.
Flare Pistol: Straight redneck stuff. If you've got a bear problem, it's nice to be able to keep that bear problem away from you. A flare pistol can be roughly aimed and can travel a hundred yards or so, enabling you to scare off a bear at a distance with a loud bang and bright flash, but probably won't hurt the bear. Just beware firing incendiary rounds into the woods if there's a high risk of fire. This is probably illegal pretty much anywhere, be advised.
Air Horn: Like a flare pistol, these will work with some distance between you and the bear. The very high decibel noise hurts their sensitive ears, driving them away.
Bear Mace: Here's the deal with bear mace. It's only got an effective range of 15 feet or so and has been known to piss off a bear as much as scare it away. I don't know about you, but I a) don't want a bear within 15 feet of me b) don't want to piss off one that is that close c) I don't want to get really strong pepper spray in my eyes because I didn't take the time to consider wind direction while a bear was within 15 feet of me.
A Big Stick: Whacking a bear upside its head with a big stick is as effective a deterrent as I've found. There's something in a big stick understood by animals on a primal level, much more so than with a funny piece of orange plastic or a silly human jumping up and down and shouting.
Rocks: Pick them up and throw them, aiming for the bear's face. You aren't really going to hurt a big ol' bear with a thrown rock, but you may annoy it enough that it decides to leave you alone. Pairs well with shouting.
Your Backpack: As a last ditch method of survival, a backpack might keep a charging bear off you. Most aren't dead set on mauling you, so maybe also cross your fingers.
So, Should You Be Scared Of Bears?
A little. Ultimately, being attacked by one would go pretty badly for you, black, brown or whatever. But, that's an extremely unlikely occurrence. Be responsible, prevent them from getting your food, make some noise as you hike through their territory, take your dog and you won't have any problems. If you do see a bear, enjoy watching it from a distance and, if it moves close to you or your campsite, you'll probably be able to scare if off. They're a part of the nature you came to see, don't aggravate or harm them and we'll all be able to keep laying awake in our tents at night, thinking every little sound is an approaching bear, for a long time to come.
IndefinitelyWild is a new publication about adventure travel in the outdoors, the vehicles and gear that get us there and the people we meet along the way. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Lead Image: Stephen Oung


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Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Happy New Vintage Vogue Day!
Here's 8812, one of my favorite Vintage Vogues in recent memory:
Remix Shoes I spy?
8811, which is simplicity defined.
23 comments:
I was just on their website YESTERDAY. They must have *just* come out with these new patterns! I am really loving the second one... t has sleeves! (A rarity in the Vintage Vogue line)ReplyDelete
UGH SERIOUSLY (re: sleeves)...I love the heck out of a sleeveless dress, but I have so, so many! Sleeves and pockets are two things that will automatically win favor from me in a day-dress pattern.ReplyDelete
I wish I could get those patterns! I love how the first one has that little jacket...I gotta have sleeves or at least a jacket in my job...nobody wants to get their hairwashed and see my pits! LOLReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 25, 2012 at 7:50 PM
Gertie, since you now live near a Joann Fabrics store, you will soon learn that all patterns go on sale a minimum of once a month. Yes, the Vogues too, at $3.99. Next sale day is 4/28/12. Be sure to arrive early on pattern sale days, patterns are available on a first come, first serve basis and can not be special ordered. I stepped down from my position with the company last month, after 4 years with them, so am fairly knowledgeable about this.ReplyDelete
Gah- how did I not know about this? Thank goodness it is pay day. How adorable is that second dress?!ReplyDelete
I love those patterns! Thanks for the tip. I am ordering a few tonight.ReplyDelete
Oh, I LOVE the sleeveless dress, Gertie! Thanks for letting us know about the sale - I know they go on sale at JoAnn periodically, but since the nearest one to me is 51 miles, it's good to have other options!ReplyDelete
Thanks for the reminder! I finally snagged that wrap-to-the-back dress pattern (8788) and a couple others.ReplyDelete
Oooh! Thanks for the reminder, Gertie! When patterns go on sale here in Australia, they're still three times as expensive as the online sales, so even with the S&H, it's still a great bargain. I bought 5 - can't wait for them to arrive!ReplyDelete
- AnonymousApril 25, 2012 at 9:57 PM
FYI - JoAnn's has a $3.99 sale on Vogue quite often. In fact, they are on sale this Saturday, 4/28 (I'm in Arizona, don't know if that matters). So all is not lost if you miss it tonight. :)ReplyDelete
thanks for this reminder! i just ordered 5 patterns!!!! Can't wait to work on some dresses!ReplyDelete
Too fun. I love how they picture each dress in a modern photograph. WHAT a difference.ReplyDelete
I got 1044 and 8789.
I am not that close to a JoAnn's fabric. I would lose the amount I just paid for postage on gas. This is a nice option.
Thanks for the heads up!
You temptress! I just got the most amazing Vogue pattern from 1953 in the mail yesterday, so I will not be led astray by sales :)ReplyDelete
I think I was on the Vogue website the same time as you. I placed an order when I saw they were on sale because JoAnn's has been out of either my size or the patterns completely that I wanted the last two times they went on sale.ReplyDelete
I love that second dress: that straight armhole flatters me. What is it called?ReplyDelete
Love the old style patterns. I have a few, but would love to add more.ReplyDelete
I saw your forthcoming book on Amazon. Great cover and notice you have your wonderful green shoes on! I cna't wait to read it. Thanks so much for your wonderful blog and I'm so looking forward to reading your book. You and your dad are in my thoughts.ReplyDelete
Ack- what is the website url? The only thing I'm getting is the BMV site and it is not at 3.99! Thanks!ReplyDelete
Just wanted to say that I am a recent follower to your blog and have been so inspired by your posts that yesterday I preordered your book from Amazon! Can't wait to get it, even if September is a long way off...ReplyDelete
welcome :)
Hi Gertie!ReplyDelete
I write in this post because I am afraid that my comment is going to get lost in the 166(wow, you´re like a diva!!) previous, and this is important. I have to sew with silk, and I am afraid that it will not have enough body for the ample skirt. MY quiestion is: can you make a super post on interfacing, HOW TO SEW IT IN THE GARMENT (apparently no need to explain that anywhere)and if it is ok to interface everything if you are going to use lining for the dress...
On a different matter, I have preordered your book in Amazon, whe is it actually coming out? I am dying to read it!
Thanks so much for your time,
Can anyone give tips on how to read the vintage vogue patterns? I bought the lovely V2903,but I'm not sure what the "6.0, 6.1, etc." in the sizing section is... I tried to Google it, and mostly I saw information on translating sizes to today's sizes.ReplyDelete

subset: commoncrawl


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- Home
- Departments
- Health Department
- Animal Shelter
- Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: What is the main purpose of the Animal Shelter?
A: The Animal Shelter's main purpose is to serve as the rabies control center for the 40 municipalities of Burlington County. The Shelter also provides essential services for reuniting lost pets with their owners and providing unclaimed adoptable animals a chance for a new home.
Q: Can I donate to the Animal Shelter?
A: Yes! The Animal Shelter accepts donations (see our wish list of items). More importantly, you can donate to the Animal Shelter with monetary funds at any time, as a remembrance for a loved one or through your Will/Estate. Any amount donated is appreciated. All funds directly benefit the animals and are not used in the general fund. Your dollars and checks make a great difference in the lives of these animals, and they are tax deductible.
Q: How do I adopt an animal?
A: After you have found an animal you're interested in, either by visiting the shelter or through the web site, you should then come into the shelter and fill out an application. After an application is submitted and approved you can then interact with the animal outside of the cage. After spending time with the animal, you will then be taken to the front office to fill out the adoption paperwork for the animal. Please see the "Adoption Process" tab on our website for more specific details.
Q: How long does it take to adopt an animal?
A: The timing varies and depends on if the animals came in as a stray, or surrender, and if it came in already spayed/neutered. If the animal still needs to be spayed or neutered the animal can go into our next available clinic to be done and adopted the following day. This could take 7 days or sometimes more depending on when the next spay and neuter clinic is scheduled.
Q: When is the best time to stop by at the Animal Shelter?
A: We open at 12:00 noon and close at 4:00 pm every day, except County Holidays. Thursdays the Shelter remains open until 7:00 pm.
Q: Does the Animal Shelter accept credit cards for payments?
A: Yes we accept credit cards.
Q: How often are Veterinarians and Veterinarian Technicians on duty?
A: One (1) to three (3) Veterinarian Technicians are present at the Shelter every day from morning until late afternoon. Generally, the Veterinarian is only physically present during spay/neuter and rabies clinics. However, they are always on call and very responsive and diligent about returning Veterinarian Technician and senior staff inquiries.
Q: Why do you spay/neuter all the adopted animals?
A: With the expansion and modernization of our Animal Shelter, the County was committed to doing its part in the issue of pet overpopulation. With our spay/neuter program for adoptable pets, we are now part of the solution verses a contributor to the problem. We have vigorously implemented a policy where all adoptable pets are spayed or neutered. Pet overpopulation is basically a problem that stems from the failure of owners to have their pets spayed or neutered.


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A long time ago I told you that I was addicted to IMDb's movie trivia – I still am, therefore it was a joy for me to find Gabrielle Wee's gorgeous Tumblr: just be careful because you'll probably lose track of time reading it (I speak of personal experience). :D
On that same post I also told you how much I loved browsing Gourmet Traveller's recipes – I still do, and this delicious cake comes exactly from that magazine: I was so intrigued by the combination of pear, chocolate and pistachio in cake form that I had to try it – it was amazing.
Dark chocolate, pear and pistachio cake
slightly adapted from the always beautiful and delicious Australian Gourmet Traveller
1 cup + 1 tablespoon (150g) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
200g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), coarsely chopped – I used one with 53% cocoa solids
½ cup (65g) unsalted pistachios
2/3 cup (150g) unsalted butter, softened
¾ cup (150g) granulated sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Packham pear, cored and coarsely chopped
Chocolate ganache:
1/3 cup (80ml) heavy cream
100g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), coarsely chopped – I used one with 53% cocoa solids
handful of pistachios, for decorating
Cake: preheat oven to 180°C/350°F. Butter a 22cm (9in) springform cake pan*, line the bottom with baking paper and butter the paper as well.
In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder and salt.
Process chocolate and pistachios in a food processor until coarse crumbs form, set aside. Beat butter and sugar in an electric mixer until light and fluffy (2-3 minutes). Add eggs one at a time, beating until well combined, then beat in the vanilla. Stir in the flour mixture, followed by the pistachio and chocolate mixture and the pear. Pour into prepared pan and bake until risen and golden and a skewer inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, 30-40 minutes. Cool in the pan over a wire rack for 20 minutes then carefully unmold onto the rack. Cool completely.
Chocolate ganache: Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium heat to just below boiling, add chocolate, stand until chocolate melts (3-5 minutes), then stir until smooth. Set aside until slightly thickened (5-10 minutes). Pour ganache over the cake, scatter with pistachios, set aside to set (20-30 minutes), then serve. Cake will keep, stored in an airtight container, for 3 days.
* I made the exact same recipe using a 20cm (8in) cake pan (with a removable bottom)
Serves 10
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Dark chocolate, pear and pistachio cake
A long time ago I told you that I was addicted to IMDb's movie trivia – I still am, therefore it was a joy for me to find Gabrielle Wee's gorgeous Tumblr: just be careful because you'll probably lose track of time reading it (I speak of personal experience). :D
15 comments:
- Laura (Tutti Dolci) said...
How pretty, Patricia! What a delectable combination!
- May 27, 2012
What a lovely Combination. You make me Racing with All your lovely photos! Have a Nice Day!
- May 27, 2012
- Cupcake and Talk said...
This cake looks amazing. You are so talented.
- May 27, 2012
- XL @ 6 Bittersweets said...
Yum! Love the idea of pear and pistachio.
- May 27, 2012
- tea with hazel said...
the pears are beautiful at the moment so it's a perfect time to make your delectable looking cake..
- May 27, 2012
- Paula @ Vintage Kitchen Notes said...
This combination is incredible, really. The cake looks moist and creamy, good for so many occasions!
- May 27, 2012
- Spencer said...
Mate that looks so good! I would love to try some.
- May 28, 2012
- MyFudo™ said...
Lovely combination! I am celebrating my 30--ish birthday in a month, and I am still thinking of a wonderful cake for my celebration. This is something I would love to treat myself with. Thanks!
- May 28, 2012
- argone said...
Not the pears season here in Europe, but I keep this recipe for this season ! thank you !
- May 28, 2012
- Sue/the view from great island said...
What a wonderful and unusual cake, I'm lusting after that dark chocolate ganache oozing down!
- May 28, 2012
- The Food Librarian said...
This cake looks so delicious. Love anything with pears and ganache! - mary
- May 29, 2012
This looks delicious, and the combination of pistachios and pear sounds really interesting. It's a pitty that pears are out of season in Europe (as
someone else also mentioned)
- May 29, 2012
nice posting. thanks for sharing
- July 19, 2012
I made this for Thanksgiving dinner (followed the recipe exactly) and it got wonderful reviews all around! One family member said it was one of the best cakes he's ever had, and he has eaten around the world. Another comment was that the pear and chocolate were unexpectedly tasty together. Thanks for the unique and delicious recipe! I'm sure it will appear on our holiday table again in the future.
- November 22, 2012
- Patricia Scarpin said...
Hey, HR! That is excellent news - I am so glad to know that the cake was such a hit! Thank YOU for coming over here to let me know how the recipe turned out.
- November 23, 2012


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Flu season is a dreadful time of year, and yet, it does have a silver lining.
At least for those of us who are . . .
Who are . . .
Hmmm. How to put this? I don't like the term germaphobes. It carries a certain insinuation of irrationality, of people who use their elbows to open doors and press elevator buttons.
We don't do that. Not as long as there's some hand sanitizer nearby to disinfect one's fingertips, anyway.
Others hint darkly that those willing to implement sensible precautions to avoid getting sick are suffering from obsessive-compulsive disorder. Talk about taking the germs' side of things.
Let's call our group of health-conscious citizens POSH: People Opposed to Shaking Hands.
Which brings me to the silver lining: This is the only time of year when it's socially acceptable to refuse a handshake. Confronted with a presumptuously proffered paw, one need only invoke this magical phase: "The health experts say you really shouldn't shake hands in flu season."
If only those experts would make that a year-round recommendation. I mean, what, really, is the point? I'd understand it if humans were like those old cast-iron water pumps, and you had to lift and lower their arms a few times to bring forth a flow of conversation. But most folks I encounter are so impulsively chatty they feel no compunction whatsoever about sallying right into subjects that are none of their business. Like, say, why you don't want to shake hands.
I know, I know, some people see it as a mark of friendship. But here at POSH, we see an outstretched hand for what it is: An amphibious landing craft crammed with an infantry of infectious microbes.
"OK, boys, we're about to make contact. Move fast, travel light, and dig in as soon as you can. Cold, Cough, and Fever, take the lead."
And don't even get me started on the cheek-kissing that otherwise rational people consider an acceptable practice.
"Yikes. Please remove your saliva-soaked germ portal to a safe distance," a POSH member wants to say.
Sadly, in this upside-down world of ours, that would be considered rude, while breathing directly onto someone's cheek — even pressing your lips against it — is thought of as polite.
This is a particular problem with female friends of one's wife. POSH bachelors beware: Her gang may be pleasantly standoffish now, but once you're married, they'll come to think that because their close friend now has the legal right to kiss you, they do too.
This, as I learned some years back, can lead to awkward moments. Taken by surprise when one of my wife's friends moved in to inflict a goodbye kiss, I instinctively raised my arm to fend her off. This had the effect of bringing my palm into close contact with a part of her upper torso that, judging from her surprised look, didn't usually play a role in good-bye rituals. It was highly embarrassing — and yet, I think I can safely say that no germs were spread as a result.
Mind you, I can deal with one cheek kisser. I signed on for that when I got married — though, as with Lincoln and habeas corpus, I do think that practice should be suspended in time of calamity.
Like, say, flu season.
Or when my wife is sick.
As she has been for the past week or so.
Don't get me wrong. I've been perfectly willing to stay in the same room with her as she convalesces. As long as she sits at least 10 feet away. And coughs into her elbow. And wipes down the phone with a moist Lysol towelette after using it.
That probably sounds hardhearted, but if you've seen the film "28 Days Later," chronicling the way a hyper-contagious virus sweeps through England, you'll understand. Strictly speaking, it's a horror film about zombies, not a documentary. Still, it teaches an important lesson. The handful who survive do so because they have the right mindset: Sad as you feel when someone close to you gets infected, you simply have to put yourself first.
So anyway, take advantage of the opportunity flu season presents. Assert your right not to shake hands.
Why, if enough of us do, we might just break the nation of this horrible habit.
Scot Lehigh can be reached at firstname.lastname@example.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeScotLehigh.


text:
Story highlights
Casting call for airline ad disallows dark-skinned participants
Aeromexico and ad agency apologize
Skin color subject of much discussion in Latin America
Aeromexico airline and an advertising company apologized for a commercial casting call that said "dark-skinned" people would not be allowed to audition.
The casting call sought those with a "Polanco look," referring to a well-to-do white neighborhood in Mexico City.
A photo of the casting e-mail was taken by Mexican blogger Tamara De Anda, who expressed her frustrations on how the representations of brown people in Mexican media largely do not exist outside of government program announcements.
On Twitter, De Anda posted, "I received an email for a casting call from Aeromexico specifying that they don't want anyone dark-skinned. Tsss."
About 400 retweets later, the story gained traction on social media.
With a population of 20 million, Mexico City's racial makeup consists of mestizo (Amerindian-Spanish) 60%; Amerindian or predominantly Amerindian 30%; white 9%; and other 1%, according to The World Factbook.
The airline pointed to an ad agency, Catatonia.
Aeromexico on Tuesday issued an apology for the language on Twitter, stating, "We're sorry for Catatonia's discriminatory stance, that was circulated today on social media. We offer our sincerest apology and reiterate our respect for all people, no matter their gender, language, religion, nor their skin color."
Catatonia expressed regret, according to Fox News Latino, stating it "offers a heartfelt apology for the publication on casting requirements that circulated on social networks."
Opinion: In Mexico, racism hides in plain view
The ad agency pointed to language used by a casting company.
Perceptions of skin color and discussions of racism have long been a subject of debate in Latin America.
Ruben Navarrette Jr., in a 2012 opinion piece for CNN, wrote, "On television, in politics and in academia, you see light-skinned people. On construction sites, in police forces and in restaurant kitchens, you're more likely to find those who are dark-skinned.
"In the priciest neighborhoods, the homeowners have light skin, and the housekeepers are dark. Everyone knows this, and yet no one talks about it, at least not in elite circles."
CNN reached out to Aeromexico on Friday but did not receive an immediate response.


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text: The day the iPad 2 was released last year, I watched a young boy playing with his shiny new Apple device while on a BART train to San Francisco, his beaming father standing behind him. Since then, I've seen many kids playing games, watching movies and tapping around the Web on their iPads\u2014and each time, I got a feeling of dread.Should children have iPads? I don't think so.Perhaps I'm holding on to a false belief that children should be outside playing football or tapping their imagination with dolls and action figures. Perhaps I'm simply harking back to my youth. I remember how my father expected me to mow lawns when I was kid, just like he used to do.But the iPad clearly is not a lawn mower or a playground.Let's face it, iPad isolation can lead to poor social skills at a time when kids are just learning how to interact with each other. The iPad is supposed to be a creative device but instead blunts the imagination with rigid apps that define reality and choices, as opposed to a child's boundless thinking.As Apple prepares for the unveiling of the next iPad on March 7 in San Francisco, the iFaithful are downright giddy with excitement, like children on Christmas Eve. Soon there will be new iPads in tiny hands. One out of three parents is willing to buy or has already bought their children iPads, according to a recent iYogi Insights survey.On the flip side, the iYogi survey also shows a majority of parents who won't buy their children iPads. What are their reasons? Thirty-four percent think the iPad will keep their children from making more friends, while 50 percent believe their kids are better off playing outdoors. Proponents will tell you that the iPad prepares children for the digital future. But doesn't this, too, sound familiar? In fact, this was the same reasoning used to convince parents to buy computers in 1984 when I was a teenager. During that summer, three of us kids spent entire days playing a game on the computer instead of shooting hoops with friends. (I can't even remember the name of the game.)Critics might point out that I'm a tech reporter and perhaps my early exposure to computers pushed me that way. My retort would be that job opportunities were few and far between for an English literature major in love with Shakespearean tragedies in 1993. Tech reporting was the easiest entry point into journalism.Slideshow: 15 Best iPad Apps for NewbiesBeyond elementary grade levels, Apple is making a huge push to make the iPad a standard student device in high schools across the country. Last month, Apple unveiled iBooks 2 for the iPad, a storefront for multimedia high school textbooks, and iBooks Author, a Mac app for creating multimedia textbooks.At colleges, tech isolation predates the iPad and has been growing at a steady clip. A college square used to be a social Mecca buzzing with activity and conversation. Today, students listen to iPods or have their noses buried in laptops, a kind of self-imposed solitary confinement not unlike cubicle work life.Then there are the mind-boggling reasons for buying your kid an iPad. In the iYogi survey, 57 percent of parents with two children or more would be happy to use the iPad to keep their kids out of their hair. Who would have thought the iPad makes a good babysitter? In the professional world, the iPad has gained a kind of heightened status. A salesperson whipping out his iPad looks a lot cooler than his competitor lugging around a two-inch thick binder. Perhaps prideful parents get iPads to improve their kid's social status.To be fair, the App Store offers many great learning apps.Almost all of the parents in the iYogi survey who were willing to buy their child an iPad approved of its use as a homework tool. The iPad has been heralded as nothing less than a miracle for helping autistic students and disabled adults like Kevin Berg communicate. Multimedia e-textbooks created on iBooks Author and running on the iPad may one day revolutionize teaching at high schools.Let's not forget that children of all ages can learn from basic reading, too, and the iPad has been billed as a great reading device: "The Ugly Duckling" by Hans Anderson ($7), a read-aloud picture book for children, "A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle ($10) for elementary students, and Shakespeare in Bits: "Macbeth" iPad Edition by the Bard ($15) app are all examples of classic books reimagined on the iPad.There's just one problem: Of all the kids and young adults I've seen with iPads, including the boy on the train, not one was reading an e-book.Tom Kaneshige covers Apple and Networking for CIO.com. Follow Tom on Twitter @kaneshige. Follow everything from CIO.com on Twitter @CIOonline and on Facebook. Email Tom at email@example.com


text:
- I'm working on a static file server (GitHub Pages). No server side tricks allowed (so Google's #! "hash bang" solution is not an option).
- I'm trying to keep my files DRY. I don't want to repeat the common OUTER template in all my files i.e. header, navigation menu, footer, etc They will live in the main
Setup the Hijax
index.htmlpage contains all OUTER html/css/js... the site's template.
index.htmlhas a

which defaults to containing the "homepage" html.
index.htmlhas a navigation menu, with a Hijax link to an "about" page.
/#aboutand jQuery replaces the

innerHTML with
$("#content").load("about.html #inner-container");.
AJAX content
about.html does not contain anything extra to try an cloak content for crawlers.
about.html file contains enough HTML / CSS / JavaScript to display
/about.html as a standalone page with it's own META data... e.g.
about.html has NO OUTER HTML template (i.e. header, navigation menu, footer, etc).
 contains a

 which holds the content that is injected into
about.html has a
 tag as the first child of
 which explains to non-JavaScript users that they are viewing the about page "inner content" - with a link to navigate to the
index.html page to get the full page layout with menu.
The (Sneaky?) Redirect
Google indexes the
/#about page (deeplinking to the "about" page "state" in
I'm thinking of doing a "redirect on click or after 10 seconds".
The end results is that user ends up on an "enhanced" page back on
index.html with all it's OUTER template - but the core "page" content is practically identical.
Known issue with inbound links e.g. Share / Bookmarking
It seems that if a user shares the URL
/#about on their blog, when allocating inbound links to my site Google ignores everything after the
# ... it allocates value to the
/ page - See: https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5028405/hashbang-vs-hijax/5166665#5166665.
I can only try an minimise this issue offering "share" buttons on the page with the appropriate urls i.e.
Sorry. I posted this same question over on https://stackoverflow.com/questions/5561686/hijax-sneaky-javascript-redirects-will-i-get-banned-from-google ... then realised it probably belongs more on this Stack Exchange site... Not sure if I should delete the Stack Overflow question? Or just leave it on both sites? Please leave comment.


text:
Apple, Foxconn vow wide revamp of worker conditions
Reuters – Thursday March 29th at noon Los Angeles time
The following story and my blog are preliminary. I have not yet read the FLA report and I am sure I will have some criticisms of the report given the approach taken by the FLA. However, without reservations, it has to be a good thing for Chinese working people that Apple and Foxconn are acknowledging issues and promising to take action. So read the news story below, and realize that the attention of American news and you the reader motivated much of what is reported below. Congratulations.
Peter Schnall
Highlights below are mine. One goal mentioned in the article below of maintaing wages for individual workers seems unlikely, especially if hours go from 80 hours to 49 hr/week. Also, remember that workers wanted overtime.
By Poornima Gupta and Edwin Chan
SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - In a landmark development for the way Western companies do business in China, Apple Inc said Thursday it had agreed to work with partner Foxconn to substantially improve wages and working conditions at the factories that produce its wildly popular products.
Foxconn - which makes Apple devices from the iPhone to the iPad - will hire tens of thousands of new workers, clamp down on illegal overtime, improve safety protocols and upgrade worker housing and other amenities.
The moves came in response to one of the largest investigations ever conducted of a U.S. company's operations abroad. Apple had agreed to the probe by the independent Fair Labor Association in response to a crescendo of criticism that its products were built on the backs of mistreated Chinese workers.
The Association, in disclosing its findings from a survey of three Foxconn plants and over 35,000 workers, said it had unearthed multiple violations of labor law, including extreme hours and unpaid overtime.
Apple, the world's most valuable corporation, and Foxconn, China's biggest private-sector employer and Apple' main contract manufacturer, are so dominant in the global technology industry that their newly forged accord will likely have a substantial ripple effect across the sector.
Working conditions at many Chinese manufacturers that supply Western companies are considerably inferior to those at Foxconn.
"Apple and Foxconn are obviously the two biggest players in this sector and since they're teaming up to drive this change, I really do think they set the bar for the rest of the sector," FLA President Auret van Heerden told Reuters in an interview.
More immediately, the Apple-Foxconn agreement will raise costs for other manufacturers who contract with the Taiwanese company, including Dell Inc, Hewlett-Packard, Amazon.com Inc, Motorola Mobility Holdings, Nokia Oyj and Sony Corp.
The agreement will likely result in higher prices for consumers, though the impact will be limited because labor costs are only a small fraction of the total cost for most high-tech devices.
Foxconn said it would reduce working hours to 49 hours per week, including overtime, while keeping total compensation for workers at its current level. The FLA audit had found that during peak production times, workers in the three factories put in more than 60 hours per week on average.
To compensate for the reduced hours, Foxconn will hire tens of thousands of additional workers. It also said it would build more housing and canteens to accommodate that influx.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, who company critics hoped would usher in a more open, transparent era at Apple after he took over from the late Steve Jobs last fall, has shown a willingness to tackle the global criticism head-on.
The much-anticipated report marks the first phase of a probe into Apple's contract manufacturers across the world's most populous nation. With 1.2 million workers, Foxconn - an affiliate of Taiwan's Hon Hai Precision Industry - is by far Apple's largest and most influential partner.
(Reporting By Edwin Chan; Editing by Gary Hill)


text:
In 1993, $1,689,000 in federal TE funds with a $422,000 local match helped construct pedestrian and bike path improvements along Logan Circle in Philadelphia, PA.
Logan Circle is one of Philadephia's original planned squares, and is the anchor of the Logan Square neighborhood. The stunning Swann Memorial Fountain is located in the center of the square. Thanks to TE, this historic amenity is now accessible to pedestrians, rather than sealed off from the public by a ring of moving cars.
Logan Circlephiladelphiapennsylvaniabike pathbicyclepedestrianwater fountainfountainwalkwayflowersbeautification
The National Transportation Alternatives Clearinghouse provides information on the Transportation Alternatives Program funded by FHWA. To be eligible for TA funds, a project must relate to surface transportation and be one of the 10 TA Activities. For more information about the TA program see trade.railstotrails.org. For our licensing policy see our guidelines.
Transportation Alternatives Data Exchange
@ the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy
2121 Ward Court, NW, 5th Floor
Washington, D.C. 20037-1213


text:
pp. 682-683
The Baroque Arsenal, Mary Kaldor
The Politics of Defense Contracting: The Iron Triangle, Gordon Adams Reviewed by Thomas L. McNaugher
National Defense, James Fallows Reviewed by Thomas L. McNaugher
The Defense Industry, Jacques S. Gansler Reviewed by Thomas L. McNaugher
Reviewed by Thomas L. McNaughermore by this author
Join the Academy of Political Science and automatically receive Political Science Quarterly.
Academy Forum | Police Unions, Race, and Trust in the Police
October 2, 2023
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Ukraine, Russia, and the West
Creating a Disaster: NATO's Open Door Policy
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Engagement, Containment, and the International Politics of Eurasia
Publishing since 1886, PSQ is the most widely read and accessible scholarly journal with distinguished contributors such as: Lisa Anderson, Robert A. Dahl, Samuel P. Huntington, Robert Jervis, Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Theda Skocpol, Woodrow Wilsonview additional issues
Articles | Book reviews
The Academy of Political Science, promotes objective, scholarly analyses of political, social, and economic issues. Through its conferences and publications APS provides analysis and insight into both domestic and foreign policy issues.
With neither an ideological nor a partisan bias, PSQ looks at facts and analyzes data objectively to help readers understand what is really going on in national and world affairs.


text:
If the person who died specified where he or she would like his or her ashes scattered, follow those instructions. If no instructions were made, consider selecting a meaningful location.
Scattering Remains On Private Property
If you're planning on scattering the remains on your property, know that you have every right to do so. However, some states may require you to get a permit before you scatter the ashes. If you're planning on scattering the remains on private property that you do not own, be sure to get permission from the landowner before you do.
Scattering Remains In A National Park
If you're planning on scattering the remains in a national park, you'll need to apply for a permit from the National Parks Service. Every national park has a different application form for scattering permits.
Hiring A Company To Scatter The Ashes
There are a number of companies that will scatter the ashes for you. Some specialize in scattering ashes from a small airplane, while other will scatter the remains in remote or distant locations around the world or over a body of water.


text:
PURMO Vertical
Product details
Product description
The Vertical is ideal fo fitting where there is little space on the wall that you want or can use. The front panel is profiled.
|Heigth (mm)
|1500 - 1800 - 1950 - 2100 - 2300
|Length (mm)
|300 - 450 - 600 - 750
|50 mm (hot water channel)
|25 mm (convection fins)
|6 x diameter 1/2" (15/21)
|U2V Brackets
|U2V Brackets, 2 side covers, installation clips, 1 bore template, 1 rotating airvent, 3 blind stops, screws and plugs.
|The radiators are factory packed in heat shrinkable film. The radiators corners are protected with the plastic covering.
|10 Years
Series description
Why Purmo Panel Heaters?
1. Quality
The great distinguishing feature of our products is unquestionably their very high quality. Along with a team of inspectors, the stringent requirements of the ISO 9001 and ISO 14001 integrated management system, controlled by the British Standards Institution Quality Assurance group, are responsible for the constant monitoring of the high quality of our products.
Our twin-coated heaters are painted using cathophoresis (for the undercoat) and an electrostatic spray (for the finish), guaranteeing a surface coating of the highest quality and durability. This method is widely used in the automotive industry for the painting of vehicle body work.
2. Aesthetics
Purmo panel heaters are visually pleasing and suit any environment. Apart from heaters with moulded front panels, particularly fussy clients can choose from one of our Purmo Plan smooth-fronted heaters.
Standard heaters are painted in RAL 9010 White. On the client's request they can also be provided in one of 48 other colours from the RAL palette.
3. Availability
Purmo is unquestionably the Polish market leader and has the largest distribution network in the country. With over 250 authorised dealers providing heaters to more than 3,000 shops, you are guaranteed to be able to purchase our products in almost every town in Poland. And, thanks to the high number of heaters produced, we also offer for constant sale heaters in over 1,000 non-typical sizes.
4. Versatility
Purmo heaters may be used in both single and dual-pipe central heating installations. Depending on the type of heater, they can be installed in a variety of different configurations, including in the modern style with connections from below and behind.
Our wide range of products allows for the matching of the appropriate height, length, width and strength of the heater to every room's conditions. For rooms with greater hygiene requirements, we offer coverless heaters and Purmo P and Purmo PV heaters without convection elements, which have attestations from the National Institute of Hygiene.
5. Guarantee
Constant improvement of the production process and the high quality of our heaters allows us to offer extended guarantee periods. Since 1999 our company, amongst only a few others, has been offering a 6-year guarantee on our Purmo panel heaters.


text:
This week on Mandolin Mondays we have Austin, Texas-based mandolinist Alex Rueb with us to play the frets off this 2005 Collings MF5 Deluxe Varnish with a bit of "Little Rock Getaway."
Alex Rueb was born and raised in Omaha, NE. Having a strong interest in music from an early age, Alex started playing piano at age 10 and moved on to guitar at 13. At age 17, he picked up a cheap mandolin from a pawn shop and was quickly
This week on Mandolin Mondays multi-instrumentalist Andrew Hendryx of the band Yarn is with us to take a spin on a couple classics "A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall" and "I Know You Rider" on his beautiful Collings mandolin.
Andrew's musical career started at Elon College, NC where he performed with regional folk and jam bands. Later moving to NYC, Andrew co-founded the band Yarn, with which he toured nationally
This week on Mandolin Mondays we're joined by Josiah Nelson of the Tray Wellington Band for an original tune called "Gulls Goals" played on his fantastic Collings mandolin.
Josiah started out in competition style fiddle and used that knowledge to compete in competitions all over the country. He's taken home many titles including Colorado Young Adult State Champion. His professional music career started in 2015 playing
Nashville-based mandolinist Lincoln Mick of The Arcadian Wild swings by Mandolin Mondays this week for a fun take on the theme for one the great modern sitcoms of all time. Bet you've never heard Parks and Rec played on a sweet 2003 Collings MF5 like this!
Lincoln is a founding member of the contemporary band The Arcadian Wild. The group has one foot planted firmly in choral and formal vocal music, and


text:
The Day My Parents (and I) Found Out My Boobs Were on the Internet
We received an anonymous personal account this week from a woman who'd read about Reddit's "fusking" of private nude photographs that had been uploaded to PhotoBucket. The tipster had had a similar experience, only with a website we'd never heard of. PinkMeth.com (very NSFW), she wrote, had stolen nude photographs she'd never intended to be made public, and then—adding insult to a privacy breach she might never had known existed otherwise—linked to her Facebook profile so that her identity was matched to the embarrassment.
Here's her story:
One night about a month ago my mother called me, sounding distressed and mortified. "[We received] a very disturbing phone call," she told me. She proceeded to tell me a man, a complete stranger, had called and asked for me, after he'd seen my profile on a website called pinkmeth.com.
There had been a snapshot of my Facebook profile page, featured prominently on this site. The man saw the town my parents were from and looked up their phone number online. He claimed he was acting as a "Good Samaritan" because his own girlfriend had lost her job after pinkmeth posted her naked photos and contact information online. He didn't want it to happen to anyone else.
I nearly died on the other end of the phone. How embarrassing, my parents had seen naked photos of me online, and wanted to know where they came from. I assured them I didn't put them up at all, ended the uncomfortable conversation, and hung up the phone. I immediately started panicking and looked at my featured page on the site. Sure enough, there I was, naked as a jaybird for anyone to see. As if that wasn't bad enough, someone had kindly taken a snapshot of my facebook front page, included a link, and also attached a link to my Google+ profile.
Even more annoying, the photos were from a private, password-protected photobucket account which I had created over five years ago and completely forgotten about. I had put the pictures up to share with my boyfriend. Whoops?
I immediately deleted my photobucket account, changed my full name on facebook (by this point, I already had a half dozen friend requests from weird guys all around the world...) and deleted my Google+ profile. Thank GOD they didn't find my LinkedIn account.
I emailed the site master asking him to take my content down. He replied, minutes later, "Nope!"
I started commenting on my pinkmeth "page" to try and inform other visitors that I did not approve of this content being online. My comments were promptly deleted and my page remained up.
I filed a DMCA complaint upon the suggestion of the man who called my parents, and sent a copy to the sitemaster. Nothing.
Since then, I've done research. I'm not the only one who's upset about this website. There are many other women who have taken similar action with the webmaster and had the same results as I have.
The site totally disgusts me. Not only did they steal MY photos, but they stole naked photos of me, and linked the photos to my personal information. I don't have a problem with an online presence, but being "presented" in this way makes me seem like I'm some type of easy, slutty woman—which I'm not. It calls negative attention to me. The photos were in an album I presumed to be private. I didn't intend on sharing them with the world, only with my boyfriend. It seemed easier than emailing them to him. And, since I don't frequently look at my photobucket (99 percent of my photos are on facebook), I completely forgot they were there until it was too late. I wish I had never put them online in the first place, but hindsight is 20/20.
A friend of mine emailed me the Reddit article about fusking and I realized I wasn't alone. At least, on that site, they kept the girl's private information off. I wasn't so lucky.
Pink Meth's site has a submission form that seems to allow for the same kinds of vindictive entries that made Hunter Moore's now defunct Is Anyone Up so notorious last year. With a few basic (and easily bullshitted) pieces of personal information, anyone is free to submit anyone else's photos. The form also requires an example of "Internet Presence," though it's unclear whether or not it has to be connected to the submitter himself. There's also a key box to check at the end: "Person whose entry I'm submitting to Pinkmeth.com was at least 18 years old at the time when the content was produced."
It's almost an afterthought.
We've emailed whoever's behind Pink Meth to see how they screen their submissions, but judging from our tipster's story, they simply don't. If you have similar stories, let us know.


text:
Joker Card Gold Gallery Canvas Wall Art
Joker Card Gold Gallery Canvas Wall Art
The Joker...the wild card in the deck. Whether you're the Joker of your house, you're work, you're family or friends, make a statement and claim you're rightful throne with this beautiful gallery canvas art.
Give your gallery wrap canvas added movement and life with our stylish floating frames. Floating frames recreate the ambiance of an art gallery in any room of your home.
Our handmade canvas gallery prints are manufactured in-house and crafted using state-of-the-art technology. We source the wood for our frames from eco-friendly pine forests to ensure sustainability. We use choice, poly-cotton canvas, which means we can print a sharp image that will continue to look vibrant for years to come. Our state-of-the-art technology uses latex inks with UV protection which do not fade, bleed, or degenerate into dull tones. Lastly, all of our canvases have a solid backing to ensure they never sag and will last a lifetime.
Unlike other canvas print providers online, who offer machine-led canvas stretching, we believe that doing things the old-school way makes for a better product. We hand-stretch canvas across all our frames to give you the best quality display for your photos.
At By Design Studios, our stretcher bars are made from kiln-dried pine wood sourced from sustainable wood forests. It is a strong wood that can hold any size of canvas material firmly on it. The edges are rounded, perfect for the canvas to engulf the wooden frame in a pleasing way.
We use a poly-cotton canvas material for printing your photos on canvas because it is more textured than the standard paper used for photo printing. This material is particularly suited for art reproductions or as a way to make your photos look museum-quality.
Many companies claim to use 100% cotton canvas material, which we think is not the right material to last for a long time. Here's why:
- Cotton is termed as a breathable material, which means it is prone to ripping and getting worn quickly. Durability is not cotton's biggest strength, whereas polyester's elastic traits make it more durable as a canvas material.
- Because 100% polyester can get sticky with any kind of perspiration brought on it, using just polyester canvas would make the photos look like they are printed on plastic.
- To get the best of both worlds, we combine polyester and cotton to make the canvas wrinkle-free, lightweight, and low-maintenance.
How long will it take to ship out my order?
– All items are subject to a handling period before they are dispatched.
– 99% of orders leave the warehouse within 2-5 business days of payment.
– For orders in the United States, Canada, Australia and the United Kingdom, after processing and leaving the warehouse, items usually take from 3-7 business days to arrive at their destination.
– For orders in Mexico, Spain, Germany, France, Portugal, Austria, Belgium, Italy and Netherlands , after processing and leaving the warehouse, items usually take from 5-7 business days to arrive at their destination.
– We will notify you by email when your items have been shipped.
For orders shipped to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico and other countries, please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery.
Delays may occur due to Holidays and/or any unforeseen events such as flood or typhoon. Please do note as well that custom inspections can be a factor during shipment.
Where are the products being made and shipped from?
Our products are 100% printed and shipped from the US.
When will I receive tracking information on my orders?
Tracking numbers will be automatically sent to you via the email provided in our system when your items have been shipped.
Why isn't the tracking data showing on my tracking number?
Tracking numbers may take up to 7-10 days after an order has been processed for tracking data to show.
Will my items be sent in one package?
For logistical reasons, items in the same purchase will sometimes be sent in separate packages, even if you've specified combined shipping.
Please keep this in mind when receiving deliveries.
We are 100% committed to our customers and want you to have the best experience with your purchase! Due to the diversity and size of our offering, we do not pre-print or inventory any stock, so every piece is printed-on-demand and made custom to order. This process begins immediately after you have placed your order. Since we do not warehouse or hold inventory, we are unable to accept returns and swap out one piece of art for another, so we cannot provide refunds, credits, or replacements except in the event of damage prior to the product arriving to our valued customers. In the event that a piece arrives damaged, we ask that a photo of the damaged unit is sent to our Customer Care team, and will produce and send a replacement at no charge.
Free Shipping on all orders over $100


text:
It took almost a year for openSUSE Linux 12.2 to arrive after the launch of its predecessor, but version 12.3 of the popular Linux distribution is apparently coming along more quickly.
On Thursday, in fact—less than six months after 12.2 arrived—the openSUSE project announced the release of the second and last release candidate of openSUSE 12.3, which is due to appear in final form next month.
"The openSUSE Release Team has released RC2 to the mirrors a few hours ago," wrote openSUSE community manager Jos Poortvliet in a blog post today. "This is the last opportunity to find and fix the last few bugs before the final release, so help us by downloading RC2, testing, and reporting bugs!"
Release candidates are always a nice way to get a glimpse at what's to come, and this one makes it clear that there are a number of notable new features heading our way in the upcoming new version of this free and open source operating system.
Though it's not intended for production use, of course, you can get a taste of this one yourself by downloading it from the project site. In the meantime, here are five key highlights.
1. 'Secure Boot' support
"It should be possible to install openSUSE 12.3 on a UEFI machine without problems," Poortvliet wrote, noting that the project team has been working hard on accommodating the Secure Boot technology enabled in the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface (UEFI) on Windows 8 hardware, which requires an appropriate digital signature before an operating system is allowed to boot.
"The good news is that openSUSE 12.3 RC2 can boot perfectly with Secure Boot enabled in our UEFI firmware," he added.
Currently, in this second release candidate, doing so requires an extra manual action by the user, but that will be fixed before the final version arrives, Poortvliet said.
2. The E17 desktop
Anyone who has ever checked out Bodhi Linux has already seen the beautiful E17, or "Englightenment," desktop, and that's now offered in openSUSE 12.3 as well. Also now
included are the Sawfish and Awesome window managers.
3. New database options
Another new addition in openSUSE 12.3 is open source database software PostgreSQL 9.2, which comes with Native JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) support. Meanwhile, MariaDB has replaced MySQL as the operating system's default database package.
4. In the cloud
For cloud users, meanwhile, openSUSE 12.3 is the first openSUSE version to offer a complete OpenStack "Folsom" release.
5. A raft of updates
Last but not least, openSUSE 12.3 includes numerous key updates, including Linux kernel 3.7.9, GNOME Shell 3.6.3, Firefox 19, Thunderbird 17.0.3, Wine 1.5.23, PulseAudio 3.0, and DigiKam 3.0.


text:
Please report any problems viewing this activity.
Play the game of "Guess-a-number."
First, select a number range and then try to guess the number the computer has chosen.
The computer will tell you if the number is greater than or less than the number you think it might be. Try to guess the number in the least number of tries as possible!
Note: The game is intended for whole numbers only.
Other Number Sense Games
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text: The Internet of Things (IoT) is a mass of billions of connected devices from cars to wireless wearable products. Cisco's Internet Business Solutions Group estimated 12.5 billion connected devices in existence globally as of 2010 with that number doubling to 25 billion by 2015. [What the Internet of Things means for security]In light of this burgeoning market, CSO identifies five categories of IoT devices at risk in the coming year. CSOs who are aware of the threats and potential damage to their organizations can prepare accordingly. In-Car WiFiOnce tallied, 2013 connected car revenues should reach $21.7 billion, according to analysts from Visiongain, LTD, with 2014 revenues climbing even further. As of the New Year, Ford and GM will increasingly offer in-car WiFi, turning cars into mobile hotspots and connecting passengers' smartphones, tablets and other devices to the Internet, according to John Pescatore, Director of Emerging Trends, the SANS Institute. But, in-car WiFi has the same security vulnerabilities as traditional WiFi hotspots. Without the firewalls present in conjunction with small business WiFi installations, in-car devices and data will be at risk. Once inside the network, an attacker can spoof (pose as) the car, connect to outside data sources such as OnStar servers and collect the owner's PII such as credit card data, explains Pescatore. That is just one example. Only the imagination can limit the kinds of attacks that become possible when a hacker owns in-car Wi-Fi, passengers' devices and the car's identity (via spoofing)."CISOs and CSOs at organizations with people who travel the country should be worried about these vulnerabilities since hackers can use these attacks to access company information," says Jerry Irvine, CIO, Prescient Solutions.mHealth Applications \/ Mobile Medical Devices"The market for wearable wireless devices across sports, fitness and mHealth will grow from 42 million devices in 2013 to 171 million in 2018," says Jonathan Collins, Lead Analyst, ABI Research. As of 2014, hackers will increasingly attack mobile medical devices running Windows, including pacemakers, according to Rodney Joffe, Senior Technologist, Neustar. Traditional manufacturers use proprietary embedded systems that are hard to hack due to their closed source code and restrictions. But, non-traditional device manufacturers often use a form of Windows. [Smart devices get smarter, but still lack security]"Windows is very popular for those devices because it is cheap, ubiquitous and well-known among programmers," explains Joffe. But, unlike Windows on a desktop computer, there is no patching mechanism for Windows on these devices, according to Joffe. The more these devices connect to the Internet through wireless frequencies such as WiFi, the more viruses will spread among them. CSOs should be concerned about remote access for these devices due to the potential for malicious attacks on employees, health information leaks, and attacks on key executives in order to influence or control the financial stability of the organization, according to Irvine. Wearable Devices, Google GlassThe global wearable technology market will reach $4.6 billion in value in 2013, according to Visiongain, LTD, and continue to rise in 2014. In that market, devices such as Google Glass are a major attack vector because they automatically connect to the Internet. And, these devices have very few if any security solutions on them. Hacking Google Glass provides attackers with confidential corporate information and intellectual property. An organization may not know what kinds of data or how much a wearer absorbs using Google Glass as they move through offices and other environments in the enterprise. A hacker could copy that audio and video. "Every organization should write policies for wearable devices that limit where these things can be used, when they can be used, and what their acceptable use is," Irvine says.Retail Inventory Monitoring and Control, M2MGlobal wireless M2M revenues will have reached $50.1billion in 2013, according to Visiongain, LTD. As of 2014, inventory management technologies will increasingly include inexpensive 3G cellular data transmitters on packages. These transmitters will connect to the Internet, making these applications vulnerable to Internet-based attacks, according to Pescatore. [Revolutionary evolution: The Internet of Things and things to come]"These rudimentary devices enable detection, statistical information gathering, remote management and very little else," says Irvine. There are few if any security solutions to protect the devices or limit device snooping.The purpose of the new 3G transmitters is constant, real-time position reporting. But, hacktivists who would normally bombard websites with denial of service attacks could instead intercept these transmissions and tell servers that WalMart, for example, is continually selling out its supply of soccer balls, leading to massive soccer ball shipments bombarding WalMart stores, according to Pescatore. "Or, hacktivists or opportunists could influence the stock price of Kellogg's for example by over or under shipping Corn Flakes," Pescatore says.Enterprises must securely configure these inventory control systems and M2M technologies and segment them onto secure, inaccessible, encrypted frequencies. That does not happen today. "I can go in with a wireless frequency scanner and see communications occurring. Once I detect it, I can see what it the frequency and signal are. And once I see that, I can affect its communications," Irvine explains. Drones (unmanned aircraft) for domestic (non-military) useIn February of 2012, the Congress established the FAA Modernization and Reform Act with numerous provisions for unmanned aircraft with the general thrust that the FAA will speed the inclusion of UAVs\/drones in the national airspace system in three years' time (by 2015). "Drones will be prevalent across the country five years from now," says Erik Cabetas, Managing Partner, Include Security, LLC. CSOs should start to plan for drone security measures now."Because drones rely on vulnerable telemetry signals, attackers can leverage them using any of the classic attacks including buffer overruns, format strings, SQL injections and authentication bypasses that exist in drone firmware," explains Cabetas. Examples of successful attacks on drones are already on record. In 2009, insurgents in the Middle East intercepted Predator drone signals due to a failure to use secure protocols, according to Cabetas. This enabled the insurgents to spy on what the Predators were spying on (via airborne video). Without secure protocols, similar attacks are possible with domestic UAVs.[Critical infrastructure risks still high]And, in a 2012 case, Texas A&M college students, by invitation of Homeland Security spoofed the University drone's GPS signals, insinuating the errant location data into navigation computers, resulting in the drone's untimely collision, Cabetas notes. "But, the scariest thing we've seen so far was accomplished by the winner of the 2012 DroneGames, a Drone programming contest. The winner created a virus that took over any Drone that came close to the infected Drone," says Cabetas. Using a single vulnerability in the homogenous firmware of the drones, an attacker could fill the skies with UAVs ready to follow his every command.And, in a couple of years, drones will be standard components of physical penetration testing, corporate espionage and hacker attacks, according to Cabetas. "Attackers could take high resolution photos and videos in windows (looking for passwords on sticky notes and other sensitive data). They'll be able to plant high fidelity microphones for eavesdropping on the outside of sensitive rooms (conference rooms, CEO offices)," Cabetas asserts. CSOs should investigate appropriate physical security counter measures for attacks by drones they do not own or control while requiring secure protocols for any UAVs they do deploy.


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Bee Honored With NENPA Awards, Hicks Named Photographer Of The Year
BOSTON — The Newtown Bee was recognized among hundreds of New England Newspaper and Press Association (NENPA) members February 7 and 8 for its editorial and photographic work during the period of August 1, 2012, to July 31, 2013. The awards were presented during NENPA's annual New England Newspaper Conference.
Associate Editor Shannon Hicks was named Photographer of the Year (Weekly), along with receiving first place awards for Spot News Photo, for her iconic image of young students being led from Sandy Hook School by law enforcement responders; Photo Series, for the series of photos taken in the first few grim moments following the horrific attack, when local, state, and federal first responders were pouring into the scene and the evacuations of Sandy Hook Elementary School continued; and Reporting on Religious Issues, for her coverage of a controversy that erupted within the Lutheran Church following a post-12/14 interfaith memorial service that was attended by President Barack Obama.
Local artist Kim Proctor was award first place in the Illustration category for her touching line drawing that graced the front page of The Newtown Bee issue of December 21, 2012, featuring 27 white doves representing the 12/14 victims.
Additionally, Newtown Bee Editor Curtiss Clark was honored with a second place award in the Editorial Supplement category, for the December 17, 2012, special edition of The Newtown Bee, published within days following the Sandy Hook shootings.
The newspaper's sales department also received a third place award in the Events category for an advertising package that promoted National Shelter Dog Month; and received honorable mention in Niche Publication for its 2013 Guide To Newtown.
Referring to the Guide, judges remarked that "every community paper in the country should produce one of these!"
The NENPA advertising awards for the Guide and the Shelter Dog Month promotion were presented February 7 during an early evening reception at the Park Plaza Hotel. The balance of the awards were presented during the annual Better Newspaper Awards Banquet the following evening, with approximately 500 people attending in the hotel's grand ballroom.
The first award received by The Bee Saturday evening was for Ms Hicks's reporting on religious issues, which detailed the background and outcome of a controversy that involved Rob Morris, the pastor of Christ the King Lutheran Church, and several other regional and national Lutheran Church leaders.
Judges for that report wrote: "A complicated story emerging from the 12/14 tragedy … that was rooted in the community but had implications at the top levels of the US Lutheran Church. Expertly detailed by the author in an engaging and highly readable feature."
In considering the post-12/14 Special Edition that was published the Monday following the tragedy — the first ever in the newspaper's 136-year history — judges wrote: "A tragic event brings the world to Newtown and the local weekly responds with this complimentary issue. The special edition recaps the news of the 28 deaths, the visit of the President and manages to keep its hometown readers informed, as well. Good job on an emotional and disturbing event that struck home."
Ms Proctor's cover illustration for the 2012 holiday edition was initially completed weeks in advance featuring Santa Claus in his reindeer-driven sleigh flying above a snow-covered Newtown Bee office. But just days after 12/14 Ms Proctor worked with Publisher Scudder Smith to redesign the illustration from its festive mood to the more respectful and somber image of 27 white doves flying over the newspaper's office.
Judges in this category stated: "A classic approach, this page embodies a strong sense of community and tradition. Especially coming just seven days after the Newtown shootings, this illustration offers hope for the future of Newtown and its citizenry."
Judges for Ms Hicks's photo series complimented the "strong collection of images," adding: "Well done in keeping your head in your job."
In their comments for her photo of children being led from their elementary school that Friday morning, a photo that subsequently appeared on the front page of newspapers around the world, judges summed up her work as "excellent."
When the award for Spot News Photo was announced Saturday evening, the room erupted in applause and Ms Hicks was given a standing ovation. Many later said that it was the first time anyone had received such a response during the convention.
Ms Hicks's work rose to the top among judges considering the weekly newspaper Photographer of the Year distinction based on the body of work submitted for consideration across numerous categories.
The recognition at the annual February NENPA conference followed Editor Curtiss Clark receiving the 2013 Allan B. Rogers Editorial Award at the organization's Fall Conference last October.
That award honors the best editorial written in New England on a local topic, and it cited Mr Clark's editorial that appeared as part of the 12/14 special edition entitled "Answering For Our Town."
At that fall conference, The Newtown Bee special edition also won NENPA's Publick Occurrences Award in recognition of outstanding journalism covering the 12/14 tragedy.


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Fox & Friends Distorts Obama's Record On Border Security
Fox & Friends repeatedly suggested that because of a joke President Obama made during a recent speech about immigration, he is not taking border security seriously. But Fox & Friends ignored that deportations of illegal immigrants have increased under Obama, and the number of border patrol agents and funding for border security projects have also increased.
Obama Makes "Moat" Joke During Immigration Speech In TX
Obama Jokes: "Maybe [Republicans] Will Want A Moat [At The Border] ... They'll Never Be Satisfied." During his May 10 speech in El Paso, Texas, about immigration reform, President Obama said:
OBAMA: So, here's the point. I want everybody to listen carefully to this. We have gone above and beyond what was requested by the very Republicans who said they supported broader reform as long as we got serious about enforcement. All the stuff they asked for, we've done. But even though we've answered these concerns, I've got to say I suspect there are still going to be some who are trying to move the goal posts on us one more time.
You know, they said we needed to triple the Border Patrol. Or now they're going to say we need to quadruple the Border Patrol. Or they'll want a higher fence. Maybe they'll need a moat. (Laughter.) Maybe they want alligators in the moat. (Laughter.) They'll never be satisfied. And I understand that. That's politics. [Obama's remarks on immigration reform, WhiteHouse.gov, 5/10/11]
Fox & Friends Uses Moat Joke To Suggest Obama Is Not "Securing The Border"
Doocy: "Can [Obama] Keep Us Safe Without Securing The Border?" On the May 11 edition of Fox News' Fox & Friends, co-host Steve Doocy said:
DOOCY: Just days after a dozen people were massacred near the United States- Mexican border, the president made fun of the fence. Can he keep us safe without securing the border? Congressman Ted Poe of Texas is here this morning.
Doocy was referring to a May 8 gun battle at Falcon Lake, on the border between Texas and Mexico, which reportedly killed one Mexican marine and 12 suspected drug cartel members. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 5/11/11; CBS News, 5/10/11]
Carlson: "The President Said That You Guys Got All The Stuff That You Asked For. Is That True?" Later during the broadcast, co-host Gretchen Carlson interviewed Rep. Ted Poe (R-TX). Carlson repeatedly invited Poe to criticize the Obama administration's record on border security and did not push back against Poe's suggestion that the president has made the U.S.-Mexican border less secure. From the broadcast:
CARLSON: So in that little clip that we just played [from Obama's May 10 speech], the president said that you guys got all the stuff that you asked for. Is that true?
POE: No, that's completely not true. I have asked the president to put more National Guard troops on the board -- 10,000 National Guard troops. That hasn't happened. So the president is misinformed when he says that he is -- we have -- he has done everything we've asked him to do. The border is not secure. His own agency -- inspector general says that only 44 percent of the border is secure. That means 56 percent of the border is controlled by somebody else. And that's not Mexico, and that's not the United States. So, I've been to the border numerous times, been to Arizona. And the president is incorrect when he tries to mislead the American public, especially people who aren't on the border, that the border is secure. It is not.
CARLSON: See, here's what I don't understand, congressman, because it would seem to me that most Americans would be in favor of securing our border. Just that fact alone. Then it gets dicey. I mean, then it gets dicey -- what do you do with all the people who are already here? What do you do with the rest of the family members who still want to come? But am I missing something here? I don't really understand who's against securing the border.
POE: There are different political entities who actually believe in open borders. We want people to come here the right way. If you can't come here legally, don't come. And that includes everybody. And we have to make sure that we secure that southern border, especially. Third World countries secure their borders better than we do. We protect the borders of other nations, Afghanistan, Iraq, but we don't protect ours. It is -- it is just a song and dance to try mislead folks that the border is secure. The border patrol does as best job as they can, but they need more reinforcements. Everybody knows that drug cartels cross back and forth into the United States every day. They bring people, they bring drugs. And it's very disheartening to find Americans throughout the country who don't live there that don't want the borders secure. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 5/11/11]
Carlson: "Days After A Massacre On The Mexican Border, President Obama Made Fun ... Of The Fence." Later during the show, Carlson teased an upcoming segment by saying:
CARLSON: [D]ays after a massacre on the Mexican border, President Obama made fun, then, of the fence.
OBAMA [video clip]: Maybe they'll need a moat, maybe they'll want alligators in the moat. They'll never be satisfied.
CARLSON: He was talking about Republicans. So will Republicans get the last laugh? Well, Karl Rove is here next to let us know his thoughts. [Fox News, Fox & Friends, 5/11/11]
But Experts, Media Say Border Is "More Fortified Than Ever" Under Obama Admin.
PolitiFact: "[Border Patrol] Manpower Has Roughly Doubled Since 2004, As Obama Said In His Speech At El Paso." PolitiFact rated as "true" Obama's statement that "[t]he Border Patrol has 20,000 agents -- more than twice as many as there were in 2004." From PolitiFact:
In a speech on immigration reform in El Paso, Texas, President Barack Obama boasted about an unprecedented number of border security agents along the U.S. border with Mexico, but he said critics probably still won't be satisfied.
"Under Secretary Napolitano's leadership, we have strengthened border security beyond what many believed was possible," Obama said in his May 10, 2011, speech. "They wanted more agents on the border. Well, we now have more boots on the ground on the southwest border than at any time in our history. The Border Patrol has 20,000 agents -- more than twice as many as there were in 2004, a buildup that began under President Bush and that we have continued."
In March 2011, the U.S. Government Accountability Office released a report, "Border Security: DHS Progress and Challenges in Securing the U.S. Southwest and Northern Borders," in conjunction with testimony from GAO Director Richard Stana.
The report confirmed that personnel and other resources to stop illegal crossings of the U.S.-Mexico border have increased dramatically in recent years. In 2004, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was created, reorganizing several federal agencies under a single roof. That year, the agency had 10,500 agents to patrol land borders. That number now stands at nearly 21,000.
In other words, manpower has roughly doubled since 2004, as Obama said in his speech in El Paso. Again, that trend began under President Bush, whom Obama credited, but it continued under Obama. We rate Obama's statement True. [PolitiFact, 5/10/11]
AP: "The U.S.-Mexico Border Is More Fortified Now Than It Was Even Five Years Ago." A June 23, 2010, Associated Press article noted: "You wouldn't know it from the public debate, but the U.S.-Mexico border is more fortified now than it was even five years ago. Far more agents patrol it, more fences, barriers and technology protect it and taxpayers are spending billions more to reinforce it." [AP, 6/23/10]
There Are Currently More Border Patrol Agents "Than Ever Before In The History Of This Country." The Obama administration has been increasing the number of Border Patrol officers on the southern border. During a July 2010 hearing of the House Committee on Homeland Security, U.S. Border Patrol chief Michael Fisher said, "Currently we have over 20,000 Border Patrol Agents nationwide, more than ever before in the history of the country."
Based on Department of Homeland Security data, The Arizona Republic created the following chart showing the increase in border patrol agents since 2001.
[House Homeland Security Committee Hearing, 7/22/10; The Arizona Republic, 5/26/10]
Obama Signed $600 Million Border Security Bill For More Border Patrol Agents And Customs Inspectors. On August 13, 2010, Obama signed a $600 million border security bill to "fund some 1,500 new border patrol agents, customs inspectors and other law enforcement officials along the border, as well as two more unmanned aerial 'drones' to monitor border activities." [Reuters, 8/13/10]
Seizures Of Drugs, Weapons Along Border Have Increased. According to data reported by USA Today, "[w]eapons seizures rose 28% and illicit-currency seizures were up 35% in fiscal 2009 and 2010." [USA Today, 2/9/11]
Deportations Have Increased Under Obama. According to data from the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), nearly 100,000 more people were deported by ICE in both 2009 and 2010 than in 2007. [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, accessed 2/14/11]
Deportations Of Convicted Criminals Are At Their Highest Levels. According to AZ Fact Check -- a project of The Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 12 News, and Arizona State University -- "ICE has removal numbers immediately available for only the past 10 fiscal years, and according to those figures, the most convicted criminals were indeed removed in fiscal 2010." [AZ Fact Check, 2/9/11]
Illegal Immigration Fell In FY 2010 Due To "Economic Distress" And "Changes In The Level Of Immigration Enforcement." In a study on the national and state trends of the unauthorized immigrant population in the United States, Pew Hispanic Center found that "economic distress" and "changes in the level of immigration enforcement" led to a decrease in the number of undocumented immigrants crossing into the United States. From Pew Hispanic Center:
The decline in the population of unauthorized immigrants from its peak in 2007 appears due mainly to a decrease in the number from Mexico, which went down to 6.5 million in 2010 from 7 million in 2007. Mexicans remain the largest group of unauthorized immigrants, accounting for 58% of the total.
- The number of unauthorized immigrants decreased from 2007 to 2010 in Colorado, Florida, New York and Virginia. The combined population in three contiguous Mountain West states-Arizona, Nevada and Utah-also declined.
- In contrast to the national trend, the combined unauthorized immigrant population in three contiguous West South Central states-Louisiana, Oklahoma and Texas-grew from 2007 to 2010.
- Although the number of unauthorized immigrants in the U.S. is below 2007 levels, it has tripled since 1990, when it was 3.5 million and grown by a third since 2000, when it was 8.4 million.
The estimates are based on data from the U.S. Census Bureau's Current Population Survey, augmented with the Pew Hispanic Center's analysis of the demographic characteristics of the unauthorized immigrant population using a "residual estimation methodology."
Although the estimates indicate trends in the size and composition of the unauthorized-immigrant population, they are not designed to answer the question of why these changes occurred. There are many possible factors. The deep recession that began in the U.S. economy officially ended in 2009, but recovery has been slow to take hold and unemployment remains high. Immigration flows have tended to decrease in previous periods of economic distress.
The period covered by this analysis also has been accompanied by changes in the level of immigration enforcement and in enforcement strategies, not only by the federal government but also at state and local levels. Immigration also is subject to pressure by demographic and economic conditions in sending countries. This analysis does not attempt to quantify the relative impact of these forces on levels of unauthorized immigration. [Pew Hispanic Center, 2/1/11]
Fox Has A History Of Misinforming About Obama's Immigration Record
Fox Uses White House Meeting On Immigration Reform To Insult Undocumented Immigrants And Border Security. On April 19, Fox News' supposedly "straight news" programs used a White House meeting on immigration reform to fearmonger about immigration and bash Obama's record on border security and immigration. [Media Matters, 4/20/11]
Fox & Friends Falsely Suggested Obama Refuses To Secure Border. In October, 2010, Fox & Friends hosted Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-TX) and agreed with his false suggestion that Obama has not worked to secure the border with Mexico. [Media Matters, 10/13/10]
Right-Wing Media Falsely Claim Obama Said Border Security Is "Impossible." In July, 2010, right-wing media distorted one of Obama's immigration speeches to claim that he said border security is impossible. In fact, Obama said our immigration problems can't be solved "only with fences and border patrols" and that other measures are needed to reduce the incentives for illegal immigration, a view that has also been expressed by many experts and several Republicans. [Media Matters, 7/20/10]
Right-Wing Media Figures Have Repeatedly Distorted Obama's Record On Border Security. Right-wing media figures have a history of falsely portraying Obama as weak on border security. [Media Matters, 7/1/10, 7/29/10, 8/4/10]


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As the web turns live — with broadcasters streaming and with anyone carrying a mobile phone broadcasting — the next big challenge for search will be how we can find what's going on while it's going on. How can we search the live web?
I've written here before that witnesses sharing what they see via video from their mobile phones will change the essential architecture of news. No longer will CNN tell witnesses to send things to them that they then vet, package, and present to the world. When a Qik or Flixwagon user sees live news and broadcasts it on the web, it won't be through CNN. CNN's challenge will be to find it and its choice will be to link to it or embed it or not. That changes the role of a news organization in the ecology of news. It might even take them out of the flow of much of live news unless they can come up with systems to find and recommend what's happening now.
Even when dealing with known, branded sources of live broadcast, there's a challenge. I want to see whether anyone — TV or radio network or citizen armed with a Nokia — is going to broadcast Barack Obama's speech about race from Philadelphia today. But I can't find that.
Google is not prepared for the live web. Google values pages that grow links and clicks over time. It understands the permanent web. Of course, that is a protean thing, a growing brain. But it's not live. Technorati likes to think that it gives us the live web but I'd say that instead it gives us the dynamic web, the latest static pages. It also doesn't give us live.
How can you find and value live? Looking at links will make you too late. Traffic might tell you something — why are people swarming around this video stream? — but that, too, will be unreliable and probably too late. Brand won't be a help because the witness will almost always see and share news before a reporter can get there.
Nobody would have had any reason to know that I was on the last PATH train into the World Trade Center on 9/11 but if I'd had the phone I had now, I would have been broadcasting the news from eye-level — not from rooftops three miles away — as it happened. How could you have known that?
There will need to be a new system where, Twitterlike, he who's broadcasting live can alert the world about what he's sending and others — audiences or armies of interns monitoring these feeds — help the good stuff bubble up and quickly.
If this doesn't exist, the live web's value will be as perishable as smoke. If it does exist, we'll probably find what's going on — what's news — around the present news architecture. And then we'll have to wonder how we vet and confirm that what we see is real.
Live changes everything — again.
Seconds after posting this, I see Dave Winer — who else? — at the start of such a structure of leading us to the live web. He Twittered: "I'm making an MP3 of Obama's speech. I'll publish it a few minutes after the speech is over, 15 minutes from now."


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Some public figures are using England's plaintiff-friendly laws to go after books they don't like. New York and Illinois have come to the defense of U.S. writers. Congress and California should too. April 9, 2009 Before the American Revolution, a plaintiff could successfully sue a writer for libel even when the offensive statement was demonstrably true. Then, starting with the famous Zenger case in 1735 and culminating with the New York Times vs. Sullivan ruling by the Supreme Court in 1964, American law cemented our tradition of open expression of ideas.
In order to win a libel case in this country, a public figure must show not only that the critical statement is false but that the writer knew it to be false or wrote it with a reckless disregard for the truth. That "actual malice" standard is a cornerstone of our 1st Amendment free-speech and free-press rights. But libel law has developed along a different path in England, where writers must prove that statements alleged to be libelous are true. That plaintiff-friendly approach has made London into a kind of libel headquarters for thin-skinned public figures who take umbrage at books they don't like.
Consider the plight of Rachel Ehernfeld, author of "Funding Evil" — a 2003 book about Saudi businessman and alleged terrorist financier Khalid bin Mahfouz. The book was distributed only in the U.S., but a few copies made their way to England, and that was enough for an English court to take jurisdiction. The Israeli-born writer had to choose between relocating from her New York home to London to defend herself, or defaulting. She chose the latter course, but risked the $160,000 judgment against her being enforced in a U.S. court. The New York Legislature responded by passing a law to prevent that from happening, and Illinois followed suit.
Authors in other states may back off from hard-hitting reporting for fear of being hounded by their subjects in a foreign court, especially when the purchase of a few American books by English readers over the Internet could open them to liability. That won't happen in California, if lawmakers pass a bill introduced by state Sen. Ellen Corbett (D-San Leandro). SB 320 would assure writers that defamation judgments from other countries can't be enforced here if the foreign court doesn't provide the writers with at least as much freedom as guaranteed by the state and U.S. constitutions. It's a worthy bill and deserves to pass.
Congress too should move forward on a more sweeping bill by Sens. Arlen Specter (R-Pa.) and Joe Lieberman (I-Conn.). S. 449 would protect writers nationwide and take an important additional step: It would permit counter-suits against plaintiffs who attempt to use foreign courts to suppress American expression. That may be the best protection for writers here — until other nations update their laws to give greater respect to free speech.